Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 20:14:10 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject: Re: fuel economy in campers
Also (you knew there was an also, didn't you?), If your in-town trips are
only 5 or 6 miles long, you are almost never getting out of open loop
operations, and never driving with a fully warmed up (neither efficient nor
clean running) engine. You are also consigning your exhaust system to an
early demise, since it never quite gets hot enough to convert all of the
byproducts of combustion (water) from a liquid to a gaseous state.
I live in Phoenix, AZ. Big metro area, especially geographically. I can
drive all city miles and still get 19 - 20 mpg, but it's commonly 75 mile
trips, all of them in-town.
Karl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joel Walker" <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2002 1:46 PM
Subject: fuel economy in campers
> just a point of data for all you folks out there with campers ...
>
> this weekend, i got nagged into being a taxi driver for some
> architecture students from Tulane University. it seems that Auburn
> University has some Rural Studio where 'tecture students live out in
> strange looking (self-designed, of course) 'pods' in a small very
> rural community, and design structures and houses for the local county
> government projects, while getting college thesis credit for this
> work.
>
> well, this weekend was their graduation and show-off party, so lots of
> 'tecs from all over were invited and taken on a tour around the area
> to show off the projects, some completed and others still under
> construction (by the students). on the whole, a good idea ...but on
> narrow country roads, some unpaved, 300 people in almost as many cars
> is a very good example of chaos-on-the-hoof. :) but still, it was
> kinda fun ... except for the mud. lots of mud. LOTS and LOTS of mud.
> all over everywhere.
>
> now, to the point! ;)
>
> i drive the camper to work, about 6-8 miles, and since it's been
> winter for a long time, i've been getting in the 14's, 15's, and 16's
> for mpg. february was 14.0 and 16.4mpg. march was 14.9 and 16.3. april
> was 16.1 and 16.6.
>
> for this trip, it was necessary to drive 40 miles on 2-lane country
> roads to just get to the place, then the 300-strong
> caravan/herd/mobile-mob commenced to trapse over three counties for a
> total of 210 miles by the end of the day. then 40 miles back home.
> grand total of 296.1 miles ... on 14.1 gallons. or 21.0 mpg. max speed
> was 55 mph ... normally we poked along at about 45, which necessiated
> having to shift down to 3rd gear to get up some of the longer hills.
>
> but the point is (you just knew there was one in here, right?) that
> low mpg around town doesn't mean your bus is running badly ... it all
> depends on the type and distance of the driving you do; mostly town
> driving means lower mpg. mostly highway trips means higher mpg ... up
> to the point of no-return when you are trying to keep up with the
> other traffic. ;)
>
> just babbling. :)
> joel
>
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