New Vehicles / Old vehicles

[landscaper52]

Hello again,

I seem to have a way of infuriating people on this website, but I'll try once more to make a point, this time , (hopefully) without pissing you off...

I had a Ford Ranger that I was ecomodding the heck out of, to try and get the best mileage I could...after all sorts of mods, I got no more than 10% better fuel economy than factory...the usual list...air dam, wheel covers, hypermiling, tonnaeu, etc.etc.

To cut it short, at the end of last Summer the Ranger was stolen. After all the trouble I had spent on it, not to mention all the money I had spent on it over the years.

I was mad, I was sad, and then I was finally relieved when I got my insurance check! Less than I paid, but more than I expected...oh well, life goes on.

Bought a Geo Tracker (I know, all you 'pros' are mad at me for not owning a metro!) instead...still has 4x4, down to 4 cyl from 6, manual from automatic, and lightweight from heavyweight.

Realized I don't need the truck most of the time, heck, never...I'll use a trailer, when I need a small truck, for the rest of the time, I'm carrying 7 feet less vehicle!

It's a 1991, but it's an 80's design...less B.S. inside. All that plastic crap and metal crap is weighing down the cars... I've read all the this mods, and that mods and the other mods. It all comes down to simple physics...power to weight ratio...aerodynamics helps, but no more than dropping a few hundred pounds. Half the aeromods on these lists involve making things smaller, or deleting them...(in case you didn't notice, when you make something smaller, or get rid of it altogether, it weighs less!)

So my 2010 resolution for ecomodding is try to work on your weightloss program, and the new figures for your car will be better!


Talk to ya'll soon!

[Christ]

Sorry, aero does have something to do with weight, but not the way you're insinuating.

BTW - If you really wanted to, I believe there is a diesel that bolts into your Suzuki Sidekick clone. I'll have to look it up, though.

[thatguitarguy]

Aerodynamics and gravity are separate realms of physics, and neither are mutually exclusive.

If you have a point to make, I think you can do it without being combative, but some people just feel a need.

[gascort]

I guarantee the aerocivic is heavier than it was in stock config., and it gets 70 mpg.

Totally depends on the driving you do. Jackrabbit low speed driving and mass makes all the difference. Higher speeds and aero becomes significant quickly.

Kudos on getting the smaller vehicle though. I'm sure it will get better mpgs than the ranger, and it rides high off the road, which I'm sure you are used to.

[jamesqf]

I for one can't see why anyone would disagree. I don't want much of the stuff that adds extra weight to newer cars - and that especially means having four seats, when I just want two, or body styles that look like over-filled muffins. A car designed the way I'd like would have lower weight as well as a smaller A.

As for the Cd part, of course doing something like the aerocivic adds weight, because it's adding all the fairings &c to the basic body. But suppose you started from scratch, and removed a lot of the now-hidden original bodywork?

[War_Wagon]

Originally Posted by Christ

BTW - If you really wanted to, I believe there is a diesel that bolts into your Suzuki Sidekick clone. I'll have to look it up, though.

These guys make a kit to install a VW diesel, maybe that's the one you are thinking of.

ACME ADAPTERS Suzuki Samurai Turbo Diesel

[Christ]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

These guys make a kit to install a VW diesel, maybe that's the one you are thinking of.

ACME ADAPTERS Suzuki Samurai Turbo Diesel

Ok, I lied. I thought that Suzi had a bolt in engine, but I'm apparently mistaken.

However, the 1.3 that was available, I believe is the G-series engine, which makes the G10 and G10T options as well.

[NeilBlanchard]

C'mon -- both weight and low drag are important. Both reduce the requirement for power, so reducing either/both will help improve efficiency. Weight may be more important for stop and go (city) driving, and aerodynamics is more important for sustained driving at higher speeds (highway).

Rolling resistance is the third leg on this stool...