Bike carriers and mpg

[Night Train]

Surely the adverse change in aerodynamics of a bike fitted to the outside of a Land Rover would be similar to the weight penalty of a passenger in an articulated lorry.


60 - 80mpg that is very impressive, what make and model?

Some big 4x4's are not that bad in terms of aerodynamics as they may seem, not as good as a car but for those who have to use them any saving is worth having. I used to have a Land Rover that returned 8mpg on petrol. A change to a bigger diesel engine brought that up to around 35mpg. Many of the people I know who are fans of Land Rovers will want that or better but, granted, there are those who don't care about energy consumption, just as there are cyclist, and people from all walks of life, who don't care either.

Passengers in lorries? You'd be surprised at how much a driver will want to preserve what economy he/she can get from their truck. A passenger may not make a lot of difference but a poorly driven car ahead can make a big difference.

I drive an unmodified 2001 Skoda Octavia Estate TDi with 165,000miles on the clock. The best I got was 84mpg and I try not to drive it if the journey won't return better then 55mpg unless there is no option, trailer towing for instance.
My regular commutes of 30 miles and 70 miles return around 65 and 72mpg respectively on standard B5 pump fuel, and I'm no slouch either. It was significantly worse on B100 so I stopped using it.

My Dad's LR Discovery,when he still had it, used significantly less fuel then my car did over the time he had it just by not being used as much and only when really needed.

 

[corshamjim]

Sorry Jim, from experience I can say you're totally wrong, if referring to trailers behind cars rather than bikes. It's the most practical way there is of carrying bikes, especially on longer journeys. ...

I was referring to a trailer towed by a bicycle.

... who has a trailer which attaches to his bike for carting other bikes around ...

Interesting to hear about trailers behind cars though. I'm inclined to agree with you. If I had more than just the one bike to cart around I'd likely consider getting a towbar and trailer for the car rather than struggling with roof racks or rear racks. I'm fortunate to have a little spare garage space for a trailer though.

 

[Alembicbassman]

I could use our firms 7.5 tonne box van, but the mpg on that is about 15.

My Vectra C hatchback swallows up most things OK though.

 

[Banjo]

Probably the most fuel economic means of transporting a bike other than just pedalling it.

 

[Night Train]

Trailers behind cars are useful and with some thought and consideration the trailer can have many uses beyond the original requirement.

One of my home built trailers has been made as adaptable as possible for the range of uses I have for it.
It is built around a telescopic drawbar and has two folding plastic pallet crates which can be folded flat for travelling or as a flat bed, can be one large box or two independent smaller boxes and can extend from 2.4m to 4.2m long.

I also have a small electro hydraulic crane to fit on the front for assited loading.

The downside is, of course, the weight of the trailer. Mine weighs 400kg empty (with a maximum weight of 1300kg) though I can nearly halve that by removing the crates to form a ladder chassis.

You need to be careful of ensuring that your driving licence allows you to pull a trailer of the weight you intend to use though.

If I was moving a family load of bikes and had a car load I would use a very lightweight and low height box trailer to gain as much aerodynamic advantage as possible. A light skeletal trailer would be another good option.

Here is my other homebuilt trailer.

 

[Night Train]

I've seen pictures of someone (Tom Crispin from urc if I recall) who has a trailer which attaches to his bike for carting other bikes around. Obviously not a practical solution for longer journeys though!

I found this one by Dave Holladay in Issue 39 of Velovision.

 

[Night Train]

Was that the Rover 3½ V8 or the straight 6 petrol fitted to very early LRs?.
I was a big land rover fan for many years, had a series lla with the 2¼ petrol, it used to manage about 15-17mpg. Completely rebuilt it on a shortened 90 chassis (Coil sprung) and switched the engine for a Perkins diesel out of a maestro. got it up to nearly 30mpg. Wish I had never sold it, Its still on the road over near Newcastleton, believe its now has the Izuzu engine in it. Breaks my heart when I see it :-(

It was a very tired 2 1/4 petrol I used for a couple of years. I did have a V8 as a part ex for an AEC Matador I sold. In the very short time it took to use a whole tank of fuel I got rid of it as a part ex for my Dad's last car.
I am also a great big Land Rover fan but won't be getting another one unless a need arises, the other half wanting one isn't enough of a reason.

Presumably that's the very impressive VW engine. Even so that is very very good mpg. Have you ever calibrated your odometer. Some can be quite inaccurate, my current van reads about 4% over and my last van was 7% over.

B5 - B100 ?? are you running on chip fat or something?

Yes, that's the one. The odometer is quite close to accurate compared to my satnav though the speedo is out quite a bit.
The B5 is standard 5% bio from the garage forecourt. I ran b100 made from old stock clean veg oil and it it was low on power and economy. I then switched to used chip fat and it nearly killed my injection pump. It has taken over 30,000 miles on B5 pump fuel to get back to normal consumption and power.

There is a UK based Skoda Fabia that is claiming high 90's mpg with aeromods like taping up body gaps and running high pressure tyres.

 

[Night Train]

I think the aeromods include taping up all the frontal gaps around the bonnet and grille as well as the doors and glass. Also the wheels would be taped over so that it is a solid disc. I think maybe all the underbody and wheel arch shields are also taped to close gaps and the aerial and roof bars are removed. Some people even fold the mirrors in and stick on a little blind spot mirror on the folded shell to retain the rear view.

Hypermiling, extreme eco driving, also helps.

It is a little extreme but effective. The Ecomodder site has lots of hints and tips.