fuel mileage

[hillndale]

What should we expect to get on average with mostly highway driving on our Vantare XLII?
According to the mileage indicator, we're currently getting about 3.6mgp. Does that sound about right?

[Joe Cannarozzi]

That is about half what it should be either your readout is an error or something is way wrong.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

In an effort to try to balance things here and in responce to all those who keep volumes of data on fuel.

I could no way ever tell you how much fuel I put in and I have no clue and I mean NO CLUE what mpg it gets. If I can top off for under 500 the left over is beer money

I know there are others out there.

[GDeen]

I averaged about 6.5 -6.7 on the trip home from LA

[dale farley]

I usually get between 6.5 and 7.2 on level gound at 62 mph.. If you are talking about the Pro Driver when you say "mileage indicator", you may not be understanding how it works. I still don't have mine completely figured out, but I thought my mileage was terrible for a while. What I later realized was that if you don't reset the the "trip" setting, you can get some bad average mpg.

I was letting the bus idle for extended periods of time while checking the AC etc., then leaving for a trip. The ProDriver averaged all that idle time in with my driving, so the average mpg was adversely impacted for that trip. At least, I think this is what happens. Someone tell me if I am wrong on this.

Of course the most accurate way to know fuel mileage, is like Jon does. Record every gallon and every mile, then after a while you will have a good picture of the actual mpg.

[jack14r]

My experience with the Detroit series 60 with the EGR will not get over 5.5 on most trips.the worst I ever got was 4.1 and I was towing a 16,000 pound trailer.When towing a full size Truck I get 4.8-5.3,speed is my enemy I am usually 9 MPH over the speed limit.I would think that I could get over 5.5 but I could only run the speed limit or not tow a toad,3.6 sounds really low especially without OTR.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I use the ProDriver not only as a reference for MPG, but I reset it at my oil changes and use it to remind me when the next one is due. As a result I take the displayed MPG right after it has been reset with a grain of salt. To get a more accurate indication of your average MPG really requires several thousand miles of driving so all factors come into play and are reflected in the average.

For the first year I have had this bus I compared what the ProDriver was telling me at the 5000 mile point when I would change oil and reset the display with my fuel purchases, adjusted as best I could to reflect generator usage. As it turns out the ProDriver is very accurate, but there are some variables.

My ProDriver will report the set speed for my cruise control. It varies by about 1.5 MPH from what the speedometer and the GPS display. So in my case there is some small percent of error in its calculations. I have the electronic speedometer with the LCD display odometer and it can be calibrated. I have tweaked it to reflect the miles as accurately as I could by using the mile markers over a ten mile distance, and it agrees in displayed speed with the GPS so I'm sure however the DDEC calculates distance it is slightly in error.

I think during previous discussions about mileage that what constitutes normal range varies from vintage to vintage. The 2 stroke engines never delivered mileage equal to the early Series 60 coaches. They seemed to have been the coaches with the highest MPG. That might have been because of the Series 60 coaches they were the lightest, or maybe that generation of DDEC, emission controls and fuel formulation all combined to deliver high numbers.

As the coaches morphed into slide coaches, IFS, and later generations of emissions controls I think from what has been posted the average MPG range has gone down.

The bottom line is as drivers we have a high degree of impact on our fuel consumption and we can choose the MPG we get to a great extent.

Even those of us that use our coaches 20,000 miles per year, and have the choice of getting 5 MPG or 8 MPG the difference is 1500 gallons, or at today's prices $3,750 difference in cost of operation which is chump change compared to depreciation or loss of earnings on invested capital.

[jelmore]

This from an all day drive to Chicago yesterday, 500 hp series 60, towing 4,500 lb Jeep . . .
With OTR in the rolling hills of Missouri, 62 mph = 7.7 mpg
With OTR on the flatlands of Illinois, 56 mph = 8.7 mpg
Without OTR in Illinois, 56 mph = 9.2+ mpg

[michaeldterry]

This from an all day drive to Chicago yesterday, 500 hp series 60, towing 4,500 lb Jeep . . .
With OTR in the rolling hills of Missouri, 62 mph = 7.7 mpg
With OTR on the flatlands of Illinois, 56 mph = 8.7 mpg
Without OTR in Illinois, 56 mph = 9.2+ mpg

Wow! My right foot suddenly became lighter!

[hillndale]

OK, so it sounds like i must need to reset the Pro-Driver gauge. It was idling for long times during the Featherlite orientation and the gen was on most of the time while driving and while idling. Do you think that would affect the mpg reading on the Pro-Driver gauge?