100MPGUS Posted January 19, 2006 Posted January 19, 2006 This is an interesting new adventure http://www.fuelchallenge.com/ So far, 46 US MPG. 645 miles on 24 gallons. Heck I could do that on my motorcycle. I am not impressed yet. 1039km on 54 L of fuel. Is that about 5.3/100? KEITH, I see a new challange for you and your smart. Quote
100MPGUS Posted January 20, 2006 Author Posted January 20, 2006 Fuelled by Shell no less.Is that a bad thing? Or good thing. What do you mean? Quote
smartzuuk Posted January 20, 2006 Posted January 20, 2006 I added a short summary on my site. Their website is fantastic, BTW. Quote
smartzuuk Posted January 22, 2006 Posted January 22, 2006 I got a message at my site today from their writer, which was cool. They are on day 6. Check it out. I'm going to start guessing some of the economies for the legs. I think they are at 4.67/100 now... Quote
100MPGUS Posted January 22, 2006 Author Posted January 22, 2006 I added a short summary on my site. Their website is fantastic, BTW. But they are missing the MPG and L/100 numbers. They are leaving that to the viewer to figure out?EDIT. OK I broke down and did the math. 50.02 USMPG which not bad for a gasoline engine. Quote
smartzuuk Posted January 22, 2006 Posted January 22, 2006 Yeah, it's not so obvious, you have to do the math... but it's there. There's so much there, I'm just beginning to see it all. The blog is a bit hard to follow, as it's laid out in squares here and there, but once you see how they do it, it's good. Quote
Lug Nut Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 The stated goal (fewer than 50 fillings) and the chosen vehicle don't make a lot of sense. I would have though that a vehicle nearly as economical on fuel, but with a larger capacity tank would have been selected. Fifty fill-ups? That's 1400 gallons (5300 l) for my 1996 Passat TDI wagon. Daily driving has produced an average of 50 mpg (4.7/100) over the past 314,000 miles (505,300km). Were I able to continue to maintain this same average, but over their chosen route for the stated minimum distance of 29k km (18000 miles), I'd accomplish their goal in 13 fill-ups. No, I'm NOT impressed. P.S. http://www.fuelchallenge.com/wp-content/up...710_Records.pdf Time for me to call the Guiness people. I've done 1,450+ miles per tankful twice. Now to get the range verified. ($$$$). I have managed 82 mpg (98.4 imperial or 2.9/100 km) in competitions, but those were timed events over 500 miles distance, not unlimited duration. Any wealthy sponsors or co-driving masochists up for a 2200 mile (3500km) attempt? Quote
smartzuuk Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Well, I'm not sure what size the tank is, but realize too their filling procedure is very set in stone, as they have to fill from barrels of special fuel that is weighed. There are very specific filling points determined as they go through the route. They are getting about 4.7 L/100km, on a gasoline engine. That's not bad thus far. It will get better. They went through a 3 hour traffic jam in Italy already. Be impressed at the logistics involved, not the fact that it doesn't beat a diesel smart car or diesel VW. I don't think that's the goal. A barrel of crude turns into more gasoline than diesel. If we can get great economy from gas too, we're winning. Quote
100MPGUS Posted January 23, 2006 Author Posted January 23, 2006 A barrel of crude turns into more gasoline than diesel. If we can get great economy from gas too, we're winning. Glad you mentioned this. Do you know how many gallons of gasoline you get from a barrel? How many diesel? I have always wondered and never hear this mentioned anywhere. Quote
smarter Posted January 23, 2006 Posted January 23, 2006 Have a look here... http://www.clubsmartcar.ca/forums/viewtopi...p;highlight=oil Quote
100MPGUS Posted January 23, 2006 Author Posted January 23, 2006 Have a look here... http://www.clubsmartcar.ca/forums/viewtopi...p;highlight=oil I had read that but thought that is the break down of a barrel of the fuels combined. How much gasoline from one barrel and how much diesel from one barrel? I always though diesel was less refined and yielded more per barrel. Quote
Speedie Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 My basic knowledge of refining is limited but I believe they can run Diesel and other distillates through a process called cracking to break it down (using a catalyst i.e. platinum pellets) into gasoline. The refiners do this because there is more market for gasoline and it gets a higher price (in spite of what we pay at the pumps). Cheers, Cameron Quote
FormerEnthusiast Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 I believe the pellets are just the inert balls... They come in different sizes and they hold/support the catalyst (platinum) which is usually a thick powder... Every night shift and weekend day shift, I'm required to have two audits done on a section where we have this catalyst stored... It's the stupidest thing because the container and catalyst is 750 to 900kg depending on the fill, so no one's gonna walk out the entranceway with em... They are useless when exposed to air... Which is why they are flooded with nitrogen when being filled, negating any benefit for breaking the seals and stuffing your pockets full... 4.7L/100km is VERY impressive considering the vehicle used... While I haven't read up on the site yet... I am curious as to the modifications to the vehicle (if any, like a de-map perhaps), and also if and how the fuel is different from what we get at the pumps... Eddie Quote
mhawel Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 From what i read on the site, the goal is not to use the most efficient vehicle to acheive the goal, that would easily be the smart cdi or a VW Polo diesel.They're using the Golf FSI because it's a very popular car, reliable, and is middle of the range as far as size and features in the european market. Looking at the list of stuff you can get on this model at the VW site, it looks like you can load it up pretty nicely.These are the engine specs from VW:Engine cubic capacity 2000 Fuel Consumption Urban 25.4mpg - 11.1l/100km Extra-urban 44.8mpg - 6.3l/100km Combined 34.9mpg - 8.1l/100km Engine emissions 187g/km Engine noise levels 75.0dB Engine maximum Speed** 146mph - 235km/h Engine acceleration 0-62mph 7.2secs Maximum output PS 200 at RPM 5100 Maximum torque 207 lbs.ft / 280 Nm at RPM 1800 Insurance group rating 17 This engine is a really nice engine, the FSI technology from VW is quite impressive, and is designed for power and efficiency. The special shell fuel they're using obviously is enhancing the the efficiency, but who know's how much power they loose in relation to efficiency gained. Seems like quite a bit if it's rated at 8.1L/100km combined, but is achieving underl 5L/100km... Quote
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