Mileage issues

[wolf_walker]

People say a lot of things about MPG.
They brag a lot about how many women they pick up too. 
But I think a lot of it is honest error.

I think VW said something about 42 or so being "normal"
for an old NA 1.6 in one of the tech books.  I always found that to be
about right but I've seldom had to deal with the traffic you have.
I usually figured my MPG in 20K mile lump averages.  They all
did 42 give or take 1mpg, except a really, really, really crazy worn the hell out
1.6TD, and it got 37, and my 81 LX when it was nearly new and one could drive 55 or 60mph
on the interestate with the 4spd and not get run over, it would just touch on 50. 
It's a wispy tenuous thing, MPG.  Unless
you resort to running fuel from metered containers, or use really
long term numbers.

[TylerDurden]

Ja, if you don't have graduated containers, samples gotta be big.  I fill up at the same pump, averaging over a few tankfulls. (Which can take a long time when you get closer to 50mpg.  )

[wolf_walker]

(Which can take a long time when you get closer to 50mpg.  )

I have that problem with the 82 now, I've been poking at it and would like to see if I can make it better, or worse,
but it takes a couple months to run out a tank of fuel and it's mostly around town at that.
At this rate it will take a solid year to see if any changes have lasting effect.  lol
That also has me not caring if it gets 38 instead of 42 to be honest.  I ride my bike
wherever I can these days.  Back easy everything was twenty miles from everything
else so the miles racked up pretty well.

Another prob, on Caddys anyway, is diesel foams like hell and the angle of the filler neck
isn't helping.  Even on the lowest click on a regular pump I can put in a gallon if not two
after it clicks off, and the click off isn't consistent, even at the same pump.
I've enjoyed using Fuelly to track stuff quite a lot, much better than the boxes and boxes of
notepads I have from the previous fifteen years..

[ORCoaster]

I think the only reliable way to get mpg figures with the high mileage rigs is to have a small one gallon container to draw and return to.  You know that volume will get you to and from a days drive perhaps and if you fill it to the same level all the time you can measure it correctly in ounces, do the math, you can do math right?  And bingo MPG for the day. 

[wolf_walker]

Yep.
Might be worth doing OP.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[fdnyguy]

People say a lot of things about MPG.
They brag a lot about how many women they pick up too. 
But I think a lot of it is honest error.

I think VW said something about 42 or so being "normal"
for an old NA 1.6 in one of the tech books.  I always found that to be
about right but I've seldom had to deal with the traffic you have.
I usually figured my MPG in 20K mile lump averages.  They all
did 42 give or take 1mpg, except a really, really, really crazy worn the hell out
1.6TD, and it got 37, and my 81 LX when it was nearly new and one could drive 55 or 60mph
on the interestate with the 4spd and not get run over, it would just touch on 50. 
It's a wispy tenuous thing, MPG.  Unless
you resort to running fuel from metered containers, or use really
long term numbers.

Nice comparison..lol. I used the fill up as much as i can method. I got 15.6 gallons in it the other day (14.5 with a 1 gal+ hold??) Takes a while to top it off, but I get it in there. Also try to use the same fuel every chance I get, even if I pay more at the pump. FWIW, I'll try the GPS again and see what  I get. But filling it up till the vent is full has been my preferred method. No problem trying something else for the Hell of it.

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.

[tyb525]

After I rebuilt my engine (actually just new bearings, gaskets, rings, injectors and minor things) for awhile I was getting 37-39 all winter, I couldn't break 40. But as son as the weather warmed up and I took the car on a 6 hr trip, it's been getting a pretty consistent 44-45, that's about 50/50 city/highway.

So I take it as warmer weather, and a more broken-in engine helped. Note I'm still running 155-80-13 snow tires, and I don't drive particularly easy or fast, just what I'd call average. I'm sure I could get better with some low-resistance tires and some fine tuning. I probably have 10,000 on the rebuild now, off the top of my head, I have it wrote down in one of those handy VW notebooks.

And for the time being I'll have to drive my gas hog truck until I get the new clutch put in. I was happy to let that thing sit for months, it's 14mpg seems ludicrous compared to 44mpg.

Oh, and every time I fill up, I always fill it up to where I can see it in the neck, same spot. It takes a little while to let the foam go down, but usually when I fill up I'm not in a hurry, I'm almost never late for something and almost out of gas at the same time, different story for my truck...

[TylerDurden]

Some folks say that summer fuel provides a few extra miles. (I can't tell since I'm always tweeking.)

[fdnyguy]

After I rebuilt my engine (actually just new bearings, gaskets, rings, injectors and minor things) for awhile I was getting 37-39 all winter, I couldn't break 40. But as son as the weather warmed up and I took the car on a 6 hr trip, it's been getting a pretty consistent 44-45, that's about 50/50 city/highway.

So I take it as warmer weather, and a more broken-in engine helped. Note I'm still running 155-80-13 snow tires, and I don't drive particularly easy or fast, just what I'd call average. I'm sure I could get better with some low-resistance tires and some fine tuning. I probably have 10,000 on the rebuild now, off the top of my head, I have it wrote down in one of those handy VW notebooks.

And for the time being I'll have to drive my gas hog truck until I get the new clutch put in. I was happy to let that thing sit for months, it's 14mpg seems ludicrous compared to 44mpg.

Oh, and every time I fill up, I always fill it up to where I can see it in the neck, same spot. It takes a little while to let the foam go down, but usually when I fill up I'm not in a hurry, I'm almost never late for something and almost out of gas at the same time, different story for my truck...

To be honest. I cannot recall if my higher mileage was with the 13's. But I would suspect a drop in mpg with 14's then?

I love this site..

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.

[wolf_walker]

I almost always stuck with 13's, alloy, and stock size tires on the A1 chassis, I could really feel increased unsprung weight
and see it in the MPG results.  I ran some 14" BMW bottlecaps on the 81 the other year for awhile and they weren't too bad, but
they are pretty light.  Still a good bit heavier than a little 13" tire and rim though.
I don't think it'd account for more than 2mpg though, given rolling resistance and accelerating them
up to speed repeatedly in city driving. 

[fdnyguy]

I almost always stuck with 13's, alloy, and stock size tires on the A1 chassis, I could really feel increased unsprung weight
and see it in the MPG results.  I ran some 14" BMW bottlecaps on the 81 the other year for awhile and they weren't too bad, but
they are pretty light.  Still a good bit heavier than a little 13" tire and rim though.
I don't think it'd account for more than 2mpg though, given rolling resistance and accelerating them
up to speed repeatedly in city driving. 

Good points. As most know, I have piss poor skills and don't have the diesel knowledge shared here. One member here who dropped a 1.6 NA into a Cabby recorded 61 mpg with a GPS. I don't expect mileage that high, but much better. As you said using 195/60.R14's being a wider tire along with the 5 star rims add some weight and resistance over a 175/R13 tire and rim, with maybe a small drop in mpg. But knowing diesels run better with more air, I tend to think my engine is working harder with only air coming through the OEM intake. I still wonder if that smaller intake is killing the MPG, so getting varied opinions is why I posted. Car runs great, and as posted the NA likes a steady ride, that's tough to get around the NYC area, be it traffic or altitude. Long Island is pretty level, its the trips upstate with different grades and altitudes that prevent that steady ride mentioned.

With crappy weather and work, work, work, I will find sometime to get that air intake altered,  Maybe that, along with a little more break in for the engine, will increase the mpg. And maybe I'll switch back to 13's for the Hell of it.

You guys are tops. Can't thank you enough.

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.

[ORCoaster]

If you lack time a quick increase in inlet area can be gained just by removing the OEM snozle beak.  That oval at the air box is like twice the opening at the end.  You won't get as cold of air but you can try it just the same.  Mine is on with one small screw.  Thirty seconds under the hood and it is off.

I tried several different hoses and contraptions.  Finally went back to the OEM part but cut it off on an angle about 7 inches from where it attaches.  Tried to mimic the surface area at the final end.  Works good enough for me. 

[fdnyguy]

If you lack time a quick increase in inlet area can be gained just by removing the OEM snozle beak.  That oval at the air box is like twice the opening at the end.  You won't get as cold of air but you can try it just the same.  Mine is on with one small screw.  Thirty seconds under the hood and it is off.

I tried several different hoses and contraptions.  Finally went back to the OEM part but cut it off on an angle about 7 inches from where it attaches.  Tried to mimic the surface area at the final end.  Works good enough for me. 

Ill give it a shot. Nothing to lose, right? Except for the loss of cold as as you said, it is still more air. Enjoy the weekend.

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.

[ORCoaster]

Will do.  Got a new set of rings in the 1.6 that need to be broken in.  Got a line on another 500 dollar special that won't run.  Low compression he says.  Well gee I just fixed that for about 70 dollars and a weekend at a buddies.  Nice shape otherwise. 

[fdnyguy]

Will do.  Got a new set of rings in the 1.6 that need to be broken in.  Got a line on another 500 dollar special that won't run.  Low compression he says.  Well gee I just fixed that for about 70 dollars and a weekend at a buddies.  Nice shape otherwise. 

Sweet. No time, talent or place to do that work. I got a kid @ my P/T job that wants this Jetta. It's like old shoes, I just can't get rid of it.

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.