2008 Alfa Romeo 166 fuel consumption

146
A - Normal pressure: tread uniform-
ly worn.
A correct pressure will ensure a longer
life for your tyre and improve perfor-
mance as the tread will then be working
along the entire width of the tread and
wear will be more uniform.
These conditions also lead to:
– better road holding of the vehicle
– easier and more precise steering
– reduced fuel consumption due to a
lower resistance against the rolling of the
tyre.
B - Insufficient pressure: tread
worn more along the edge.
Low tyre pressure will cause irregular
wearing of the tread (greater along the
sides) and cause the tyre to overheat
which could lead to parts of the tyre
breaking off and cause damage to the
shell of the tyre itself.
This type of damage could lead to sud-
den loss of pressure or cause the tyre to
burst.C - Excessive pressure: tread worn
more towards the centre.
Overinflating the tyres leads to:
– irregular wearing of the tread, con-
centrated more towards the centre of the
tread
– a reduction in the level of comfort
– a greater vulnerability of the tyre to
knocks
IMPORTANT When the vehicle is be-
ing used the pressure increases naturally.
In exceptional cases when checking tyre
pressure when hot, do not reduce the
pressure.Wheel balancing
Each wheel together with its tyre is bal-
anced, both satirically and dynamically, in
the factory. When the tyres are replaced
the wheels must be rebalanced to prevent
vehicle instability, wearing of the compo-
nents of the steering system and irregular
tyre wear.
When balancing wheels
made of light alloy only
original Alfa Romeo
counterweights should be used.

148ECONOMY AND
ENVIRONMENT-
FRIENDLY DRIVING
How you use and how you drive your
vehicle directly influence fuel consump-
tion and environmental impact.
By following a few simple guidelines
and without incising on the “liveliness”
of the vehicle, it is possible to avoid dam-
aging the environment and often, at the
same time, to limit fuel consumption.
The following helpful suggestions will al-
low you to save in running costs and re-
duce harmful emissions.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Vehicle maintenance
The conditions of the vehicle are an im-
portant factor which affects fuel consump-
tion as well as driving tranquillity and the
life of the car itself. For this reason, care
should be given to maintenance, having
the checks and adjustments given in the
scheduled maintenance programme car-
ried out (see ... spark plugs, idle speed,
air/fuel oil filter, timing).
Tyres
Check the tyre pressure at least every 4
weeks: if the pressure is too low, consump-
tion increases as resistance to rolling is
higher. It should also be underlined that in
these conditions, tyre wear increases re-
sulting in poor handling and lower safety. Drive at a moderate
speed when snow chains
have been fitted to the
wheels. Avoid potholes, steps and
pavements, and do not drive for
long stretches on snow-free roads,
otherwise you risk damaging the
tyres, suspension and steering.
Snow chains can be fit-
ted only on wheels with
6.5J x 16” rims and
215/55 R16 tyres or 7.5J x 17”
rims and 225/45 R17 tyres.
(*) Pour versions/marchè lorsqu’il
est prèvu pneus 205/55 R16.

149
Useless loads
Do not overload the boot (especially in
town), as this will heavily affect fuel con-
sumption and stability of the vehicle.
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or ski rack imme-
diately after use. These accessories lower
air drag and adversely affect consumption
levels. For particularly bulky loads the use
of a trailer is preferable.
Electric services
Use electric devices only for the neces-
sary time. Rearscreen heating, additional
headlights, wipers and the heater fan
consume a considerable amount of ener-
gy, increasing the need for current highers
fuel consumption (up to +25% in the ur-
ban cycle).Climate control system
The climate control system is a further
load that weighs considerably on the en-
gine inducing higher consumption levels
(on average up to +20%). Outside tem-
perature permitting, preferably use the air
vents.
Spoilers
The use of spoilers that have not been
certified by Alfa Romeo can adversely af-
fect air drag and fuel consumption.DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine stationary at i-
dle speed or high speed: in these condi-
tions the engine warms much more slow-
ly, increasing consumption and emissions.
It is therefore advisable to move off im-
mediately and slowly, avoiding high
speeds. This will warm up the engine
more quickly.
Pointless manoeuvres
Avoid revving the engine when waiting
at traffic lights and before switching the
engine off. This, like revving before
changing gear, serves absolutely no pur-
pose on modern cars and increases con-
sumption and emission levels.
Gearshifting
As soon as the road and traffic condi-
tions permit it, engage a higher gear. The
use of a low gear to obtain lively acceler-
ating increases fuel consumption.
In the same way, incorrect use of a gear
increases consumption, emission and en-
gine wear.

150
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Brief and frequent cold starts do not al-
low the engine to reach the optimum op-
erating temperature. This leads to a sig-
nificant increase in consumption (from
+15% up to +30% in the urban cycle)
and in the emission of pollutants.
Traffic situations and road
conditions
Rather high consumption levels are
linked with heavy traffic situations, for ex-
ample in slow-moving queues with the
frequent use of low gears or in big towns
with many traffic lights.
Also winding mountain roads and rough
roads adversely affect consumption lev-
els.
Halts in the traffic
During prolonged halts (e.g. level cross-
ings) it is advisable to switch the engine
off.
PROTECTING EMISSION
REDUCING DEVICES
The correct operation of the anti-pollu-
tion devices not only guarantees respect
for the environment but also has a great
influence on vehicle performance.
These devices should be kept in good
condition to permit economical and eco-
logical use of your vehicle.
The programmed Maintenance Schedule
should be carefully followed.
For petrol engines, only unleaded fuel
should be used.
If starting is difficult,
do not insist with pro-
longed attempts. Do not
push, tow or coast start the ve-
hicle: these may all damage the
catalysts. Top speed
Fuel consumption increases considerably
with the speed of the car: it is helpful to
observe that passing from 90 to 120
km/h consumption increases by + 30%.
Also maintain the most uniform possible
speed, avoiding superfluous braking and
accelerating which cost fuel while increas-
ing emission levels. You are therefore ad-
vised to adopt a “smooth” driving style.
trying to anticipate manoeuvres to avoid
imminent danger and respect safety dis-
tances to avoid having to slow down
abruptly.
Acceleration
Violent accelerating bringing the engine
to high rpm has a considerable adverse
effect on consumption and emission lev-
els; it is wise to accelerate gradually with-
out exceeding the maximum permissible
torque.

231
The following pages give the various specifications of the vehicle.
These pages will probably represent the main reference point in
this booklet for the “experts and enthusiasts”.
This section should be consulted in order to identify the main cha-
racteristics of your vehicle referred to in the previous chapters.IDENTIFICATION DATA...............................................................................page 232
ENGINE CODES-BODY VERSIONS
.....................................................................233
DIMENSIONS
...........................................................................................................234
ENGINE
......................................................................................................................235
SERVICING
................................................................................................................236
ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION
..............................................................................236
LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT
..................................................................................237
WEIGHTS
...................................................................................................................237
FUEL SUPPLY - IGNITION
....................................................................................238
PERFORMANCE
.......................................................................................................239
FUEL CONSUMPTION
............................................................................................240
CO
2EMISSIONS......................................................................................................241
BRAKES
.....................................................................................................................241
STEERING
..................................................................................................................242
TRANSMISSION
.......................................................................................................242
FLUIDS AND LUBRICANTS
..................................................................................243
RIM AND TYRES
....................................................................................................245
TYRE INFLATION PRESSURE
...............................................................................247
RADIO FREQUENCY REMOTE CONTROL:
MINISTERIAL HOMOLOGATIONS
.....................................................................251
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

240
FUEL CONSUMPTION
The fuel consumption values shown in the following tables were established during homologation tests prescribed in specific European
Directives.
The test conditions adopted include the following:
–an urban cycle:this includes cold starting followed by simulation of a mixed urban route;
–an extraurban cycle:this includes frequent accelerating in all gears, simulating normal extraurban use of the vehicle; the speed
varies between 0 and 120 kph;
–combined consumption:this is calculated by considering a route consisting of about 37% urban cycle and 63% extraurban cy-
cle.
IMPORTANT The type of route, traffic conditions, weather conditions, driving style, conditions of the vehi-
cle, trim level/ equipment/ accessories, vehicle load, presence of a roof rack, other items that negatively
affect the aerodynamics of the vehicle or wind resistance may lead to different fuel consumption levels than
those measured by the above-mentioned procedures (see “Economy and environment-friendly driving” para-
graph in the “Getting the best out of your car” chapter).
CONSUMPTION ACCORDING TO EEC STANDARD 1999/100 (litres x 100 km)
3.2 V6 24V JTD 20VMultijet
On urban route 18.3 9.9
On extraurban route 9.1 6.1
On mixed route 12.5 7.5

263
ABS (system) ..............................114
Additional heater ..............................91
Air bags, front and side ....................50
Air cleaner ....................................218
Air conditioner ................................83
Air conditioning ................................80
Alfa Romeo CODE system ..................16
Alfa Romeo I.C.S. system ................14
Ashtray ..........................................99
ASR (system) ................................117
At the filling station ........................124
Automatic fuel cut-off switch
and power supply ......................127
Battery ......................................219
Body maintenance..........................225
Boot ............................................105
Boot light......................................185Brake Assist ............................116-141
Brakes..........................................241
Bulb replacement ....................165-181
Car maintenance......................201
Carrying children safety ....................45
Central locking ................................29
Changing the bulb
- Bulb types ........................165-166
- General instructions ..................165
Child safety ....................................30
Child safety device (doors) ................45
Cigar lighter ....................................98
CO
2emissions ................................241
Coin holder......................................98
Controls ..........................................93
Correct use of the car..............133
Courtesy light ................................101Cruise Control ..................................64
Dashboard ....................................68
Data plates....................................232
Diesel filter....................................219
Dimensions ..................................234
Direction indicators ..........................59
Door lights ....................................102
Doors ............................................28
Dust/pollen filter ......................90-219
Electronic alarm system ..................22
Electronic control units ....................223
Emission control devices ..................129
Engine ..........................................235
Engine codes – Body versions ..........233
Engine coolant temperature gauge ......74
Engine oil consumption ..................236
ALPHABETICAL INDEX

264
Engine starting ..............................134
EOBD (system) ..............................113
First aid kit ..................................199
Fluids and lubricants ......................243
Fog lamps ......................................93
"Follow me home" device ................60
Front roof lamp..............................100
Fuel consumption ..........................240
Fuel flap ........................................94
Fuel oil filter ..................................219
Fuel reserve ....................................73
Fuel tank cap ................................127
Fuses and relays ............................186
Gear shift ......................................95
Getting to know your car........11
Glovebox ........................................98
Handbrake ....................................95
Hazard warning lights ......................93Headlamps ....................................110
Headrests........................................33
High beam headlamps ......................58
Identification data..................232
In an emergency ............................157
In the event of an accident ..............198
Inside rear-view mirror ......................36
Installation of electric/
electronic devices ......................156
Instrument cluster ............................12
Instrument light dimmer ....................94
Interior equipment ............................96
Interior maintenance ......................228
Keys............................................ 16
Level checking ..............................209
Light switch ....................................57
Low beam headlamps ......................58
Luggage compartment ....................110
Maintenance
- Additional operations ................206
- Annual Inspection Programme ....206
- Maintenance programme ..........204
- Scheduled Maintenance ............202
Mileage recorder ..............................70
Number plate lights ......................179
Oddments compartments........103-104
Oddment compartment light ............183
Parking ......................................138
Parking lights ..................................58
Parking sensors................................67
Performance ..................................239
Pollen/dust filter ......................90-219
Position lights ..................................58
Power steering ..............................142
Power windows ..............................38