Less is more

[kickflipjr]

I know regular non-hybrid car could get 50-70 mpg fairly easily. But there is no demand for low power cars.

My dad's Aveo is one of the slowest cars built in 2005. And it's plenty fast enough (103hp). But I guess the normal american would say It takes over 10 seconds to get to 60 that this is brutally slow (10.8 seconds if you were wondering).

Anyways what i am saying is you can't get crazy good mpg with lots of horsepower. A Honda insight with a geo metro engine in it would get almost the same milage as stock (maybee higher because it wouldn't have to carry the batteries around).

http://www.micro-car.co.uk/themc1car.htm

^ this car can do 72mph with only 21 hp. Thats a bit slow but with a few more HP (maybee an added turbo) it could keep up on the highway.

[SVOboy]

The insight has a 1.0 also, and I'd vote for it because honda just engineers better, so don't stick a metro engine in it!

Also, yes, I agree. That's quite the case (except for that diesel accord).

I have this theory that if you take a 1.5 and sleeve it to a 1.3 then stroke it to a 1.5 again you'll get a lot better mileage than the stock 1.5, but no one has tried to my knowledge.

[kickflipjr]

If you are driving at normal legal speeds you don't need nuch power at all. I would say that 99% of drivers don't need the amount of power there car has.

I am just saying cars are puting out much more power then they were 15-25 years ago but gas milage hasn't changed.

[kickflipjr]

You would have to bet crazy to put a metro engine in a insight. For eveyone reading this on the net don't do it. You would have more money then sense.

[SVOboy]

If you are driving at normal legal speeds you don't need nuch power at all. I would say that 99% of drivers don't need the amount of power there car has.

I am just saying cars are puting out much more power then they were 15-25 years ago but gas milage hasn't changed.

Yep, I totally agree. I was just saying that I think also if you wanted to make more for less you could sleeve and stroke and engine and end up with the same size but more torque and prolly less horsepower.

[Matt Timion]

In the mileage game, less is more.

You correctly point out that while the HP has increased, the gas mileage has not increased. It's also important to realize that the size of the car has increased dramatically. The mileage has not increased.

It has essentially stayed the same. Instead of putting technology into making the same old cars get better mileage, the technology is made to run bigger, more powerful cars at approx the same gas mileage.

It's a good thing, however, because it does show that technology is improving.

My 89 Civic has a 92 HP engine. It's plenty fast for me. My n600 has a 2 cylinder 4 stroke engine with (I believe) around ~30 HP. The Hawaiian version had ~40HP.

Most electric cars have a 10HP engine. 10HP is all that you really need.

[JanGeo]

Hey I think my 94 Geo has 54hp and my recent high speed run was 93.7mph and the gas pedal didn't do much from half to full throttle. Gearing in 5th at redline is 135mph so it is reving a little low. How much power can you use driving around at 25mph anyway? Now my xB has a much bigger frontal area and about 1000 lbs more weight (2450) with 106hp.

[SVOboy]

Gearing in 5th at redline is 135mph so it is reving a little low.

Matt, Dax, and I, as well as Lotec will all be gearing for 240 mph at redline in 5th pretty soon.

[JanGeo]

in the cabin scooter group they take the bigger gas scooters like the Helix and enclose them in an aero body - change the gearing taller and get outragious mpg on them.

My xB is turning 3000 at about 60 mph which is ok because of the added air drag but it is taking some getting used to at lower speeds NOT having to downshift at all when I used to have to in the Geo.

One funny thing about the Geo was you could beat on it and maybe loose a couple of MPG where with the xB you can drop 25% or 10mpg YEOW!

Still breaking in the xB and will be adding the oil treatment after the first oil change.

Is anyone in the group here a dealer for Xcel Plus??? and Why Not??

[SVOboy]

Wow, that gearing sucks. Even my damn 4 speed auto is only at 2800. When I do the tranny swap I'll be at like 2100,

You become a dealer!