How to hybrid a road vehicle to do 100MPG Diesel

[rmully]

If you are not hauling "stuff" every day on your trip you could just find a small car that is cheap to run... save the truck doe when you need it.

 

[wawajake]

I am not sure which engine you have in your 2008 Dodge 1500, but I have a 2008 Dodge 1500 4x4 with the hemi 347 cubic inch , but at speeds below 60 mph ( I find the sweet spot is 55) the 2008 hemi runs on four cylinders and gets almost 20mpg. I would suggest if you have that engine that you try a little slower speed before spending money and insurance etc on another one.

But boy do I wish the truck companies would start selling a medium size pickup truck with a small six cylinder diesel engine ..........the rural pickup owners would lineup for that base model !

 

[jonyyuma]

I had high hopes for a 4cyl B cummins in a dodge truck, but it has been years since they made the announcement of plans?Tough small engine /with turbo and overdrive in dakota size truck should equal good diesel mileage?

 

[Renze]

I had high hopes for a 4cyl B cummins in a dodge truck, but it has been years since they made the announcement of plans?Tough small engine /with turbo and overdrive in dakota size truck should equal good diesel mileage?

That would make a great work truck, but still too much weight and too much frontal area to achieve anywhere near 40mpg.

 

[rjmack]

ford ranger from the mid '80's came with a couple different diesels. not much power but cheap to run. roll over hazard though. fairly scarce.

'95 - 2000 geo metro, firefly, sprint, 3 cyl 5sp got the best mileage. fun to drive too. no protection in an accident, but 60mpg@60mph imperial gallons. avoid the automatics. cheap to fix. also, beware synchro problems, 1-2 3-2 shifts. has the usual sub-compact rough ride.

had a 69 vauxhaul epic, imported by gm that i bought for $50.00... got 40mpg. rollover hazard also.

mid '80's toyota corolla 50+ mpg, probably pick one up (usually rusty) for a few hundred dollars. very tough drive trains. relatively cheap to fix.

avoid mazda rotary engines (notorious gas guzzlers) early toyota hemi's produced good power but not that great mileage.

early '80's cordoba with slant 6 30mpg imperial gallon. can be had for a few hundred dollars.

late '90's chrysler mini vans with 3.0 liter engine 31 mpg imperial. beautiful ride, can be had for well under a thousand. basically a throw away item once the transmission goes out.

if you keep an eye out on your local craigslist would probably be the best bet for something cheap to buy, cheap to run.

you would be amazed what $500.00 will buy you these days.

happy shopping:thumbsup:

 

[aczlan]

ford ranger from the mid '80's came with a couple different diesels. not much power but cheap to run. roll over hazard though. fairly scarce.

If you are talking about the truck I think you are, they were called the Courier. Dad had the Mazda version (identical other than the logos). It was the only car he has ever bought new. He ran it until the frame rotted out and I think it got donated/sold to someone who was taking them down to South America in the mid to late 1990s

Aaron Z

 

[schoolsout]

I own a Jetta TDI ('06) and it is a love/hate relationship...

Love the fuel mileage, but have had to put about $3500 in repairs in it, much of which should have been covered by VW, but not.

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By the way, a fellow we get to do some work for us personally handled Agent Orange and the Feds came down to check him out as he was still alive and strong...all his buddies from Vietnam were dead. He says the secret to staying alive is to drink all day He does **** good work, too.

 

[Short Game]

Do VW diesels still blow head gasket all the time like the Rabbits did? The secret on them was to over-torque the heads. But, I think VWs are generally junk to start with. I got over them.

 

[schoolsout]

It's a nice car and fit/finish are on par of a BMW 3 series ('06, as far as I can tell, was the last year of the nicer interiors/components). My issues have been EGR valve (It soots up and needs to be replaced...part is $300 and will happen again) which I blocked off (SC doesn't do emissions/Inspections), Automated Manual transmission (DSG Tranny) had a weak Dual Mass Flywheel that ends up trying to come apart and finally, my cam shaft had horrible wear after 100k miles (VW recommends 5w30, but the TDI Gurus recommend 5w40, which I now use)

 

[rjmack]

If you are talking about the truck I think you are, they were called the Courier

1987 FORD RANGER 4x4 2.3L TURBO DIESEL - YouTube

1983 diesel ranger runs again perkins 2.2 - YouTube

The Early Ford Ranger Diesel Engines

from what i understand these were reasonably reliable, not particularly powerful, and not all that many built.

major parts for these engines are evidently getting hard to find.

here's one for sale 1985 Ford Ranger Diesel 4x4

kind of pricey by my estimate

friend of mine had a late '70's or early '80's diesel rabbit, kept blowing the motors up.