100 mile per gallon engine!

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

SO, Here's the recipe for a 100 mpg car engine:

1 cylinder, long stroke, 400 to 800 cc displacement, with all the goodies: four valves, direct injection / lean burn and tuned intake and exhaust. Of course, the usual aero body and LRR tricks would be needed.

So what do you get?

http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/to...-liter-car.htm

That's more like ~250mpg@55-65mph.
The 3L Lupo is capable of ~100mpg@55mph, and probably more given that any trip will involve cruising speeds higher than the average speed. It already had a freewheeling CVT and auto shut-off so there really isn't much for the driver to do except keep the speed on the freeway down and try to time lights.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

There is no way that a 4, 6 or 8 cylinder car is ever going to get 100 mpg at normal (55-65 mph) highway speeds.

The opel eco speedster is a 4 cylinder (1.3L).... And got 113mpg over a 24 hour period averaging 140mph I did a bit more reading earlier, and apparently it also has a variable geometry turbocharger and automatic manual transmission

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

The opel eco speedster is a 4 cylinder (1.3L).... And got 113mpg over a 24 hour period averaging 140mph I did a bit more reading earlier, and apparently it also has a variable geometry turbocharger and automatic manual transmission

I don't think it pulled the ~100mpg at the same time it was running high speed laps. But, averaging ~100mpg in the Euro cycle and being able to go ~155mph/running a 14s quarter mile is a great example of having your cake and eating it too imo.

During initial testing the 112 hp concept car reached a maximum speed of more than 250 km/h, while fuel consumption in the MVEG cycle was a miserly 2.5 liters per 100 km.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

I don't think it pulled the ~100mpg at the same time it was running high speed laps. But, averaging ~100mpg in the Euro cycle and being able to go ~155mph/running a 14s quarter mile is a great example of having your cake and eating it too imo.

You're right Information out there about the speedster is, for the most part, sketchy.

http://www.hydro.com/en/press_room/n...speedster.html Appears to state things in a not so misleading fashion

That's 8.9L/100km (31mpg) during the speed trial which averaged 141mph

[Sludgy]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

That's more like ~250mpg@55-65mph.
The 3L Lupo is capable of ~100mpg@55mph, and probably more given that any trip will involve cruising speeds higher than the average speed. It already had a freewheeling CVT and auto shut-off so there really isn't much for the driver to do except keep the speed on the freeway down and try to time lights.

I guess I stand corrected. I didn't know about the Opel. I was trying to make the point: For a diven displacement, fewer, bigger cylinders are more efficient than multiple tiny cylinders. A big one big cylinder engine is the most efficient option for FE.

But it does beg the question: Why can't we buy a 100 mpg turbodiesel sports car?

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Because no one will make them. Why won't anyone make them? Iono... They'd probably sell well. I mean, how hard would it for Mazda/Ford to shove the 1.6L 100hp MZI-C6 in a Miata and adjust the weight distribution accordingly? Sure, it'd cost a few grand more off the lot, but it'd be a ton of fun to drive and get great mileage. I'd get one for $25k if they were available.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

But it does beg the question: Why can't we buy a 100 mpg turbodiesel sports car?

We as in those of us in N. America?

1. Emissions
2. Weight/Safety
3. SUV's
4. Oil prices have leveled off such that attractive options such as that may not be economically viable/profitable.
5. Aesthetics

Seems to be the general idea behind all the reasons why we don't have such things :/

[itjstagame]

Yeah, I can't stand it.

Emission is about the only valid thing on that list and that's taken into account everywhere else in the world as well.

SUVs... I believe that right there is one of the main contributors to a lot of the problems, very little fuel milage, driving up prices and putting out much more emmisions than needed to haul that bulk around. Plus I really just hate the people that drive them. I grew up in the back woods and you got and SUV because half your roads are dirt and you like going off road, but in NYC and stuff people have them, WHY? They're not even DESIGNED for off road anymore, it really bugs me.

They're basically just minivans that 'look cooler'. Because 'everyone' hates minivans. I guess even SUVs aren't the problem, the problem is that the car companies and TV and every thing else works together to promote a certain 'image' of the vehicle I want to drive and it can't be a minivan and has to show off the wheels and still haul my 8 friends. At least streamlined looking cars are a lot more popular now but then again so are rear spoilers.

As for lightweight diesel (or not) vehicles, I love them. I typically buy older 80s cars because they seem to be the lightest cars were. Even motorcycles, I'd love to buy an awesome 250cc, but they're not made, Europe and Australia have about 10 different 250cc bikes, we have 2. They also have 400cc options and a bunch in the middle, we get 600cc as the 'standard'. We're a nation of excessive power and flaunt but I really miss the lightweigth and nimble.
EDIT: I meant to mention, there's an sv650 now, that's a giant one cylinder bike of 650cc and it gets like 60MPG (almost the same as a 250cc). There's definately something to having just 1 very efficient cylinder. Shouldn't it also dump out loads of torque (especially if it's high stroke)? Although I also don't see why an 8cyl can't get 100MPG, at least not with pulse and glide (which maybe we were discounting).

I've overheard many people in conversation say something to the effect of, "I don't care how much MPG a Prius gets, I'll never drive one they're just too ugly". But by the same token I have a lot of family and relatives that really want them or have already bought them. Of course out of the 3 people I know with them they all 'rave' about their 45mpg! 45MPG! WTH? The 1982 Diesel Rabbit from VW was EPAed at 52MPG city and 60MPG highway! And we're raving about 45MPG? Bah.

Edit Edit: Sorry for the ranting, but boy do I feel better :-).

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by itjstagame

I've overheard many people in conversation say something to the effect of, "I don't care how much MPG a Prius gets, I'll never drive one they're just too ugly"...

As the civic hybrid has shown... It wouldn't sell if it wasn't ugly As a status symbol, someone can pick a prius out of a crowd and say "ya, that person cares" whereas with the civic hybrid, it looks like a civic except for the little hybrid badge.

As a status symbol, the Prius has been very successful -- and then on top of that, the 100+mpg plug in hack/kit is awesome

[Sludgy]

Originally Posted by itjstagame

Yeah, I can't stand it.

Emission is about the only valid thing on that list and that's taken into account everywhere else in the world as well.

SUVs... I believe that right there is one of the main contributors to a lot of the problems, very little fuel milage, driving up prices and putting out much more emmisions than needed to haul that bulk around. Plus I really just hate the people that drive them. I grew up in the back woods and you got and SUV because half your roads are dirt and you like going off road, but in NYC and stuff people have them, WHY? They're not even DESIGNED for off road anymore, it really bugs me.

They're basically just minivans that 'look cooler'. Because 'everyone' hates minivans. I guess even SUVs aren't the problem, the problem is that the car companies and TV and every thing else works together to promote a certain 'image' of the vehicle I want to drive and it can't be a minivan and has to show off the wheels and still haul my 8 friends. At least streamlined looking cars are a lot more popular now but then again so are rear spoilers.

As for lightweight diesel (or not) vehicles, I love them. I typically buy older 80s cars because they seem to be the lightest cars were. Even motorcycles, I'd love to buy an awesome 250cc, but they're not made, Europe and Australia have about 10 different 250cc bikes, we have 2. They also have 400cc options and a bunch in the middle, we get 600cc as the 'standard'. We're a nation of excessive power and flaunt but I really miss the lightweigth and nimble.
EDIT: I meant to mention, there's an sv650 now, that's a giant one cylinder bike of 650cc and it gets like 60MPG (almost the same as a 250cc). There's definately something to having just 1 very efficient cylinder. Shouldn't it also dump out loads of torque (especially if it's high stroke)? Although I also don't see why an 8cyl can't get 100MPG, at least not with pulse and glide (which maybe we were discounting).

I've overheard many people in conversation say something to the effect of, "I don't care how much MPG a Prius gets, I'll never drive one they're just too ugly". But by the same token I have a lot of family and relatives that really want them or have already bought them. Of course out of the 3 people I know with them they all 'rave' about their 45mpg! 45MPG! WTH? The 1982 Diesel Rabbit from VW was EPAed at 52MPG city and 60MPG highway! And we're raving about 45MPG? Bah.

Edit Edit: Sorry for the ranting, but boy do I feel better :-).

I loved your rant... so much stuff:

I have an XR650L. It maxes out at about 50 mpg. I'm thinking of trading it in for a 250. This would about double the mileage.

Eight cylinder cars are just too heavy to get 100 mpg. The weight on the tires contributes to high rolling resistance. And it takes a lot of energy just to spin a V8 motor in its bearings.

I agree about older cars getting better FE. I had a cheap (it was under $5000 brand new) 5 speed Mercury Lynx. It would hit 40 mpg on the highway. No diesel, no hybrid, just a 1.6 liter motor and good gearing. I wonder what it would have gotten if I knew about hypermiling back then.