What's everyone's background?

[karmaxul]

Nuclear physicist. gorillagrow. org

[Saks]

Finished school for Computer Technician, and now I'm studying Motor Vehicle Maintenance and just have to make it through this last year and I will be officiali Engineer of Motor Vehicle Maintenance

[Awd180]

Currently studying chemistry, I've also done mechanical cad and some other uses of science and engineering.

Updating proven data I'll find where esle to post to get better advice then fix the nut behind the wheel. But, minus some other needed work I've gotten a 96 saab 900s with 224k miles to almost~34-35mpg hwy and ~31-32mpg mixed. EPA rating for the car is 27 hwy 20 mixed, thats ~10mpg overall on a 2.3L 4cyl w/ 5mt. If it was easier to hypermile around here I could probably break 40mpg hwy, but it's not. I have no budget so can't afford to throw to much into a pos, needs new timing guides and valve and sump cleaned and exhaust leaks, oh and desperatly needs a supsension (easliy hit 40 w/ some to hold the car down). curb weight is 2990lbs, I may have lost 250 +/-20lbs, in strong gust the car feels like a bouncy kids toy, same for bumps. Anyway also have a subaru wrx with 165k and it gets 31 with some spirited driving mixed in but too much and it's more like 18. Really hope to find some new improvements that aren't out of pocket and sensible proven suggests towards modifying a vehicle for better gas mileage (Not the driver, though it does help).

easier to e ma il me > se ph 4 de si gn @ y a h oo dot com < no space b/n ><, if you spam my box, Don't! I'll just remove your messages.

[Rob215]

I worked as an auto mechanic from 16 to 24, when I finally finished college. During that time I also worked as a welder. After school, I worked as a photographer for a newspaper and several magazines. I currently own a commercial photography/design company.

[tjbell]

I am a Euro car mechanic

[user removed]

Retired patent holder. Started working in a body shop in 1969. Owned literally hundreds of cars, many rebuilt salvage cars with first one done in 1973. I am driving a salvage rebuilt 2011 Ford Fiesta today.
I have been interested in efficiency since my teens. Studied flight and human powered airplanes before the first successful slights. The same planes are now in the Smithsonian Museum.
Did body work from 18 until just past 30 years age. Sold parts for Mercedes dealerships in Va, Fla, and Texas. Owned my own repair shop from age 37 to age 50. Sold the shop to my number one mechanic and built two houses for tax free capital gains.
The first time I really looked at a rotary aircraft engine, I was fascinated. Later I developed am improvement in the design that was patented in 2010. Pat # 7677208 is for an infinitely variable in wheel hydraulic drive based on the original rotary aircraft engine of WW1.
Today I am working with a machine shop to build a vehicle that utilises my patented in wheel drive with a hydraulic accumulator that allows recpature of deceleration forces as well as constant speed pulse and glide, using the variable stroke in whell drive, to allow the engine to cycle on and off at only peak efficiency while the variable stroke allows constant power application to each wheel while the accumulator reserve varies from a predetermined minimum and maximum pressure levels.

regards
Mech

[zoltanbod]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Retired patent holder. Started working in a body shop in 1969. Owned literally hundreds of cars, many rebuilt salvage cars with first one done in 1973. I am driving a salvage rebuilt 2011 Ford Fiesta today.
I have been interested in efficiency since my teens. Studied flight and human powered airplanes before the first successful slights. The same planes are now in the Smithsonian Museum.
Did body work from 18 until just past 30 years age. Sold parts for Mercedes dealerships in Va, Fla, and Texas. Owned my own repair shop from age 37 to age 50. Sold the shop to my number one mechanic and built two houses for tax free capital gains.
The first time I really looked at a rotary aircraft engine, I was fascinated. Later I developed am improvement in the design that was patented in 2010. Pat # 7677208 is for an infinitely variable in wheel hydraulic drive based on the original rotary aircraft engine of WW1.
Today I am working with a machine shop to build a vehicle that utilises my patented in wheel drive with a hydraulic accumulator that allows recpature of deceleration forces as well as constant speed pulse and glide, using the variable stroke in whell drive, to allow the engine to cycle on and off at only peak efficiency while the variable stroke allows constant power application to each wheel while the accumulator reserve varies from a predetermined minimum and maximum pressure levels.

regards
Mech

I like your hydraulic recapture idea. I have done some research on the subject in hopes of one day incorporating that concept into my car when I get the prototype on the road.It seems to have a much greater recapture potential than say the EV. Maybe we could share some thoughts?....I have this car.............

[user removed]

Originally Posted by zoltanbod

I like your hydraulic recapture idea. I have done some research on the subject in hopes of one day incorporating that concept into my car when I get the prototype on the road.It seems to have a much greater recapture potential than say the EV. Maybe we could share some thoughts?....I have this car.............

Don't limit the concept to just "recapture" of energy when intentionally decelerating. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you reduce the power demand at 60 MPH by 50% due to better aero, then you can reduce the powerplant "run time" while maintaining the same constant speed. This is a crucial component of the design, that it can automatically reduce energy consumption by "running the engine: for shorter periods of time (only at peak efficiency) due to better aero or lower rolling resistance tires, etc.

This is an automatic function. Similar to climbing a hill, then shutting the engine off and coasting downhill, for better mileage. In many cases much better mileage. While we can't effectively design every road for the ideal elevation controlled pulse and glide, it is possible to design a powertrain that does exactly that. Any change in average speed, any change in elevation, or any other factor (like headwinds and tailwinds) will automatically result in fuel consuming engine operation changing due to sustained average demands, which are almost always changing.

The end result is you are running the "engine" only enough and only at highest BSFC, to recharge the accumulator. No throttle control of the engine is necessary and the engine can be redesigned to only produce power at highest efficiency in a very specific range of RPM.

The system requires ultra high efficiency in every component as well as the lowest number of components to reduce the cumulative energy losses. In regeneration that is wheel, conduit, accumulator, conduit, wheel. In engine produced acumulator replensihment, it's engine, pump, conduit, wheel.

I know of no way to lower those steps while porducing precisely the power necessary directly at the wheels that drive the vehicle.

regards
Mech

[Blue Angel]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

The end result is you are running the "engine" only enough and only at highest BSFC, to recharge the accumulator. No throttle control of the engine is necessary and the engine can be redesigned to only produce power at highest efficiency in a very specific range of RPM.

Sounds sort of like the concept behind bagpipes... Short high power inputs into an accumulator, while steadily drawing small amounts of power out. I can see why hydraulics make the concept easier to visualize, but I think in the end it would work better with electricity, no?

I've been tossing around automotive hydraulic accumulator ideas for years and I keep coming up with too many problems. Maybe you can start a thread on your concept and we can hash it out fully there?

[user removed]

There are already threads about this design and a group of students (4th year engineering) at Virginia Tech looked at the idea for a year and did a lot of calculations with an 82 page report prepared. They found the concept to be valid with a drive at each wheel producing 35 HP and 385 pounds feet of torque from the first revolution of each wheel X 4.

The discussion of whether to use electric power or IC power for the primary source of accumulator pressure replensihment has also been covered in threads here over the past several years. In fact the patent is now due for a "maintenance fee" which occurs 3 times in the 17.5 years the patent is effective, with 3 of those years already passed.

I would be more of an advocate of electrical power if the battery technology had improved at a greater pace. The patent was issued in March of 2010.

As far as continued discussions of this in this forum, I don't really see that as necessary. You can revive the several threads from the last few years by searching under the topic of "hydraulic hybrid".

My focus now is on actually building a vehicle as well as a drive to use in that vehicle. Based on the positive conclusions of the group of students at Tech, that is my pathway to further development at this time. This process is ongoing.

Thanks for the interest.

regards
Mech