Newbies and Vets: Tips for better fuel economy!

[scurvy]

I logged data, but won't get the chance to tidy it up until tomorrow.

Aight, here it is. I logged groups 7, 12 & 15. I did not turn off my Pioneer AVIC D3 DVD/GPS nav headunit, because, well, it doesn't have an on/off switch per se.

Here is cold idle, all accessories off. Group 15 says 0.6 liters/hour.

And another cold idle, but all accessories at FULL BLAST - 0.8 liters/hour.

Once fully warmed up, all accessories off - 0.4 liters/hour

 

[2004STARWARSTDI]

2.7 Million Miles

Rotarykid are you wearing a diaper-doesn't look like you have time to stop for a pit stop! ha ha

 

[andreigbs]

I also agree with Scurvy on the idle fuel consumption issue: my PD shows 0.4 ltr./hr. when warm and all accessories off. I think DFW may have read it wrong. AFAIK, VAG-com reports most values in the metric system.

 

[wandlc]

Cetane numbers

Thank you BB for the cetane numbers for the diesel suppliers. I have ready access to both Flying J and Chevron and they are usually the same price. So I am only buying Chevron now and I have had my best mileage yet at 47 mpg in my 2000 NB. I bought the car for my 70 mile one way commute in November and have been bringing the maintenance up to date and fixing/correcting issues. I just put in a new T-stat and have seen a 2 mpg increase. The old T-stat was failed open and the engine never exceeded 165, nowin runs at 195, much better. I am hoping that when I put the Pilot Exalto A/S on next week that I will see a further increase in MPGs. Thanks for the helpful tips BB.

Steven

 

[BleachedBora]

No problem Steven! Truck stops are my favorite when there is a cheapo cruddy station that has huge volume and then a better quality station right next door. Usually you can get the higher quality fuel for 2-5 cents more than the cruddy stuff. It's a no brainer in those cases! I filled up last night with Sinclair B20 ($3.149), most of the tank had been city driving 2-3 miles with the engine never warming up, and I still got 41. Not too bad all things considered...
Cheers,
-BB

 

[keks]

Great Tips !

I read one post in this thread that suggested skipping gears in city driving. I just started doing this and I really see a difference on this tank.

If im on a hill, I'll pull out in 2nd then shift directly to 4th or if up a hill 1st > 3rd. I got 75 miles on this tank and the needle is barely off the first mark,usually I would be passed the second going onto the 3rd mark( I really need a scanguage) It's early to tell but I'm guessing this will be one of my best tanks, at this rate it will be better than my all Hwy tanks, which was 45mpg. If I remember i'll post my final MPG.

BTW, How big is the tank on a 98 Jetta? I think someone mentioned it was 15 Gallons. I can't ever get more than 13.5 gallons in there, so I usually do my MPG calculations off 13.5.I usually pussy out 50miles on "E"

O yea BB, I sent ya a E-mail a couple days ago. I know your a busy man, just making sure it didn't get lost in your spam catcher

 

[BleachedBora]

Which email address did you use? I think I'm up to date as of today on all my emails... :-/
Capacity on a '98 is 15.5 gallons, I've run them dry twice...
Do you have the ventectomy done? I've found that in my '98 the light came on with about 2.5 gallons left.
Congrats on the good mileage!
-BB

 

[keks]

sel303@gmail.com

I thought I could squeeze a little more out of my tanks . Haven't done the ventectomy yet,when I get a warm day i'll have to do that. I have been pushing the little tab with the tip of the pump when filling up.

 

[ejpilger]

"Take it easy" vs. "Pedal to the metal"

1. The sooner you get to a higher gear the better (lower RPM = less waste)

2. The power curve for the TDI shows the best efficiency at 100% load, between about 1500 and 2500 RPM.

So...the most efficient way to get to speed should be flooring it, skipping gears (as long as you stay in the efficient RPM range).

Since adopting this method my mileage improved at least 15%.

This stands in direct contradiction to the "Take it easy accelerating" rule. Anything wrong with my logic, or my observations?

 

[Bora-chiara]

Which email address did you use? I think I'm up to date as of today on all my emails... :-/
Capacity on a '98 is 15.5 gallons, I've run them dry twice...
Do you have the ventectomy done? I've found that in my '98 the light came on with about 2.5 gallons left.
Congrats on the good mileage!
-BB

Are you kidding me?! Gah, I always figured it was 14.5! Had I known that I could have easily made the 800 mile club a few tanks ago, I had another Gallon in there?!??!!

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Which email address did you use? I think I'm up to date as of today on all my emails... :-/
Capacity on a '98 is 15.5 gallons, I've run them dry twice...
Do you have the ventectomy done? I've found that in my '98 the light came on with about 2.5 gallons left.
Congrats on the good mileage!
-BB

Lug_Nut said he got 17 gallons in my '97. And I believe him. The '06 is another story. I ran it 'till the MFA said 5 miles left the other day and only got 14.1 gallons in. Bummer.

And my driving for better economy tip for today is: drive in warmer weather. Last weekend driving to Detroit in temperatures below 15 most of the time (and under 10 on a lot of Sunday) I was seeing 39 on my MFA (40.5 actual). Today driving to Maine when the temp was 33-36 I saw 42.8 for the trip on my MFA. Temperature matters, I guess.

 

[97pssat04golfTDIs]

I have a 2004 Golf and I have had two tank fills over 16 one was 16.5 and I still think I had another half gallon in there. I've done the vent removal and always fill to the brim. I have set my scangauge to 17 gallons for my tank and it seems to hold true. I have yet to really run the tank down low but plan to this time as long as we do not get a real cold spell.

A Question for BB do you know what Cetane Sunoco brand diesel usually is? I am always frustrated by the fact that most pumps in the Washington DC area do not have a cetane rating posted on them if they do it is usually only 40. I was happy to see the BP/Amoco diesel marked with 47 cetane, that I just recently found with the help of No_Blue_Screen.

 

[BleachedBora]

Odd IBW, the first time I put in 15.50 and the second time I put in 15.48. I'm pretty sure that 15.5 is it when you run them dry. :-/
As for the Sunoco, we don't have that brand out west--actually never heard of them before. If someone finds out please post it.
Thanks!
-BB

 

[BioBob]

Cost effectiveness question

I'm one of those mileage freaks. I'm consistently in the
60's, but would like to get into the 70's.

I have been considering a .681 gear set, and was surprised that it was not listed in the 10 things to do.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would the money be better spent on Injectors or a chip?

I very much appreciated the cetane numbers. I have been a devoted FJ user, as i thought I had read on here (by Ernie Rogers) that FJ had the best cetane numbers.

Maybe Ernie made that comment hoping Lugnut would read it!

Please address the gearing question. I'm eager to see what the experts think.

Thanks!

 

[nicklockard]

I'm one of those mileage freaks. I'm consistently in the
60's, but would like to get into the 70's.

I have been considering a .681 gear set, and was surprised that it was not listed in the 10 things to do.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would the money be better spent on Injectors or a chip?

I very much appreciated the cetane numbers. I have been a devoted FJ user, as i thought I had read on here (by Ernie Rogers) that FJ had the best cetane numbers.

Maybe Ernie made that comment hoping Lugnut would read it!

Please address the gearing question. I'm eager to see what the experts think.

Thanks!

At $350 + installation costs, it would take ~ten years to recoup your investment.

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

I'm one of those mileage freaks. I'm consistently in the
60's, but would like to get into the 70's.

I have been considering a .681 gear set, and was surprised that it was not listed in the 10 things to do.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would the money be better spent on Injectors or a chip?

I very much appreciated the cetane numbers. I have been a devoted FJ user, as i thought I had read on here (by Ernie Rogers) that FJ had the best cetane numbers.

Maybe Ernie made that comment hoping Lugnut would read it!

Please address the gearing question. I'm eager to see what the experts think.

Thanks!

5th gear/chip/nozzles will all likely improve your mileage to some degree, but none of them will pay for themselves. If you're looking for the lowest $/mile, keep it stock. You're already doing very good for mileage. As far as bang/for buck of those 3 options, ???. I'd guess the chip first, 5th gear 2nd and nozzles 3rd. My best mileage (75) was with all 3 of these.

If you do mostly interstate type driving (even at the speed limit) go with the 0.658 5th gear. If you do a lot of suburban driving in the 40-50 MPH range the 0.681 will probably suit you best. MPG gain from this directly is maybe a couple percent, but a couple percent at 45 MPG is a fair bit less than a couple percent at 65 MPG.

 

[BleachedBora]

You can sell the stock 5th gear you have for about $150 to a gasser. Installation is cheap because you do NOT have to drop the tranny to change them out--experienced guys can do it in under an hour. I absolutly love my 5th gear, and I've run both the .681 and the .658. They only give you a couple MPG or so, but they do offer significantly decreased cabin noise. If you are always driving around for mileage you are probably going at slower speeds, hence I highly recommend the .681. For those going fast I recommend the .658. Bear in mind that if you are doing 2,000 RPM in 5th with a .681 you'd be doing 1943 with a .658--there is a very small difference between them. If you're doing the gears you better do the gear oil too .
-BB

 

[Jimwsea]

On the subject of best diesel fuels, I just got off the phone with BP. I was told that BP fuel is sold in the northwest at Arco and am/pm stations, but the fuel here is minimum 40 cetane, and typically 42-43. He said that in the midwest and east, some stations sell premium diesel which has a 51 cetane rating, but he knows of no high-cetane diesel in the northwest.

Question for BB - did Chevron say that their 49 cetane fuel is also sold in the northwest?

 

[BleachedBora]

Yes Jim--BP/Amoco (e.g. Midwest) is 51, my info for them is pre ULSD so perhaps they've raised it a notch. I'm updating my original post with that info...
I remember being told though that it's only the Amoco branded stuff, if you find just plain BP they are the lower cetane. Coincidentally I did find that BP UK has 55 cetane fuel. :-/
As for Chevron I brought up the crappy quality of Oregon fuel--they told me that they truck all their fuel in to Oregon and won't go below the 49. Granted all fuel is trucked into Oregon as we don't have any refineries, but it gave credibility to what they were telling me .
Now, I'm getting on thin ice here, but can someone who knows help the Oregonians out? There was apparently some law that was passed many many years ago that banned some substance from gasoline in the US. Supposedly the point is that Oregon has decided not to adhere to that law, and consequently we get some of the crappiest fuel in the nation.
Again, I don't know all the details on this, just from what I heard second hand. I have heard though from many sources that Oregon fuel quality is very sub standard for most stations...
Another reason I try to stick with Chevron, they seem to be better...
-BB

 

[MCR]

Once fully warmed up, all accessories off - 0.4 liters/hour

Just to be contrarian here, what's the other side of this?

0.4 L/hr calculates to 6.5 days at 16.5 gallons (62.5L).

I know I can get about 10 hours of cruise. That's about 6.25L/hr.

What's the fuel flow rate if you get on a superspeedway (*cough*) and just stand on the throttle?

(I'm just going by memory for the 16.5 gal. I'm too lazy to verify it right now.)

 

[Mike out west]

...BP/Amoco 51 cetane...Chevron Oregon no less than 49 cetane...BP Northwest US 42-43 cetane...

Am I missing something here? Doesn't the best cetane per dollar come from blending 2-3% biodiesel with the cheapest fresh, non-dirty fuel around (e.g. Flying J, Arco)?

 

[Mr.B]

run it low!

With due respect, I thank all of you for your tips. Its always a good learning process. Never forget - its a hobby.
Secondly, a simple question. Having less weight helps increase average. Would it be advisable to fill up only up to half tank and drive....rather than full tank. Condisering 7-8 gallons weight up to 60+ pounds.
thanks. Appreciate advise/constructive criticism.

I always get the best mileage as the tank gets low. 46mpg on first run and 50mpg on low tank.

 

[kafer65]

After taking it all in and applying what I've learned I made a 10% improvement in my mileage. I finally broke 40mpg in mixed driving with lots of coasting and managed driving. Bumping tire pressure to 46 and folding mirrors had negliable effect. I'm able to coast about 3 miles on my return trip of a 14mile round trip commute. All of the morning trip in I'm way under operating temps so I'm the most anal on this part of the trip. What I've learned: Drivetrain really does not like it when engine is shut down while in Drive Front wheels can twitch uncomfortably at speed with the engine being turned back on (from the power steering kicking back on). The tiptronic is very snooty about shifting into the next gear to get the rpms down especially if your below 40mph. I'd love to find a hack way of forcing it. My main strategy was coast down using down hills or flats until I got down to 40mph and accelerating up to speed or to top a hill or I reached 60mph.

 

[251]

BP/Amoco (e.g. Midwest) is 51, my info for them is pre ULSD so perhaps they've raised it a notch. I remember being told though that it's only the Amoco branded stuff, if you find just plain BP they are the lower cetane.
-BB

Here in the midwest all the Amoco stations have been rebranded BP for at least a year now. Are you saying there are still some Amoco branded stations in operation and that the diesel fuel quality differs from the BP branded stations?

The BP station I use still carries BP Supreme Diesel (formerly known as Amcco Premier Diesel) and according to the sticker on the pump it is now ULSD good in all diesels up to 2007 model year. Runs about .10 more per gallon than standard BP diesel.

 

[undata]

If you're that concerned about safety, why don't you drive an automatic? The added coordination, effort, distraction, and possibility of error accompanying a manual car clearly pose added danger compared to an automatic.

Arguably this is potentially more dangerous that turning off the engine.

(BTW, I love manuals, I'm not arguing agaisnt them on safety grounds, just trying to make a point.)

Missed making your point in my opinion. After driving the same manual-transmission car for about 10,000 miles, the required actions become __________ (fill in the blank, hint: starts with "a"). Plus you get the additional benefit that when you remove your foot from the accelerator, the car actually decelerates.

 

[DFWDieselJet]

After driving the same manual-transmission car for about 10,000 miles, the required actions become __________ (fill in the blank, hint: starts with "a"). Plus you get the additional benefit that when you remove your foot from the accelerator, the car actually decelerates.

Agreed, driving a manual becomes completely automatic (no pun intended ). Why would you assume FASing wouldn't also become automatic? FASing has fewer "steps" than operating a manual transmission.

 

[BleachedBora]

Here in the midwest all the Amoco stations have been rebranded BP for at least a year now. Are you saying there are still some Amoco branded stations in operation and that the diesel fuel quality differs from the BP branded stations?

The BP station I use still carries BP Supreme Diesel (formerly known as Amcco Premier Diesel) and according to the sticker on the pump it is now ULSD good in all diesels up to 2007 model year. Runs about .10 more per gallon than standard BP diesel.

As I am not from the midwest and have only driven there twice now I cannot reliably comment. What I do know is that the BP stations in the Northwest are not the same quality as the BP Amoco stations--the BP rep said that those got the premium diesel. So one might suppose that as long as it says premium/supreme diesel you're getting that extra quality. Just like I heard (not verified) that in Washington the Shell stations with Premium Diesel are 49.
-BB

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I don't think there's any real premium diesel available in New England. Occasionally I'll see a Shell station that says it sells premium, but the pumps aren't sickered with any cetane level so who knows.

 

[97pssat04golfTDIs]

BP Amoco Diesel is better than BP Diesel

Here in the midwest all the Amoco stations have been rebranded BP for at least a year now. Are you saying there are still some Amoco branded stations in operation and that the diesel fuel quality differs from the BP branded stations?

The BP station I use still carries BP Supreme Diesel (formerly known as Amcco Premier Diesel) and according to the sticker on the pump it is now ULSD good in all diesels up to 2007 model year. Runs about .10 more per gallon than standard BP diesel.

To add some info to this BP has just converted the Amoco stations to BP stations in the Maryland Washington DC area. So Amoco stations are no longer around, they are all BP's now. In this area it is called BP "Amoco Power Service Diesel" and is a higher cetane than the regular BP Diesel fuel. The BP/Amoco is the best with the Chevron being second as BB listed, but in most cases it is like IBW said no cetane number are shown on most pumps around here also. If there is a cetane number listed most of them are 40. So CoolWht if I were you I would pay the .10 more per gallon to get the high quality fuel which is the "BP/Amoco Supreme Diesel."

 

[VividDreams]

So i take it that Love's(they just opened one around here about 2 months ago, and has since become my primary fuel source) and Hess (Pre-Love's Primary fuel source)truck stops are of lower quality, thus the usually slightly cheaper price? Hmm, as i read in the first post about truck stops having lower quality, it kind of surprised me. Now im on a mission, so to speak, to find a BP or Chevron around here that sells Diesel. Also, as previously mentioned, I always look at the pump if im at a station where ive never been, and the cetane is either never listed, or 40... always disappointed me. Comments on any of the above?