Power To Weight Comparison

[KN16]

....snip everything....Please reread the post.

I have no need to reread anything. I have no idea why you're being so short as I didn't say anything against your post. Don't tell me what I can and can't snip. I'll snip whatever I want especially if it has nothing to do with what I'm replying to.

 

[Dustoff]

ooooh, testy.
scuse me sir.
have a good day.

 

[HoofHearted]

I was curious how the Elio's power to weight ratio stacks up against other small cars, so I found specs on several cars and got the following numbers. I'm assuming the Elio is 55HP and 1200lb curb weight. All are base models/engines.

Tata Nano (world's cheapest car): .0285 HP/lb
Chevy Spark: .0370
Smart Fortwo: .0387
Nissan Versa Note: .0452
Elio: .0458
Toyota Corolla: .0471
Ford Fiesta: .0473
Chrysler PT Cruiser (my current car, for reference): .0480
Honda Civic: .0515
Toyota Camry (midsize, for reference): .0558
Chevy Corvette (performance car, for reference): .1336

Looks OK to me.

Very informative post. Great work. I wonder how far the Elio will advance in a similar list once the drag coefficients are factored in with the power to weight ratio.
Based on my experience as a long haul hotshotter , the drag coefficient can have a drastic effect on fuel consumption. I got the worst fuel consumption with the lightest full load I ever transported. It was like pulling a parachute across the country. Conversely, I got great MPG with the heaviest load, several tons of steel beams that did not catch much wind.

 

[KN16]

...snip... I wonder how far the Elio will advance in a similar list once the drag coefficients are factored in with the power to weight ratio....snip...

Good point most people don't get it. These way cool lights on top of this truck will cost you 1MPG. Kinda' staggering when you consider that it starts with the drag coefficient of a cinder block

 

[Cali Chris]

Good point most people don't get it. These way cool lights on top of this truck will cost you 1MPG. Kinda' staggering when you consider that it starts with the drag coefficient of a cinder block
View attachment 620

Hey, I have a cinder block like that! I put an "aerodynamic" Thule roof rack on mine and it robbed me of about 1-1.5 mpg, but it sure looks good (functional too). The lift and tires came later and that took (surprisingly) only 1.5-2 mpg more. I used to have a combined average 19mpg, now I'm around combined average of 15-16 mpg.

Definitely gets me where I need to go and the roof rack helps me carry my weekly Home Depot purchases along with the occasional Christmas tree.

 

[Lil4X]

For a little comparison to a car with sporting pretensions, I give you my favorite car of all time: the '72 Opel Rallye:
[Broken External Image]:http://www.carlustblog.com/images/2008/04/18/manta3.jpg
I'm thinking seriously about configuring my Elio to match. The stock Rallye had two black tape stripes on the side, up and over the trailing edge of the deck lid - and a pair of 4" Hella fog lights slung below the bumper. The cam-in-head 1.9L engine produced 90 hp, driving through a 4-spd manual gearbox with a 3:44 rear end. The vehicle weighed in at 2,138 lbs dry (without the AC option). Performance was impressive - although it wouldn't take many stoplight GP trophies.

Car & Driver pronounced it the first of the "Super Coupes", and it led to SCCA's "Showroom Stock" division, taking home championships for the first two years before it was bumped up a class (Opels literally won wherever they were entered). If you divide out that weight per horsepower number, it comes to 23.75, or .0257, figured as hp per pound. While it was limited to about 110 mph, thanks to the lower gear ratio in the Rallye that made it seem quicker off the line, it was no slouch on the skidpad, generating numbers equal to or exceeding a number of sports cars of the day. Car & Driver said it "sticks to the road like lint to a navy blue blazer" . . . and they were absolutely right. It may not have been a pavement ripper, but it was a total ball to drive.

That car compares very favorably with today's developing Elio. While the Elio is not being marketed as a sports car, but a high-mileage commuter, there are some very obvious perks in the fun-to-drive department. The Elio actually "outperforms" the Rallye on paper - as far as the hp/weight numbers are concerned. With today's improved tire technologies (OEM Rallyes came with French-made bias-ply Goodyears that most owners upgraded to Michelin radials within the first few months of ownership), and with computer-controlled fuel delivery and ignition systems, we can expect a little entertainment to go along with our miserly fuel consumption.

 

[Jim H]

Be consistent, show your independence and unique personality and paint your Elio to match

 

[Kuda]

I've always wanted a Mazda Miata

Had one, 2007 fun car but too small for me I'm 6' 1.5" leg room not good & glad it was a convertible, now my '04 Z28 was a FUunnN car but too many tickets, alas.........
Can't help but think the Elio will fill the bill on a variety of fronts, will probably get a ticket in it too............

 

[Jim H]

I'm sure many of us will test the acceleration and top end speed and test the competence of our police forces

 

[Lil4X]

There's a whole lot more fun to be had, IMHO, driving a smaller lightweight car at 9/10ths than a muscular brute at 6/10ths. Best of all, the cops hardly notice!