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Bluefin Stage 1 - mpg difference?

1.3K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  ST SLVR  
#1 ·
I recall a guy who had one of the very first Bluefin remaps saying that he was getting around 8mpg better on his motorway biased drive to work.

I'd be interested to know what other peoples experiences are with mpg on light throttle.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
@Jez: in all honesty in the 6000 miles I've done with the Bluefin I really don't think it's made any difference one way or the other. Which is good news in a way as the extra power at least doesn't cost fuel...and the extra oomph does tempt you to plant the foot... (PS Think I did a few track days organised thru Seloc with you when I had my Elise... you won't remember me cos I never posted much there! But dunno if you know an ex colleague of mine Guy who raced in the BMW series for the last two years?)

@Stu: Got to say though mine does in the low 30s at steady 80 mph on the motorway - and always has...

FWIW I average 25-26 mpg which mainly comprises my commute to work which is 30 miles motorway, 10 miles A/B roads and 5 miles urban. The motorway section is often jammed.

I must say it never ceases to amaze me that people buy 225+ bhp turbo charged cars and get surprised by the fuel consumption! Was the same when I had the scoobies! The scoobies averaged less than 22mpg (depending on the state of tune) so I think 25-6 for the ST with bluefin is pretty good really.

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#7 ·
Just a comment, but from my experience with bikes, when you do something to make it quicker or sound better, you do tend to drive(or in my case ride) it harder for a few months until the novelty wears off. Lets face it, we're all kids at heart !
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#8 ·
QUOTE(parklife @ Aug 3 2006, 08:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Mine seems to have dropped a couple of MPG on normal driving....or is that just cos I boot it more
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Watching mine carefully over 7K, bluefin dropped my MPG by 2 or so. However I wonder about the factor Parklife describes! Having removed it to go back to superchips for old stage 1 to be upgraded to new stage 1, my first tank went at a rate of 23 mpg (same as bluefin) so who knows? I think it makes it worse but it depends on your local area (lots of motorway miles v's urban driving etc).

As Parklife and Jelster say, it does encourage you to boot it a bit more, making the mpg worse
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#10 ·
QUOTE(chameleon @ Aug 2 2006, 10:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>But dunno if you know an ex colleague of mine Guy who raced in the BMW series for the last two years?)

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Guys, thanks for the comprehensive responses!
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Chameleon, I am Sussex liaison for Seloc and if its the same Guy (camera hire, Crowborough etc), then I certainly do know him and also know that he has ordered a ST-3.
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My only experience (other than the Elise) of performance turbocharged cars is from Saab. In particular, my modified 9000 Aero was hugely faster than my ST in standard trim (290bhp / 305lb ), used less fuel and was heavier. I believe it had a very sophisticated ecu and therein lies the difference, so I believe.

Interestingly, I was chatting with the salesman at my dealer today (ordered my new black 5dr ST3!) and he was talking to Richard Parry Jones at the Motorshow. The topic of ST mpg came up then and RPJ said that they had set the ST's to run rich to limit warranty claims as Ford knew that the ST was likely to be thrashed.

Jez
 
#11 ·
Hi,

My new ST is averaging 25-26mpg.

I've recently traded in my Seat Leon Cupra R and it averaged 34mpg and also had 225bhp.

So, yes the ST3 is thirsty compared to other front wheel drive cars with the same horsepower. It can in no way be compared to 4wd cars as these have significant loses through the transmission.

After doing the research before I bought the car, I knew the mpg would be poor, but I chose the car anyway as it's so much better it every other way.

Shamone
 
#12 ·
Sure, the ST is a great car.

I guess the only two things I could criticise it for are the mpg and possibly the handling; when you start trying to link corners on country roads, it gets a big ragged.
 
G
#13 ·
Hi,

After 3K my ST is doing around 23-24mpg per tankful on 95 Octane, however I do spend a lot of time queuing to get in and out of major cities! The best I have seen so far was 30 mpg during running in.

I have Bluefin installed, but have not had any time to test if mpg is better or worse yet (performs like a totally different car though)!

Previously I ran a Passat 1.8T which only managed around 27mpg over the 45K I ran the car for, so I am happy with the mpg in comparison (although my wifes APR tuned A3 1.8T Quattro is doing 31-32 mpg).

In a few weeks I will be able to get access to a V50 T5 to provide a real comparison and see if RPJs comment about rich fuelling has affected the Volvo engine in a major way!?

Cheers

SYSCO
 
#14 ·
Hi guys,

Just for a quick reply (was going to do a bit more of a comprehensive reply once I'd had a few more tanks with bluefin stage 1!) my ST (7k on the clock) has done the following:

95RON - Average - 29.06 mpg (10 tanks worth)
97RON -(Optimax mainly) - 27.74 mpg (17 tanks worth)
Bluefin - 97RON - 27.12 mpg (6 tanks)

The best I've had out of bluefin was 32.7mpg at a steady 80mph.

As you can see, the number of tanks of petrol have not been equal.

There have been a fair number of motorway miles (hence the high mpg to what a lot of people have been reporting) but it is generally combined mileage (i.e commuting to work - 10 mile journey country roads and ring road). There have definitely been a good few blasts (wiltshire country roads can be fun!)
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but generally speed limits have been adhered to (all 30 and 40s with nationals around the 70-80 mark).

I try not to break the law, although I get up to the speed limit quite quickly!
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Hope this gives a rough idea.

ST SLVR