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for those people who own big 70's land yachts today, would you say that the mpg's on those cars are worse than, equal to or better than figures reported by Consumer Reports back in the day?
i ask because after say 40 years, many parts are no longer the originals, and with advances in todays parts i wonder if they improve mpg's at all
for example i recently viewed someone on you tube proudly driving their 1972 Chrysler Newport with a 400 V8. a CR's test of that car yielded 8-18 mpg in normal driving and 13mpg on a 300 mile trip, making that a square 13 mpg car looking at the figures
would you think a current 72 Newport would yield 13 mpg overall?
I had a '71 Dodge Charger, bought new and meticulously maintained.
I should add that it was equipped with the smallest V-8, the 318 c.i engine.
Around town it gave a reliable 10-12 mpg.
On the highway, I could count on 13-15 mpg, and once, on a very long expressway trip, I was able to eke-out 17 mpg.
Do I think that the far-heavier Newport, with a much larger engine, and the same 3-speed (non-overdrive) transmission could yield 13 mpg overall?
They way they measured Fuel economy, and even HP back in those days is very different from how they do it now.
Comparing 1970's published fuel ecomony data to 2013's published data will not correlate well.
Also, being a member of many automotive message boards, I've often found that personal reported fuel economy was sometimes exaggerated. A certain car may get a widely accepted 20-25MPG and you get the one guy who claims 30MPG
They way they measured Fuel economy, and even HP back in those days is very different from how they do it now.
Comparing 1970's published fuel ecomony data to 2013's published data will not correlate well.
Also, being a member of many automotive message boards, I've often found that personal reported fuel economy was sometimes exaggerated. A certain car may get a widely accepted 20-25MPG and you get the one guy who claims 30MPG
You have to remember that there is always that guy like me that lives in an area where the roads are all fairly flat and driving is mostly hwy with the cruise set. Most people get around 34-35 mpg out of they're 4 cyl Camry where i'm averaging almost 39.
My thought is in the early 70's people didnt worry a whole lot about gas mileage. I had both a VW and a Corvette. Regular was $.33/gal and I could fill the VW up for $3.30 from almost bone dry. Hi Test for the Vette was $.38/gal , I still have the Vette but the VW is long gone.
After the gas crisis of '73 folks became more concerned with fuel prices and MPG.
A Newport is a heavy car but I would think tuned properly it should get respectable mileage considering what it is. You don't plan to use it as a daily driver, right?
You have to remember that there is always that guy like me that lives in an area where the roads are all fairly flat and driving is mostly hwy with the cruise set. Most people get around 34-35 mpg out of they're 4 cyl Camry where i'm averaging almost 39.
Your example is a lot more believable than some of the examples I was thinking of that I've read.
del- the 73 Monte 350 V8 was tested by CR's. its range in normal driving was 8-17 mpg and on a 300 mile trip gave a respectable 15 mpg. by contrast the Chevelle with 350 gave 9-16 and 13
del- the 73 Monte 350 V8 was tested by CR's. its range in normal driving was 8-17 mpg and on a 300 mile trip gave a respectable 15 mpg. by contrast the Chevelle with 350 gave 9-16 and 13
what was the Gear ratio? was it a 2.73? or a 4.11? since that would play a huge difference of fuel economy on the freeway on those cars using the same engine and making the same power.
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