Saving gas by switching to ECON

[sergeA4]

Hey guys,
so i was reading through my manual the other day and in bold letters it said If you wanna save fuel switch to ECON while driving, because the AC is on all the time. So my question is: Is the AC on even while i have it switched to OFF, meaning maybe the fan is not on but is the AC still running. and will i save fuel by driving in ECON all the time, because i was wondering ever since i got the cat why i only get around 450km per tank, sometimes less. Could it be anything else?

[pyro]

no it is not running....
econ just means "vent"

maybe you mean "recirculate" which recycles the air inside the cabin

[Papachristou]

econ means the fan is going but the AC is off... i doubt the small increase in economy is worth your comfort

[sergeA4]

well can you guys suggest anything else, cause im getting something like 450 km per tank, thats horrible, and i just bought this car
is there something i need to change or check out, maybe the previous owner treated it like S***

[pondside36]

I would check your air filter, when was the last oil/sparkplug change done? Then if you are still getting poor gas milage, check for codes to see if you have a bad O2 sensor since the primary one could cause poor MPGs.... Vacuum leaks could aslo cause issues as well.

[durfA4]

If you really want to save gas here are a couple of tips
1. Tire pressure should be 35psi all the way around
2. Tires Narrow Hard Compound will wear longer and provide less rolling resistance
3. Econ Button - Reduces parasitic loss, A/C Off
4. Windows/Sunroof Up reduces drag
5. synthetic oil
6. Dont acclerate WOT or Slowly a moderate Pace will be fine and then coast going down hills
7.dont drive over 75mph average speed around 68mph or 110kph
8. Big turbo moves power band higher allowing better economy at lower rpms, and less boost spikes.
9. Air filter -High performance is less restriction for engine
10. exhaust-same as above
11. 02 sensors
those are the simple things to do to get a couple more mpg unfortunatly i dont listen to them all either. but i have gotten as high as 33mpg in my BT quattro

[sergeA4]

awesome, thanks for the help
which spark plus do you guys suggest i get, everything is stock on the motor, should i get the factory air filter or a cone or K&N, and what about the 02 sensor, factory or aftermarket?

[pondside36]

If you are all stock, I would run with OEM on all that you mentioned, somewhere like ECS does packages to include oil, filter (large capacity), plugs, filters and what not. That is where I get my stuff from at least.

[GTO]

Everytime I ran the ECON function I got some nasty old smelling Air.

[cjonesgo]

maybe the intake vents are just in a crappy location, but i only seem to be able to "vent" warm air into my car.
this is particularly frustrating as air conditioned air tends to give me a headache. not unique to this car, it's just too dry for me or something. i usually just put my windows down.
my first car was a convertible, so maybe i just like that. i'm that dog that wants to stick my head out the window no matter how fast the car is going.

[JMRQuattro]

^^ +1 lol. i pretty much never turn my AC on. I only do if i'm really desperate, such as i made the mistake to wear jeans and long sleeve when it was mid 90's once . I think i only turned on my AC once this summer, and i think because of the rare use of it, it kinda works weird. When i had it on it made my car idle funny and like someone else said it smelled like stale air or something. Windows down FTW.

And as far as fuel saving, if your car is stock you might just be doing something wrong. Such as a condition they call lead foot. Or maybe you should try switching gears sooner because the stock k03 spools pretty early. I've heard somewhere around 2000 or 2500 rpms actually. So if you're consistently shifting at 3 or 4k chances are you're staying in boost range. And also the other thing is are you a manual or a tip? Because i have a manual and any chance i get i pop my car in neutral and let my car coast at speed. Such as on my way to work (which is only 7 minutes away from my house) i found out that the majority of my drive, which is just one road straight for about 6 minutes, is actually a slight hill. The speed limit is 35 and if i get up to 40mph and put it in neutral i can maintain 40 the entire length of my trip to work almost without any gas or brake. Little things like this do wonders for me since i'm pretty much all city driving. I don't get on the freeway much.

[Capt. Obvious]

Everytime I ran the ECON function I got some nasty old smelling Air.

Change the cabin filter, they're like $20 from the dealer and take about 5 minutes to replace and you don't even need any tools.

[pondside36]

^^ Cabin filter as stated will solve this issue.

[monkey323i]

in city, ECON can save up to 10% of fuel per 100km.

however, in highway, you wont feel a difference between AC on or off.

[sergeA4]

^^ +1 lol. i pretty much never turn my AC on. I only do if i'm really desperate, such as i made the mistake to wear jeans and long sleeve when it was mid 90's once . I think i only turned on my AC once this summer, and i think because of the rare use of it, it kinda works weird. When i had it on it made my car idle funny and like someone else said it smelled like stale air or something. Windows down FTW.

And as far as fuel saving, if your car is stock you might just be doing something wrong. Such as a condition they call lead foot. Or maybe you should try switching gears sooner because the stock k03 spools pretty early. I've heard somewhere around 2000 or 2500 rpms actually. So if you're consistently shifting at 3 or 4k chances are you're staying in boost range. And also the other thing is are you a manual or a tip? Because i have a manual and any chance i get i pop my car in neutral and let my car coast at speed. Such as on my way to work (which is only 7 minutes away from my house) i found out that the majority of my drive, which is just one road straight for about 6 minutes, is actually a slight hill. The speed limit is 35 and if i get up to 40mph and put it in neutral i can maintain 40 the entire length of my trip to work almost without any gas or brake. Little things like this do wonders for me since i'm pretty much all city driving. I don't get on the freeway much.

its tiptronic, and im always in D, never in S or shifting , so i really dont know, im gonna try to have ECON on all the time, and see if that will change anything. Also i am gonna do SEAFOAM, change the oil, and the air filter, and cabin filter. And if it doesnt improve then F***, i dont know

[gtimart]

You know, 450km per tank is not that horrible. I guess your tank is not 100% empty when you fill either. When I fill mine, only 52-54 liters go in, and it's a 64 liter tank but the light is already on...

THE important variables are how you drive and what kind of road you drive. Only highway I can get close to 700km before filling. In the city I'm lucky if I do 350km on one tank. Car is tip top, and it's a manual...

I drive with ECON ON in the city because I hate the power loss at low revs. However, don't lose the A/C on the highway, you won't notice the difference in fuel anyway.