900 Mile tank on Jetta TDI - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

JSMITH8505 · 10-29-2010, 11:31 AM

I drive 96 miles each way to and from work everyday so fuel mileage is my number one daily priority. I drive a 2003 Jetta TDI which is rated 44 mpg.

I've had several 750-800 mile tanks on my Jetta TDI, but after reading this site I decided to drive just a bit smarter. The car is totally stock, and it's the 3rd MK4 generation (1999-2005) VW TDI I've owned.

My driving habits were pretty good- anticipating lights, averaging my speed in stop and go driving so the car pretty much always keeps moving, using cruise control, tire pressure, etc-- but last night I reached a personal best and hit the magical 900 mile tank.

15.912 gallons/ 900.1 miles/ 56.56 mpg. ( I admit I chickened out once it rolled past 900 and pulled into a gas station). My car can hold 16.4 gallons when it's flat empty, so I had another 1/2 gallon left.

The next step is to do aerodynamic mods that don't look too crazy and seeing what that does.

I'll keep everyone posted as things improve.

Jerry

NachtRitter · 10-29-2010, 09:19 PM

Absolutely incredible!! Great job! I just purchased a 2000 Jetta and am going through it a bit (finding many of the common MK4 problems!) and hope to get it on the road soon. I'd be thrilled to get an 800 mile tank... 900 miles would be wild!

endurance · 10-29-2010, 10:00 PM

Wow! Guess I'm impressed by both the mpg and the size of the tank. That's some serious range. Heck, I could roll into Vegas from Denver with almost a quarter tank in reserve. Amazing stuff.

Varn · 10-29-2010, 11:16 PM

Excellent but ouch, 200 miles of commuting a day, 50,000/year.

Weather Spotter · 10-30-2010, 11:09 AM

Head over to the wiki for a good list of mods with lots of user data

Car MPG Efficiency Modifications Main - EcoModder

JSMITH8505 · 10-30-2010, 11:14 PM

Varn, The saving grace for the commute is that it's all interstate, except for the part closest to home. 35 mph for about 1.5 miles, and then interstate for the rest of the time. Two traffic lights in the entire drive.
I average 70-72 mph, but the week I did the 900 mile tank, it was closer to 63 where I was running at 2200 RPM which seems to be the sweet spot for this engine.

JSMITH8505 · 10-30-2010, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by endurance

Wow! Guess I'm impressed by both the mpg and the size of the tank. That's some serious range. Heck, I could roll into Vegas from Denver with almost a quarter tank in reserve. Amazing stuff.

I once did a Montgomery AL to Denver trip in my previous 03 Jetta TDI about 3 years ago. I made it 750 miles (driving faster than I should have been) and filled up in Kansas City. Then went another 730 miles to Denver, filling up once I made it into Denver.

That's nothing compared to my other major accomplishment.
My 623,000 mile 1989 Jetta Diesel, which achieved that on it's original, unrebuilt (or otherwise repaired) 1.6 L diesel engine. I'll post on that some time in the near future.

I can't say enough good about Diesel VW's. (Of course, for the past few years, I've turned my admiration of these cars into a career where I sell them).

JSMITH8505 · 10-30-2010, 11:22 PM

By the way, thanks for the comments.
Jerry

endurance · 10-31-2010, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSMITH8505

I once did a Montgomery AL to Denver trip in my previous 03 Jetta TDI about 3 years ago. I made it 750 miles (driving faster than I should have been) and filled up in Kansas City. Then went another 730 miles to Denver...

ironically I have the exact opposite story. It was my previous Acura, a 1994 Integra with the 160hp 1.8. We were coming back from Vegas going for a new return speed record and went through an entire tank of gas (10-11.5 gallons) in just two hours and twenty minutes! 120+ mph managed to set the new low mileage record on That car of 24.6mpg; a car that averaged over 30mpg. On a high note, we did still set the record of 8:35 hours for the 775 miles to my house in Denver despite stopping for gas 3x and a lunch break. It was also one of our last times we drove, as we figured we'd used up the last of our luck with wildlife on the roads and the cops. Now we fly down legally and arrive a lot less stressed!

To think, now I'm routinely getting over 36 out of a larger, more powerful engine. Glad I survived long enough to see it!

5speed5 · 10-31-2010, 10:41 PM

Wow! I had an '02 Jetta 5-spd TDI and the best I got was a 750 mile tank. Of course, my commute is only about 20 miles round trip, so it took a long time between fill ups.

I had to sell it once we had our second kid because of the lack of enough rear seat room for a rear-facing baby seat (with two kids...with one kid it works nicely to place them in the middle). Some day I'd like to get another one. 2003 is the best year, IMHO, as it's pre-pumpe-duse (more fuel efficient, if less powerful), but still has the 100K-mile timing belt change interval and has the best looking alloy wheels.

My dream car would be a silver (or white, or champagne) '03 Jetta TDI Wagon 5-spd.