And for offroad applications there seems to be two schools of thought where wider tires are seen to provide more "floatation" -fewer pounds per square inch I suppose - which allows the vehicle to sit ontop of mud and snow and goo. You can run very low air pressure which provides great crawling capacity also. Proponents of tall and skinny say they cut through the goop to reach the hardpan underneath. Of course that assumes there is hardpan somewhere within reach.
--T
mararmeisto wrote:Generally the 'oversized' tires are on different rims. That is, wider rims because of the wider profile (235 vice 215). Putting wider tires on thinner rims is possible, but generally not good practice because the bead might not hold.
The factory rims are generally plain steel with diamond-shaped cutouts (5 or 6). The Moon Machine has "Beste auf der Weld" rims (I don't know if that is their proper name, but that is what is etched onto them), an aftermarket, dressed-up rim.
Skinnier, taller tires can give you better rolling resistance and a lesser likelihood of hydroplaning, while fatter, lower-profile tires can give you better traction (more footprint). And there are, quite literally, many other factors that will change enhance/lessen performance of the vehicle based on the wheels/tires. One of the simplest things on a vehicle, wheels/tires have, proportionally, one of the greatest effects.
I seem to get 12l/100km with a combination of low highway speeds and city driving, but I haven't done any tuning. I hope to see an improvement once I get it all tuned up.
Update on mileage for my Deli:
On first long'ish drive I've done, Burnaby to Whistler and back- about 275kms total driven of *sort of* highway driving-though with construction going on and speeds limited to 50km/hr at large stretches it's hard to call it highway driving..
anyways, speeds 50-90 kms/hr down the sea-to-sky and back, it returned 9.0L/100kms or 26MPG.
Excellent result in my opinion.
I'm sure with a steady 85-90kph and less hilly terrain i could return under 9L/100kms.
As I mentioned in another thread regarding fuel economy to Vavenby, I have been taking the Miss Lil' Bitchi through trials to determine what I need to know for running my ship efficiently.
In my limited experience of running machines ~ tyre pressure, fuel filter, oil (especially because she's a diesel), air filter ~ all make a difference in fuel economy, not to mention the grade of diesel one uses in the power plant. In Japan, "regular" is 94 octane ~ so when you fill your tank with "Diesel Max" you are actually using "regular", as far as your Deli is concerned. From what I understand, the tyres that are designed by Mitsubishi to go on the Delica are 235/75 R15s, which means that when you have those on the van then you are actually doing 60 kliks when your speedo says you are. When I first filled her up she was wearing 225/70R15s and I got close to 800 kilometres when the little amber fuel pump lit up on my instrument panel, which I thought was absolutely wonderful! Unfortunately, since I bought the 235/75R15s my fuel pump lights up at around 500 kilometres, and having a 65 litre tank(s) I am estimating 7.6 kilometres per litre. This is with my tyres at 33 PSI, A/C on, gearing down on hills and rocking out of snow laden parking spots &c.
My goal is to match the Moon Machine's higher city kilometreage of 9.2 km per litre.
In order to do this I have replaced the air, fuel & oil filters; changed the oil which I think is paramount in the running off the power plant; using additive to the fuel so to clean the injectors as well as up the grade to "premium"(Deli style); I am running the tyres at 37PSI (which I think is optimum for even connexion to the road, less uneven wear on my Yokohamas and economical fuel consumption ~ hence less waste into the atmosphere)..... and ~ as the nature of the 2.5 turbo diesel's trannie is high ratio gears (more for torque, not speed), I am not jack rabbiting off the stop line and am practicing foot control on the accelerator so to keep the gear changes at two grand, RPM, instead of three. I keep to the right and let others blast off when the light turns green. Besides, it is always prudent to have a few sweepers out in front... smiles.
Falco.
P.S.: In future I am considering rebuilding the turbo charger with a timer and no leaks, also I might go to full synthetic oil instead of semi. A happy ship is an efficient ship!
Has anyone put cruise control on their van to see if that will help with mileage?
I'm not talking about using the throttle lock, I mean real cruise control. Maintaining a more consistent speed should help mileage along with the fact that you can set your cruise at a speed that is reasonable for achieving good fuel economy.
Cruise control has been discussed in previous posts and there was no real answer to installing one. Some mentioned kits but I don't recall who actually did it (if any) and how they worked out.
But to remain in the nature of this post, yes a cruise control would help with better fuel mileage for the steady speed (flat area) but would not help in mountainous areas as the cruise control would try to keep the speed by increasing the rpm instead of letting the hill dictate your speed. (make sense?)
So not to hijack this post I'll leave the cruise control for another post...
Do you think soft rubber,and hard rubber also can make a diffrence,in the summer time anyways?
Of course it can, and not just in the summer, it has a year round effect. Softer rubber means more traction, less tire life, and worse fuel economy, harder rubber means less traction, more tire life, and better fuel economy.
Of course traction is that magic thing that allows you to go when you press the pedal, turn when you turn the wheel, and stop when you press the other pedal... so don't just assume that harder rubber is better!
many people run harder tires in the summer when traction is less important, and the extra economy and tire life is more desireable, and softer tires in the winter when the traction is more important, but at the expense of tire life and economy. (yes I know that the differences between summer and winter tires are much more complicated than that... but when it boils down to it, that's the drift of it)
There is a sweet spot that can be reached. If you blow your tyres up too much, not only do you increase fuel economy with less traction(as Green 1 mentions), but you also wear out the centre of the tread faster than the outer edges, which causes the fuel economy to be a false economy. The Yokohamas that my ship wears suggests the most PSI should be 40PSI. I think that 37, maybe 36PSI is optimum for traction, wear & fuel economy. The ride is also more comfortable than 40PSI.
Regarding Cruise Control and fuel economy, I agree with Delicat. The best way to look after fuel usage in this respect is to be aware of your RPM and what the accelerator is doing and that is by being present in the saddle, as it were.
Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Another great way to understand the amount of load your engine is under and therefore how much fuel you are burning is to install a boost gauge. This will give a waaaay better read on the engine load rather than just watching the rpms. High boost + High rpms = low fuel economy.
I just realised something... there are two PSI numbers on my tyres. The 40 PSI number is for beading of the tyre. the other number is "Max Pressure 50 PSI". There is one in every crowd, as someone once said and I guess it was my turn. I think my fuel economy (& life expectancy of tyres) is going to improve now..... What do I know, I'm a painter.
Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
I have her up to 8.6 kms per litre (24.5 miles to the imperial gallon). This is 500 kliks of city driving (lots of hills); a run out to Abbotsford on the number one; about three hours in 4WD (FSRs w/ hills and off road). I am now running my tyres at 45PSI, although it is kind of bouncy ~ I may drop them down to 42PSI. I am also using a diesel enhancer that I got from Lordco, it is around $8.00 a 350 ml bottle ~ but I am buying it by the case (12) which has brought it down to $5 & change per bottle.
Fraternally, Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Apart from enhancing the diesel which is the equivalent of upping the grade of the fuel, i.e.; in Japan regular petrol is 94% octane ~ so when you put "Diesel Max" into your tank you are putting in regular, as far as your Deli is concerned. From what I understand, the Delicus Canadensis is partial to grazing from the higher plains, man. It also cleans out your injectors, hence everything runs that much more cleaner ergo you get better kilometreage.
Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Good Ship 