Gas Mileage

[66OnHHO]

What gas mileage should I get on my 66 1300?
Thanks.

[Blue Baron]

The factory says 28 mpg.

[scruffy]

Mine depending on the wind and north dakota flat ground 26 to 36

[66OnHHO]

I know the owner's manual says 28.5 but I'm getting 34.5 mpg highway at 55 mph indicated. With my HHO cell on, I've observed around 37 mpg highway.

I'm running 20 PSI front and 30 PSI rear. The tires are 165 80 R15.

I'm also running Mobile 1.

Here is a link with information about synthetic oils in air cooled VW's http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resou ... nthoil.htm

I know there has been a lot of dicussion on this board about the pros and cons of synthetic oils but I think they improve fuel economy.

Other than that, the engine as far as I know is stock.

Some things I do are:
Avoid full throttle acceleration
Drive 55 (It's a 43 year old car)
Anticipate Lights and let off the gas when I see a yellow light
Don't follow too close (good idea with VW brakes)
Coast down hill when practical. (The 66 is a great coaster)
Turn off the engine when not rolling for more than a minute.

Hope this helps.

[jmartini]

I get a little over 30 with my 1300.

[Blue Baron]

I chuckle when I read about people afraid to go over 55 because the car is so old. The Volkswagen Beetle was designed to be driven flat out, all day long, and it's the same in 2009 as it was in 1966. I have no problem cruising mine at 70-75.

However, those driving suggestions are great for thrifty driving and longevity. I may drive mine flat-out, but I don't flog it getting to speed.

[66OnHHO]

Funny you should say that, on the way back from Knoxville yesterday I had mine cruising along at 70 mph to keep from being flattened by the semi trucks and still had a little left. With a final drive ratio of 3.89 (ref: http://sandlizrd.baja.com/gears.htm ) the little four banger is really screaming. I'd like to have a 5th gear or Freeway Flyer...

BTW, I checked my mileage and still got 33.1 mpg on the 100 mile round trip. I did have my new HHO dry cell running off of a 12 volt deep cycle battery. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

[bsflyboy]

Okay, I'll bite. What does HHO stand for?

Also, on the synthetic question, we have been using synthetics in air cooled airplane engines for years. It helps them run cooler. We have a 550 cubic inch stuffed into a very small space and it runs about 25 degrees cooler on synthetic oil. This is great and very necessary when traffic control has you stuck in line waiting to take off or climbing out in 100 degree weather.

Bottom line is that the cylinders still look great well into the life of the power plant.

[fatalifeaten]

I know you were looking for mileage numbers for a stock 1300, but even with some performance modifications, you can get mileage out of a VW that shames many modern cars.

My car is NOT stock. I want to state that at the outset. It's lowered, and running a '67 gearbox with short axles because I've got some insanely fat tires on the back. (225/60x15) Engine's a DP 1641 with a 110 cam and dual 40 Kads, and I'm running a header and single QP instead of the stock exhaust. I drive at highway speed frequently and average 27.7 MPG on 91 octane. When I bought the car, it had a completely stock 1500 in it (H case and all) That engine topped out sooner and went a little slower but still averaged 31.4 MPG with a 30/H31 carb on it. Those numbers are comparable to my '08 Passat, which is computerized, fuel injected, and gussied up 9 ways to Sunday be be fuel efficient by the factory.

[Blue Baron]

With a final drive ratio of 3.89 the little four banger is really screaming. I'd like to have a 5th gear or Freeway Flyer...

The stock ring and pinion on a '66 Beetle is 4.37:1, so you already have a tall final drive. You may think your engine is "screaming" at 70, but you're just nudging 3,500 rpm.

The biggest myth is that you need a fifth gear or a "freeway flier" (I call it a freeway fryer) overdrive for a Beetle. Turning too few revs on the highway will only lead to overheating of the air-cooled engine and pounding of the bearings. The best combination I've found is the stock transmission with the '67-'72 4.125:1 r&p with stock tires (125.5 inch OD).