Enter the 35mpg challenge.

I will be driving about 2000 miles this weekend and I'm logging my miles and gallons. I'm aiming to get 35mpg. Most of it will be cruising at 80-90mph as we drive up the coast into WA.

Those of you unfamiliar with my travels I will begin Sat 4am and return Sunday for dinner. Running 87oc and all cruise.

Getting the car all set up for this trip. I'll report back with info in a few days.

 

i would think it would be possible, but going 70

80-90 is running 3k on the tach, might eat that 87 octane up.

i can do almost 30mpg, doing 70, on 95 octane from the track pumps.

but good luck!!!

 

good luck! i've been observing your experiences w/87oc, i think if you get the 35 ill make the switch

 

You might not get 35mpg going 80-90mph, but let's see.

 

i've never even tried 87. full tank saves you around $2.50
worth the piece of mind to me

and those warnings for the ethanol pumps are getting smaller and smaller.. damn corn syrup pumps are showing up everywhere

 

What year is your tl? I think at 90 I'm getting close to 3k. I will try to shoot video if it doesn't cause any problems.

I will try not to disappoint.

Yeah, if I'm doing 90 all the way it might hurt the mpg. I've done 85 for 1600 miles and got 34mpg.

If I have to push it to make the delivery I might not make 35mpg.

 

Anyone know how much weight you can put in the trunk without the cover over the spare getting damaged?

 

Let's not start an 87/91 debate. I really don't want this thread to go that way.

THanks,
Rob

 

I put a lot of shit in my trunk (that sounded awkward) when i drove up to school, which was an 8 hour drive. it was probably around 200~250lbs and the cover thingy was fine. GL and have a safe trip with no fuzz.

 

wasnt debating? just said i never used it

whatever everyone uses is cool with me lol

 

If you have the weights layout evenly, load as much as the car can handle. I have loaded as much that sagged the car and nothing happened to the cover. You must have a 4-speed tranny to get 90 at 3k rpm. For 5speed, 90mph is roughly 2.6k rpm

 

34mpg is still better than my 94 camry 4 banger got doing 70-75 so i'd take that any day

 

i, too, have had a lot of junk in my trunk. and by that i mean i slammed a big bag of textbooks (maybe like 80-90 lbs) right on that cover, so it took a far greater weight than that.

 

So what's your secret??

 

Shut off on downhills

 

I think you can do it, but it all depends on how you drive.

I've got 33mpg on my TL-S and that was with your occasional "speed sprints (up to 110mph)." I was averaging 80-85 MPH during my trip and these were 450+ mile trips too. Made these trips at least 8-10 times and I've always averaged at LEAST 32 MPG. Our cars are a beast on the highways, but when it comes down to city driving, whole different story.

Just for reference, I only get maybe 15-17 MPG 100% city driving. Thought something was wrong with me but once I took my TL-S onto the freeway, I'd get 30+ mpg at least.

Good luck. Long drives suck ass.

PS. Just my prediction, but you will get 33 mpg @ 80-90mph or less (never experiented with higher than 91 or lower octane). Good luck though :

 

A lot

 

^ holy comoley!

 

My best is 34, road trip-all highway miles with only one stop. 93 octane, cruise set at 80mph. I cant get that with 87 octane, and my range decreases by about 30-45 miles...

filling up with 87 instead of 93 only saves me 2.60..

 

I have the 5sp tranny. I honestly don't pay much attention to the RPM's as it's an auto. I'll shoot some video because I'm sure some people will not believe.

Search for "33mpg" I tried to outline all my tips. In short, I'm really a smooth and consistant driver. My 87 oc experience is also outline, in short I see same mpg.

What might change my results is I now have a K&N air filter. I've read this also reduces MPG.

Kris that's alot. I have to put about 200lbs in there. Wasn't sure if I'd damage the trunk liner.

 

Amazing to me if you can get 34 going that fast... my best was 33 hovering around 65-70, mostly cruise. But I've never checked it over that long of a trip.

 

depending on what you need to load- a piece of 3/8" plywood makes a nice base and distributes the load to the edges where its metal not cardboard~

rob- run the fuel numbers with miles driven according to odometer and mapquest/gps and gallons consumed
A few miles off track for dinner wont affect the total average

 

for the noobs- robs car seems to be magical- runs on 87, gets constant high mileage,
has curent tune and valve adjustment....

rob- gonna foam the tank to give it a trip cleaning?

the k&N fresh from the box is properly oiled and should not cause any problems- you are giving the engine more air- thats good!-
the only problem with them is over-oiling at cleaning time
Also shoot somew DC or carb cleaner thru the TB at the plate- important for overall performance
You know how bad the EGR pumps crud to it!

 

Hey Tom,

I'm going to put the address in WA into the GPS record the miles and then track the miles on the odometer while recording gallons purchased. Will start with a full tank and end with a full tank.

Wasn't planning on putting anythign in the tank. A week or so ago I ran a techron cleaner through the tank and then reset the ECU.

 

95 octane in a TL

 

Tom missed your edit.

Tonight, last minute I know. I'm changing oil, rotating tires and replacing 3qt of tranny fluid. Just washed/cleaned out the inside of the car.

Air filter looks fine, only 20k on it and not dirty. Belts look good.

Aside from the package I'm bringing extra oil, tranny fluid, service manual, water, food, clothing and some other gear.

 

Rob,

I think you'll have a shot at 35 MPG but not if you're running closer to 90 MPH. I think the aerodynamic drag will start to kill your mileage at those speeds.

Here's a MPG report I made regarding my 1999 TL back in 2007:

I recently made two long trips in my 1999 TL and I was very surprised with the excellent highway mileage.

Trip 1 317.0 Miles, 9.38 gallons --> 33.8 MPG

Trip 2 305.7 miles, 9.29 gallons --> 32.9 MPG

And this was averaging 78 MPH with the AC on continuously in 100 deg. F temps. There was absolutely no hard acceleration in either of those trips.

I had all four tires about 2 PSI over the recommended pressure.

Of course, those calculated MPG results can be affected by a number of items and I would need to make a few more trips to be convinced that such high MPG results can be consistently obtained.

Normally I get 25 to 26 MPG with a mix of 80% highway and 20% city driving.

The TL gets great mileage at constant highway speeds. But the MPG numbers collapse in stop and go driving. I wouldn't be surprised with sub-20 MPG results in all city driving.

Here's a direct link to that thread and there are other highway MPG reports there:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/gas-mileage-long-trips-621478/

Bob

 

Good luck Rob. Will be interested to see how the mileage differs on the way back without 200 pounds of junk in the trunk.

Kris, next time you're in San Diego, let me know - I've got a palm tree that needs trimming - just bring your TL!

 

rob-
make sure you increase the tire pressure close to max cold
They will be carrying nearly the max load listed on tire, so increase pressure to compensate and stiffen the sidewall.

Sustained speeds above 70 mph require extra air pressure cold

A quick wax of at least the upper body sections and nose will help aero, keep the sunroof closed
Use Pledge on the nose before the trip and bugs wipe right off, works to remove bugs enroute too

Take your Human Element Range Extender,or HELP bottle
A few sports drink sized, plastic wide mouth bottles do nicely when rest stops are few and far between--
no peeing on the side of the road!!!

 

When I had a '03 TL (base) I'd get 33 mpg or better on long trips with regular gas. With some low rolling resistance tires I'm quite certain I could get 35 mpg.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/500-mile-club-641270/

I did it once. It can be done.

 

That's one I haven't heard before. Do you just spray it on or do you buff it as well?? The painted surfaces or chrome or everything?

And Rob, make sure not mix up those sports drink bottles en route.....

 

I hope you got a good radar or something to keep you from getting pulled over for going 80-90, Washington cops are dick heads and they are getting more and more EVERYWHERE, they also have helicopters now that watch you and then tell cops where you are and how fast you were going with a video to prove it, (i speak from experience) trust me just be careful, because a ticket would ruin your whole trip

 

I think you're right.

HEHE. I'm not sure I'll be peeing in my car, bottle or not.

Thanks for the heads up. I've never used radar, I just watch the truckers. They know where the cops are.

I hear you on the air pressure. On long trips the heat of driving has 2-4psi already. On the RL you can watch it climb slowly over time. I run 35/34. I think it calls for 32.

Might try the pledge. Actually I'm going to put it on after working on the car.

Not sure about your bottle idea. I can't see myself peeing in the car. One bump and I'm pissing on myself and the car. My bladder is huge. Might be more then 500ml

 

Those are good numbers.

 

What a fcukin waste of tax money. Im pretty sure each time the chopper goes up it's $1000+ and i know I"m being very generous with that number.

 

- pull over to use your bottle!!!- take an off ramp...
and put a map over your lap if traffic is able to look in the car
A speeding ticket is far better option than the -ON the roadside- relief ticket--trying to get to the rest area or get arrested as a pervert.....

 

the airplanes and helo's make their operating cost back in a few tickets
There is the ticket- then the added court fee- county fee- city fee- enforcement fee (charge you for their time to write the ticket!) Special Handling fee for adding all the fees up- a $250 speeding- thats really $500 plus when you are done

More than 20 mph over is often considered `reckless driving` subject to arrest in many situations
Got to watch when a nice long steep downhill section appears and the car speeds up to 100 without thinking about it--(stay on cruise to avoid and drop to 4th)
At the bottem is always a pack of lights waiting for every car in line

The aircraft are looking for the cars going way above the average, pilots in the group know how easy it is to see the guy blowing up the left lane--while the right lane runner who does a clean smooth pass on trucks and tucks back to the right- goes unnoticed
Its all about blending in, not being first or last in the conga line, and as rob said- watch the trucks- they have cb radio and make instant adjustments.
Their tickets are automatic double penalty as commercial drivers!

LE units never travel alone- where there is 1 going the other way, 1 or 2 more are nearby- for Officer safety,,
especially with the recent Oakland shootings, That puts ALL Officers everywhere on a hair trigger alert for danger

Ever notice the white stripes on the edge of the road? note how far apart they are and speed can be calculated by time to pass markers
Makes it easy for the airplanes to say left lane, red car, behind the white one- speed 87

As much as they are hated for the speed enforcement job- when an emergency strikes- floods- people on car roofs.. who swoops in and risk their life to save some dumass who drove thru the river

 

40,000 people die every year in car accidents. Want to get how many are under 25? Yeah, that's right. Move long. Lets stick to MPG.

 

Rob,

I'm anxious to see if you can do it. I did the drive from Seattle to the OC last summer and with a full load. I don't remember my economy but think I was shy of 35 mpg. There are a lot of mountains on the 5 once you get into northern CA into Oregon and then again in northen OR pretty much up to Seattle.

Miner