Gas milage

[dogsht]

You never said what mileage she actually gets. My bet is you have not physically checked and calculated it out. If so whats the point of this post? Because its not to address a mileage problem.

As a whole I agree with 85 Cutty. Get you a lil sh*t box for when mileage counts transportation now you can concentrate on building your gbody how you want to. That said no reason mileage cannot be a secondary consideration on your gbody build. I sure did not put a 509ci engine in my gbody with gas mileage as my primary consideration but was pleased with 17hwy instead of 9 had I set it up differently. (overdrive, lockup, q-jet, cam) Saveing the engine from spining hard at highway speed is also cool. Now with say 17 instead of 9 and spin the life out of it rpm you can actually afford to drive it to work when you want t.

Best engine for both power and economy the LS1? Don't know the turbo 3.8 from a Grand National would also be hard to beat. Keep your foot out of the turbo and you still have a computer controlled fuel injected v6 with an overdrive. And we have all seen what they can do when you wick up the boost and let em eat.

 

[hunter_alexander]

Um, who cares about gas mileage? :lol:

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I will also say that I did build my Cutlass with fuel economy as a primary consideration. I used to jokingly call the engine "The Pizza 350" as the car was originally intended to be used delivering pizza, or around 40k a year in city conditions. So, the build up was centered on good fuel economy, possible emissions compliance (FL has since eliminated testing), and city driving. What is funny is that the 355 has 3X the HP the 231 V6 had, but actually manages about 1-2 MPG more in city driving than the V6. It does fall short of the V6 in highway driving though because you do not need much power or gear to maintain a steady speed. Because of the extra cylinder volume that still has to be filled, the minimum amount of fuel needed to run at a constant speed will always be more with a larger engine than a smaller one of similar efficiency. That's why the V6 got 30mpg highway, and the V8 would probably struggle to hit 23-25.

Since the initial build in 1997, the 355 has had a few changes for more power, and ironically, better fuel economy. I removed the computer, added the Edelbrock Performer intake ( I originally had a stock 305 piece), changed to a more aggressive cam, changed the rockers, and changed the rear gear from 2.41 to 3.23. It still idles stock smooth, and is quiet enough to be mistaken for a LG4 305! Now that is not what most people are looking for, but I am happy with it for the most part. It could still use more power ( few are the cars that can't), but I don't want it to be unmanageable on the street either. Eventually, the Gen I 350 will make way for an LS swap. That's another story though.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

lol, Well i got the time and opportunity to calculate my gas milage, i ran my car flat out of gas and drifted into a gas station, then topped the takl off, found out what gallon my tank is, nad used my GPS/ odometer to track how far i travel.

And with this over-carbed edelbrock 750 i'm getting something between 7-10 MPG. Reguardless of how lean you set this carb, you can smell the gasoline.

Does anybody know if what the say is true, with the edelbrock calabration kit you can make a 750 a 650? If not i've got someone on here who wants to trade his 600 for my 750.

 

[87GrandPrix]

It all depends on where you drive too. I am in Florida which is mostly flat. The Automatic Sentra I had could only manage 26 mpg city with the A/C on and beat on delivering pizza. The manual one I had before that got 32 mpg in the same conditions. The automatic got 55mpg going from Tampa to Daytona Beach and back with the cruise set at 80mph and the A/C on. Oh, did I mention that my automatic 1.6 liter Sentra also ran mid 12's at the dragstrip on test and tune day? Too bad it was an 1/8th mile...

The thing is, you buy a beater for the winter months and stuff, and sh*t goes wrong with it, tires are first usually, brake calipers/pads, guages. All money I would rather spend on my Grand Prix.

But yeah gas mileage is great when me and my friend go out cruising in his 1995 Geo Metro 3 Cylinder 5 speed. I flip him a couple bones and we can drive all night.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

But yeah gas mileage is great when me and my friend go out cruising in his 1995 Geo Metro 3 Cylinder 5 speed. I flip him a couple bones and we can drive all night.

That car doesnt use gas, it sucks the pride out of the people driving in it. LOL just razzing ya man.

But yeah you're right about the winter car thing, with a few expections. Un-believably im about to pickup a 98 Saturn for 100$, 40K miles. I just have to get ahold of the title, which is cought up in devorce court. Or find a new vin plate and title.

Either way, i'll pickup a car for 100$ that runs, and it it breaks down, then i compair the repair price to that of buying another car for 100$, and if i pickup another car, ill take the other one down to the scrap yard and get anywhere between 200-400 for it. 😀

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I have a serious lust for a 3 cylinder Geo! I could save hundreds of dollars a month by driving one with what I do for a living. Is it cool? no, but it is great for surviving an economic downturn. Still, my heart is in finding a 5 speed Sentra again.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Yeah i'm thinking about finding a 5 speed 4 or less cylinder beater for the winter.

But regardless, my Monte carlo shouldn't be getting ****ing between 7-10 MPG , i'm hoping this guy is serious about wanting to trade, if not i'm going to pickup a jet and rod kit and re-calibrate this edelbrock, and back it down to a 650.

 

[dogsht]

"That car doesnt use gas it sucks the pride out of the people driveing it" That is seriously hilarious! Here is how I calculate mileage. I fill the tank the same way every time ie I let her pump till she clicks off then I add until the next round dollar. Next time I get gas same thing. Each time writing down actual miles driven and the gallons and tenth used. After getting gas a couple times like this you can add up the miles driven and divide it by the gallons used and it will give you your actual mileage.

Unless you have a problem or do all in town with lots of hot rodding you should get way better than 7 to 10 especially with an overdrive. Sheesh my 509ci 12.5 @110 442 got 17 hwy and would get 12 or 13 in town with some hot rodding mixed in. Also moveing to a smaller cfm carb does not in itself equate better mileage. fwiw my 17mpg 509ci Cutty was with an 800cfm carb.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Good point dog, but after hooking up a fuel/air mix gage to the O2 port on the manifolds, I can't get this carb to run anything under rich, plus the guy i bought it off pulled it off a 502ci built up for the strip.

Good news is, I still have the old carb off my camaro before the engine rebuild, a 650 holley double pump, so my buddy's going to rebuild it for around 70$ and i'm gonna slap that on.

If anybodys looking to buy a good used Edelbrock 750 performer let me know!