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Factors Effecting Fuel Consumption of SI-Engine. A Case Study

Conference Paper · April 2019

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 April 24-25, 2018

FACTORS EFFECTING FUEL CONSUMPTION OF SI ENGINE - A

CASE STUDY
Muhammad Usman Ghani1, Muhammad Umer Farooq2, Shah Sawood Khan3, Naveed Khan 4
& Mohsin Ali5
BSc Mechanical Department, Uet Peshawar1, 3, 4, 5
Lecturer, Civil Department, IQRA University Peshawar
ABSTRACT

Efficiency of an engine decreases over time due to numerous reasons such as excessive heat generation, bad maintenance,
outdated cooling system, deformed mechanical parts, oil leakage from seals and hard driving conditions. In this paper, vehicles
of a specific manufacturer (Honda Civic I-Vtech Automatic: 2010-2012) were analyzed to comprehend the decrease in fuel
efficiency over time with respect to different manageable factors such as vehicle’s mileage, tire running mileage, frequency of
Engine oil replacement, frequency of maintenance and total numbers of drivers that previously owned the vehicle. Data was
collected through self-respondent surveys from drivers of 250 vehicles from three major cities of Pakistan (Islamabad, Lahore
& Karachi). The response rate of 32 % was achieved through the surveys i.e. 80 cases were retained for model estimation. The
effect of the above mentioned factors were analyzed by documenting the previous history of vehicle’s maintenance, faults &
failures if any and vehicle’s present condition. Moreover the most predominant factors were identified based on their impact
on defining the overall fuel economy. It was revealed that among all the considered factors, Timeline for Engine oil
replacement, Total number of previous owners and Vehicle’s mileage contributed significantly in demarcating the overall fuel
efficiency with a combined impact of 98.2%.
Index Terms— Fuel efficiency, Mileage, Engine oil, SI engine, Heat, Driving, Consumption, Transportation Engineering

1. INTRODUCTION

In today’s automobile industry, automobile manufacturers while designing a vehicle concentrate laboriously on fuel
consumption of the vehicle. Efforts are being made to manufacture vehicles that are light weighted, highly aerodynamic and
fuel efficient. Previous studies have stated some common factors that affect the fuel efficiency. Some evaluated the factors
while others highlighted the impact of those factors. One such was Gautam (2010), who explored that the vehicle type and
vehicle’s weight predominantly define the fuel consumption of the vehicle. Her findings were that a 10% decrease in vehicles
weigh results in 14.4% increase in vehicles fuel economy. Similarly, Varghese (2013) simulated tires pressure and observed its
effect on overall fuel efficiency of vehicle, his simulated model resulted in 5.2 % decrease in fuel consumption when tires
pressure was increased from 2 bars to 3 bars. Likewise, West et al., (2009) carried out a study to analyze the effect of air filter
replacement on fuel consumption which indicated that the vehicles equipped with closed loop control for fuel injection showed
only an increase of 5-6 % with the replacement of new air filter compared to a fully clogged air filter. However the vehicles
equipped with carbureted engine showed an increase of 15 % with the new air filter. Likewise the effect of engine lubrication
oil on fuel consumption of an automobile engine was carried out by Wang & Zhou at al., (2015), the findings showcased that
engine oils of formula 5W-20 resulted in 12.45% decrease in friction losses and 2.33 % increase in fuel economy. Similarly
another study considered the effect of Vehicle’s speed and recognized the most efficient speed of a vehicle to be 70-80 km/hr
(Badran at, al. 2007). Another study evaluated the effect of driving style on fuel consumption of the vehicle, suggesting the
aggressive derivers (that drive at moderate performance) to drive with lower acceleration to maximize fuel economy (Michelle
at.al 2010). In all these studies the effect of individual factors identified and evaluated for their impact on the fuel consumption
of the vehicle. There was no such study that evaluated effect of vehicle mileage and the cumulative effect of tire mileage,
Engine oil replacement, air filter replacement, vehicle mileage and number of ownership on the overall fuel efficiency.
In this paper, a comprehensive survey was conducted from the owners of Honda civic (I-V-tech automatic) so as to ensure
homogenous vehicle. For this purpose, self-respondent questionnaire survey was conducted from 80 respondents across three
major cities of Pakistan (Islamabad, Lahore & Karachi). Surveys enquired about the total mileage of the vehicle, total life of
tires in mileage, timeline of maintenance, total numbers of owners of the vehicle and frequency of Engine oil replacement.
Furthermore, to provide an apt statistical understanding of the collected survey, a statistical model was estimated so that the
factors that significantly contribute to the variation in fuel consumption could be comprehended. It was revealed that among
different examined factors, total mileage of the vehicle, total numbers of owners of the vehicle and frequency of Engine oil
replacement were predominant in delineating the fuel economy.

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2. METHODOLOGY

Present study utilized self-reported survey to analyze factors that predominantly effect fuel consumption. The factors evaluated
under this scope are discussed in the ensuing headings.

2.1. Effect of Maintenance

Basic Maintenance of a vehicle includes engine tuning, parts repair and replacement, Tire alignment & pressure check, and
lubricants replacement. We specified our research to the routine maintenance that included air filter change, tire pressure, tire
alignment and cleansing of spark plugs among which the impact of air filter replacement was the most significant. Standard
timeline for air filter replacement as identified by Honda vehicle manual (Honda, 2015) is 10,000 km however the dusty
atmospheric conditions throughout Pakistan restricts that timeline to only 3,000-5,000 km. Moreover, clogged up air filters
cause significant decrease in engine’s power (Sudden lag & thrusts during acceleration) and decreased fuel efficiency. Our
findings were in lined with the research of West et al., (2009) who stated that the replacement of fully clogged air filter resulted
in 5-6% increase in fuel economy. Analysis of our research revealed the following trend in Fuel economy in km/Liter.
1. 15.39 Km/liter: At or before 2000 km drive averaged to 15.39 km/lit
2. 14.65 Km/Liter: Between 2,000-3,500 km drive averaged to 14.65 km/liter
3. 14.00 Km/Liter: After 4000 km driver

Figure 1: Relation between Air Filter Replacements and Fuel Consumption (Km/Liter)

2.2. Effect of Mileage of Tires

Normal speed for a passenger car on highway as suggested by Motorway Rules is 110-120 km/hr. At such high speed, a
weak Tire could result in extremely hazardous accident that might lead to sever casualties and fatalities. Tire manufacturers
therefore recommend a compulsory tire check-up after every 5000-6000 km drive and a complete replacement after 40,000-
60,000 km mileage or 3 years of use. The annual manual report of Bridgestone highlighted that their premier tires could last
up to 5 years of usage on normal road conditions (Bridgestone, 2016). Present research identified the average fuel
consumption of 15.32km/liter for tires of running mileage between 5,000- 10,000 km. A decrease of 4.2% was observed for
vehicles of Tire mileage between 20,000 –30,000km. However, when the Tire mileage surpassed 40,000 km, the data
revealed an average fuel consumption of 13.6 km/liter ascertaining a decrease of 11.8%.

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Figure 2: Relation between Tire Mileage and Fuel Consumption (Km/Liter)

2.3. Effect of Engine Oil

Engine’s life is significantly dependent on the type of Engine oil used and the timeline of its replacement. According to a
research conducted by Forbes columnist Gorzelany at al., (2013) Honda Civic i-Vtech has a life expectancy of 400,000 km
on normal fully paved carpeted roads. This Mileage can only be reached with careful maintenance of the vehicle especially
with regard to Engine oil replacement. Present research indicates that for vehicles having mileage of 50,000 km or below, the
timeline of Engine oil replacement can reach up to 5000km. However, for vehicles with mileage exceeding 50,000 km, the
fuel consumption increased significantly with the increase in timeline of Engine oil replacement, ultimately reaching down to
an average of 10 km/liter. When the relationship of Engine oil replacement with fuel consumption was compared and
analyzed with other factors, it was revealed that the effect of Engine oil replacement was the most significant among all.
Moreover the data revealed that the vehicles with oil change at 5000 km provided an average Fuel consumption of 13.4
which is 28.1% higher than the fuel consumption of vehicles with average Timeline of Engine oil replacement at 2500 Km.
On the other hand, vehicles With Engine oil replacement below 2500 km revealed a minute impact of .05% increase on Fuel
efficiency.

Figure 3: Relationship between Engine Oil Replacement and Fuel Consumption (Km/Liter)

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2.4. Effect of Vehicle’s Mileage

Technological development has obligated automobile manufacturers to design vehicles with engines that could last more
than 400,000 km of mileage under normal circumstances (Jim, at.al 2013). An automobile can surpass the design mileage only
when manufacturer’s driving manual is taken in consideration regarding maintenance of SI engine, it parts and lubricant
replacements. When any of the factors are overlooked, the life of the engine deprecates in the long run. According to the data
base of an online automobile dealers like TRED, vehicles surpassing 160,000 km are prone to engine repair and parts
replacement. Hence 160,000 km should be the maximum limit for purchasing a used vehicle (TRED 2013). In a similar manner,
the present study established 160,000 km as the maximum mileage limit for the test model. Evaluation of the data revealed that
from 40,000-100,000 km the vehicles exhibited a steep decrease of 24.1% in fuel efficiency, starting from 17.5 km/liters to
14.1 km/liters. However vehicles with mileage of 100,000-130,000 km demonstrated a continual fuel consumption of 14
km/liter, which further ascended to 13 km/liter after surpassing 140,000 km, indicating an overall decrease of 34.6%.

Figure 4: Relationship between Vehicle’s Mileage and Fuel Consumption (Km/Liter)

2.5. Effect of Ownership

In the inception of the research, it was anticipated that the status of current ownership would not have a significant impact
on engine’s life and fuel efficiency. However, the observed cases revealed that among the major factors that considerably affect
the fuel efficiency, vehicle ownership is also one of them. On the basis of ownership as in the total number of owners that had
previously owned the vehicle, the sample was divided into two model categories.

1. Model A: The vehicles that were previously owned by 2 or less individuals

2. Model B: The vehicles with were previously owned by 3 or more individuals

Analysis of model A revealed an average fuel consumption of 15.2 km/liter while Model B, indicated a decline of 6.7 % at
average fuel consumption of 13.8 km/liter.

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Figure 5: Relation between vehicle’s Total Number of Owners and Fuel Consumption (Km/Liter)

It can be observed that as the owners increased, the fuel economy decreased significantly from 15.5 Km/Liter with 1 st
owner to 13.63 Km/Liter with 4th owner, indicating a decrease of 14 %. Mega car dealers like TRED (2015) identified that a
vehicle is normally sold out by first owner at average mileage of 50-60,000 km or 3 years or whatever comes first, If, during
this time the vehicle is sold more than twice, then there could be numerous non-controllable faults and failures in the vehicle
that adversely affect the fuel economy and the life span of the engine, compelling owners to sell the vehicle in shortest time.
In the present research numerous cases were observed in which the vehicles of Model B, even though having running mileage
of 70,000-80,000 Km showed a considerable decline in Fuel efficiency when the number of owners exceeded 3, suggesting a
pattern similar to the one noticed in the research conducted by TRED (TRED 2015).

3. DISCUSSION

In order to deliver an adequate statistical insight of the data collected through surveys, descriptive statistics were applied on the
data in its initial stages (Table 1). In addition, to evaluate the multi-Collinearity between independent variables, tolerance and
variance inflation factors were computed and those variables were excluded which had VIF >10 and TOL <0.1 (Table 2).

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of Response Variable and Predictors

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Table 2: Multi-Collinearity Diagnostics Indexes

Table 3: Results of Linear Regression at 95% Confidence level

The model results revealed that among five examined variables, three variables were the most significant and thus
were retained at 95 % confidence interval. Moreover, it was indicated that with an increase in the mileage of the vehicle, a
decreased level of fuel efficiency was observed. Similarly, the model gave intuitive results for cases where the life of tires in
mileage were a predominant factor of the reduced level of fuel efficiency.

4. RESULTS & CONCLUSION

The present research evaluated the impact of Vehicle’s mileage, Timeline for Engine oil replacement & General
Maintenance, Tires Mileage & Number of owners. The results identified the most important factor based on their significance
in defining the overall fuel consumption of the vehicle. The data evaluated through regression model revealed that Engine oil
replacement contributed 68.24 % while ownership as in No of owners that owned the vehicle, contributed 29.96 % in
outlining the fuel consumption. However vehicle’s mileage contributed 0.94%, air filter replacement contributed 0.66%, and
tire’s mileage contributed only 0.2% in defining the overall fuel efficiency of the test model. Hence this present research
revealed that the vehicle’s Fuel efficiency depends upon mileage which in turn profoundly depends on the timeline of Engine
oil replacement and previous number of owners. Likewise the results suggest that the vehicles with Engine oil replacement
before 2500 km on a persistent basis with total mileage below 100,000 km having maximum of 2 owners in the past would
yield the highest fuel efficiency. Together these three factors contribute 99.14 % in defining the overall fuel efficiency of the
vehicle. Moreover the average Fuel consumption in km/Liters can be predicted for any vehicle of mileage between 40,000-
160,000 km by mean of the statistical equation obtained through linear regression.

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Fuel Consumption Equation (FC):

FC = 23.377 —0.022þ1 —1.328þ2 — 0.017þ3 — .004þ4 — .575þ5

Here

þ1= Vehicle’s Mileage (1000 Km)

þ2= Oil Change (1000 Km)

þ3= Maintenance: Air Filter replacement (1000 Km)

þ4= Tire Running Mileage (1000 Km)

þ5= Total Number of Owners

Figure 6: Individual and Cumulative Significance of Factors in Defining Fuel Efficiency

5. FUTURE WORK

Considering the effect of number of owners on fuel efficiency, it is recommended that further research should be conducted to
evaluate the effect of driving behavior and driving conditions on fuel consumption. Moreover a study should be made to
identify the effect of RPM on fuel economy, since Engine oil replacement is significantly dependent on the heat generation
inside the engine that predominantly relies on RPM, which in turns depends upon the driving behavior of the driver. Hence a
comprehensive study should be made to identify the relation between Driving behavior and RPM and their impact on fuel
economy.

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6. REFERENCES

1. Alexander varghese, Influence of Tyre Inflation Pressure on Fuel Consumption, Vehicle Handling and Ride Quality,
Chalmers University Of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden 2013, Master's thesis 2013:75
2. Al-Momani, M & Badran, Omar. (2007). Experimental investigation of factors affecting vehicle fuel consumption.
3. Bridgestone Tire Manual, http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/tyres/tyre-wear-life-guarantee/
4. Cars That Can Last 250000 Miles, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/03/14/cars-that-can-last-for-
250000-miles/#12e248d4323e
5. Gautam, Suman, "What Factors Affect Average Fuel Economy of US Passenger Vehicles?" (2010). Honors
Projects.Paper 104.
6. Honda Owner Manual, http://m.owners.honda.com/faqs/motor-oil
7. Michelle, Irene. (2010). The Effects of Driving Style and Vehicle Performance on the Real-World Fuel Consumption
of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicles.
8. M Norman, Kevin & P Huff, Shean & West, Brian. (2009). Effect of Intake Air Filter Condition on Vehicle Fuel
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9. Mo, Wang & Zhou (2015), Experimental Research on the Impact of Lubricating Oils on Engine Friction and Vehicle
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