Skip to content
Aussieveedubbers

500 Miles

0 likes
Share Share on Facebook Share on X Share on Reddit
Log in to reply

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#727209
As I was filling my Baja up on the way to work this morning I was wondering if it is possible to get 500 miles out of a stock tank from an old Type 1 Beetle/Baja/Buggy/Ghia. I did a little rough math in my head and it's roughly 5L/100km.

Has anyone managed to do this?
What's the furtherest you've ever drivin on a tank of fuel in your car?

Just a few questions to get the minds stimulated.

Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#727222
maybe if u did this to it



5L is nearly 50mpg which is way beyond reach of most modern cars let alone 40 year old vws

the latest suzuki alto which is a purpose built fuel miser with a 1L 3 cyl only averages 4.5L/100
and thats using todays technology

that said best ive ever managed in my bug was when i crossed aus in it along time ago with a stock 1600 between wilcania and broken hill where its dead flat and dead straight i got 7.4L/100

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727243

I have never checked My beetle's economy or I should say... lack of economy...

it used maybe double or more compared to My 1834cc Lancer... 5 speed manual...

the 1200 beetles were slow and gave out good economy
especially back then...

but as the ccs increased and the carburetors and the breathing got larger
Economy suffered greatly...

to around 26 MPG approx.. maybe 30 MPG very light footed on level roads...

this was OK in the USA where cars averaged 18 MPG..
Big thirsty V8s...

In Europe in the 70's You could still buy a 1200 beetle..
they were the biggest sellers in Europe- including the UK and Germany..
as Fuel was VERY expensive over there... even back then.

cheers

LEE

PS: I surprise Myself sometimes with My knowledge of VWs
lol😂😂😂
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727285
It is confusing when you relate personal Australian experiences, with what you read in American magazines. The measurments are different and cannot be compared! Before 1974 Australia used the Imperial (British) gallon, which was 4.546 litres. The Americans, on the other hand, use the US gallon which is only 3.785 litres. When you refer to '26 or maybe 30mpg' and '18 mpg', which one do you mean?

If we stick to modern measurements then there is no confusion.

Torsion bar Beetle fuel tanks are 40 litres. If you want to drive an arbitrary 500 miles (804.65 km), then you would need to achieve 4.971 L/100 km. VWs generally average between 10 and 11 L/100km around town, and perhaps improve to 8 L/100km on the highway. The best I ever did in my '64 1200 was 474 km on one tank, on a drive to Young from Sydney back in the '80s, which works out at 8.44 L/100 km. I was cruising at 100 km/h, so you could probably do a bit better by keeping below 80, using a feather touch on the throttle, coasting or even shutting off down hills, etc etc. You might get into the 7s, and perhaps into the 6s. But I think getting BELOW 5 in a Beetle is impossible.

It IS possible in a modern VW. In 1978 the Golf Diesel (1.5-litre) was introduced to Australia. It won the Total Oil Economy Run that year, averaging 4.4 L/100km. Kevin Bartlett also drove a Golf Diesel from Sydney to Melbourne to demonstrate its economy, and averaged 3.62 L/100 km.

The Golf 3 Umwelt diesel was the first production VW capable of more than 1,000 km on a standard tank of fuel.

Today's Polo 1.9TDI averages 5.0 L/100km and is capable of up to 900 km on one 45 litre tank. This is the most economical VW currently available for sale in Australia. I drove one for a week last year, and it was a brilliant little car. 74 kW and 240 Nm gave it fantastic performance, faster than my old 2007cc Beetle ever was. And it isn't even the best VW model. In Europe you can buy a model called the Polo BlueMotion, which is VW's ultra-clean 'green' model. With a 60 kW 1.4 TDI engine, it averages 4.9 (urban), 3.2 (extra-urban) and 3.8 (combined). There was one on display at the Sydney Motor Show last year, but sadly it hasn't been released for local sale. Pity - if it was, it would be the most economical car on the Australian market, as well as the greenest (CO2 < 99 g/km), both better than the Toyota Prius.

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/polo/which-model/engines/fuel-consumption/

VWCOOL 23 Windows of Awesome

5,158 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#727292
The HSV and Holden V8s I drive get better economy than my VWs... not that I'm worried
Pay your debts, CxxT

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727293
depends on what size engine you have in the car and how fast you drive it
I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727299
I was using imperial MPG from a UK Manual...

You can nearly see My fuel gauge going down when driving at 100kmh.

I usually drive at 80 KMH... and the fuel economy still isn't great...

If You free wheel or turn the engine off...
thats not a real test... thats cheating.. lol

cheers

LEE

- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

polak Everything is alright with enough Vodka :P

913 posts · joined May 2009 ·

#727310
hmmm, now with my new motor fuel economy is out the window, but when i had my stock 1300 single port i used to get around 350 miles out of a tank, could have possibly pushed more but didnt want to run out of fuel or suck the muck up from the bottom of the tank.... i dont think 500miles is possible but dont let it stop u proving me wrong 😂 maybe if you have a mint 1200, freshly serviced with 30 weight oil, new plugs, etc (running as efficiently as possible) lets try it!!!!👍


VW - helping put oil back into the ground for over 60 years

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#727422
I would love to try and do it.

I've got an old 1200 sitting in an old '61 6V sitting around at my place.

Maybe the fuel ecomony challenge has been set!! 😂

Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#727595
A mint 1200 with fuel injection would probably be the go wouldn't it? Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

polak Everything is alright with enough Vodka :P

913 posts · joined May 2009 ·

#727639
hell yeah, if u have the spare $$$ and time i can be official counter 😁 lets see what the best fuel economy is/can be for an early bug 🤓


VW - helping put oil back into the ground for over 60 years

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#727673
The problem is that I don't have the spare money. hahahahaha.
I just bought a buggy that I've been hooking into.

Maybe a fun plan for the next project.

Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727950
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, VW clubs used to organise occasional fuel economy runs - they would have been interesting.

I found a reference to one in the VWC of Victoria's magazine in 1979, when Gary Collis achieved 5.26 L/100 km in a 1200 Beetle. Lesley Collis managed 5.36 ('54 Beetle). Pam Wade got 5.68 (1600 Beetle), while Adrian Brown, Kate Williams and Barry Minster got 6.18 (Passat), 6.22 (1200 Beetle) and 6.56 (1500 Beetle). All pretty good!

I have been wondering about the logistics of these - how could another run be organised? Maybe meet at a large servo. Make sure each entrant has completely filled up (to the first click). Record the odometer. Then go on a cruise somewhere - say 150 km. Finish at another servo, when all entrants again fill completely up (to the first click). Record the fuel purchased and the odometer reading. Litres bought, divided by the km travelled, x 100, = the fuel consumption. Winner gets a trophy. Then go to restaurant, pub etc.

Any volunteers to organise it?

DU88EN Slammed & Awesome Dubber

75 posts · joined Apr 2009 ·

#728368
i would be keen on competing! but wouldn't be able to organise!
why don't you organise it phil74??
sounds good fun/ something good to know about your consumption during the GFC!

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#728378
Sounds like a heap of fun!!

Pity I'm so far away.

You'd have to make sure that speedo inaccuracies are accounted for. I know that 30MPH is 60KPH in my Baja with it's big front wheels and dodgy speedo.

Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#728610
Thanks for your vote of confidence fellas, but no, I've got enough on my plate now. I just spent last weekend working on the Aug issue of the Club Veedub magazine.

Yes if the speedo was inaccurate due to bigger wheels etc, the odometer figure would be slightly incorrect and it would affect the fuel economy result. There isn't any way around that unless a fuel economy test is done over a defined, known distance, in which case you ignore everyone's speedo. The problem then is if someone makes a wrong turn somewhere and drives slightly further - then they will still have a wrong calculated figure.

For a club run, I would just say bugger it, whatever your speedo says is what we use - after all that's what you use in normal day to day driving anyway.