Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 09:27:42 -0700
Reply-To: Michael aka ECHO <echosmurf@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael aka ECHO <echosmurf@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: On Fuel Economy - Some Teutonic Observations
In-Reply-To: <3B72AD13.5B11EC3D@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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
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