[V8] V8 MPG actual

[Roger Woodbury]

I have had three V8's and they all have performed almost identically.  I
always fill the tank completely by hand and because I am usually trying to
jamb the last dollop of the cheapest gas that I can get into the tank, I am
quite certain that my tank is as full as I can get it before it spills out.
I then zero all the indicators on the trip computer and the odometer.  Now,
my newest '90 V8 has had no odometer working for the past nine or ten
months, so I have had to rely entirely on the trip meter for mileage checks,
but normally, I run continually monitor fuel mileage and then figure my
mileage against the amount of fuel that I have actually put into the tank.

 

The first V8 ate an O2 sensor in Ft. Myers after my first long trip and I
saw the fuel mileage drop from around 24 to eight in one swoop fell.  Nasty
feeling when I saw the smoke coming out the rear of the car..at that time, I
had NO idea what was happening.

 

The second V8 was a '93 4.2 litre car, and it got exactly the same fuel
mileage as my "new" "90 V8.

 

I have few stop lights in normal driving, so most of my time behind the
wheel is two lane, rough macadam, with hilly conditions generally along the
coast.  Once every two to four months I might go to Portland, which is more
than 100 miles of Interstate, but otherwise, it is two lane, mostly 55-65
miles per hour.

 

I get an overall average of 22 miles per gallon of regular gas.  I have seen
as much as 25 and a fraction, and once coming back from Maryland, I got
gasoline in Massachusetts that was mostly water, I think, and I averaged
around 19.  Never seen that since.

 

If I drove fifty-five to sixty-five for a full tank, using the cruise
control and being VERY serious about maintaining that speed for a full tank
in one sitting, I am quite sure that I could average 26 mpg or perhaps a
little better.  That would be a long trip down the coast to Florida or
perhaps cross country, avoiding slowdowns as much as possible, and of
course, no real idle time.  But I find when I travel outside of Maine, the
speed of "the pack" on the Interstate has always been around 75, and I have
an allergy to being rolled over by 18-wheelers.

 

So I plan to stop for fuel when the tank is empty, normally just after the
low fuel light has turned on.sometimes MUCH later, which terrifies my wife
if she is with me.  This is at a minimum of 400 accumulated miles, and I
almost never get gas before then.  

 

Incidentally, I never felt that I noticed enough difference between the 3.6
litre and 4.2 litre V8's to really matter.  In my normal driving the
performance of both cars are adequate and nearly the same overall.  The real
big difference between the two cars was the later a/c and steering system of
the '93 V8 which I really liked, and if it was an easy swap (or even
possible) I would love to change out the a/c control panel in the '90 to the
later design.  And before any one out there makes any smart remarks, the
answer is "NO, I do not need big numbers and do not use a telephone with big
numbers so that my old eyes can see them!"

 

Roger