| Author | Message | ||
     New12r |
Check this out. I read the article in print and have not read the online, but the first few paragraphs are the same. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead- messiah.html Discuss..... | ||
| Rah7777777 |
thats insane!! I love it! I want to see his ideas rolling off the lines at the big 3 and then some! My car is a diesel and I love it! will never buy a gas car again. yes diesel is more expensive now, but sit down and do the math, im still saving $. at 46 mpg all day long! | ||
| New12r |
Are you driving a V-Dub?? Just read the profile, Benz... (Message edited by new12r on November 28, 2007) | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
That's a great article, many thanks for posting the link. If you guys want to see all the diesels available over on this side of the pond, here's a couple of used car websites to check out. www.autoscout24.com www.mobile.de | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Another thing with diesels, is the engine management systems. We have a 2002 FIAT Multipla, 6 seat people carrier, it's got a 1.9l Common rail turbo diesel, rated at at 115hp, I've had it remapped, now it kicks out 155hp & more torque than the clutch can handle! But if you drive it gently, you get the same performance as before but save about 15-20%. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
New12r NO NO, I work for Benz, but I drive a VW! An 01 jetta TDI (front mount intercooler, upgraded injectors, chipped computer, boost controller, cat-back exhaust and intake, and still 46 mpg!) haha, i'd never buy a benz, diesel or not! Talk about the name game with brands and prices. Go buy a toyota and save yourself the hassle and expense! :-) Back in the day benz had a good product, but now-a-days quality is low and price is too high. Just my 2 cents though! | ||
| New12r |
I am a Japanese auto tech, I understand... | ||
| Cataract2 |
Well, I drive a diesel here also. Dodge 2500 5.9 Cummins turbo diesel. While it doesn't get 46mpg it does get close to 20. For it's size and the power it makes I consider it a fair trade off. Considering my last truck was a 4 banger and only got 20. | ||
| T9r |
Here is another interesting article, video about Johnathan Goodwin and his Bio diesel designs http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=97d_1195234563 | ||
| Aldaytona |
Another slant on fuel mileage........... Since I don't own a car, I ride every day regardless of the weather. A couple of weeks ago when I pulled into the driveway, I noticed my sister and her husband had arrived for the weekend. It was raining and as I scrambled for the garage door, my brother-in-law steps outside the front door and said "hey moron, you ought to get one of those, we get over 50 mpg and don't get wet" as he pointed to their Toyota Prius. He was laughing and holding out a cold one for me. He's a nice guy but just doesn't get it! | ||
| Bcordb3 |
I have read somewhere, where the SMART car in Europe and Canada have diesel engines in them and are getting about 80 mpg. Has anyone else read or heard that? | ||
| Cataract2 |
I have read somewhere, where the SMART car in Europe and Canada have diesel engines in them and are getting about 80 mpg. Has anyone else read or heard that? Yeah, seen them. Impractical for me though. I loved the test they did for getting furniture and they used the H1 Hummer. Like everyone drives one. A more realistic test would involve the same items and using a pickup. The Smart car is fine for a commuter, not fine for picking up much. In the test they tried to tout it as a good hauling vehicle too. HA! | ||
| Tom_b |
I met this guy last summer at a motorcycle show. Very cool to talk to, very down to earth. I can say with out a doubt the closest to a mechanical genius i've ever met. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
At my work we are about to start selling the smart car, I can get an awesome deal on a lease (normally I think leases are stupid! and a waste of money) but I can get it for under $90 a month! with 12k limit. thats stupid to pass up. so i'll get one just to play with and for short trips and when its raining. talked to my uncle in germany he says that his friends that have one get over 50mpg on the 3 cylinder gasser. But for vacation trips the diesel jetta will be car of choice. also my pops has a prius and gets 53-56 on a daily basis! its an 03 model and he could not be happier. There is a bid rivalry between the diesel guys and prius guys but I stand firm that they both kick ass. But if you want good power the diesel is with out a doubt the best choice. but if your old and don't mind small power then the prius is your choice. | ||
| Buellerandy |
is 26 old? :P | ||
| Rah7777777 |
not for you Andy :-) | ||
| Blake |
Sounds extremely dubious to me. I suppose that if you plug in an electrically powered Hummer and charge its batteries fully then over a short ensuing run you might achieve the onboard "fuel" efficiency claimed. There is no free lunch. Gas turbines, even at full output which is where they are most efficient, are not much more efficient than diesel engines. | ||
| Tom_b |
Blake, the fact that he is exploring other power sources is the cool part of using a cheap military surplus turbine. If anyone can make it work, this guy can. Besides you can run a turbine on almost any kind of fuel source. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
I say its worth a shot! who knows maybe he will stumble across the greatest power source of all time :-) Plus its cool to see people chop stuff up and make what they want :-) | ||
| Hootowl |
I'm hoping VW will get off their arses and build a diesel hybrid. Hello 70 MPG. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
my dad told me that one of his old college teachers swore up and down, he invented a carburator that would get 50 MPG on a V8, but the government bought his ideas for a big big amount. He said he wasnt sure if it was smoke, but the guy was serious about it and could not give details. but pops did say he bought a new house and bought a few expensive cars, so he did get some money rolling in that was well above his income, but wasnt sure from what?? makes you wonder?!?!?! | ||
| Jayvee |
What a sad use of "genius", putting diesels in Hummers. Is that the best we can do, "doubling mileage" from 8 to 16 ? How about those guys in LA who put a $10,000 package into a Prius and have gotten 250 mpg? But that's with plugging it into your house current every night. And only if your average trip is less than 40 miles, as I recall. That's about 99% of mine though. | ||
| Aesquire |
A "simple" first gen hybrid can be very easy to make. Mother Earth News almost had me building one back in '77. Having a fuel burning engine that only recharges the battery lets you spec the engine to run at an efficient full throttle even load. Second gen hybrids like the Prius need a car spec emissions legal engine that runs well under varying loads. lots tougher. The total power requirement is the same. Say you need 60 hp to cruise at highway speed. Any more than that you can use to accelerate, & go up hill. Figure at least double that for acceptable performance. Prius type hybrids have to have something like a 70 hp gas engine, and a 70 hp electric. http://www.toyota.com/prius/specs.html For an electric car, or first gen hybrid, you would want at least a 100+ hp motor, and 65 hp or so fuel burner engine in the hybrid to enable continuous charging. I'd love a 40+ mpg van. One with a mini turbine hybrid system would be awesome! A buddy took a seminar at R.I.T. on the Pouge Carb. He built one for his Beetle, and though he did get over 70 mpg, it needed either sophisticated electronic control, ( now cheap ) or a checklist & aircraft pilot mentality to keep the thing from starting fires. The fuel is vaporized by exhaust heat, and you start on the regular carb, then switch to hot fuel vapor. You had to switch back to reg carb mode, stop fuel flow & purge the vapor system, when parking, to keep hot, flammable vapor from leaking out. Efficient & dangerous! Cool! I liked Smokey Yunick's design. http://schou.dk/hvce/ | ||
| Tom_b |
there are some french guys that have built a car that runs on compressed air. the engine will recharge the tanks overnite. Absolutely zero emissions. they are working on a system to allow the tanks to refill while driving. Jayee, a waste of genius? at least he is trying to bring an awareness to the fact that there are other sources out there. Better 20 mpg in a hummer tha 8 mpg and a BIODIESEL at that, which means next to nothing for emissions.Rah7777 this guy is using BIODIESELS which burn Waaayy cleaner than a regular diesel. Any idiot can put a diesel in place of a gas burner just to get better mileage. (Message edited by tom_b on December 04, 2007) | ||
| Barker |
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8&feature=rel ated | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I'm just waiting for an ecologically sound conversion for a Chrysler smallblock, to slip in my old Dodge. |
