Gordon - I'm wondering about putting rapid-burst-flash yellow LED units on my bootlid, along with a yellow and black stripe strip and the words "Slower Vehicle".

I agree about the speed issue, i've been driving lorries over 40 years now, and i do not want to play with the lorries at their cruising speeds in my car.

I remember this being a bit fraught in the Yook.

Slipstreaming them close enough to make a big difference to fuel consumption was probably a bit stressful for both parties, especially given they could probably stop quite a lot quicker than me.

Didn't have any close shaves but after a while I decided it wasn't worth it. It seemed to work a bit offset in echelon, but that seemed like it might be classed as avoidable lane hogging.

OTOH, following at safe distance meant another truck doing the same speed would inevitably overtake into that space, so you had to drop back, Rinse and repeat. I dunno why they do this. Maybe they are slipstreaming?

Here there's essentially no concept of vehicle separation and everyone drives on everyone elses tailgate. You get sort of used to it after a while, if you live.

I'm even weakly considering an LPG conversion.

Any comments?
Yes, that's more to go wrong again, but at least if it does, the car should just revert to normal petrol operation.
I think the conversion cost might be recouped by 2 years, at which point the car would still have less than 100k miles on it.

If you choose the right vehicle to convert, and have suitable well priced LPG supplies on your routes , then LPG is a viable alternative, we've had 3 cars converted, the last one a matter of months ago. www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=home.php

It's not for everyone, careful research of your chosen installer ( local as possible for servicing and any recalibrations etc) and most importantly where to site and what size tank to be installed, boot design and your need of boot space will be an important choice, the bigger the gas tank the more miles you can do between fill ups...the cheapest filling points may not be on your regular routes.

Edited by gordonbennet on 17/01/2019 at 11:52

Leif -- I totally agree about the menace posed by those types you mention in your final paragraph but, in fairness, John F was talking about people driving at an indicated 60-65 (i.e. true speed maybe as low as 58) taking the second or even the third lane to pass heavy vehicles doing a true 57 mph. They would then definitely become lane hogs if the road is at all busy, as well as exposing themselves to greater danger by engaging in protracted overtaking when a quick dab of the accelerator would get them out of harm's way.

If you want to do a (true) 60 mph in lane 1 so that you're not getting in the way of lorries going about their business, then no-one should have any problem with that.

Edited by Tester on 16/01/2019 at 16:49

....... exit the motorway from lane 3 and so on.

Over the Armco? Bit risky.

I never ever lane-hog.

Whoever it is that you're getting angry about, it isn't me.

I'm not exactly a skinflint, merely one of the current group that are only "Just About Managing", because my business doesn't (yet?) yield big profits whilst at the same time I don't qualify for any government support whatsoever.

I AM exactly a skinflint, and not ashamed of it in the least. Skinflints save the planet.

Because I'm a skinflint, I don't use the motorways here very often (freeways in local US-stylee English and logic), because they arent free.

Last time I did, late at night, with very little traffic and doing the indicated speed limit, I got an HGV sitting a few metres behind me "encouraging" me to go faster. Unfortunately I did and for a while thought I'd blown a head gasket.

That isn't going to happen again. Next time I'll grit me teeth and the ****** can pass me.

Passing isn't always an option though. I use expressways (like freeways but actually free) here quite often which have very long single lane connecting slip roads. I do the posted limit on these too, and I'm not popping the head gasket on my ancient 3-cylinder so some Porsche Cayenne pilot with the standard issue sense of entitlement can get home from the golf range quicker.

**** them. They can b***** wait.

I suppose that might be lane hogging, in which case...

OINK!

I'm interested to know just how many MPG a Prius will truly get on a long steady cruise like that.

Not a Prius but a work colleague had an Auris Hybrid estate as his company car. I went out with him a couple of time and found it to be a tiresome noisy car on motorways and he agreed. Said it was fine in town and much cheaper as a company car than his previous diesel.

As for mpg on motorways if he drove at a steady 60 mph he could just about get into the mid 50's. At the time I had a 1.4 TSi 140 PS Seat Leon and driving at a genuine 70 mph on motorways it would do the low 50's, now have a Skoda Superb 1.4 TSi 150 PS and on motorway trips at a genuine 70 mph that car will do the mid 50's. If I dropped to 60 mph like the colleague I would no doubt improve my mpg and comfortable beat the hybrid with both cars.

Based on my experience as a passenger I would not want a Toyota Hybrid. The fact that they are no better than a modern small turbo petrol on fuel puts me off before I add in the annoyance of the noisy engine/CVT transmission and lack of performance.

Kia hybrids using a DCT gearbox may be a better drive but they will still have no mpg advantage over a non hybrid on motorways.

I wonder how (or if) LPG supplementation would coexist with DPF technology?

Seems possible it would ameliorate some of the generic problems.

Have I just saved the diesel Range Rover?

Maybe my JLR cheque is in the post?

It should be noted LPG is alive and well in other countries. It's a shame as there is a great kit for direct injection petrol cars that directly injects LPG as liquid through the direct injectors. Due to the cooling of evaporation inside the cylinders this also minimises valve recession.

Very popular in Australia with diesels as a fuel supplement rather than replacement.

Claimed to give significantly more power/economy and cleaner running.

I am in Australia and I use LPG however it is not popular any more. Ford used to sell a dedicated model of their Falcon with LPG which was popular especially with taxis. That is no longer on the market and there are no new cars running lpg. Conversions were also popular especially about ten or twelve years ago when the government offered large subsidies. That is gone too and I don't think that there are many installers doing conversions these days. It is getting harder to find filling stations selling gas. Many places have taken their gas tanks out when they became due for the ten year testing and recertification. I still use it and just filled up today at A$0.79 a litre. It certainly runs cleaner and my oil is still honey coloured after 10,000km. As for power I haven't noticed any drop however I have a 4lt DOHC motor so I seldom use the full power.