extreme trip test tanks FE
 

i have lived in minnesota most of my life, and i still can't stand below zero weather.

i took a road trip last weekend, about 200 miles south of where i live, to the SE corner of the state. the weather was absolutely brutal. the temps were around -20 (yup, MINUS), and the winds were upwards of +20. it was a horrible combination. and of course, it was a headwind both directions.

the hotel i stayed in was right on the river, literally the river bottoms. the event i was attending was up a very long uphill drive, almost like driving in the mountains....my ears even popped as i went up. saturday morning when i left the hotel, i think it was -17 with the wind chill much lower. my HCH really struggled up that hill, driving in 4th gear was almost too much, and i considered 3rd. even with the engine working hard, the temp gauge never did register any heat. ICK.

on the return trip home, a large part of it was constant uphill, because of the river, and also i was fighting a head wind again. this was not one of my favorite drives.

the mileage on that tank was 42.5, the absolute lowest i have ever gotten. hypermiling was impossible, because the second my foot came off the gas the slightest, the car would slow down due to the high wind and uphill grade.

i was glad to get home to our nice flat roads......i sure will be happy when this winter is done.

Re: extreme trip test tanks FE
 

Looks excellent to me, given your conditions.

I lived the first 21 years of my life in the Minneapolis area. Grew up in Bloomington, a Suburb South of Richfield/Edina.

I remember when I ditched my '72 Pinto in a snow drift and had to walk home, about 7 miles in the middle of the night sometime in February, late 1970's.
It was the coldest I ever remember being. A calm night with the full moon lighting my way. I played images in my mind of being hot on a summer beach somewhere- which seemed to help, but often interupted with a shiver and a "Gawd it's cold"

I got home and the mercury was around -35 to -40. My feet hurt so bad in the cold water I was warming them in. It took a while for my mustache to thaw.

Ahhh, those were the days!

Re: extreme trip test tanks FE
 

Laurie - I'll echo the last poster - under the conditions you describe, 42.5 is nothing to be ashamed of at all.

With the recent Powerball jackpot, I relented to outside pressure and took the car up to WI to get tickets. I say 'relented', because last Saturday was the coldest day we've had in the Chicago Metro in 2+ yrs. Temp was -7F, and winds were very gusty. It was my plan not to even start the car that day, but the allure of a quick $365,000,000 tempted me, I'm afraid... :angel:

For that 24hr period (about 75mi driven altogether), I was lucky to make 42.x myself - the only thing that saved my tank was a couple of days later in the week where it warmed up. Heartbreaking, I know. My lifetime FE with this new car dropped another tenth - but that's the last drop I expect for awhile :P

As the title of one of my favorite jazz tunes states - 'Spring Ain't Here'

But it will be, soon :shade: