Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Yesterday, i drove 104 miles, mostly of rural interstate travel.
Used 7.221 gallons of Shell 93 octane E10.

I calculate 14.4 miles/gallon.

Assuming the 235-75R15 tires a re bit smaller rolling radius than what hte speedo is set up for, then that would probably reduce it to about 13.1 mpg. I have not made that correction calculation.

Also running without air cleaner, air conditioner ON and full blast for full duration of trip. I didn't exactly practice good fuel economy driving habits either.

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Do you ever?? LOL, you're like me!

Here in the middle tn area one better not try to practice economical driving habits unless they want to become a moving obstacle.

I passed STate Troopers twice yesterday and one city cop at 5 to 10 mph over the limit. WHILE there were people passing ME. This even occured in a road paving zone with a 2wo police car escort WITH FLASHNG BLUE lights on.

I don't understand it. The media boasts Police advertisements of "100 days of HEat". Claiming to come down hard on drivers with no seat belt, Drinking drivers, and speeders.

I'm thinking that anything 10 mph or more over the limit even on the Interstate is Speeding. In 104 miles of driving yesterday i do not remeber ANYONE driveing less than 5mph over the limit. I was in the right hand slow lane nearly all of the 104 miles and never dropped below 70mph. Mostly 75-80. Over the last 2 years, I never before in my life recall such heavy rural traffic except on holidays. THe time frame i was out there was between noon and 3 pm.

In all my years of driving i've had ONE speeding ticket, and NEVER involved in any accidents. I've driven as much 40k miles per year most years over the years.

QUESTION: Is it this way in other rural parts of the country???

The police in my city only are expected to write 2 tickets a shift, even the unmarked traffic cars, so no wonder very few obey the law. Back in the 60's a metro Toronto traffic cop was expected to write 3 books (75) tickets a shift! Now that was effective law enforcement.
When in nothern Louisiana in March I saw more cops per mile than anywhere I have ever been with many busy with the ticket books and radar guns. I kept the motorhome about 2mph under the speed limit just to be safe.
I love travelling the back roads of northern Wisconsin. traffic is usually very light and speeders are rare. Roads in northwest Ontario are so poor that speeding is largely out of the question.

Only 1 ticket in 50 years of driving. Sept. 1969- Improper right turn-fine $13.

that's not police work on traffic safety, that's revenue collection.

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I was told that by a local in Louisiana that the local "fuzz" were feeling the pinch of the recession also but it sure was effective in keeping the pace of traffic down to the speed limit. In my city I see drivers doing 20 over in school zones and blowing red lights every day. Two tickets a shift from a cop making $75000 a year isn't effective law enforcement or good revenue collection. I guess I am just old fashioned.
When I worked as a game warden and was chided by a violator about "just trying to get my quota" my stock answer was "I'm not on a quota, my boss told me that I could write as many tickets as I wanted to." That usually shut them up.

Let's get a few more folks checking in with gas mileage. On my 55 400 w/ twinultramatic, my last tank was 9 mgp. Most of this was short distance, granted, but I'm still unhappy. The carb was rebuilt about 500 miles back. New tires properly inflated. No brakes dragging (so far as I can tell). Air conditioner was not on.

Is there a difference in mpg with an oil bath air cleaner vs paper? I'm using 15W-40 oil and type-F transmission fluid. Incidentally, since the rebuild, the TU high to direct is smooth, positive and a pleasure. Just wish I had an overdrive behind it.

Mileage update - 81 miles in past two days, 41 highway, 40 short haul. 81/7.1 = 11+ mpg. It's getting better!

Bernardi

Bernardi.

Fill up the tank and immediately travel Interstate highway under traffic cinditions that will allow a SUSTAINED 65-70 mph for about 100 miles round trip. THEN fill up tank again and check milesage. I'm sure u will be able to get 15 mpg.

Single digit and low double digit fuel economy numbers were par for the course among the heavy cars of the late 50s.

This is one reason the compact cars were so popular as soon as the car companies started making them.

Even the Chev Ford and Plymouth V8s only got 16 or 17 to the gallon. The big Mercs and Lincolns with 430 V8s got 8 or 9.

We don't realize how good we have it. Today's luxury cars get triple the mileage of 50 years ago.