bmohan55 said:
I think the most important factor is which way the wind is blowing.
That's a fact...on one trip across the flats of Utah and Nevada, I was driving into a steady 50 mph west wind. It was all I could do to get it up to 35 mph on the super-slab.... On the same trip, I found 'terminal velocity' to be about 77 mph - coming down off the continental divide, in neutral, *with* a tail wind.
Let's face it: these things are as aerodynamic as a brick. Add a roof rack and honkin' big tires and mileage heads towards the single digits. 33s are big meats for the 2.25 engine to turn, even with the 20-over pistons and 1/10th skim - which is exactly what I have on the '72. Rovers were designed to run on something like 7.50x16" tires, so anything larger/wider will cause the mileage to suffer.
Still, I'm getting 14-15 mph, the only real difference being the carb, as I have a Zenith - along with electronic ignition. But the best way to increase your mileage is to fit a vacuum gauge. Watch that that like a hawk and you'll find that a minor adjustment to the skinny pedal - with hardly any noticeable change in your forward progress - can make a big difference in the mileage. Don't expect an OD to help in that regard...especially with big tires.
Cheers
