Friendly Wager: 60 mpg 95 Mercury Tracer

[M_a_t_t]

I don't think I will make it. Definitely possible to be very close though. Last weekend I worked on the car for awhile. I put a partial belly pan, rear wheel skirts, front wheel spats, sealed radiator tunnel, sealed front openings (air dam and headlights, etc.). Not this weekend, but since my last post I installed a converter lock up switch. I noticed awhile ago that it didn't seem like the converter was locking up so I installed a switch and it is now working (definitely brought mpg's up). Since I installed the lock up switch I now have to adjust lean burn to the difference.

This morning I had a good run. I got stopped by a train so I got a warm car run for the last 2/3rds of my commute. I got 47 mpg (my typical driving is minimal driving techniques, mostly just maintaining speed and paying attention). I think with lean burn and some practicing I will be within reach.

We sat down and the time has been set for sunday at noon. I don't know if they didn't remember all the stipulations they had set, but some of the restrictions have been lifted.

• Must stay above the speed limit
• "No coasting for long distances to stop signs" Not sure where the line will be drawn for this one. I.E. can I PnG above the speed limit (up to 20 sec glide)?
• No drafting

The route is through a few medium-small size towns so average speed should be down. I will try and drive atleast part of the route before this weekend.

[Xist]

"Hey guys, what time are we doing the contest?"
"Wait, you were serious?!"
"Do you have any idea what I have done for the last few months?!"

[Frank Lee]

Now that you can do some better driving, along with the mods you just might get that pizza...

[Xist]

What is the ROI on this pizza?

[Frank Lee]

Probably like the "free" soda at casinos...

[M_a_t_t]

I tried EoffC on a trip from my mom's house to mine (which is on the other side of town) and got a personal high of 48.90 mpg . My previous best was 34 before these last mods. Thats a huge improvement .


ROI:
Aluminum flashing ~80 (I still have about 1/3rd of the second roll left)
Steel framework for the tail was 25 (Have 1 more 10 ft piece)
Lights were 40ish
coroplast was 78 (still have 2 full 4*8 sheets)
Batteries* were 150 + 20 for wiring
rims and tires were 220
Misc (tape, screws, etc) ~20-25
Total: $638

*I went ahead and bought a second battery of the same size. Even though one battery was enough I was pushing it sometimes. Either due to forgetting to plug the car in or just too much driving in a day.

Don't have a solid mpg number since the last mods. Assuming average for whole year to be 52 (easy math) then I get double the fuel economy for stock combined (26). Average gas price for 2019 was $2.47 in Indiana. My current job is only 3 days a week (part time) hopefully it goes up to full time when I graduate. If I go with 5 days a week thats 150 miles per week. So I would save $3.55 a week (5.77 gal stock vs 2.88). That means it would only take 179.5 weeks to break even. AKA 3.45 years ! Of course this doesn't count any other driving I do.

I had fun though and I'll restate what I've said to others: My other hobbies have no ROI (making things go fast). So I'm having fun modding my car for better mileage and the side effect is that I save money on gas day to day.

[vacationtime247]

Man I miss my Tempo. Had the little 2.2 Mazda RF Diesel and a 5 speed. Would easily get over 50 mpg in the summer and over 40 in the cold Indiana winters. Had sat for years before I rescued it. Best part of winter driving was the fuzz balls the vents would spit out from the mice and squirrel nests.

[Natalya]

What do you get if you win the bet?

What PSI are you running?

[M_a_t_t]

Bet is over with sad results. I did a test run last Thursday (1/16) on the designated route and struggled to keep my average above 45. Driving a little bit more conservatively, but not really trying any new techniques. So I just gave up. I probably could have gotten it with more effort put in (driving style and mods) and better weather (it was like 26 F with ~15-18 mph wind). Also I can't get the lean burn to work. It definitely impacts the car, but it doesn't improve mileage. I am taking a break from messing with the car for awhile so there probably won't be much activity on this thread over the next few months.

On the other hand though the best people said they got in a stock car with the auto was 40 in the summer. So I have improved the car a good amount, just not 60 in the winter.

It was $40 and dinner.

My tire gauge ran out at 50, so 50 plus a few seconds. I think they might have a slow leak though. Also I have a suspicion that one of the calipers and one of the rear drums is dragging.

I still need to get pics of the car as I tested it. I will get them by the end of the week.

My tank average (according to mpguino) is sitting just below 40 mpg which is mixed driving for me (54% increase over EPA!).

[MeteorGray]

Well, it was a gallant endeavor!

If it were me, I wouldn't dream of conducting a mileage run in 26 F with ~15-18 mph wind unless, of course, the wind were at my back and I had the trunk lid open :-)

Keep up the quest. Life is a continuum of learning experiences, and we're all still on the ride.