Hi,
Has anyone really sat down and worked out the savings from taking off the prop? Hopefully my schoolboy maths is correct.
Using a garage to remove and refit for winter will cost £40 at least. How many miles to save £40 at £1.40 per litre?
4000 miles at 35mpg is 114 gallons = 519 litres = £726
(4000 / 35 X 4.54 X £1.40 = £726)
If we were to get a 10% improvement in mpg we have a new calculation.
4000 miles at 38.5mpg is 104 gallons = 472 litres = £660
Result we have saved £66 on fuel, and it has cost £40 to convert
Real saving on 4000 miles is therefore only £26.
Obviously if you do more miles the saving is proportionally more.
I've driven a 4X2 Freelander (not mine) and was
not impressed - it had loads of understeer and wet roundabouts were hairy due to wheel-spin.
I dread to think what it would be like fully loaded on tight bends on hills, or putting a wheel on the verge in a muddy country lane.
For me it's definitely not worth 'neutering' a capable vehicle to save a few quid - never mind the insurance implications.
Sorry to be negative - I started out positive - as it sounded like a good saving - initially!
It would be much simpler to economise by being less heavy with the right foot if making savings are important.
Leave the prop in place unless there are mechanical probs with VCU etc.
Singvogel.