We haven't even loaded up our 2009 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI and the smack-talk is thick. James Tate and George Achorn in the number 4 Q7 are already talking a big game. Seems they're not planning to take even a fuel-miser competition lying down.
We're committed though. No air conditioning. Windows up. We've deflated the Q7's air suspension to its lowest, most wind-cheating ride height. Driving like there's an egg on the accelerator pedal. Heck, we've even turned off the daytime running lights in order to reduce the parasitic load on the alternator. We have every itention of winning this thing.
Wait, we're keeping the air off when we're driving through Death Valley?
Rules are light. There's a route programmed in the navigation system, but it's not hard-and-fast. You want to meander and go elsewhere? Fine. Just show up for dinner. Or don't.
The catch is that the competition isn't only about fuel economy. Average speed is a major component of the scoring. If you drive 25 mph on the freeway to minimize fuel consumption, your average speed will stink and you'll lose points. There is a happy medium here, though fuel economy is still weighted more heavily than average speed.
To prevent fuel-filling shenanigans, the tanks are filled at the end of each stage by Audi personnel under the watchful eye of an IMSA representative certifying that the process is kosher. They then seal the fuel filler door with a fancy seal:
Break the seal and you're DQ'ed.
We sweated our heinies off and kept our speed to no more than about 62 mph. Momentum is key--we're keeping our speed up through sweepers in order to prevent our average speed from plummeting. Not so fast that our fuel economy suffers, though.
Downhill sections are coming out of Death Valley are great. Average speeds benefit from 70+ mph speeds while using zero fuel since we're using engine braking to our advantage. Other teams were talking of throwing their transmissions into Neutral when going downhill. But this uses fuel since the engine is still idling. Advantage: us.
The temperature is in the low 80s, but it's much hotter in the greenhouse of our cabin. The vents are pissing out hot dragon's breath into our faces. My back is soaked and my jeans feel like wet concrete. Are any of the other teams using a/c? No one else can possibly be this stupid.
Our efforts pay off. Day One ends with us taking the lead in points with 28.2 mpg, a result that betters the second-best finisher by 1.4 mpg. Our average speed of 52 mph is slightly better than the average of the seven Q7s in our competition.
Nevertheless, Tate and Achorn are unfazed by their second-place finish to us and are continuing their endless stream of trash-talk. We'll see if they can make something happen in Day Two to stymie our lead.
Day One Results, Top Three Finishers:
Team Avg. MPG Avg. MPH Overall Points
Edmunds/Kavanagh 28.2 52 183
Achorn/Tate 25.6 53 160
Brennan/Roy 25.8 51 156
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
skisupreme says:
07:28 PM, 10/19/08
I don't understand..."Other teams were talking of throwing their transmissions into Neutral when going downhill. But this uses fuel since the engine is still idling. Advantage: us."...
Was your engine off? Or does engine braking draw negative fuel consumption?
smokeonit says:
08:46 PM, 10/19/08
i thought open windows increase drag when driving @ highway speed??? did you leave the window(s) open or closed???
did you add 10-20% more pressure to the tires??? that should also raise mpg a little! ;-)
and while in the city, as you approach a light or waiting/standing cars, turn off the engine as soon as you see a red light... the last 100-200ft are easily done without the motor on... sometimes even much more than that! that saves like 10-20% in the city... especially in dense traffic...
vacagrande says:
11:30 AM, 10/20/08
ski - when your engine is in gear and you're not pushing the gas pedal, your engine is driven by the momentum in the system (the tires on the road and the vehicle's momentum, etc) and uses no gas. When you're in neutral that's all disconnected from the engine and you need to use a small amount of fuel to keep the engine running.
ateixeira says:
11:41 AM, 10/20/08
I'd be focusing on the lowest speed where the transmission goes in to its tallest gear. On my minivan that happens at 46mph.
I bet the mileage figures could go up even more, but you guys are doing quite well so don't listen to me!
actualsize says:
01:41 PM, 10/20/08
A/C off. Windows closed. 85+ degrees outside. It wasn't as bad for me because I was sitting on the shady side of the cockpit; Jay was taking a direct hit from the sun.
And vacagrande has the coasting in "D" versus "N" exactly right. You want to see "--.- mpg" in the Audi's MFA as often as possible.