Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:43:36 -0400
Reply-To: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Gas, milage, etc (was Air Engine)
In-Reply-To: <d1ea9acf0804250605n6e670e78w2d0fc12a86d583eb@mail.gmail.com>
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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.
> >>
> > ...........
> >
>
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