Sunday, April 10, 2011

VW suspension lift, and Fryer Oil

Loving the weather, even though its just 8 degrees or so.
I started on some of the vehicle maintenance.  Air bags were a bit pricey for the stinky ol VW, so I got these $2 spring separators.  I got them at like a dollar store.  They seem to be a failed retail item, sold off to the dollar stores.  But they do work, so far.  I have driven a good 40km and they stayed in place, giving the vw a stiffer ride, without ever bottoming out like it used to.

The stinky VW also got some expensive fuel on the week end.  $1.29 a liter.  That was enough to spur some radical action.  20 liters of filtered used fryer fat went strait into the diesel fuel tank.  No pre heaters, or fryer oil burner apparatus, tanks switches ect, have been installed yet.

I have been a bit disappointed with my VW mileage over the winter.  I believe the constant -30 deg celcius, and the high altitude of Alberta is what spoils it.  I was only getting 40 mpg.  This last tank, which hauled the trailer and lumber on the roof the whole time, would have probably been around 30mpg, But I put 20 liters of frier fat, with 17 liters of diesel in the tank getting 65 mpg on paid for fuel.  I will bring that up to 80mpg, then phase the fryer oil out of my tank, keeping it in a separate tank for next winter, and bing my mileage up to 200+ mpg on paid for fuel.

How is this sustainable you ask?  I drive the VW to Andrew every weekend.  Just that return trip uses about 20 liters of fuel.  Wile in Andrew, I stop at just 2 of the 6 restaurants, and pick up their weeks worth of fryer oil, placed on their back step, for the garbage man.  That alone, virtually no effort, gives me 45 liters of fryer oil fuel every week.  The other restaurants want me to take their fuel, but I need to pump it out of the ol collection dumpsters.

2 comments:

Stuff said...

I gotta figure out a way to get my liteace working on the veggie oil. probably will be a summer only thing.

Malcolm said...

I am just running it in the fuel tank w the diesel, definitely only for summer. I will have an auxillary heated tank dialed up for winter, I'll make videos. Drop it rite in the spare tire spot, put the spare on the roof or something.