Car with best MPG at 90mph

What klodkrawler said.  

I'll counter though after having driven both the ALH TDI's which do get the best mileage, and the newer Common Rail diesels, the newer cars (mk6+) are a much nicer place to spend hours of your day.  They'll still knock down 40+ if pinching every last mpg isn't the ultimate consideration, and they're noticeably quicker.  

I do 150 miles/day at 80+ mph, and diesel win this battle.  Gassers efficiency falls off drastically as speeds pick up.  Diesels grunt and keep giving.  My TDI's returned virtually the same mpg at 70 as they did at 80, where doing the same experiments in my wife's turbo gas cars saw drastic falloffs in mpg's at anything over 70.  

I was also thinking "AeroCivic" or something along those lines - like modding the aero on your Prius. Your ideal car would be shaped like a missile - a street-legal landspeed car, in other words.

There are two potential problems with the Tesla S suggestion: First, the Tesla S begins to produce huge amounts of waste heat in the motor as you accelerate significantly above highway speeds simply due to motor RPMs. They can't do more than a couple laps around the average track due to this overheating problem. This is the downside of a single-speed electric car. Second, you'd be beating the E36 M3 out of the battery with almost 2 full discharges per day, so look into potential battery replacement costs.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Yes! Time to build a belly tanker. 

ProDarwin said:

Alfa,  Please share the other dataset :)

 

Current Prius + aero mods seems like the best choice if you don't want to just move closer.

It's here- http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/download.shtml

But I'm not really including the full link as the drag data isn't there.  So it's in the emissions cert database, which I linked to before.

dculberson said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Yes! Time to build a belly tanker. 

Hehe it would be a fun project, up to the point where you try to turn it into a comfy commuter!

I think the best bang-for-buck right now would be the following mods for the Prius: Moon disc hubcaps on the front, fender skirts on the rear, garden edging front air dam & side skirts, downsized/internal mirrors, downsized radiator opening, taped panel gaps.

I don't usually like to go all Mr money mustache on people, but this deserves it.

Move closer to work.

Argument 1: you drive 360 miles/day, 5days/week (250 days a year). That's 90k miles per year. Let's say you are pretty good at keeping car ownership and driving costs down, and you only pay .33 /mile. That's $30k per year you're spending on commute. After tax dollars, that could be almost $50k in salary. Move right next door to work and give yourself a $50k raise!!!

Argument 2: your time is valuable (as you know since you're chasing minutes). Say you currently get a 100k salary (you better, since you need to make mad money just to cover the commute), and work about 40hrs/week. (2000 hrs/year for easy math). That's about $50/hr. Add in the extra 20hrs per week you spend driving and consider it time you have to spend working, then you make 100k in 3000hrs, or $33/hr. Give yourself a $17/hour pay raise by moving right next to work.

Add argument 1 and 2 together (and this is the really scary part):

Salary 100k minus 50k commute cost means real salary of 50k. You put in 3000 hrs per year to get that. 50k/3000hrs is $16.5 per hour. But yet you are chasing minutes and a few mpg point. Forrest through the trees man!

Don't worry about moving, just quit and become the assistant manager at the closest mcd or Walmart or chili's and you'll be better off.

In reply to Robbie :

It looks like you're making a lot of assumptions- I read it as him driving 180 miles per day, round trip.  He also didn't say he was working 5 days/week.  It could be 4, or even 3 with 12 hour days and a little working from home.

I assumed "180 mile commute" means 180 miles each way...would be helpful to clear that up. If it's 90 miles each way and he can charge at work, the Tesla S battery problems go away.

1-Move closer if possible 

2-aero improvements on the prius

3-TDI 

Easy:  The Lotus 11 got in the mid 40's MPG at well over 100 while endurance racing. 

I think what you really need is a bunch of charts like the one on this page:  https://blog.caranddriver.com/a-tale-of-two-honda-civics-turbo-vs-non-turbo-fuel-economy/  Drag obviously matters, but you need more info.

2 hours of total commute time is not that unusual for a lot of people.  The average commute time in the greater Toronto area (pop 6.5M) is ~70 minutes each way.  Lots of big cities are pretty similar.  Take out time for eating, grooming and there is simply no time left on a week day for any personal activities, family interaction, etc.  The value of any extra free time is worth a lot (unless you really like work, what's the point of getting up in the morning), hence driving 90MPH is very rational.

Robbie said:

I don't usually like to go all Mr money mustache on people, but this deserves it.

Move closer to work.

Argument 1: you drive 360 miles/day, 5days/week (250 days a year). That's 90k miles per year. Let's say you are pretty good at keeping car ownership and driving costs down, and you only pay .33 /mile. That's $30k per year you're spending on commute. After tax dollars, that could be almost $50k in salary. Move right next door to work and give yourself a $50k raise!!!

Argument 2: your time is valuable (as you know since you're chasing minutes). Say you currently get a 100k salary (you better, since you need to make mad money just to cover the commute), and work about 40hrs/week. (2000 hrs/year for easy math). That's about $50/hr. Add in the extra 20hrs per week you spend driving and consider it time you have to spend working, then you make 100k in 3000hrs, or $33/hr. Give yourself a $17/hour pay raise by moving right next to work.

Add argument 1 and 2 together (and this is the really scary part):

Salary 100k minus 50k commute cost means real salary of 50k. You put in 3000 hrs per year to get that. 50k/3000hrs is $16.5 per hour. But yet you are chasing minutes and a few mpg point. Forrest through the trees man!

Don't worry about moving, just quit and become the assistant manager at the closest mcd or Walmart or chili's and you'll be better off.

The job he's commuting for could offer benefits you would'nt get at those jobs you mentioned.

My buddy must have done the math, he works 2.5 hours from his home.  His solution was to rent an apartment close to his employer and only commute on the weekends.

Not much help with MPG though. 

GameboyRMH said:

I assumed "180 mile commute" means 180 miles each way...would be helpful to clear that up. If it's 90 miles each way and he can charge at work, the Tesla S battery problems go away.

When I lived in Cali my friend Tony commuted from San Diego to Riverside (90ish miles) every morning 5 times a week in his Model S. He charged it at work sometimes. We also had a pilot that commuted from Redondo Beach to Riverside (65 miles i think) every morning in his model S as well. They both had no complaints and always talked about how the Tesla makes the drive easy and was an easy place to spend time.

You may be able to hit 90mph but you're not going to average that and your total commute will be well over 2 hours. You'd better be well into the six figures to justify a commute like that and if so why not move and enjoy that money instead of spending it sitting on your ass in the car?

The money can't be that good, or the OP wouldn't be so concerned with getting better mpgs than the Prius. The financial gain going from 35mpg @90mph to 45mpg @90mph isn't that great.

 It also seems like 1 speeding ticket at 90mph probably erases any fuel savings for a long time...

xflowgolf said:

What klodkrawler said.  

I'll counter though after having driven both the ALH TDI's which do get the best mileage, and the newer Common Rail diesels, the newer cars (mk6+) are a much nicer place to spend hours of your day.  They'll still knock down 40+ if pinching every last mpg isn't the ultimate consideration, and they're noticeably quicker.  

I do 150 miles/day at 80+ mph, and diesel win this battle.  Gassers efficiency falls off drastically as speeds pick up.  Diesels grunt and keep giving.  My TDI's returned virtually the same mpg at 70 as they did at 80, where doing the same experiments in my wife's turbo gas cars saw drastic falloffs in mpg's at anything over 70.  

 

I own a 2012 that I don't plan on selling back to VW, I like it that much! I also have modified it to improve performance, MPG's, etc.

The last fill up I got 54 mpg with mostly highway driving. I would guess that with a few aero mods it would still knock down high 30's to low 40's at 90 mph.  It gets up to that speed with no issues all while in 6th gear!

My E350 Diesel mercedes gets 38mpg doing 80+ It doesn't event shift into 7th until you are closer to 100. Its a great distance car I drove it from Arkansas to San Diego over a weekend and I was the weak link not the car however when things break they can be spendy. The car accelerates really well from 70-100+ and hills are not even noticeable probably because of the 400lb/ft of torque

Also one thing I really love about my car is the radar cruise control Mercedes was one of the first to really nail this it makes long trips so much more relaxing, cruise set to 85 semi truck pulls out to pass, car just slows down, truck gets out of lane zoom take off again.

I am sure a Tesla would be similar but even with repairs my car has been a lot cheaper than a model S

In some places you flat out cannot afford to live closer to work, or if you did you'd be in an apartment or condo when you want a house that has some land around it. I've spent over 1.5-2s hours commuting a day before for years and it sucks, I am down to just about an hour total and its a big quality of life improvement as a family man especially.

But if I had to go back to the longer commute but it meant a house with some acreage and a shop etc? I'd happily make the trade. Plus if he's doing 12hour shifts he might be on a 3 12's or only 4 days a week or some other setup where he has more days he doesn't go anywhere

Jaynen said:

My E350 Diesel mercedes gets 38mpg doing 80+ It doesn't event shift into 7th until you are closer to 100. Its a great distance car I drove it from Arkansas to San Diego over a weekend and I was the weak link not the car however when things break they can be spendy.

 

This is exactly what I'm looking at next.  I see no change in my 150ish miles / day commute for at least the next two years, and don't need every single ounce of mpg, but don't want to just waste it needlessly.  I've been eyeballing the '12+ E350 diesels as a way to knock down the miles.  They seem like a comfy place to actually knock down the miles, and they're getting cheap enough to use like a commuter box, yet still be usable as a proper family hauler when I'm home.  Glad to hear you like it.  

xflowgolf said:

Jaynen said:

My E350 Diesel mercedes gets 38mpg doing 80+ It doesn't event shift into 7th until you are closer to 100. Its a great distance car I drove it from Arkansas to San Diego over a weekend and I was the weak link not the car however when things break they can be spendy.

 

This is exactly what I'm looking at next.  I see no change in my 150ish miles / day commute for at least the next two years, and don't need every single ounce of mpg, but don't want to just waste it needlessly.  I've been eyeballing the '12+ E350 diesels as a way to knock down the miles.  They seem like a comfy place to actually knock down the miles, and they're getting cheap enough to use like a commuter box, yet still be usable as a proper family hauler when I'm home.  Glad to hear you like it.  

With the exception of a couple expensive repair bills one of which I still think was a misdiagnosis its the best daily driver I can imagine/have ever owned. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about it. Also if you are around NC you are welcome to drive it. For outright longevity I think the previous generation CDI straight 6 gets the nod over the newer V6 cars but its more basic. The nice thing about the W212 is that the bodystyle mostly stayed the same until 2016ish so it still looks pretty new

pres589 said:

Funk it. 

 

I hope you don't hit someone driving those speeds because you think minutes matter when you live so far from your job. I hate sharing the road with people that think this way. 

depending on where he lives that may only be 10 mph over the speed limit.  In fact isn’t Montana a no limit state in rural areas? 

I had a 1986 Honda CRX Si.  I took a few long trips back in the '90's where I was able to go between 90 and 110 for several hours at a time.

I was getting 38 mpg.   

Actually, is flying an option? For the cost of a new car you might be able to get into a small experimental aircraft that you would be able to maintain yourself. No worries about speeding tickets and probably a quicker trip to work, and depending on the aircraft maybe a break even on fuel economy.

In reply to Robbie :

There's a few reasons I don't do it, mainly because I work 14 days straight and have 1 week off. It's a copper mine in the middle of nowhere. There is no next door. Closest town is 40 minutes away and has a population of 1000, rent is high, no amenities. In return for the crappy commute, I get to live close by a massive ski resort, miles and miles of mountain bike and dirt bike terrain, and in a city with grocery stores and shopping malls. I have done the math. 

My yaris sedan gets around 33-36 at those speeds