Herman and Operation 30MPG

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 20 Feb 2018, 16:11

Oh! Now were having fun! I love that type of stuff. I'm at 210 miles for this tank already so we'll soon see if my 1 mpg increase was mechanical effeciency or driver input changes

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 21 Feb 2018, 19:32

Okay! One tank down thanks to three days of 10 hour shifts in a row.

I traveled 362 miles, filled to full which took 16.5 gallons which makes an average MPG of.... 21.8!

So, a few things happened in this tank, it rained for the last three days and I had to run the a/c for 240 of those miles. It got a little too foggy in the car so ac really was required.

So just so everyone knows, pizzas are hot and steamy and when you have 100 of them in your car you really can't see out of your car!

Why so many miles? On a 10 hour day I drive about 120 miles per day. I worked three 10 hour shifts so far this week, hence all the miles.

Why drive a P80 Volvo for delivery, wouldn't a more fuel efficient car be better? Well for one it's what I own! I bought my first Volvo back when I didn't drive, I bought this new one after I had gotten my delivery job. Secondly, they're very easy to work on yourself. I do almost all of my own repairs and maintenance. Third, even the sedans are huge inside. Tons of space for those pizzas! Fourth, and probably most important, the seats are ridiculously comfortable even after 10 hours of driving.

So where do I go from here? Well, I'm changing my oil tomorrow to a thinner grade oil. So I'll run that this weekend and see what happens.

After that I need to find a day to change the thermostat as per RSPI's suggestion.

I did happen to inherit a front spoiler kit maybe that'll go on as well.

I remember reading about a mechanical engineer who modified his Civic by changing the body work to be super aerodynamic, and was seeing mpgs over 100. It was an extreme example but I wonder in a flexible lower rubber lip would help deflect the air around the car.

Updates to come. I do invite ideas!!!!

Post by **mrbrian200** » 21 Feb 2018, 20:28

If you're delivering in around town where your speed would be mostly under 40mph, aerodynamic body mods wont make much of a difference. Most of your fuel use goes toward pushing a 3300 lb mass up to speed after every stop.
21.5 in this use seems pretty good for this relatively heavy car that doesn't employ a hybrid drive with regenerative braking.

That's about what I get when I'm trolling around downtown Chicago in a densely populated neighborhood (2006 S60 @3400 lbs curb weight). I get upwards of 40 on the highway mainly because the car's aerodynamic profile is more in line with a Honda Civic and I stayed away from the parasitic econ killer known as AWD.

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 23 Feb 2018, 20:06

No mileage update tonight. More a pretty interesting size fact. Coming from a wagon to a sedan I have always felt like the interior was small, well because compared to the wagon it was. Quieter for sure, but smaller. Well it turns out the interior space on a 850 sedan is larger than a Mazda3 wagon. Today we got to measure the interior space with what other medium that large pizzas! Turns out the Mazda3 can only fit 19 bags, and the 850 can do a whopping 24 bags! That's massive! We fit 120 pizzas in my car today. (There are 5 14" pizzas per bag) I honestly couldn't believe it. I estimate a wagon could fit about 34 bags in total.
The more you know...

Post by **matthew1** » 23 Feb 2018, 23:11

120 pizzas!

Post of the month!

Post by **ZionXIX** » 24 Feb 2018, 06:18

From now on I will measure volumetric cargo space in units of pizzas.

Post by **abscate** » 25 Feb 2018, 00:43

If you stop by I can help you unload some of those, in the name of science

Don't forget this thread!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=71889&hilit=Pizza+boxes

Post by **wizechatmgr** » 25 Feb 2018, 00:49

It doesn't look like the front passenger's seat was full yet... That's at least another 5 pizzas... Then start stacking them on the roof rails... That has to be good for another hundred or so on a dry & hot day...

Post by **mrbrian200** » 25 Feb 2018, 01:03

You're not the only Volvo wagon delivering pizzas. Close friend is a manager at an Italian joint in Chicago: sit down seafood/pizza/pasta plus local delivery in the neighborhood around University of Chicago. One of their delivery guys drives a P2 V70.

Post by **jtp** » 25 Feb 2018, 06:19

I used to work for a chain tire shop and we’d meet each other late at night to swap stock for upcoming sales.

My record in the 95 850 Wagon I had was ten tires. That was fully loaded including the front passenger seat.

Herman and Operation 30MPG

Re: Herman and Operation 30MPG