Here's a picture of another VW diesel engine;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/westytech/599426700/

83000 HP for ships!

Mike B.

----- Original Message -----
From: "pdooley" <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: Gas, milage, etc (was Air Engine)

> Craig-
>
> The vehicle VW is calling the "Rabbit" these days is just a Mark 5 Golf.
> It is in no way like the original Rabbit except for being front wheel
> drive
> with a transverse mounted engine.
>
> The reason the fuel mileage stinks is due to the extra thousand pounds of
> weight it is hauling around and the 2.5 liter motor.
>
> The original Rabbit weighed less than a ton and had a 1.5 or 1.6 liter
> engine in the US.
>
> Even with the less than perfect CIS fuel injection, the original still
> gets
> much better mileage.
>
> The ultimate car IMO is a clean MK1 Rabbit with a TDI motor.  That would
> get
> better than 50 mpg with plenty of scoot.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> craig cowan
> Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 9:06 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Gas, milage, etc (was Air Engine)
>
> I feel its extremely important that we be mindful of our environment and
> make environmentally friendly economic decisions. I see that as where this
> thread has gone, and it's friday... so here goes:
>
> The car companies tell me they get the best gas mileage they ever did, and
> that they are doing everything they can to get better mileage. I'm sorry,
> but that's a flat out lie. Why you ask?
> I recently had this conversation with my grandfather who argued that the
> technology has come leaps and bounds in car manufacturing and engine
> technology. While i didn't dispute that, i pointed out to him that it's
> making little difference and the market may still say "We want gas
> friendly
> vehicles" but where there money still is.....is high horsepower heavy
> sedans
> (upwards of 200hp). While those two things are NOT mutually exclusive, it
> is
> the trend at this point. My main point in my argument was that all this
> technology is just a placebo to give us more power. I presented the fact
> that in 2008, Volkswagen sells a vehicle called a Rabbit. It's a small, 2
> door (but i believe available as a 4 door as well) hatchback that should
> be
> fairly lightweight. In this day and age, it gets 22mpg combined driving.
> Well i'm sorry but thats not all that good. That's like a vanagon....
> But of course it has plenty of horsepower and won't ever be slow in any
> way.
> Well the problem i have is, 'back in the day', literally before i was
> born,
> there was a car made by Volkswagen called a Rabbit. It was a small, 2 door
> (and I believe available as a 4 door as well) hatchback that should have
> been fairly lightweight. Long story short.....the diesels were putting out
> 50mpg! And the gas ones, well they definately beat 22mpg!
>
> How is this progress? Call me crazy, but its been known since the early
> 20th
> century that there are more efficient ways to make an engine. If you've
> ever
> done any reading on Diesel, the man and the engine, you'd find that it's
> just better. I'm sorry but it is. It's a more efficient design, and anyone
> who's driven a turbodiesel anything, probably hasn't complained all that
> much. Modern diesels are not the smelly shaky "no acceleration" vehicles
> we
> believe them too be. They're thermally efficient powerhouses that are the
> only "Real" way to give you the horsepower and fuel economy.
>
> Maybe it's just me......
> But i think the Jetta's don't get nearly the fuel mileage they used too.
> And it's not just VW's.......
> I'm pretty sure the Dodge Neons (Popular College Kid Car) used to get
> better
> gas mileage......
>
> But "We don't have a problem"...........
>
> Ride a bike.
>
> -Craig
> '85GL
> Dismounting from soap box to head to class.
>
> On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 12:47 AM, Donna Skarloken <dskarloken@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Well, Paul Volcker at the Fed got the money sort of back on track, partly
>> through the high interest rates, but that's a whole 'nother story.  IMHO
>> the
>> Fed is making things worse, but that's to be expected.
>> That period is what got me hooked on VWs - not the cute little bugs, but
>> the
>> 77 and 78 diesel Rabbits that we acquired.  Between work and school I
>> don't
>> think I had to fill up for 2-3 weeks minimum, and drove right on by the
>> gas
>> lines over on A Street in Hayward, California.
>>
>> Donna, 87 Syncro
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 6:44 AM, Mark Drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:
>>
>> > Have you gone off your meds or something? I remember the Carter years.
>> > Mortgage rates of %12, car loan rates at %18, all time high gas and oil
>> > prices. Yep those were fine days. I really enjoyed the gasoline lines
>> > and rationing. I had to put spare tanks in my VWs so I could get by
>> > without spending several hours a week in line and so I could save money
>> > buying more from the cheapest stations. Back then we were modifying our
>> > VWs to get the best fuel economy we could. People tried everything
>> > including any kind of snake oil offered. I do wish car companies had
>> > spent much more effort on improving the MPG of all vehicles instead of
>> > focusing on cup holders and 0-60 times. A diesel Vanagon is the way to
>> > go for best fuel economy. It is possible to get around 30 mpg in one if
>> > driven right. Even upgrading the weak original motors with a
>> > dramatically improved later VW diesel engine does not reduce that by
>> > much and some actually increase it.
>> >
>> > Mark
>> >
>> > John Rodgers wrote:
>> >
>> >> I know this fuel thing is disturbing to everyone, and we can all see
>> how
>> >> it can wreck the economy. But the thing that really gets my goat is
>> that
>> >> back in the day - Jimmy Carter got the country on the right track.
>> >>
>> > ...........
>> >
>>