Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:45:42 -0400
Reply-To: "Jack R." <jack007@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Jack R." <jack007@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: 25 MPG Wasserboxer!
In-Reply-To: <485FC4E1.9060009@verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Mike,
There are so many factors which impact fuel economy... including the blends
of fuel and octane along with altitude, terrain, weight load, alignment,
weather conditions (wind, temp, humidity etc.), transmission type, oil type,
tire pattern & inflation, road conditions, basic tune-up stuff (e.g. spark
plugs, K&N filter, oil filter)...
What was the general direction and speed of the wind, vs. your traveling
direction? Also, 51mph is somewhat slow, I got 20.89 with my Westy at
60mph, but only 15.21 at 80mph... (on the same trip) and about 19.5 holding
it at about 4k RPM, so it seems to me in line as I've heard that the optimal
speed for a Vanagon's MPG is in the 45 to 55 mph range.
24.92 is GREAT at any speed for a Vanagon, and it sounds like your Boston
Bob 2.1 is doing the trick. An 85 Westy is higher than the later years, so
I'm not sure if that is better or worse for MPG, my guess is worse.
I get about 18 MPG tooling around in the city with my (45k mile factory
original) 2.1L in my 84 Westy, so that's on par.
Glad you are pleased with your motor, and thanks for your trip report!!!
This is helpful to everyone!
Jack R.
84 Westy Wolfie
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mike Collum
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 11:45 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 25 MPG Wasserboxer!
Hi all,
I put a Boston Bob 2.1 engine into my '85 Westy and, after the initial
break-in, drove it to Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina (I'm in
Virginia now).
Anyway, because the engine was still fairly new, I kept the highway
speed down to a max of 51 (under 3,000 RPM) and didn't run the air
conditioner. I avoided any fast starts and didn't lug the engine and by
doing so, I "Averaged" 24.92 miles per gallon (confirmed by GPS) from
Thomaston, Maine to Abingdon, Virginia which was just over 1,000 miles
with the route I took. The inside of the van was pretty well loaded, too.
For those interested in the configuration (I'll make a full
report on that after I get back to Maine), I'm using the entire 2.1
intake system (snorkel and all) with stock 1.9 wiring. The 2.1 AFM
works great with with the digijet harness. On the trip down, I used the
stock 1.9 ECU with a 1.9 distributor set to TDC. The tires are 185 14
C2 Hakkapeliittas with 40 lbs in the fronts and 50 in the rears. The O2
sensor was disconnected.
I haven't accurately checked the gas mileage since getting here as I've
been using the air conditioner, changed to the 2.1 "Digijet" ECU
(performance ECU) and have been doing a lot of mixed driving ... mostly
in town driving. It appears that I'm only getting about 18 mpg under
such circumstances.
Where I'm staying, I don't have an internet connection so communication
with you guys will be spotty at best. We'll be attending the West River
Westies event in Vermont on the way home and won't be back in Houlton,
Maine until mid July.
Mike
'85 Westy 2.1
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