 Poster: A snowHead
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until the invoice arrives
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my péage tag was paid direct from my bank - I never looked at the details. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Layne wrote: |
| Pretty much the only time I use cruise control is driving overnight down the French motorway. Nice to be able to flex the legs. And also to keep a consistent speed which I would imagine is good for fuel consumption. |
Unless you have a lead foot cruise control will generally use more fuel rather than less.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Mjit, just had a google - here is what the RAC say
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/fuel-saving-tips/
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4. Does cruise control use more fuel?
Cruise control only aids fuel economy when driving on a constant flat surface, hence why it is usually best reserved for motorway driving.
One of the keys to saving fuel is driving at a constant speed, cruise control can do this effectively on flat surfaces, making your driving as fuel efficient as possible by negating unnecessary acceleration.
However, if you were to use your cruise control regularly, not on flat roads, you would encounter problems that would increase your fuel consumption.
This is because your cruise control would be slower to react to gradient changes, meaning when reaching the brow of a hill – at which point you would normally take your foot off the accelerator to maintain more of a constant speed when descending – your cruise control will keep the power on for a little longer as it’s unable to see the gradient change in front of you. Driving in this way regularly would lead to worse fuel consumption.
Interestingly, the most fuel-efficient roads in the country are not quiet extra-urban dual carriageways or 20mph city streets, they are motorways. This is where you can leave the car in top gear and gently cruise along, using minimal fuel. |
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I don't have cruise control but do now have the means to monitor fuel consumption and find that quite addictive. I am now more inclined to ease off speed uphill as I can see how pushing the car uphill pushes up the fuel consumption. Staying off the brake pedal helps, too. If I'm not in a hurry I get 55 mpg or more without by any means crawling along. But if I am in a hurry I'll take the fuel penalty of higher speed, obviously. My current car is automatic and I could probably do with putting in some time and effort to master the "override".
Motorways are the safest and most fuel-efficient way of getting around!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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my péage tag was paid direct from my bank - I never looked at the details.
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Always worth checking particularly if you have a larger car or have a roofbox - our i800 (with roofbox) is regularly charged as Class 2 rather than Class 1. A brief email to Emovis always sorts it out no questions asked.
https://www.autoroutes.fr/en/vehicle-classification.htm
I think the height thing is the height of your car without roofload.
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I have adaptive cruise control and I find the "set and forget" really makes the drive more relaxing especially when speed is variable. I don't mind the extra fuel consumption if I can drive longer and arrive fresher.
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Always worth checking particularly if you have a larger car or have a roofbox - our i800 (with roofbox) is regularly charged as Class 2 rather than Class 1
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Hmm. I never checked, never looked at an invoice, never thought of that! if some electronic magic in the gates measures height, they'd have to be very smart to distinguish between a low car with a couple of ski boxes on the top and a higher vehicle. Sometimes I had skis on top, sometimes didn't, but always had the ski rack.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@jonathancarty, i wonder how they would know the height when you just go through the normal lanes?
must admit, never thought too much about it but just checked my invoice from december, and my car with a roofbox (approx 2.4m) was charged as a class 1
its also good that the normal lanes, with a "T" sign above, allow you to go through at 30kph, same as the 2m restricted height lanes.
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| Ozboy wrote: |
| I have adaptive cruise control and I find the "set and forget" really makes the drive more relaxing especially when speed is variable. I don't mind the extra fuel consumption if I can drive longer and arrive fresher. |
Same here it's an absolute joy but all types of cruise probably use more fuel as the engine is engaged longer.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@pam w, beat me to it!!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pam w wrote: |
I don't have cruise control but do now have the means to monitor fuel consumption and find that quite addictive. I am now more inclined to ease off speed uphill as I can see how pushing the car uphill pushes up the fuel consumption. Staying off the brake pedal helps, too. If I'm not in a hurry I get 55 mpg or more without by any means crawling along. But if I am in a hurry I'll take the fuel penalty of higher speed, obviously. My current car is automatic and I could probably do with putting in some time and effort to master the "override".
Motorways are the safest and most fuel-efficient way of getting around! |
Yes, same for me regarding intelligent manual cruise control. If an obvious down followed by up and it's clear, then I'll run a little more speed into it on the down to then avoid having to open throttle more just to maintain pace on the up.
Automatic transmission, I leave to itself mainly with just two exception. If you are in varying speed conditions and its about a change point to top gear, then it can drive you a bit mad as throttle off changes up, followed by immediately changing down as soon as you need just a little more speed to keep with traffic flow. This may be worth taking next gear down to just let you balance it with light throttle movements in just one gear. Remember to put it back to auto when out of that though.
Far more important though is very slow transmission assistance in decent on slippery road. Most will adapt to the incline and hold lower gear EVENTUALLY but often too slow to recognise and by that time you've run too much speed into it to be competently safe. In obviously risky decent, select 1st manual before starting and leave it to initially judge pace and then see what further approach is needed. This scenario is more moving around village access etc, but also village depart to hairpin etc if snow covered. That's exactly the same as a manual transmission approach but with the same certainty when using an auto.
If you don't do this, any reduction in throttle input and torque will usually see it changing up just when you don't want to.
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| Layne wrote: |
@Mjit, just had a google - here is what the RAC say
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/fuel-saving-tips/
| Quote: |
4. Does cruise control use more fuel?
Cruise control only aids fuel economy when driving on a constant flat surface, hence why it is usually best reserved for motorway driving.
One of the keys to saving fuel is driving at a constant speed, cruise control can do this effectively on flat surfaces, making your driving as fuel efficient as possible by negating unnecessary acceleration.
However, if you were to use your cruise control regularly, not on flat roads, you would encounter problems that would increase your fuel consumption.
This is because your cruise control would be slower to react to gradient changes, meaning when reaching the brow of a hill – at which point you would normally take your foot off the accelerator to maintain more of a constant speed when descending – your cruise control will keep the power on for a little longer as it’s unable to see the gradient change in front of you. Driving in this way regularly would lead to worse fuel consumption.
Interestingly, the most fuel-efficient roads in the country are not quiet extra-urban dual carriageways or 20mph city streets, they are motorways. This is where you can leave the car in top gear and gently cruise along, using minimal fuel. |
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Which is a long winded way of saying - unless you have a lead foot CC will use more fuel.
Even motorways are rarely flat and if you hold constant RPM (within reason) letting speed slowly wash off going up hills/backing off the gas and letting gravity accelerate you as you go down the other side you'll save fuel over using CC. Likewise if you see traffic slowing ahead and come off the gas, letting your car slow naturally you'll save fuel over letting the CC barrel along until you have to tap the brakes to slow down. If you DO have a lead foot though then CC will use less.
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You know it makes sense.
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Didn’t have time for practice snow chain fitting today as eldest son who is coming discovered his head has expanded from all the learning at university. New helmet, googles and gloves were needed so we popped into the only ski shop locally which isn’t S+R or Decathlon and spent a fortune. I’d forgotten how expensive skiing is!
Maybe this fuel efficiency thread is about skiing after all! Arriving solvent is as important as arriving rested.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Asking for a friend - they have eutotunnel flexipass dated Saturday 11th Feb, could they cross on Friday to 10th on this booking?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For those of you with auto BMWs be aware that cruise control disables engine idling on downhill sections. If you’re in EcoPro mode, and then use CC you’ll notice that on downhill sections, it doesn’t disengage the engine and drop the revs - as it will if you are just in EcoPro. On the run down from Calais to Troyes, I’ve found that the EcoPro ‘freewheeling’ saves about 58 kms worth of fuel. I still use CC but just disengage it on long downhill stretches, then re-engage it when the car levels-out. The car has the N55 straight-6, 3.0L turbo engine and the ZF8 Sports Auto box. I imagine that a diesel or smaller engine will see an even bigger fuel saving.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks and yes it’s a peak day but they believe it’s only valid for the 11th. I have forwarded the link.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Ozboy,
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Thanks and yes it’s a peak day but they believe it’s only valid for the 11th. I have forwarded the link.
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no worries, personally i have only ever used flexipass once, several years ago, i didn't even realise there was different rates for peak/non peak days travel on that ticket, i know the costs are substantially higher than standard rates and just assumed that was included in the cost.
to be honest, in my opinion, there are only so many "free" sandwiches and tote bags you can take away with you to make it worthwhile.
even with a standard ticket, you have a certain amount of flexibility with the ticket, but you may just have to pay a top fee if you change your dates/times.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My French péage tag long expired - no longer have that car, even. Was just thinking about renewing, and whether I could get one which would work in France and Italy, and looked for the first time at the Emovis site. Expensive! lots of charges over and above what I ever paid, having initially picked one up at one of the barriers.
Also, emovis doesn't seem to cater for Italy. And two different tags for France and for Spain/Portugal.
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I think if I get a Telepass that will work in both Italy and France. I didn't have an Italian tag before as it required an Italian bank account, but now it seems that it no longer necessary.
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| LaForet wrote: |
| For those of you with auto BMWs be aware that cruise control disables engine idling on downhill sections. If you’re in EcoPro mode, and then use CC you’ll notice that on downhill sections, it doesn’t disengage the engine and drop the revs - as it will if you are just in EcoPro. On the run down from Calais to Troyes, I’ve found that the EcoPro ‘freewheeling’ saves about 58 kms worth of fuel. I still use CC but just disengage it on long downhill stretches, then re-engage it when the car levels-out. The car has the N55 straight-6, 3.0L turbo engine and the ZF8 Sports Auto box. I imagine that a diesel or smaller engine will see an even bigger fuel saving. |
we are about to do this journey (Coquelles to Troyes, then onto Les Menuires) on Friday. In a BMW with the B58 3.0i engine. Will report back on the eco pro returns!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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My daughter in law, whose mother lives in France and spent a lot of her life there, just reminded me about getting a Crit Air certificate. The guidance on when and where it is needed is opaque, to put it politely, but it's only a few euro and it just seems easier to get one. I had one some years ago for my Zafira, but have a different car now. The official French site is https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
It's like the "official" EHIC site - there are scammy websites charging more, which are best avoided. It only costs 4.60 and all the info you need is on your V5 (which needs to be scanned). Can all be done on line, only takes a few minutes.
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It's like the "official" EHIC site - there are scammy websites charging more, which are best avoided. It only costs 4.60 and all the info you need is on your V5 (which needs to be scanned). Can all be done on line, only takes a few minutes.
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good advice from pam w regarding scam sites, they tend to be the first ones on google.
also, if you have no access to a scanner, photos from your smart phone suffice as well, that's how i applied for mine last autumn.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Also, if you have no access to a scanner you can download the Adobe Scan app to your phone. File sizes smaller than photos!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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If you have an iPhone, open the Notes App, click the Photo icon and a menu comes up that includes Scan document. IPhone will then auto crop and scan the document 
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Crit Air? D'oh .. too late to get one in the post. I presumably need one of these for the half-term drive to Chamonix .. can I order one and get it on-line? Is the order confirmation sufficient?
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You know it makes sense.
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Yeah you can order online and the email they send says it is sufficient as proof
Sticker arrived in the post a few days later
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ordered ... wish the ULEZ was this painless.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| bpirkle wrote: |
| Ordered ... wish the ULEZ was this painless. |
As an aside re ULEZ. We have friends who recently visited London from holland with ULEZ compliant cars, including EV, and were issued fines as their cars were not pre-regsitered with TFL as ULEZ compliant. Apparently it is up-to the owner to do this before arriving into ULEZ area but it is not advertised AFAIK. Its daft as TLF are able to find the owners details to fine them but have no ability of checking the status of the cars associated with the owners.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Heading down to Chatel for the week on Friday too, slightly more relaxed 12:20 crossing than some, then an overnighter at Troyes. Normally we go via Besancon and Pontarlier but will take a look at the Jura route for a change. May be dependent on charger availability though...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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managed to lose my wallet at some point this month and just realised  Drivers license, some cash, credit cards all in there...nothing compromised so not sure if it is just hiding somewhere (but we have turned the entire house upside down)...luckily I have the cards on my google wallet which should work (And the wife still has hers...) A bit concerned about the drivers license given I am the driver, but from what I read the worst case willbe a minor fine (~40 EUR)...I have my old license and an expired US one for good measure...fingers crossed!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@pam w, was a bit concerned, never purchased this before but I tend not to go through cities, so have purchased as a precaution then was grateful as I see the 11 cities include Grenoble and Lyon! Once again Snowheads proves it is invaluable, thank you!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I ordered mine last night but still nothing back other than the order confirmation .. sent an email inquiry today but no reply. Paypal payment still shows as pending. R'uh R'oh.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It'll probably be fine, @bpirkle, I wouldn't fret about it. I've ordered one, but don't know whether I'll need it.
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| bpirkle wrote: |
| I ordered mine last night but still nothing back other than the order confirmation .. sent an email inquiry today but no reply. Paypal payment still shows as pending. R'uh R'oh. |
AIUI you only need a Crit Air sticker if you're driving into one of the cities that it applies to. You don't need one for an autoroute/main through road, even if passing through one of the listed cities such as Lyon and Grenoble.
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Not planning to go in to any cities on this trip but will be in Chamonix .. not sure if one is required there or not.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks @knackered knees, Doubt I'm going to need to on this trip but it's for the life of the vehicle so no biggie .. hoping they get it processed before we leave on Thursday.
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FAQ
