700 Mile club Who's in?

[Scoutx]

I hit my 250 mile mark I was talking about and it is just below the 3/4 tank level so I think the fill-up (plus 1 gallon to top off at the other station) that I had with the 825 miles tank wasn't too far off a typical fill. I'll know for sure when I next fill up and/or if I get 400 miles when the gauge hits the half tank mark which is my signal that I'm going to have a good 50+ MPG tank.

Yep, I sort of expected that would be the case. A 900 mile tank would have to be a true 60mpg and you would have to nearly suck the tank dry unless there's a lot more fuel below 'zero miles left' than I suspect there is.

Not sure if you can hold an honest 60 mpg in a Mk6 for 900 miles without getting drastic in your driving.

 

[GaryTDI]

Yep, I sort of expected that would be the case. A 900 mile tank would have to be a true 60mpg and you would have to nearly suck the tank dry unless there's a lot more fuel below 'zero miles left' than I suspect there is.

Not sure if you can hold an honest 60 mpg in a Mk6 for 900 miles without getting drastic in your driving.

Yeah, I'm not going to try for 900 miles. I just did the 800 miles because I read that Digilio86 did it with his DSG so I figured I'd at least hit it once for my own satisfaction. I really don't think I can hold 60 MPG's for a tank. The 58 MPG tank was already under the most ideal conditions for my particular commute such as the strong tail winds, hot weather, light traffic, and no rain. I think Digilio86 tapped into some serious reserve on his tank though. I'll have to go back and read the post. If there is a 2 gallon reserve then I suppose it could be possible under another round of ideal driving conditions but I'm not about to drive 45MPH on a 55MPH parkway the achieve it.

 

[Cha2ga]

50mpg

 

[Avantidude]

Oh yeah I did it on the second tank after, putting my beetle in boxes back together . It sat engine and trans out and in pieces for 3 years before I got it.

 

[GaryTDI]

So I usually hit my 1/4 tank mark at about 550 miles which tells me I'm going to get in the low 50's MPG. This is registering 585.5 miles and it is just above the 1/4 tank mark so this validates to me that this tank was not under fueled by my fueling mishap and I did really register around 58 MPG's on my last tank. Again, I credit mother nature the most for this achievement because she seemed to provide me tailwinds for most of my miles on that tank.

This tank is also looking promising so I'm debating whether to try for two 800+ tanks in a row.

 

[Oilerlord]

Yeah, I'm not going to try for 900 miles. I just did the 800 miles because I read that Digilio86 did it with his DSG so I figured I'd at least hit it once for my own satisfaction. I really don't think I can hold 60 MPG's for a tank. The 58 MPG tank was already under the most ideal conditions for my particular commute such as the strong tail winds, hot weather, light traffic, and no rain. I think Digilio86 tapped into some serious reserve on his tank though. I'll have to go back and read the post. If there is a 2 gallon reserve then I suppose it could be possible under another round of ideal driving conditions but I'm not about to drive 45MPH on a 55MPH parkway the achieve it.

Again, another incredible achievement in high MPG. Congratulations!

On my last tank, warmer weather forced me to use A/C more. As such, my MPG went from 41.7 to 37.3. Others have mentioned a similar hit to MPG when running A/C.

You've mentioned that "hot weather" helped you with achieving 58 MPG. In what way did it help? I know that diesels are more efficient in summer than winter but did you just keep A/C off, keep the windows rolled up, and suffer through the heat?

 

[GaryTDI]

Again, another incredible achievement in high MPG. Congratulations!
On my last tank, warmer weather forced me to use A/C more. As such, my MPG went from 41.7 to 37.3. Others have mentioned a similar hit to MPG when running A/C.
You've mentioned that "hot weather" helped you with achieving 58 MPG. In what way did it help? I know that diesels are more efficient in summer than winter but did you just keep A/C off, keep the windows rolled up, and suffer through the heat?

Funny that you ask... YES! My car is a sweatbox when I drive it in the summer. Basically I keep the windows up and the AC off and only put down the windows when I'm driving through a 30 or 40 MPH area and then only for a minute to let fresh air in. Of course my vents are left open so I don't suffocate... But, yes, I suffer through it since the elation at seeing the results I get outweighs the mild discomfort of sitting in a sweatbox

 

[Oilerlord]

Funny that you ask... YES! My car is a sweatbox when I drive it in the summer. Basically I keep the windows up and the AC off and only put down the windows when I'm driving through a 30 or 40 MPH area and then only for a minute to let fresh air in. Of course my vents are left open so I don't suffocate... But, yes, I suffer through it since the elation at seeing the results I get outweighs the mild discomfort of sitting in a sweatbox

How you're hitting those numbers is starting to make sense now. You're hardcore. I'll do some of the traditional hypermiler stuff, but keeping A/C off and windows rolled up on a hot day isn't one of them.

 

[SilverGhost]

You sound like my wife. Haha, just kidding. But I have found that a/c only kills the MPG on my PD for the first few miles. Once we have been driving half a hour or more it makes no difference in the MPG a/c on or off. That works out for my wife when we take my car on a road trip, but on my commute its a sweat box.

Jason

 

[Ian F]

My car has been pulling 700+ mile tanks with some regularity over the past few months, which is a bit surprising given it has over 300K miles and a wonky turbo. The light came on at 645 today. Whether I hit 700 will depend on where I fill up after work.

I have the GT6 and the Mini if I want to drive around in a sweat box...

 

[Oilerlord]

You sound like my wife. Haha, just kidding. But I have found that a/c only kills the MPG on my PD for the first few miles. Once we have been driving half a hour or more it makes no difference in the MPG a/c on or off. That works out for my wife when we take my car on a road trip, but on my commute its a sweat box.

Jason

I get the "gears" from my wife already, usually in the form of "what the hell are you doing" while coasting, or when I used to turn off the engine at red lights. Asking her to risk heatstroke for the sake of saving a few bucks on diesel could end our marriage. For me, the extra cost for dry cleaning would also offset any savings on fuel.

"My car has been pulling 700+ mile tanks with some regularity over the past few months, which is a bit surprising given it has over 300K miles and a wonky turbo. The light came on at 645 today. Whether I hit 700 will depend on where I fill up after work."

A lot of people don't fully comprehend the significant difference in achieving high MPG between the older 2003 and 2013 TDI's. It's important to recognize that Gary and a couple of others are getting 800 mile tanks with their newer 2.0 CR TDI's, and with only 15.5 (or less) gallons of diesel. To put it in perspective; to get those numbers with your older (2003) TDI, you'd have to travel 1100 miles on one tank. The fact that a few guys are getting nearly 60MPG on cars with DPF's intact is amazing.

 

[GaryTDI]

Thank goodness I decided not to test 800 miles on this past tank! I surely would have been stranded on the side of the road. I didn't do bad but I don't think I would have hit 800 on this one. Kind of pissed that I had to pay 20 cents a gallon more as well by going to this station.

 

[Scoutx]

So close and yet so far.

 

[noxneon]

No matter how hard I drive, with the ac on, as fast as conditions warrant, I cannot get under 700 miles on a tank in my car. (2k Jetta gl TDI with 219k miles on it.) Its using your fuel capacity and knowing exactly how far you can go with a given amount of fuel. Also people get wrapped up in mpg, but its mpt that counts as well.

 

[GaryTDI]

So close and yet so far.

I managed to hit it this time but again I took it to the brink so I'm REALLY not going to attempt again. Hitting 800+ twice is good enough for me. Last thing I want is to end up on the side of the road waiting for one of those service trucks.

 

[PressEnter[]]

I've seen a couple of people report putting 15+ gallons into a MkVI Jetta, so I'd say you weren't quite on the brink yet.

 

[Scoutx]

14.6+ gallons. I would call that a full tank, but I wouldn't consider it the brink. Particularly if you're doing a fill to the lip fueling. Now, I agree I wouldn't want to run it much below that, and I also agree that I wouldn't want to run it that low on a regular basis. But you've done it and you've show it wasn't a fluke. At this point (which is where I'm at) I consider it a done deal and while I may push myself for higher economy I doubt I will push for more 800 mile tanks. I may push for a 900 if God is willing, the creek don't rise, and the stars align, but that's about the only reason I would push for high tank range numbers again. So unless I get to my usual fill point with 350 miles or so left...it's going to get filled up. Actually, I wasn't even trying for the 2nd tank. I just couldn't stop for fuel that day, I had the range, and I thought to myself 'what the heck'.

 

[Mickey_09_TDI]

im in the 700 club haha i had to drive around town extra couple times so i could make it to 700 lol timed it out perfectly

 

[Don-n-DC]

I have a 2012 Golf TDI 6-spd with the APR ECU Upgrade (http://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_20tdi_140hp.html)
And I’ve had 3 “700+ Mile Tanks” and they were really because I wanted that “trophy”.
Normally I plan my trips to the Diesel station with a bit more buffer…
But that being said for the 17,000 miles I have on the car my average is just over 47 MPG.
I enter my data on the www.FuelEconomy.gov website (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=yourMpgVehicle&id=31578) mine is the on the right… I still wish VW would offer the Passat SEL with a manual…

 

[StratTDI]

For my car, 700 miles is 1,120km's...I've done it three times in a row. My best to date is 1,168km's on one tank which surpasses the VW mileage claim on the window sticker.

After I hit 18,000 km's I decided to try 4 oz's of Diesel Kleen in this tank. The idle is very smooth and it's the first time I've made over 600km's to a half tank.

Anyone have any mileage gaining tips and strategy's for these TDI vehicles...I have a 2012 Golf TDi Highline with a DSG transmission.

 

[JohnWilder]

700 Miles is easy.

I've purchased a 2003 Jetta, manual transmission.
I bought it late May. It is hot here in Texas and this last tank was all stop and go and A/C running all the time. You must understand that they do not believe in timing lights in the Austin area. They do their best to make you waste time and fuel. So. . .this last tank was the first were I was below 50 mpg. It was 49.6. I'm heart broken.

700 miles on my tank is easy in this car.

 

[misfits]

I could do 700 without a problem, just don't want to run the tank that low.
I need a serious road trip so I can pull a 800 mile tank off

 

[Oilerlord]

I've purchased a 2003 Jetta, manual transmission.
I bought it late May. It is hot here in Texas and this last tank was all stop and go and A/C running all the time. You must understand that they do not believe in timing lights in the Austin area. They do their best to make you waste time and fuel. So. . .this last tank was the first were I was below 50 mpg. It was 49.6. I'm heart broken.
700 miles on my tank is easy in this car.

800 miles on a tank is easy with your car. Not so easy with an MKV6.

 

[CME4MPG]

719.5 on 15.46gal = 46.5mpg

 

[Scoutx]

I could do 700 without a problem, just don't want to run the tank that low.
I need a serious road trip so I can pull a 800 mile tank off

I have full faith in your ability to pull it off.

 

[SilverGhost]

Having completed the feat several times in the past I want to get back in the groove. Then my lift pump started humming when I cycled the ignition. Darn! Too many times running the tank almost empty is most likely culprit. At least its giving me some warning.

Jason

 

[misfits]

I have full faith in your ability to pull it off.

I've clocked 695 since the last fill up & the fuel light came on as I turned into the driveway. I've never run the tank down this low so at least I know the fuel light works

 

[bigphish]

I am getting 730 on 17 gallons. I could see 800 on a road trip without any city driving. Gotta love it

 

[DIESEL BULLDOG]

This weekend past, I drove across Newfoundland (from St. John's to Corner Brook and back). Its about 700 kms (435 miles) each way. I drove 1100 kms (690 miles) before the light came on. I'm sure I could have pushed is farther. What surprised me the most was after I removed the tank vent and filled up, The odo read 300 kms (190 mi) before the needle even moved off the full mark! Also after filling up in Grand-Falls and Driving the rest of the way home, I still have 3/4 of a tank left! I get better milage than my friends brand new Honda Civic Hybrid, I love this car!

 

[Oilerlord]

Finally made it into the 700 club. 701.9 miles on 14.79 gallons of diesel - filled right to the top (actually, I spilled a little; sorry Mother Nature). The MFI read zero miles remaining for a good 5 miles so running out of fuel was a real concern. I'm not sure what the effective fuel capacity is, but it is indeed over the official 14.5 gallon capacity. At the 600 mile mark, it was clear that I had a chance at making it to 700 this time around. Made it on fumes.

Did the usual safe hypermiling; preserving momentum wherever I could, and choosing longer routes, but with less traffic. I'd guess driving 60% of this tank on commuter highways at 60 MPH was the difference. Since uncorking the exhaust, my TDI's FE is really coming into it's own.