60 MPG / 900 Mile Club / 1000 Mile Club

Kymerik

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2009
Location
Cincinnati, OH
TDI
2004 Golf GLS
oEo said:
Ever try an Italian tune-up? If you drive highway all the time, you'll need to run it hard occasionally to exercise the turbo and clean out the intercooler.

Some '04s might have a snow screen snorkle. It could be clogged.

Try running a fuel additive to help clean your injectors and bump up your cetane. However, it is cold weather diesel now so you might take a hit till spring. I get 50+ mpg on vacation trips, but my daily commute keeps me in the low to mid 40s.

Also, a RC1 or RC1+ tune would help you out!
what is this Snow Screen Snorkle you speak of?

Also, if you were to recommend a vendor for that tune...
 

oEo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2004
Location
Lancaster | PA
TDI
'04 Golf TDi PD ::Indigo Blue::
Kymerik said:
?

Also, if you were to recommend a vendor for that tune...

Unfortunately, you just missed this:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=258943

I've only used Jeff, so that's all I can recommend. There are others, plus Jeff might be heading up North soon. Check the eastern thread for any upcoming events.

Also, read the first post in this sticky:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=200694

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1990461&postcount=33



Local help would be forum guru members Growler and MoGolf, maybe they can take a look and see what's up with your cars performance.
 
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Kymerik

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2009
Location
Cincinnati, OH
TDI
2004 Golf GLS
oEo said:
Unfortunately, you just missed this:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=258943

I've only used Jeff, so that's all I can recommend. There are others, plus Jeff might be heading up North soon. Check the eastern thread for any upcoming events.

Also, read the first post in this sticky:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=200694

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1990461&postcount=33



Local help would be forum guru members Growler and MoGolf, maybe they can take a look and see what's up with your cars performance.
thanks mate :) helpful forum members as usual :)
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
New personal record!!! 63.6 MPG!!! 284.0 miles, 4.464 gallons. Same station/pump/filling technique. Ventectomy has been done and I confirmed the level of the fuel/foam after filling more slowly than previous fill-up. The fuel needle barely passed the 7/8 mark. This is the first time I've really committed to using the pulse and glide technique, drafting, and slower speeds over a long distance (usually a 55-65mph pulse). I used the A/C for about 15 minutes, I got stuck in traffic for about 25 minutes, and I drove around town for 20-30 of those miles. I even got caught in a very heavy rain storm that lowered my scangauge average mpg by about 2mpg. The scangauge is an amazing teacher.

T4 injectors balanced by Franko6 and RC2 tune. Thank you Frank and Rocketchip!
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta
manual_tranny said:
.........

T4 injectors balanced by Franko6 and RC2 tune. Thank you Frank and Rocketchip!
Congrats on some good mileage. The nozzles and RC2 combination along with a taller 5th gear and low viscosity trans and engine oils deliver excellent MPG's in the summer with good driving habits.

Knock out a couple 1000 mile tanks and prove you've really got what it takes :)
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Fix_Until_Broke said:
Congrats on some good mileage. The nozzles and RC2 combination along with a taller 5th gear and low viscosity trans and engine oils deliver excellent MPG's in the summer with good driving habits.
For gear ratios, I'm actually planning to do one of Scott Dewitt's 6-speed 02J conversions. I can't wait to see how good mileage gets with a 5th gear slightly lower than stock and a 6th gear much taller than stock 5th. These two gears should work wonders in all kinds of conditions.
Fix_Until_Broke said:
Knock out a couple 1000 mile tanks and prove you've really got what it takes :)
Well said, it is really exhausting to pay attention to so many variables for so long. The cruise control was a welcome relief, but I wouldn't let myself use it for more than a mile or two at a time. (Just to give my brain a rest...) On the trip home I had developed my pulse/glide technique and I slowed down a bit... my average for the last 120 miles would have been over 70mpg but the powerful rain/wind fought bitterly against me.

After moseying around the forums last night I realized that I hadn't done my 63.6mpg run within the official tdiclub "rules" for 60mpg+, (I think I read 400mi minimum). 284 miles was good enough to satisfy MY skepticism, but I know that I need repeat results to prove it to you guys. ;)

I felt that I could trust my results because I eliminated a lot of error filling at the same pump in the same direction, and I filled slower and more completely at the second fill-up. I will suffer through a 1000 mile tank as soon as possible! I'm also going to check my tire pressure... I'm pretty sure they weren't filled to max.

Mike
 
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shizzler

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2005
Location
Ann Arbor MI
TDI
05 BEW Wagon
Excellent results Manny. I agree, I've seen potential for 60+ mpg myself many times with focused driving, but I don't have the mental patience to run a full tank that way. After a day or two I tend to revert to WOT acceleration and 80mph.....

I am starting to really believe in the P & G technique for these TDIs though.
 

aneat

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Location
Winchester Ohio
TDI
Golf 2002 black
I thought I would get on here and add my results. Ive had a couple of 900+ tanks with 909 being the best.

Best mpg for a tank full was 60.4

52mpg average over 140K+
 

trailer_parks

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2003
Location
San Antonio
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 4-dr, Blue Graphite, 6MT
I'll throw my $.02 on here, as well. When I had my '01 Jetta TDI 5MT, my 2 best tanks were 915 on 15.99 gallons, and 904 on 16.05, 57.2 and 56.3 mpg respectively. Those two tanks were run back-back, and 50/50 city/highway split. Those city miles were on my 20 mile commute everyday, which had 37 stoplights. Coast in gear folks, at least down to 1200 rpm.

My friends would make fun of me, because I'd throw the HVAC on recirc and turn off the compressor, until I was coasting for a stoplight, then I'd kick it on and get free A/C. Ridiculous...

Anyway, 1 tank into a brand new '10 Golf TDI 6MT, 563.8 miles on the craptastic dealer fillup, 14.45 gallons, and 39.01 mpg. Not bad with random acts of acceleration to assist with proper break-in.
 

HoneyBeetle

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2001 VW NB TDI
manual_tranny said:
New personal record!!! 63.6 MPG!!! 284.0 miles, 4.464 gallons. Same station/pump/filling technique. Ventectomy has been done and I confirmed the level of the fuel/foam after filling more slowly than previous fill-up. The fuel needle barely passed the 7/8 mark. This is the first time I've really committed to using the pulse and glide technique, drafting, and slower speeds over a long distance (usually a 55-65mph pulse). I used the A/C for about 15 minutes, I got stuck in traffic for about 25 minutes, and I drove around town for 20-30 of those miles. I even got caught in a very heavy rain storm that lowered my scangauge average mpg by about 2mpg. The scangauge is an amazing teacher.

T4 injectors balanced by Franko6 and RC2 tune. Thank you Frank and Rocketchip!
Wondering, what kind of scanguage do you have, Manny? Maybe I should get one of those.
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Scangauge II, I think it was about $170? I don't know the difference between I an II, and as long as it gives you instant mpg and average mpg you can work with pulse and glide to get the most out of your fuel. Keep in mind that if you're using low loads for many miles that it can help to run it hard once in a while... keeps the turbo/intake clean if I understand correctly.
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
In theory, it should be the easiest "mod" to install. (Took me about 10-15 minutes because I was very carefully looking for the best place to put the extra length of cord.) On my golf, I was able to find trim pieces under the steering wheel that the cord snaps right into!

Here are some pictures:




In this last picture I'm pointing at a torx screw that keeps part of the cord from fitting up inside the dash. I'll probably remove it and tuck the cord up there but it's fine where it is now too.
 
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HoneyBeetle

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2001 VW NB TDI
Thanks! Great photos, btw! I'm going to look into this....looks like a gadget I may want to have. I'd like to improve my MPGs, and continue to use B20.
 

HoneyBeetle

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2001 VW NB TDI
Well well, mounting does seem like a bit of an issue. Thank you so much for that thread Fix Until Broke! I'll look at the Beetle tomorrow. The Scangauge looks sort of large. Do they come in different sizes, or are there other models that are different sizes?
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta
Only one size for the SGII (what you see in the above thread) - The old SGI was relatively huge in comparison - size of a kids shoe box by the pictures I saw.

It's really not that big - smaller than a small (regular size) candy bar - beetles don't offer too many mounting locations though unfortunately - you'll need to get creative.
 

n8ronJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Location
Niagara Frontier - Somerset, NY
TDI
2014 BMW 328d XDrive, 2003 Jetta GLS TDI 5speed Platinum Grey (sold), 2010 Jetta 6speed (bought back)
I looked around for this thread yesterday and found it. It's hard to believe that 9 months ago I was posting about breaking 900mi. I did it yesterday.

907.1 mi / 16.020gal for a personal record 56.623 mpg

Since those posts a few months back I have added a ScanGaugeII, swapped out nozzles for PP520's, deleted EGR, cleaned the intake.

I have found that nice long stretch runs without stopping and accelerations/decelerations yield great results. I'm 95% rural road driving. I didn't have to drive like an old man either... (no offense to anyone who is, in fact, an old man)

I'd like to back this up with a consecutive tank that's over 900 again. It will be a while before I break the 60mpg+/1000mi milestones but I'm gunning for it.
 

rmchambers

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Location
Stratford, CT
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS TDI
Assume you have filled the tank all the way up to the neck and the diesel sits there and doesn't go down anymore. How many gallons usable do you have before your injector pump is sucking air?

Is there a gut-feel for the quantity of fuel between fuel lamp on and splutterage? I realize it's not distance because that depends on MPG. My first 700+ mile tank had me putting in 15.48 gallons, and I drove about 20 miles after the lamp came on.

I'd stretch it further if I had a better idea of how much diesel lives between the light coming on and the bottom of the fuel intake tube. I guess it could depend on the car too in which case I'd probably have to carry a couple of gallons of diesel with me just in case.

Thoughts?
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta
Each individual car is different in this regard. Many have been able to put in right around 17.0 gallons. I've run out twice and have re-filled with 16.4 and 16.6 gallons so my car seems to have a little less capacity than others.

I keep track of the number of miles that my low fuel light comes on and then look at what the MPG's are for that tank and then extrapolate from the actual gallons filled at how many miles as to how much farther I could go before consuming 16.5 gallons. So long as I'm not pulling a trailer or driving like a maniac, I can get ~100 miles past the low fuel light. I think the most I've gone was ~125 miles but that was when my low fuel light came on at ~1100 miles.

I'd suggest keeping track of it and seeing how your particular car trends. Others have filled up very shortly (few miles) after the light comes on and then guess on their full tank volume, subtract the difference and then use that as an estimate.
 

n8ronJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Location
Niagara Frontier - Somerset, NY
TDI
2014 BMW 328d XDrive, 2003 Jetta GLS TDI 5speed Platinum Grey (sold), 2010 Jetta 6speed (bought back)
I have tracked the miles at low fuel light. I put it in my log book/spreadsheet. With nearly 3 years of data I am always confident that I can go 80-100 miles past the light. In that last tank I knew that I would break 900 because my light woke up at 821.8mi. I paid the price once last year and pushed too far - ran out of fuel a mile from the station. After splashing some in from a can, adding extra PS - I was in panic mode - I think I put in about 16.4 gal from empty. Anyway, when I do the math post-fill and looking at when the light comes on I can reasonably say that my light comes on at 14.5 gal consumed.
And yes, it all depends on driving style and consistency. I fill the same way, try to park in the same spot, same direction, drive the same after fuel light as before fuel light - fill sooner if I start driving harder. But, all in all, I go 80 miles after light and when I fill up I'm usually a shade under 16 gallons. If I can consistently pull mid-50's mpg then I might push a bit further.

Fix Until Broke - What do you think of the size tire you running? Is it for mpg purposes? What brand/style? I'm up for new ones in the next 2 months so I'm doing the tedious research...
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta
They're General Altimax RT's in 205/70/15 which give a 6% reduction in final drive ratio.

Yes, It's for MPG's. I like them a lot until I hook up to the trailer. 6% RPM reduction when you're under the torque peak makes a world of difference when pulling the trailer. Not that it won't do it, but it works a lot harder at it, especially at 1800 RPM. For anything but pulling a trailer, they're great. Handling is a little "looser" in corners, but I've also got 135k on original suspension so I'm sure that has an effect as well.

I tried a set of Yohohama Avid in the same size and it felt like I was dragging an anchor all the time. The Generals roll much easier and are cheaper. We'll see if they last as long as the Michelins ( MXV4+ in 195/65/15's that made it 70k miles).
 

hyperhyper

Member
Joined
May 31, 2009
Location
Dittmer MO
TDI
2014 Passat TDI Manual, Malone Tuning 1.5
Fix, I have filled 16.7 gallons without running out at a BP station. Probably lucky, but plan on letting it run out when I have a particularly good MPG going for the tank as I try to break 1000 miles. Hopefully next week. Another issue I have is that currently I use a meter bought at Orschelin (we have our own fill tank), and although it's supposed to be accurate even at a slow fill rate, I need some proof.
 

gone postal

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Location
St Augustine, FL
TDI
97 Jetta TDI, 03 Golf TDI
So, any mega milers w/ MKIIIs? I realize they're not nearly as popular as the newer generations, but surely there are some on this forum (they are TDIs afterall...).

I've only had my 97 Jetta 5spd for a month & will be able to break 600 this tank (450 now w/ little over 1/4 left), but that seems so trivial to what a lot of you are doing. I know I need to slow it down from my normal 70-75mph w/ A/C on, but it's friggin hot down here in FL - today just broke a record - 44 days straight over 90* (avg heat index is around 105). I also realize I'm at a smaller tank disadvantage, but I know 800 should be doable once I get around to ventectomy.
 

Digital Corpus

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Location
Ontario, California
TDI
'97 B4 w/ 236K mi body, 46K mi soul
MKIII Jettas you mean. I have MKII Passat and I regularly pull in +1000mi per tank :). Slow down to 60-65 and you'll notice a strong bump in economy. Depending on where you live and the routes for commute, you could stick to the speed semis go and pick up a few more MPG that way. I drive where there are few on teh road most of the time so I can get away with 55 mph, but I will not do anything slower than that normally.
 

snakeye

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Location
Montreal, Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta and Wagon, GLS 5sp
First 900+ tank! 921 miles @ 55.6 MPG. :D

When I pulled into the gas station, there was a truck blocking the v-power diesel, so I parked my car beside the pump, turned it off and waited. When I turned the key it didn't want to start anymore, so I had to push it to the pump. I filled it with 16.6 gallons, all the way to the top.

I did about 60 miles after the fuel gage showed completely empty.
 

hyperhyper

Member
Joined
May 31, 2009
Location
Dittmer MO
TDI
2014 Passat TDI Manual, Malone Tuning 1.5
Bound and determined: First 1000 mile tank

I started on reserve at 886 and just kept driving. When I got to 998, it was raining as I started to look for a fueling station. I stopped at a BP to find that they didn't carry it. Then went to another that I KNEW carried it and the station had been sold and no longer carried diesel. Headed for the last station and ran out of fuel at about 100 yards from the pumps. :( ODO was 1002.1, and I filled with 16.5 gallons. Overall I'm :) with the results. Love these TDI's! :D
 

Vee-Dubb

Active member
Joined
Jul 3, 2010
Location
New Burnswick, Canada
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI Auto
I am from Canada and my odometer reads in kilometers. If I am lucky I get 840 km's (500 miles) to a tank of fuel. How can this be so far off from what you guys (and gals) are getting in miles? Am I missing something? Please help me..........
 
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