Another issue overlooked is the differential ratio - how many turns the
drive shaft to how many turns of the tire. One to One would get lots of
mileage but no torque - 'pickup'. Most cars are geared to drive in city
traffic and therefore more torque. Highway needs less torque for top speed.
Stick with overdrive (free wheeling at top speeds) works well.
jim


> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: The listserv where the buildings do the talking
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 12:00:49 -0400
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [BP] Was State Parks, now Energy Investment and Priorities
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: deb bledsoe <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Fri, May 21, 2010 9:17 am
> Subject: [BP] Was State Parks, now Energy Investment and Priorities
> 
> <snip>
> I don't buy the bullshit that automakers can't do better than 22 mpg
> because when my car was manufactured, it got 32 mpg in town, 37 mpg
> highway. 17 years and no progress?!? We've allowed this to happen.
> <snip>
> 
> The Ford Model T got 21 mpg.  Of course it didn't have a starter, or
> air conditioning, and only came in black.
> 
> My dad discovered that he could routinely get 60-65 mpg with Volkswagen
> Bugs, 1963-68 vintage.  This was for the commute from Baltimore to NASA
> in Greenbelt.  They needed to have the valves adjusted weekly.  He
> could do this in about 15-20 minutes on a Saturday morning.  If he
> didn't do it one week, the next week he got about 45-50 mpg.  If one
> let the valve adjustment go completely, the VW's stabilized at 28-32
> mpg.
> 
> The issue with mileage is that the regulations controlled the chemical
> composition of the emissions, not the quantity of emissions for a
> traveled distance.  The emissions don't contain as much carbon monoxide
> or NOx as before, so there is less smog.  But the power in the fuel
> isn't extracted efficiently for moving the vehicle, some of the power
> is lost when partially and unburned fuel is reacted with oxygen in the
> air injected into the exhaust in some vehicles, and some is also
> converted to waste heat when the catalytic converter assists in the
> oxidation of the partially and unburned fuel.
> 
> If you want to get better mileage without too much hassle, just
> increase the tire pressure to the maximum allowed on the sidewall.
> 
> Steve Stokowski
> 
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