Fuel economy, cis, rpm and other stuff.

[Michael Gough]

Hey list
With the fuel economy discussion going on I'll throw in my expirence and
some things I've noticed.
Stock 1988 VW Quantum syncro, same drivetrain as the 4kq but in a wagon
form.
It has a bad O2 sensor (wires are broken...) and probably quite a few vacuum
leaks since it is 13 years old. Last trip, from LA to San Francisco and
back, averaged damn near 26mpg (25.8 to be exact) Since it is running open
loop now, I am theorizing that the vacuum leaks counter-act any rich running
caused by the bad O2 sensor.
Now one other thing. On my turbocharged Quantum syncro, I get 18mpg around
town, and I drive it hard every chance I get. The stocker gets 19mpg. The
new 2.7t and 4.2 A6 get worse mileage than my two "old" cars with "evil" CIS
and "un-advanced" aerodynamics. The engines are bigger, but it still takes
the same amount of power (say 30hp) to go 60 down the road as with a 2.2l
engine, and it still takes the same amount of fuel to make 30hp with a big
engine as a small one, (in-efficiencies from extra cylinders aside) I just
thought it was interesting to see the new cars with "advanced" aerodynamics,
and fuel injection get worse mileage than my 13 year old boxy, mechanically
injected car.
Just my silly ramblings....
I still want a 20v 200tqw, the 5k/1c/2c wagons look silly but get awesome
mileage.
Mike