finally got some miles on my (new) to me 86sdl today.right before i left town i stopped and topped off the tank,and i mean topped off,like one more drop and it was overflowing.when i got back i stopped at the same place and topped off again.i usually like to shake the car back and forth just incase it has an air pocket in the tank.after about 3-4 minutes it was still right to the top.came up 36.8 mpg. Can this be right?? i thought these sdl's were mid to upper 20's mpg.

No, something is off. Run 3-4 tanks through the car and average the mileage from them.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I received about 34.4 from mine once and around 31 another time. But I was putting along around 60-55mph.

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

i have seen 31 or even 32 mpg over the years. not a regular occurance, however. i too take time to top off the fuel tank. 86 300sdl. 189k miles. 35 psi tire pressure.

I have been wondering what the fuel economy of a diesel car is. A friend in the construction industry recently traded his gas engine pick up for the same truck with a diesel engine. He says he gets a lot better mileage now.

I'd sure be interested in knowing what others of you are getting with your cars. Also, I'm curious if burning other things (Biodiesel, WVO, waste oil, etc.) in them affects the mileage up or down.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Usually it's normal No 2. I've been on B100 for about the last month in the SDL and economy is still about the same, I had 22mpg only city recently.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I have found b100 greatly decrease my performance. I think its not noticeable for you forced induction people as there is more compression which probably overcomes the lower flash point........ b50 does the job though .

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1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

i'm gonna lay down about 300 miles tomorrow if things work out.i work on the road and 1000 mile weeks are nothing to me,usually i drive my 2000 jetta tdi.but it's down for some needed maintanence so the benz gets the miles this week.i'll post again tomorrow with my results.and i will add that the car did not see anything over 60mph today.all of my driving is on secondary roads with 55mph limits.and i'm usually in no hurry to get where i'm going.

oh i might add that i had a little over half a tank when i topped off this morning.and i topped off with b20.thats about the best i can find around here.which is really weird as i live in the soybean capital of the world(iowa).

Doesn't sound unreasonable to me, depending on your driving style. My '83 300SD Turbo is epa rated at 25, I think, but I regularly get 31 or 32 on road trips. I accelerate like an octagenarian, but I usually cruise at 65 to 70 mph with the AC on. Interstingly, I recently cruised at 55mph following a crippled car home... about 300 miles at night with the AC turned off... and got the same 31mpg that I get at 65-70. I think the turbo load and horsepower are optimized for the higher speed range. If you've found the 'sweet spot' for fuel economy with your car, 36-37mpg wouldn't surprise me for highway miles depending on driving style and conditions. One thing you might check on your next road trip is the mile-marker posts on the interstate. You may have to revise your math if you have a significant speedometer / odometer error. I recently saw a 190d listed on ebay with the seller claiming 55mpg. I have some serious doubts about that, but I'm not going to call him a liar... These cars can be really surprising.

steve that is one thing i have thought about.on my jetta the speedo reads about 3 mph fast at 60 yet going by the highway milemarkers it shows about 9.5 miles for every 10 i drive.i'm gonna be checking that and my speedo with a stop watch to see how close that is too.

Is this a number that is equivalent to an octane rating for gasoline? If it is, how does it influence the mileage/performance? I gather this varies upon the type of engine/induction. Is that correct?

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

your thinking of cetane.this is diesels equivilant to octane,the b is percentage of soy to number 2.b20 being 20% soy.

I also have a 1986 300sdl with 87,000 miles on her. At a steady 55mph I have seen 32mpg on the interstate. Remember when these cars were built the national speed limit here in the states was 55mph. The German engineers designed this car specifically for the American market and the 55mph speed limit. With today's 70mph speed limit youmay notice your 300sdl running at a little over 3000 rpm. At 55mph it's in the low 2000's. This is where our modern day 24-26 mpg is coming in. Steady 70mph cruise on the interstate with A/C on equal 25mpg for me.

These are wonderful, quiet, safe interstate tanks. I love mine and feel very secure even when I am next to a large SUV. Plus huge back seat with electric recliners, thick window glass, and great fuel mileage. They do not build them like this any more.

John

I have been recently driving hundreds of miles at 55-60mph in my 617 powered 300SD, and I've been averaging 29.6mpg, even with about 35-40 miles of leadfoot city driving in there per tank. This is up from about 23.5 mpg on the interstate at 75-80mph. The savings really add up, my alternative route is 10 miles shorter than the freeway route, but only takes about 15-20 mins longer each way. I save about $6.50 each trip I make. Pretty cool Plus the car is so much quieter at 55-60 than at 75.

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'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)