[superutp]

As it turns out, what everyone says is that- drive the Beat properly and it shall return back good FE. I feel I have been driving sensibly since the last few hundred kms and yet I get something like 11.5-12 km/l in 60% B2B traffic 40% steady traffic. I am making sure to keep revs below 2k most of the times. But maybe there is something wrong with my driving style which doesnt suit the beat. So I need some advice on how to drive the Beat for max FE from those of you who are now able to extract decent FE from the Beat.
My two scenarios/questions-
First, Say you are in 2nd gear. In city traffic, while keeping revs below 2k, many times you need to slow down which results in the revs going down to .8-1k. In these situation do you shift down to 1st or hold the clutch and try moving on in 2nd?

Second, very similar to the first question, in higher gears do you normally shift down as soon as soon as the .8k region comes or do you somehow manage to keep it going (sometimes with the slight knocking sound).

My basic Q is, is it better to downshift when approaching lower rpms (sub 1k) or try holding on?

any help would be useful

[Topolino]

@superutp
I upshift /downshift without knocking/lugging the engine. Just by the speed as well as engine note I get the feel thet I should upshift/downshift. It is a sort of communication between me and car.

Originally Posted by superutp

My two scenarios/questions-
First, Say you are in 2nd gear. In city traffic, while keeping revs below 2k, many times you need to slow down which results in the revs going down to .8-1k. In these situation do you shift down to 1st or hold the clutch and try moving on in 2nd?

Second, very similar to the first question, in higher gears do you normally shift down as soon as soon as the .8k region comes or do you somehow manage to keep it going (sometimes with the slight knocking sound).

My basic Q is, is it better to downshift when approaching lower rpms (sub 1k) or try holding on?

any help would be useful

I would suggest you to upshift/downshift according to the car speed.
Upshift
to 2nd Gear at 15-20 kmph,
to 3rd Gear at 25-30 kmph,
to 4th Gear at 35-40 kmph,
to 5th Gear at 45-50 kmph.
Downshift
to 4th Gear at 40 kmph,
to 3rd Gear at 30 kmph,
to 2nd Gear at 20 kmph,
to 1st Gear at 10 kmph.
I always use first gear to move car from dead stop, even while crossing barriers when car speed drops down I down shift to 1st Gear. I always feel that the engine strains if moved in 2nd gear at speeds less than 10 kmph.

[Mr.Beat]

You are not going to believe this guys, Beat P giving FE like that of beat D.

Total Kms driven: 302.7
Fuel taken: 12.87
FE: 23.51

This time i drove without A/C at a speed of 80 km/hr

I know i am a FE addict

[superutp]

Originally Posted by Topolino

@superutp

Thanks for the advice man, I have a feeling I have been driving a bit 'wrong'. I tend to not downshift too much thinking that it will effect FE which in turn results in straining the engine at almost idle rpms. Even more so because of the horrible low end torque.
Ill Probably start shifting similar to what you said. Hopefully it makes a diff.

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

FE: 23.51

Rub it in Mr. Beat!! just kidding! good stuff.

[mi2n]

Got inspired by auto freak. Covered the Bonnet with glossy vinyl.
Damages : INR 700 and Saturday morning

[ariendj]

@mi2n
that is B-E-A-U-tiful man!!!
looks great and i think the pricing is good too!!
been thinking of something like that but haven't decided whether on bonnet or roof!

btw,just been wondering,has any tuners created a chip(piggy-back) or remapping for the Beat other than the official chevy ECU upgrades!!

just got my Beat after the second service and hoping to get more FE out of her now!! used to get 12kmpl(all city drive with a/c and short trips)

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
A couple of beat owners and myself have complained about a thud when you first start moving after a few days. Also you hear a a sort of scraping noise when you brake for the first 100/200 mtrs.After that it is alright.
A thought ocurred to me is it possible the left front brake pad is not releasing properly(I dont use the handbrake when the car is parked) and hence the noise.
When I gave for servicing it was checked but now I am not too sure if a proper job was done.Also when driving on a straight road it pulls a wee bit to the left.You have to be very attentive to notice it.
Would there be a corelation between the two?
Would the car pull to the left if the left front brake pad is not released properly?
Incidentally I have taken the car to my old mechanic who is about half a km away and by the time I reach there the noise has always vanished.
Have done around 11500 km out of which 6000 was bombay leh bombay.Could that drive have made the car pull to the left?Roads beyond Sonamarg are pathetic.
Could somebody please guide.
Thanks and regards

[Auto freak]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Got inspired by auto freak. Covered the Bonnet with glossy vinyl.
Damages : INR 700 and Saturday morning

Looks awesome mi2n! Great way to spend a saturday morning!
700 is not expensive and more over, you can have the vinyl removed when you don't need it!
I spent more than twice that for painting. hehee

[superutp]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Got inspired by auto freak. Covered the Bonnet with glossy vinyl.
Damages : INR 700 and Saturday morning

Originally Posted by Auto freak

Looks awesome mi2n! Great way to spend a saturday morning!
700 is not expensive and more over, you can have the vinyl removed when you don't need it!
I spent more than twice that for painting. hehee

Thanks to both of you, now I know how my car will look with Green and Red bumpers

[white-rabbit]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Got inspired by auto freak. Covered the Bonnet with glossy vinyl.
Damages : INR 700 and Saturday morning

Just AWSOME.Will it damage the paint?I mean,thw vinyl?

[mi2n]

@ ariendj

I was in for both the bonnet and roof actually. However, the installer insisted on having to remove the roof rails for covering the roof, something i was not too keen on. The quote for the roof was even cheaper @ INR 600.

@ Auto freak

Yes, i needed that flexibility in case the missus took any offense and it was lighter on the pockets too. Next up, the air-dam goes matte-black. Thanks for being the inspiration.

@ superutp

hahahahahaha! Had a great laugh at your comment, much to the amusement of my clueless colleagues at work.

@ white-rabbit

I do not think so. I have removed and re-applied B-pillar vinyls which was as old as the car itself replacing them with glossy ones. Let alone damaging, the paint on the B-Pillar seemed better preserved/fresher than the adjacent uncovered parts.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
Somebody please reply to my post 2542 of 4th march at 00.34 hours.

As I have practically no knowledge about the mechanics of a car I would appreciate your opinions.
Bought a Beat nearly 2 years back.Clocked 11500 on the odo.This includes 3100 km Bombay gurgaon Bombay and 6000 km Bombay Leh Bombay.
My question is that is it good enough for another 7000 kms without a problem?Thinking of driving to tawang/Kohima.As I am alone any problem that crops up will get magnified.
Appreciate your opinions.
Thanks a lot
Regards

[mooza]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Got inspired by auto freak. Covered the Bonnet with glossy vinyl.
Damages : INR 700 and Saturday morning

Wow looking Beat by autofreak, and now mi2n !

@mi2n, what are the available colours in vinyl, and can these be put over plastics as well?

[thoma]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody
Somebody please reply to my post 2542 of 4th march at 00.34 hours.

As I have practically no knowledge about the mechanics of a car I would appreciate your opinions.
Bought a Beat nearly 2 years back.Clocked 11500 on the odo.This includes 3100 km Bombay gurgaon Bombay and 6000 km Bombay Leh Bombay.
My question is that is it good enough for another 7000 kms without a problem?Thinking of driving to tawang/Kohima.As I am alone any problem that crops up will get magnified.
Appreciate your opinions.
Thanks a lot
Regards

Wheel alignment and balancing is a must before another long drive, more since you have come after a long drive over bad roads. Even a single speedy hit over a pot hole can mar the alignment. The left pull also points towards alignment issues in general.

However, as you mentioned, if the brakes on one side (say left) are not released properly, that side can produce more load on the engine than the other side. The differential will allow the left wheel to rotate less and there could be a slight left pull. But in normal situations, I do not think there could be a brake releasing issue as such, unless some stone, mud or rust is acting in between or on the wheel bearings.

Since you are about to go on a long drive, I suggest you take it to the service center to check if all the wheels rotate freely. Tell them that you are planning on a long drive and do not want a break-down in between. Alignment and balancing are better done by dedicated tire shops outside. Another 7000 kms with a bad alignment is not great for the mechanicals and can wear out the tires pretty fast too.

[mi2n]

Originally Posted by mooza

Wow looking Beat by autofreak, and now mi2n !

@mi2n, what are the available colours in vinyl, and can these be put over plastics as well?

The ones readily available are:
1. Matte Black, 2. Glossy Black, 3. Glossy White, 4. CF lookalike in matte and 5. CF lookalike in gloss.
Then there's also the 3M CF vinyl which is very expensive. Got a quote of Rs.4,000 for the bonnet only with 5 year warranty.

The glossy vinyls are much thicker than their matte counterparts and are a pain to install on curved surfaces. My install took no less than 3 hours with 2 persons working in tandem. The matte black ones are the slimmest and cheapest and can easily be applied on plastic surfaces. The glossy ones need constant application of a blower(hot air) which may deform soft plastic parts.