How bad is your gas mileage?

[COBRA427]

A lot of you guys say you couldn't care less about the price of gas. The way I see it, if you're getting 10 mpg @ 60mph that's about $5.00 for every 10 mins of drive time. That's definitely getting up there in costs, and how long before gas hits the $ 6.00+/gal. mark?

I know it's utterly disgusting for most Cobra owners out there to use a non-Ford engine, but I have always done my "thing", and that's why I decided to use a LS7 motor. Stock ZO6's easily are getting 28mpg , and with my .64 o/d and 3:55 gears, I'm hoping to get at least 25mpg and that's going to help take the sting out of the high price of fuel.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by COBRA427

AI know it's utterly disgusting for most Cobra owners out there to use a non-Ford engine, but I have always done my "thing", and that's why I decided to use a LS7 motor. Stock ZO6's easily are getting 28mpg , and with my .64 o/d and 3:55 gears, I'm hoping to get at least 25mpg and that's going to help take the sting out of the high price of fuel.

Yes, but FE's will still be snickering at you behind your back....

[Got the Bug]

Originally Posted by COBRA427

That's definitely getting up there in costs, and how long before gas hits the $ 6.00+/gal. mark?

Just a hunch, but I think we'll see $4.00 gas before we see $6.00 gas. Some say that the run up in oil prices is due to speculation. If that's the case (no one knows), the bubble will burst and we'll benefit from slightly lower gas prices.

[Bxx1]

Originally Posted by Got the Bug

Just a hunch, but I think we'll see $4.00 gas before we see $6.00 gas. Some say that the run up in oil prices is due to speculation. If that's the case (no one knows), the bubble will burst and we'll benefit from slightly lower gas prices.

Premium gas in my area, Sacramento, CA, is $4.77 and I consider that price to be $5 I feel for those who have 3 ton truck/SUV's that get 14-19 mpg that those owners drive (commute) on a daily basis, now that is expensive. I choose when to drive my Cobra. If I had to drive my Cobra 100 miles daily to work at 10-12 mpg ($5 an hr as someone computed) that would put on strain on my budget.
But my Cobra is pure entertainment for me and I am worth $5/hr. (at least most of the time... )

[tnewland]

A 289 with a Holley 4010 600 cfm vacuum sec. carb., FMS 303F roller cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM 2.02 intake heads, Hi-Po distributor with no vacuum advance, Tremec 3550, 3.54 rear, and 2.95/50-15 Dunlops yields a little over 22 mph highway. Which is okay but, in my quest for maximizing efficiency, it can do better. I read the Chevy mag article on carb tuning and it sounds promising; but I don't think it was written with the Holley 4010 in mind. One good thing is my little 289 runs just fine on 87 octane, a significant money saver. In SoCal I can drive it almost anytime I want. And I do, so I don't want operating expenses to enter into my decision as to which vehicle I'm going to drive. Tom

Professional Driver. Closed Course. Do Not Attempt.

[James Stern]

Had to get my 2 cents in on this thread. I don't flog my Cobra but I do try to drive it with some energy. It's not a daily driver I have a 2000 Jag for the daily grind. The weather around here is tough for a car with no top of any kind. Either way it's your car drive as you will.

Jim Stern

[Naumoff]

Originally Posted by James Stern

Had to get my 2 cents in on this thread. I don't flog my Cobra but I do try to drive it with some energy. It's not a daily driver I have a 2000 Jag for the daily grind. The weather around here is tough for a car with no top of any kind. Either way it's your car drive as you will.

Jim Stern

I think everyone should get a top and a heater/defroster when they build/buy their car.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Naumoff

I think everyone should get a top and a heater/defroster when they build/buy their car.

Got them. Just don't use them.

[Naumoff]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

Got them. Just don't use them.

Your choice but at least you have them.

[JBCOBRA]

I got my car fine tuned (heck, it ran pretty darn well already) last week. They changed the springs in the distributor and changed the jets. The car now makes more power and gets considerably better mileage. I drove the car 280 miles last weekend and I figured I saved around 30 bucks in gas. To me, that is like free beer money

[jperickson2001]

25.7 mpg hwy cruising at 70mph with no passenger with 3:08 rear and 5th overdrive. Runs around 2k rpm's doing that. Lately I have been "hypermilaging" the car, meaning running it in town in 4th or 5th at 35 to 45 mph and 55 mph on the freeway taking off really slow, keeping it under 2k for shifts and coasting in neutral. Not particullarly fun to drive in this manner, but it's paying off in the extreme. Can run the car all week commuting and driving all weekend and only use 8 gallons of gas. EFI and small blocks rule -John

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by jperickson2001

25.7 mpg hwy cruising at 70mph with no passenger with 3:08 rear and 5th overdrive. Runs around 2k rpm's doing that. Lately I have been "hypermilaging" the car, meaning running it in town in 4th or 5th at 35 to 45 mph and 55 mph on the freeway taking off really slow, keeping it under 2k for shifts and coasting in neutral. Not particullarly fun to drive in this manner, but it's paying off in the extreme. Can run the car all week commuting and driving all weekend and only use 8 gallons of gas. EFI and small blocks rule -John

Sorry, I will keep my big block with the dual 4's.

[Naumoff]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

Sorry, I will keep my big block with the dual 4's.

Me too!

I want my Cobra to represent the power and prestige from the past. Not an economy car for today.
I don't drink or smoke so I get my pleasure from driving my car.

[convincor]

390, flat tops, edelbrocks, crane 343941, Blue Thunder intake, Holley 750 street HP, top loader with 3.27 rear.
Last 300 mile trip did 15 mpg.

[jperickson2001]

Originally Posted by Naumoff

Me too!

I want my Cobra to represent the power and prestige from the past. Not an economy car for today.
I don't drink or smoke so I get my pleasure from driving my car.

Hey, don't get me wrong. I drive the hell out of my cobra on the weekend, but I also "daily drive" the car to work across town. Why should I waste money driving it like I stole it everyday? -John

[Excaliber]

patrickt says,

Yes, but FE's will still be snickering at you behind your back....

Eh eh, I'm still chuckling over that, has a certain ring of truth to it.

MPG also equals how often I have to stop and fill up, with a small tank that happens soon enough all ready. I've been watching my mpg since I got the car, just a habit, doesn't slow me down (much, yet, ). I DO think twice about taking my Grand Cherokee V8 out for an errand or whatever (14 mpg). I DON'T think twice about taking the Cobra out for an errand or whatever and actually put more miles on the Cobra than the Jeep last year!

[twobjshelbys]

I got a good surprise today. I went to the Cars and Coffee in Denver, and on the way back stopped at the Shelby American Collection. Since the gas gauge still isn't calibrated I filled up on the way.

Specs: Roush 427IR (still not running fully correctly). 19.0MPG for a trip of about 130 miles.

[Rick Parker]

To each his own. I wouldn't want to drive my car everyday. It is more of a weekend getaway for me.
I don't drive my car like I stole it every time I take it out.
Just for me a Cobra represents an era of brute horsepower from a simple carburetored engine with all its faults and it beautiful rawness.

Well said Naumoff

Rev happy 289, with lots of cam, 48IDA's, T10 4spd, with 3.70 gears gettiing about 17 MPG and who cares..........

[fsstnotch]

I always thought with the Cobra it was measured in SPG?






SMILES per gallon!!!!

[Ron61]

Actually I thought it was gallons per mile, but who cares. Just driving one of these cars is enough to forget about the gas you are using.

Ron