Something a little different...
 

Hi everyone,

My name is Scotty and I live in Brisbane, Australia. My ecomodding achievements pale in comparison to those of many of the members of this forum, but I thought it might be of interest to some of you. I really enjoy reading this forum, and have learned a lot from it sofar.

I drive a 1989 Peugeot 505 station wagon. It has 8 seats in three rows, of which the last two rows fold flat to create an immense loading space, which I (at 6'4" tall) can comfortably sleep in, and have done so many times.

I travel interstate regularly (4000km+) with heavy loads on board, often towing a trailer with car parts or cars on board, so I need something that is not just economical but also powerful enough to use in these conditions.

The car came from factory with a 2.2 litre petrol engine, developing 130hp and with a stated fuel consumption of about 13 litres per hundred kilometres mixed use.

I have replaced this engine with a 2.5 litre XD3T turbo diesel, rated in standard form to 95 horsepower. It has a 5 speed manual gearbox, and I have retrofitted a 3.077:1 diff.

I have also equipped the engine with a front-mounted intercooler, 2.75" exhaust system with a single, large muffler in the centre, and tuned the Bosch VE injection pump to suit the new configuration. I also run up to 25psi of boost to ensure that all available fuel is being efficiently burned.

I also have an aftermarket cruise control system fitted which I find aids in decreasing fuel consumption in flat, highway conditions.

The result is that on the daily commute to work (entirely city driving), the car averages 7.1 litres per hundred kilometres, and in favourable conditions on a sensibly paced highway run (below 90 kilometres per hour), will usually get below 5 litres per hundred kilometres. In a more realistic test with a load in the car (500kg or so) and sitting at the posted speed limit (110km/h), 5.5 to 6 litres per hundred kilometres can be expected.

The shape of the 505 means that it does suffer considerably at higher speeds from the poor aerodynamics - i've seen office blocks with less frontal area!

My next modification is to fit a variable geometry turbo, so that I can ensure that I am getting maximum fuel burn from the lowest RPM available.

I have considered LPG fumigation systems also, but information out there seems fairly limited, and I am not confident the improvement in fuel consumption would justify the expense and intrusion on my load space.

Anyway, I do hope to continue learning from this forum, and perhaps contribute where I can!

Thanks!

Scotty

Welcome Scotty ! You are certainly doing the right stuff! How about raising the psi in the tires to 40+?

Scotty it looks like you have a firm grip on you project already.
You should realize that some of the incredible numbers eco modders get here are in stripped down highly modified project cars.
Those numbers represent I would guess 40% of the populace on this forum mabe slightly higher. Those cars seldom if ever see full hiway speeds or carry a cargo about.
And as said there is some dividing line about expected performances.
Traffic Jammers like myself are comfortable in Low 40mpg zones but there are some really cool 50 mpg+ @65mph cars on this site.
Mine is a 37mpg avg. @ 70 - 75mph.
That doesnt sound like much but it took alot to get from 19.5 mpg to there.
I just need to buy a 3rd gen Prius now and quit messing with my old junker.

Welcome to ecomodder.

I've looked (briefly) into adding LPG or CNG to my previous diesel car - with a later Peugeot HDi 1.6 L engine.

The company doing these conversions on trucks (semi's and the like), said they could do it and could even get it legal, but that I'd never get the investment back because cars simply don't burn enough diesel and usually don't do enough kilometers to make it remotely worthwhile.