85 MPG observed

[jagec]

Originally posted by: tbike06

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
C&D did observe 172MPG in a Honda Insight, but it did involve tailgating an Excursion that had it's hatch open.

Hmm, what do you suppose the average mileage of the Insight/Excursion combo was

If I remember correctly they averaged around 100 MPG

Eh? Don't think that's possible.

Let's say the trip was 100 miles, the Insight got 200 MPG, and the Excursion got 20 MPG (yeah right).

So the total distance traveled would be 200 miles (100 Insight, 100 Excursion), and the total fuel consumption would be 5 gallons for the Excursion, and .5 gallons for the Insight.

200 miles/5.5 gallons = 36 MPG average...and that's using optimistic figures for both the Insight and the Excursion.

 

[MovingTarget]

Sigh. I wish we had more diesels here in the states. Small trucks could really benefit from modern diesels.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Scouzer

Originally posted by: Auric
Modern glow-plugs negate start up problems. But yes, diesel ginnies are more efficient so take longer to reach normal operating temperature and will only do so under load not idle. Ergo, for cold climes, heated seats are even more desirable than with a petrol ginny.

I would like to see if they totally negate it at -30...or -35 celsius for that matter... frequent temperatures in the winter here.

If it doesn't really warm up at idle, how are you supposed to go anywhere? In harsh climates like this it's not uncommon to get a thick layer of ice on the INSIDE of the windshield. Obviously it's difficult to scrape on the inside of the car, so most people let it idle until it is melted away.

Wouldn't work so well with a diesel.

I grew up in the Dakotas with 70's & 80's era cars & -50F temps in the wintertime and this never happened. We had a Chevy Celebrity diesel and an Isuzu diesel PUP they started fine in the winter if you kept their block heaters plugged in overnight. Once they were started, they were good to sit for about 6-8 hours till the engine block cooled off. You live someplace where it gets that cold & no one has outlets set up to plug cars into? We had them all over.

The interiors warmed up just as fast as with a gasoline powered car. My F250 will literally cook me in the winter here in Texas when it's below freezing... Before I left the Dakotas & moved South I had an interior heater in my car set up on a timer so it would be nice & toasty in the mornings when I got in.

The only time diesels had a real problem in the winter was when someone would accidentally fill up with #2 diesel and the fuel would solidify, and this typically only happened to semi trucks that came from the deep South.

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Scouzer

Originally posted by: Auric
Modern glow-plugs negate start up problems. But yes, diesel ginnies are more efficient so take longer to reach normal operating temperature and will only do so under load not idle. Ergo, for cold climes, heated seats are even more desirable than with a petrol ginny.

I would like to see if they totally negate it at -30...or -35 celsius for that matter... frequent temperatures in the winter here.

If it doesn't really warm up at idle, how are you supposed to go anywhere? In harsh climates like this it's not uncommon to get a thick layer of ice on the INSIDE of the windshield. Obviously it's difficult to scrape on the inside of the car, so most people let it idle until it is melted away.

Wouldn't work so well with a diesel.

I grew up in the Dakotas with 70's & 80's era cars & -50F temps in the wintertime and this never happened. We had a Chevy Celebrity diesel and an Isuzu diesel PUP they started fine in the winter if you kept their block heaters plugged in overnight. Once they were started, they were good to sit for about 6-8 hours till the engine block cooled off. You live someplace where it gets that cold & no one has outlets set up to plug cars into? We had them all over.

The interiors warmed up just as fast as with a gasoline powered car. My F250 will literally cook me in the winter here in Texas when it's below freezing... Before I left the Dakotas & moved South I had an interior heater in my car set up on a timer so it would be nice & toasty in the mornings when I got in.

The only time diesels had a real problem in the winter was when someone would accidentally fill up with #2 diesel and the fuel would solidify, and this typically only happened to semi trucks that came from the deep South.

I doubt you've seen -50F actual temperature. That's very rare here, and I live well over 1000km north of there.

Of course we have outlets to plug in the cars. However, I'm still skeptical about diesel starting ability in the winter. Perhaps you are right they'll run if you babysit it and let it run every 6-8 hours, but that in itself is highly inferior to a gasoline engine.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Scouzer

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Scouzer

Originally posted by: Auric
Modern glow-plugs negate start up problems. But yes, diesel ginnies are more efficient so take longer to reach normal operating temperature and will only do so under load not idle. Ergo, for cold climes, heated seats are even more desirable than with a petrol ginny.

I would like to see if they totally negate it at -30...or -35 celsius for that matter... frequent temperatures in the winter here.

If it doesn't really warm up at idle, how are you supposed to go anywhere? In harsh climates like this it's not uncommon to get a thick layer of ice on the INSIDE of the windshield. Obviously it's difficult to scrape on the inside of the car, so most people let it idle until it is melted away.

Wouldn't work so well with a diesel.

I grew up in the Dakotas with 70's & 80's era cars & -50F temps in the wintertime and this never happened. We had a Chevy Celebrity diesel and an Isuzu diesel PUP they started fine in the winter if you kept their block heaters plugged in overnight. Once they were started, they were good to sit for about 6-8 hours till the engine block cooled off. You live someplace where it gets that cold & no one has outlets set up to plug cars into? We had them all over.

The interiors warmed up just as fast as with a gasoline powered car. My F250 will literally cook me in the winter here in Texas when it's below freezing... Before I left the Dakotas & moved South I had an interior heater in my car set up on a timer so it would be nice & toasty in the mornings when I got in.

The only time diesels had a real problem in the winter was when someone would accidentally fill up with #2 diesel and the fuel would solidify, and this typically only happened to semi trucks that came from the deep South.

I doubt you've seen -50F actual temperature. That's very rare here, and I live well over 1000km north of there.

Of course we have outlets to plug in the cars. However, I'm still skeptical about diesel starting ability in the winter. Perhaps you are right they'll run if you babysit it and let it run every 6-8 hours, but that in itself is highly inferior to a gasoline engine.

Record is -58F and Mcintosh is 20 miles from where I grew up.

I can't find the extremes for the town I grew up in, but I was in Williston, ND in 83' where it is documented to have been -50F. I hopped in my Ford Pinto one night after work & the vinyl seat literally shattered. It was at that moment, sitting on a bunch of sharp frozen vinyl shards I decided to move the hell further South.

I've seen quite a bit colder with windchill.

In my experience gasoline cars need plugged in too and are difficult to start in the kind of extreme temperatures you're talking about.

But hey, I've only owned 4 diesels, grew up driving diesels and my dad was a Standard Oil bulk agent in a similar mid continent environment as you live in so what the hell do I know...

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
But hey, I've only owned 4 diesels, grew up driving diesels and my dad was a Standard Oil bulk agent in a similar mid continent environment as you live in so what the hell do I know...

loolz.

Were anti-gel fuel additives necessary (beyond the provided blends)?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Auric

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
But hey, I've only owned 4 diesels, grew up driving diesels and my dad was a Standard Oil bulk agent in a similar mid continent environment as you live in so what the hell do I know...

loolz.

Were anti-gel fuel additives necessary (beyond the provided blends)?

#1 was pretty good to around -20F back then, current formulations are good to ~-45F, lots of folks used tank heaters back then too.

Honestly at -50 you should have your ass at home, when it got that cold only emergency services were available, like hospitals, that's why I was out in my stupid Pinto

The funniest thing I remember about it being that cold & driving were how the shocks didn't work for shit till they warmed up, you could have substituted 2X4's for the shocks for the first 10 minutes.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Auric

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
But hey, I've only owned 4 diesels, grew up driving diesels and my dad was a Standard Oil bulk agent in a similar mid continent environment as you live in so what the hell do I know...

loolz.

Were anti-gel fuel additives necessary (beyond the provided blends)?

#1 was pretty good to around -20F back then, current formulations are good to ~-45F, lots of folks used tank heaters back then too.

No kidding. I had no idea modern diesel fuel could get that cold without gelling. One more reason for the US to start importing small diesel cars!

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Honestly at -50 you should have your ass at home, when it got that cold only emergency services were available, like hospitals, that's why I was out in my stupid Pinto

I suppose if you were ever desperate for heat you could have backed into something (Pinto goes clink... kaboom!).

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
I doubt you've seen -50F actual temperature. That's very rare here, and I live well over 1000km north of there.

Of course we have outlets to plug in the cars. However, I'm still skeptical about diesel starting ability in the winter. Perhaps you are right they'll run if you babysit it and let it run every 6-8 hours, but that in itself is highly inferior to a gasoline engine.

It's really not an issue.

Diesels have thermostatically controlled cooling systems, too.

Yes, it does take longer for more efficient engines to warm up, but its not like they never warm up or any such nonsense.

You don't need to babysit it and let it run every 6-8 hours if you can plug it in.