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>From: hts@hts.com.au (Heads Together Systems - Steve Farmer)
>Don't forget we are talking imperila gallons here (I presume) not yankee
gallons
>>1972 Notchback no mods only bits missing. Dual Carbs, manual 1600
>>City around 17MPG
>>Hwy around 33MPG
>...
>>1973 Fastback, stock. FI Manual 1600
>>City unsure
>>Hwy around 40MPG
>
>Sorry, I don't believe it! This is either his/her imagination or the best
>downhill ten miles he/she ever drove.
Oops, sorry. That's a very good point. I certainly didn't catch on. OTOH,
I don't think the difference is more than 10-15%, so I still think that
number is too high.
In 1968, when VW introduced the Type III with D-Jetronic FI they GUARANTEED
27-28 mpg (in the US). My new 68 did not make this spec, but when I
complained I was told that the spec applied to straight highway driving at
55 mph. Since I seldom did this, my average was less. Remember, at that
time the speed limit in the US was 65, with some freeways at 75. Air drag
tends to go up with speed, so mileage goes down.
The later FI cars got worse gas mileage as emissions regulations tightened,
and the FI cars got worse mileage than their carbed cousins.
For a stock FI 73, I would expect about 25 mpg, best case (US gallons,no
wind). If the gallons are imperial, say <30 mpg.
Yes, I have gotten 36 mpg in a stock FI 71 squareback. I was on my way from
Wisconsin to Wyoming and stopped to check out the engine because I was
worried that I had done something wrong that was going to cost me a burned
piston on that trip. After spending about 15 minutes working things over in
the parking lot of the rest stop, I finally realized that there was a VERY
strong, steady tail wind, ~40-45 mph. That put my mind at ease, and I got
back on the road and enjoyed the free ride.
You should know that I log EVERY drop of gas that goes into my cars. I can
tell you what my gas mileage has been for every tank of gas that I have ever
bought for every car I have owned since 1962! (Well, some of them would
take a little digging.) I find it to be an invaluable indicator of the
health of the car. Every time I fill up, I note the odometer mileage and
the gallons in a little notebook in the glove compartment. Later, at my
leisure, I figure the mileage for that fillup, and put it in another column
in the same notebook. If the mileage goes down, I know that there is
something wrong with the car or the weather; if the mileage is too high, I
know that the odometer needs to be fixed.
Jim
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Melissa Kepner Jim Adney
jadney@vwtype3.org jradney@njackn.com
Laura Kepner-Adney
Madison, Wisconsin
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