Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

what is the average gas milage for a 288?

According to year of Packard, transmission used etc... 3 spd with overdrive yields the best mileage...

Bear;

That’s a difficult question to answer with a single number, but as a data point my ’48 288 struggles to get over 10-12 mpg. I’ve written that low mileage to the way I use the car . . . especially during the COVID mess.

I’ll cite a few examples of my experience about gas mileage and how a car is used:
1.) My modern car, a Honda Civic, would consistently run in the low 40’s (50+ miles per workday) until I retired. Now that car struggles to achieve anything over the low 30’s.
2.) The same can be said about my ‘Brand X’. That car would get about 20 mpg, until it had to wait its turn while I was driving one of the Packards. Now it struggles to break-out of the single digits for gas mileage.

This experience tells me if I used the ’48 more frequently, and make longer trips, the mileage would likely be in the high teens, but since I don’t the mileage is quite a bit lower. To answer your question if you only drive ‘in town’ on short trips expect something a bit over ten mpg. Longer trips in less congested traffic expect something more like 15-17 mpg. My experience also suggests cars will get less mileage in cold weather, and this business that cars get better mileage with the AC on, versus AC off and the windows down, is bovine scatology.

dp

For the 288 motor with overdrive, one source reports 12-14 average, and 16-18 best. That sounds about right. For most of the postwar straight 8's fuel consumption was 14-15 average with Ultramatic and displacement didn't have much effect.

I agree that cars don't like to sit, but maybe the fuel suffers from sitting. I had a little Dodge that would get into the low 50 mpg range driving 55 mph. It had a carburetor. But that was driving from Oklahoma City to Miami Florida. At 65 it got around 45 mpg.

Maybe they lose some compression that is not offset by the lower pumping effort, but I suspect on a long trip the mileage performance will return for a car that is used only weekly.

Like we used to say, if you have to ask that question, you can't afford it.
During the 288 reign, gas was in the +-30 cent/gallon range so immaterial.
The 2 bbl carb is only rated about 300 cfm. not a fuel guzzling monster.
Bias tires don't do well here. Gear ratio usually has a pronounced affect on mileage, hence the OD. Today they're making 6-8+ gear transmissions to provide better mileage. Technology not available then either. These 288 cars aren't particularly heavy from what I've seen. My 2 door is under ~3000 lbs.
You can optimize for fuel mileage but requires much work for little gain here.

You might want to ask to help determine if you have your car running right.

One the most common customer complaints about Packards was poor fuel economy. Their advertising handed out crap like "Packard ownership is less expensive than cars costing much less" or something like that.

I had people tell me "We had a Packard and you couldn't go around the block without putting gas in it". Maybe today people are foolish about money, but in the old days people understood the value of a dollar. Since then the currency has been raped pretty much.

My 2 door is under ~3000 lbs.


I think it's more like 3700 lbs

I get 16-17 on my 51 and 53, both with overdrive. They are never used in city traffic, mostly are driven on secondary roads with a 40 mile highway trip now and again. Going to Indianapolis a few years ago the 51 got a solid 17 plus at a pretty steady 65.

Short trips in cold weather--going for coffee in December--are very thirsty affairs. Think how much fuel must be burned to bring all that cast iron and 5 gallons of coolant just up to temperature!

I remember seeing a Popular Science car review of a 55 Clipper Custom Constellation that had an average fuel economy of 13 MPG combined. (IIRC)

Would have had the 352 V8.