[T3] MPGs??

Soren Jacobsen snj at blef.org
Fri Jul 25 19:52:55 PDT 2014


On Jul 25, 2014, at 3:21 PM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:

> We get in trouble when we start to compare older Type 3s with later 
> ones, since there's an unfortunate tradeoff between NOX emissions and 
> gas mileage. The FI cars were designed to meet the emission 
> requirements that started in '67 and got tighter every year after 
> that. So under the same driving conditions, a '66 will always pollute 
> more and get better gas mileage than a '72.

Ah, yes, that makes sense.  What of the overall improvement in efficiency that FI brings, though?  I'd expect that to compensate a bit for the waste of carbs.  32PDSITs are not terribly sophisticated.  Feel free to keep singing the praises of carbs, though ;)

The later T3s got a little bit heavier, so they've got that going against them as well.  Plus, the older they are, the more likely they are to have shaved a few pounds due to rust!  I know I've certainly got that "advantage" going on mine.  Then there's the factor of plain old worn out carbs to swing things back in the other direction.  How many people "rebuild" their carbs by only cleaning them up and installing a new gasket and accelerator pump diaphragm?  Worn out 45 year old throttle shafts can't be doing anyone any favors as far as economy is concerned.

Soren


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