900 Mile tank on Jetta TDI

[jasonck08]

Great job, keep it up!

[srebello]

I really miss my 01 Jetta. I now have a 2010 JSW with 6 speed. Much bigger and more comfortable, but Im only getting in the low 40's currently. Still under 10000 miles so hopefully it will keep improving.

[Blackbomber]

Originally Posted by endurance

...What does surprise me is just how many cars are still over 3,300 pounds. Seriously, in this day and age of aluminum and plastics, how is it possible to even make a car that heavy?

11 airbags, ABS, leather upholstery, sunroof, Monsoon sound system, auto trans, 4 wheel disk brakes (heavier as a system than drums), and probably some other needless things I'm forgetting. Not to mention there is a weight penalty just from the diesel engine.

Moving all that crap in my ALH, I have gotten a best of 42.3mpg / 640 miles out of a tank. Not too impressive compared to some of the others, but the highway I drive routinely becomes a parking lot. This is also with the engine pan removed, and an intermittent temp too low code.

[JasonG]

I know its cold but, do you have any mod updates ?

[Kaneda]

this makes me wonder whats seriously wrong with mine... just got an '02 auto w/ 160k on it... and seems to have basic maintenance records with it up to 138k. but im avg 400mi a tank, now i know i have a decent hill to deal with each way to work (20mi each way) but i still think it should be doing better than this for sure... i have 2 dash codes that are always there, therm not reaching operating temp, and something EGR related. im new to the TDI world so im not sure what adverse effects these would cause. im looking to do a slew of future mods to the car in the name of efficiency... but $ is sparce right now.

i could only dream of 900mi to a tank! and i thought the mk4s had a 14.6 gal tank?...

[euromodder]

First off - you won't get 900 miles out of a tank without some serious hypermiling effort.
The automatic transmission isn't helping either.

If the engine isn't reaching its proper operating temperature, likely due to a faulty thermostat, it'll use more fuel.

Though some disable the EGR valve , or put in a plate with a smaller hole as a restriction, it reduces fuel consumption during part-load conditions in "normal" driving conditions.
So, if it's not working properly, it can increase your consumption.
The exhaust recirculation piping can clog up with tar like gunk, or the valve itself stops working / gets stuck. Or both.


If you skimp on TDi maintenance, they tend to bite back in due time.

[PaulB2]

Those automatic cars are never going to get close to the mileage of a manual.

My 2013 Passat has done several 900 mile tanks already (mostly freeway). I was tempted several times to shoot for 1000 but the gas stations tend to be far apart where I get those mileages. I keep the speed around 65 during the day and 55 or 60 at night (paranoid about hitting a deer). Mild hypermiling...

I managed 1000 miles a couple times on my '97 Passat wagon, but on one of those I literally coasted into the gas station, and the other time I had to get a can to refuel. Also was driving pretty slow; each increase of 5mph caused my mileage to go down about 5mpg (US).

I suppose it matters if you top off on the fill too. I don't; just stop at first cut-off on a low speed fill.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by euromodder

The effect of shedding weight will be there, but as 100lbs is only a 3% loss, it's lost in the variations of everyday driving.

Isn't our rule of thumb that for every percent of weight (or Cd) reduction, fuel economy goes up half a percent? One and a half percent would get you from, for example, 50 MPG to 50.75, or a 900-mile range to 913.5.

I believe that my Civic has a full-sized spare. It is still in the trunk. I also have my floor jack, jack stands, wrench and socket set, other tools, and cordless screwdriver set. I do not know how much all of that weighs, although much of it is in one heavy duffel bag, and my last tank was 47.26 mpg (US), including stop-and-go traffic.

My fuel tank is 11.9 gallons and I have barely filled up more than eleven gallons twice, I usually do ten-something.

I saw the current Jetta commercial, advertising 44 MPG and an 814-mile range. I wondered who needed an 18.5-gallon tank.

[bikeprof]

That is a great fuel range, 900 miles is nice...

(Hope you guys don't mind but for us Diesel(VW) owners: tdiclub.com
There's a LOT of info...)

In my B4V (wagon), there is a 24-25gallon tank, that is a nice tool to have. Many a time, stopping for fuel was "passable" :-)))) lol

ALWAYS carry fuel with you when trying to make an effort on high fuel/mileage tanks, you'll be happy you brought some with you when getting to THE last drop!

On your VW, there is LOTS of room to go higher sidewall but keep footprint as similar as OEM, pump them things up and also add aerodynamics. ALWAYS keep the EGR/intake CLEAN, otherwise you have to push through junk, :-(

[apexwagon]

Wow thats incredible! I have wanted a TDi for some time now. Ill be commuting 500 miles/week and this would be solid!