My Volkswagen TDI “new tires” MPG update
Posted By RichC on August 29, 2007
Speedway in Brimfield Ohio is still selling 500ppm LSD
In a previous post I commented to the effect that maybe my 2003 VW Jetta TDI’s fuel economy might go down after purchasing new tires with a more aggressive all-weather tread. After two tanks of fuel, one B-20 (20% biodiesel and 80% Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel), and one approximately B-70 (70% biodiesel and 30% ‘old’ Low Sulfur Diesel) …nothing has changed. Hmm … a solid 44.5 mpg on both tanks of primarily 70-ish highway travel. This number might be slightly lower by 1 mpg, but then the weather these past couple of weeks has been exceptionally hot; I may have used the air conditioning a bit more and even idled between stops more often? My early conclusion is that 1) there is little change in fuel efficiency after installing new tires, and 2) both the biodiesel blends have returned excellent fuel efficiency. (NOTE: It might be me, but my little diesel seems smoother and quieter running the higher biodiesel percentage … this is something which has been noted by others. Lubricity perhaps ??? see link)
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