Optimizing mileage for foundry trip

Depends on the vehicle. Many EFI vehicles are optimized for premium to get the best possible EPA numbers, but they almost all will run fine on regular. If you run regular, it could cut the timing back enough to reduce fuel milage and offset the savings from the cheaper fuel. Also, coming back with a heavy load, I'd be inclined to stick with premium, due to the load. I suggest you use the trip out to experiment. I bet you go through

2-3 tanks just getting there, and it's steady interstate cruise almost the entire trip.

If you can borrow a camper top for the bed, it will help a lot. If not, stack the coke (assuming it's bagged) bed-level toward the back, leaving a 3-ft empty space behind the cab. Tests at Bonneville years ago by GM found that to yield the best aero, although the speeds you achieve may be different :)

Oh, and if you get pulled over, and they ask "Watcha haulin' back thar?" ...be very careful how you phrase your reply.

- - Rex Burkheimer WM Automotive Fort Worth TX

MikeMandaville wrote:

Yes... I did quite a bit of trial & error testing on my '88 Chevy when I had it. The difference between 93 octane and 89 octane worked out to about 4 degrees more timing that I could dial in... and still let the computer prevent engine knock. In other words, I could advance the distributor 4 degrees (0 degrees is stock) with premium and still not have any knock... switching back to 89 octane was knock city!

Thanks, fellows. It looks like I am getting some very well-informed opinions here, so I guess I will now shoot for the biggie. What about the idea of me scrounging up enough wood to brew some methanol, and then using that? My understanding is that alcohol was the original automotive fuel, since the petroleum industry historically follows in the wake of the automobile industry. I know that alcohol is a high-octane fuel, and, again, I am assuming that I probably will need to do some retuning. By the way, the only time my engine has ever knocked is when I let it sit too long during the off-season, when I am unable to mow. Of course, I drive it to keep the battery up, thouigh I learned to drive it more often just to keep fresh gas in the tank. Thanks again for the responses, which I am finding to be very helpful.

Mike Mandaville Austin, Texas

Have you contacted any Texas foundries to see if they can get it for you and save the trip? What about Texas Foundry, Inc. in Lufkin Texas. Not all that far from Austin.

Dale Dumas Texas

I take it you've already checked the cost of having the coke shipped to you?

Hi Mike,

I might suggest you do a little math. I checked gas prices for Austin and found them to be around $1.94/gal. The site I used did not have premium prices but I made a wild assumtion that they might be .25 higher per gallon.

If you work through the problem with an assumption that you can make 20 mpg the difference in the fuel cost is $20. Now I don't know about you but I just wasted enought time replying to this post to burn through $20 of my time. If you factor in re-tuning your car and the time you spent thinking about your question I think you might be better off offering some blacksmith or fellow foundryman in your area a deal on

50lb of your coke for something like $20........

If I had to guess, you really wanted somebody to ask what on earth you might be melting in your cupola. I'll bite, what are you making?

Tom Lipton

Go to abana.org and look up the affliate (chapter) closest to you. Contact them and ask them where they get their coke. I can't believe you need to go 1600 miles to get it.

Pete Stanaitis

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MikeMandaville wrote:

How will you carry all that fuel with you on your trip? Especially on the way back, when the truck is full of coke. And what about the safety of carrying all that volatile liquid over the road? You will need a good reflux column still that will set you back many times as much cash as the gasoline would cost.

Pete Stanaitis

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MikeMandaville wrote:

in the midwest, 85% alcohol/15% gasoline blends sell well, and are cheaper (because of gov't subsidies) than regular gas. the advantage is that you don't need retuning to run this.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

There is a blacksmithing chapter in Houston. If they make volume purchases, see if they will allow you ride on their order.

find a shipping and crating company in Birmingham and have them get your materials and send them to you on a pallet

Your truck should burn regular just fine. If it pings under heavy acceleration just back off on the throttle. If you really want to save on gas, keep the speed to 55MPH.

I would look into what it would cost to have 1,000 lbs delivered.

Step 1: Open the glovebox. Step 2: Read the owner's manual, especially the part about fuel requirements.

Your Mazda is a Ford Ranger in disguise. All Fords (except some SVO and SVT high-performance cars) are built to run on regular gas. Whoever told you to use premium did you a great disservice- there is no benefit to burning higher octane fuel (well, the gas station profited by selling you higher-priced fuel). The EFI system cannot tell the difference between 87 octane or 93 octane fuel and you can't diddle with ignition timing as that is clamped by a knock sensor.

-Carl

difference

ignition

Hello, Carl.

Although I am sure that my truck must have originally come with an owner's manual, when it was passed on to me, the manual was no longer there. I purchased a mechanics manual for it, but, after I got home, I realized that I had bought the wrong manual. Recently, I have come to suspect that my truck was built, as you yourself say, to run on regular gas. The truck was given to me as a gift, and so, of course, I am grateful that it was. However, I think that my nephew, who gave me the truck, must have himself been misinformed in regards to the truck's fuel requirement. I will begin running regular at this time.

By the way, when I was a boy, my father purchased a Renault Dauphine, which was designed to run on regular gas. He ran it on premium instead, because he got better performance that way, but then, two years later, he became disappointed when the engine needed to be rebuilt. I had fought him on the issue from the beginning, but he had to learn the hard way. I myself am lucky that our vehicles are now designed to run on unleaded, or else I myself would be in the same fix. Thank you for setting me straight about this. The reason why I made my original post is because I suspected as much.

Mike Mandaville Austin, Texas getting ready to make a trip to Kyle, Texas for a barrel to build a charcoal-maker

My 94 Mazda B3000 (3.0 V-6) states "87 octane unleaded recommended" in the manual. I assume you have the B4000?

I cant speak for your engine..but I dropped another one in at 294,000. The truck currently has 364,000 on it. Original wheel bearings, u joints, alternator and so forth.

Shocks, tires, serpentine belt, belt idler, and one starter, along with several clutches is about all Ive had to do for repairs other than replacing the motor at what was effectivly 300,000 miles.

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown

profited by

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294,000.

Hello, Gunner.

Yes, I have had my 94 Mazda B4000 for a couple of years now, and, so far, the only thing which I have had to buy for it is a new starter. And the only reason why I had to buy the starter for it is because the engine runs so quiet that I kept on trying to start it when it was already runnung! I have learned my lesson about that, though, and I'm glad that it runs as quiet as it does. It was in an accident before I got it, and I think that the drive components are probably a bit out of alignment, because when I accelerate, it wants to lug more than it should until I get into the higher RPM's. After I'm up to speed, though, it runs real smooth.

Mike Mandaville Austin, Texas I'm going to build a "basket house" charcoal maker out of woven bamboo covered with kiln plaster, and charge it with scrounged wood

On Sat, 21 May 2005 03:30:47 GMT, the inscrutable "Carl Byrns" spake:

Had you asked the EFI, it would have told you "Yeah, some engines knock a lot more on regular." ;)

I have a '90 F-150 with a 302cid V-8. It gets 18mpg at 75mph during my trips to CA and back. It runs better (considerably less detonation over the mountain passes) and gets about 2mpg better mileage on premium with the timing bumped a couple degrees.

That said, I dread the costs for the annual sister's birthday run in July with this year's Shrub Fund gasoline pricing.

- The only reason I would take up exercising is ||

so that I could hear heavy breathing again. || Programmed Websites

While I cant speak for your engine..mine needs to be wound up a bit higher than would that of a bigger older engine. Torque band seems to be in the 2500-3000 rpm range, where all the work gets done. Which took getting used to, as I tended to bog or lug the engine when I first started driving it as I recall. Every one who has driven it tends to do the same thing..run it at around 1800 rpm and bog it down. Keep your shifting rpms up between those ranges and your cruise and power rpms up there and you will find a big difference in boot and scoot. YMMV of course. I generally dont bother shifting until I get to 3 grand unless on the straight and level or down hill.

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown

Why is it that the Liberal's States have the highest gasoline prices?

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown