Fast355

iTrader: (2)

I will own the first mistake, it was 83 Crossfire TA, not you. You have both had Crossfire and TPI cars you have mentioned over the years. Sorry for having a bad memory 19 years later.






That being said the factory engine size, induction, gear ratio and transmission type for these cars from the factory make very little difference in real world fuel mileage. A 2.5L or 2.8L car drinks nearly as much as a 305 or 350 V8 in normal day to day city driving. On the highway an automatic and manual will put up similar fuel mileage. A TPI car should not be getting 9 mpg in one of these car unless something is horribly wrong with it. As I said prior in something short of pulling a loaded dump truck around a TPI will se drastically better than 9 mpg. That is seriously loaded big block C60 dumptruck truck like fuel mileage and the highway performance was equally weak. It has a fuel eating demon in the car no question about it.

I was getting 14 mpg in a vortec head, cammed TPI 350 powered 5,300 lbs G20 van with a 700r4 and 3.08 gear in all city driving and over 20 mpg consistently on highway trips and a F-car should easily far outperform that brick on fuel mileage. Even when it had a smog detuned worn out 250K mile 305 in it with a Q-Jet it was still getting over 17 mpg on the highway and 12-13 in town.

Last summer moving my mother to a new house, I actually found the spiral that we kept track of fuel fillups and thus fuel mileage because it had a bad fuel level sending unit for years. It was cool to me because it had my dad that has been deceased for 13 years handwritting, my mom's handwriting and my handwriting in the entries. I was 6th or 7th at the time and my dad would make me write down the numbers and do the math for him. That old Q-Jet 305/700r4/3.08 geared setup was always consistent on fuel consumption. 6/10-6/13 would have been a trip to TN for a family reunion. Date..Odometer..Trip Distance...Fuel in Gallons. Real world numbers from Summer 1998, lol. Also reminded me of the old GM analog tripmeter, spin the end of the **** to reset it. It would count 111.1, 222.2, 333.3 and so on until back to 000.0, been years since I reset one like that.

I will spare all the math, there are a couple of whole tanks that saw over 17 mpg in a worn out old carbureted V8 powered 5,300 lbs van that was loaded down at the time with a family and all our stuff that wemt with us. In 1998 that was a neglected 15 year old high mileage stock GM van. My dad certainly did not believe in proper maintenance either on anything.

Tom 400 CFI

Ayuh. You brought it up...not me. Didn't think you'd find any 30 mpg claim from me. None was ever made. Third gens typically get low-mid 20's, with ideal driving conditions. While I'm sure any of us can cherry pick outlying examples, statistics and history have shown where the majority of the data lands.


Or.....OR....it's sitting, idling. Like the OP probably was, (city/traffic/stop lights, etc). to get those numbers. We know that sitting, idling, cars get 0 mpg. ZERO. That really pulls down an average. We also know that "city driving" varies widely. "Stopped" city driving, is going to result in terrible mpg, even in an efficient car. Please note that since the "9mpg claim", the OP has driven the car on the highway, and gotten 18.3 mpg. So. We're not talking about "my car gets 9mpg" anymore.

Not sure what ancient sh!tbox vans have to do with this thread, the OP or his car.

Extrafitkid

Naw Dawg Why you calling me OP


Just Kidding .....

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

It has everything to do with a point I am making that something is messed up with his car. If a box on wheels rolling along at over 6,000 lbs with a SBC can get 17 mpg at highway that 18 mpg is terrible. That was my point. A F-car is close to half the weight and aerodynamic. Thats my point. I also sit at traffic lights, stop signs, idle in drive throughs with ac blasting, will stop and eat with the engine running, even had a 1 mile commute each direction 4 times a day at one point. I drove home during my lunch break. Never got that kind of **** poor fuel mileage even in my nearly 7,000 lbs van with a 383 in it in those driving conditions. 8-9 mpg city is about what I get with an 8,000 lbs hanging on the hitch of that 7,000 lbs van and even at that weight it gets 12-13 cruising 70 on the highway. Not towing that 383 has gotten 20.6 in the 7,000 lbs van. I cannot help that you do not see a big issue with only 18 mpg in a car capable of mid-upper 20s with it running correctly.

Tom 400 CFI

How in the world can you ascertain that....from "CITY driving"??? Which WE don't know what that entails....for HIM. The Gas spilling out on the ground is a known, obvious issue that he needs to address....that's been covered.

Go back and look at the Fuelly link. That's a LOT of "terrible", but super light weight, and wicked aero F-bods. HOW CAN THAT BE????
Driving....it's the driving. My wife would get 24 in her V....I'd get 28-30. Wha....tha....!?? Driving. Not all people drive the same. Not all "city" is the same. Should I start shouting to the world that V's should get 30 mpg b/c *I* did?? NO! B/c that is not representative! I get ~24 in the 'Vette in MY "City" driving. Should stomp my feet like an shouting that, "All C4's should get 24 mpg...CITY!!" NO! b/c that ain't true. My "City" is way, different than most people's "City" driving.

You sitting at a McD's getting chow, doesn't relate in any meaningful way to whatever it is that the OP does, b/c you don't know what he's doing in his "City" driving. Ya don't know how he drives. So what can we do? We look at the meat of the bell curve for 3rd Gen's w/V8's. WHERE'S THAT LAND, Fast? About 18-22. Ish. The has a known issue (a leak) otherwise, his car seems fairly fine; even with his leak, he's right in the meat of the bell curve.


This is the most assinine, worthless, no-help kind of not-thinking on this forum. And I don't need any help at all; it's ALL about the DRIVING. I can't help you that you do not see that the vast majority of 3rd Gens don't get Mid-Upper 20's. *I notice that you're number is now "creeping down" from "high 20's to low 30's".

Extrafitkid

Op says: I drove close to Marge Simpson 2nd time 9 mpg :-)
Traffic is stop and go at times but not grid lock tourist season over.
So, anyway understand both views, I know when this is fixed, I'll get 14-16 City and 22-24 Hwy.
Then I can look into Further Mods
You both have valid points I see both sides.
So good news, I am going to replace the Fuel Vent Tank Value and Put on a New O2 Sensor.
Also, a new alternator Regan again.13 volts12,11,10ish night driving
Will see what that does I'll let you both know in the week.

Matthew 5:9 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God”

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Literally nowhere did I change what I said. I said my personal 305 with the shortest gearing combination made in these cars got close to 30 mpg highway, that would be high 20s. I also said that there have been numerous cars get highs 20s and low 30s. Even the TPI swapped car that Dyno Don owned had a claimed 31 mpg by Kevin91Z, his son. He used to brag about how superior TPI cars were to TBI because he gained like 1 mpg and some TQ and HP when they put TPI on the car with both systems completely untuned. You will literally argue about anything I post and even refute actual proof, have a good day and a good life because I really don't care.

Tom 400 CFI

Ayuh. Sure thing, Fast. It's obvious that..."you don't care".

I'll just leave this, right here:
No?...Post #31:
Post #54: Didn't change your claims? Whatever you say, man.



Fortunately, it sounds like the OP has a realistic grasp of the situation, has a reasonable goal, and a good plan to get there. Lets let him do that and get back to us, shall we?