PNW Regional Rally Trip by the Numbers

[daplumbr]

Pacific Northwest Livin Lite Rally Trip By the Numbers

General Travel

5931 total miles
26 days total
19 days of travel
312 miles per day average on travel days
11 states
13 days either partly or fully in Oregon
3 time zones
45 different state license plates, 4 different province plates, and 1 diplomatic plate

Tow Vehicle

14,000,000 approximate engine crankshaft revolutions
229 maximum horsepower used
104 horsepower used at 60 mph on the level with no wind
592 gallons of gas
10 miles per gallon
186 degrees Fahrenheit maximum transmission temperature
136 degrees Fahrenheit normal transmission temperature
193 degrees Fahrenheit maximum and normal engine coolant temperature

Travel Conditions

8640 feet above sea level highest elevation
2 feet above sea level lowest elevation
8% steepest grade on road
100 degrees Fahrenheit maximum outdoor temperature
49 degrees Fahrenheit minimum outdoor temperature
100% maximum outdoor humidity
1% minimum outdoor humidity
4 days with some rain

Camping

17 times camp setup/takedown
5 campsites with full hookups
2 campsites with no services
1 tank of propane used
3 hours average from waking to hitting the road
20 minutes average from parking at campsite to fully set up

[gnies]

I am curious who had a diplomatic plate and from where?

[daplumbr]

I think it was the Japanese Consulate staff. We saw it near Chicago. It was not Canadian.

[leslie]

Merlin: Where is the fun? Where is the love?

[ammobob]

Roger, you're a better man than me! I don't think I could have done it. 2 weeks, 1500 miles and 4 campgrounds was bad enough for me. Heck I had to go back to work to recover . Glad you both made it back home safe!!

[daplumbr]

[quote timestamp="1470767271" source="/post/23755/thread" author="@leslie"]Merlin: Where is the fun? Where is the love?[/quote]In the photos! I'll post them soon in the rally thread.

[pinstriper]

When we left the rally, I kinda had to use the restroom. But we had already dumped, and the bathroom was gross. So I waited until I got home.

[djsamuel]

All of this data and you forgot to post the reduction of tire diameter due to wear?!?!?!? What kind of statistician are you?

Actually, very interesting info.  You're a better record keeper than me.

[david]

Here is a geeky comment/question- how did you come by the 104 hp at steady, flat land, 60 mph conditions?

At 10 mpg and 60 mph you are using 6 gph of gasoline. Most gasoline engines make about 12 hp per gph at moderate loads. So that would indicate 72 hp.

But if you are saying that you used 104 average hp over the whole trip, I guess I can accept that number, but not at 60 mph and 10 mpg.

David

[admin]

My guess is he used a obd2 sensor synced to a logger. I use torque on my android phone with a bluetooth reader. I can log my entire trip with all sort of misc detail such as HP, engine and trans temps, even G forces vs acceleration, and more.

[djsamuel]

I have Torque in my truck as well. Never tried to log for an entire trip though. I'll have to give that a try.

[pinstriper]

My guess is he used a obd2 sensor synced to a logger. I use torque on my android phone with a bluetooth reader. I can log my entire trip with all sort of misc detail such as HP, engine and trans temps, even G forces vs acceleration, and more.

I find it quite unpossible to believe that a sensor with accumulators active during the entire operation could outperform a 10 minute back-of-the-napkin calculation. Quite unpossible.

[daplumbr]

[quote source="/post/23931/thread" author="@david" timestamp="1471479449"]Here is a geeky comment/question- how did you come by the 104 hp at steady, flat land, 60 mph conditions?

At 10 mpg and 60 mph you are using 6 gph of gasoline. Most gasoline engines make about 12 hp per gph at moderate loads. So that would indicate 72 hp.

But if you are saying that you used 104 average hp over the whole trip, I guess I can accept that number, but not at 60 mph and 10 mpg.

David[/quote]I have a Scanguage II mounted on my console and plugged into the OBDII connector. It displays everything the ECU reports, including horsepower. After reading your question, I see I used "average" in a misleading way when referring to horsepower. The instantaneous HP going down the road at 60 mph would be a better way to state it. That was not a cumulative average, so that instantaneous HP can't be related to the 10 mpg, which really was an overall trip average. Keep in mind the Land Cruiser is a full time 4WD vehicle that takes a few extra HP just to push all the mechanicals at speed. Anyway, the Scanguage is great fun and a good way to monitor the stresses of towing. 

Also, we tow slow, so I'm sure our average speed for the trip was less than 60 mph. 

[david]

Hmmm! Your explanation actually makes the discrepancy worse. My Pathfinder pulling our 16TBS gets 13-13.5 mpg at a steady, flat 60 mph. So call it 13 mpg for your heavier TV in 4wd. 60/13 * 12 = 55 hp.

Since I doubt that the OBDII connector reports actual hp, as it can only infer hp from the gph of fuel used, does your Scangauge report instantaneous fuel consumption? I am sure that it reports instantaneous mpg which can easily be converted to gph. Also Sean reported that his OBII connector reported instantaneous torque and hp. I can't believe that there are strain gauges that measure actual torque. I am pretty sure that it is inferred by fuel rate as well.

FWIW, the above knowledge comes from electronic controlled marine diesels. These report pct load, which is directly related to hp produced. But that load and hp is inferred from instantaneous fuel consumption. I suspect that modern auto engines are the same.

Any thoughts, or is this getting too deep for a camper forum?

David

[daplumbr]

What the heck, nothing's too deep for this forum!     I'll bet you're right and the ECU reports several parameters based on inferences. And yes, torque, fuel flow rate, and mpg are among those reported instantaneously. I wouldn't want to guess at the algorithm the computer uses, but there are several parameters observable with the Scanguage that may go into calculating HP. One thing I noticed is that HP drops each time the transmission shifts into a higher gear and rpm drops. That of course is consistent with the fact that HP is basically torque times rpm. However, the throttle position doesn't change at each shift, so fuel demand is almost constant. Therefore the HP algorithm is more than just fuel flow rate. 

All this being said, what I'm very interested in now is to look at all the same parameters sans trailer. Then I'll be able to say exactly what it means to tow a Camplite with my TV. 

And all that being said, I have an increasing respect for the value of engine torque when towing!