The gas thing..

[gyre]

I was talking to a shop that specializes in volvos and the guy there has gained 7-10% with an enhanced computer add-on which is mappable, preheating gas, eliminating the original fan and so on.
He is still running the stock engine and fuel injection, which would benefit from a compression increase and a switch to a better form of injection.
He has done no aero work and will run some aero cadcam software for my airdam.
So there is a lot of room for improvement on some cars.

The car runs 1986 Bosch injection and there seems to be no quick way to alter ignition advance, short of a computer addon.
This is the same as most Bosch of that period, I think.

[unjonharley]

This is the first thread I wanted to reply to because we are planning to take a Tacoma Prerunner from Tampa Florida all the way there. Eight people + camper and all. Gas was an issue at first then "carpooling" cured that. Go with it. Teamwork or some shit? :booze:

So glad to hear you are driving the Prerunner "all the way there".. Beats the hell out of walking part of the way

[Ugly Dougly]

Wouldn't it be great if you could park your car on a flatbed rail car and ride the train until you get close to your destination?

[gyre]

They do that to some places, especially with RVs.
Maybe it will become more available at a good cost?

[ALtehleghumper]

[quote="unjonharley"][quote="ALtehleghumper"]This is the first thread I wanted to reply to because we are planning to take a Tacoma Prerunner from Tampa Florida all the way there. Eight people + camper and all. Gas was an issue at first then "carpooling" cured that. Go with it. Teamwork or some shit? :mrgreen: :booze:[/quote]

So glad to hear you are driving the Prerunner "all the way there".. Beats the hell out of walking part of the way[/quote]

Walk?

We were planning on plugging MDMA and cartwheeling from Gerlach :?:

[ALtehleghumper]

[quote="Ugly Dougly"]Wouldn't it be great if you could park your car on a flatbed rail car and ride the train until you get close to your destination?[/quote]

At $11,000 to rent one for the week it should be worth the hassle to arrange this. Not to mention the gas expense for some folks.

[Oldguy]

Everything old is new again. Private Railcars and baggage for vehicles, like FDR's touring car. JP Morgan and all those railroad tycoons had them. I've even seen cabooses on E-Bay and Craigslist. Not as many railsidings as before though. Seems only sensible to revive steamships and steamengines along with diesal -electric locomotives. Scheduling could be a bear though with limited mainlines and eroding infrastructure. It would be a boost for US steel industries though. Remember when Americans actually built good stuff? We got federal highways ,why not federal raillines? And while we're at it, build some refineries on all those army bases we closed down! Multifuel engines should be purchased for all those government fleet vehicles while we're at it. And build some graincars for all those crops not going down the Mississippi this year! I don't like to say this , but it may be time for government to nationalize energy production and transportation; and control runaway prices like Nixon did. Other nations control prises ,why can't we? The real reason we won WWII was because of our industrial strength and ingenuity. You just need to read some National Geographics to see what our strength was in the 1940's. Sorry , it's just that I had to spend almost fifty bucks to fill up my car today, leaving me short the $95 I need to get into BRC this year. I know you think its easy to come up with the scratch, but not for me. OK, there, I've vented. I'll beg, borrow, or steal(not really) . But I'll get in this year...again. PS. Air up those tires, drive 55, and no jackrabbitt driving.

[trilobyte]

I spent a few days doing some research on things you could do to improve your fuel economy, and added it here. I hope this proves helpful for someone out there....

Trilo

[Teo del Fuego]

heard on Car Talk that the most fuel efficient vehicle* out right now is yer basic yellow school bus. I have thought about getting one and hauling 8-10 folks out there and splitting the gas. Wonder how much perperson that would be assuming each person had a normal amount of gear--i.e. was not hauling the infrastructure for a big theme camp?


*measured in terms of per person fuel efficiency assuming near capacity ridership

[gyre]

I think the interstate type bus or a tractor trailer would be higher on that basis.
Much more efficient engines.

There is much misinformation on the government site and some on the wikipedia link, though much of it is good.
Check your facts.
There is a peak mileage point for all vehicles and slower is not always better.
And that peak can be altered, within limits.

Most people can improve the aero drag on their car and especially on a truck.
Fine tuning an engine makes a huge difference.

Read up on the actual science involving pumping losses generated by slow acceleration up to speed.
It can be very hard to understand when using an automatic.
Not so much with a manual.
Learn how your car actually works.

There is nothing magical about any one speed.

Smooth driving is always best.
In the city, anticipating stops is the biggest factor.

Make sure your brakes aren't dragging too.
Some types are more prone to that than others.
One area where you get what you pay for.

[Rat Bastard]

4000 miles round trip from Chicago. Our prices here SUCK. Highest in the country. I thought that was NY's job? It's $4.69 at some stations. And that's regular. I estimate it's gonna cost us $1800-$2000 for gas.

My truck is flex fuel too. Last year I ran a couple tanks. Found out it cost more per mile then gas runing E-85.

American Dream my ass, I need to buy into the Saudi Dream.

But hey, at least 50,000 burners won't be buying gas for a week from big oil. <snicker>

[gyre]

I would have thought SF was higher?
And don't forget those folks in Hawaii.
Of course, they aren't allowed to drive over the border.

No one here is selling the blends cheaper than real gas.
I don't think any ethanol is good for an engine.
I won't even run the 10%.
Even if you save some money it's not worth it for the extra maintenance costs.
That's what killed propane in europe, engine damage.

For short trips, I think using a block heater could save a lot of fuel burned up during the warmup mode.
It is a technique usually used to reduce wear, so there is more benefit.
I have heard mileage is shockingly low during that period.
The big savings for me with an electric bike would be in those short trips.

In case anyone here doesn't know, letting your car sit and warm up is very bad in every way.
I give my big V8 thirty seconds at most and then drive.
And it is a very sensitive engine to expansion.
Of course, you want to take it easy on an engine until it warms up.
Even synthetic oil like redline is sensitive to running cool.

[mdmf007]

with gas so cheap overseas in some south american and middle eastern countries. Crws on tugs and barges are bringing more of it back in tanks to be used for personal use here.

12 cents a gallon in some places

[Rat Bastard]

I wonder how much a barge of gas would cost to ship over here. Anyone want to go in on a barge full of 12 cent gas?

[Marscrumbs]

Maybe we should move the whole show to South America next year. There are a few desert Playas available in Chile that would be perfect for a burn.

Oh yes, on yellow school buses...you can find propane fueled models for cheap too. Propane is less than $4/g still near here