TR6 Running Costs

[jellison]

I get about 8 to the gallon and running cost - eek I get cold sweats just thinking about it..........

[spitty71]

Cheers for the video Jon, 6 looks awesome! Bugger on the hubs though How about a tonneau cover might help the aero a bit? Ps does Joe run webers or Pi? Can't do the next Silverstone but hopefully Castle Combe or Snetterton if you guys are out for either of those. Steve

Edited by spitty71 on Tuesday 7th August 11:06

[jellison]

spitty71 said:

Cheers for the video Jon, 6 looks awesome! Bugger on the hubs though How about a tonneau cover might help the aero a bit? Ps does Joe run webers or Pi? Can't do the next Silverstone but hopefully Castle Combe or Snetterton if you guys are out for either of those. Steve

Edited by spitty71 on Tuesday 7th August 11:06

Father did no have time to make the torneau - will be on for next one. Yep will be at Combe and Snett

15th Sept. Castle Combe MGCC
6/7th Oct Snetterton

Joe's is 45 Webbers like ours now (used to be Special EFi built for Church and Joe (on his old 5 - Mark Cambell now runs this very successfully in CSCC - don'y know him beut very fast from the MST results). Can only run Webbers or the std manual PI in classic racing - could run trick EFi in Tr Register - but that is effectively dead. (Await a slating say - OOh no it isn't!)

[Type 49]

The last 6 i rebuilt which included a reconditioned injection system (all components) returned almost 32mpg whilst being shaken down on a mixture of roads. My carb engined car can return 34+ on a run, and that is with a modified engine.

So i suppose the answer to the question really depends on the condition of the engine and ancilliaries, to get just 18mpg indicates a very high level of enjoyment!!

[jellison]

34+ to the gallon - you must have a had a feather tough - stayed at 70 for a long way - but then the OD on a std 3.45 diff will give VERY good economy. Rubbish performance - but then you chose whether you want go or frugality in this life (is that word!). Me I'd go lower diff ratio every time and enjoy it more - if you have od you will alway get fairly good MPG even with a higher Crown Wheel and Pinion.

Edited by jellison on Thursday 13th September 07:51

[dinkel]

Top car that is

[akceo]

I used to run a 1971 TR6 150bhp in the late 1980's and for a couple of years at least, it was my daily driver. Took it to Bodensee with a wooden canoe on the roof and all the camping gear tucked inside the canoe - used the hard top for this, although generally didn't use that. My recollection is that I got in the region of 27 mpg out of it (not necessarily with a canoe on top though). I suppose petrol was relatively cheaper back then, but I never remember being troubled by the mpg. I also ran a Triumph 1974 GT6 Mk3 before that (2 litre 6 Cylinder) and I recall getting around 32/33 mpg out of it - I even have my original mpg calculations (for GT6) somewhere, from a 2000 mile trip around France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. One thing I did in both cars on more than one occasion was run out of petrol - When the gauge got down towards zero it really meant it! I don't remember having any major reliability issues with the TR6 - unlike the GT6, which developed a cracked cylinder head and various other issues. I loved both cars at the time, but TR6 was definitely more reliable. I am currently debating whether to get another TR6. I really loved owning and driving that car. Thing is, last time I owned one it was maybe 16 years old, now it would be 53 years old!

[hilly10]

akceo said:

I used to run a 1971 TR6 150bhp in the late 1980's and for a couple of years at least, it was my daily driver. Took it to Bodensee with a wooden canoe on the roof and all the camping gear tucked inside the canoe - used the hard top for this, although generally didn't use that. My recollection is that I got in the region of 27 mpg out of it (not necessarily with a canoe on top though). I suppose petrol was relatively cheaper back then, but I never remember being troubled by the mpg. I also ran a Triumph 1974 GT6 Mk3 before that (2 litre 6 Cylinder) and I recall getting around 32/33 mpg out of it - I even have my original mpg calculations (for GT6) somewhere, from a 2000 mile trip around France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. One thing I did in both cars on more than one occasion was run out of petrol - When the gauge got down towards zero it really meant it! I don't remember having any major reliability issues with the TR6 - unlike the GT6, which developed a cracked cylinder head and various other issues. I loved both cars at the time, but TR6 was definitely more reliable. I am currently debating whether to get another TR6. I really loved owning and driving that car. Thing is, last time I owned one it was maybe 16 years old, now it would be 53 years old!

I bought the best I could with a great Chassis, had mine six years now. Cost wise it has a service every year and since setting up the PI with more reliable parts it runs like a dream. It does not go out in the wet as you know they rust for fun. Cruising on A roads 30mph, round town giving it some beans 19 mpg but worth it when listening to one of the best sounding Straight Sixes ever. They are pretty reliable with new parts relatively cheap.

[citizen smith]

hilly10 said:

I bought the best I could with a great Chassis, had mine six years now. Cost wise it has a service every year and since setting up the PI with more reliable parts it runs like a dream. It does not go out in the wet as you know they rust for fun. Cruising on A roads 30mph, round town giving it some beans 19 mpg but worth it when listening to one of the best sounding Straight Sixes ever. They are pretty reliable with new parts relatively cheap.

Hi Hilly, Looks like you own the later detuned 125bhp version which was designed for the American market (US versions fitted with twin Stromberg carbs) - British versions still had Lucas Fuel Injection plus a lower profile camshaft. The 150bhp British versions had a higher lift cam and drank quite a bit more fuel.
However, both cars were great cars to own and drive, providing that there was now snow.

Your Mimosa Yellow car looks a beauty, reminds me of fun days in my 20's.

[WyrleyD]

The 150bhp ones had CP engine numbers and the 125bhp had CR. I sorely miss both mine (yes, I had two at the same time) the Pimento Red (BWV977L) had the steel wheels and a Magenta hardtop (the only used one I could get at the time) and the White one had chrome wires (MMU940L) and soft top, the White one got sold after a year in 1974 but kept the Pimento one until 1986. I'd have another like a shot but unfortunately now have nowhere to garage it. Neither gave any trouble at all apart from the White one that leaked from the wiper drive housing up behind the dashboard in heavy rain and it took ages to trace and fix the problem.

[hilly10]

WyrleyD said:

The 150bhp ones had CP engine numbers and the 125bhp had CR. I sorely miss both mine (yes, I had two at the same time) the Pimento Red (BWV977L) had the steel wheels and a Magenta hardtop (the only used one I could get at the time) and the White one had chrome wires (MMU940L) and soft top, the White one got sold after a year in 1974 but kept the Pimento one until 1986. I'd have another like a shot but unfortunately now have nowhere to garage it. Neither gave any trouble at all apart from the White one that leaked from the wiper drive housing up behind the dashboard in heavy rain and it took ages to trace and fix the problem.

Cannot see me parting with mine I would miss the awesome straight 6 wail

[Steve-B]

I wish all of us owning a TR 6 would quit worrying about MPG and instead concentrate on SPM.

SPM = Smiles Per Mile

[hilly10]

Steve-B said:

I wish all of us owning a TR 6 would quit worrying about MPG and instead concentrate on SPM.

SPM = Smiles Per Mile

To right, I smile the moment I get in mine till the time I get out

[Yertis]

It's not the MPG per se that worries me but the range itself, ie can I get from A to B, and preferably back again, without running out of fuel.

My wooden dipstick suggests that the problem isn't actually fuel consumption, but an iffy voltage regulator and low reading gauge.

Either way, I need to get on and drive the thing more frequently.

[Steve-B]

Regardless of gauge reading, a good rule of thumb another TR 6 owner told me was to never run w/ less than 1/4th of a tank because hills and curves can shift the fuel around in the oddly shaped tank and cause fuel starvation.

Which can lead to that odd thing called walking (to a fuel station)

[hilly10]

Steve-B said:

Regardless of gauge reading, a good rule of thumb another TR 6 owner told me was to never run w/ less than 1/4th of a tank because hills and curves can shift the fuel around in the oddly shaped tank and cause fuel starvation.

Which can lead to that odd thing called walking (to a fuel station)

With the original fuel tank when you were running with less then a 1/4 of tank going round corners could and did in my case cause the engine to die then pick up as soon as you straightened up, all to do with the swirl pot around the fuel exit point or lack of it. I changed my fuel tank to a aluminium one with baffles and a one litre swirl pot no problem now.

[hilly10]

Yertis said:

It's not the MPG per se that worries me but the range itself, ie can I get from A to B, and preferably back again, without running out of fuel.

My wooden dipstick suggests that the problem isn't actually fuel consumption, but an iffy voltage regulator and low reading gauge.

Either way, I need to get on and drive the thing more frequently.

Hi Yertis
When I fitted my new fuel tank I brimmed it on a couple of occasions once to do normal running A / B roads going to shows etc return showed 24 MPG then a long run on the motorway up to Stockport it showed 30mpg so not to shabby. Last but not least normal and hooligan driving 18ish, all in all great in my mind

Paul

[Steve-B]

Yertis said:

It's not the MPG per se that worries me but the range itself, ie can I get from A to B, and preferably back again, without running out of fuel. My wooden dipstick suggests that the problem isn't actually fuel consumption, but an iffy voltage regulator and low reading gauge. Either way, I need to get on and drive the thing more frequently.

Yertis, I was the organiser of the USA2005: How the West was Driven event where we shipped 40 Caterham and Westfield cars from London to Texas then drove across the USA to San Francisco. There, fuel was somewhat an issue with Crossflow engined cars as fuel can & was sometimes quite a distance (>150miles) between stations.

This. Is. England.

Get out more and have fun!