I think by inference it is part of what I have said (more than one post) about things getting lost in the US market translations (PC meaning). So for example Audi A3 wagon (gasser) has the all wheel drive, but not the TDI. Needless to say the all wheel drive is buried in the higher MSRP. (the nearest I can figure is app $5k+ Plus)
That's something to consider, as the V6 Bluetec is such a smooth unit, easily the smoothest diesel I've ever encountered. And with it being the same unit as in commercial vehicles, I bet a maintained example will easily have 500K+ mile potential. If there's any enthusiast rejection of the 4cyl engine, the 6 could end up being some kind of cult machine.
Put another 120 or so miles on it today, such a good highway car.
I'd likely end up outright buying a C250 4Matic diesel wagon if we could have it here. That would certainly be a car to keep for 10 or more years. I'd special order one and have it loaded up to my spec. It would be a cool car.
I stopped by the local dealer today, as the free car wash I use is at the location of the Audi facility within the dealer group. After the wash, I drive into a garage area to do a little detailing, and what do I see a couple cars away from me? An A7 TDi. Loaded to the gills, 77K MSRP - a little rich for my blood. IIRC power is higher than the MB V6, and with the 8 speed, EPA mpg estimates are also higher (38 highway). Pretty car, might have to test drive one for kicks.
..."I bet a maintained example will easily have 500K+ mile potential."...
I'd say easily ! This is not to say some NON diesel items will not need to be replaced. The MB BlueTec uses the MB 229.51 5w40 oil specification, which easily can post 30,000 miles/50,000km OCI's (aka 17 oil changes) . VW 507.00 5w30 specificaion oil the same but probably as slightly more aggressive wear patterns due to the slightly thinner viscosity as it the specifications slightly favor better fuel mileage.
So to me (in my life time) conventional wisdom used to be sell the car BEFORE 100k. Then the first major tune is @ 100,000 so leave the second 100k to the next buyer to 250,000 miles (several cars actually) to points beyond. Its all good.
Some will complain an E Bluetec costs twice as much as a mainstream car of similar size - but it has the potential to last twice as long. I wonder what mileage Sprinter vans have reached now that they've been on these shores for about a decade. I like seeing those, knowing my car has a similar or sometimes the same engine.
It looks like Audi has jumped to the leader of the Diesel pack. They are offering diesel in the A3, A6, A7, A8, Q5 & Q7 All with AWD except the A3. That should be interesting. It looks like all the new ones use the same V6 TDI as the Touareg. Though I don't think they have as much torque as the MB V6 Bluetec. Having driven both the ML and Touareg back to back, I would give the nod to the Mercedes on ultra smooth acceleration from 0 MPH. Not enough for me to pay the price difference.
Not many of us want to drive them forever though. Some of us even lease so we can get a new ride every few years. So why pay to drive something that will last that long if you probably will dumping it in a few years?
10,000 more miles and I may be willing to listen to the hints to get something a bit newer.
Yes, I would not doubt that. However they would probably not be serious buyer's. If they are and put a V6 3.0 L BlueTec on the market after a couple of longer oil changes, shoot me an email !
Actually a good jumping off point would be to ask your local MB dealers service advisor/s. I am guessing they service some of these work horses, along with OC intervals information. A good non niche, but niched oil is the Mobil One 5w40 ESP MB 229.51 specification oil. Some of the specifications are starting to merge, as I understand the Mobil One 5w30 ESP VW 507 is also MB 229.51 certified. I have had great results with Mobil One TDT 5w40 for easily 185,000 miles on the 03 Jetta TDI. @ 30,000 miles OCI's (non VW 507.00 specification oil 7/8 oil change intervals) .
On the 09 Jetta TDI, have just come off the dealers VW Castrol LL3 (gold bottle a big deal for a longer time) VW 507.00 and have just put in Total INEO 5w30 VW 507.00 and am targeting 30,000 miles OCI's. The VW dealer that services the Touareg just converted to Castrol EDGE 5w30 507.00 in 42 gal barrels. So I am glad for the (European) upgrade. I will either stay with Castrol EDGE, Mobil One ESP 5w30 and /or 5w40 or stay with the Total INEO 5w30 VW 507. More diesel oil options are hitting the markets, prices are going down and its ALL good.
The fact of the matter is the MB 3.0 L V6 BlueTec engine ( I 6 for that matter) is ONE of the best TDI engines on the market. MB has also taken great pains to mate it to a very reliable and durable 7 speed A/T. The MB ML 350 BlueTec is mated to a 7 speed hybrid CVT, so to me, I am longer term curious about it.
True, but a few nuts do like to mile something up, and for them, it's the car. Most who acquire such a car for the short term aren't thinking of longevity - mileage, toys, prestige, quality, design, etc all play into it as well. There's a lot of 30 year old MBs that appeal to me more than many mainstream new cars.
If and when the van hits 200k, in another year or so, I'll be okay with letting it go. Or maybe keep it for a spare. I'm a bit cold natured so the latest complaint from my better half is that our van doesn't have dual climate control. And more gizmos and safety stuff is a plus, and better mpg would too. But with the asthma triggers, we most likely won't be going the D2 route.
"Actually a good jumping off point would be to ask your local MB dealers service advisor/s."
That was another point against MB when I made my decision. The cost for maintenance on the ML 350 Bluetec for 3 years 30k miles was $1465. BMW performs all maintenance free for 4 years 50k miles. VW gives 3 years and 36K miles. If Mercedes wanted to kill that rumor about $250 Adblue charges, they would offer free service during the warranty period. Which to me makes so much sense. They are then sure the vehicle is maintained properly while under warranty. I think MB is riding high right now on top of the Luxury heap. They may do some fine tuning when BMW passes them probably this month.
I think an asthma attack is preferable to cancer from RUG fumes. I think old thinking is involved. Get behind a new TDI and see if she has shortness of breath. I know I do getting behind a gas vehicle that is running. I think my lungs were damaged in the 1940s & 50s from LA and leaded gas.
What, you don't like to use your stuff? I don't like seeing my gear sit on the shelf. A little mud will wash right off, and a few dings would beat out, if you care about such things.
Different triggers for different folks.
Interesting to note that if you do a search for "asthma gasoline exhaust", most of the hits talk about diesel. And some people think diesel exhaust is not simply a trigger but a cause of asthma.
Are ANY of the legit studies being done on current diesel engines with ULSD. My understanding is the asthma trigger is more from SoX than NoX. Removing sulfur below 15 PPM makes diesel lower in sulfur that current RUG with a 30 PPM limit. The studies of people living near busy highways having higher incidence of asthma is hardly pinning the blame on diesel. That is a soup of pollutants that can cause all sorts of things. My advice don't live near a busy highway.
I personally know you have dodged HUGE maintenance cost bullets. This was probably indicated strongly by your homework/research. Things are just wonderful with dealer included SCHEDULED to UN scheduled maintenance. After that, it can be a literal black hole money pit.
Part of the reason why I posted TMI on the OCI for the 09 Jetta TDI (in a recent post) was really to indicate the relative lower costs for a TDI (vs gasser), IF one is inclined to DIY, which a lot of gasser folks are/or chose to do. In some cases, the cost per mile lubricated can be @ par, to less, to slightly more. Of course once given/delineated the realities, one can inject what one tends to do in those situations.
So for example given the design of the TDI, one can literally park on the Streets of San Francisco (anywhere actually) in a metered space or (if you can find one, UNMETERED space) and do an OCI. Drop all the used (2 to 6) containers in a public trash can (sans oil, one should responsibly recycle used oil at a used oil recycle center like.... PEP Boys) and go SHOPPING !!
Current cost for 507.00 oil is app $6.60 per L. My cost per mile driven lubricated was .0014 cents.
(outrageous price for oil filter $8.59, Again, TMI interestingly enough, this filter also fits the GASSER VW/AUDI products)
Okay, so the final tally on the trip was 700 miles, 18.6 mpg. The Forester pulled the trailer very well, but that wind resistance was sure a killer on the fuel economy. *cry*
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
"they don't seem to expel any visible emissions or particulates. "
Well, that's the real kicker. The stuff that will mess you up the most is the stuff you cannot see (except at very high concentrations). "PM2.5" as it is dubbed, which is the particulate matter that is at or smaller than 2.5 microns, will do you the most harm.
Not saying modern vehicles DO cause the issues you mention, just saying that what you can't see CAN kill you.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
THEN (IF the hypothesis is correct, in theory) Europe should have a minimum of 10 TIMES GREATER incidence/s more of "HARM" than the US (to more like 20.94 TIMES) !!!! It does not and documentation does not even link that causation.
There are app 270.5 M passenger vehicles in Europe; of which 50% plus are diesels (135.25 M) passenger diesel vehicles. There are app 258.4 M passenger vehicles in the US market: of which less than 5% are diesels (vs 12.92 M; further stratification puts 50% of those diesels being "light trucks", defacto leaving 6.46 M passenger diesel CARS= 2.5% of the passenger vehicle population) . This takes "reasonable doubt" to (almost breath taking , pun intended) elevated levels of absurdity.
I was kind of thinking along those lines - if it is good enough for Europe (who prides itself in greenie-ness), it should be good enough for the US? I don't doubt there are some emissions issues with some diesels, but are they really a problem any worse than gas cars?
Oh, speaking of diesel, paid 3.99 today - got around 500 miles on 3/4 tank, which included city slogging. RUG was 3.79, PUG was 4.09, mid grade was the same as diesel.
It would be interesting to see of the countries with the highest cancer rates are subject to more exhaust fumes. Surprisingly the US is not at the top of the list for cancer. With lung cancer the most popular, could it be the highest incidence being in Denmark could be smoking so much dope? Maybe automobile pollution is not that big of a factor.
Hmmm; that's a complete non sequitur from the statement I made, but I agree with the overall analysis. As I said, I wasn't pointing any fingers at fuel types.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
A/C doesn't use more fuel due to improved aerodynamics at highway speeds. It more likely saves fuel even when compared to opening the windows just an inch with the a/c off.
Driving hard is a big fuel consumer in my experiences. I get at least 20% better fuel economy than my wife does on any of our vehicles for local driving and about 10% better on trips. Same speed, just pumping gas pedal vs being able to hold rpms steady.
..."The stuff that will mess you up the most is the stuff you cannot see (except at very high concentrations). "PM2.5" as it is dubbed, which is the particulate matter that is at or smaller than 2.5 microns, will do you the most harm.
Not saying modern vehicles DO cause the issues you mention, just saying that what you can't see CAN kill you."...
Well no ! I did NOT point to you to say YOU are advancing this common "ANTI" diesel hysterical attitude. I just defined it further and call it what it is. Indeed, if there are the sounds of one hand clapping, you could actually be saying you were really talking of gassers !! ?? (since you were responding to a prior post, I think not) If you didn't want to go there, perhaps you should have left it out !?
SO, if for some reason you may have felt (whatever), that was never the intention and apologize for any lack of clarity. The numbers simply are not there and the correlations not made. The sentiment so defies the reality, as to be beyond "magic". Yet, there are a sizable number of folks who take the magic to be THE REALITY. We can speculate why and there are many reasons and answers, but I say cut to the chase and , FOLLOW THE MONEY. We love to demonize the oil companies, as they are vilified for making unconscionable percentages of money. I would submit to you that 39 cents is 457 % to 388% GREATER than 7 cents to 8 cents !!!!!
The truth is as one would think. We don't even need grade school math to chose. Would one rather make 7 to 8 cents or...... 39 cents?
That's true, I still think of malaise cars where it helped to switch off AC when merging etc.
My driving hard was flying up mountain passes and such. I'm not one for jackrabbit starts in town. But it was pretty fun on winding mountain roads, where an oaf in a truck or SUV would come up on my bumper as I was going 15 over (but refusing to pass me) on a straight, then I would absolutely lose him in the turns, as even my heavy diesel automatic sedan can waste the middle American bloatmobile in the curves.
Actually Consumer Reports did a controlled study and A/C used more gas than windows down at all the speeds they tested and all the different vehicles (obviously they just did a sample so there may be some exceptions).
A/C uses a lot of fuel. It is often masked because warmer temperatures help mpg considerably. So you may get the same mpg driving in 95 degrees with A/C as you do at 50 degrees with no A/C.
This is one trick a lot of the high mpg drivers use. Never turn on the A/C and drive on warm days. Also take as long a trip as possible so the engine stays nice and hot.
No, I completely get what you're saying. The whole state of fuel in this country is quite aggravating, to say the least. I'm not looking forward to subjecting my car to ethanol-laced fuel when I head to America next week....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Actually Consumer Reports did a controlled study and A/C used more gas than windows down at all the speeds they tested and all the different vehicles (obviously they just did a sample so there may be some exceptions).
A/C uses a lot of fuel. It is often masked because warmer temperatures help mpg considerably. So you may get the same mpg driving in 95 degrees with A/C as you do at 50 degrees with no A/C.
This is one trick a lot of the high mpg drivers use. Never turn on the A/C and drive on warm days. Also take as long a trip as possible so the engine stays nice and hot.
..."I choose.... seven to eight cents? Ahahahahahaha!"...
As you can see, not much changes from grammar school. The school yard bully goes scott free !!! Then the victim gets the further blame when he tells everybody (with a straight face) he needs an even BIGGER share. !!
Indeed. I drove my fintail for many years, and adapted to no AC -- but nowadays, once it is 80F or so, I want to use it. I had the old car out Sunday before last, temps in the 80s, and had a choice - windows up and die of heat exhaustion, or roll one or two down and go deaf from noise on the highway (all the SUVs and trucks around here are loud). In the modern car on the highway, windows up, quiet and comfort, ~40mpg whether or not I use AC.
For those that do not want to waste gas on AC, VW sells the base Jetta with manual transmission and NO AC for $15k and change. It does have power windows.
If only Subaru would offer their turbo diesel here, mated to a proper 6 or 7 speed conventional auto (and stick for those that prefer).
That 18.6 could have been doubled fairly easily.
Sounds like you had a flat fr enclosed trlr. The V style help break that barn door flow, and worth their premium if you do much highway with these trlr loads. Plus you can throw stuff up front in that area to help get the best tongue load balance.
I agree with this...A/C uses a lot more fuel than most other parameter massaging efforts can mask. The only thing that really does minimize the drag that A/C creates is either large displacement engines with long strokes and/or engines that create lots of (almost) free torque (turbo diesels). This is the reason that really small displacement engines like Yaris' and Fits etc really can suck the fuel if added parasitic losses like auto trans get into the mix, when the A/C is switched on. The city figures show this more than a fairly high rpm highway cruise.
It'd be a treat to follow you on a mtn road, fintail, as long as the highway was clean and ya weren't spiittin' small pebbles at me at times...better still..check your mirror...here I gooooo...catch me if ya can !!
the effect appears to be fairly minimal in modern cars
Not sure what flawed their testing, but in real world comments I've read here (Edmunds real world MPG forums) and elsewhere... and my own findings, is that an easy 2-3mpg +or- a fair bit cuz of so many variables that apply, is not small potatoes in my book. I use A/C and I would even if it cost me 10 mpg. The only time I would turn it off when it was needed, is if I was running low on gas in unfamiliar territory and not sure where the next refueling point was. It makes that much difference. And if I need to do an aggressive pass on a two-lane, I switch it off then too...it is like I just got an extra 30 hp under the hood. Again tho..the smaller the engine, the bigger the difference it makes. The other extreme was with my big truck. When you have 1200 ft lbs of torque, clicking on the A/C isn't noticeable. When you have 10 times less, it is.
I don't buy the AC 2-3 MPG unless it was a Yaris. I will know more when I make a cross country trip. Sure I will hit hot spots and cooler ones. I had AC climate control on for the first tank in the T-Reg and still got an easy 25.15 MPG. Got the 20 day once over by the VW dealer. All was good and a nice car wash. Can't beat that service. And it is all free for 4 years or 48k miles. Next time in will be at 10k miles.
Most roads here are clean, save for the unposted-til-you-got-there gravel mess I was on last week that I have found not only gave me a little paint chip, but put a crack in a running light as well.
Carving through the corners like that is fun driving, one of the highlights of my trip. Yellow sign says 40, I say 60 . Mileage impact is nominal, the fun makes up for it.
The trailer was a flat front. It was a UHaul rental (5x8), and they don't offer any V-fronts. If I were to buy one, I'd definitely get a V-front.
I was hauling a piano and nothing else in the trailer, so I centered it for optimal weight distribution, then used four ratcheting tie downs to strap it down with an 'X' pattern over the top and two 'U' patterns around the bottom from LF-to-LR and RF-to-RR, respectively. That sucker was locked in there so well that it didn't even wiggle on the way home (~350 miles over seven hours with several construction areas and typical Alaska roads).
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Comments
Put another 120 or so miles on it today, such a good highway car.
I stopped by the local dealer today, as the free car wash I use is at the location of the Audi facility within the dealer group. After the wash, I drive into a garage area to do a little detailing, and what do I see a couple cars away from me? An A7 TDi. Loaded to the gills, 77K MSRP - a little rich for my blood. IIRC power is higher than the MB V6, and with the 8 speed, EPA mpg estimates are also higher (38 highway). Pretty car, might have to test drive one for kicks.
I'd say easily ! This is not to say some NON diesel items will not need to be replaced. The MB BlueTec uses the MB 229.51 5w40 oil specification, which easily can post 30,000 miles/50,000km OCI's (aka 17 oil changes) . VW 507.00 5w30 specificaion oil the same but probably as slightly more aggressive wear patterns due to the slightly thinner viscosity as it the specifications slightly favor better fuel mileage.
So to me (in my life time) conventional wisdom used to be sell the car BEFORE 100k. Then the first major tune is @ 100,000 so leave the second 100k to the next buyer to 250,000 miles (several cars actually) to points beyond. Its all good.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/3f9f9369#/3f9f9369/1
10,000 more miles and I may be willing to listen to the hints to get something a bit newer.
Actually a good jumping off point would be to ask your local MB dealers service advisor/s. I am guessing they service some of these work horses, along with OC intervals information. A good non niche, but niched oil is the Mobil One 5w40 ESP MB 229.51 specification oil. Some of the specifications are starting to merge, as I understand the Mobil One 5w30 ESP VW 507 is also MB 229.51 certified. I have had great results with Mobil One TDT 5w40 for easily 185,000 miles on the 03 Jetta TDI. @ 30,000 miles OCI's (non VW 507.00 specification oil 7/8 oil change intervals) .
On the 09 Jetta TDI, have just come off the dealers VW Castrol LL3 (gold bottle a big deal for a longer time) VW 507.00 and have just put in Total INEO 5w30 VW 507.00 and am targeting 30,000 miles OCI's. The VW dealer that services the Touareg just converted to Castrol EDGE 5w30 507.00 in 42 gal barrels. So I am glad for the (European) upgrade. I will either stay with Castrol EDGE, Mobil One ESP 5w30 and /or 5w40 or stay with the Total INEO 5w30 VW 507. More diesel oil options are hitting the markets, prices are going down and its ALL good.
The fact of the matter is the MB 3.0 L V6 BlueTec engine ( I 6 for that matter) is ONE of the best TDI engines on the market. MB has also taken great pains to mate it to a very reliable and durable 7 speed A/T. The MB ML 350 BlueTec is mated to a 7 speed hybrid CVT, so to me, I am longer term curious about it.
10K miles - within the next year? Diesel?
That was another point against MB when I made my decision. The cost for maintenance on the ML 350 Bluetec for 3 years 30k miles was $1465. BMW performs all maintenance free for 4 years 50k miles. VW gives 3 years and 36K miles. If Mercedes wanted to kill that rumor about $250 Adblue charges, they would offer free service during the warranty period. Which to me makes so much sense. They are then sure the vehicle is maintained properly while under warranty. I think MB is riding high right now on top of the Luxury heap. They may do some fine tuning when BMW passes them probably this month.
But if you want to swap cars for a week, maybe that would be a good test....
PS
He lives right in the middle of coal generation country and has not has an attack.
Different triggers for different folks.
Interesting to note that if you do a search for "asthma gasoline exhaust", most of the hits talk about diesel. And some people think diesel exhaust is not simply a trigger but a cause of asthma.
I doubt any 21st century passenger car diesels cause asthma problems - they don't seem to expel any visible emissions or particulates.
Part of the reason why I posted TMI on the OCI for the 09 Jetta TDI (in a recent post) was really to indicate the relative lower costs for a TDI (vs gasser), IF one is inclined to DIY, which a lot of gasser folks are/or chose to do. In some cases, the cost per mile lubricated can be @ par, to less, to slightly more. Of course once given/delineated the realities, one can inject what one tends to do in those situations.
So for example given the design of the TDI, one can literally park on the Streets of San Francisco (anywhere actually) in a metered space or (if you can find one, UNMETERED space) and do an OCI. Drop all the used (2 to 6) containers in a public trash can (sans oil, one should responsibly recycle used oil at a used oil recycle center like.... PEP Boys) and go SHOPPING !!
Current cost for 507.00 oil is app $6.60 per L. My cost per mile driven lubricated was .0014 cents.
(outrageous price for oil filter $8.59, Again, TMI interestingly enough, this filter also fits the GASSER VW/AUDI products)
Well, that's the real kicker. The stuff that will mess you up the most is the stuff you cannot see (except at very high concentrations). "PM2.5" as it is dubbed, which is the particulate matter that is at or smaller than 2.5 microns, will do you the most harm.
Not saying modern vehicles DO cause the issues you mention, just saying that what you can't see CAN kill you.
There are app 270.5 M passenger vehicles in Europe; of which 50% plus are diesels (135.25 M) passenger diesel vehicles. There are app 258.4 M passenger vehicles in the US market: of which less than 5% are diesels (vs 12.92 M; further stratification puts 50% of those diesels being "light trucks", defacto leaving 6.46 M passenger diesel CARS= 2.5% of the passenger vehicle population) . This takes "reasonable doubt" to (almost breath taking , pun intended) elevated levels of absurdity.
Oh, speaking of diesel, paid 3.99 today - got around 500 miles on 3/4 tank, which included city slogging. RUG was 3.79, PUG was 4.09, mid grade was the same as diesel.
http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/cancer_frequency.php
http://www.exxonmobilperspectives.com/2012/01/27/what-am-i-paying-for-in-the-pri- ce-of-a-gallon-of-gasoline-2/?utm_content=what%20am%20i%20paying%20for%20in%20th- e%20price%20of%20a%20gallon%20of%20gasoline&utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&u- tm_campaign=Perspectives_-_Tier_1
Driving hard is a big fuel consumer in my experiences. I get at least 20% better fuel economy than my wife does on any of our vehicles for local driving and about 10% better on trips. Same speed, just pumping gas pedal vs being able to hold rpms steady.
Not saying modern vehicles DO cause the issues you mention, just saying that what you can't see CAN kill you."...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_(logic)
Well no ! I did NOT point to you to say YOU are advancing this common "ANTI" diesel hysterical attitude. I just defined it further and call it what it is. Indeed, if there are the sounds of one hand clapping, you could actually be saying you were really talking of gassers !! ?? (since you were responding to a prior post, I think not) If you didn't want to go there, perhaps you should have left it out !?
SO, if for some reason you may have felt (whatever), that was never the intention and apologize for any lack of clarity. The numbers simply are not there and the correlations not made. The sentiment so defies the reality, as to be beyond "magic". Yet, there are a sizable number of folks who take the magic to be THE REALITY. We can speculate why and there are many reasons and answers, but I say cut to the chase and , FOLLOW THE MONEY. We love to demonize the oil companies, as they are vilified for making unconscionable percentages of money. I would submit to you that 39 cents is 457 % to 388% GREATER than 7 cents to 8 cents !!!!!
The truth is as one would think. We don't even need grade school math to chose. Would one rather make 7 to 8 cents or...... 39 cents?
My driving hard was flying up mountain passes and such. I'm not one for jackrabbit starts in town. But it was pretty fun on winding mountain roads, where an oaf in a truck or SUV would come up on my bumper as I was going 15 over (but refusing to pass me) on a straight, then I would absolutely lose him in the turns, as even my heavy diesel automatic sedan can waste the middle American bloatmobile in the curves.
A/C uses a lot of fuel. It is often masked because warmer temperatures help mpg considerably. So you may get the same mpg driving in 95 degrees with A/C as you do at 50 degrees with no A/C.
This is one trick a lot of the high mpg drivers use. Never turn on the A/C and drive on warm days. Also take as long a trip as possible so the engine stays nice and hot.
No, I completely get what you're saying. The whole state of fuel in this country is quite aggravating, to say the least. I'm not looking forward to subjecting my car to ethanol-laced fuel when I head to America next week....
A/C uses a lot of fuel. It is often masked because warmer temperatures help mpg considerably. So you may get the same mpg driving in 95 degrees with A/C as you do at 50 degrees with no A/C.
This is one trick a lot of the high mpg drivers use. Never turn on the A/C and drive on warm days. Also take as long a trip as possible so the engine stays nice and hot.
As you can see, not much changes from grammar school. The school yard bully goes scott free !!!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-20/california-considers-if-pg-e-penalty-is- - - -worth-bankruptcy.html?cmpid=yhoo
This should prove INTERESTING.
That 18.6 could have been doubled fairly easily.
Sounds like you had a flat fr enclosed trlr. The V style help break that barn door flow, and worth their premium if you do much highway with these trlr loads. Plus you can throw stuff up front in that area to help get the best tongue load balance.
Not sure what flawed their testing, but in real world comments I've read here (Edmunds real world MPG forums) and elsewhere... and my own findings, is that an easy 2-3mpg +or- a fair bit cuz of so many variables that apply, is not small potatoes in my book. I use A/C and I would even if it cost me 10 mpg. The only time I would turn it off when it was needed, is if I was running low on gas in unfamiliar territory and not sure where the next refueling point was. It makes that much difference. And if I need to do an aggressive pass on a two-lane, I switch it off then too...it is like I just got an extra 30 hp under the hood. Again tho..the smaller the engine, the bigger the difference it makes. The other extreme was with my big truck. When you have 1200 ft lbs of torque, clicking on the A/C isn't noticeable. When you have 10 times less, it is.
Carving through the corners like that is fun driving, one of the highlights of my trip. Yellow sign says 40, I say 60
Oh, that's for sure, gimme!
The trailer was a flat front. It was a UHaul rental (5x8), and they don't offer any V-fronts. If I were to buy one, I'd definitely get a V-front.
I was hauling a piano and nothing else in the trailer, so I centered it for optimal weight distribution, then used four ratcheting tie downs to strap it down with an 'X' pattern over the top and two 'U' patterns around the bottom from LF-to-LR and RF-to-RR, respectively. That sucker was locked in there so well that it didn't even wiggle on the way home (~350 miles over seven hours with several construction areas and typical Alaska roads).