Parts arrive!
Well the first order I placed with Mid-America Motorworks arrived today. Not bad, 2 day delivery. So I put on the accelerator pad and replaced the worn-out gas cap. The accelerator still flops back, which is a nuisance, and I noticed on closer inspection that there is a spring that is broken. I did a temporary fix with some steel wire but next order I'll get the spring. Now the fuel system should be complete. New hose, new gas cap, and functional accelerator, what could be better? No more gas smells thats what. Otherwise my spouse will banish the unruly Ghia to the driveway, garage privlages revoked. I've got several days of work to do to get the other parts in place. So far so good and better yet the fuel guage isn't droping like a rock when the car is standing still.
Should get better gas milage now. Near as I can figure from discussion on www.thesamba.com actual milage for a stock 1600cc engine is around 25mpg city and 35mpg highway. This is somewhat lower than optimistic reports of 30-40mpg that some people claim. Still even at 25mpg I'm doing a lot better than my V10 Dodge which gets 10mpg city driving. I figure daily driving at 125 miles per week for my commute. I save enough to pay for the car over driving the truck. But I have to admit I would own this car even if it wasn't saving me money.
Should get better gas milage now. Near as I can figure from discussion on www.thesamba.com actual milage for a stock 1600cc engine is around 25mpg city and 35mpg highway. This is somewhat lower than optimistic reports of 30-40mpg that some people claim. Still even at 25mpg I'm doing a lot better than my V10 Dodge which gets 10mpg city driving. I figure daily driving at 125 miles per week for my commute. I save enough to pay for the car over driving the truck. But I have to admit I would own this car even if it wasn't saving me money.
posted by Doug Druckenmiller at 5:08 PM
3 Comments:
I'm not sure where you heard they get 30-40mpg. I've never heard those figures thrown around for Ghias, really. Maybe the older, lower HP motors got that kind of milage?
I, too, am curious to check the milage now that gas isn't spewing out the back. Oh, one thing I forgot to list on the problem report was the automatic choke being set too high. It takes forever for the car to think it's warmed up so the idle cam stays down for too long. That also can dump too much gas into the system.
I encountered that with my Beetle once, too. In fact, I was the one who set the automatic choke too high! It was an uneducated attempt to adust the idle in the winter when the car was constantly dying at stop signs. Of course, I immediately discovered that I was getting 15mpg with the automatic choke cranked up too high! I learned the value of a *properly*-adjusted carburetor that day.
I think the 40mpg myth is perpetuated by people trying to sell their Ghia's. With the current high cost of gas, 40mpg catches one's attention where 25mpg won't. I expect that 30mpg is achievable, but only under optimal conditions.
I do seem to remember thinking I was doing really well when I got 280+ miles before filling up again on the highway with the old Super Beetle, and that had a 1600 motor. The Ghia's more aerodynamic, so I think 30mpg highway is very achievable.
Actually, it also seems to be geared better for highway speeds. The motor's not revvig that high at 70 or even 75. The Beetle seemed to really protest any speed over 60.
Post a Comment
<< Home