Date:         Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:07:56 -0700
Reply-To:     Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Normal mpg?
Comments: To: Geza Polony <gezapolony@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2007082717495371@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Well, Mellow Yellow is NOT my daily driver. When I drive it, it's for a
camping trip, usually anywhere between 2 to 8 hours driving a day. Hell,
to get ANYWHERE from coastal California below Los Angeles you gotta
figure several hours of freeway driving to get anywhere you'd want to camp.

Some small percentage of a camping trip I'll be on surface streets, most
of the time on some highway. It's consistent. So it doesn't surprise me
that I don't see variations in mpg: like I say, probably 85% of the
driving in on highway. That's 85% of each tankful is on the highway, the
rest looking for a place to pee or get gas or trying to get unlost.

So let's rephrase this: on a normal camping trip, I get 15 mpg. That
trip will be about 85% freeway or highway driving. Maybe even more like
95% -- who counts?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR



Geza Polony typed:
> The odd thing about your gas consumption is that it's uniform whether city
> or freeway, if I'm understanding you right.
>
> My '84 1.9 Westy gets 15-16 around town, 19-21 on the freeway.
>
> I find that mine is extremely sensitive to driving conditions. On the
> freeway, take off 2 mpg for AC running, another 1 to 2 for driving 70+,
> another 1 to 2 for headwind, and so forth. Driving 70 with AC and a headwind
> I'd be lucky to get 18, esp. fully loaded.
>
> But there should be a least 4-5 mpg difference between city and freeway.
>
> What kind of tires are you using?
>