No one finds it odd that in an effort to conserve gas, this wastes 100’s if not 1000’s of gallons of gasoline for an unnecessary drive?
If you take your lifetime mpg average and count out the gas from going to this trip you will be much better off than the people who do participate in this.
if we wanted to conserve gas we would stay home and work on ways to make our cars fuel effecient…now we just want to see who has the most fuel effecient car…only one way to do that
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the V6 gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway with two-wheel drive, and 14 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway with four-wheel drive. With the 4.8-liter V8, those numbers dip to 14 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway with two-wheel drive and 14 mpg in the city and 18 mpg gallon on the highway with four-wheel drive. The iron-block 5.3-liter gets 15 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway, and the aluminum block – available only with four-wheel drive – gets 11 mpg in the city and 15 on the highway when using E85 fuel. The 6.0-liter V8 gets 13 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway…not too bad for full size
Thanks Ryan and welcome aboard. I’ve updated the driver’s roster in the original post. I think everyone wins in this event. It gives you the inspiration to improve your economic driving technique and possibly vehicle prep as well. If everyone in this country simply checked their air pressure in their tires regularly, we’d be saving more fuel than you can fathom.
Check this out:
There is a club out in Wisconsin known as the MiHG [Milwaukee Hybrid Group]. They put on “Pump Your Ride” events that inform people about keeping their tires inflated properly for $avings. As members of the MiHG, they all know the important role that tire pressure plays in driving more fuel efficiently as well as safely.
Bridgestone Tire reports that close to 40% of all tires or 44 million drivers are driving on under inflated tires with about 16% seriously under inflated.
The National Traffic Safety Administration shows that 87% of all tire failures show a history of under inflation contributing to close to 700 deaths and 33,000 injuries each year.
-Carnegie Melon University says that properly inflated tires can save drivers over $400 per year with gas at $2.75 per gallon.
US Dept. of Energy estimates that of the 20 million gallons of gas used every day, 3.5 million gallons could be saved with properly inflated tires.
The 1.91 gallons of gas I used to travel 118.7 miles at last year’s event cannot be considered to have been “wasting” fuel. My 61.5 mpg demonstration last October has inspired many people to drive more fuel efficiently. I have to laugh at people I see everyday that rush up to a traffic light and then slam on the brakes. They have no clue…
Shit, im not Winning anything but ill go for the cruise. You AMEC guys are fun to hang around :lol The Snoflake rally was a blast. Even tho >75% of the feild did not finish. :rofl
Jeff Morgan 1992 240sx Rotterdam, NY
im freakin syked to see the metro and your B210. my dad used to have that nasty poop brown color (thanks disco era colors!) B210. You have a great collection of cars mike. AWD sentra
You’re in! Glad to see a Nissan in the mix too. Simply let me know if your plans change. We will likely have a waiting list to get in later, as we’re almost filled up two months before the event!
I haven’t topped what I got on the october run yet for a full tank, but I have gotten a few 38-39mpg tanks, and I have gotten in the habit of topping off my tank when I fill it up now. It really does help to measure your milage a lot more accurately, not to mention I can get 450 miles to a tank rather than about 330 when I would just stop when the pump shuts off.
Agreed, my 2000 Protege DX will take about 1.5 more gallons after the first click off. I set a new record with it this past weekend. I drove up from southern, NJ, 244.8 miles [all highway, no stops] and only used 4.506 gallons of fuel. That’s 54.33 mpg. And the car’s an automatic! Check my fuel log on Ecomodder to see how I did it.
Yeah from “E” my Fit will shut off at about 9-9.5 gallons usually but topping it off I can put about 11.5-12 gal in it. I was shocked at how much space was left in there.
This is exactly the method we use for measuring fuel usage at our event. We fill the cars until we can see the fuel level in the filler neck [with the little unleaded fuel flapper door held open with the nozzle. It takes extreme care and extra time to do this, but I have lots of practice.
Toyota and Lexus owners browsing this thread, be aware that on most models, you can’t top up your tanks to the rim without causing a CEL and possible damage to your charcoal vapor canister. How do we handle these vehicles? We simply fill on the slowest speed and stop after the first click off.
The fact that we filled up the event six weeks in advance is surprising
and encouraging at the same time. It shows that quite a few people really
want to participate in these types of events. Unfortunately, these events
are far and few between. We need more of them! They are not really
difficult to do and I hope we have inspired other groups or car clubs to
create their own versions of these events for all to enjoy.
Mike Kamm - 1977 Datsun B210 - Averill Park, NY
Tom Moeller - 1994 Mazda Miata - Saratoga, NY
Dave Burnham - 1991 Eco Diesel Jetta - Delanson, NY
Ben Jones - 1991 Honda CRX - Hanover, NH
Richard Vedder - 2000 Ford ZX2 S/R - Johnstown, NY
Martin Deschenes - 2000 VW Jetta TDI - Quebec City, QC
Ron Kienhuis - 1972 Citroën SM - Long Island, NY
Vlad Saakyan - 2003 Suzuki Svs650 - 518 forums
Bill Clark - 1957 Metropolitan Hartop - Endicott, NY
Bruce Turk- 1958 Saab 93B - Walden, NY
Ernie Yue - 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250cc
Dan & Richard Dobbins - 1964 Studebaker GT Hawk - Long Island, NY
Matt Herring - 2009 Toyota Prius - Boston, MA
Robert Smalls - 2000 Honda Insight - Buffalo, NY
Peter Ramotowski - 2000 VW Golf TDI - Albany, NY
Eric Hoefer - 2008 Honda Fit - Guilderland, NY
Ryan Kramer - 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged - Albany NY
Yes, your '88 is different and you don’t need to worry about topping up. It is only the '96 and up OBD-II cars that have to worry about overfilling. My 2000 Mazda is fine. So far it is only the Toyotas and Lexus cars that I am aware of for this concern.
Vlad, I’ve sent an email out to my economy run list with attached maps and route instructions. Please send me a PM with your address so I can shoot them out to you.