Lessons Learnt on My First Car Trip from Melbourne to Sydney

LJFurter on 14/01/2018 - 20:18
Last edited 14/01/2018 - 21:41 by 2 other users

Just got back from my first car trip, Melbourne to Sydney and thought I'd share some cost saving lessons.

  1. Pack light. You pay for every extra kilo in the car, and it really does add up over such a huge distance.
  2. Drive slow. 5km less than the posted limit (no less, its illegal). This will reduce your drag - and the side effect is that you'll enjoy the drive more, just remember to stay in the left lane (excepting see 4)
  3. Purchase fuel in town not on the highway. Usually about 4-6c cheaper in towns rather than the freeway. Goulburn was 15c cheaper in town.
  4. Take your corners. Like you are a race car, switch lanes to take the best line through each corner you reasonably can. It might not sound like much, but over such a long distance, it can really add up and shave of the kms
  5. Don't use cruise control. A well trained human will always beat cruise control for fuel efficiency. You can see a hill crest coming and back off ready to coast down etc
  6. Easy on the A/C. I'd say never use it, but sometimes the temperature can get to a snoozy high, the A/C will keep you fresh and alert, just remember to turn it off when you are not at the sleepy temp.

Anyone more experienced know some other good tips for saving on the trip?

Travel

closed Comments

  • bdl on 14/01/2018 - 21:24
    +17

    7. Stop being a tightarse. :)

    • Meconium on 15/01/2018 - 13:28

      Never!

    • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2018 - 17:21

      I am not a tightarse

  • spackbace on 14/01/2018 - 21:43
    +39

    5kph under? is that based off your speedo, or a GPS speed? If your speedo is even the slightest bit out, even in the left lane you were probably pissing people off!

    • decr on 15/01/2018 - 12:01
      +34

      … only to accelerate to 10kmph over the limit come an overtaking lane.

      • diddy50 on 17/01/2018 - 16:16

        The bastards piss me right off! As they slow down to 90ks right after the over taking lane!! Argh!

    • lai on 15/01/2018 - 15:42
      +2

      It's my experience Mel to and from Sydney. Cruise control 111kph, mobile speed detect 106kph. The reason might be when going down hill… it is over 120kph! I needed to apply the break to slow down cos in the new year, double points.

      • Agret on 15/01/2018 - 19:10

        I guess your car does not automatically brake when using cruise control. My 1999 car does not but my 2005 one does :)

        • lai on 15/01/2018 - 23:21

          It does but whenever going downhill, it will goes up nearly 120kph, then slowing apply the brake automatically. I am so worry about some police are staying the downhill and waiting for me. (I saw one was caught when the way back to Mel). Once I got booked going downhill(not using cruise control) and he just said to me "You can read your speedo, so you know you should use the brake harder", not brake enough…

          I have a question. Did anyone get booked when using cruise control?

          If the limit is 110kph, what speed will you set?

        • bobz79 on 16/01/2018 - 01:09
          +3

          @lai:

          Read your car's manual. For most cars, CC cannot maintain speed if slope more than 15* degrees.

          Police doesn't care whether you use CC or not.

    • lainey13 on 15/01/2018 - 19:59
      +2

      Yep people who can't drive to the speed limit are damn annoying. Especially the 'must do 10km less even when posted sign is 40km' ones!

    • Easygoingjoe on 17/01/2018 - 18:45

      And a good way to add 25min to the journey (roughly a 9 hour journey at the speed limit - 5km/h less for 9 hours is 45km. At 110km/h - that's an extra 25mins to cover)

      No Thanks.

  • CGradeCyclist on 14/01/2018 - 21:44
    +28

    It's illegal to drive more than 5km/h below the speed limit? lol

    There's a difference between something being illegal and something being annoying… ;-)

    • sweetnipples on 16/01/2018 - 08:23
      +12

      The minute i read "illegal to drive less than 5ks under" i just stopped reading, what a misguided fool

      • montorola on 16/01/2018 - 14:35
        +3

        I want to see the mathematics on how when your odo is 5km/h less than the posted speed, all of a sudden drag reduces significantly LOL.

        I'm waiting for the OP to recommend taking the spare tyre and jack out when going on a long trip for the fuel savings

        • Shutterfish on 17/01/2018 - 21:11
          +1

          Take all other seats out and the mats as well.

    • diddy50 on 17/01/2018 - 16:18

      My speedo at 100 is out by 10ks based off the gps, and it's the true speed. No fines based off gps speed driving from Melbourne to qld, NSW, SA on separate trips.

  • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 21:51
    -7

    Contrary t me thinking these ideas are over the top

    One thing I do do, more out of habit is put my car in neutral and roll to red lights, or when on an off ramp I’ll roll on it in nuetral and attempt to not use my breaks as little as possible to go from 100 to 80 etc. I love it when I can time a light change from red to green as I’m rolling up to it. People behind me think I’m a gronk I’m sure.

    I do find it funny when people accelerate to red lights them slam the break on hard.

    I’m sure I save 1 dollar a week in fuel . Might even lose money who knows

    • Qroozn on 14/01/2018 - 21:56
      +22

      From what I have been told… the car will actually use more fuel in neutral. When you coast in neutral then the fuel “never turns off”. When you Coast in gear… the fuel being used will actually be limited by the engine.
      I ain’t a car guy… so I don’t know the correct terms to use.

      • Donaldhump on 14/01/2018 - 21:58

        Quite possible

      • apple2016 on 15/01/2018 - 12:08
        +1

        Yes the car will use slightly more fuel but it would travel way more distance in neutral.

        • Agret on 15/01/2018 - 19:10

          I find my 6th gear has the same travel as neutral. Just put it into 6th if you are cruising. Every car should have an overdrive gear that you can use.

        • IamEzza on 16/01/2018 - 15:25

          @Agret:

          It depends how fast you are rolling though. Once the engine revs drop below a certain point then it has to start injecting fuel again to keep the engine idling.

          I've experimented when coasting down hills in gear. If I am coasting slowly down a hill in top gear then the instant fuel display says I am using fuel, if I drop down a gear then the readout drops to 0. Then if I slow down more and the revs drop then the fuel starts again.

      • mctubster on 15/01/2018 - 13:58
        +3

        Correct if the car is engine braking, the ECU will cut fuel supply, so you can even be running your aircon for free and saving wear on your brake pads

        Modern automatics will downshift and also lock the torque converted when running down a hill, and you brake slightly, maybe expensive cars are even smarter

      • Shiny Mew on 15/01/2018 - 22:31

        The acronym you're looking for is DFCO.

    • ThirdRonnie on 15/01/2018 - 09:37
      +7

      not use my breaks

      brakes

      slam the break on

      brake

      • Yummy on 15/01/2018 - 10:23
        +20

        Give him a brake, will ya?

        • foxinsox8 on 15/01/2018 - 16:54
          +10

          yeah one of those boring people who actually paid attention in class and came out the other side speaking and writing English

        • Donaldhump on 15/01/2018 - 16:57
          +6

          @foxinsox8: You missed off a capital at the start of your sentence, and a full stop at the end. Maybe you should go back to school.

          I am also Danish and grew up in Nuuk until I was 14. So English is a 3rd Language. I get a lot of words wrong, however I invite you to learn Danish or Greenlandic and report back to me.

        • foxinsox8 on 15/01/2018 - 17:20

          @unclesnake: It's little surprise that you still have got a long way to go to master English (God knows what the standard of your 4th language is like!) if you attack anyone who corrects you as being "bored in life" (whatever that means).

        • Donaldhump on 15/01/2018 - 17:24
          -3

          @foxinsox8: Someone who attacks a basic grammar mistake must be bored, just like yourself, must be bored. Especially to insult me because my third language is poor has very little logic to it. What do you speak other than English fluently? I am really interested to know, you must be an expert in Physics, Maths, Chemistry etc as you paid attention in your classes. You must be a very educated person to be able to insult at will anyone who makes a slight error.

          For the record, I came to Australia at 20 to do my last year of University, and have had no problem obtaining well paid technical jobs since despite quite average English.

          And for a person who can hassle other peoples poor level of English, you should understand what "bored in life" means. It means you must have a boring life, if the best form of entertainment for you is to spot a persons grammatical errors, and insult them, as you must be a perfect human at all aspects of life and in a position to do so.

        • foxinsox8 on 15/01/2018 - 17:30
          +1

          @unclesnake: Indonesian, French and Arabic. You? ThirdRonnie was not in the least rude. He corrected your mistakes without comment. You on the other hand insulted him immediately then showed you had a glass jaw when you got some mild criticism back.

        • cameldownunder on 15/01/2018 - 18:38

          @unclesnake: Invite him for a surstromming. I know, not Danish.

        • Agret on 15/01/2018 - 19:11
          +1

          @foxinsox8: https://i.imgur.com/QwOGvn0.png

          It's over mate :(

        • Donaldhump on 15/01/2018 - 19:12

          @cameldownunder: These are Swedish I think, it's a Swedish word at the very least

        • cameldownunder on 16/01/2018 - 10:09

          @unclesnake: It's a Swedish culinary specialty. Northern sea sardines "riped" for 6 month. Yumm.

    • This Guy on 15/01/2018 - 23:17

      Keep it in gear. If you can see far enough and time it right you can loose 10km/h and have a green light by the time you get to it.

    • Soothsayer on 16/01/2018 - 21:28

      Not only does this not save fuel in any halfway modern car, this is also quite unsafe as you will not be in gear and cannot react if an emergency requires you to accelerate for any reason.

      This is why coasting in neutral in manual cars is strongly discouraged and even a driving test fail in some countries if you do it excessively (like in your example).

  • GTR12 on 14/01/2018 - 21:55
    +40

    Can you post here next time you make a trip? so I'll be certain not to end up being behind you or anywhere near your driving "tactics".

  • mysterytal on 14/01/2018 - 22:11
    +5

    quote - Drive slow. 5km less than the posted limit (no less, its illegal).

    What if my vehicle (a car towing van) cannot exceed 100km/h unless I'm driving down a hill and the posted limit is 110km/h? Heck it can barely exceed 80km/h on many hilly sections of road…luckily those sections usually have passing lanes and few other drivers are inconvenienced.

    I'm quite sure there is no law stating that a vehicle must not travel slower than 5km/h below the speed limit but I stand to be corrected.

    • djkelly69 on 14/01/2018 - 23:10
      +9

      Agree. Sounds like the sort of 'law' the old guy at the pub tells you.

      What if the weather or other conditions dictate that a safe speed to travel at is significantly less than the posted limit?

    • apple2016 on 15/01/2018 - 12:13
      +1

      Its not illegal to drive slow if you are driving to conditions like towing or using a space saver wheel. Its illegal to drive too slow for no reason and obstruct traffic.

      • cameldownunder on 15/01/2018 - 18:39

        What is the max speed limit for car with trailer?

        • apple2016 on 15/01/2018 - 22:52

          100kmph for Holden commodore towing a 2t caravan.

  • Sage on 14/01/2018 - 22:13
    +1

    5km less than the posted limit (no less, its illegal)

    Illegal? Pretty sure you can drive 10 under.
    Edit: Same as above comment. Posted after I started writing.

    • ThithLord on 15/01/2018 - 09:00
      +3

      OP forgets that OzBargainer's time is worth money, too. Drive 5 km/h under the limit? P*ss off!

      Also, I recommend using a Speedometer app on your phone. GPS speed is a lot more accurate - for example, at 120km/h on my Speedo on my vehicle, I'm actually doing 110km/h according to GPS. Handy to know!

  • Nutrino on 14/01/2018 - 23:20
    +8

    Bad advice, staying in your lane, don't change unnecessarily.

  • whooah1979 on 14/01/2018 - 23:25
    +5

    3 Purchase fuel in town not on the highway.

    It sounds like you need a vehicle with better fuel economy. We can fill up in Sydney and drive to Melbourne or Brisbane without stopping for fuel.

    • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2018 - 23:50
      +1

      Diesel? I don't think a petrol car could.

      • JimmyF on 15/01/2018 - 01:32

        its under 900kms from city center to city center….. So yeah a lot of cars can 'fill up' on the edge of sydney and make the edge of Melbourne without trying too hard.

        A camry hybrid gets 6l/100 and can do 1000kms between drinks on the highway.

        • MathNerd on 15/01/2018 - 14:13
          +2

          @LoveBargain15:

          petorl car which thr battery

          English please.

        • serpserpserp on 15/01/2018 - 17:08
          +1

          And if you run out of petrol/power you can just plug in a pack of eneloops to get you home.

      • rad000 on 16/01/2018 - 07:36

        I did it in my 2013 petrol camry

    • SnoozeAndLose on 15/01/2018 - 07:21

      You must have a 180L tank Pardo?
      Or a Diesel car.

      • blawler05 on 15/01/2018 - 08:49

        I managed it in my A4. Filled up on the outskirts of Sydney and made it to the outskirts of Melbourne before i needed to fill up.

        • Archi on 15/01/2018 - 10:50
          +9

          out skirts of Sydney he means Canberra

        • serpserpserp on 15/01/2018 - 17:02
          +4

          @Archi: then from there the outskirts of Melbourne is Woodonga.

        • Trustee on 15/01/2018 - 17:15
          +3

          If you were driving an A4, you were fortunate to have even arrived without breaking down.

        • blawler05 on 16/01/2018 - 08:03

          @Archi: Actually. Filled up just before the m5 entrance at moorebank

        • blawler05 on 16/01/2018 - 08:04

          @Trustee: That is very true. Absolutely the worst car i have ever owned with regards to reliability. The first 3 years was a nightmare. Then afyer tye engine blew up. Tge next 4 was very low cost and low maintenance

        • trev likes bargains on 16/01/2018 - 23:53
          +1

          @blawler05: Seems like it busted your keypad as well

        • blawler05 on 18/01/2018 - 09:36

          @trev likes bargains: Aye it did. My typing has been terrible since getting the Galaxy S8. The swype keyboard is terrible. But I refuse to stop using it.

      • unco on 15/01/2018 - 09:16

        I also managed it in my IS250, filled up in Casula and then again in Campbellfield.
        The fuel light was on but the nozzle clicked at around 60L (65L tank).

        It's certainly possible to do the trip without filling up at the higher rates in between.

      • MathNerd on 15/01/2018 - 14:14

        Pardo Prado.

  • whooah1979 on 14/01/2018 - 23:33

    1 Pack light. You pay for every extra kilo in the car, and it really does add up over such a huge distance.

    A vehicle with a big engine is better for cruising than those milk bottle size engines.

    • R4 on 15/01/2018 - 15:59
      +2

      I reckon that is not necessarily the case with very modern cars

      I drove from Perth to Exmouth in an i30 and it cruised beautifully with very low consumption

  • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2018 - 23:49
    +41

    Use your cruise control. One speeding fine and you're cost model is stuffed. I don't mind following slower cars if their speed is consistent.

    Air-conditioner on is cheaper to run than a window down.

    Running the apex on corners is ridiculous if on a single lane road

    Why am I replying to this bollocks?

    • RockyRaccoon on 15/01/2018 - 09:34
      +2

      Why am I replying to this bollocks?

      Yes why, its a brand new user who will most likely never been seen again. Suckers 😀

      Maybe somone needs the site hits to increase…

    • Shiny Mew on 15/01/2018 - 22:34
      -1

      AC on is definitely not cheaper than even four window down, at least for smaller cars. My Scangauge in my Swift suggests that all four windows down at highway speed robs a lot less fuel than AC.

      • TomGum on 15/01/2018 - 23:12
        +3

        Opening windows disturbs the car airflow dynamics, causing greater friction with air and use more fuel to pass through air.

        A good example is swimming in a swimsuit vs lose pants with big pockets.

        • virhlpool on 16/01/2018 - 00:42
          -1

          use more fuel to pass through air

          I guess everyone understands it. The question here is - if this 'more fuel' is less expensive OR more expensive than added cost of running AC.

        • TomGum on 16/01/2018 - 07:36
          +3

          @virhlpool: if you drive greater than 88kmph than aircon becomes cheaper than opening windows.

      • centrelink on 16/01/2018 - 00:24
        +1

        I remember a case study in my engineering lectures where we were told it's more efficient to use AC then having windows down after 110km/h? Just did a road trip to Cairns from Melbourne and those 35 + degree days… I don't care if it saves money I'm using that dam AC

  • bobbified on 15/01/2018 - 00:31
    +13

    Cost shouldn't be your biggest concern when driving, especially living distances at high speed. Your own safety and the safety of others on the road should be your number one priority.

    Besides number 3 about the cheaper fuel, the rest of your points are pretty useless (and number 4 can even be dangerous!).

    You'll need to do much more than just a single trip to learn a few things.

    • ATangk on 15/01/2018 - 18:35
      +5

      I didn’t even realise OP was talking about his first car trip, just thought it was a regular trip.

      Most the points are mute except 3 as you mentioned. But more life hacks below, from someone who has road tripped around Australia multiple times (syd to Perth, syd to cairns, syd to ade to Darwin to cairns and back in one trip, etc):

      • Heat some canned food on the dash, it’ll be a nice treat to have.
      • Wear long sleeves when driving, or you’ll get the right arm only tan.
      • Don’t blindly trust GPS for off ramps, sometimes the exit is 2km earlier than the gps mentions.
      • Slow down for large birds, unless you want to hit one
      • Slow down when driving during sunrise/sunset. Animals love this time to run onto the road.
      • On single lane highways, slow down and move to the left when an opposite road train is passing. If it’s at night, you’ll also have the opportunity to look at their light shows too.
      • ThadtheChad on 16/01/2018 - 14:09
        +1

        ^^ These are actual protips. Thanks ATangk

        I find it a bit off-putting that some folks will taint a lovely experience (a roadtrip) with a rabid focus on pinching pennies. Enjoy the experience, stop worrying about the <$10 bucks that the OP's tips would (probably) save.

        • ATangk on 17/01/2018 - 00:18
          +1

          If they want to save money, prob better off not taking the road trip in the first place :P

  • JimmyF on 15/01/2018 - 01:33
    +12

    Anyone more experienced know some other good tips for saving on the trip?

    Ignore everything you have read here.

  • onetwothreefour on 15/01/2018 - 06:28
    +5

    Lol he must have put so much thought and time into coming up with these ideas and then writing them down then everyone has quickly shown him what a waste of time it was and what bad ideas they were. Better luck next time mate!

  • Forskin on 15/01/2018 - 07:00

    You'd die driving my car, current fuel consumption is 24.2L/100km

    It should really be around 15-16L/100 so i've narrowed it down to bad o2 sensors and a heavy right foot

    • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2018 - 07:40
      +6

      You could save some weight by removing your forskin!

      Bad o2 sensors should throw a code and give you a check engine light. Therefore it must be your right foot to blame.

      • Forskin on 15/01/2018 - 07:50
        +2

        They don't always throw a code, it was hovering around 15-17L/100 earlier last year with the same driving style and has progressively gotten worse over time. Yes Plugs, leads, fuel filter, air filter etc have been changed

        Can't hurt to change them anyway, will only be $95 plus the car has done a little over 230,000km now.

        • WeeDeePotato on 15/01/2018 - 13:00

          Correct. Over time they will give a slower response signal hence its less micromanaged, hence it will tend to run richer to compensate.

    • JimB on 15/01/2018 - 11:46

      What car?

      • Forskin on 15/01/2018 - 12:28

        01 vx ss commodore
        has a small aftermarket camshaft air intake exhaust etc etc

        the weird thing is though works LSA Supercharged GTS is averaging 18L/100 with camshaft & boost upgrade pushing 486KW to the wheels…

        • JimB on 15/01/2018 - 13:03

          Good luck getting it fixed, it seems like you replaced the obvious items except for o2 sensor.

          My friend had a supercharged VF SS with about 400kw ATW. I don't think it was tuned correctly as it was using 25L per 100km

    • smpantsonfire on 16/01/2018 - 00:10

      It would cost you a bucket to get Melb- Bris. @ $1.50 a litre, it would cost you $650. Cheaper to fly than drive your car :P

  • Ryanek on 15/01/2018 - 08:15
    +5

    Driving 5km under can add 40min extra to your trip. I would argue that getting to your destination faster to avoid fatigue is a better way to go.

  • nomoneynoproblems on 15/01/2018 - 08:26
    +7
    1. Tailgate other vehicles. Let the sucker in front of you cut the air for you!
    • Seraphin7 on 15/01/2018 - 08:56
      +9

      Better yet, just hook up a tow cable to a vehicle stopped at a servo. Let that sucker tow you all the way to Sydney!

    • ATangk on 15/01/2018 - 18:37
      +2

      +1 for tailgating B doubles or road trains, which provide better air cutting ability than regular cars.

      +10 if you close the distance to less than a couple inches.

  • boomramada on 15/01/2018 - 08:41
    +2

    Hey OP, whats your strategy on driving from Adelaide to Perth, this could be fun :)

    • ATangk on 15/01/2018 - 18:38

      Bring lots of water.

      • montorola on 16/01/2018 - 14:39
        +3

        No don't, because that will increase weight and overall fuel consumption.

        OP is going to recommend that you take out all the backseats and passenger seats instead.

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