Date:         Mon, 6 Dec 2004 18:28:28 -0800
Reply-To:     mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: 130 mph in a vanagon, what MPG?
In-Reply-To:  <41B50A37.7060406@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Ok, not as bad as all that. While the fuel consumption per minute may be
4 times as great at 130 mph versus 65, the distance traveled in that
time is double so the fuel consumption per mile is only double, or 10
mpg minus whatever efficiency losses the engine suffers at extreme high
rpm. 20% maybe? Mpg drops to 8 if so, much better than 5.

Mark


mark drillock wrote:

> It takes about 50 hp to push a Vanagon at 65 mph, or so I've read. I
> think I also read that the wind resistance goes up as the square of the
> speed. If so, 130 being 2 times as fast would take 4 times the power or
> about about 200 hp. Since 65mph  yields about 20 mpg, 130 mph would give
> what, about 5 mpg? Maybe even less since the rpm would be so high?
>
> Mark