TopGear.com America high mpg project (regeared, aeromodded diesel Rabbit)

[Deezler]

That's wierd. they flipped the whole image horizontally. Look at where the driver is sitting too

[MetroMPG]

I hope the first comment under the Sipster's summary instalment doesn't sum up your intended audience's take on your epic efforts:

Another incredibly long article about an ugly car no one would ever drive and the interesting world of fuel economy!!! Yay!!!

I would have liked a bit more info than the 1-gallon fill. Getting that ScanGauge calibrated would have helped. (Could have made up a nice speed/mpg graph). But as you said, you ran out of time.

And anyone who's ever watched Top Gear knows it's more about the entertainment than the information.

I say: nice job! You kept this efficiency geek thoroughly entertained.

[Frank Lee]

One less than a gallon short fill for fe claims?

I still haven't heard what makes this swap more sensible than just modding a Jetta? Can't even find those old Rabbits anymore- they're all gone!

[giff]

Good catch on the image flip! Double-yellow crossings are not in our repertoire.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I say: nice job! You kept this efficiency geek thoroughly entertained.

Glad to hear it! It's been fun.

[Drive Stick]

I'm not going to read this entire thread, but in one of the videos I noticed somebody help up a fender flare and said something like (before) "50 mpg" then they held up the flare and said "60 mpg."

Did you guys end up putting the fender flares on and seeing any mpg improvements?

I can't sort out all the videos and mumbo jumbo in this thread.

[giff]

Drive_Stick, that fender flare comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek =)

If you need an index of everything here you go; Project Sipster - Top Gear US

[eyesoreracing]

Originally Posted by Deezler

Whoo-hoo!

Congrats guys. Love the shots of the rabbit drifting sideways across the desert at the end.

One serious question: You filled up until the neck was full. Is there a vent-tube that runs along side the main filler neck though (to allow for expansion)? If you didn't "vent" the tank, you could still be off quite a bit.... hope that doesn't ruin your day.

Previous owner drilled a hole in the fuel cap. We picked up a screw off the ground and threaded it into that hole, finger tight, to keep fuel from dribbling down the fender. Still not air-tight, though.

By what mechanism would you expect the results to be off?

-Dave

[eyesoreracing]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I hope the first comment under the Sipster's summary instalment doesn't sum up your intended audience's take on your epic efforts:

Our intended audience is people with eyeballs.

Since I assume you qualify as part of that group, your opinion matters just as much as that guy's, but TopGear.com management isn't likely to see or care about your opinion unless you post it on their site next to his. Just sayin...

-Dave

[Deezler]

Originally Posted by eyesoreracing

Previous owner drilled a hole in the fuel cap. We picked up a screw off the ground and threaded it into that hole, finger tight, to keep fuel from dribbling down the fender. Still not air-tight, though.

By what mechanism would you expect the results to be off?

-Dave

The side vent tube can fill with fuel foam, or have a varying amount of air in it, at different pressures, thereby adjusting the level of fuel at the bottom of it and thus the total amount in the tank.

Not sure how the rabbit tank is designed, just speculating here. On my car, when you fill to the brim, and then hit the vent tab on the side of the filler neck, the fuel in the neck disappears as the air in the vent tube is allowed to escape. You have to repeat this process severals times to really get the tank full. You can imagine that the amount of air trapped in the vent is highly variable...

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Deezler

Not sure how the rabbit tank is designed, just speculating here. On my car, when you fill to the brim, and then hit the vent tab on the side of the filler neck, the fuel in the neck disappears as the air in the vent tube is allowed to escape. You have to repeat this process severals times to really get the tank full. You can imagine that the amount of air trapped in the vent is highly variable...

There's the filler pipe down to the tank, with another line or two ventilation lines from the top of the tank to the large filler pipe, and one line from the ventilation line to an expansion tank up front. There's no vent tab so the amount per fill can probably vary quite a bit.