http://www.max-mpg.com/
The drag reducer lowers the Beetle's drag to about Cd = 0.28. Handling at high speed and in windy conditions is greatly improved (as you would expect with a wing or spoiler). Fuel economy is increased by 5% to 8% depending on speed.
Our modified car is a 2003 Beetle TDI diesel. On the trip to Alaska, the mileage averaged 57 miles per gallon. On our test track* we get 60 mpg at 65 miles per hour.
* Our test track is the straight portion of I-80 from west of Salt Lake City to the Nevada border. If you drop by for a visit, you can come along on one our test runs.
http://drive55.org/content/view/16/1/
Ernie Rogers
Over the Labor Day weekend, the TDI Club had it's annual get-together called "TDI Fest." The club has a large percentage of car efficiency enthusiasts that have chosen diesel technology instead of hybrids. TDI (short for "Turbocharged Direct Injection" is Volkswagen's label for it's highly-efficient automobile diesel engines. 150 people showed up for the three-day affair near Madison, Wisconsin. They were a small segment of the approximately 35,000 club members that have registered at http://www.tdiclub.com /www.tdiclub.com/> . The meeting was about efficiency and also about high performance. With a TDI-powered car, you can definitely have both.
Attendees drove to the meeting from all over the U.S. and Canada to show off their beloved fuel-sipping cars. Cars were entered in a variety of competitions from road rallying to extreme fuel economy.
The fuel economy prize was won by Ernie Rogers from Pleasant Grove, Utah. His winning car is a 2003 VW Beetle TDI. He drove 1375 miles to get to the meeting using just 18 gallons of fuel-- 1200 miles of which was accomplished on just one tankfull (15.5 gallons). His trip fuel economy was 76 miles per gallon.
Rogers' car included several small refinements that added up to the exceptional mileage: a drag reducing device he designed and built himself (pictures at http://www.max-mpg.com /www.max-mpg.com/> ), lower-rolling-resistance tires, low-friction engine oil, and use of a B5 biodiesel blend fuel to increase efficiency and improve emissions.
The drag reducer lowers the Beetle's drag to about Cd = 0.28. Handling at high speed and in windy conditions is greatly improved (as you would expect with a wing or spoiler). Fuel economy is increased by 5% to 8% depending on speed.
Our modified car is a 2003 Beetle TDI diesel. On the trip to Alaska, the mileage averaged 57 miles per gallon. On our test track* we get 60 mpg at 65 miles per hour.
* Our test track is the straight portion of I-80 from west of Salt Lake City to the Nevada border. If you drop by for a visit, you can come along on one our test runs.
http://drive55.org/content/view/16/1/
Ernie Rogers
Over the Labor Day weekend, the TDI Club had it's annual get-together called "TDI Fest." The club has a large percentage of car efficiency enthusiasts that have chosen diesel technology instead of hybrids. TDI (short for "Turbocharged Direct Injection" is Volkswagen's label for it's highly-efficient automobile diesel engines. 150 people showed up for the three-day affair near Madison, Wisconsin. They were a small segment of the approximately 35,000 club members that have registered at http://www.tdiclub.com /www.tdiclub.com/> . The meeting was about efficiency and also about high performance. With a TDI-powered car, you can definitely have both.
Attendees drove to the meeting from all over the U.S. and Canada to show off their beloved fuel-sipping cars. Cars were entered in a variety of competitions from road rallying to extreme fuel economy.
The fuel economy prize was won by Ernie Rogers from Pleasant Grove, Utah. His winning car is a 2003 VW Beetle TDI. He drove 1375 miles to get to the meeting using just 18 gallons of fuel-- 1200 miles of which was accomplished on just one tankfull (15.5 gallons). His trip fuel economy was 76 miles per gallon.
Rogers' car included several small refinements that added up to the exceptional mileage: a drag reducing device he designed and built himself (pictures at http://www.max-mpg.com /www.max-mpg.com/> ), lower-rolling-resistance tires, low-friction engine oil, and use of a B5 biodiesel blend fuel to increase efficiency and improve emissions.
