Friday, December 18, 2009
Gas mileage tests.
I filled the truck last week and after 103 miles of around town driving and one trip to Groton I re filled the tank and it took 4.5 gallons. I figure 22+ mpg. I didn't believe it so I checked it again but I had some less than careful driving and over 200 miles this time. 18 mpg this time. I am shifting at 1500 rpm and feathering the gas as much as possible, free wheeling as much as possible (a term for coasting) and not getting back into the gas after a downhill run until much later than I normally would. Free wheeling was a devise on older Saab cars. Pulling a lever let the engine disengage from the transmission when you let off on the gas. Kinda like a centrifugal clutch. Pushing the lever back in kept the engine coupled to the drivetrain. Don't you think we could use it now on American cars or all cars??
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1 comment:
18+ is about the best I was ever able to do on the beast for a full tank. That was running 70 or so on the highway for 500 miles.
Clutch-wise, there is too much actual knowledge required to run a car like that old Saab. Cars today must be idiot proof as there are very few non-idiots driving.
(Although, a lot of today's automatics kinds do that with the torque converter in coasting situations.)
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