Corvettes?
 

I don't know if it's common knowledge or not but Corvettes CAN actually get really good fuel economy. I've known about this for years because there was a time when I wanted one and I spent a lot of time on Corvette forums reading up on 'em.

As I was walking by a C4 in my parking lot today it hit me that a big part of the good MPG these cars get is due to the areodynamics of the car along with, of course, power to weight ratio.

So it hit me, what if someone took a Corvette of all things and modified it to get some seriously good gas mileage? It would have to have a small economical engine so it wouldn't be fast any more! Depending on how crazy someone wanted to go with it there could even be some serious modifications involved and obviously there are a lot of people who would cry blasphemy, but who cares? ...if somebody wants to ecomod their car it's their business.

Somebody oughtta do it. :D

A C5 or C6 can easily get in the low 30s as they sit with just reasonable driving.

'Vettes are fairly light and have fairly good aerodynamics. 6 speed 'C5 and C6 'Vettes have a nearly optimal drive train.

Too bad the GM 4.5 liter V-8 diesel was lost in theGM holocaust. Best option available today might be a Cummins 4BT3.9. A bit heavy (about the same as a 454 gas engine) but very efficient. It might be too tall to fit in the engine bay without a bulged hood.

The little Cummins should easily put a 'Vette into the 40s.

^^ Definitely...

I feel there are some other things that could help it too like low rolling resistance tires of a narrower variety. Vettes come with some REALLY wide tires and that burdens them considerably.

I was thinking of a smaller engine too, maybe not even a V8 or V6 though I admit I have no idea which engine it could be right now. Most Corvettes weigh over 3,000 lbs. so less displacement would certainly mean you'd have a much slower car. So the question would be where on earth would you look to find a RWD engine that would get good mileage while having to work as hard as would be required to move that much weight.

I'm sure there aren't a lot of weight saving mods to be done so does that leave aerodynamics to improve after that? Maybe I daydream too much but hey, sometimes that's what it takes to make something better.

Narrower LRR tires would certainly help. If you want big MPG without going hybrid, go diesel. Also they have gobs of torque and nearly as satisfying to drive as a LS2.

IfI were doing it, I would start with a convertible. I'd make the windshield a bit taller (I sit as high as a man 6'10" tall) and get a custom made coupe top made for it. Of course in addition to the Cummins diesel.

Stock vette is .28cd, boat tail, LRR tires, and air damn= Aerocivic that looks good.

Nearly as satisfying? IDK about that, RPMS sound good.

So.... bear with me because I think my theory is sound. Lets say you take a truck engine that gets 25 MPG and put it in something WAY more aerodynamic, it should get a significant jump in fuel economy.

So maybe the 2.9 liter 4 cylinder from the Chevy Colorado could help? Truck guys talk about the rear ends of their trucks all the time and by reading a little I saw that a different rear axle could make the truck a lot better on gas at highway speed so that might be something to look at too.

How many people think I'm completely crazy? Ha ha...

Not crazy, stupid for wanting to ruin a Corvette. ;) jkjk

Yes, get a rear diff that gets the engine RPM's at the best efficiency at say 55mph.

Ha ha ha ha ha!! ...stupid, now that's a good one.

I'm telling you somebody will do it one day, maybe even me. What's also funny is no one would ever know it didn't have the original motor because Corvette guys almost never race their anyway. It would look totally normal to just putter around in it all slow.

I hope this sparks some ideas at least if not for the Vette at least for something else. Who's to say there isn't a Corvette body just sitting somewhere, needing an engine and tires and it would actually be worthwhile?

Direct-injection 2 liter turbo Ecotec from the Solstice/Sky.