

| Subject: | Re: On Fuel Economy - Some Teutonic Observations |
| From: | Michael aka ECHO |
| Date: | Thu, 9 Aug 2001 09:27:42 -0700 |
Don't forget about going downhill.... Michael --- John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET> wrote: > Frank Grunthaner wrote: > > > I thought I would share two very interesting data sets with > the list. At > > issue are the very detailed fuel consumption maps done for > and submitted to > > the German Government for fuel consumption certification. > > > > Frank, your comments in your Teutonic Observation post were > very interesting. > Particular regards to difference in performance in operation > of the Westy's by > Hubert Schmuk and Lenny Milquetoast. > > Somewhere back in my ancient past, I studied aviation related > aerodynamics and > seem to recall some references to relationships between, lift, > drag, speed, > power, and fuel consumption. Where airplanes are concerned > Increasing speed > increases lift increasing drag increasing power requirements > increasing fuel > needs to produce more power to ovwer come that induced drag > and in short order > the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket. > > In Aviation mechanic school and Pilot school, we were taught > that in theory, one > could fly a barn door if one put a big enough engine on it. > > In the case of our beloved Vanagon based vehicles, we are > trying to fly that barn > door, but broad side forward. And in noting your expression of > a thirty percent > increase in consumption by doing 80 vs 55 I think the > relationsips expressed > above are proved out. In fact it would appear the plot of > speed vs fuel > consumption for the Vanagon would be a parabolic curve. So for > high speed it's > not an even trade-off of extra fuel for extra speed. Speed > gains are going to > suffer as fuel consumption over-runs the mark, so to speak. > > Again, you have presented the list with some very interesting > stuff!! > > Thanks, > > John Rodgers > 88 GL Driver ===== MY first VW! 1980 Vanagon L "D'Arius" LOOK a picture!!!http://www.geocities.com/echo207/vanagon.html Need any general computer help? Computer blonde? E-mail: echo207@excite.com and I will see what I can do to help. And a DEAD 84 buick Skylark __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/
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