milage at 48 mph?

[lovetoski]

I heard a piece on NPR a few days ago about the EPA methodology for determining miles/gall on new vehicles. For example, they assume an average speed on the freeway of 48 mph...given the brick like shape of cruisers, and the huge effect of aerodymics on hwy fuel consumption, going slower is the single biggest thing "we" could do to get better milage. As I recall, aerodynamic drag increases exponetially as a fcn of speed.

One of us needs to do a community service project and see what kind of milage is possible at 48 miles per hour. I'm afraid to, as I think I'd get run over, and/or run off the road!

 

[sportbiker929]

I try to do 60 which is the speed limit here in the metroplex. It seems to help.

 

[lowtideride]

I try to do 60 which is the speed limit here in the metroplex. It seems to help.

Its 75 here....and I just relax in the slow lane becuase everyone else is doing 85- 90mph... Bob Marley helps...

 

[missyc]

5th gear would help dramatically, I have cruised this thing for miles and miles at 70, it seems hard on the poor thing, whats the best way to get that higher gear???

 

[surfpig]

Bob Marley helps...

Yeah Bob helps an awful lot...

I've thought about getting a vanity plate that says "SLO LANE" or something like that... I went from trying to keep up with the traffic, or at least driving the speed limit (65-70 here) to keeping it at 60 or less, and trying to stay off the gas pedal to some extent. Just relax and enjoy the ride. I went from about 11mpg to a solid 13, and once in awhile more than 14 mpg !

 

[tracksuit hobo]

missy - do a search for "H55" and let the magic 5th gear appear.....

 

[cbmontgo]

I have found that I get decent fuel economy if I leave the 60 in the garage.

 

[bajaman]

I took out the fan and installed an electric fan (a mechanical fan does rob you of about 3-4 HP and gas milage) then a high flow air filter, Excell wires and super coil, new cap and rotor, new hoter plugs, set the timing (advanced a little bit), took out the emmission pump and catalitic converter. I then drove it 6000 miles from Saskatoon Canada to Cabo San lucas Mexico (the far tip of the Baja) and back with my wife, 4 kids and all our camping gear stacked 3 feet high on the roof rack. There was a few hundred pounds up there, as well as the rear bumper I made out of 4" square !/4 inch wall tubing with tire carried and gas can carrier (its heavy). I'm running 32" Mud tires Pumped up hard for highway driving) and other than that my cruiser is pretty much stock mechanically.
Did 70 mph the whole way and averaged 18 mpg......

 

[Pluton]

48mph in 4th gear would probably be the absolute best mileage condition for these and many other vehicles.

 

[lovetoski]

48mph in 4th gear would probably be the absolute best mileage condition for these and many other vehicles.

Ya, that's what I think too. I'm actually kinda curious to see what the result would be. Gotta find a place to test it.

 

[lowtideride]

rubber 5th gear works great for the highway before the re-gear I was getting 15-16mpg with 3 people and gear...

after the re-gear I am getting 12 and under....

 

[84Bruiser]

I've live ~25 miles from Estes Park, CO. It's a winding mountian drive, it's steep, but that means the drive home is a coast. I get 16+ mpg on the roundtrip.