" Aerodynamics doesn't begin to have an effect until 60 MPH "

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by racprops

First Nice car.

Second:

My problem is a areo, hypermiling tenchniques, a lean burn Engine, and I bet a few other MPG tricks.

So it does not answer my main question: With Aerodynamics alone in a normally driven car with no hypermiling tenchniques or any other MPG Tricks what will you get??

I want to take long road trips and do NOT want to use hypermiling tenchniques, I want to just set cruse control and go.

Rich

That's where it will rear its beautiful head.
If you use the aero horsepower formula for various drag coefficients for your car, holding all else constant, and assuming a constant BSFC for the engine, you can calculate your new mpg at any given velocity.
The faster you drive, the greater the savings, as power is varying as the cube of velocity. Nonlinear. Geometric. Something very few automotive journalists actually understand.

[freebeard]

Worth repeating:

The faster you drive, the greater the savings, as power is varying as the cube of velocity.

[Isaac Zachary]

Theoretically you should be able to drive faster and get better fuel economy IF you have unlimited gearing. But a lot of vehicles are limited by their top gear as to whether better aerodynamics and driving faster would help. There's also the question of what the speed limit is.

On the other hand, if you could switch in a less powerfuel but more efficient at lower loads engine and improve the aerodynamics, then you'd really be increasing your fuel efficiency. That or use a pulse and glide technique to get great BSFC loads at lower speeds along with your aerodynamic improvements.

[freebeard]

What car listed the top speed and cruising speed the same?

Volkswagen Beetle - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Volkswagen_Beetle
The original 25 hp Beetle was designed for a top speed around 100 km/h (62 mph), which would be a viable cruising speed on the Reichsautobahn system. As Autobahn speeds increased in the postwar years, its output was boosted to 36, then 40 hp, the configuration that lasted through 1966 and became the "classic" Volkswagen motor.

25 hp in the Volkhart-Sagitta V2 was good for 90mph.

[racprops]

OK Now your pulling my legs...both of them.

What I am working on is based on some fairly good ideas and personal testing.

With all of my personal cars and trucks I have noted they all are NOT Enco boxes, the list is: 2000 Mercury Grans marques w/4.2 V8, 02 Ford Explorer w.4.0 V6, 03 Crown Vic p71, 4.6.

All three have show reasonable good MPG their best at under 2000RPMs and above 1500RPMs. The 2000 could get 27/30MPG every time, the Explorer can do 25/27, and the Crown Vic 25/27.

The 64,000 Dollar question is will they do that at higher speeds??

I am very aware of the fine line between the correct torque range and lugging an engine. These are my starting point for testing.

This is the best I can do and plan with the vans current stock 3.42 rear end gears. There is the possibility that my engine may make great torque at 1000RPMs, but I am not counting on it. The ideal is to gear everything at the engines torque peak, under or over by much and she will start drinking.

SO you cannot gear a stock engine with a torque peak of 2800/3000 to pull at 1500RPMs and get good MPG. So I am building an engine that peak at 2000 RPM and gear close to that.

Once it is built I will do as careful testing at all available speeds, RPMs with all the gears I have to test. THEN as I have a howling rear end will then rebuild it with what will seem to be the best gear ratio, with a range of 2.73 to 4.11 I can choose a gear that may be ideal.

So I start with a best build I can do, a 383, 9.5 compression, everything built for MPG, ceramic coated heads and pistons, telfon coated pistons skirts, gapless rings, Rhoads Roller lifters giving me a variable cam, a cam selected to allow a torque peak at 2000 or less, but thanks to the lifters will then turn into a power engine at 2500 to its max RPMS of 5000RPMs, fed by a 1987 Chevy TPI intake system.

Then to add to all of that I have a chip for the PCM to engage Lean Burn Mode which in the 80s Camaros allow them to go from 20/25 TO 30/35MPG.

To that I will be adding water injection, and extra EGR.

As the 03 Ford Explorer (untested so far) is rated to product great torque at 1500RPMs I believe it also can pull the SUV and under 2000RPMs at much higher highway speeds give a second Over Drive.

And all the other enhancements for the van also.

Rich

[redneck]

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I want to take long road trips and do NOT want to use hypermiling tenchniques, I want to just set cruse control and go.

Rich

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[freebeard]

OK Now your pulling my legs...both of them.
....
The 64,000 Dollar question is will they do that at higher speeds??

Trollish typing detected.

The answer is tripartite: aero, drive train and the knut behind the wheel. Small bills, please.

Drive train should go to General Efficiency, but you raise a subject for aerodynamics, box vans. I propose transparent pilasters (half columns) over the headlights. They bellmouth the radiator opening and shrink the stagnation area. I went so far as preparing this for an old thread:



The contrast is low, but the other features are repositioned rear-view mirrors and Turnpike Cruiser skirts.

Here is a design for my old panel van that has an airfoil diverter, front skirts and a full boat tail:

[racprops]

Well here is the current state of the Van;

Ground effects.

Drive train strong special 383 and two transmissions. Dual overdrives.

I drive fast but mellow.

Rich

[freebeard]

For those that may confuse as easily as I; the old thread in question is the one raceprops started in 2018.

[racprops]

Originally Posted by redneck

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Consider: Driving for 8 to 12 hours, for two to four days. My main reason for such a trip is to get from point A to Point B as fast as possible.

And to enjoy the sights on the road.

I do not want to spend most of my time hypermiling, plus as I am running a automatic coasting out of gear can be bad for it.

SO I will do as much as I can to make as good of MPG as I can and then get into my road trip van and SUV and as you made fun of, just get out of town and set it and for get it.

Rich