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Old 07-08-2008, 08:23 PM   #24 (permalink)
brucepick
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern CT, USA
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Outasight - '00 Honda Insight
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Gen-1 Insights
90 day: 54.18 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregte View Post
...Assuming that the fan requires 0.19 HP to cruise down the highway at 55 (no tach so I don't know if that's 2500 RPM but seems it must be close) and assuming that it takes perhaps 10 HP to cruise 55 (just a WAG) and also assuming 34 MPG at this speed (quite easily achievable) I wonder if this means that the fan would cost about 2 percent of my fuel to turn it since 0.19 HP is about 2% of 10 HP....
I like this calc. Seems reasonable to me.
And we have to recognize - car makers and modders alike have spent more time and money on other 'FE' mods that yield less improvement.

I too put an e-fan in my car in summer '05. I also put in a light (green LED) to let me know when it's running. Fan is too quiet to hear under nearly all conditions.

I drive more miles. Currently about 14K /year (car pooling saves miles!) but since '01 it's averaged about 40K /year. So my payback was shorter.

A non-turbo Volvo 240 is shall we say, not over powered, at 115 hp and 3050 lb. So I'm glad to have taken that load off the engine and also get some FE benefit. OK, you can't have the FE and power benefits both at the same time - but I get either at any given time, controlled by my right foot.
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Driving '00 Honda Insight, acquired Feb 2016.


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