Quote:
Originally Posted by OziDarklighter
I like the idea of taking a stock El Camino and changing out minor parts to increase fuel economy, but I'm still not sure that 30+ is achievable. Thoughts??
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Well, I get 30+ in my truck, which is much heavier and has much worse aero (Cd*A) than an El Camino, so it's definitely achievable--it's just a question of difficulty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OziDarklighter
Isn't it a bit counter-intuitive that you'd want to put in a heavier engine (700+ pounds) in order to achieve a more efficient result though?
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Not necesarily. The weight
difference between engines would only be ~100-200 lbs. That's not really a big difference--equivalent to having somebody in the passenger seat. Heck, my 35 gal fuel tank weighs ~250 lbs. Curb weight for that El Camino is probably about 3,500 lbs, so an additional 200 pounds is only a 6% increase in total weight. That will increase the rolling resistance by 6%, resulting in a fuel economy penalty of something less than 6%. So if the new, 200 lb heavier engine is >6% more fuel efficient, then you're gauranteed a net positive.