lifted 4x4 custom turbo diesel 30mpg Tracker / VW tdi hybrid

[karmaxul]

I would love this to get passed on to the hands of a economical owner.

I would be happy to answer any questions.

Jeep : Other TDI in Jeep | eBay Motors

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Nice, but I'd actually expect it to get a better mileage. Something around 42 to 45 MPG...

[Nerys]

??? I get 32mpg in my 89 tracker on E10 winter blend right now as it sits? it should be hitting 55+ mpg with a small diesel engine in it !!

the bigger question is what is wrong with it that it only gets 30mpg ??

[karmaxul]

What happened is 33 inch tires and a 463 gear ratio. The truck only weights 2700 pounds so if you dropped it back down and put small tires on it I am sure you would get that after putting in a new transmission though you would not be able to go anywhere you wanted.

[Nerys]

33 inch tires would actually improve mpg's IF driven accordingly (my cherokee gained 3mpg when I went to 31" tires) unless they are SO much heavier than stock as to offset the gearing advantage with rotational mass.

what is 463 gear ration? what is stock gear ratio ?

I kind of wish my tracker had a 6 speed more than I wish for one in my metro.

At 45mph I am turning 2500 rpm !!! really want that down to 2000rpm. thinking about taller skinny tires just to try and lower the rpm some more. its got WAY more power than I need :-) I think I can wring 35mpg out of it but I am greedy and want to push for 40mpg :-)

[karmaxul]

That is the stock gearing for that year. For highway travel you may get some lower rpms with larger tires though its more energy to turn them. I imagine they are twice as heavy as the stock tires which may be an issue. Highways driving at 55mph would get better mileage for sure though average speed in CT is 70. I will go 80 though I prefer to keep up with traffic. I imagine you may be able to get better mileage out of it as I don't drive at low rpms as it puts stress on the bearings. I have never heard that larger tires would get better fuel economy though under certain conditions and torque I can see it being possible. A six speed would be great

[Nerys]

yes more energy to CHANGE their speed but not much more energy to "maintain" a fixed speed. a larger tire is like putting a lower gear transmission in the car (you travel a greater distance per revolution of the tire)

SO in city driving or mountain roads you want tiny light wheels but on the HIGHWAY you want tall skinny wheels. the taller the better as long as it does not bog it down.

being TWICE as heavy is a pretty significant difference that might eat up the gear change savings but the higher torque of the diesel should eat that up.

then add them being wider with aggressive tread. it might be a wash.

I never go over 45mph. except on the expressways then 55 MAX 50 if traffic is light. :-) UNLESS I am semi surfing then its any speed I can make the car go and keep my car in the semi's suck zone (60-100 feet)

its how i get 65mpg in my metro and its how I hope to get 40mpg in my tracker :-) and how I got 24mpg in my 88 cherokee (4" lift full skids rs900's all around 31" meats etc.. etc..)

I drive 40,000 miles a year (down from 55+ a year) so mileage is really critical to me.

have you ADJUST your odometer readings for the larger tires? you might be getting much better economy than you think you are ??

with the larger tires on my metro the odometer is off by a factor of 1.14 on the cherokee its also 1.1) ie in the metro every 100 miles the odometer says i went I have actually gone 114 miles !! that adds up to a lot at the end of a tank !

if your getting 30mpg WHILE DRIVING 70-80 mph regularly that is actually REALLY REALLY good !!

[War_Wagon]

I have 3 Trackers currently, and yours is nicer than any of mine lol. But I will say that the $15k buy now price will probably scare a lot of people off. I understand that modding stuff is crazy expensive, but sadly in general people don't want to spend more money on a vehicle to save money on fuel. It's a niche market. A $4000 clean 16v Tracker that gets in the 20s for MPG will sell waaaaay before a $15000 diesel convert that gets in the 30s. Is it an Atlas conversion? I wish you luck with the sale.

[razor02097]

One would not buy a vehicle like that to save money on fuel. How many miles are on the body? Even if it is custom people will need to know that.

[karmaxul]

Nervs, The speedometer is pretty close according to the speedometer app on my phone. I imagine I could get much better fuel economy with it if I drove differently. I put 120,000 miles on one of my cars in a year and a half once when I lived in northern vt and drove down to new york city often. Regarding the larger tires I see what you are saying. If it was all highway I imagine it would be a great difference with fuel economy.

Car wagon, I here what you are saying though the Acme kit alone with all the extras is around 4000 and it is a new build. The bumpers, side rails and other mods with out the engine and body or work involved really burns a hole in the wallet fast. I have the reserve set at 7200 which is a big lose for me. The buy it now is what it cost to build. I was thinking if some one was to build one they could buy mine which is in great shape, save them selves thousand and a good chunk of time. I had been offered 8000 for it a few months back which I turned down and a trade for a 2006 loaded Titan worth 14000. I could not see getting 12 miles to the gallon in a large gas truck.

Razor, I buy my vehicles to save money on fuel. I just bought a used new beetle as I can get 45 to 50 miles per gallon with the same engine the tracker has in this body.