Go baby, go

After months of trial and error, and lots of manual data logging, I have come to the following conclusion about my car's fuel consumption. It can get up to 16.5km/l. It can be as bad as 12.5km/l.

Here's a summary of my findings:

1. Automax does work. At worst, it will improve efficiency from 11.5km/l to about 12.5-13.5km/l. 13.5km/l is typical for jams in KL.
2. Driving on highways yields better mileage, butt here's a catch. Driving at 100km/h is the best. It can give me up to 17.5km/l. That's the best I've recorded. Typically, it would be about 15.5km/l.
3. Driving at 130km/l reduces efficiency to about 14.0km/l. That's a big difference.
4. Following a large vehicle - say a big bus - at 100km/l saves petrol too. But to keep a safe distance and understand the risk involve.
5. Shell Fully Synthetic oil gives a smooth ride, but it is expensive. I have noticed that they are good for about 9oookm per oil change.
6. As such, I have tried a TOTAL 3litre for Kancil. It has a SAE of 5W. This is good. About the same as Shell Fully Synthetic, needs to be changed at 5000km and a lot cheaper. 3L is more than enough (about the minimum mark) for my Proton car. This also eliminates the need to store excess engine oil.
7. The air filter plays a major role in fuel consumption. I use a filter that cost about RM 12. It must be change every 6000 to 7000 km. That's all it is good for. More than that, consumption goes up. Cleaning a used filter with compress air doesn't do the job. After all, why not spend RM 12, and get about 10% more from a tank full. If a tank full is RM 60, two tank fulls, we have recovered cost (ROI). After that, it is sheer savings.
8. Spark plugs. I am back to NGK plugs. They last a bit longer of about 20000 km. Notice I have to change them often - else, consumption goes up.
9. As for fuel, I favour Caltex, BHP and Shell - in that order. RON 95 is good enough. I use RON 97 or Shell VPower occasionally to clean my engine. RON 97 burns hotter than RON 95 (according to my US friend), so that helps get rid of carbon in the engine.

In conclusion, the best efficiency is when my engine oil is new (say Total SAE 5W), new air filter, new spark plugs, Automax at 1ml per 20L of fuel using Caltex Tetron 95, driving down a highway behind a bus at 100km/l. I drive twice a month to JB from KL - so, I do get enough of reliable data.