Packard Miles Per Gallon??

[Guest 49 Packard]

OK, so we don't really worry about how many miles per gallon we get in these old cars. I know that. But for some reason people always ask the question anyway. At $4+ per gallon even my wife wants to know what I'm getting.

I checked mine this week ('49 22nd Series 288CID) and I got 14 MPG in mixed freeway/city/county road driving.

Does anyone else ever check their gas mileage?

(Added later) I should add that my overdrive is NOT working, and I could probably do better on the MPGs if it was.

[Clipper47]

Jay, I have tried to figue the mpg on my '47 with mixed results. On highway trips it seems to get somewhere around 15mpg also. I have read where these big Clippers with overdrive can achieve 23mpg but I have never ever got close to that figure. The engine in my car is a bit of an oil burner and could probably use a rebuild but it is tuned properly and runs fine. I wish it could be better!

[tbirdman]

I get about a 1/4 tan to every time the gargae door goes up I probably get anywhere from 8-10 mpg with my 32.

[Rusty_OToole]

"What kind of mileage do you get?"

I love it when rubes ask questions like that.

"Where do you get parts for a car like that?"

Zurich. I have them flown in by private jet.

My team of mechanics installs them in my air conditioned garage. You have to be very particular when you own a car like that, an oil leak could ruin the Aubusson carpets on the garage floor.

It's not really all that expensive. I write everything off as a business expense to my Bahamas corporation. Then lease the car back to my Liechtenstein trust through my Swiss bank. This results in a perpetual tax loss carry forward for my Cayman Islands company.

The big expense is having the leather massaged with Oil of Olay by topless bikini models.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[Guest imported_Speedster]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The big expense is having the leather massaged with Oil of Olay by topless bikini models. </div></div>

So, how Far do you get with the topless models, per bottle of Oil ??? LOL

Hey, We need some kinda numbers, to keep everyone Happy. so thought that might do it?

[Guest CaptainBristol]

In my 1950 with the 288 engine, I get about 15 MPG on the highway and less than 10 in city stop & go driving, alas!

[Owen_Dyneto]

With the current 10% ethanol gasoline which delivers less mpg than either the "good old stuff" or even the MTBE versions, my 56 Caribbean (dual 4 bbls) gets about 14.5 to 15 on the highway at a steady 60-65 mph. Haven't bothered to check it in local driving. My 34 Eight gets just about exactly what Packard advised when new, about 10 mpg highway or around town. My 48 Custom 8 with OD used to get about 18 highway (again, 60-65) which means with today's gasoline brew it would probably be getting about 16.5 or thereabouts.

I find those numbers acceptable and really don't think much about it, driving each car only 300-1000 miles a year doesn't really make it a factor in the enjoyment of the hobby.

[tbirdman]

I rather measure smiles per miles

[K8096]

My favorite responses to: "Why do you drive that old car?"

I come from a poor family & this is all I can afford.

My grandfather bought it in the 1930's & we're still making payments it.

[1935Packard]

I get about 7 mpg in my V12. I posted this in another thread and someone (Dave Mitchell, perhaps?) suggested I should be getting much better mileage, more like 9 or so. But that's what I've been getting.

[Clipper47]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1935Packard</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I get about 7 mpg in my V12. I posted this in another thread and someone (Dave Mitchell, perhaps?) suggested I should be getting much better mileage, more like 9 or so. But that's what I've been getting. </div></div>

Now I don't feel so bad with my '47 Super Clipper getting 15 on a good day!

[Owen_Dyneto]

7 mpg on a Twelve is pretty decent, Packard's service letters suggested about 6 mpg should be expected.

[1935Packard]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Owen_Dyneto</div><div class="ubbcode-body">7 mpg on a Twelve is pretty decent, Packard's service letters suggested about 6 mpg should be expected. </div></div>

That's good to know -- especially because I was rounding up. ;-)

[Dave Mitchell]

Your mileage may vary with the rear axle ratio that you have also, and state of tune of the engine, as well as the amount of wear in the cylinders and rings. Typically 12s had 4.41 rear axles, but some have different ratios. My own experience with my 35 12 7 pass sedan with a 4.41 is that if it is nicely tuned up, I can get up to 12 mpg on the road. I could do a bit better with my 37 with the 3.58 gears, and I put a lot of miles on that car. The problem is that it is really hard to keep your foot out of them as it is so much fun to feel that torque - you just smile when you feel that power.

[Owen_Dyneto]

Wow, I'm sorry. I gave those gas mileage figures from memory and should have looked up the original reference which is on page 1 of the Q&A section of the 1934 Packard Salesman's Data Book rather than trust this old mind. The figures Packard quoted are 10.5 mpg for the Eight, 10 mpg for the Super 8, and 9 mpg for the Twelve. Sorry again for the misinformation.

[1935Packard]

tribbles,

The prior exchange I had with the person in that other thread seems to have been deleted by the sysadmins; perhaps that that was you, resurfacing with a new screenname?

In any event, I don't think you know enough about me or my mechanic to reach a conclusion about his work. (My mechanic is someone who came highly recommended to me by the officers of two nearby Packard clubs as the best Packard mechanic within 200 miles of me and who runs a restoration shop with an excellent reputation -- I tend to doubt he fits your characterization.) But I'm curious nonetheless: It sounds like you may be the #1 Packard expert around, but if you had to recommend someone else on the east coast to work on these cars, who would you recommend?

[Guest peter packard]

G'day all, I have 7 Packards on the road and it is certainly getting expensive to drive 500 miles each way to attend a function. I thought that I was getting pretty exceptional MPG until I made the correction from a 160 fluid ounce Imperial gallon to a 128 fluid ounce US gallon. I get around 12 MPG in the 1927- 533, same for the 35 Super, 15 for the 38 Six, 14 for the 38 120, 13 for the 53 -327, 13 for the 56 Patrician. I don't drive hard (55-65mph) but I tow trailers. The odd thing is that a lot of smaller cars don't get a lot more and the smaller car owners are complaining just as much about the price of fuel. I have a lot of old motorbikes and I reckon that my 1927 Harley J (1000cc) would be lucky to get 30mpg and it's as uncomfortable as sitting in the Principals' office on a Friday afternoon.

I would still drive my Packards if gas was $8 per litre, which has been speculated in Australia within the next ten years. I cannot see it getting there however with 50 bikes and a dozen Packards I have a few concerns. I note that Australia has LPG reserves for 300 years so I could always convert to that, except that i have had a few vehicles on LPG and had a few valve issues. Best regards Peter Toet

[Owen_Dyneto]

Those Stromberg automatic chokes used on the Eights and Super Eights 33-34 and Twelves thru 39, when clean, without damaged internals and properly adjusted, are just marvelous pieces of perfection. I have a bit of a writeup on adjusting them that the CCCA published many decades ago and I've used this over the years on many of the units with great results. Send me a PM with your email if you want a copy.

[Guest peter packard]

G'day all, Just chiming in with Owen, I have never had any problems with the Super Eight auto chokes. Compared to some of the modern versions they appear to be very reliable. Best Regards, Peter Toet

[1935Packard]

Thanks, Owen, that's good to know. FWIW, I know my choke had been damaged years ago, and someone had rigged a "quick fix" that worked for a while before my mechanic pulled it out and put in a manual choke. I'm not sure what the damage was, though, or whether it was necessary. But I'll check it out.