Anyone else striving for better MPGs by adding HPs?
Just curious, feel like a black sheep with my lists of car modifications, lol.
I've always been a fan of fuel economy comes with a better controlled right foot (or left for the Euro folks) and though it's labeled me a granny driver, it also makes for more money I can buy Dr Pepper with when I fill up the tank.
That said, the engineer in me (software engineer for Intel for almost a decade before striking out on my own) is all about numbers, and the mechanic is all about power and efficiency, so for me achieving better volumetric efficiency (HP per L or CC) naturally goes hand in foot with better economy. Yes you can argue that more power requires more fuel, however that's only when the engine is producing that peak power output. The rest of the time a more efficient engine is just droning along, AND because it is more efficient in terms of power production you are producing more energy to the wheels and less to the exhaust and atmosphere at the same 'load' you had before (Newton's Laws).
Ergo, a more efficient engine of same displacement makes more power AND 'can' achieve better economy, assuming the same driving environment. Having your cake and eating it too.
Anyone else thinking along the same lines?
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