Corvette V8 diesel conversion - 40 mpg (US) avg.

[bluetwo]

So this it how it goes huh? A good idea comes along and then the excitement abruptly fades even faster than it started and then it's this depressing sort of gone with the wind type thing.

I thought it was a good idea in the beginning though.

[Domman56]

THis is close to the swap i've been planning on my el camino. I'm going to get the new 6.6L Duramax and do a twin turbo setup my goal is 30-35 MPG with 800 HP

[The Toecutter]

That Corvette is impressive, but that transmission will have problems with that engine! It is still an excellent concept and a car I'd definately drive. Putting a few grand into the engine and on a turbo would do it wonders; the possibility of a 0-60 mph in < 4 second, 180+ mph top speed, 45 mpg car running on WVO is most definately there! It's a very socially irresponsible way to be socially responsible. Fun!

About the comment on W123 and W126 Benzes, their transmissions will last much more than 50,000 miles; try more like 200,000+ miles. The key to their longevity is to make sure that the vacuum components related to the functioning of the transmission are in working order. If the vacuum system leaks, fails, ect., then your transmission will shred its internals.

[Big Dave]

Benz trannies in W123 and W126 diesel cars are specially designed for diesels and they do last along time, but they are more inefficient than most automatics.

[The Toecutter]

Inefficient they definately are! A manual transmission swap into my 300 SDL would probably net me a 3-4 mpg increase in the city and 5 mpg increase on the highway without any hypermiling techniques. Most things in these cars are terribly inefficient, such as the climate control system and power steering. At any given time, you can expect the accessories in these cars to consume on average about 4 horsepower, on top of a transmission that is somewhere around 80% efficient.

It is very difficult to get good gas mileage in the city with this car's automatic. If I drive like a jackass, I get 18-20 mpg city. If I drive like a hypermiler, I get about the same. That being said, thanks to their powerplant, they can still manage 25-30 mpg on the highway when kept at flow of traffic speeds; they can obtain into the 40s if kept at a steady 50 mph or below, but no noticable benefit to be had dropping below 40 mph. The gasoline V8 versions of this body style are lucky to get more than 20 mpg highway, and typically average around 16 mpg...

I think the engine in my 300 SDL would be a nice fit for a small car like a Triumph Spitfire or Datsun 240z(I do have a small car such as this, but it will be electric instead). It would be a lot of work and money.

I highly doubt the engine in my 300 SDL would pose much of an advantage in eficiency over the V8 from the Chevrolet Suburban. The efficiencies of each engine are very close, and the cost to fit an OM603 engine into a Corvette would be prohibitive considering the 6.5L is a bolt-on fit.

On youtube, there are vidoes of 6.5L and 6.2L diesel Camaros as well. Those would be fun to drive... but a lot of aero work can be done with that body style, and it would still look like a normal Camaro. That body style has the right overall shape to have a 0.2 Cd with some modifications(especially with heavy focus on the rear, keeping the same basic overall shape and style, but angling it differently); if it had a turbocharged 6.5L diesel to go in it and some aftermarket carbon fiber parts to reduce weight to around 2,800 lbs, this would be a 60 mpg musclecar, nevermind the top speed potential being Bonneville material...

[ai_vin]

There are other diesel sports cars too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMtKqVS1FX0

And , for those of us who know whwere to get biodiesel;
Trident diesel Super car: 200mph, 100% Biodiesel, 57 mpg! // Current

[texanidiot25]

The 700R4 is a fairly efficient auto, only accounting for a %14 power consumption. The reason he went with it, is because it was cheap and didn't have to bother with the later computer controlled trans. A 700R4 could be built to easily handle the power. The 4L80E would be perfect, the TH400-based OD trans.

[Formula413]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

The 700R4 is a fairly efficient auto, only accounting for a %14 power consumption. The reason he went with it, is because it was cheap and didn't have to bother with the later computer controlled trans. A 700R4 could be built to easily handle the power. The 4L80E would be perfect, the TH400-based OD trans.

The 4L80E is occasionally swapped into 4th generation F Bodies that came with the 4L60E when people are making more power than a 60 can handle but don't want to go with a TH400 and lose OD. The 60 and 80 actually refer to the maximum GVW each transmission is intended for, 4L60E = 6,000 lb GVW, 4L80E = 8,000 lb GVW.

[Big Dave]

The 700R4 is as reliable as a screen door in a submarine. You can rely on it to fail.

[The Toecutter]

Here are some videos of a few Datsun 240Zs with diesels shoved in them.

This one uses an OM606 Mercedes turbodiesel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RghY0For0Q

This one uses a 2.8L Datsun diesel that is a bolt-on fit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLbN45c44Q8

I couldn't find mpg figures for either, but they are probably at least in the high 30s when driven with a lead foot.

They would be formidable on the highway where the engine is operating right where its max powerband is just for cruising...