Al, you make important points.  One quibble.  Is the Zetec cleaner?
I've heard that it cannot pass California emissions test.  Waterboxers
properly maintained pass, don't they?  Or am I completely off on this
one?  Where I live, the politicians and citizenry are insufficiently
enlightened to require emissions tests.  Oklahomans generally think
pollution is a good thing, it smells like money (27% of the state's
economy is directly due to the oil industry).

I do try to keep my vanagon up to snuff, properly tuned and so on.  I do
wonder about the heavy oil we are recommended to use (15W50 or 20W50)
increasing fuel demand.  Or is that a myth, too?

Dave Mc

On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 5:44 PM, Al Knoll wrote:

> With all the talk over bad polluters, and the half truth that some not
> all
> of our beloved road divas are among them, perhaps we need to consider
> making
> our vanagons better citizens.
>
> As a start, to reduce total pollutants measured in pollutants per
> mile, just
> drive it fewer miles.  This is the simplest solution.
>
> Keep it tuned, and aligned, and the tires (o no Mr. Bill) inflated so
> you
> maximize your miles per gallon thus minimizing your pollutants per
> mile.
>
> Change the oil often.  Change the air filter often.  Change the fuel
> filter
> often.  Might help, can't hurt.
>
> Drive 55, proven to enhance MPG, after all it is a touring car, so
> tour.
>
> Road rage is what happens when you have a 130mph 50K$ 15MPG
> 'investment' and
> you spend most of your time with your teeth clenched surrounded by
> your
> fellow man on the superslab at 20MPH stop and go.
>
> More expensive options include upgrading gearing, tires and wheels and
> brakes, and the pollution device, the legendary wasserp*sser engine,
> with
> its 1980s engine management technology.
>
> What if you could improve your fuel economy by 30%?  You get 24mpg
> instead
> of 18mpg or so.  A motor with a modern engine management system emits
> far
> less pollutants on a bad day than the WP does on it's best day.  If
> your
> fool consumption drops by 30% so does the pollutants per mile.  er ah
> 'fuel
> consumption' it should be.
>
> The options are out there.  Zetec, Subaru and others to be sure.  All
> a
> cleaner solution than you can ever have with the WP.  Not inexpensive
> and
> you'll never get all the expense back but it will make you feel better
> and
> run cleaner.  AND your impact on the state of global affairs didn't
> involve
> making a new car with all the inherent unspoken environmental impact
> that
> that entails.
>
> You could move to NYC and ride public transit or walk and just pass
> the diva
> on to some appreciative soul who promises not to sacrifice her in her
> dotage
> as a 'clunker' to a future 'discount'  on  a brand new fluffmobile in
> which
> you cannot sleep.
>
> What else does the group.wisdom think would improve our sorry lot?
>
> Pensionerd.