Compare The Elio To 1980's Answer To Fuel Mileage

[Kuda]

Don't have the details yet but we do know this has been designed as a long stroke engine for enhanced torque.

 

[outsydthebox]

What's the the rod length on the engine? This is the block photo released this morning, looks long. Hard to tell in the photo.

Yes, looong stroke! High compression , too. I spoke with Jerome V. at the air show and he said, It will be 12:1compression, it will have great "low end torque", and the hwy rpm's (target) will be around 2,000!!! That is roughly half what my 1.6L Geo Tracker spins at 70 mph!! He said, "we call it our little diesel."

 

[RKing]

My college room mate had a 77 Diesel, got 60MPG but I would have sworn it wouldn't do 60MPH in freefall ! Rode around in it a pretty good bit as I had a 72 Gran Prix 400 gas was 85cents a gal and it($) was hard to come by, having to buy beer and food and such.

http://www.free-energy.ws/transportation.html interesting link on Aero. Note the aero civic experiment.
Having played around with a calculator and CD it is a BIG part of the Elio equation. When you add in the "purpose built" engine I think 84 is not at all a reach. Weight, Aero, and conservative power will yield good results.

 

[ross]

The 1980 VW Rabbit diesel. Sold for about $5,800 I sat on park benches with better seats. When the alternator kicked in the car slowed down. The workmen ship was on par with a Yugo. But if you wanted 62 mile to the gallon (diesel) it would deliver. It was a simple low tech car that most could keep running. The shifter bushings wore out fast but were easy to replace I think it was a 1.6 litter 51HP diesel, tiny but it held up well. 0-60 in a couple minutes. I don't think it would hit 100 mph down hill. My lawn tractor had bigger tires on it. Still not bad for 1980. Fast forward. 2015 . ELIO seems to have good seats 0-60 pretty snappy for a small engine. 50 to around 84 MPG predicted top speed seems to be 100-106 from what I read. The design and workmen ship seems to be pretty darn good .Price $6,800 and up, $1000 difference over 35 years not bad ELIO. When you compare a car that came on the market in 1980 and was sold as away to save fuel to the ELIO of tomorrow ELIO has made one heck of a leap at a very reasonable price.

The rabbit engine could easily get 250,000 miles before needing a rebuild. My brother-in-law had one with air conditioning, he told me 'at 60 miles an hour when the compressor came on, my nose would hit the windshield.'

 

[JEBar]

I used to own a Mitsubishi Space Wagon with a 1.8 ltr engine and the A/C compressor used to sap so much power that I used to switch it off to overtake!

[That car came back to UK with me when I returned from my time living in Hong Kong. It was too old to be saleable out there and I would have otherwise had to scrap it. It cost me £800 to ship it back but it got me to and from work for two years back here, then I sold it for £450. So I got a reliable car for about $250 a year. Only problem was that It had no hot air intake system and it used to cut out in cold humid weather. It suffered from carburettor icing!]

you've sure driven some interesting rigs .... most of which I've never heard of ..o_O..

Jim

 

[StuartGrant]

Most of what they get in Europe isn't available in North America, so it's not a surprise. What does cross over the pond often doesn't have the same name, such as Ford selling the Contour here and the Mondeo in Europe.

 

[John Painter]

Don't have the details yet but we do know this has been designed as a long stroke engine for enhanced torque.

It's frustrating not knowing some of the specifics, cant wait to see the running prototype.

 

[Dusty921]

you've sure driven some interesting rigs .... most of which I've never heard of ..o_O..

Jim

Any chance for a collage of your vehicles, Wheaters... that would be fascinating for us motor heads stateside.

Hey, anybody know how to retract a reply when you've screwed up and attached it to the wrong post. I boo booed this one and can't seem to cover up my stupidity

 

[Dusty921]

I used to own a Mitsubishi Space Wagon with a 1.8 ltr engine and the A/C compressor used to sap so much power that I used to switch it off to overtake!

[That car came back to UK with me when I returned from my time living in Hong Kong. It was too old to be saleable out there and I would have otherwise had to scrap it. It cost me £800 to ship it back but it got me to and from work for two years back here, then I sold it for £450. So I got a reliable car for about $250 a year. Only problem was that It had no hot air intake system and it used to cut out in cold humid weather. It suffered from carburettor icing!]

Any chance for a collage of your vehicles, past and present, Wheaters... that would be fascinating for us motor heads stateside.

 

[LockMD]

Any chance for a collage of your vehicles, Wheaters... that would be fascinating for us motor heads stateside.

Hey, anybody know how to retract a reply when you've screwed up and attached it to the wrong post. I boo booed this one and can't seem to cover up my stupidity

LOL you can hit delete in lower left corner