What car makers *should* be doing!

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello y'all,

I want to try to list steps that car makers could/should take to improve the fuel efficiency. The most obvious would be to mold the plastic on the front of the vehicle to be smooth and round, with grill openings that are sized (and placed) only as required to cool the engine. Similar to the original VW Passat:

...or the original Ford Taurus:

Sealing all the seams and joints (with gaskets or backing flanges) in the high pressure areas of the vehicle.

I'll add more later, when I have more time.

[Tango Charlie]

I vote for smooth underbelly trays.
With access panels for maintenance.

[MazdaMatt]

How about not selling econocars that cruise at 3500rpm on the highway? I could happily double the 5th gear ratio in my protege5.

[cfg83]

NeilBlanchard -

I agree. That looks like the 1988-1993 Third Generation Passat. I consider that era to be very "aero-friendly" in terms of car design, aka below headlight grills and such.

As Unheard pointed out, the Kia Ceed is an excellent example of what needs to be done and captures the "low hanging fruit" that we are all so fond of :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ding-4640.html

CarloSW2

[Johnny Mullet]

I agree with the aerodynamics. The under belly tray is also a good idea. Fender skirts for the win!

All new cars should have instant built in MPG units (like higher line models do now) and like Ford did it years ago on a truck, they should have an optional vacuum gauge with a red/green zone.

Tire pressure monitors really suck, but they do let a driver know of an inflation problem. This is already required by law for new cars anyway, but a monitor that tells you the air pressure in each tire would be great!

Forget the honkin' 16"-22" rims and wide tires! Lets bring back the skinny tire! I'm not talking about Metro wheels on an SUV, but a tire and rim size proportioned to the vehicle.

Optional switches or programmable system that allow the driver to turn the A/C compressor on or off and other accessories like Daytime Running Lights, autolocks, entry illumination, "sealt belt minder", etc as desired. Cars being sold to the general public cannot have a "kill switch", "Alternator cutout", etc because the general public are stupid.

I would also love to see the return of the diesel here in America.

[azraelswrd]

mmmm... most of the ones I wanted to say have already been covered:

- transmission gear ratios
- aerodynamic front molding/design
- underbelly smoothing
- on-board FE feedback system

I think some car makers are doing these, but not for every car. I believe it was Mercedes who modded their C-class down to a 0.25 Cd:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...oday-4736.html

[SuperTrooper]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I would also love to see the return of the diesel here in America.

It's amazing when you look at the EPA site and go to diesels and click on 1985.

Compare Diesels Side-by-Side

Every U.S. company offered diesels at every level. From the Chevette to the Eldorado. Almost every brand for sale here offered some kind of diesel in cars, trucks or both.

OMG! The Cadillac Fleetwood got better mileage than the Mercedes 300D!

What happened to all these cars & trucks?

[Brian03cav]

Originally Posted by MazdaMatt

How about not selling econocars that cruise at 3500rpm on the highway? I could happily double the 5th gear ratio in my protege5.

i second this, some vehicles need a 7th gear. my dads mini cooper s runs so high cruising on the highway.

[Johnny Mullet]

Nobody wanted a stinkin' diesel especially after the GM 5.7L turned out so unreliable.

[MazdaMatt]

Originally Posted by Brian03cav

i second this, some vehicles need a 7th gear. my dads mini cooper s runs so high cruising on the highway.

despite its size, the cooper S is really a sports car. An economical one yes, but still a sports car. I can understand having tight ratios in that. In the base model, however, the ratios should be higher. I've always wanted a 6th gear in my protege5.