Worst City gas mileage ever

[Bicycle Bob]

I'd be inclined toward a strong electric bike with extended chainstays. Xtracycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cfg83]

Bicycle Bob -

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

I'd be inclined toward a strong electric bike with extended chainstays. Xtracycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's pretty cool. How about an electric version of this :

Photos from Nacho Libre


CarloSW2

[Bicycle Bob]

That one is OK for flat land, but you don't want to hit a bump on one side or even a hard corner at speed. There are variants with kingpin steering instead, but they sacrifice some cargo area or width. For just 60 lbs, a long john bike or a super newsboy is fine if you want to keep an eye on the load.

[jasonck08]

Originally Posted by Wonderboy

I haven't done any firm research, but I do believe many with EVs have achieved a level of coolness that trumps A/C har har. A/C would be the last thing I'd think about if I had an EV with a measly 4 mile commute very day. You could do a conversion VERY inexpensively. Would your guitar + amp fit in a trike?

It'a hard to think of not having an AC where I live. Temps soar up to 115-120F in the summer. Oh and with a car being like an oven, cars typically get readings of 130-140F when they are in the sun.

My AC was broken a month or so ago, and I was dying. Everytime I went anywhere, I came out of the car all sweaty. An AC is a must have for about 4 months out of the year. I suspect that in a couple months, my MPG will go up by 5-10% due to not having to use the AC much at all.

[McTimson]

Originally Posted by jasonck08

I suspect that in a couple months, my MPG will go up by 5-10% due to not having to use the AC much at all.

That's funny, because most people's MPG will go down, due to the temperature drop

I've always felt that as long as there's some decent airflow, the temperature doesn't really matter too much. When I lived with my parents, my room was in the attic of an old Victorian house, so the winters were extremely cold, and the summers were extremely hot. I dealt with the winters with blankets, and the summers with a fan blowing at high speed right on my face. Maybe it only works when sleeping, because you're not really doing anything, but it worked for me.

I took out the AC in my car, and blast the fans when it's hot, but my 20 mile commute doesn't make me too sweaty when I get out of the car, since it's mostly highway.

How much time does each trip take in your commute?

[jasonck08]

To work and back about 4 miles takes 8-10 minutes sometimes a little more if there is traffic. But then there are other trips to the store, to grab food, etc, that are a shorter distance. Thats why I'd say my average one way drive is 2 miles.

Also, how do you like your Toyota Tercel. There is a guy on craigslist right now with one for $500. Only has 89K on it. It's a 1990 liftback. I was considering this car. I want one car I can mod the heck out of.

[McTimson]

I love Tercel's more than anyone should really love one car. Being a college student, reliability is the most important thing to me. I've had the car for about 60k miles now, and nothing has been too difficult to replace. The toughest thing I've had to change was valve stem seals, which really wasn't too bad. Most of the common maintenance things are easily accessible, which is great for someone without a garage to work in. Hell, I just dropped the transmission on my girlfriend's Tercel, and it's parked on the side of the road. I've had the wheel bearings crap out on me twice, but once you change them out once, it's not tough at all. My Tercel has been my 'learning' car, and it's been great - learned how to drive a stick, how to change wheel bearings, learned about major engine components, learned what does what in the engine bay, and, learned how to eco-drive.

A '90 liftback would be sweet, but you have to find out if it's carbureted or fuel injected. If it's carbureted, I wouldn't really bother, because it'll be annoying to deal with, MPG-wise. If it's FI'd, then you'll probably have to do some maintenance, but it's not too bad. Timing belt, valve stem seals, and misc. gaskets should be enough. I'd take a good look at it though, and make sure it's not too rusted out, since it's about 20 years old now. Wheel well rust is pretty common, but if there's a lot on the underside, and on brake lines, fuel lines, and the gas tank, it might not be worth it.

I'm not sure what the CD of a '90 Liftback is, but a '91-94 is .36, and a '95+ is .32. The '90 is a totally different body style, so it's hard to tell. I just bought my girlfriend's '93 for $450, and it just needed a brake line and rear brakes to get to working condition. You should be able to get any Tercel for less than a grand, unless it's been extensively modified.

Also, if you can find a Toyota Paseo, it's essentially a sportier Tercel, and should be more aerodynamic, and, I think, a better baseline to work with.

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by jasonck08

It'a hard to think of not having an AC where I live. Temps soar up to 115-120F in the summer. Oh and with a car being like an oven, cars typically get readings of 130-140F when they are in the sun.

My AC was broken a month or so ago, and I was dying. Everytime I went anywhere, I came out of the car all sweaty. An AC is a must have for about 4 months out of the year. I suspect that in a couple months, my MPG will go up by 5-10% due to not having to use the AC much at all.

Around here, we bundle up to go out for many months in winter. Maybe what you need is a cool jacket. For just a few minutes, it would not need to be high-tech at all. A liner of water-filled tubes and a bit of insulation would do it, and you could just turn it inside out to chill in the next AC space. To run it all day, a pump and an ice tank will do the trick. A cool hat really helps, too. For comfort, that's the biggest factor. Cool coveralls are an option, too.

[jasonck08]

Originally Posted by McTimson

My Tercel has been my 'learning' car, and it's been great - learned how to drive a stick, how to change wheel bearings, learned about major engine components, learned what does what in the engine bay, and, learned how to eco-drive.

A '90 liftback would be sweet, but you have to find out if it's carbureted or fuel injected. If it's carbureted, I wouldn't really bother, because it'll be annoying to deal with, MPG-wise. If it's FI'd, then you'll probably have to do some maintenance, but it's not too bad. Timing belt, valve stem seals, and misc. gaskets should be enough. I'd take a good look at it though, and make sure it's not too rusted out, since it's about 20 years old now. Wheel well rust is pretty common, but if there's a lot on the underside, and on brake lines, fuel lines, and the gas tank, it might not be worth it.

It's an EFI and not a carbed car. $500 for a Tercel in decent shape w/ only 89K seems like a very good deal. I do like the Paseo, but its hard to find one. Im to looking for something that I can do some work on. The tercel seems to have a fairly easy to work on layout, and thats why I'm leaning towards it.

[McTimson]

Sounds like a good deal then, just make sure that it is in decent shape.

Wait, is it an automatic, or manual?