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Thread: Somebody please settle this argument

  1. #1
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Somebody please settle this argument

    Building site argument of the week

    This has dragged on long enough now I need a definitive answer
    I've been working in Leeds on a site and I was moaning about how much it was costing me in fuel to get there when a brickie piped up that it equalled itself out on my way home as it was down hill !? At first I laughed but he was serious and what made it worse was that the other brickies, who admittedly aren't the brightest, were convinced he was right - once the other trades joined in the site was split 50/50 on who was right or wrong with some of them claiming that if they're working down south they get far better fuel economy going 'down' than when they are coming home
    By the end of the week I was sounding like a flat earth mentalist, it didn't help that on my way to Leeds on the M62 I go over the highest point of the motorway which was concrete proof to these clowns that it was downhill all the way south!!
    So, just for my sanity, there is no way these monkeys can possibly be right is there?

  2. #2
    Grand Master Velorum's Avatar
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    They are having a giraffe

    As we say down South

  3. #3
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    No!

    If there's a difference in height above sea level (or any other datum) between site and home then theoretically there could be a difference but there are so many other variables which would probably render this irrelevant.

  4. #4
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    Ahem, what altitude were you working at? If at sea level in the north, and sea level in the south, you will be going up and down the same amount each way.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by mickylall View Post
    Building site argument of the week

    This has dragged on long enough now I need a definitive answer
    I've been working in Leeds on a site and I was moaning about how much it was costing me in fuel to get there when a brickie piped up that it equalled itself out on my way home as it was down hill !? At first I laughed but he was serious and what made it worse was that the other brickies, who admittedly aren't the brightest, were convinced he was right - once the other trades joined in the site was split 50/50 on who was right or wrong with some of them claiming that if they're working down south they get far better fuel economy going 'down' than when they are coming home
    By the end of the week I was sounding like a flat earth mentalist, it didn't help that on my way to Leeds on the M62 I go over the highest point of the motorway which was concrete proof to these clowns that it was downhill all the way south!!
    So, just for my sanity, there is no way these monkeys can possibly be right is there?
    Of course they are.

    We once left Glasgow and after the initial accelerator blast to overcome inertia, we freewheeled all the way to London.

  6. #6
    Master reggie747's Avatar
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    Rowlocks !!

    They're pulling your p!$$er on this one. Unless the downhill and uphill slope was like the Eiger end to end and you coasted down it ( whilst burning through your brake pads on tickover), the insignificant saving/gains/losses in fuel economics would just about register measured over a long period of time.
    When you're sat down having your brew on Monday morning tell them all to have a Coke and a smile and STFU.



    ps

    I hear the latest laser removal technique can erase that "Sucker" tattoo off your forehead .
    Last edited by reggie747; 11th March 2017 at 17:20.

  7. #7
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    There's no way I'm going to convince any of them they're wrong but by the end of the week I was starting to doubt myself. It definitely wasn't a wind up either, they were convinced they were going downhill !!

  8. #8
    Master
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    I thought everything went downhill the further North you went.

  9. #9
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    Sounds to me like they're just having a laugh at your expense. You've indicated to them that the whole thing works you up a bit, so now they're just running with it and it's winding you up even more (hence this thread).

  10. #10
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Strangely enough I always seem to get better fuel consumption when travelling north from sea level on the south coast to 800ft in the Pennines.

  11. #11
    Grand Master Der Amf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    Strangely enough I always seem to get better fuel consumption when travelling north from sea level on the south coast to 800ft in the Pennines.
    The car's natural enthusiasm for the journey north will be doing that.

  12. #12
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    Cheers..
    Jase

  13. #13
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hafle View Post
    Sounds to me like they're just having a laugh at your expense. You've indicated to them that the whole thing works you up a bit, so now they're just running with it and it's winding you up even more (hence this thread).
    At first I thought it was a wind up but the brickie who started it had a notebook in his van, every time he fuels up he writes down how many litres he puts in and works out his mpg. when he was working in London his figures added up that he was getting better mpg going 'down' than when he came home. He wouldn't accept that it was because of other factors and not because he was going downhill!

  14. #14
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickylall View Post
    At first I thought it was a wind up but the brickie who started it had a notebook in his van, every time he fuels up he writes down how many litres he puts in and works out his mpg. when he was working in London his figures added up that he was getting better mpg going 'down' than when he came home. He wouldn't accept that it was because of other factors and not because he was going downhill!
    In that case I'd just ignore him for the twonk that he is

    Ask him whether he travels up or down to London. That should confuse him for a few days

  15. #15
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    What happens if he works in Norwich ?
    Cheers..
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  16. #16
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonM View Post
    What happens if he works in Norwich ?
    No one has ever escaped from Norwich!

  17. #17
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    So if it's cheaper north to south, and more expensive south to north, perhaps the car won't use any fuel going west to east as the earth's rotation effectively means the vehicle is stationary and therefore won't use any fuel. See what they say about that one!

  18. #18
    Craftsman Paddy!'s Avatar
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    I suggest on Monday, when you take them the tartan paint they asked for (bought with a suitable long weight), you set them straight. Probably with the help of the new bubble in your spirit level.

  19. #19
    Grand Master learningtofly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickylall View Post
    At first I thought it was a wind up but the brickie who started it had a notebook in his van, every time he fuels up he writes down how many litres he puts in and works out his mpg. when he was working in London his figures added up that he was getting better mpg going 'down' than when he came home. He wouldn't accept that it was because of other factors and not because he was going downhill!
    More likely to be affected by the time of travel than anything else, I'd have thought.

  20. #20
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickylall View Post
    At first I thought it was a wind up but the brickie who started it had a notebook in his van, every time he fuels up he writes down how many litres he puts in and works out his mpg. when he was working in London his figures added up that he was getting better mpg going 'down' than when he came home. He wouldn't accept that it was because of other factors and not because he was going downhill!

    Due to the air density being 0.025kg/m3 less north of the M25, as well as molar mass of the air being 1 gram per mol less means that the average family saloon will see results averaging 1.82mpg more efficiency when north due to a reduction in drag and the increase in viscosity of gravy.

  21. #21
    Northern fuel is better?

  22. #22
    Master Mr Stoat's Avatar
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    Well, I always get better mpg driving from the North East back to Surrey rather than the journey North.
    The reason is simple ...

    On the way North it tends to be a Friday so I get stuck in the M25 rush hour (using more fuel) then try to make up for it once on the A1M (again using more fuel).

    On the way south it tends to be a Sunday so traffic is lighter so average a steady 70mph thus burning less fuel.

    Difference can be a good gallon on a 315 mile each way trip (using super unleaded petrol).

  23. #23
    Grand Master SimonK's Avatar
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    Ridiculous, everyone knows you go up to London.

  24. #24
    Craftsman
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    You could virtually freewheel all the way to London from Leeds!

  25. #25
    Perhaps it could be something as simple as the journey down to work you're probably tearing down at breakneck speeds to get down whilst coming home is more leisurely

  26. #26
    Did any of them ask you to pick up some tartan paint after the last chat?

  27. #27
    Master
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    pick up a sky hook on the way home

  28. #28
    Grand Master
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    Bucket of sparks for the grinder!

  29. #29
    Grand Master hogthrob's Avatar
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    It's still costing you more in fuel than you'd like, regardless of whether the return trip costs more or less.


    If you compare the altitude of your home to the altitude of the site, won't the difference tell you how much climbing vs. descending you've actually done? [edit] doesn't take gradient into account, so doesn't really work as a measure of estimating fuel consumption.


    Finally, you could point out the the prevailing wind in the UK is from the south west, so on the return journey you're driving into a head wind. :-)
    Last edited by hogthrob; 12th March 2017 at 09:08.

  30. #30
    Master Pitch3110's Avatar
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    Why are you talking to bricklayers prey????

    As a carpenter, we are far more intelligent and generally more pleasing to the eye. They generally would have an argument with a paper bag.

  31. #31
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pitch3110 View Post

    As a carpenter, we are far more intelligent and generally more pleasing to the eye.

  32. #32
    Master Pitch3110's Avatar
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    Yep, that's me with my boyfriend many years ago, I never liked him in that red shirt. I think we gave it the Sally Army in the end.

  33. #33
    Very much enjoyed the sense of humour in the thread!

    With minor exceptions I've lived darn sarf for forty years while the rest of my family is in the glorious Midlands. It's a 400 mile round trip for me at weekends when I visit (last one last weekend) and I do it every 6 weeks or so.

    In general I get about 4mpg better on the south-north trip (52mpg vs 48mpg) and I can offer no explanation other than one mentioned higher in the thread, the prevailing wind is often behind me on the way up. For what it's worth, I start at approx 270 ft above sea level and finish at 282 ft.

  34. #34
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pitch3110 View Post
    Why are you talking to bricklayers prey????

    As a carpenter, we are far more intelligent and generally more pleasing to the eye. They generally would have an argument with a paper bag.
    Ha, unfortunately Pitch your fellow chippies were in the same gang as the uphill monkeys

    I love a bit of building site piss taking but this clown wasn't having any of it especially with his notebook full of all the proof he needs

  35. #35
    Master
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    You need to show them how a level works! Plumb crazy!

  36. #36
    Master
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    Plumb crazy!
    ah, I see what you did there ;-)

  37. #37
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    this should fry your cookie, what if you had a Tesla?

    would the battery be more or less when you got home?

  38. #38
    Master Pitch3110's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickylall View Post
    Ha, unfortunately Pitch your fellow chippies were in the same gang as the uphill monkeys

    I love a bit of building site piss taking but this clown wasn't having any of it especially with his notebook full of all the proof he needs
    There is one on every site, that's what I love about 'em as well.

  39. #39
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Velorum View Post
    They are having a giraffe

    As we say down South
    This, totally this.

  40. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by reggie747 View Post
    Rowlocks !!

    They're pulling your p!$$er on this one. Unless the downhill and uphill slope was like the Eiger end to end and you coasted down it ( whilst burning through your brake pads on tickover), the insignificant saving/gains/losses in fuel economics would just about register measured over a long period of time.
    When you're sat down having your brew on Monday morning tell them all to have a Coke and a smile and STFU.



    ps

    I hear the latest laser removal technique can erase that "Sucker" tattoo off your forehead .
    Last edited by GOAT; 21st March 2017 at 21:13. Reason: checking my facts!

  41. #41
    Craftsman jamesianbriggs's Avatar
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    Your brickie driving south on his work is in no hurry to get there - whereas when he's on his way home he'll have a heavy right foot - hence the difference.

    Probably. Not.


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