114 280 fuel economy?

hope this isn't a repeat question. anyone know how to improve fuel efficieny of a 1973 280 sedan? getting about 16mpg to work and back, in mixed traffic. i have heard that 20mpg is possible. any chance of this? any suggestions?

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W114

1973 was a bad year for fuel efficiency

1973 was a tough year for many auto manufacturers as they had to meet a whole new set of emission requirements. The newly designed carb on the Mercedes U.S. model 280 engine was quite complex and is hard to tune. This coupled with lower compression and exhaust modifications made for a engine that produced less power and poorer fuel economy. Euro models had more power and could breathe easier. I had a couple of fuel injected 280 euro models that could get close to 20 mpg. Never was able to do that with a US carburated model. 16 mpg is not all that bad for that year...

fuel economy

thank you for the information. i plan to pass the car to my daughter and she likes the car regardless. it is also very nice to drive and not that far off as to be cost ineffective to have. this site is really helpful and a treasure. i tell my friends about it and have really enjoyed the reading. thank you so very much!