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[Roy LG]

I recently aquired my dad's 1961 TR3A.  I had one when I was in high school.  That car I got 30 mpg. My dad's car only makes 22 mpg.  I replaced the low speed rear end with a high speed.  I thought that would make a difference on the gas mileage.  However, it did not.  Are there any suggestions as to what I might do to fix this problem.

Roy LG

[Dan B]

Hi Roy,

My TR4A as been getting 25-30 consistently, but I have an OD transmission and Stromberg carbs, with the allison/crane cams optical points setup.  I am changing over (hopefully this summer) to fuel injection, with a custom built manifold and multiport injectors, controlled by a Megaquirt controller.  I don't know if you want to get that radical or not, but I am hoping it gives me some improved mileage as well as performance. 

Dan Blackwood
South Charleston, WV

[charley fitch]

A good tune up really helps.  Often times one does a number  of things to a car and then starts getting better mileage.  And then you don't know what one thing really did the job.  Or maybe it was the whole series of fixes that changed it.  I recently got 33 mpg in my TR3B while on a trip and that included going over two high mountain passes of 8,000 and 7,000 feet( that is starting and ending at about 500 feet).  I am running a Toyota 5 speed tranny with 3.45 gears in the rear end.  This helps a lot.  However, I would suggest that you look at fine tuning your car with good spark plugs, you may want to consider a new set of carburator needles and jets also.  And then fine tune those carbs and the timing.

The latter items can be done with little money while the tranny and 3.45 gears  are much more expensive.

Good luck,
Charley Fitch   

[dlolson1]

RoyLG,

   When we first got our TR3A, it had been a garage king (I refuse to refer to our Winston as feminine), he was refurbished in 94, we got him in 99, and he had only about 500 miles in that time span.  During the summer, I found the distributor cap to be dirty inside.  The vacuum advance diaphragm leaked, and the centrifugal advance was rusted and frozen.  A new cap, points, rotor and vacuum advance were in order.  Disassembly of the centrifugal advance mechanism, cleaning and oiling (like the hand book recommends) made a difference in the performance, but since most of our driving is town driving it made a little difference.
   During the next winter, the carbs were gutted, cleaned and new major kits installed.  A task I dreaded, but jumped into with a handbook and caution.  That made a world of difference in starting and the mileage.  Then the big change in starting, performance and mileage came with adding the Pertronix electronic ignition. Another dreaded task ("It can't be that simple, but it was") I changed the polarity of the  electrical system.  Battery polarity, wires on the ammeter, and flashed the generator so that it would be easier to get electrical and electronic gadgets that might get added later.  We added a cruise control, which I dearly love, and it makes driving him on the highway so much easier.  We now get in that 28 to 32 mpg on the road with no overdrive.  But we don't drive him much over 60.  Most of the state and county highways in our area are mostly 55 to 65, and driving slightly under the speed limit by a little, makes dodging traffic much easier.  It seems there is always an empty space in front of us.
   In town,(population 17,000, circumnavigation of the town is only about 7 miles if we go through the park on the west side of town) we will get between 16 and 20 mpg, depending on how much we use 4th gear.  We tried to be 'green' by using E-10 (gasohol), but found it unsuitable in warm weather, vapor lock you know.  He ran like a cripple dog, and starting when at temperature was next to impossible.  I also am forced to use a lead substitute additive. When he was overhauled, the No-Lead parts weren't installed.  We used to use only premium fuel, but when we couldn't get premium, we were forced to use regular unleaded, and found there was no change in performance or economy, so we have spared ourselves that extra expense. 
   Good luck with your challenge.  Also, if you would, let us know how your quest for increased economy turns out.  I, for one, am always on the look out for ways to make our Winston run better and with the cost of fuel, get better mpg.

Dale O :-)