What are your personal ways to save fuel?

[EllieZ]

Originally Posted by craftsman

There are all kinds of small cars with diesel engines offed in Europe, Canada and South america that you can't buy in the U.S. I'm a fan of the Ford Ranger, offered in crew cab and diesel in South America but 2008 is the last year for the U.S. American car companies could offer cars with better gas milege in the U.S., the already do in many parts of the world. If if your argument is because of EPA standards, tell it to someone who might believe it.

Too many other places have cars with excellent economy. They also get their dental work done for less than $2500 a tooth, gall bladder removed for less than $500, and insurance for a car is 300EUR a year in most places. Like everywhere else but the USA. We had our baby at home- the hospitals here can break you into a peasant- with or without insurance.

The top pickup in Europe was always the Mitsubishi L200 in a crew cab 4WD with diesel. Its seems similar to your Ranger you like. We looked at one, but couldn't fit well for the money. Economy figured in at about 34mpg when my husband converted it. Would tow our Bubble easily, but not much bigger. They sell them here- I've seen them, but not many.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by EllieZ

The top pickup in Europe was always the Mitsubishi L200 in a crew cab 4WD with diesel. Its seems similar to your Ranger you like. We looked at one, but couldn't fit well for the money. Economy figured in at about 34mpg when my husband converted it. Would tow our Bubble easily, but not much bigger. They sell them here- I've seen them, but not many.

Nissan has a very good diesel pickup in Europe, called there an Aventura (known in North America as a Frontier). If we are lucky, they may be released here, but the emission controls will probably strangle them, as they have to be detuned to meet the standards. Then again, they may wind up as successful as the MB Sprinter.

[EllieZ]

Overlander 63- I think what you mean is the Navara- Aventura was a package within that model. They outsold Mitsubishi for a year or 2- competing trucks in a small market.

Nissan Navara: Discover the impressive Navara pick-up and accessories

Has a 2.5 diesel. 6 speed manual or 5 speed auto, and like every good European girl, I have to have the manual... Shocks people here when I get out of the F350, they see its a stick, and go nuts.

[firedog]

I rent draw Horses to pull my rig around .

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by EllieZ

Overlander 63- I think what you mean is the Navara- Aventura was a package within that model. They outsold Mitsubishi for a year or 2- competing trucks in a small market.

That's the one. I tend to do that, like call a Sentra an SER.
BTW, look for a diesel Maxima soon, if rising diesel prices don't kill the project.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Dosen't the gas version require high test..

How "smrt" is that?

[EllieZ]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Dosen't the gas version require high test..

How "smrt" is that?

I started budgeting my husbands overall expenses on long term basis. He was just getting in and filling up and driving- which is probably a normal "guy" thing to do. He thought about it, but I started taking into effect the overall costs of everything we have to spend on, oil changes, depreciation of each vehicle, fuel costs rising, longevity of the mechanical parts, etc.

I'd say that in analyzing the diesel Smart we know in EU, as opposed to the petrol Smarts here, hands down a good decision for a city commuter car. when you factor in the fact that a diesel lasts longer, even though it costs more, and it gets better economy- its still our choice. I know it stings when we fill up one of our trucks, but its a lot better than getting less economy under load with petrol, and we're still sure we can get at least double the miles from the engine.

The diesel Smart was also very quiet- unlike the rumble of our F350's 7.3L

[Cracker]

Go figure!

If an 8,000 lb truck with a 350 hp diesel gets 23 mpg, why wouldn't a 4,000 lb diesel truck be capable of 46 mpg and a 2,000 lb diesel car be capable of 92 mpg??? This scenario would suggest that the 2,000 lb car would have a 87.5 hp diesel - everything else being similarly proportioned. Inquiring minds want to know what happens to roughly half of the available energy in the gallon of diesel - since 46 mpg is probably a more realistic mpg for the 2,000 lb car than 92 mpg!

Time for the physicists and motorheads to respond!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Cracker

Go figure!

If an 8,000 lb truck with a 350 hp diesel gets 23 mpg, why wouldn't a 4,000 lb diesel truck be capable of 46 mpg and a 2,000 lb diesel car be capable of 92 mpg??? This scenario would suggest that the 2,000 lb car would have a 87.5 hp diesel - everything else being similarly proportioned. Inquiring minds want to know what happens to roughly half of the available energy in the gallon of diesel - since 46 mpg is probably a more realistic mpg for the 2,000 lb car than 92 mpg!

Time for the physicists and motorheads to respond!

The operative word here is...IF

[Aage]

Originally Posted by EllieZ

Ruler- We have a sidecar for one of our Harleys, its a 1940's torpedo shape from Hungary. Looks awesome. Baby's just a bit young for it now.

We use the F350's because we need the room for everything, and have a camper that goes in the bed as well, for long trips. We have a hauling trailer thats 50' long, as well- holds 3 Bambi's.

If your objective is to save money, you're doing the right things.

If your objective is to reduce your carbon footprint, you might need to think of finding hobbies that don't require quite so many internal combustion engines...

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

The operative word here is...IF

With further respect to the "IF," I regularly get 23 mpg on the highway with my 3500 GMC running solo. Others have reported the same - or better - with their trucks. Towing, I average 13.5 mpg, calculated. The DIC is usually 1 mpg off - showing 14.5 to 14.7 mpg over the same haul - although, on occasion, it will be dead on.

Interestingly enough, my AS weighs exactly the same as the TV, so if we go in the opposite direction, with a loaded weight of 16,600 lbs I should expect about 11.5 mpg - but I'm actually doing better! I maintain the same 55 mph towing or running solo; so, again, why won't it work in the opposite direction as previously suggested???

[jacarape]

This is an OT moan. Notice how our government has always used gas pigs? The police have requirements for rear wheel drive hogs, I have always blown them away on an Italian Super Bike. (It got about 16 miles to the gallon but was usually driven at 140mph++.)

Now that 4 buck a gallon fuel will always be a memory, our elected leader continue to show their foresight by buying gas hogs for giving traffic tickets in small towns, or the State coppers that use flying mattresses for idling with a radar gun.

No, I don't have any tickets in 20 years, like I said, the fat cars can't go, my Burb TV is a pig, but it's a TV, it doesn't get driven 20 hours a day like some gov't cars.

So that's how the gov't saves money on gas, when they write a check, it comes out of your account.

Why was the Smart car kept out of the US market for so long? By all rights, there should be a healthy supply of used examples on the market, instead there is a waiting list and you pay premium prices. Hey, we are being screwed. If you don't think so, enjoy your bliss.

I sure am glad we didn't invade Iraq for oil, because if we did it would have made us really look stupid. Oh wait, we do anyway.

[RedSHED]

There's the tow-er and there's the tow-ee.

I think a close look at Chevy's hybrid Tahoe is worth the effort for starters.
Lowered, no roof rack, generally cleaned up. You could also maybe replace the passenger side rear view with an electronic unit.
Next, take a look at the A/S for inspiration. I wonder if a belly pan would do anything positive. It just might. There are issues with that (heat, access, suspension, etc) but still might be worth a look.


For the tow-ee, start with the obvious. All that junk on the roof has to go - antenna, air conditioner, fan hoods, etc. Clean it up. The curbside awning probably next in line.
The tanks live in a dead air zone generally, so probably aren't worth messing with, same for a rear window awning. The streetside awning has short support, so it probably could stay, but it would be better to get rid of it.

The connection between the two should be as short as possible without worrying about damage.

And the rear... the Airstream already isn't too bad here, but I suspect some of the 50's and 60's units would be better than later models just based on shape. Marker lights on the sides should be teardrop with the pointy end in back.

That's just a guess though. The big deal remains the driver. The recent "Heavy Duty Trucking" notes that two drivers with the same truck can differ by up to 20% fuel economy over the same route at the same average speeds. That's an oversimplification, but you get the idea.

[RedSHED]

Originally Posted by Cracker

Go figure!

If an 8,000 lb truck with a 350 hp diesel gets 23 mpg, why wouldn't a 4,000 lb diesel truck be capable of 46 mpg and a 2,000 lb diesel car be capable of 92 mpg??? This scenario would suggest that the 2,000 lb car would have a 87.5 hp diesel - everything else being similarly proportioned. Inquiring minds want to know what happens to roughly half of the available energy in the gallon of diesel - since 46 mpg is probably a more realistic mpg for the 2,000 lb car than 92 mpg!

Time for the physicists and motorheads to respond!

If you can cut the equivalent flat plate drag area in half for each one, you might have a fighting chance.
I think that might be a pretty tall order, however.

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by RedSHED

If you can cut the equivalent flat plate drag area in half for each one, you might have a fighting chance.
I think that might be a pretty tall order, however.

Interesting - but at speeds of 55 mph, or less, how much of a factor would flat plate drag be for reasonably streamlined vehicles??? I just heard on a newscast today that they're going to raise the minimum mpg for cars to 70 within the next 10 years. That sounds like my theoretical examples could be within the ball park. I'm betting that they'll do it with some kind of a diesel hybrid - or plain diesel.

I think that we're bordering on hijacking this thread - so I'll refrain from any further comment.