nopcbs

Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of velocity while frictional forces stay fairly constant. That means you need to work 4X as hard to go 2X as fast w.r.t. aerodynamic drag. Very little drag at low speeds, but when you hit about 50 mph it gets pretty significant. At about that point slower = better for mileage. If you have to downshift, to cruise at the slower speed, that is a problem, of course.

http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/In..._drag_507.html

Green E-300 DT

Doesn't that taxi in your picture have 'E-200' on the left side of the trunk?

Hard to tell on my computer, but if so, I will bet the four cylinder
motors do much better fuel economy wise than do the E-320s.

What exact size and torque do the four cylinder E-200s have?
Also, what gear box and rearend ratios.



D

IndyAndy

e320 2007 bluetec

rediesel

^^ That's pretty good city milage. JK. Nice first post, welcome.

IndyAndy

That's only "sort of" hypermiling to. Indy commuting from the north suburbs is very nice, lots of roundabouts and no traffic. peace

despicable merc

E320 @ 55MPH will give 30MPG. @ 70MPH it'll go down to 26-27. Too bad it has no 6-th gear.

despicable merc

Jesus! how's that even possible? is this petrol or diesel ?

rediesel

I'd guess from the spark plug reference it's petro. I can get 32MPG @ 80MPH in the CDI. I'd rather drive it like an AMG and get normal MPG out of it.

pinebaron

When I drive normally at 70mph, I average 32mpg.

With my driving style, combined with my tire and suspension setup, I average around 29mpg on my 2007 Bluetec Diesel; I'm happy.

rediesel

^^^My 18" staggard knock at least 2 MPG off compared to the 16". But the grip is worth it - all that torque need some rubber.

You have some nice mods on that car.

despicable merc

i gotta change my spark plugs...

Here's my normal mileage after a 25 mile drive to work, includes uphill, downhill, 2nd gear creeping and one 20 second stoplight. Did 65mph for the most part with drops to 60mph

it is still unbelievable...

John H

My daily commute is 150 miles r/t with light traffic and only one minor hill (400') so I have a lot of opportunity to try minor changes on the same 'test circuit'.

For the past 15,000 miles I have been averaging 27.1 mpg in my E550 w/7sp with an average speed of 50mph (80% fwy & 20% city for me). The sweet spot for mileage seems to be 60-65 mph. If I drive at 70 mph I can definitely notice a drop in mileage.

The has just been my personal experience and is completely anecdotal. Your Mileage May Vary .

Mr Lizard

I have found that the best fuel economy on the open road is between 145-150kph in the ML350. It being a 2350kg dry weight tank of a thing. I keep the tierods, ball joints, sway bar bushings, suspension and brakes well maintained. Is this because they are designed for the higher speeds of European roads? I can get it down to 7.5-8.0 litres per 100km though in Australia these speeds would be instant loss of licence. It's ridiculous. Travelling at the 110kph limit pushes the fuel consumption up to around 12 litres per 100km. I've used the overtaking lane and accidentally gone over 170kph without even feeling it when I first bought the car. It just drives so smoothly. I understand that everyone has to drive to the capabilities of the worst drivers on the roads. People ignore 2nd hand Mercedes as too expensive but I've found it the easiest machine to work on. Made with common-sense for mechanically minded. Paid $5300 with 140,000km on the odometer. Hasn't missed a beat in 120,000km and still runs perfectly. Though I was raised on the British gallon of 4.6 litres. When I got my first harley davidson with 5 gallon tanks I thought they held over 22+ litres. Not the US gallon of 2.9L. Max they held was 16.5L. Felt duped.

MB2timer

Back in the day, I drove a Toyota Supra from California to New York via Spokane Washington. Most of that trip averaged 20-25mpg averaging 70mph. On one leg in ND, with a 30 knot tailwind out of the west, I got 30mpg for that tank. I was so enthralled with the range I was getting, I pressed my luck well into the low fuel light by tracking the distance to the next exit with gas. I came up a mile short when my engine quit. I wasn’t looking forward to the mile walk to the gas station, buying a gas can, and humping the gas back to the car. After sitting in the car a few minutes considering my options, I decided to try to attempt a start. It started right up. I guess that remaining gas had time to settle, and I had just enough for the last mile.

All that to say that wind has a significant effect on mileage. Headwinds increase drag. Crosswinds increase drag. Tailwinds decrease drag.As an early poster pointed out, it’s that 1/2rhoVsquared thing combined with trigonometry.

vagt6

My '04 E320 Sport gets approx 29mpg at Interstate highway speeds of 70mph (unless it's in mountainous areas, where it's a bit lower), and about 22 mpg in city driving. 130,000 miles.

vagt6

My 04 E320 Sport is about the same.