rpm might be right about $3 gallon by Labor day

[eagl]

Rip,

I'm getting 24 mpg commuting in my trans-am running the worst gas I've ever used.  Nothing personal, but 24 mpg in a non high-performance daily driver is horrible.  You'd probably get the same mileage in a V8 stang if you could keep your right foot off of the floor.

[Edbert1]

Originally posted by eagl
You'd probably get the same mileage in a V8 stang if you could keep your right foot off of the floor.

My 2005-GT gets about 21 with mixed driving and not being careful with the throttle.

[Yeager]

ripsnort has violated conservative edict No. 844-27500-03881.AC2 which states unequivocally: rpm is never right.

Shame be upon you ripsnort

[beet1e]

Hey Eagl - does your car have door handles?

Originally posted by mauser
I really liked what was being written years ago when the VW TDI engine came out.  I wanted one when it became time to leave my old Rabbit and upgrade, but the dealer supposedly didn't have any.  Of course, two weeks after I get a normal gas-engined Jetta, I stop by the dealer and see TDI-engined Jettas.  Back then (around '98) the TDI's only came in 90hp and 110hp variants (of course we get the 90hp here).   Now it seems VW USA will have a 100hp 1.9L, a 134hp 2.0L, and a V10 (!!!) in the TDI lineup.    

The VW 1.9 TDi used to be a 150bhp unit. However, this engine could not meet Euro emissions standards and was discontinued in its 150bhp form and replaced by a 2.0i TDi-140 engine - slightly less power, but the same 236ft. lb torque from 1750rpm that its predecessor offered from 1900rpm. (If you've driven both diesel & petrol, you'll know that the max torque value is more significant for day to day driving than the max power figure that the petrol heads ogle at) The 1.9 became a 105bhp unit, which is the one you're talking about.

I've had a test drive in the 2.0i TDi-140, and it doesn't even sound like a diesel. It's now available in 4WD - the 4-Motion system, which I'll be getting soon.

[eagl]

Beetle

I don't get the joke...  Of course my car has door handles.

???

It just still amazes me that it gets such good gas mileage with a big engine after 100k+ miles.  I remain disappointed that it only gets 24 mpg here in the UK, but that's because I'm using the crappy tax-subsidized fuel from on base.

FWIW, I have fuel consumption records going back the entire life of the car, plus occasional notes regarding the driving conditions for any particular tank of gas.  If I had a spare week or so I'd enter it into an excel spreadsheet so I could graph it, but I don't so I won't.

Lately I've been getting about 300 miles on 48 liters, which works out to 23.8 mpg.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by eagl
Rip,

I'm getting 24 mpg commuting in my trans-am running the worst gas I've ever used.  Nothing personal, but 24 mpg in a non high-performance daily driver is horrible.  You'd probably get the same mileage in a V8 stang if you could keep your right foot off of the floor.

True statement.
GT-Automatic-V8: : 18 mpg / 23 mpg
Non-GT-Automatic-V6: 19 mpg / 25 mpg

Of course, she didn't want to wait 3 months for a convertible GT, and she doesn't care about HP

[Ripsnort]

Incidently, oil was up only 1.12 a barrel, closing at $67 something....not as bad as I thought it would be.

[straffo]

I would kill for fuel at 3$/gallon !
1.3€ per liter currently something like 9$/gallon if my convertion is ok.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by straffo
I would kill for fuel at 3$/gallon !
1.3€ per liter currently something like 9$/gallon if my convertion is ok.

Americans are spoiled rotten, straffo.  At $2.60 a gallon, its not even close to our all time high of (inflation adjusted) $3.01 a gallon.

[Edbert1]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
Americans are spoiled rotten, straffo.  At $2.60 a gallon, its not even close to our all time high of (inflation adjusted) $3.01 a gallon.

I paid $1.24 as a high school senior 23 years ago, were you using 1982 data?

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Edbert
I paid $1.24 as a high school senior 23 years ago, were you using 1982 data?

1981.
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/04/gasoline_prices.html

A $1.24 in 1982 is $2.52 in todays dollars. Mind you, the above is an average. Some states were more, some less.

[rpm]

Wouldn't you know it... Crude Oil at all time blow yer mind prices and all of my wells are Natural Gas producers. Howbout we double LPNG prices?. Thank God for the Barnett Shale formation.

Oh, and if Bush taps the Strategic Reserve he's an even bigger idiot than I thought. It will only lower pump prices for a couple months at best, then we will have to buy more crude to replace it. I say our Strategic Reserve should be called Iraq.

[Pei]

Sydney area 95 octane unleaded is now $1.25 or more:  a lot of people are now regretting the V6s and V8s they bought (and there are a lot of big cars in the North Shore where I live). Like the UK diesel here is taxed so it is more expensive than petrol but it still works out as more economical than petrol for most vehicles. Still diesels are nowhere near as common here as they are in europe (presumable because petrol is still a lot cheaper).

My bike will get 27km/l if it's used wisely but since it's mostly a toy for the weekend it gets ridden fairly hard and I'm lucky to make 22km/l.

[Edbert1]

Originally posted by rpm
Wouldn't you know it... Crude Oil at all time blow yer mind prices and all of my wells are Natural Gas producers.
 

They aint pumping much crude from around here anymore, still quite a bit off-shore though.

Nice sig-quote...I've followed Kinky for years by reading his columns and had largely dismissed him as a candidate, but with the current Gov and that insane woMAN who is challenging him I'm coming around rather quickly.

[ygsmilo]

The gulf basis was up 40 cents this afternoon and futures were up 10 to 12 in unleaded,,,,,,,,

Look for 30 to 40 cent price increases at the pump.