FI mpg question

The FI did get good mileage. Reliable? Hmmmmmmmm The stuff is

30 years old.

I had a Karmann Ghia I used to squeeze 40 MPG out of fairly consistently on the freeway. I went to some extremes but it was better than anything a Beetle would do.

Speedy Jim

"I have no use for a car which has more spark plugs than a cow has teats!" Henry Ford, when advised that Chevrolet was introducing a 6-cylinder engine.

I vote that you keep it simple surely! (The KISS philosophy) The Fuel Injection WILL make repairs more expensive. Can you still find all of the stock exhaust components for the 75-79 Beetles?

Or are you talking about a Mexican Beetle? Parts may be tricky to get for those too!

I got good MPG out of most of my Beetles including my '76 FI Beetle. I have only owned Beetles (years 1969 Auto Stick, 1967, 1976, 1966 to name a few that I kept for years) and never Super Beetles! Not sure if the FI made a super large increase in MPG than my other Beetles since gas was a LOT cheaper back them and who really cared. My 1976 FI Beetle might have made 3-4 miles per gallon (32mpg) more than my non-FI ones that were getting about 28-29 MPG. BTW The '69 with the auto stick did not get that much! ;-)

Remember that the Super Beetle is a little heavier than the Beetle and you may use your right foot a little more with them. ;-)

JMHO

Thanks for the replies so far. I found a nice '75 super beetle in my area. It looks to be in great shape, but I do worry about the difficulty of working on the engine myself. I would definitely keep a nest egg in the bank to let a professional handle problems if they arise.

I tend not to drive aggressive. I do 65 tops on the highway right now in my '73. I get about 25 mpg in my '73. That's a rough estimate since my odometer doesn't work.

I have a 77 with FI. I don't see great gas mileage , but I could have it adjusted wrong. As far as the parts... New aftermarket parts are pricey. Check CIP's or JCW's catalogs. What I've done is basically bought spares at the swaps. For instance, I bought a couple a fuel pumps at $20 each, the air flow meter about $15, the 'black box" about $15 and other parts. Some parts you may be better off buying new, but none are more than $50-60. As long as there's someone ripping out the stock FI system, there will always be spare parts available.

Truthfully though, engine work is about the easiest part of working on old cars like these. Body work, transmission seals, and other stuff tends to be less straightforward.

Yeah but the '79 had a lot more extra HEAVY metal with reinforcement rails and that convertible top. That could be a reason why your '79 Super Beetle Conv. did not get the higher mileage that a Standard Beetle Hardtop with FI could get. :-) Not sure exactly what the '77 is though. Some call the Super Beetles Conv. 'Bugs' too! lol

later, dave (One out of many daves)

Three points:

34 mpg may have been at the speed limit in '75 (i.e. 55 mph). My 77 gets over 30mpg at 55mph but drops to mid 20s at 75mph.

Check smogs laws for your state. In CA, '75 model year and newer cars have to be smogged. Every 2 years. You may view this as a plus if you are an environmentalist and like to drive "green", but it can get to be expensive getting it to pass, and some emissions parts are hard to find.

The FI VW's don't FWEEM.

Ted

Just finished a cross-country banzai run in a low mileage Squareback with an untouched engine and FI system. I averaged 25 mpg at 70-75 mph. The D-Jet is known to be a bit thirstier than the L-Jet supplied with your later bugs. A well-tuned bug, thoughtfully driven, can easily give you 26-28 mpg. Remember too that cold ambient temperatures will give you seasonally lousier mpg. Colin