I'm new!
 

Hi there all! I've been looking at ecomodder for quite some time and finally decided to join. I've got a 1985 VW Golf with a 1.6 non-turbo diesel. I consistently get over 50mpg on the highway. Or at least I think I do. The only time I measure it is when we go visit the in-laws, who live over 600 miles from here. This is the third odometer this car has had and it doesn't even work, but I only use one tank there, fill up between 10 to 11 gallons and then drive back, then between 10 to 11 gallons to fill it again. Not bad huh?! I wouldn't mind boat tailing the thing.

I love my VW diesel, but am also interested in gasoline and electric as well. I have a 1972 Beetle that I want to make a fuel mileage car. It's a project in the making. Already have a fully adjustable digital distributor. I've been thinking of maybe using an Adrino and try to program separate spark tables for each cylinder. I even have an urge to make it a hybrid! We'll see how it goes. I appreciate any suggestions.

If I ever do get a new car I'd like a Nissan Leaf.

Thanks all!

Welcome!

I second that motion! I didn't really get a question out of what you posted...so welcome! :)

Welcome to the site.

Since it's an old-school body-on-frame ride you can do virtually anything to the Beetle. I must confess I like the Beetle's air-cooled engine but you may know a water-cooled one would eventually be more suitable to an efficiency-oriented project. Regarding a hybrid setup, it's not my cup of tea at all, but if you do it I'd suggest you to get a direct-drive electric motor driving the front wheels.

I like the air cooled aspect of it too. I've known of guys who have gotten 40mpg (US) in a Bug. Then there's Jake Raby's 50mpg Bug, also air cooled. I think I'll start a thread on my Bug in the projects section.

How far would you be willing to go with the engine mods?

As of now, not too much. I'm trying cam, quench, higher CR, dual heat risers, O2 sensor with an A/F ratio gauge, digitally controlled ignition and possibly a throttle adjusted cooled EGR system.

One thing I toss back and forth is whether to go with dual port or single port. The single port heads are known for better fuel mileage. But if I ever do a port fuel injection setup some day I would need dual port heads. I have both right now. Like I say, this engine is being rebuilt right now. I'm also adding oiling mods called HVX mods that will provide better cooling to the heads. I'm also wanting to get the heads and pistons ceramic coated. That plus the EGR and quench should allow a higher CR.

A dual-port injection is useful at some extent, since a shorter intake manifold won't get frozen so often when running on ethanol or gaseous fuels, altough a longer single-port intake might be better for the low-end torque.