[mar]

VW broke the Guinness Book of World record for 48 contiguous state driving at 58.8 mpg. I would love to have a dealership sponser me to attempt this feat once more. However, its a 9000 mile trip and god knows what crazy route they used in criss crossing the usa.

In any event now that I have 3000 miles on my TDI wagon I decided to take the car out for her first "workout". I used an 18 mile north south stretch of I-476 outside philly including 2 miles on I-95 north near the airport. I racked up 60.0 mpg on the dot. Halfway I was at 63.5 mpg but the trucks were pushing me hard while I was at 54 miles an hour and a few small hills and curves messed me up also. I would like to try this in a sedan without the roof rails as I think the sedan is lighter as well. A warmer day and no cross wind might help also.

Getting back to the Guinness maybe we could get a group to collectively agree to drive in a few states each and get a dealer to sponsor us.
The mpg's are not the issue but rather its the damn trucks and other drivers that keep at steady 55 miles an hour difficult to handle.

What does everyone think?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Great idea but it'll be hard to find a dealership who would sponsor it. Many are having money problems as is. You might want to try VW corporate. The problem is that if you get a driver who isn't a good hypermiler you killed the group average.

In addition, I can also get insane mpg on level roads. It's hills and stop-go traffic that kill mpg. I think 58.8 would be hard to beat. Think about how bad mpg will be going up the rockies! Unfortunately I don't think you can recover going back down either.

Lastly, the best way to calculate mpg is to fill up all the way to the "first click" or until you can see the fuel, reset the odometer, drive, and then fill up at the same exact pump. Different pumps click off at different points. Then divide mpg by however much you filled up with. You may find that it's slightly off what the MFD says. First figure out your actual mpg before getting too excited. From what I hear, the 2009-2010 display are fairly accurate.

 

[Bropot]

Maybe they started at the rockies, went downhill, and ended up at death valley

 

[longo]

I Can't Drive 55

Maybe they started at the rockies, went downhill, and ended up at death valley

If they had a really strong tailwind as well...

The VW Jetta TDI hypermiling record is a cheap PR stunt, try driving 55 anywhere in the U.S. or Canada and the first semi will be right on your back bumper in less than 5 min.
If you don't pull over and let him by, you will quickly be at the head of a 1/2 mile line of PO'ed drivers trying to run you off the road.

So who cares what mpg you get at those pathetic traffic-jam speeds, talk to me when you have a great number doing 75 against a Chinook wind.

(Just for the record I have a VW TDI sitting in the garage.)

 

[mar]

Missed the Point

Gentleman and Ladies:

The point is that this requires some driving skill and especially planning to make this work. It is not a cheap stunt and it gives VW and this group something to boast about so I say to the previous poster "so what!"

The planning would for example be crucial to breaking the record and doing the rockies downhill or perhaps starting at some location in the country that the record holder did not think of. Tail wind, hills, tires, temperature are all factors and perhaps the record holders did not think of everything that a group of us could collectively figure out. One of their sponsors was Shell Oil. A geographer or cartographer could perhaps run a computer program to figure an optimal route based on speed limits, inclines etc.

When I first thought about this I was thinking about picking up the 2011 Jetta Sedan just delivered at the LA port for an east coast dealer. Then drive the car east, then back west and then back east. A dealer like VW of Langhorne may be a consideration to get the car from as they are one of the largest volume dealers in the country. Hopefully the 2011 TDI may be more fuel efficient. On the trip the drivers could make some promotional stops at various VW dealers on the way. While 58.8 is tough, the husband and wife team the Taylors claimed to have driven within 5 miles of the speed limit.

Three East-West Routes seem the way to do this although perhaps concentric circles may also be an option. Straight and flat obviously works better it would seem but who knows. Does anyone know the route that the record breaking Taylor family took? I will be at the Philly car show Saturday so I will look for a VW corporate person to get the ball rolling.

Lets keep brain storming!

regards

martin

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I think that Langhorne's high TDI sales would be a good choice for sponsorship. VW corporate would be too.

Don't forget that mpg will increase after 10,000 miles after the engine is broken in and you've gotten used to the car. In a record attempt like this every drop counts. On a brand new car mpg will suffer.

If you really want to get max mpg, go to florida or someplace out west where you can find very long, empty stretches of flat road and just drive back and forth. Also have a team with 1 large flat SUV in front and the Jetta drafting close behind it.

 

[McJamma]

I think that Langhorne's high TDI sales would be a good choice for sponsorship. VW corporate would be too.

Don't forget that mpg will increase after 10,000 miles after the engine is broken in and you've gotten used to the car. In a record attempt like this every drop counts. On a brand new car mpg will suffer.

If you really want to get max mpg, go to florida or someplace out west where you can find very long, empty stretches of flat road and just drive back and forth. Also have a team with 1 large flat SUV in front and the Jetta drafting close behind it.

If you're going to do that, why not just tow the Jetta with the SUV, LOL. That has to be considered cheating!

 

[Gruppe d]

If you're going to do that, why not just tow the Jetta with the SUV, LOL. That has to be considered cheating!

:laugh: Seriously though, if you're doing this on your own how much drafting can you do before it becomes cheating, let alone dangerous?

 

[mar]

mpg considerations

A few other things I thought of. One is that the contiguous state requirements in theory would allow one to end in a state by just crossing the border. Thus the state with the most mountains and hills could be eliminated while certain others could just barely be touched. Second is to find out what Guinness means as a stock car. Does that mean we cannot change out tires for lower resistance rolling resistant tires. If we have to use the tires that come with the car then perhaps for example Hankook is better than Michelin for if Jettas are using two types of tires on stock cars.

Another consideration is can we take out the spare? Also if we have one person driving and not two on some legs that will cut out some weight. Perhaps we can use a dealer demo car that will already be somewhat broken in? Finally we may be able to use a Golf TDI if the record only stipulates a diesel. Perhaps the golf will do better on mpg even though the EPA has it the same as the Jetta.

 

[mar]

Update: Record now 67.9 mpg

The Taylors broke their old record this past Fall at 67.9 mpg. They were using Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires, They went like Virginia to Maine to across the top to of the US and out to the Northwest and then down to California and back East. They had to do at least 15 miles in each state and Shell checked their odometer and fuel consumption. I think its beatable in a Golf TDI or Polo?

 

[longo]

Who can beat it..

The Jetta TDI mpg's go through the roof when you get the engine speed down to 1900 to 2000 RPM. (by then you are dangerously well under the speed limit of most highways) Don't forget the Jetta is a porky little car and hauls a lot of dead weight.
You are right that the next mpg winner of this cross country tour would probably be a Polo TDI, a little smaller, more streamlined and lots lighter, but still with a fuel sipping TDI engine under the hood.

Thing is this Jetta mpg record is for a car of it's weight class so I don't think the smaller, lighter Polo getting better mpg's would be such a big deal.

Now if we had the Honda Accord 2.2 ltr CRDI or the Hyundai Sonata also running the same TDI engine, that would be a horse race, but those other 2 diesel sedans are only sold in Europe...so VW's record mpg's will go unchallenged until something changes and the car buying public gets another Diesel option.
The government EPA, 'Govt. Motors', Ford and who ever is left holding the bag at Chysler is dead set against that ever happeneing.anic:

 

[mar]

First Long Trip Mileage Off the Mark

Hi Guys and Gals:

I drove Philadelphia to Reston Virginia and back which was like 320 miles total last weekend. Going down I got 46.8 mpg and coming back 50.9 mpg. Heading down it was like 26 degrees and when I left to return a day later it was like 41 degrees. On the return I got the mileage up to almost 56 mpg going maybe between 55 and 60 miles an hour when I hit Baltimore, MD. However as the temperature started dropping the mileage really took a hit and I had to nurse the Jetta home to stay above 50 mpg.

To beat the Taylors world record its got to be in the summer and they apparently must not drive or something when the weather gets bad. Has anyone tried the Good Year Fuel Max Tires which it what they used.

Any other helpful hints. I tried a little drafting but that did not work so it seemed.

regards

hyper (mar)ler

 

[iceman]

Have you ever tried pulse and glide?

 

[Stefan2006]

Have you ever tried pulse and glide?

If it works then why not choose a route of gentle hills? You're travelling for distance driven, not as the crow flies straight line distance. This will let you build miles naturally with pulse-glide.

 

[longo]

Hi Guys and Gals:

"I got the mileage up to almost 56 mpg going maybe between 55 and 60 miles an hour when I hit Baltimore, MD."
hyper (mar)ler

My point exactly, at 55 to 60 mph your engine is only turning over 1900 to 2100 rpm and you mpg's spike up into the 50's and beyond.

But from a practical point of view tho, unless you are out there on the road all by yourself, you'll be Roadkill at those dangerously low speeds.

Still it's nice to see that mpg readout in the 50 + mpg when ever you have the chance to safely slow down and cruise at 2000 rpm.

 

[mar]

Hard to Drive at Those Speeds!

Hi Guys:

Yes its really crazy how fast it seems people are passing when your at 55 or 60 miles an hour. On I-95 there is little respite for going slow even in the slow lane. The car going for the record could have decals and a chase car to keep people away from it on the road. Again I also think a computer program could help with the optimal route.

I am convinced if the weather was 20 degrees warmer I could have easily done 60 mpg. but getting to 67 mpg may require some gimmicks that I am not aware of yet. If anyone has more details on the Taylor's route let me know.

regards

martin

 

[steveb]

Under favorable conditions I find that 2100 rpm in my '09 Jetta (approx. 65 mph, and I have a DSG) with cruise control on gets me 50+ mpg on the interstate. I've made the 165 mile trip from my former home in NW Indiana to Indy (and the reverse) many times averaging over 50. The speed limit for trucks in Indiana (non urban) is 65 so you can do this speed with little interference from faster drivers if you stay in the right hand lane. Of course, wind, temperature, rain, snow and other factors can dramatically impact fuel economy, so I'm happy when I get upper 40s or even mid 40s. I live in Indy now so my highway days or over. I'm glad to get a 40 mpg tank in the city, and with winter fuel the upper 30s satisfies me. Plus, when I get out on the highway now I tend to drive faster, just for fun. The car still gets great mileage even at higher speeds, and seems to be "happier" breaking the speed limit. (The best mileage I ever got was on a "test" on a back road with a 45 mph speed limit and no stop signs for many many miles. I set the cruise on 45 and got 66 mpg. Yeah right, try that on the interstate!)