Do it!

 

Update.

Tranny, oil and tires done. 20miles on the current tank

Car is being loaded as we speak and to bed. 4am start and I might be able to report on the road.

 

Try Plexus, great stuff designed for this (not furniture).

 

care to elaborate?

93 is our "normal" premium gas at every station in Louisiana

95 is sold outside the track for open nights and such.. its not something people fill up on but im not aware of anyone having problems with higher octane fuel? from my understanding it just burns cleaner.

sorry for OT but im curious to your post...

good luck

 

Really the 95 octane wont hurt a thing-maybe his concern was if it is leaded?

 

Well I’m back. It was some adventure.

Let me start by saying to everyone, this run was not intended to be fuel efficient. It had a tight timeline and so I drove for the arrival time at the cost of MPG. I was interested to see what that would look like MPG wise. A future run is in the works that will not be time sensitive. I will try some tricks there to improve MPG.

A few things to consider about my results below
- Cruise set at 85mph, not letting up for hills (high rpms)
- Lots of hills leaving California and in WA
- 10% ethanol gas had to be purchased on route
- Several accidents/weather/traffic caused more stop/go then expected
- Idling for meals/breaks etc are in the figures and cannot be backed out

I tracked miles (odometer) and gallons (at fill up). Tank started with 20 city miles on it and the affect is clear in the first mpg reading.

When I filled up the tanks, I added a ½ gallon except at one Oregon pump, I’m going to tackle that shortly. Gas was all 87oc, and I had to buy 10% eth gas.

I have bones to pick:
Oregon State – You don’t allow people to pump their own gas but you let them drive 2 ton trucks? You guys are out to lunch. I caused a hell of a lot of trouble at 2 pumps in your state. I don’t trust your gas folks with my card, zip and putting anything in my car. Now I know why some Oregon plated cars seem to have trouble with our difficult pumps in California. It's a tax grab, not a 'safety issue'.

Washington – Learn to drive. The fast lane isn’t for slow people. Learn something from the Oregon drivers, stay the hell out of the fast lane unless you're passing and check your mirrors for other cars fast approaching. 65mph is not passing speed when posted in 70.

California – You did nothing wrong, of course the right lane is the fast lane. Silly me for getting it confused with the parking available in the left.

Police
Interestingly enough I was pulled over but not for speeding a WA officer pulled me over for a burnt out light. Was very nice (thank you officer). The light was working when I stopped a mile later for coffee and has been running without fail since. I cannot figure it out.

Weather
Involved snow, rain and black ice. Sunday’s return trip saw 2 people’s cars totaled after the bad Washington drivers failed to slow down on freezing roads. One sadly might be dead after falling 40 feet into a creek. All would have been avoided if folks drove for the conditions. 30mph is fine if you’re the only car and there’s a tone of ice.

Accidents (non-weather related) involved a 3 mile back up after a u-haul towing truck flipped on the road. Am unsure how the driver made out, it appears they were moving. (picture below) NEVER RENT UHAUL.



Gas Prices CA -2.15, OR -2.29, WA – 2.35

Results – averages 27.6mpg which is of the worst I’ve ever had highway.

Miles Gal Trip MGP leg
129862
130065 10 203 20.3
130403 10.9 338 31.0
130741 12 338 28.2
130956 9 215 23.9
131346 13.6 390 28.7
131529 6.54 183 28.0
131739 6 210 35.0

Total 68.04 1877 27.6

Car
Ran like a champ, I suspect no longer usable for such runs. My back is killing me from the seats. Planning for new wheels.

There you have it.
Rob

PS – If you or someone you know was passed by a red tl and they pointed a figure to the other lane you were a slow driver in the wrong lane. I was not giving you the finger, I was instructing you where you should stay in unless the lane is obstructed. If it was you, shame on you. If it was someone you know, teach them to drive. Yes, after almost 1900 miles I have lost patients for bad drivers.

 

Welcome back to CA! Yes, Oregon is just off (the gas thing I think is only the tip of the iceburg). I can't help but notice that your last 210 miles was at 35 MPG (your goal) - just ignore the other numbers and say you succeeded!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post this Rob. Glad you made it back without too much trouble.

lol way to think positively. I suspect that 35mpg portion was due to more downhill driving during that leg (and corresponding uphill at the start of his trip during this same section). If you compare the last number with the first 200 mile number, and average the two (approximate), it comes out to about 27 mpg just like his average.

 

make sure that your center tail light is working. you can get pulled over for that too, i would change all the bulbs just to be safe (10 bucks)

 

Ca > **

 

how insightful.

 

pretty good numbers OP... sucks that so much shit got in the way of getting the best possible readings.

i wouldnt bother me to get 20-25mpg highway, thats a win to me. my car could get 10 mpg if gas was 50 cents a gallon and i wouldnt care lol. but from the looks of the pres.'s $5 a gallon plan we might all need a lighter foot pretty soon

or he was just shaking his head because people bother to do it all?

tracking your car is fun no matter what you drive. for real racing.. i have the 944.. for fun, i have the accord and TL.

hell, id track a metro if thats all i had..

 

Thanks, it's good to be back.

You'll also notice a 31mpg. I think it's a bunch of factors, speed, idle, traffic and hills. The overall mpg isn't great but not bad considering.

I don't know if going from the bay area to redding is up or down hill. Though you might be right. I also did city driving prior and the others are less effected by that.

Phee it was actually my driverside headlight. Which is working now and never had any problems with it before. Thoughts?

 

I like to get good mpg for reasons beyond cost. I just prefer not to burn gas period.

 

im down for a water powered car if i can still go fast

just wondering.. why a TL? just because i see your set on the whole gas thing..

dont some of those corollas get 40 mpg? and cheaper than our TLs too

 

I prefer honda/acura's and as luxury transportation goes I couldn't have got a better deal. So I picked up the TL. Of late I've been driving less then 100 miles/week so it seems like a waste to get a new car. If I have to start making more trips like this I'll want better seats.

 

Wow Rob, you had quite an adventure. At least you didn't get tangled up in any of the accidents.

 

rob- you may have a headlight bulb on the way out- its due based on time for your car anyway

How about the next trip on 91 octane and see if it pays off in the long run

 

crazy, get a truck

 

Rob,

The fuel numbers seem about what I remember. Some of the hills are brutal for economy. 10 years ago I moved from Seattle to the OC with a U-haul diesel truck. Going up some of the mountains in southern OR and northern CA I was in 1st or 2nd gear doing 10 mph. I think I averaged 10 mpg for the entire trip.

Miner

 

Because 95 wont improve anything or give you any more power. The car is tuned for 91.

Have 2 of them. No reason to drive home to get one when this would/ did work just fine

 

95 octane will only help if your car is tuned for it or you are below sea level.

 

Since I got 35 on the flats return I dont think it'll make any difference going 91 oc. Others can prove 35mpg on 91

I'll start another thread about the headlight.

 

we dont have 91... its 87,89, 93

its not for power gain, i dont buy into the myth of of octane boosters and higher octane fuel in daily driver cars. just burns cleaner.. its nice to have piece of mind... its nice going into places and asking for asking for a fuel cleaning on top of the other stuff im getting done.. and they actually called me back and said theres no point.. its clean as a whistle... happened a few months back

haha kidding me.. im 15 min. from new orleans... we ARE 10ft. under sea level

 

Oh the gas debate rages on.

 

no debate... just a question of whether or not it was harmful.. apparently its not.

and also i know why we have such high octanes now i suppose, because we are below sea level

 

NO one ever said it would be harmful (one needs to google octane and learn what it really is/does) We just said there would be no point on looking for or buying it. Most think that the octane = more power, higher # more hp and thats not the way it works. The car is tuned for 91 because thats the Minimum # in the premium fuel. Many like us have 93. That doesnt mean to head out in search of 91. Just use premium.

 

that is why one asked lol. not really looking to learn the sciences of octane.. just wanted to ask if there were any negatie effects. i dont see why i should go on a campaign to learn so much about it on such a simple inquiry

and i do use premium.. always have, always will..

 

Totally off topic, but you should learn. Just accepting things as fact makes you a sheep. It's starts with gas and then you're supporting an $800 billion stimulus we don't need and the spending starts after the economy turns around.

But don't take my word for it... do your own research.

 

Yeah, what he said! ^^ (Rob, I'm afraid your thread has been officially hijacked.)

 

i hate our goverment lol. not quite sure im a sheep

i'd be on the front lines of a civilian army to overthrow our crooked leaders...
if we're gonna talk politics.. lets do it in the right section. but lets not go assuming people's political beliefs because of Gas talk.

but sure?

 

My point is without understanding something and going along with it you become a sheep. Belive you have to run 91 oc and don't understand why? Sheep. Next you'll be support other bad, ill-informed things based on the same logic.

 

i see what your getting at.. but i dont run 91+ because people tell me to or that i believe i have to. its called piece of mind. and for the minimal cost even at a full tank, its not a loss.

same concept as buying tools for your car from craftsman tools that have a lifetime warranty replacement for a couple grande on a full set.. or spending 750 bucks on another brand that will work just fine. people do it to ease their mind. not to be a robot and do what others tell them.

again, sorry for the OT, but lets not insult anyone by basically calling them an idiot who cant think for themselves.

i commended you on your trip and MPG and wish i could get that. i have nothing against lower fuel. my only inquiry was if it was harmful to run the higher 93+ fuels.

im done, sorry if you misunderstood my post.

 

Just so we're clear, I didn't call you stupid. I encouraged you to learn.

Have a great day

 

different parts of the country have different octane for premium
the lowest is 91- highest 94
95 can be found , often used for race track use and by modified cars- turbo-SC etc

small airplanes run on 100

 

Higher octane fuels are typically used in applications where the compression ratio is high. Our cars have a fairly high compression ratio-thus the recommendation for a higher octane rating. Octane is the measurement of the rate of burn. The higher the octane, the slower the burn, and less chance for detonation. Have you ever put 87 octane in a car and heard a rattle when under full acceleration on a hot day?

Now on the flip side-our cars have a knock sensor built in-so if the computer "sees" detonation (spark knock) it will automatically adjust the timing, preventing engine damage. You can run 87 just as easily as 91, 93 etc..but most likely performance will suffer in WOT situations.

That 95 octane fuel is fine, if you want to spend the money on it. Im willing to bet if you took the car to the track and ran it on 93, and turned around and ran it on 95 it would be slower with the 95. Just as long as its unleaded...(most race gas is leaded, which will coat oxygen sensors and ruin them).

have fun!

Sorry to hijack your thread Rob2

 

there was this one ad in the car and driver showing how you can make a car like an acura tl get near 90 MPG.. a for f-150 getting 70.. Real or fake?

You have to buy something from them for a grip of money.. I think it was something with fuel cells and stuff.

 

Obviously fake.

If it were real don't you think more people would install it? Don't you think the car companies would install it?

Car companies do have a financial incentive to keep their average fuel economy as high as is possible.

In addition.. how is a car going to suddenly have a 300% increase in fuel economy? Is it going to magically use 1/3 less fuel? How?

 

lol.. i just came across it like last year and i always see it in the back of that mag.

 

Is it called the Tornado or Turbonator?