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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
Clutch & Bike fuel efficiency? |
I am so fuel efficiency concious.I still now strongly belive that disengaging the engine increases the fuel efficiency. Hence even when I anticipate a small slope in the road,I accelerate the engine a bit more before the slope & then cover the whole of the slope with my clutch engaged.That is without using the engine at all.This not only disengages the engine but riding with the clutch is more safer and less requirement to apply brakes,hence no wastage of power through brakes.Recently someone told im doing a mistake.Can any one give a genuine advice on this please?.Im looking only for straight forward answers for my above Qn, as I know very well that applying clutch and changing gears and accelerating with the clutch and applying brakes at the same time are all worst driving practices.My Qn is simple, Will catching the clutch and disengaging the engine at slopes increase the fuel efficiency or not?if no why?Also since the vehicle is moving faster in slopes with clutch,why engine? Yes. When you apply the clutch, the wheels become free and the car can cover a somewhat greater distance. So, you are right. You'll probably get half a mile extra per litre if you drive this way. I used to do this, when I started driving, coz I hated changing the gears often. But, there are two main drawbacks to this - 1. It is RISKY. When the engine is disengaged, the brakes are the only way to reduce the speed. The normal 'engine braking' is not there. So, don't do this unless you are very sure that you have perfect brakes. On a long downward slope, if you ride this way, and apply brakes too frequently, the brakes get overheated and may fail. And, only the handbrake (or the God) can save you then. The correct way to drive on a downward slope is to shift to an appropriate gear and let go of all the three pedals. The engine braking will automatically maintain a constant speed. 2. After you have traced the slope, when you re-engage the engine, by releasing the clutch, the engine speed and the car's speed are bound to be different. So, there's going to be a lot of friction, and heat when you do this, causing a small damage to the clucth plate everytime you do this. For a long life of the clutch plate, you should change the gears only when reqd. and use the clutch as little as poss. Also, a good match of speed and the gear are must. Remember - a clutch plate (even of M800) will cost you over Rs. 2000+ other charges, and will wipe off all your 'savings' in a minute. To get an optimal efficiency from your car, you can just drive in the highest gear that's possible and use the accelerator a little. 10 Kmph ---------> Drive in 2nd gear 20 -------------------> 3rd 40 -------------------> 4th 60 -------------------> 5th At these speeds, even the idling power of the engine is sufficient to keep the car in constant speed, and no extra fuel is reqd. Actual numbers will vary from vehicle to vehicle. After a few days, you can easily figure out the numbers for your car. |
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