New Technology

[old_sempai]

Your MPG math analysis feeds the fire of conspiracy that Oil companies were behind suppression of fuel efficient devices. Actually they could care less, since the truth of the matter is that there are only so many calories of heat that can be derived from fuel, along with the fact that there are just so many gallons of diesel, kero, av-gas and gasoline available when cracking a barrel of crude. The volume is X and the proportion of product derived must total X. As for the infernal combustion engine, the gasoline version has always ranged some where around 30% heat efficiency with diesel's being approximately 40% efficient.

However, other improvements, including one that is now standard is the overdrive and coupled with improved lubricants that reduce internal friction not only in drive train assemblies, but even the engine itself have helped as well. Going from straight weight oils such as SAE 30 and even 40 weight to multi grades of 5W-30 and 10W-30 with improved and more stabile VI modifiers has also contributed to improved MPG, along with streamling the vehicle to reduce wind drag.

Every little bit helps.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Your MPG math analysis feeds the fire of conspiracy that Oil companies were behind suppression of fuel efficient devices. Actually they could care less, since the truth of the matter is that there are only so many calories of heat that can be derived from fuel, along with the fact that there are just so many gallons of diesel, kero, av-gas and gasoline available when cracking a barrel of crude. The volume is X and the proportion of product derived must total X. As for the infernal combustion engine, the gasoline version has always ranged some where around 30% heat efficiency with diesel's being approximately 40% efficient.

However, other improvements, including one that is now standard is the overdrive and coupled with improved lubricants that reduce internal friction not only in drive train assemblies, but even the engine itself have helped as well. Going from straight weight oils such as SAE 30 and even 40 weight to multi grades of 5W-30 and 10W-30 with improved and more stabile VI modifiers has also contributed to improved MPG, along with streamling the vehicle to reduce wind drag.

Every little bit helps.

Yes in my mind every little bit helps. Yet, this does drive the cost up and with an open market people will by the lower priced item. Not until regulation steppe din and everyone was forced to do it, was it done. And Then it was a elarnign curve. They did not just drop in the super secret 40 to 50 MPG Carbs. They went with controls to get the better effieciency as you pointed out. So, have no problemwiht someone saying there was a 50% more efficient Carb out there on the 8 MPG vehicle that cost teh value of the vehicle and was not implemented. Yet the marketing alone woudl get a company more market share if the could claim 50 MPG. Look at Honda (* Original post *) and their hybrids.

 

[old_sempai]

With regard to reliability, I had a 58 Ford wagon in 1972 that was fitted up with a 357 Merc eng with ECZG heads that had exhaust valves the size of a silver dollar. Standard points and plugs, but fitted with a Mallory Coil and matched condensors [yes I know Capacitors]... I would gap the points out wide as hell, gap the plugs .010 more than spec, set the timing 4 degrees beyond spec, and would get 40,000 miles on a single tune up.... fitted to the engine was a Borg warner T-85 with overdrive wired up through a toggle switch that effectively gave me 6 speeds forward... I sold the car in 74 with 182,000 miles on the engine... the body was shot... but I'd love to have that power train once more even though it had mechanical lifters..... I've had more than one car that with proper maintenance has gone over 150,000 miles.... Later teaching the Mercedes found that these cars are built to 4-ten-thousandths of an inch tolerance, and balance to less than .17 ounces weight difference per piston assembly... as a standard production line engine.... America could have been doing the same thing back then but made more money on the muscle cars.....