212cc engine swap gives a new life to an old Honda Insight.

[Gasoline Fumes]

I've been watching already (subscribed!) and enjoying the ride. Is top speed limited by power/drag, or by gearing/RPM at this point? Thanks for the MPG testing. Hoping to see MPG testing with the 420cc as well.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Displacement alone won't be so much of a deal breaker, what really defines if an engine is effective or not for a purpose is the power/torque curve. Maybe a 250cc motorcycle could even be a reasonable option if you were looking into an extreme downsizing which could still provide an acceptable overall performance.

Originally Posted by fujioko

we will switch to the 420 CC engine and do more experiments

Doing some math, many of those stationary engines within this displacement range would underperform some 125 to 150cc motorcycle engines coupled to a reduction gear in order to match the RPM input to a transmission. Well, what about experiencing a turbo into the 420cc engine?

[fujioko]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

I've been watching already (subscribed!) and enjoying the ride. Is top speed limited by power/drag, or by gearing/RPM at this point? Thanks for the MPG testing. Hoping to see MPG testing with the 420cc as well.

Right now the top speed is limited by aerodynamic drag vs power curve

Sitting in the drivers seat of this car gives the best prospective of what is limiting the top speed. After 40 MPH the aerodynamic drag takes its toll and the engine struggles for every additional MPH.

With the way the transmission is set up, you shift into 5th gear at 40 MPH and the speed creeps up to the point where the engine stops making power at 4200 RPM.

Off camera I have experimented with ratio changes on the input shaft of the transmission in an attempt to keep the engine within its power band but this only makes the car slower. ... There just isn't enough power.

That is the exciting part of the project, because all we need to do is make more power... and the 212cc engine is easily modified for more power. Anyway, we only need another 2-3 HP to get us over the goal. I have the parts to do this and that will be in the next video.

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by fujioko

its been a while since I last posted.

I built a 212cc powered Honda Insight for a video series I'm working on. The primary objective of this project is to get the car to go 50 miles per hour...Its a challenge but I think it can be done.

The fuel economy aspect of the project was never considered and was totally overlooked.... until recently.

Anyway, I figured this group would get a kick out of the videos...

Here is the fuel economy video, there are also a number of other videos on the car as well.

https://youtu.be/w0zLfouT9kc

Hey its pretty similar in performance to all the Gen 1 Leaf's still on the road today lol

[Ecky]

Subscribed! Thanks for sharing this.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by fujioko

Anyway its just a jun project and I thought this group would enjoy the MPG video.

Mission accomplished! Thanks for posting it here.

--

For those who may not know, fujioko had another excellent & fun project discussed here a number of years back:




Thread: 1.0L Geo Metro engine swap into 1990 Mazda Miata

... which he later sold to some lucky person for peanuts:

For sale thread: 1990 Miata with 3 cylinder gas engine in Michigan

You're a man after my own heart, considering I own/have owned a 1990 Miata, multiple 1.0L Metros, a G1 Insight and a lawnmower!

Well done. And best of luck on your YT channel. I'm going to watch the rest of those vids tonight.

[Ecky]

I'll have to check out the previous videos in the series, but at your tested speeds, it seems the 2.4L guzzler I have in my Insight uses very roughly the same amount of fuel as a harbor freight lawnmower engine.

I'm willing to bet had you used a Honda mower engine, you'd have had a few more mpg.

[freebeard]

This might help:


https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...uft-25223.html

[MetroMPG]

Honestly, it did better than I thought it was going to!

Watching how slow that thing is reminds me of driving the homebuilt ForkenSwift EV. It topped out around the same speed.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by freebeard

This might help:


https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...uft-25223.html

Yep.

Have you considered the efficiency route to your goal?

E.g. (but not limited to)

-Tire pressure (one guy on Insight Central runs 100psi+)
-Underbody panels
-Partial or complete grille block
-Mirror deletion or reduction
-Rear wiper delete