tips for fuel economy

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My first tip is, that if you have cruise control it will always drive your car more economically than you can. No matter how carefully I have driven, I have not been able to beat cruise control. According to my records, cruise control will beat you by approximately 10% on a long run.
That is absolutely NOT true. You can quite easily play the hills and achieve better fuel mileage without the cruise control set. You'll annoy the heck out of other people on the road, but you can use less fuel.

Now on flat ground, it isn't really any different. The car will take the same amount of power to hold the car at XXX speed no matter if it is regulated by the ECU or your right foot. The ECU will obviously do a better job of keeping it more stable. But on hills, there is no substitute for the human brain. You can let yourself slow down a bit going UP a hill and speed up a bit going DOWN a hill and use less fuel (sometimes quite a bit less) than if you just let the cruise control try and maintain a set speed over those same hills.
 
B

BCtdiPassat

Guest
It is true.

You notice I said on a long run.

If you are driving in an area with a significant amount of hills you wouldn't want to use your cruise.

If you are on long runs for work or holiday/touring, the cruise will beat you every time. I have documented the results over many years and with many different makes of cars, manual and automatic, in both the UK and North America.

If you are just doing day to day driving around town and on errands then yes you could probably do a little better. But there is no way you can beat cruise on long runs.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Well I can assure you none of the hypermilers use cruise control. Perhaps THAT is why so many here can achieve better numbers than you, they have better skills. ;)

Most hypermiling involves aggressive use of the pulse and glide routine, again playing the hills into your favor.

And I'm not sure why you say you'd not want to use cruise on hilly terrain. I do, and my TDIs hold their speed rock steady (one of their greatest traits).

But whatever, motor on.

BTW, I've gotten in excess of 70 MPG in my totally stock [at the time] 1998 Jetta. And the cruise was never in use during that stunt. :D Got 67 at TDIfest once with that car, too. No cruise then either. Don't think any of the top 10 guys used it. We must all be doing it wrong, LMAO....
 
B

BCtdiPassat

Guest
Most drivers are not looking to squeeze every last mile out of every drop of gas.

Only a small minority of drivers come into the category that you call hypermilers. I've done all the miserly driving in my time and it is not pleasurable when your only consideration is mpg.

My suggestion is for the majority of drivers who are just looking for the best mpg under normal average driving.

As a regards skill, what a laugh, 30 + years as a rep averaging 25,000+ miles per year.

I will leave it to individuals to reach their own conclusions and decide which type of driving they prefer.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Most drivers are not looking to squeeze every last mile out of every drop of gas.
Only a small minority of drivers come into the category that you call hypermilers. I've done all the miserly driving in my time and it is not pleasurable when your only consideration is mpg.
My suggestion is for the majority of drivers who are just looking for the best mpg under normal average driving.
As a regards skill, what a laugh, 30 + years as a rep averaging 25,000+ miles per year.
I will leave it to individuals to reach their own conclusions and decide which type of driving they prefer.

25,000 miles??? Oh, shoot, dude, you're a lightweight in the TDI world. :)
 

mohawk69

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2005
Location
Richmond Hill, GA (Savannah)
TDI
1996 B4, 1996 B4V, 2000 Beetle TDI
"I would suggest it is impossible to get 60 mpg out of any diesel car on a 3.8 liter US gallon and not many would make it on a 4.54 liter imperial gallon."

This is wrong because, among other things, this next quote is wrong...

"My first tip is, that if you have cruise control it will always drive your car more economically than you can."

If you can't beat the cruise control in efficiency then you're doing it wrong. Cruise control, in specific, routine, every day scenarios, acts completely opposite to what's needed for efficiency.

I could get that EASY but I CAN'T Drive 55 and do other hyper miling techniques necessary to get more than 60 mpg's.
 

applejacks

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2014
Location
Indiana
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
I drive a 2014 Jetta DSG and there was a day when I couldn't get over 450 miles on a tank to save my life. Now I'm bummed out to not hit 525 and once I get my Green Diesel tune on the car, I fully expect to regularly hit 600 miles per tank. Once you really start paying attention to how you drive, you will begin to achieve better fuel economy. There really is an art to it.

-Limit your idling. Don't start your car until your seat belt is on and your things are situated in the car. I usually put it in gear about 30 seconds after I start the car.

-Plan your route and stops. For me, there are 3 ways for me to go to work. Once I changed my route a little, I saw an increase in mpg because of the other things that also fell into place.

-Look far ahead and anticipate. If you drive the same route to work, you will learn patterns. You will learn if you go x speed, you can hit the lights, or you will know that a red light will be coming up. Coast to the red light.

-Be 'that guy' who drives the speed limit and stay in the right lane so people can go around you. If you are coasting to a stoplight, let others go around you. Be ready for the dreaded stare at the red light, because you will likely see the person who flew around you at the stoplight sitting next to you. :rolleyes:

-Unless you have a lot of downhills, the cruise control is your friend. Use it all of the time and learn how to play with it. This will be argued, but it has helped me a good bit.

-Use drafts, let the car in front of you move the air.

-Keep your car in great shape. Some people will use the max psi on the sidewall of the tire, I just use the factory recommended PSI as indicated by the door placard. I also use 6-8oz of Power Service additive every other fuel up. Little air dams and such that tend to begin to sag need to be zip tied or screwed back up. Also, if it doesn't belong in your car, don't keep it in your car. Weight is key here and it all adds up.

-Use the meters in your car. The real time MPG and the average MPG I have found to be fairly accurate. I keep my display set to average MPG and try to get it as high as possible on every trip. I also reset my trip odometer at every fill up so I can watch my miles climb.

These things might not mean much, but they all add up and will cost you nothing to do. If you really pay attention to your driving, your MPG will increase and achieving better fuel economy will soon become a game. Also, keep track of your fuel economy on paper, fuelly, or an excel spreadsheet.
 

Tom Servo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Location
LA (Lower Alabama)
TDI
2005 Gol TDI, blue and falling apart
Something else to consider is the tire itself. When I changed from Michelins to cheaper Falkens, my mileage dropped by roughly 5 mpg. Between that and the fact I never go anywhere without a car full of heavy passengers anymore, my average has dropped from 47 mpg to just 40 mpg.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 

applejacks

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2014
Location
Indiana
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
Tires do play a significant impact in the way any vehicle handles, whether it's a fuel economy focused car or an off road Jeep. Low Rolling Resistance tires can play a significant roll in increasing fuel economy and should be considered when replacing tires.

My thoughts are things that can be done for free, as the vehicle is presented from VW.
 

TDIFan1989

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Location
Toronto
TDI
2000 Mk4 Jetta TDI (Black)
TDI Fuel Economy

There is another few factors I have stumbled upon that contribute to a better mpg return.

An oil change at the proper interval is paramount but not just any oil will do as I'm sure most of you already know. I did mention using RP before but it seems they have backed out of the Canadian market. I had been using 0w40 for winter time and 15w-40 for summer time in the past. I'm currently using 0w-40 and getting close to 48 mpg combined city/highway and only getting better. TL;DR go for a wider range of fully synthetic motor oil.

Proper mags made from light-weight material means less mass for the car to have to work at accelerating or more power being delivered to the wheels. Doesn't sound like much but 30 lbs from each tire is a 120 lbs difference. It all adds up. TL;DR Lightweight mags = more MPG

Lastly, and definitely not least on the list, I had an issue with my rear calipers and brake pads a few weeks back. A set of new wheel bearings was installed. That greatly contributed to an increase in mpg. *debatable whether it was breaks interfering or not but I'm sure a new set of axle or wheel bearings doesn't hurt if your car is old*
TL;DR replace your axle bearings if your car is old.
 

ezshift5

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
TDI
2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
......fuel efficiency: LRR tires, oil viscosity, wheel brings, calipers - components matter (sound familiar?)............

This next is rocket science (NOT): the nut behind the wheel (as my last Captain might say).

Driver behavior is a never ending study for this sailor.

That being said, I drove my JSW TDI 6M 440 miles North (LA to slightly east of Sacramento) following a Navy reunion.

Miles driven by gallons pumped calc'd just under 55. Just me, circa 1750 RPM - no air, no cruise, mostly flat

(the Tehachapi Mountains summit is 4144 IIRC).


I am reluctant to let the beautiful vehicle go and settle for a 1.8/5M GSW (but worse things have happened)


ez
 
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TDIFan1989

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Location
Toronto
TDI
2000 Mk4 Jetta TDI (Black)
I drive a 2014 Jetta DSG and there was a day when I couldn't get over 450 miles on a tank to save my life. Now I'm bummed out to not hit 525 and once I get my Green Diesel tune on the car, I fully expect to regularly hit 600 miles per tank.
Considering that you should have a 14.5 Gallon fuel tank, to be hitting anything below 600 miles is not impressive. Then again, you were gifted with VWs economy killing, EPA worshiping engines and emissions contols.
 

applejacks

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2014
Location
Indiana
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
I've shared info with several others who share the same vehicle and everyone seems to have the same conclusion. Fuelly also indicates 39mpg as average for this model. Those achieving higher mpg with the 2.0 are manual vehicles, my car is DSG.

About 525-550 miles on a completely factory car is what most consider good for DSG/2.0. With over 10,000 recorded miles, my best tank was 553 miles, or 41mpg.

That said, with the Green Diesel Engineering tune, I'm averaging 45.2mpg and 628 miles from a tank of fuel.
 

TDIFan1989

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Location
Toronto
TDI
2000 Mk4 Jetta TDI (Black)
I've shared info with several others who share the same vehicle and everyone seems to have the same conclusion. Fuelly also indicates 39mpg as average for this model. Those achieving higher mpg with the 2.0 are manual vehicles, my car is DSG.

Yepp, nothing quite beats it like a manual shift in my books. *and of course my manual shift is getting ~47mpg these days*
 

TDIFan1989

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Location
Toronto
TDI
2000 Mk4 Jetta TDI (Black)
Okay, sorry for spaming this post with other things but I did have a strange thought bubble.

How would battery quality/alternator performance affect your fuel economy? Would it affect fuel economy? I ask because in addition to my other upgrades, I changed my old battery due to starting issues and am thinking it may have also factored into my increased MPG.
 

ApriliaNut

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Location
SoCal
TDI
06 pkg 1 Jetta 191k w/Malone Stage 2
I've put this together in an effort to help some folks diagnose what may be a loss of fuel economy (MPGs) with their TDIs. Keep in mind, many of these items can work against your car in concert to add up to a sizeable increase in fuel consumption over time, so please don't dismiss any one item because it may be just one small part of the puzzle, but an important part nonetheless! :)

Tires: this goes beyond simply air pressure, although that is an important part. Tread design is another, as well as the proper size and load rating. When in doubt, look at your car's tire information placard. It will have the proper size, load, and speed rating. Going from the proper 91 load to an 89 (an all too common mistake) can take a 1 MPG hit all by itself over the same model tire. Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires are becoming more popular, and are usually marketed as such. Still, keeping the pressure up, and the rating correct, is very important.

Alignment: if the alignment of the car is off, the tires can 'scrub' as they roll down the road. This causes excess friction and drag, which causes the engine to have to work harder. Checking the alignment with proper equipment is the only way to be sure everything is in specification. Worn bushings and steering components can cause the alignment to be out.

Trim pieces and shields: the car was designed to be both slick on the top AND the bottom. Missing shields under the car can not only make the engine take longer to reach operating temperature, they can also cause extra wind resistance when travelling down the road, and the faster you go, the worse it becomes. Missing grill inserts, missing lower splash shields, missing/damaged fender liners, can all contribute to this problem.

Thermostat: if the engine cannot reach proper operating temperature as quickly as possible and maintain it, it will cause more fuel to be used. Don't assume the gauge (or light in the New Beetle and latest Jetta sedan) is enough to tell you the engine coolant is warm enough. The only sure way to know is with a scan tool and watching the coolant temp data. Thermostats don't last forever, and one that cannot do its job properly needs to be replaced. If it gets really bad, the engine controller will flag a fault, however it has to be pretty bad before that happens.

Timing: Both the VE TDI and the PD TDI are sensitive to timing. Just a few degrees can make a substantial difference. If the timing belt was installed wrong, your timing will be off. Period. While there is some sliding scale here, as some timing settings favor power over economy, keep this in mind when you set the timing after the belt is installed.

Air cleaner/air flow sensor (MAF): these items need to be in proper condition, and work in conjunction with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) for proper engine function. A little bit off, or dirty, or poor quality/fitment can cause some adverse performance.

Lambda (oxygen) sensor (PD only): these can degrade and cause a slow response from the ECU in a similar (but not identical) fashion that a gasoline fueled car can, and can cause some loss of fuel mileage on PDs.

Intake/EGR clogging: while not the issue it once was, due to ULSD fuel, it is still something that should be checked for, especially on VE cars. This can cause a loss of power overall, and call for excessive fuel use since the air the engine needs to run cannot get in properly.

Brakes: many Volkswagens, especially A4 platform cars, have chronic stuck parking brake cables. This causes the rear calipers to drag, and your torquey diesel won't know it... it 'll just eat more fuel to move the car down the road. Also, brake pad perches can rust up, and cause the pads to sieze in their spots, dragging the brakes.

turbocharger: the "T" in "TDI" can't work properly if there is a vacuum/pressure leak, binding VNT/wastegate actuator, etc. While a fault will be flagged if it gets really bad, low boost can slowly creep up and rob you of both power and fuel economy gradually without you even knowing. Again, a scan tool checking requested and actual boost can help check the condition of your turbocharger system.

Driving style: we hear this all too often here, but it bears repeating here. Driving the car too easy for too long can really mess things up in the MPG department. Keeping the pipes clean, by occasional spirited driving, can help to keep the EGR clean, the intake clean, the intercooler clean, the breather system functioning properly, and the turbocharger working correctly, in addition to keep the catalyst and (where equipped) Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) clean and in good working order. A good test on VE and PD cars is to do a floorboarding rolling start (once the engine is warm) and see if it belches out a cloud of black smoke. A healthy, happy TDI, even a mildly modded one, should NOT do this. If it does, and it goes away after doing this a few times, you know you were driving it too easy for too long. Some folks call this an 'Italian tune up'. Whatever you want to call it, it works.

Excess weight: we can call this a minor one, but let's face it, dragging 50 pounds of tools, a stack of bricks, your entire CD collection, your golf clubs, the collected works of Charles Dickens, and 70 bottles of water around in your car is not really necessary.

Hopefully some of the above listed items can help you track down a possible loss of fuel economy! :)
I prefer the diaries of Anais Nin thank you.....:D

But seriously, an excellent posting here fellas [and ladies]!!!
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
I drive a 2014 Jetta DSG and there was a day when I couldn't get over 450 miles on a tank to save my life. Now I'm bummed out to not hit 525 and once I get my Green Diesel tune on the car, I fully expect to regularly hit 600 miles per tank. Once you really start paying attention to how you drive, you will begin to achieve better fuel economy. There really is an art to it.

-Limit your idling. Don't start your car until your seat belt is on and your things are situated in the car. I usually put it in gear about 30 seconds after I start the car.

-Plan your route and stops. For me, there are 3 ways for me to go to work. Once I changed my route a little, I saw an increase in mpg because of the other things that also fell into place.

-Look far ahead and anticipate. If you drive the same route to work, you will learn patterns. You will learn if you go x speed, you can hit the lights, or you will know that a red light will be coming up. Coast to the red light.

-Be 'that guy' who drives the speed limit and stay in the right lane so people can go around you. If you are coasting to a stoplight, let others go around you. Be ready for the dreaded stare at the red light, because you will likely see the person who flew around you at the stoplight sitting next to you. :rolleyes:

-Unless you have a lot of downhills, the cruise control is your friend. Use it all of the time and learn how to play with it. This will be argued, but it has helped me a good bit.

-Use drafts, let the car in front of you move the air.


-Keep your car in great shape. Some people will use the max psi on the sidewall of the tire, I just use the factory recommended PSI as indicated by the door placard. I also use 6-8oz of Power Service additive every other fuel up. Little air dams and such that tend to begin to sag need to be zip tied or screwed back up. Also, if it doesn't belong in your car, don't keep it in your car. Weight is key here and it all adds up.

-Use the meters in your car. The real time MPG and the average MPG I have found to be fairly accurate. I keep my display set to average MPG and try to get it as high as possible on every trip. I also reset my trip odometer at every fill up so I can watch my miles climb.

These things might not mean much, but they all add up and will cost you nothing to do. If you really pay attention to your driving, your MPG will increase and achieving better fuel economy will soon become a game. Also, keep track of your fuel economy on paper, fuelly, or an excel spreadsheet.
Great post, but for the drafting. In my youth, it cost me a windshield.

From memory it might have been my 1956 Chevy
 

JohnWilder

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Location
Breckenridge, TX
TDI
2003 Jetta 5 spd manual
"I would suggest it is impossible to get 60 mpg out of any diesel car on a 3.8 liter US gallon and not many would make it on a 4.54 liter imperial gallon."
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I've a 2003 TDI Jetta manual transmission. Here in Texas there is no diesel emission requirements. So. . .I defeated the EGR. This eliminates carbon buildup in the intake manifold. I also put 1/4 oz of straight (non additive) 10w oil per gallon with the fuel. This raises the cetane of the fuel. I look ahead to minimize the use of my brakes. I try to minimize the use of the A/C but in the summer in Texas that is a tall order. I've 146,000 miles on the car. My overall fuel economy for all 146,000 is 54.8 mpg. Speed eats into fuel economy. I once drove from Sedona, AZ to Austin, TX (1122 miles) on one tank of fuel to prove it could be done. That was 68.5 mpg.
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
Use drafts, let the car in front of you move the air. NOT

Out today for a city drive, and one store stop for "goodies."

On the first leg, using the inter-city free ways, (with speed limit at 60 MPH ~~ I was going 65) ~~ a fast mover passed me on left at approx 90. He/she moved directly in front of me, (one of the center lanes)

Then a really fast mover did the same from my right side. He/she also moved directly in front of me, and was over taking car number one.

Car number one blew a tire. All I could see was smoke (about 1.5 seconds) and then flying tire alligators.

Car number one did a hard left one and a half lane side motion, then hard right, crossing approx 2.5 lanes, then hard back left, then hard right again before being able to slow down (any) and get it off the right shoulder, at about 40-ish.

Car number 2 seemed fully in control, but hit the brakes full. More smoke.

I have always driven with a close eye on rear traffic; so I was in full forward attention, knowing I had no rear (or side) worries. All I had to do was watch the alligators. No deviation from straight forward was appropriate. :p

At 5 mph over the speed limit, that's all the consideration I care to give moderate speeders or hyper speed city folks

Speed kills

Hyper speed (with weak tires) is nuts X 10
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
..... snip....
Driving style: we hear this all too often here, but it bears repeating here. Driving the car too easy for too long can really mess things up in the MPG department. Keeping the pipes clean, by occasional spirited driving, can help to keep the EGR clean, the intake clean, the intercooler clean, the breather system functioning properly, and the turbocharger working correctly, in addition to keep the catalyst and (where equipped) Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) clean and in good working order. A good test on VE and PD cars is to do a floorboarding rolling start (once the engine is warm) and see if it belches out a cloud of black smoke. A healthy, happy TDI, even a mildly modded one, should NOT do this. If it does, and it goes away after doing this a few times, you know you were driving it too easy for too long. Some folks call this an 'Italian tune up'. Whatever you want to call it, it works...... snip....
Hi oilhammer

As I am a "consecutive" driver, I am at risk of driving too easy too long.

On a few-several occasions I did (and do) "dynamite" the ol' girl. So far so good. No smoke at all.

I only do this at a time where traffic is low; and pick locations where I feel there will be no Police watching as I move quickly to 80-ish, and then brake back to legal

Then repeat. as needed to be sure

Again, Thanks:)
 

JohnWilder

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Location
Breckenridge, TX
TDI
2003 Jetta 5 spd manual
JW, that was an amazing feat of FE, I have to ask how fast were you driving?
47 mph maximum. I coasted down all hills of course and sometimes the speed got much higher while coasting. It was August and I used no A/C. Oh baby it was miserably hot. However as I said it was a one time stunt to prove it could be done.
Speed and wind direction eats into FE. If I never exceed 55 mph I can always exceed 60 mpg. If I'm on I-10 (80 mph) with the A/C blowing the mileage drops to a horrific 48 mpg.
One more point. With new tires my odometer reads about 2.6% low. In other words if I role up 100 miles I've really gone 102.6 miles. As the tires wear this inaccuracy decreases.
I'm convinced the ALH is the best diesel VW ever made. It is a shame it's not made anymore.
 

eutecticpt

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2004 Jetta
68.5 mpg? What did you do--remove all the seats, cover the wheels with cardboard, inflate the tires to 70 psi? I'm struggling with that. My wife and I drove from Wythville Virginia to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on one tank of fuel in our 2004 Jetta TDI Station wagon with a five speed. With a side trip into Milwaukee the total distance was 805 miles. I kept my speed in the 65 to 70 mph range with the ac on at times. 800 miles on a tank was a goal for me and I really filled the tank in VA. We just bought a 2015 Golf Sport Wagon TDI with a 6-speed and got 53 mpg on our first tank. Planning on a trip to WI in September and hope to improve on the FE.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
If you hypermile and do some really kinda dumb things you can get some crazy high MPG. But they are generally unrealistic figures because they are achieved under and unrealistic set of circumstances.

I got 61 MPG out of my modded '98 Jetta TDI at 2002 TDIfest, but I drove it in a manner that I would not normally drive. Not even close, LOL. And to be real truthful, it was miserable. Especially considering the same car, driving "balls out", would hit 50 easily.
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
In my ALH with a big turbo and nozzles with the A/C on and doing 80 MPH, 48 MPG would never be considered "horrific, I would consider that quite the gift. :) I spend 99% of my time driving in town, and if I am really careful I can get Torque Pro to tell me 44-45 MPG but that is driving 35 MPH in 4th gear.
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
.... snip.....
Driving style: we hear this all too often here, but it bears repeating here. Driving the car too easy for too long can really mess things up in the MPG department. Keeping the pipes clean, by occasional spirited driving, can help to keep the EGR clean, the intake clean, the intercooler clean, the breather system functioning properly, and the turbocharger working correctly, in addition to keep the catalyst and (where equipped) Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) clean and in good working order. A good test on VE and PD cars is to do a floorboarding rolling start (once the engine is warm) and see if it belches out a cloud of black smoke. A healthy, happy TDI, even a mildly modded one, should NOT do this. If it does, and it goes away after doing this a few times, you know you were driving it too easy for too long. Some folks call this an 'Italian tune up'. Whatever you want to call it, it works. )
....well the chickens have come home ~~ me thinks :(:(

... this ol' gezzer gentle-slow-moderate TDi driver drove over to see Mom yesterday expecting 55-ish MPG on the dash idiot gage. 156 miles round trip.

.... middle part of the 13.2 gallon tank

..... was expecting 55-ish MPG ... Out side temp = 65-ish

.... 47.9 MPG ~~ Only one note was a 10-15 minute construction delay with car at idle --- watching the idiot it did not drop THAT much.

..... wonder how much Italian foot this Irishman needs to help get it back. :confused:
 

99turbo

New member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
canada
TDI
1999 golf TDI
Anyone do a EGR delete on a 1999 1.9TDI and there fuel MPG drop in half???? I use to get 1000 kms to one tank of fuel and since i took my EGR valve out and put in the race pipe now i'm only getting 500 kms?? This is my first tank of fuel but doubt its going to improve.
 
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