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Lean Burn?

GuySmily

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I'm surprised there's so little discussion about this.. The last Tech Talk email ("v23") talked about cylinder head design (ports, valves, etc), but doesn't mention anything about lean burn. They do mention "line-of-sight 'tumble ports,'" which seem to be designed to produce a similar effect to Honda's VTEC-E (the other half of this puzzle).

But is there any information about lean burn capabilities mentioned anywhere by Elio Motors? Is lean burn no longer necessary/relevant because of the engine's design or other new technologies? Would it simply be too expensive to implement?

Lean burn seems like such a critical technology for achieving anything over 75mpg in my Honda Insight. I can get 90mpg every day if I put in a little effort (okay, a lot of effort).

It's difficult to stay in lean burn for extended periods of time due to lack of power, but in a smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic car like the Elio, it would surely be easier to maintain lean burn conditions. If I can break 90mpg so easily in the Insight (beyond that is very difficult for sustained lengths of time at reasonable speeds), it seems like the Elio would benefit even more so.

This is my first post, and obviously I'm coming in here with very little prior knowledge about the Elio, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions and any official information about this.

More information on lean burn / VTEC-E in the Insight:
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enlaf.html
 

zelio

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I'm surprised there's so little discussion about this.. The last Tech Talk email ("v23") talked about cylinder head design (ports, valves, etc), but doesn't mention anything about lean burn. They do mention "line-of-sight 'tumble ports,'" which seem to be designed to produce a similar effect to Honda's VTEC-E (the other half of this puzzle).

But is there any information about lean burn capabilities mentioned anywhere by Elio Motors? Is lean burn no longer necessary/relevant because of the engine's design or other new technologies? Would it simply be too expensive to implement?

Lean burn seems like such a critical technology for achieving anything over 75mpg in my Honda Insight. I can get 90mpg every day if I put in a little effort (okay, a lot of effort).

It's difficult to stay in lean burn for extended periods of time due to lack of power, but in a smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic car like the Elio, it would surely be easier to maintain lean burn conditions. If I can break 90mpg so easily in the Insight (beyond that is very difficult for sustained lengths of time at reasonable speeds), it seems like the Elio would benefit even more so.

This is my first post, and obviously I'm coming in here with very little prior knowledge about the Elio, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions and any official information about this.

More information on lean burn / VTEC-E in the Insight:
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enlaf.html
I know nothing about this subject but I do know the Insight is a hybrid. The Elio is gas only. I don't know if that makes a difference to your question or not. BTW, hello and welcome from Oregon, GuySmily. I highly recommend you search and read here and also read the Elio Motors website. We have a very diverse and knowledgeable group here who are more than willing to answer questions but prefer not to post things that have already been posted. I hope you enjoy your research and the excitement of this journey to Elio production and ownership. :-) Z
 

Jim H

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This is my first post, and obviously I'm coming in here with very little prior knowledge about the Elio, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions and any official information about this.
GuySmily, Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of helpful friendly members that can probably answer your question. Unfortunately, I do not happen to be one of them. Using the forum search function will help answer your questions and decrease the learning curve. If you can't find the answer just ask because there is all kinds of expertise here. Some one will attempt to answer it. Welcome and hope you find the forum informative and entertaining. Enjoy the Elio journey.
 

goofyone

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I'm surprised there's so little discussion about this.. The last Tech Talk email ("v23") talked about cylinder head design (ports, valves, etc), but doesn't mention anything about lean burn. They do mention "line-of-sight 'tumble ports,'" which seem to be designed to produce a similar effect to Honda's VTEC-E (the other half of this puzzle).

But is there any information about lean burn capabilities mentioned anywhere by Elio Motors? Is lean burn no longer necessary/relevant because of the engine's design or other new technologies? Would it simply be too expensive to implement?

Welcome to the ElioOwners.com forum and this is a very good first post as it does pose a good question which I would not have been able to answer before this weeks Tech Talk. The answer to your question is that this is not a lean burn engine. The reason why I can say this with certainty is that the Tech Talk discusses designing this engine for high levels of EGR which you would not see in a lean burn engine as they are two different methods of accomplishing the same thing. EGR vs lean burn is a very interesting debate which has been going on for some time now however it would be my guess that for Elio Motors EGR was the only way to go as it is currently the less expensive alternative.

The good news it that the Tech Talk does reveal a number of interesting facts such as the 'tumble ports' which should encourage very good mixture of fuel and air resulting in a nice clean efficient burn which is exactly what we want. It does appear that IAV has done a lot of work to ensure this engine is extremely fuel efficient.

We are glad to have you here. You have joined a very diverse group of people from all over the country who really enjoy discussing everything there is to know about this interesting vehicle. I hope you enjoy your time here reading about and/or discussing all there is to know about Elio Motors.

We have a survey we like reservation holders to fill out if they wish as it really helps us visualize the growing numbers and locations of future Elio Owners. For now information visit this link: http://www.elioowners.com/threads/elio-reservation-map-and-survey.1129/

We also have a thread for our many current and former service members to introduce themselves. If that applies to you visit this thread:http://www.elioowners.com/threads/military-service.1118/

If you ever happen to have any issues while on this forum please be sure to notify a staff member as we are here to help.
 

carzes

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I'm not invited to staff meetings at Elio or anything, but I'm sure it was brought in to the list of possible options for achieving the target numbers. The technology has been around for quite some time with varying levels of success and it's certainly coming into use more and more. It does seem though, that it adds complication and expense. Exactly how much I couldn't guess, but I'm sure they took the cheapest road that would get them to the target mpg. After all, the goal is to deliver 84mpg AND affordability. Anyone can do either/or, where's the challenge in that?
 
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