Quote:
Originally Posted by dcb
but the numbers are so complicated in how they are derived. They don't even use real wind.
I really would like to see bsfc charts and top gear consumption at various speeds be mandated, because they are relatively unmolested data and tell me instantly what I want to know.
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Availability of all data is great.... but in any given model year you have 50 different offerings to choose from in the marketplace (all passenger vehicles together) and once you narrow them down to the ones whose inherent configuration suits you (four seats, covered cargo area, inoffensive appearance, brand you trust, price you are willing to pay, level of luxury you demand, etc) you end up with maybe 3-5 different cars that you would actually consider buying from the original 50 you have to choose from... regardless of their actual fuel efficiency under any specific set of circumstances. Half of us on this forum can't really read a BSFC, and we're 0.005% of the public... plus we're a thrifty demographic who's more likely to buy a 15 year old car and staple discarded political campaign signs to it than drop coin on a shiny new car.
A "typical best case" and "typical worst case" are all that's needed to give a buyer the information they truly need. I'll agree that since the information DOES exist, manufacturers should be happy to provide any data their customer asks for (provided it isn't a trade secret).. the company I work for builds electronics and our customer support will give you any info you want about it short of actual circuit diagrams... they'll give you transistor values, speaker voice coil wire gauge, all that stuff. Would be neat if car mfr's had support like that, just for the sake of supporting the owners.