Gas mileage contest?

[Mike Kamm]

Hi Guys,

 

I know I've invited you all to our vintage ice races, fall vintage car cruises, and even an all Japanese car show, but here's something new you might like to join us in.

 

 

Greetings fellow hypermilers. For those of you located in the northeast, the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club A.M.E.C. will be holding a Fall Foliage "Economy Run" coming up this October 5, 2008.

A little history: A.M.E.C. held it's first Economy Run back in 1954. Now 54 years later with record high fuel prices, the club decided to bring the event back. Our members created a new course and the event took place this past August 10th. It was very well received and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated. Results can been seen here. It was a good dry run to make sure everything went smoothly and that our laptop excel program worked properly to calculate the results. We enjoyed it so much that we have planned an "Economy Run II" and this time would like to open it up to like minded individuals who would like to join us. To keep it easy to manage and fun we will limit registration to the first 20 entrants.

 

Here are the details:

 

What: Fuel mileage contest through the southern Adirondacks of NY. The route will be on some really nice scenic and challenging roads and will run 106.3 miles in distance. Your “economic” driving ability will be tested. Cars will be filled with fuel by an AMEC official and then weighed on electronic scales. Small ramps are employed for easy on and off of the scales. There will be a time limit of three hours to complete the event. Any street legal vehicle is allowed to participate, [including motorcycles].This event will run rain or shine.

Where: The starting spot will be at the Fairway Oil gas station on Route 5 in Fonda, NY. [directions below].

When: Sunday, October 5th, 2008. Arrival time will be 8:00-8:30am, first car off at 9:00am. They have gas and diesel and have a large enough parking lot that we won’t be in the way. (They also don’t use ethanol, if that makes a difference to anyone.)

Cost: $10 per vehicle

 

Awards include:

 

1. Best overall mpg for gas cars

 

2. Best overall mpg for diesels and hybrids

 

3. Best ton-mile per gallon [TMPG] Car weight in pounds divided by 2000 times miles driven divided by gallons consumed. A handy calculator is here.

 

4. Best carbureted mpg

 

5. Best miles per dollar. [based on the actual cost to travel the 106.3 miles. For example, we had a diesel VW Jetta get 56 mpg and a Dodge Avenger get 48 mpg. Because the diesel fuel was about a dollar more per gallon than the gasoline, the Avenger won this contest.]

Note: If we get more than one motorcycle, we will add a class for them.

Awards: This event will conclude about noon, and our plan is to proceed up the nearby Checkers Out Go-Kart track for lunch, trophy awards, and optional indoor go-kart races if you so desire. Checkers Out Speedway is an indoor go kart track open year round, and is located about ¾ of a mile south of Johnstown, NY, on NYS Route 30A. Physical address: 2299 State Hwy 30A Johnstown, NY 12905. Track phone: 518 736-4630

 

Directions: to Fairway Oil gas station: Take NY Thruway Exit 28. After the toll booth, turn left onto Riverside Drive. Then turn right onto South Bridge Street and go over the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a traffic light. You can see Fairway Oil and Gas on your left. Turn left onto Route 5 and enter the station.

To register for this event: Please contact Mike Kamm at (518) 674-0520 or via email: mkamm [at ] juno [ dot] com. There is also a message board thread regarding this event on the A.M.E.C. message board here.

 

 

 

Registered drivers as of 9-4-08:

 

1. Dave Burnham - 1991 Diesel VW Jetta

2. wongleflute Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R

3. Mark Long - 1997 Dodge Avenger

4. Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 mpg

5. Claude Hutchings - 1999 Saab 9-3

6. Ernie Yue - 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250cc

7. Ronny Kienhuis - 1972 Citroen SM or 1992 Subaru SVX

8. "Bestmapman" [Clean mpg forums] 2007 Toyota Prius, Cincinnati, KY.

9. "JPS000" - 2008 Toyota Prius

10. Al Walker - [Clean MPG] - 2004 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA

11. Brian Wilsey - 2003 Mazda Protege [2.0]

12. Tom Moeller - 1994 Mazda Miata - Saratoga NY

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

 

Anyone here interested? Your early Subaru would be perect for this. They were designed with economy in mind!

 

Mike

[Mike Kamm]

Check this out:

 

 

The early Japanese cars got great mileage! How does the Subarus stack up against the Datsuns? What was the best early Suby mileage car?

[Mike Kamm]

Other classics are signing up. Carl Germain - 1950 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe and look what Bill Clark plans to be driving:

 

 

It's a 1960 Nash Metropolitan. If it rains, he will bring his Metro hardtop instead! Take a look at the restoration of this 1960 Metropolitan here.

 

As always, I'd love to have a classic Subaru come out to play.

[kiwi subbie]

nice nash

[Snowman]

Anybody with a 360 in that area? You could spank those guys!

[Mike Kamm]

Anybody with a 360 in that area? You could spank those guys!

That's what I like to hear!

 

 

Registered driver's list as of 9-20-08

 

1. Dave Burnham - 1991 Diesel Jetta - Delanson, NY

2. wongleflute Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R - Johnstown, NY

3. Mark Long - 1997 Dodge Avenger - Staatsburg, NY

4. Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 - Averill Park, NY

5. Claude Hutchings - 1999 Saab 9-3 - Saquiot, NY

6. Ernie Yue - 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250cc - Mechanicville, NY

7. Ronny Kienhuis - 1972 Citroen SM or 1992 Subaru SVX - Long Island, NY

8. Jud Engels [Clean mpg forums] 2007 Toyota Prius - Cincinnati, KY.

9. "JPS000" - 2008 Toyota Prius

10. Al Walker - [Clean MPG] - 2004 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA

11. Brian Wilsey - 2003 Mazda Protege - Amsterdam, NY

12. Tom Moeller - 1994 Mazda Miata - Saratoga NY

13. Carl Germain - 1950 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe - Syracuse, NY

14. Bill Clark - 1960 Metropolitan - Endicott, NY

15. Jonathan Bartlett - 2005 Passat TDI wagon[biodiesel] - Sterling, MA

16. Pam Subik - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Mayfield, NY

17. Tom Compoli - 1981 VW Rabbit - Schenectady, NY

18. Chris Werner, 1991 Ford Festiva - Troy, NY

19. Paul Marczak - 1997 Honda Civic DX sedan - Glenville, NY

20.

 

This event will be completely full shortly. What I will do is add 3 more spots for cancellations and no shows.

 

1.

2.

3.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Mike Kamm
Updated entry list

[Mike Kamm]

Just curious, are there any historic Subaru owners in upstate NY at all?

 

How about in the entire Northeast?

[Mike Kamm]

I actually built another engine specifically for this fuel mileage competition. Here I removed the custom twin carb 1608cc engine and am lowering in a stock 1397cc [A14] engine.

 

 

I took the opportunity to repaint my 20 year old Pacesetter header while it was out. This is the only non original part being used.

 

 

Here's how far along I was this morning.

 

 

In the past I've never liked the non crossflow type cylinder head arrangement on these engines because the exhaust heats up the intake manifold and costs power. But for fuel efficiency, it's perfect.

Got it running today and road tested it. It runs quite well and is very quiet and smooth. I still have few bugs to work out. It is still a bit too lean with an air/fuel ratio of about 16.4 to 1 while cruising. I'll have to go into the carb and richen it a bit.

 

Also I found that the 31 year old vacuum advance diaphram does not function. Vacuum advance is definately something you want to have working properly if you're interested in getting good fuel mileage.

 

I'm pretty happy so far though. The event is Sunday.

[Mike Kamm]

Glad to see this forum back up and running. I went to post these results last month but couldn't get this forum.

 

After bolting it all together, I fine tuned it with an Innovate LM1 wide band oxygen sensor setup. After rejetting the stock Hitachi carburetor for between 14.6 and 15.0 to 1 A/F ratio, I took the car out on a 64 mile test loop the afternoon before the big event. I topped up the fuel tank to the rim and then carefully drove a 64 mile loop. I refilled the tank [right to the rim again] and it took 1.1 gallons of gas. I was very happy to have gotten 56 mpg in this initial test! B210's sit quite high off of the ground and this brings a poor drag coefficient, so I went home that night and tried to help the poor aerodynamics. I added a makeshift front chin spoiler, clear plexiglass headlight covers, and blocked off half of the grill to reduce wind drag.

 

 

The next I morning I competed in the A.M.E.C. Economy Run event and carefully drove the 118.7 mile distance. During the post event refill it took only 1.91 gallons of fuel. This equates to 61.53 miles per gallon!

 

I think we have a new record for the B210/B310 chassis folks!

 

We hope to have a Historic Suby come out and join us next year. I know the older FWD Subarus got great gas mileage, [unlike the newer AWD models!]

 

Full results for this event are HERE.

 

More pics can be seen HERE.

[Mike Kamm]

 

 

Hello Historic Subaru Enthusiasts. The Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club would like to invite you to participate in Economy Run III

 

For those of you who haven't modified your cars for speed, here is an event that will reward those of us who've restored our Japanese economy cars and left them stock. Here's an event that will showcase the main design intent of our cars in the first place.....economy! My B210 logged 61.5 mpg last October and I am aiming for 70 this summer with additional aero and mechanical mods. C'mon out and join us this August 23rd.

 

What: Fuel mileage contest through the southern Adirondacks of NY. The route will be on really scenic and challenging roads [mild grades] and will run approx. 94 miles in distance. Your “economic” driving ability will be tested. Cars will be filled with fuel by an AMEC official and be sent off at one minute intervals. There will be a time limit to complete the run. Any street legal vehicle is allowed to participate, [including motorcycles]. This event will run rain or shine.

 

Where: The starting spot will be at the [ethanol free] Fairway Oil gas station on Route 5 in Fonda, NY. Take NY Thruway Exit 28. After the toll booth, turn left onto Riverside Drive. Then turn right onto South Bridge Street and go over the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a traffic light. You can see Fairway Oil and Gas on your left. Turn left onto Route 5 and enter the station.

 

When: Sunday, August 23rd, 2009. Arrival time will be 8:00-8:30am, first car off at 9:00am. They have gas and diesel and have a large enough parking lot that we won’t be in the way.

 

Cost: $10 per vehicle plus $8 per car for lunch at the awards picnic by the lake. [see "Awards" below]

 

Awards include:

 

1. Best overall mpg for gas cars [1st, 2nd, and 3rd places]

 

2. Best overall mpg for diesel and hybrid cars [1st, 2nd, and 3rd places]

 

3. Best Historic car ['79 and earlier - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places].

 

Note: If we get more than one motorcycle we will add a class for them.

 

Finish: will be at the Citgo located at 746 NY-30, in Northville. They are less than a mile from Northampton Beach Campground and their lot is plenty big. It will be on your right as you're heading on Route 30 south in Northville.

 

Awards and Lunch: This event will conclude about noon, and we will be having our A.M.E.C. summer picnic immediately following the event. All Economy run participants are invited to join us for awards and a picnic lunch at Northampton Beach Campground located on Housmann Street, in Mayfield, [it's actually closer to Northville] NY. Their website is HERE. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the map links. The picnic pavilion and beach are right on the shore of beautiful Sacandaga lake. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and soda will be served. This park is only about a mile from the Citgo station where the event concluded.

 

To register for this event: Please contact Mike Kamm at (518) 674-0520 or via email: mikek [at ]icerace [ dot] com. Or just simply reply to this thread with your name, year/model car. The vehicle count will be limited so please sign up before this event is full.

 

Registered driver's list as of 6-30-09

 

1. Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 - Averill Park, NY

2. Tom Moeller - 1994 Mazda Miata - Saratoga, NY

3. Dave Burnham - 1991 Eco Diesel Jetta - Delanson, NY

4. Ben Jones - 1991 Honda CRX - Hanover, NH

5. wongleflute Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R - Johnstown, NY

6. Martin Deschenes - 2000 VW Jetta TDI - Quebec City, QC

7. Ron Kienhuis - 1972 Citroën SM - Long Island, NY

8. Vlad Saakyan - 2003 Suzuki Svs650 - 518 forums

9. Bill Clark - 1957 Metropolitan Hartop - Endicott, NY

10. Bruce Turk- 1958 Saab 93B - Walden, NY

11. Ernie Yue - 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250cc

12. Dan & Richard Dobbins - 1964 Studebaker GT Hawk - Long Island, NY

13. Matt Herring - 2009 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA

14. Robert Smalls - 2000 Honda Insight - Buffalo, NY

15. Peter Ramotowski - 2000 VW Golf TDI - Albany, NY

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Edited July 4, 2009 by Mike Kamm
updated driver's roster

[Kostamojen]

Have you posted this on http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/ ?

[Mike Kamm]

Welcome V.S.C.N.A. President, Mr. Bruce Turk.

 

So glad to have a classic Saab economy car on the roster! I still love the original "Little Saab Economy Car"

jingle on the New Salem Saab web site home page.

 

Bruce will bring his beautifully restored black 1958 Saab 93B.

 

 

 

Bruce wrote:

 

Hi Mike,

 

I cleared my calendar and will participate in my 1958 Saab 93B. The completely stock 750cc three cylinder two stroke should do very well. I'll down jet the carb and replace my bias ply's with radials, that combined with the original three speed "free wheel" transmission will kick MPG butt.... I hope!

 

Please add me to the list and I'll see if I can get some other vintage Saabs to attend.

 

Regards,

 

Bruce Turk

 

[Mike Kamm]

Have you posted this on http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/ ?

Yes thanks Kostamojen,

 

I've been trying to get you early Subaru people out for one of our events for about 5 years now, be it vintage ice racing, driving tours, car shows, and now economy run events. I never give up!

 

Does ayone in the northeast have a running example of an early Subaru are are the all projects?

 

Mike

[moosens]

My '78 has never been down and still gets used.

 

Tough to make too many events at such distances with our schedules. I do want to attend at least one ice event. Two of us did a TSD with the Finger Lakes gang years ago. Would be great to get back up that way again. MPG rally sounds like a great one!

[2stroketurbo]

I wish I could join you guys, this looks like too much fun! I've recorded 75 mpg in my Subaru 360's when I try.

[Mike Kamm]

Bill Clark had a car show he was planning to go to on August 23rd, but he has thought the better

of it. He enjoyed Economy Run II so much last year in his 1960 Metropolitan convertible, that

he plans to bring his '57 hardtop out and give it a go this year in the infamous "Gas Mileage

Shootout in the Adirondacks".

 

Here were his comments:

 

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to blow off the local show and come ride around with you guys in my 57

Met hardtop. I found a set of 3.90 gears to replace the stock 4.22s and I'm going to rebuild the carb,

blow up the tires, take out the toe in and try to get my lower compression 1500 to run good. I'll be really happy if I do as well as the high compression 1500 rag top did last year."

 

Sign me up,

Bill

[Mike Kamm]

Oops. double post.

Edited July 4, 2009 by Mike Kamm

[Mike Kamm]

I wish I could join you guys, this looks like too much fun! I've recorded 75 mpg in my Subaru 360's when I try.

Wow, that is awesome! Tell us more about it 2stroketurbo.

 

Any pics of the car?

 

Mike

[Mike Kamm]

Registration is now closed for A.M.E.C. Economy Run III

 

The fact that we filled up the event six weeks in advance is surprising

and encouraging at the same time. It shows that quite a few people really

want to participate in these types of events. Unfortunately, these events

are far and few between. We need more of them! They are not really

difficult to do and I hope we have inspired other groups or car clubs to

create their own versions of these events for all to enjoy.

 

1. Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 - Averill Park, NY

2. Tom Moeller - 1994 Mazda Miata - Saratoga, NY

3. Dave Burnham - 1991 Eco Diesel Jetta - Delanson, NY

4. Ben Jones - 1991 Honda CRX - Hanover, NH

5. Richard Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R - Johnstown, NY

6. Martin Deschenes - 2000 VW Jetta TDI - Quebec City, QC

7. Ron Kienhuis - 1972 Citroën SM - Long Island, NY

8. Vlad Saakyan - 2003 Suzuki Svs650 - 518 forums

9. Bill Clark - 1957 Metropolitan Hartop - Endicott, NY

10. Bruce Turk- 1958 Saab 93B - Walden, NY

11. Ernie Yue - 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250cc

12. Dan & Richard Dobbins - 1964 Studebaker GT Hawk - Long Island, NY

13. Matt Herring - 2009 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA

14. Robert Smalls - 2000 Honda Insight - Buffalo, NY

15. Peter Ramotowski - 2000 VW Golf TDI - Albany, NY

16. Eric Hoefer - 2008 Honda Fit - Guilderland, NY

17. Ryan Kramer - 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged - Albany NY

18. Lance David - 1996 Chevy Cavalier - Johnstown, NY

19. Darin Cosgrove - 1998 Pontiac Firefly - Ontario, Canada

20. Chang Ho Kim - 89 Honda CRX - Maynard, MA

21. Jeff Morgan - 1992 240sx - Rotterdam, NY

22. Hobbit - 2004 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA

23. Tom Compoli - 1981 VW Rabbit - Schenectady, NY

24. Dan Mandle - 2004 Golf TDI [Vegetable Oil] - Potsdam, NY

25. Ricardo Bowlin - 1999 Dodge Avenger - Schenectady, NY

 

If anyone on this list cannot make it, please let me know.

 

There is now a waiting list to get in and several people are hoping a spot will open up.

[Mike Kamm]

Economy Run III was a huge success, and I want to thank all who participated. I would especially like to thank Mark Long and Dave Burnham who assisted me in administering the day's activities.

 

Last year's event average for all vehicles was 49.56 mpg. I thought that was pretty good. This year's average? How about 64.12 mpg!

 

Here are the results:

 

Gas class

1. Chang Ho Kim - 1989 Honda CRX HF - Maynard, MA 118.1 mpg

2. Darin Cosgrove - 1998 Pontiac Firefly - Ontario, Canada 106.12 mpg

3. Ben Jones - 1991 Honda CRX - Hanover, NH 82.54 mpg

4. Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 - Averill Park, NY 77.04 mpg

5. Will Meredith - 1998 Honda Civic EX - Binghamton NY 64.62 mpg

6. Richard Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R - Johnstown, NY 59.09 mpg

7. Eric Hoefer - 2008 Honda Fit - Guilderland, NY 47.27 mpg

8. Robert Smalls - 1996 AWD Subaru Legacy - Buffalo, NY 46.64 mpg

 

Diesels and Hybrids

1. Martin Deschenes - 2000 VW Jetta TDI - Quebec City, QC 90.43 mpg

2. Matt Herring - 2009 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA 75.91 mpg

3. Hobbit - 2004 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA 74.28 mpg

4. Dan Mandle - 2004 Golf TDI [Vegetable Oil] - Potsdam, NY 63.41 mpg

5. Dave Burnham - 1991 Jetta Diesel - Delanson, NY 61.18 mpg

 

Historic class

1. Bill Clark - 1957 Metropolitan Hartop - Endicott, NY 44.64 mpg

2. Jonathan Bartlett - 1969 Saab Sonett V-4 - Sterling, MA 44.26 mpg

3. Jonathan Schaller - 1968 Saab 96 - Hamilton, NY 37.96 mpg

4. Ron Kienhuis - 1972 Citroën SM - Long Island, NY 32.20 mpg

5. Carl Germain - 1950 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe 27.37 mpg

 

Motorcycles/Scooters

1. Vlad Saakyan - 2003 Suzuki Svs650 - Niskayuna, NY 62.28 mpg

 

Darin Cosgrove, of Ecomodder.com drove his little Pontiac Firefly [think Geo Metro] in from Canada. He was the last participant to top off after the run. Get this, he only used .98 gallons of fuel for the 104 mile run, and that wasn't good enough to win!

 

Some of the Historic cars with their drivers in attendance.

 

This was Will Meredith's 1998 Honda Civic EX. There were more aero modded cars this year than ever!

 

The red Saab 96 belongs to Jonathan Schaller. Jonathan filled the slot of

a last minute cancellation and we're sure glad he was able to come out.

 

The biggest surprise was Chang Ho Kim's '89 Honda Civic HF [High Fuel] effiency model that had the wildest aero modded front end that anyone's ever seen. He was the overall mpg champ with 118.1 mpg with Nokian Hakka R low rolling resistance winter tires on it!

 

I am very pleased to show you the winner of the Historic Class of Economy Run III. This is Bill Clark's 1957 Metropolitan Hartop. This car has spent the last ten years in either a trailer or in the Norwich museum so when he started driving it there were some problems. Lot's of them. He worked tirelessly until every detail was taken care of. What he ended up with is a car that is now running better than it has in the last 33 years. His goal was 37 mpg [last year's number with his convertible]. How did he do? Well his attention to detail in car prep and his driving earned him an impressive 44.64 mpg and a first place in class. And that was on bias ply tires folks! Well done Bill.

 

Here we can see Vlad Saakyan on his 2003 Suzuki Svs650. He was the only bike that the weather did not scare away this year. Vlad rode carefully and kept his revs below 4,000 in sixth gear on the course. He logged 62.28 mpg with his 650cc sport bike. Behind him in this picture is overall high mpg man Chang Ho Kim in his '89 CRX HF. Check it out, he had every body seam sealed off with painter's tape. He had to climb through the window to keep the seal intact while stopping to pick up his card at the check point.

 

More check point action. At the furthest point in the 104 mile loop, we had every driver stop and pick up a card. This proved that they drove the entire distance and did not take any short cuts. If you look closely, you can see Chang in his yellow shirt, picking up his card at the base of the

stop sign.

 

This is Carl Germain gettting out of the oldest car in competition. His 1950 Studebaker Champion business coupe was able to achieve very impressive 27.37 mpg. It is a fantastic example with just 35,000 original miles. This is a big car with a 160 cubic inch straight six flathead, a three speed overdrive transmission and 4.56 gears!

 

From the driver's seat of Ronny's Maserati powered Citroen SM. With their 3 liter V-6 engines sporting three two barrel Weber DCNF carburetors, these 3,500 lb. grand touring cars generally only get about 15 mpg. Ronny

got more than twice that at 32.20 mpg!

 

Topping up Ben Jone's CRX. Ben's car has a later Civic VX lean burn vtec[e engine swapped into his car coupled with a tall geared HF transaxle for even further fuel economy benefits. He had a fantastic result of 82.54 mpg.

 

Richard Vedder appears to be passing Ronny here, as he is on his way to his best ever result of 59.09 mpg in his 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R.

 

And here's a rather unassuming looking contestant right? Looks can be deceiving. Last year's events proved that pound for pound, diesels rule the roost for economy. This is Martin Deschenes 2000 VW Jetta TDI. Martin drove 7 hours one way, from Quebec City in Canada to run at our event. He clearly has the long distance award. Soft spoken Martin is a very knowledgeable and talented hypermiler. How do I know? Because he won the Diesel/Hybrid class going away with 90.43 mpg! Our previous record for a diesel was 71.55, set by Jonathan Bartlett in his TDI Passat wagon last year. Nice job Martin!

 

For those wondering what my '77 Datsun B210 was able to muster after the flurry of activity in my garage all month, how about a solid 77.04 mpg! Not too shabby for a carbureted car. There's more left in it too. I'm not done yet.

 

During the awards under the pavillion, we had each driver get up and tell us all about their cars. This was really interesting as we got to hear a little about each driver's car and what their mods were. This is Matt Herring. He had the best Prius mileage at 75.91 mpg and finished second in the Hybrid/Diesel class.

 

We tried to line the cars up for a group shot but there were too many. Here's one batch of them. Talk about diversity eh? There are 1950's carmixed in with hybrids!

 

Here's another grouping. There were still others as well. This event will be hard to top. The roof was blown off all of the previous records.

 

Mike

[Mike Kamm]

OK it wasn't a historic Suby, but we did have one Subaru in the event.

 

It was Robert Smalls' 1996 Subaru Legacy. How about 46 mpg with AWD!

 

[SakoTGrimes]

This is a pretty sweet thread. Thanks Mike Kamm! Unfortunately, the best mpg I've done so far in my 1997 Toyota Tercel 5MT is a paltry 47.77. Next summer when I can remove the windshield wipers again (wind drag) and after I block up the lower front bumper, fill in the rear bumper (acts like a parachute) and delete the passenger mirror I hope to bust 50mpg, but I won't stop there. One day I want to hit 70mpg while keeping a stock appearing shape.

 

Some cars I'd like to own one day for extreme mpg purposes are:

1985 Toyota MR2 with 5EFE engine (Tercel)

totally gutted first generation VW Golf with a 1.5 diesel

Honda CRX HF with silly teardrop looking aeromods

first generation Honda Insight, the only hybrid car I don't hate

Subaru XT, how could that NOT be aerodynamic?

Chevy Suburban (2WD, lowered, gutted, 5 speed, 6.2 diesel, aero mods)

Another Tercel

possibly a turbodisesel Benz

[2stroketurbo]

Wow, that is awesome! Tell us more about it 2stroketurbo.

 

Any pics of the car?

 

Mike

 

Sorry to leave you hanging, I just now saw this. I always forget to click the subscribe box. Subaru '360's Sedans weigh 900 lbs and are powered by 360cc 2stroke engines. Normal traffic circumstances require full power all the time, but in a fuel mileage contest like this, with no traffic pressures, ( and maybe some areodynamic aids:banana: ) I think they would do pretty good.

 

 

Here's a video of one of my cars :

 

[Mike Kamm]

This is a pretty sweet thread. Thanks Mike Kamm!

You're welcome Sako. I admire your enthusiasm for these types of events. I like all of your choices for mpg project cars to choose from, especially the XT! Wouldn't that be cool!

 

Your 47.7 is not paltry for a daily driver. I get 44 [in the summer] with my '00 Protege. You'll see big numbers at an econonmy run event like ours because we go to extremes with everything. For example, here's a list of mods I did [this year] to my Datsun B210 for this event:

 

Mechanical mods:

 

Switched to energy saving 0W-20 engine oil [designed for hybrid cars], run 1 quart low on purpose.

Narrower 155/80R13 tires @ 60 psi.

Ignition timing advanced 6 degrees

Rejetted carburetor for the hot 85 deg. temps to run at 15.0 to 15.5 to 1 A/F ratio

Disconnected the alternator and ran off of the battery to decrease load on the engine.

Added springs between my front brake pads to reduce drag.

Switched to synthetic gear oil for transmission and differential.

Switched from the standard 3.70 differential gearing to taller 3.54's.

 

Aerodynamic mods:

 

Full belly pan fabricated to smooth airflow under the car made from choroplast [think plastic cardboard].

Rear wheel skirts

Moon disc wheel covers

Home made plastic lower front chin spoiler [cut from an junk Ford Contour front bumper cover].

Plexi glass covers for the recessed headlamps and to block off 3/4 of the front grill.

Removed wipers and side view mirrors.

 

Result: 77.04 mpg. A new personal record.

 

Mike

[Mike Kamm]

Sorry to leave you hanging, I just now saw this. I always forget to click the subscribe box. Subaru '360's Sedans weigh 900 lbs and are powered by 360cc 2stroke engines. Normal traffic circumstances require full power all the time, but in a fuel mileage contest like this, with no traffic pressures, ( and maybe some areodynamic aids:banana: ) I think they would do pretty good.

 

 

Here's a video of one of my cars :

 

Thanks for the reply. OK yes, I have seen that video clip. Very nicely done. It would be so cool to have a 360 run at our next event, which by the way is coming up on November 1st. We will have a 750cc 2 stroker running with us however. Bruce Turk is bringing out his '58 Saab 93B. Should be fun!