Topic: Average MPG in rural America?
in Forum: C4 General Discussion
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Been waiting to see if anyone more knowledgable than me would reply.
|UPDATED|7/10/2014 7:02:34 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
As I understand, most gas comes up the same pipelines regardless of what gas station is getting it. The raw gas is all the same out of the same pipes and tanks. As I understand it's when it's set to deliver that the corresponding additives are added to the gas for that particular brand or store.
I have 4 vehicles that all use 87 octane gas: Vette, T-Bird, F150 & Caravan. Overall they all work well on BP, Shell & Holiday. Next level is SA and Marathon. I don't buy from no-name stations except in desperation situations (out of gas, it's 3 AM and nothing else open or available and probably on the road and don't know the area).
I get the best mileage overall from BP & Shell with Holiday a close 2d. If I fill with SA or Marathon I can definitely see a decrease in gas mileage. I have bought from Phillips 66 along with other brands in the past but most times it was because I was on the road and didn't find my preferred brands.
Because all my vehicles are stock relating to the engines etc, I use the grade the manufacturer recommends and have not had a problem with doing that in all the years I've been driving.
Another thing is most all my vehicles are pretty much mechanically stock. Yes things like shocks or brakes may have been changed out but things like tire size, vehicle height, drivetrain related items are pretty much oem type items. If you modify things like engine internals, tire width, diameter etc on them it can also have a negative effect on your mileage in addition to if you do stoplight racing or not.
|UPDATED|7/10/2014 7:02:34 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
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Anything over twenty is awsome! I would drive mine if it only got five miles per gallon I love it so much. when it comes to fuel there are way to many factors to consider. how clean are the tanks it is stored in how old is the fuel the additives that are used. the weather at the time you buy your fuel. to many to mention. the best way to choose is to shop around find one that works and stick with it. and drive your vette, enjoy the wind in your hair and let the sun shine always be at your back.
My 85 in its trailer costs .31 cents a mile in Diesel fuel for the Super Duty to transport it to various venues around the western states where I take it out and drive it once I get there. Kind of like a trailer boat........ I put 10 gals of gas in the Corvette's tank about once a year. I only drive it 100-150 miles a year, so I guess I get about 10-15 MPG the way I use/drive it.
hcbph said:
Question - why are you putting premium in your Vette? If you have the L98 as you said, it's unmodified then it should have 9.5-1 compression ratio. That should run on 87 octane regular just fine. You're not getting any benefit by running premium
I had this conversation with an Instructor at the GM training center in Burbank, back in 1985 shortly after I purchased my 85 new. Here was his reply:
"Sure, running regular won't hurt the engine, because the timing will be retarded if detonation occurs. But if the guy running next to you has premium in his tank, he may beat you because his engine will be producing more power, because his timing ISN'T as retarded as yours."
I've never forgotten that. And of course he's correct. Running premium may not be necessary to prevent detonation, but it certainly may be to derive the maximum potential performance.
Another thing to keep in mind is that "premium" back in the 80's was typically 94-97 RON, and "regular" was 91-94 RON. Today "premium is 91, and regular is 87. Not to mention ethanol's "contribution". Todays "premium" isn't as good as "regular" was when the cars were new. Or, the gas today doesn't meet the specs of the gas the engine and tune were engineered to run on.
I haven't logged my 85 for performance for decades. (My Diacom laptop expired at least 10 years ago). But it would be an interesting study to log the differences in timing-retard between the two octanes in back-to-back comparisons where other conditions like ambient temps and the test-course could be somewhat controlled. My guess is that one could see the additional retard when using the lower octane.
The "benefit" one may receive by running higher octane in a vintage C4 is the better performance, drivability, and fuel economy that running with more timing advance than can be achieved with lower octane gives.
My .02
|UPDATED|7/10/2014 2:37:41 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
Just my $.02 I use only Sunoco 93 octane and mix it with C A M 2 fuel and I get 26 28 highway 19 20 in town. My comp. rto: 10.8 1 the motor knows the difference. Can feel it in the pedal . I think B P was American Gas before white for marine use. Fuel comes in 5 gal cans and 55 gal barrels made by Sunoco for Nascar I think
Wingnut
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Gay, WV - USA
Joined: 4/14/2013
Posts: 11
Vette(s): !989 Medium blue convertible
Do most of you find that you get better mileage with,or without cruise control.I use it nearly all the time on the interstate.If I set it to 70 on flat ground it climbs the hills effortlessly and maintains 70 precisely ,and usually only gains a mile or two going down steep hills .I think that I get better mileage with cruise because when I don't use it I catch my self running more in the fast lane,or speeding up to pass slower traffic.It can take a LONG time to pass a slightly slower car if you stay at a steady 70,and some times faster drivers don't like me hogging the passing lane.
Mountaineer said: Do most of you find that you get better mileage with,or without cruise control.I use it nearly all the time on the interstate.If I set it to 70 on flat ground it climbs the hills effortlessly and maintains 70 precisely ,and usually only gains a mile or two going down steep hills .I think that I get better mileage with cruise because when I don't use it I catch my self running more in the fast lane,or speeding up to pass slower traffic.It can take a LONG time to pass a slightly slower car if you stay at a steady 70,and some times faster drivers don't like me hogging the passing lane.
Love Cruise Control, I've got it in all my vehicles and use it whenever I'm on the highway. I can add to that a little info on the sweet spot (rpm wise) can have an effect your mileage. Driving my truck (07 F150 extended cab heavy half, 8' box with 4.10 rear) if set it right in the sweet spot (2k rpms, about 62 mph) I've gotten over 20 mpg best out of it in the past. If I go 65-70 I can plan on losing anywhere from 1-4 mpg out of it. Going slower than 62 (as in say 55 mph) I will lose about 1 mpg. This is all with the cruise on. I've kept gas usage records for the last 5 years I've owned it to back it up. Obviously it only does around 14-15 mpg in town.
In the Vette, so far it looks like about 1800 rpms (about 75 on the interstate) is the sweet spot, that's where I got the 32 mpg out of it on the highway with cruise. 60 mph is around 1600 rpms and I've gotten around 28-29 mpg in that again using cruise. At 55 I get around 27-28 mpg out of it.
Cruise has saved me more than 1 ticket, just keeping it constant at the speed limit. Red Vettes seem to attract police and highway patrol cars like flies to you-know-what. Additionally cruise can maintain a constant speed in the best rpm range than I ever could manually so I use it whenever I can if on the highway.
Dave85C4 - I agree if you're racing etc you will have different needs than just driving, sorry I didn't make it more explicit that I was talking about driving in general, not racing. I gave up racing over 40 years ago, back then it was SuperShell or Sunoco 260 but that was in high compression engines optimized for the drag strip (around 10.5 - 11 to 1 compression ratio). If on the other hand you're just driving then I really don't see the need for higher octane fuel than the manufacturer recommends. I haven't had an engine with a higher compression ratio than about 10-1 since the mid 70's so using high octane fuel buys me nothing other than draining my wallet a little quicker. If I was still racing I'd agree but seeing I'm not I'll still stick by my statement on octane needs of current engines on the street (again excluding racing) really don't take higher octane rated fuel than the manufacturer recommends.
|UPDATED|7/18/2014 7:20:29 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
in Forum: C4 General Discussion
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