Insane MPG vehicle idea
 

Basic layout... let me know what you think. Ive thought more into this than this basic post

steel mountain bike frame, stretched/lowered/chopped for very low seating position small frontal area. Using the exposed frontal area for half an oblate spheroid i get 7.7 to 8.7 square feet, seem a bit high? or is there a better way to measure this? also estimate CD at about .40 to .50 for a similar sized motorcycle, any better way of knowing this?

honda mini 4 stroke weedwacker(~1.5 hp) adapted to chain drive on a road bike style multispeed system. Ive adapted MANY weedwacker engines onto bicycles when i was younger, tons of experience doing this

27" carbon fiber wheels (present on my road bike), 150psi slicks. .002 CRR for good bicycle tires. Obviously very variable

aero body, built of thin plastic, foam nose, and balsa wood. possibly fiberglass

inspirational photos

http://www.treehugger.com/amphibious...le-photo01.jpg

http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mvi...ike%20copy.gif

http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/innova-4.jpg

:thumbup:

thanks for the input lol. Being an engineering student stuff runs through my mind like this all day haha

Tadpole Trike to reduce sidewind vulnerability

I like this idea.

There's a lot of considerations in velomobile design. I have some thoughts on it posted at Car Cycle

I want to keep it 2 wheeled because of simplicity, and so the cops leave me alone. 3 wheeled vehicle is like a car, 2 wheels i can still register it as a moped and get insurance. or even a scooter if i wanted to go that far

fyi trikes aren't cars

I have a degree in Biology and engineering "stuff" runs through my mind all day too.... :o

3 wheeled vehicles are considered motorcycles.

3 wheels are not a problem legally, and a good idea on a streamliner, which is mightily affected by crosswinds. Only a few brave, skilled, and cautious folk use well streamlined bikes, and they won't go out some days.

i actually didnt know that. but then i have to work out and build a front steering/suspension/axle design where its already well sorted out on a factory bicycle. plus i dont want to buy another 300$ carbon wheel :) Ill see where it goes. I think im just going to build a cut down motorized bike first and add the body work later on and see how it is with cross winds. Once i find a good source of steel tubing i think i might start working out a front steering assembly too! i could always use cheaper wheels for that

drawn roughly to scale according to my limbs, torso, and wheels. obviously missing a few key frame pieces
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Photo-0353.jpg

I understand money is sort (coming from an environmental engineering student) but I know for a fact that Stihl has come out with new 4 valve weedwacker engines that are super fuel efficient. Being as it is a weedwacker I never have crunched the mileage numbers haha but w/ 1.9hp it'd make you rig boogie! love the idea.

Standard Engine Features of STIHL Landscaping Power Tools - STIHL USA

That's four ports, not four valves. Still a stinky two-stroke that makes more pollution than a car.

Hi Bob:
For a nice clean small (25 cc) four-stroke engine take a look at the Lehr as described at LEHR - Environmentally Friendly Technology

and also at Go-Ped® - GSR Pro-Ped

The canisters can be re-filled as described on the web.

Interesting. Still, I think that for a vehicle, I'd prefer the sound and longevity of a detuned 100cc.

i know spookytooth engine kits can run for 2000+ miles without needing a rebuild, and i believe thats a 66cc, and still get 100mpg. Would a 2 stroke in perfect state of tune really be that bad? the motor will probably only operate within 1000 rpms at all times, so i could tune the carb and work on pressure wave tuning through a pipe for very specific rpms. I found small 2 strokes for sale for as little as 10 bucks, but also found a honda 4 stroke for 160, not prohibitive cost wise at all. I had 2 of those 30cc 4 stroke motors laying around in the past :(

As a post-thought, i also wanted to keep the upright bike style riding position, even if scrunched up. Im a die hard mountain biker and i know the benefit to control of being able to shift your body around, and bail off the bike easily if i have to. Just a thought

200,000 miles without a rebuild is a more reasonable goal, these days. Simple 2-strokes spew pollution like crazy.

How about a $100 Harbor Freight Greyhound 79cc four stroke, with a $50 go cart type centrifugal clutch, and a chain / jackshaft system with about a 12:1 reduction.

Personally, I'd do a tadpole trike with a small lithium pack; like a single seat reverse TWIKE. Much less heat and noise, and no fumes -- and far better efficiency.

Harbour Freight sells a lot of stuff suitable to use for moorings. I'd look for a used Honda, or shop carefully for similar quality. They come with clutch, gears, etc.

jreed, have you seen this thread? http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post197218

:D :D :D :thumbup:

Here's my two cents:

Get an old subcompact that's aero to boot (Saab 92, anyone?) and stick a Kawasaki Mule 660cc three cylinder, four stroke diesel. Gear the compact higher, and do a few aeromods as you would any normal car, and expect MPGs in excess of 80 mpg (US) if done correctly.

If it works, I'd say create a kit car that could sell for around $16K including a spare Mule.

thread hijack? haha. this idea started because i rode my bike to work most days in the summer. Its about 20 miles round trip. I average about 26-28 mph driving there and back on back roads, and I would ride around 17-18 mph average to avoid sweating(on a very efficient bike). I figure a bike with a small motor would easily average 25 mph, and get many times more gas mileage than using a 2000 lb car just to drive a single person to work and back. The key is just making it all work, and reliable. the gearing and riding position are still my biggest concerns. I have a spare weedeater that im going to take apart for now just to get to work. def will be replaced with a mini 4 stroke in the future. Ive also secured a steel bike frame to use(weldable)

started cutting a bike up today, a steel framed "varsity" style girls bike. Pics soon!!!

Seat height is determined by leg length and crank height. The aero tuck position takes some getting used to. I've made my own aero bars from a set of bar end grips, 1-1/2 inch aluminum angle, and some 7/8" tubing for vertical grips. The fairing needs to cover the rider from the shoulder to the knee. The lower legs have less drag than a full width fairing and you need to have your feet clear for stopping. The shape can be defined by a combination of ellipsoids having the top half flatter than the lower half to minimize lift.
The rear section may need to move to throw a leg over if the top tube is high. I have used 4mm coroplast for some pieces. I have experimented with 1 inch hex wire mess glued between two pieces of 5 mil plastic ribbed with 7/16 OD nylon tubing. The less flat area on the sides up front, the less trouble you have with cross winds.

def going to need pics of that for reference haha. sounds fun. Im going to keep the pedals accessible for emergencies but otherwise going to totally rearrange the seating position and type a bit, maybe even leave the pedals unattached and add new foot pegs more rearward like a motorcycle. to more of a kneeling position. similar to my drawing posted earlier, but thats open to interpretation

I will try to post pics. My first batch of jpeg files were too large. Craig Vetter's site has some good stuff.