240d owners with high miles per gallon. - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

barry123400 · #1 07-18-2006, 01:56 PM

I am trying to get some baseline information on the 240ds that consistantly give good or exceptional milage on the highway. Would owners that have verified this on their examples give some details of speed/milage and driving habits. We need this information for a research effort now underway. I am trying to evaluate the different factors. Some examples for whatever reason seem to get better milage and power than others. In fact more difference than can be explained away easily. We may even go as far as to ask for some additional information if the results are positive to this request. If you feel more comforatable private mailing me you are welcome to do so.

rs899 · #2 07-18-2006, 03:52 PM

Barry-

It has been a few months since I checked it, but I was getting 35-36 mpg on my 82 240D stick. The car now has about 170K miles on it. This is driving at about 45-55 mph , about 90% highway driving. (I have a light commute about 65 mile roundtrip with a few stops along the way)

Hope you aren't looking for metric data.....

Rick

barry123400 · #3 07-18-2006, 04:47 PM

Not looking for metric data but if any comes up it's an easy conversion. I wonder if your old 240d would have gotten say 30 mpg at 70 mph? What I am wondering also is if the quality of function of the injector pump is superior in some cars versus others and if so can we do anything about it. Examining if set up jigs are accurate enough or just bring pump within certain loose specifications or perhaps just not really accurate period. . Might just depend on the jig user perhaps as well. Hope a lot of fellows respond to this post. I intend to dig into this area quite a lot.

cgryphon · #4 07-18-2006, 05:45 PM

My ODO is DOA so my only chance to check the mileage in any accurate way was on my trip to Mexico. Wife was following in the Suburban so she could track the fuel station to fuel station miles.

Almost all highway driving, with some stop and go through cities like Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, due to traffic. Normal food stops, hotels, etc.

1982 240D, 160K + miles, auto transmission, A/C on for 90% of the drive, some blow-by, used less than ½ quart oil on the trip, trying to maintain 70 to 75 MPH: 27.8 MPG for distance total of 1293 miles.

This probably does not qualify as exceptional, but maybe you can use the data.

Hasta la vista!

Rashakor · #5 07-18-2006, 07:13 PM

power sucks in winter: 30.5 mpg over last year winter. 0-60 in about 27 seconds

in the summer power goes up significantly 0-60 in just shy of 20 seconds but mileage drops to 25-27mpg range.
If Ac blowing drops 2mpg further. and add 5 seconds to the 0-60.

vahe · #6 07-18-2006, 07:58 PM

Last year I clocked my mileage on a trip from Washington State to Houston Texas, 2300 miles of highway driving, early May, @ 65mph, 240D/77 was heavily loaded with personal goods, new motor from dealer with 40K on it, 4 speed manual, Michelins P205/R14. Got about 31.5 mpg.

On empty car doing about 55 mph I can expect about 34 mpg.

Vahe
240D/77 350K

pj67coll · #7 07-18-2006, 08:13 PM

81 240D stick. Engine was re-built at 160000 miles. Now has 378000 miles on it. I've only had it for the last three thousand miles and I've filled it up about six times. My driving is almost a fifty fifty mix of freeway driving up to but never above 70mph and usually between 60 and 70 mph and city commuting with a fair amount of stop and go and up to about 40 mph.

I seem to have a fairly consistent mpg of 33 for the last three thousand miles. I drive with all my windows down (Phoenix AZ, no AC...) so drag might be a factor but probably not more than if the AC was actually working.

Oh and the tires are 195/75/14.

- Peter.

Palangi · #8 07-18-2006, 10:59 PM

My 240D 5 speed has averaged about 32 mpg over the last 2 years. Mixed commuter / highway driving, not much city driving. The single biggest factor in raising the mpg was switching from Bridgestones to Michelins. That raised it about by about 2.5 mpg. I keep a fuel log on this car as I have been nursing some persistant fuel system problems, and I can actually see the point in the log where the Michelins went on.

Low rolling resistance is sorta like getting free fuel.

Endust · #9 07-19-2006, 09:17 AM

240D auto. Mostly highway at 65 to 70 MPH. Getting about 26 right now. Thats over 3 tanks. Before the timing issues were fixed I was getting 21. It seems to me by reading the archives that high 20's is normal for the auto while low 30's is normal for the stick. I find the claims of anything over 35MPG to be suspect. Either due to error in the calulation or wishful thinking. pushing these 3k pound cars around with 64 horsepower just isnt a recipe for super high gas mileage.

rs899 · #10 07-19-2006, 09:39 AM

Well, 35/36 is my story, and I'm sticking to it. I drive like an old lady. Never above 60. Hot/Flat Florida landscape. I am measuring the gallons required to fill the tank completely, divided into the miles I drove by the (hopefully accurate )odometer. I add 5% to account for the huge 205/70-14s on the car, but I think that's the correct adjustment. I'm not trying to sell this car- why would I when I get this mileage?

I have another (1977) 240D that I am going to convert to stick in the future. I will be interested to see what I can squeeze out of that one....

Rick

Gauge · #11 07-19-2006, 10:12 AM

I have a 240D with a 4spd Manual.

Fuel economy has been all over the board - more than any other car I have ever owned.

I do most of my driving on the freeway going 75MPH. Car gets around 27MPG.

I recently took a trip from Atlantic City to Cleveland using all small backroads. I kept a rather steady 50 MPH pace and the car got 35MPG.

Seems like these cars like to go S L O W.

barry123400 · #12 07-19-2006, 12:47 PM

You guys are good. Believe it or not quite a few people get 25 or less. Enough to get my attention quite some time ago. Like the low power belief that is partially valid they think the low milage is normal as well. A few examples would be acceptable but the percentage is higher than that. For sure a lot of examples have not gotten reasonable maintenance over the years to account for quite a bit of this. Now that we are close to being on the verge of being able to identify sub standard conditions rather than the semi shotgun approach of spending money with no actual prior indication of actual condition. Or even if it is in the right area. The automatic 240d getting 27.5 on a very long trip at speed of 70-75 mph with air conditioning on 90% of the time should be a wake up call. He also traversed a few cities plus stopped quite a few times and did not pick up any female hitch hikers apparently.

I only suspect this as he was still able to respond to the thread.