Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:42:35 -0500
Reply-To: Allen Hill <route66rider@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Allen Hill <route66rider@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject: Re: : End the hegemony of the US auto makers
In-Reply-To: <02f301c6f857$983e70f0$0d01050a@cspfr>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
A couple of years ago I decided to try to see what would be the highest MPG
get. For this project, I picked up a 1977 MG-B convertible and through
some combination of changes involving carb mods, ignition mods, exhaust
mods, cam swap and other odd bits of parts work I was able to get it to
operate at between 45 to 47 MPG on the interstate while running at 60 MPH.
I believe that I could have made a final change involving a transmission
swap which would have added a fifth gear overdrive (.82 final ratio) which
would have pushed it just over the 50 MPG mark. Two things in this thought,
while I have 40 + years experience in auto repair having once had my own
shop for some years it was 15 years ago. The second being that if I can do
something like this with British technology that was developed post WW2, why
has the real automotive industry not done any better than it has?
Route 66 Rider!
Ramon Hill
Live Long and Be Free
=================================
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
BJ Feddish
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 12:04 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: : End the hegemony of the US auto makers
>> Will we ever be free of the hegemenony of US automaker's dominance
>> over
what is perceived to be marketable vehicles? <<
All the automakers here offer us nothing but gas guzzlers and the world
complains we use too much resources. How am I supposed to use less gas when
the only vehicles with good gas mileage are little $10,000 tin cans? I have
an '04 Honda element. You'd think that with a 4 cyl engine I'd get good
mileage but I only get 18 mpg city. Geez, I should have bought the Ford
Exterminator. When gas was high I was driving my 83 westy around town since
it gets 22 mph as apposed to my Honda or my wife's Audi.
I get so jealous when I see cars offered in other countries.
What I really want is that 2.5 liter diesel VW 4wd camper (The California
model) they sell over in Australia. Geez.
Bryan
