Urba Centurion Update - (Kubota diesel, 100+ MPG in mixed driving - Fall 2012 on)

[changzuki]

UltArc: Send a PM with link to images you want and an e-mail address, and I will send originals! The tagging is so theives don't claim them- you are welcome to have originals!

Thanks UltArc! Sent you a pm.
~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

The race around Watkins Glen track was a hoot! After the green flag "GO!" The little centurion was easily up to speed by turn one but not knowing the track Team Centurion entered it at roughly 35 mph.
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Then, one easy sweep around what was labeled as the turn to watch, and the rest went like clockwork! After that turn there is an uphill but it was fairly easy to get speed up coming out of turn 1, so much so that there was no need to downshift. The tach never went below about 1800 rpm and I had to keep letting up on all but the uphill. About 2350 rpm was the sweet spot - weight of the big toe on the pedal.
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That 1st lap can be viewed here:
Urba Centurion - 2014 Watkins Glen Green Grand Prix - YouTube
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Pressing my luck a little speed was increased at every pass through the dreaded turn one. While somewhat pinned in the chaise chair cushions, several passes were at over 50 mph! Did I mention this death-trap corners like a slot-car?!
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Along the way Team Centurion saw some familiar faces. The first was BrucePick!
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BrucePick averaged an excellent 53mpg!
If you want to see how a veteran ecomodder drives Watkins Glen GGP then check him out:
BrucePick & Centurion at Watkins Glen Green Grand Prix 2014
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Nice Job Bruce!
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More 2014 Toyota Green Grand Prix to come!
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~CrazyJerry
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[changzuki]

850cc of clacktiy-clack Kubota taking a break from pulling stumps to do the Green Grand Prix!
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Somewhere along the way there was more eye candy - we also saw the beautiful Anders Special:
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(Source: sheepdog 44 in-car photography/track porn! Thanks sheepdog 44! )
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Those who have seen this car up close got a real treat! Over, under, where ever, the fit-n-finish of this ride is superb! And so was his average mpg at 93.7! Hiding a 1.9 TDI in the rear, what's not to like about the Anders Special? It looks quite at home on the track too, quite a lot more than the black Toyota that followed Team Centurion into corner 1 :
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Anders Special & Centurion at Watkins Glen Green Grand Prix 2014
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Great job Cam (and that's putting it mildly!)
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More somewhat-grainy-footage of the 2014 Toyota Green Grand Prix next time!
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

Just being on the track at Watkins Glen was a real treat! And every turn and rise kept the mood alive. Looking ahead was a silhouette that was a bit hard to make out; then we got closer, and then a little closer.
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Sure enough, it was the famous Illuminati Motor Works pure electric car "Seven"!
If the entire event wasn't cool enough, and now to be alongside an X-Prize contender in an mpg rally - yeah baby!
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Team Centurion's navigator - Sheepdog 44 - seized the moment by taking a break from the dauntless task of tracking us around the endless asphalt loop in order to meet the target lap times.
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Yes, it was quite a sight watching him set aside the ink well and parchment ledger. Then there was the relocation of the precision dash mounted sundial, and lastly, the onboard abacus rounded out our full array of technology which complimented the retro-wedge we were shoe-horned into.
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At last alongside of the silent and graceful Illuminati "Seven", Sheepdog 44 snaps a truly rare shot:
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Exquisite flowing lines - - - What a beauty!
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Caught in motion and viewable on youtube:
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Seven and Centurion at the 10th Annual Toyota Green Grand Prix
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With all of the excitement on the track and targeting lap times, time was flying by! But not so fast we couldn't get some additional footage.. Stay tuned as more silent movies are extracted from the dvr
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

The previous 5 days before the event were: sleep an hour, work on the car, sleep an hour, more work and so forth. The main diet was water and caffeine, or any substitute that advertised lots of energy and weight loss! The various fad diets (48 hour diet, Hollywood Diet, Cabbage soup diet; Super Power Squirts ) would all fall short of the Pre-week Race All-Nighters diet!
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Prior to Stage 1 of the Green Grand Prix, Team Centurion via emails, discussed issues regarding weight: specifically the Navigator's weight. After nearly 5 decades on the planet, It was not possible for the primary driver to shed anymore weight.
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So as you might imagine, Sheepdog 44's arrival at the Hotel was highly anticipated! Initially as I approached his car my hopes plummeted ; a large half-eaten pepperoni pizza was occupying the passenger seat. The picture took a surprising twist when he exited the car through the door lock - yes!!! Centurion just might meet it's loaded target race weight of 1340 lbs!
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After a decent meal at the Outback Steakhouse, reality set in; both myself and my Navigator just gained at least 10 lbs each! As you may have guessed, it was now all up to Sheepdog 44 . After a brief discussion about laxatives and other cleansing anecdotes, he assured me he would metabolize everything in less than 12 hours; the time we got the green start flag. Let the record show this in fact did happen and the passenger side only dipped 1/8 inch after seating!
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To furthur decrease weight, there were no sound deadners, headliner, carpet (except on the dash to reduce glare), inner door handles, etc... While this proved to be advantageous it made the Centurion seem crude and unpolished. To regain that manufactured appeal and luster we had to pull out all the stops:
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Team Centurion's secret - ultra lightweight sound deadener!
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With no time to waste, there was still dozens of laps left to go. A quick look at the fuel sight glass confirmed that today, Centurion was indeed having the run of its life!!!!
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The journey will continue....
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~CrazyJerry

[sheepdog 44]

The car was so light it behaved very differently from anything i've experienced before. The basic rules of hypermiling did not apply to the Centurion. Today i would realize the true virtues of "lightweight and aerodynamics." And i quickly realized the driver knew best.

Driving uphill, only a small amount of kinetic energy converted to potential energy. It was so bizarre it was as if the Centurion was cruising on a level grade while going up a gentle positive grade. And it seemed like it didn't scrub off speed no matter what racing line it took. The dreaded turn one was a piece of cake. There was no body roll, and the car turned in effortlessly exactly, "like a slot car!"

The Centurion pulled itself around the track on it's 17hp with ease. My understanding after much thought, is that it's torque to weight ratio was really high given it's 1,200lbs. And i sensed what little power to the wheels moved the car efficiently forward. This car was just on a different scale!

Now this is how every other car went around the track: Every car 2,000lbs and up was beholden to conservation of momentum and had to manage throwing their weight around the curves. The steep descent into turn 1 and the steep uphill out of it was a massive gravity well. Efficiently converting that 2-3,000+lbs to kinetic energy downhill would exceed their tire grip around the corner. (The more mass you have, the worse your handling). And so their slower speed at the bottom, meant the climb up (with hybrid batteries, lithium battery packs, airconditioning, power everything, 2,000+lbs of steel vehicle accerory add-on bloat) was all wasted fuel.

The Centurions ideal speed around Watkins Glen was then much faster than the "Hybrid solution." And so we passed quite a few vehicles going uphill while getting 300% better fuel economy! Automakers, please take notice!

[redneck]

sheepdog 44

The Centurion pulled itself around the track on it's 27hp with ease.

changzuki

The trip from Colton, NY to the Green Grand Prix took about 6.5 hours with pit stops included. Going down I-81 was the first "Interstate" the Centurion has ever driven down since its creation. It was tempting to unleash all 17 horsepower but I thought better of it.

Which is it, 17hp or 27hp...???



>

[sheepdog 44]

My mistake, was it only 17hp? Well that explains why it did 200mpg.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by sheepdog 44

The car was so light it behaved very differently from anything i've experienced before. The basic rules of hypermiling did not apply to the Centurion. Today i would realize the true virtues of "lightweight and aerodynamics." And i quickly realized the driver knew best.

Driving uphill, only a small amount of kinetic energy converted to potential energy. It was so bizarre it was as if the Centurion was cruising on a level grade while going up a gentle positive grade. And it seemed like it didn't scrub off speed no matter what racing line it took. The dreaded turn one was a piece of cake. There was no body roll, and the car turned in effortlessly exactly, "like a slot car!"

The Centurion pulled itself around the track on it's 17hp with ease. My understanding after much thought, is that it's torque to weight ratio was really high given it's 1,200lbs. And i sensed what little power to the wheels moved the car efficiently forward. This car was just on a different scale!

Now this is how every other car went around the track: Every car 2,000lbs and up was beholden to conservation of momentum and had to manage throwing their weight around the curves. The steep descent into turn 1 and the steep uphill out of it was a massive gravity well. Efficiently converting that 2-3,000+lbs to kinetic energy downhill would exceed their tire grip around the corner. (The more mass you have, the worse your handling). And so their slower speed at the bottom, meant the climb up (with hybrid batteries, lithium battery packs, airconditioning, power everything, 2,000+lbs of steel vehicle accerory add-on bloat) was all wasted fuel.

The Centurions ideal speed around Watkins Glen was then much faster than the "Hybrid solution." And so we passed quite a few vehicles going uphill while getting 300% better fuel economy! Automakers, please take notice!

Next year, I am not following those turn speed limits. Now that they are "guides" and not limits, I won't be wasting my moment on engine braking, and ruining EOC runs. Not like I am going to beat the Centurion this way lol, but next year will be better.

[changzuki]

Thanks for the positive comments folks but in all honesty, the bigger story resides with the ecomodders that entered the GGP:
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UltArc - 2012 Mustang/Aerostang @ 48.7mpg,
BrucePick - 1996 Honda Accord @ 53mpg,
mloveland78 - 1993 Honda Civic DX @ 75mpg,
MoreAirLessFuel - Anders Special @ 93.7mpg,
and smokey442 - Chevy S10 Pickup @ 37.7 mpg.
(Did I miss anyone?)
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It's your real world numbers and not the outliers on the end of the number line that I'm passing on to folks around here. Although they did great, Illuminati is an outlier same as Centurion so both are omitted from the list.
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The reality is, I live in a depressed county and most folks will not scratch build a car. Manufactured cars such as from those listed above (less the Anders Special) are more meaningful and within the grasp of the average person who may be strapped for cash/time/motivation/etc... The ecomodders above (and others doing similar things like Anders) are the heros they will be looking for when I steer them to ecomodder.com - and that is going along very, very well..... I now have a great platform to do that with; more on that later though....
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The 2014 Green Grand Prix resumes! ----->
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~CrazyJerry