Author Topic: Smokin' 'em re-defined (Read 4624 times)

Hermann · « **on:** June 10, 2008, 01:14:22 pm »

As a long time skulker and reader of Dr Diesel's tales I finally have one of my own to impart - though with a twist.

Going to family function I end up at a light next to my sister-in-law's boyfriend. He in an 03 or 04 Civic all tricked out - nice job and all that but still a Jap ricer not a quality engineered German vehicle. I in my old 89 Jetta with 440+k on it and NO mods whatsoever. The whole family in the car also. It is my daily commuter. 90km a day type thing. He blips the throttle on the Honduh and the fart can makes a suitably loud - well fart :roll: . Me all I can do is increase the clatter so I put the old e-break on and just squat the back end down and try to make a little smoke with the tires. It was not impressive but what the heck- the kids thought it was fun. Ok so light changes to green and he blows my doors off - partially because I am still spinning the old tires and I am not really intending to race him.

At the in-laws place for dinner he is laughing at me and bragging - I smile and let it slide. (He's a bit of a blowhard so its just easier to let him open his mouth and show what an idiot is really made of.) Then my wife says (God bless her) "we'll race you to from edmonton (Alberta) to Grand Prairie (Alberta) and back - no fuel stops permitted." My first thought was I do not want to race him and I don't want to spend the whole day driving and I figured he would say no - knowing that the old Jetta is still pretty efficient. To my surpirse he accepted!

So I had to defend VW's honor and agreed. He gave me about a 40 minute head start. Well he blew past me of course and when me met in GP he informed me that he had been waiting for over 90 minutes. (I was cruising at about 95km/h all the way the wife and I just listening to the tunes and enjoying the drive.) My sister-in-law out of the blue piped up and told him that she was riding back with us. He looked at her with this shocked abandonment :shock: - he asked why. and she replied "Because they are going to make it back to Edmonton. You won't without stopping for gas." He stared blankly for a moment and only muttered "oh yeah." :oops:

That moment the light came on :idea: was as good as if I had left him sitting at the light in a giant cloud af black smoke.

We spent several hours puttering around town - saw some friends and headed back later in the afternoon - we passed them in a place called Valleyview - he was getting gas.

PS: I drove for 3 more days around town before I tanked up (it was empty!). Total mileage 1158km total fuel 48 litres. Performance with a twist!!

Op-Ivy · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2008, 01:47:33 pm »

Hahaha! Great story!!! 68MPG IMP?!? Impressive!

burn_your_money · « **Reply #2 on:** June 11, 2008, 10:46:11 pm »

lol, that's good stuff. Sounds like you have a keeper of a wife

Dr. Diesel · « **Reply #3 on:** June 16, 2008, 03:21:36 am »

I do, good sir, bow down to you!

Hammy · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2008, 09:57:42 pm »

Great story. How the heck do you get 1100Kms to 48 liters??

Patrick · « **Reply #5 on:** July 04, 2008, 07:27:06 am »

No kidding! Best I've done is 940 km (91 golf NA) and 899 (92 Jetta AAZ)

Hermann · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2008, 08:41:07 pm »

To Dr.Diesel,

No sir I bow down to those that turn our little VW oil burners into hot little rockets.

To Hammy and Patrick,

I keep it well tuned. I run synthetic in it, keep the tires inflated, monitor my injectors (replace/recondition worn ones - make sure they are operating to spec), keep it warm in the winter/cool in the summer (ensure as close as possible optimal operaitng temperatures) and that "recommended" stuff to keep the old boy operating at maximum.

The real factor I believe lies in the driving - almost 90% of the KM on it is highway driving as I drive close to 100kms a day to and from work. I Also moderate my speed - 95km/h in my old Schultz seems to be where he hums along most comfortably and efficiently (I have had lots of kms to figure it out and tested various speeds.) And unlike my sis-in-laws boyfriend I don't jackrabbit start from lights. I keep the revs low - preferring to use the "lug" powar of the diesel. Combine all of these things I think have been the difference. I also think I got a gem of a car - the old boy has really been problem free and reacts well to my tinkering on the pump timing and such.

In the summer I average about 1100kms a tank of fuel - as soon as the temperture drops, as it is wont to do here in the prairies, I average about 980-1040kms per tank. It is just a darned good little car! :wink:

Patrick · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2008, 06:20:17 am »

All the usual stuff. My last tank (AAZ '92) was 924 km and just below 1/4 tank, not in the red yet. Don't want to chance running it out of fuel. Tanked up at home so I can't tell you the mileage....... How far into the red do I dare run? Most of the same stuff, synthetic trans oil, tires hard, Don't push the car, keep the speed down.

Hermann · « **Reply #8 on:** July 17, 2008, 11:14:30 pm »

I have let the needle fall into the red - the "right" edge of the needle in the red. I have run it out completely - not recommended! The needle was deep into the red but not a good idea for many reasons. Keep the water out (good filter, drain the water separator if you still have it hooked into the lines and letting the needle tickle the red should not be a problem. If I am going to put fuel in the car I might as well fill it it up!

zozep · « **Reply #9 on:** July 18, 2008, 11:56:11 am »

I disagree with this on a fuel cost savings perspective...
You should fill up when your gas tank is at half. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Diesel evaporates faster than you can imagine. Diesel storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the fuel and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Quote from: "Hermann"

I have let the needle fall into the red - the "right" edge of the needle in the red. I have run it out completely - not recommended! The needle was deep into the red but not a good idea for many reasons. Keep the water out (good filter, drain the water separator if you still have it hooked into the lines and letting the needle tickle the red should not be a problem. If I am going to put fuel in the car I might as well fill it it up!

Patrick · « **Reply #10 on:** July 18, 2008, 07:12:19 pm »

Diesel does nor eveporate at nearly the same rate as gasoline does, not as many volitile aromatics. What about the extra pounds too? Lower mass means lower fuel consumption.........

VW_Commuter · « **Reply #11 on:** July 18, 2008, 07:57:45 pm »

I'm pretty sure all of the fuel storage tanks, whether they be diesel or gasoline, have the floating roof with seals against the side of the tank. When I asked my cousin who works at the refinery in Anacortes, WA why that is he said it was to prevent a vapor space so the vapors didn't have a chance to accumulate and cause an explosion hazard. The space above the seal is typically vented to a vapor recovery system where the vapors are chilled to force them back to a liquid state for recovery.

Hermann · « **Reply #12 on:** September 09, 2008, 04:28:09 pm »

Sorry for the lenghthy time between replies - summer holidays and such.

As for fuel evaporation - diesel fuel is a relatively "stable" petroleum product (less volatile) as compared to the likes of gasoline or naptha for instance. It's evaporation rate would thusly be less given the same environmental factors. Reducing the "airspace" in a storage facility (the floating "lid") reduces the space where the more volatile fumes can build up and be trapped waiting for that catostrophic static discharge or what have you.

Even the fuel system in older cars is quite sealed off. Only when a my tank is overfilled do I ever smell any diesel odor. I would also submit for the record that the amount of fuel I actually lose to evap in the roughly 10-12 days between fill ups is marginal at best. In large storage tanks where surface area and actual time the product sits in the tank the evap factor is likely substantial given the same rate of evaporation for any particular petroleum distilate - at sea level or at 10000 feet above sea level and whatever the temparature of the environment.

I base my theory on the jerry can in my shed that holds the gasoline for my lawnmower and snowblower. I have never noticed a substantial reduction in the amount of fuel fromweek to week or month to month that is attributable to evaporation - not that I have been watching and despite the fact that I can smell the faint odor of gasoline in the shed due to evaporation and such. Although now my curiousity is piqued I wonder how mush gasoline I lost this last year since I only fill it once a year and whether the fuel stabilizer I use has an affect of the evaporation rate?

I smell some internet re-search coming on ... gotta go! (or is it diesel fumes?)