Is a 50 MPG Corvette Possible?

[ksa8907]

I would go with a more modern engine, personally. It would be blasphemy to use anything but a v8 in a corvette, so I would say a 5.3 or 6.0 with dod/afm.

High compression, custom tuning, additional aerodynamic mods, etc. I think you could get up to 40, but I think more than that would be a pipe dream.

[jjackstone]

From what I read, while better than most, that model Vette is not really all that aerodynamic. The Cd ranges between .29 and .31 depending on where you read. Get that down to a .19 or .20 then it is very aero. Will it still look like a Vette? Guess that's up to you to decide. Did that model have a belly pan? Good luck with your project.
JJ

[rmay635703]

I’ve seen a couple diesel powered corvettes

Here is the latest one I’ve noticed

https://www.corvetteonline.com/news/...1978-corvette/

[freebeard]

As an overall strategy, I'd look for half the improvement from aero and half from the drivetrain.

For the drivetrain, consider a mild hybrid conversion.

For the aero, a full bellypan with wheel spats and a 4ft boat tail.

[redpoint5]

Well, lets start with a baseline.

Alex- What MPG do you get with no wind, on a flat road, at 65 MPH? Best way to be accurate is to drive in 1 direction, then turn around driving the same exact route back, and measure overall fuel consumption and distance traveled.

[Grant-53]

Aero mods and tires would likely be the most cost effective. Engine mods would have to pass emission inspection. Does anyone know of a 4-6-8 control package for GM engines with EFI?

[19bonestock88]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

I’ve seen a couple diesel powered corvettes

Here is the latest one I’ve noticed

https://www.corvetteonline.com/news/...1978-corvette/

I was gonna suggest something similar... I vote for a LBZ Duramax in the Vette with as tall of gearing as you can possibly find... I read it doesn’t weigh substantially more than an LS3...

Then lighter, narrower, smoother wheels and aero mods out the wazoo...

Or maybe just optimize the aero and use PnG?

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

Aero mods and tires would likely be the most cost effective. Engine mods would have to pass emission inspection. Does anyone know of a 4-6-8 control package for GM engines with EFI?

I know it and you would have to swap the block to do it.
It's only 4 or 8 cylinders on the newer ones.
Supposedly GM has already tried a DoD vett, I heard they built 2 of them and people who tried it didn't like the 4 to 8 switch over even with it getting 4 more MPG on the highway.

[legitstreetcars]

I just drove the car home this morning. About 250 miles at about 65-70. Not exactly flat but I pulled 31 mpg. This car has 135,000 miles and I have no idea what tire pressure was, how old the plugs are, etc. I think on a flat surface after a tune and what not I could do 33-34 MPG.

I was at about 1600 RPM at 65 MPH.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Well, lets start with a baseline.

Alex- What MPG do you get with no wind, on a flat road, at 65 MPH? Best way to be accurate is to drive in 1 direction, then turn around driving the same exact route back, and measure overall fuel consumption and distance traveled.

[Daschicken]

It took me two years of driving my 3.0 V6 6mt accord to hit 50 MPG. I don't think 50 MPG can be done in the vette without going extreme with the mods, or living in middle of nowhere Montana with a 100 mile commute. I passed 50 MPG a few times on my Montana trip, getting as high as 52 over 200 miles. A big help was the occasional semi going 62-65 mph where I could have a draft assisted pulse and glide going from around 50-70 mph and getting within 1.5 seconds of the truck.