Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I used 3 gallons of gas to go 43 miles. Thats about 15 mpg. I expected that for city driving but this was mostly highway driving. My 85 olds delta 88 has a 307, small block v-8, 4 barrel with OD transmission. The car runs good & is properly tuned. I carry some stuff inside my trunk incl a plastic tool box with 20 lbs of tools. Would the 20 lbs of tools lower my mpg ? m suppose to get 21 mpg highway. My tires are all at 35 psi. The car idles good & has 119k miles. At 3.00 a gal for gas this is hurting me big time. Its a big & heavy car (4 door). Any help would be appreciated.
You answered it yourself, its a big and heavy car. And how the heck do you measure 3 gals of gas to the drop? My advice, fill it up, drive until half a tank left and fill it again. Then do your milage.
20 lbs. of tools won't have an effect on your mileage. 200 lbs. would. And yes, fill it and drive a half a tank's worth. Then refill and do the math. It's a far more accurate way to measure.
I would try a different method to measure MPG. Fill the tank all the way, hit the trip meter, drive until almost empty, fill it up all the way again, note how many gallons were put in, divide trip miles by gallons filled.
I used to have a '89 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon (same body style as your car, only it was a wagon). It also had the 307 V8 (with the 4bbl carb). I remember the MPGs were dismal. The car was also WAY underpowered... main reason I sold it. I think the timing chain was stretched or something? Loved the car though... I had it for 8 years, hated to see it go. I could not even sell it locally for $700 (had a perfect body and interior) - finally traded it for a 89 BMW 325is - didnt want that car, but knew I could resell... sold it for $1800, took that $ and bought a 84 Mercedes 190D for $1700, then sold it for $3300.
No matter how big or small an engine is there is still a certain amount of energy required to move a certain amount of mass. However in your case I think there is still room for improvement. I will say that the differences in MPGs amongst like vehicles is almost completely due to driving style.
A useful little exercise to see how "lightly" you are driving the vehicle is to fill a glass of water a few cm from the top, put it in the cupholder and keep any from sloshing out of the glass. Another stupid little trick is to restrict the travel of the gas pedal by placing an object underneath it. Figure out where the pedal position is on the expressway going like 65 or so and use that as your max pedal position.
A useful little exercise to see how "lightly" you are driving the vehicle is to fill a glass of water a few cm from the top, put it in the cupholder and keep any from sloshing out of the glass.Another stupid little trick is to restrict the travel of the gas pedal by placing an object underneath it.Figure out where the pedal position is on the expressway going like 65 or so and use that as your max pedal position.
What?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
