First, clean out the van. Emptying out the cabinets always gives my westie
a nice fuel economy boost. :-)

At 02:40 PM 4/27/2006 -0500, John Rodgers wrote:
>These high fuel prices have all of us thinking about lowering costs and
>increasing fuel efficiency, I'm sure. I'm in the same boat, and feel I'm
>paddling with one hand.
>
>I've been thinking about all this stuff and questions come to mind that
>perhaps some of our Guru's can answer. In fact, anybody that has any
>ideas please chime.
>
>It's a known fact that to increase mileage, get rid of the weight. It
>was done. We now have aluminum engines, basically, and a lot of aluminum
>and plastic in cars.
>
>Another feature in modern times ...... control fuel flow through
>judcious monitoring and control with sensors and computers attached.
>
>So what else can be done? How much tighter can the fuels be squeezed to
>get more efficiency? I realize that a lot of things go into fuel
>efficiency, but considering just the engine alone, and no other factors
>such as gearing, tires, aerodynamics, weight, etc, how else might one
>increase fuel efficiency - ie mileage per gallon. Take a Vanagon with
>WBX vs a Vanagon with a TDI engine. The latter gets more mileage. Why?
>what really makes the difference? Is it possible to do something with
>the fuel to increase the BTU's released? Which is what it is all about,
>given that all piston engines are heat engines. I know there is a
>specific ratio in pounds of O2 to pounds of Fuel, so would better mixing
>before ignition improve the burn and produce more heat? I know one can
>run peak pwoer, rich best power and lean best power, but if running for
>maximum heat, how would one protect against heat erosion in current
>engines with current metalurgy?
>
>Lots of questions, and looking for answers.
>
>Any comments are appreciated, especially from persons of specific knowledge.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Regards,
>
>John Rodgers
>88 GL Driver