Safety Recall

Originally posted by Burt OK, I give.  I'll see your two turbochargers and yet, my comment was rooted in the MPG column and what can be done by the average towvehicle without purchasing a new one.  My comment on the Eco Boost may have been out of the column.  Forgive me. Burt

Nothing to forgive.. it's all good.

I am not, as of yet a fan of the eco-boost.. but EVERYONE I have met running one LOVES it.

My brain goes to.. "just think what it would have been like had they put dual spools on the new 6.2..???!!!"  I am a fan of forced induction. This household has been home to at least one power adder since 1979.

No doubt at all that on most cars and trucks today, some added gains are available with a tuner. manufacturers have to build to a set standard, the one the EPA approved, and have a "safe tune" so that engines don't grenade. And, once you start playing with a tuner, you find that each engine will have a different setting even if minor, that makes it happiest.

I have played with it a lot with my Mustang, and with her GTi.. I know about 20 v-dubs running hot tunes, and on a couple the mods and equipment are exactly the same, but there may be as much as 10% difference in where that particular pair of engines max out.

In our case she is putting about 235 to the flywheel in her GTi, with a factory tune that was set at about 198. (In her case, mileage didn't change one way or the other with the tune.. but I don't think it's the cars fault) Nothing changed but the tune, and the fact that we run 93 octane only, allows us to bump it up pretty good, but much further, and a) the gains aren't worth the risk to the engine and transaxle, and.. with FWD, things get pretty hairy when you go above 230 or so anyways. Her next Golf will be a "R" or R32, I am sure. (AWD)

Originally posted by Burt Spoilers and MPG.  We're somewhat lucky as our RPod is a 2012 171 HRE and it came with a spoiler and all the "required" running lights.  BTW, they are all LED and really light up nice. Our MPG was best improved by putting in a performance chip in my opinion.  That, and using non-ethanol fuel in the tow vehicle when towing.  You get more power out of a gallon that way.  We have a Ford Ranger V6, 3.0 Liter FWD and are now getting 2 to 4 MPG better when towing with just a few runs tested.  The vehicle itself now gets 4 to 5 MPG better non towing and in town/out of town.  Over the road, there is a marked improvement in mileage without tow. The chip we decided on was made by GF.  Most of the big diesel tow rigs that tow are now using performance chips and I seriously believe that the ford "Eco Boost," is not much more than an added performance chip. Performance chips of the right type do not just dump fuel into your engine, they work WITH all the OEM components of an engine, viz., exhausts, vacuums, fuel input, computer and etc.  Thus, they can cause your tow vehicle to achieve better results and have more ooomph on the hills. There's my 2 bits worth. Burt

Well.. that and two turbochargers..

I must now report that my frustration over the fact that the new spoiler did not gain noticible gas mileage improvement, took me back to my dealer.  I traded my R-Pod for a Lance 1575.  It's a foot or so longer, wider and weighs a couple hundred pounds more.  I took an initial trip this weekend and at 58 MPH with steady cross winds much of the 130 mile trip, I got 13.3 mpg, an improvement over the 9-10 mpg with the R-Pod.  The box versus tear-drop design makes a big difference!  I'm using the same 2011 Honda Ridgeline tow vehicle.

As posted before the largest impact on my mileage is my behavior.  If I have to travel at 75 then I get 10 MPG.  If I keep it under 60 then I get 15 or 16 MPG.  I had the spoiler from the start so I can't compare.  I can't imagine that little wing that is under the air flow to help.

Point well taken.  I saw your test results and the graphics helped me understand the counter-intuitive drag effect.  The untrained, as I was, would assume R-Pod's the shape to result in nothing but low drag.  Not so.  When I began my trek out of Phoenix I was getting nearly 15 mpg and was elated at the prospect that that would be the new norm.  Not so, as I experienced the full driving mix you referred to: headwinds, hills, mountains, rougher pavement.  We were back to 9-10 mpg as before. Too bad a solution isn't out there b/c the R-Pod is the best bang for the buck (and weight).  We have even considered a trade but can't find a comparable light weight and we would never recoup in gas savings what we would spend on the trade.