Engineer tweaks Mustang engine to get 110mpg

**CyinCo** · 07-03-2008, 08:28 AM

This sounds like bunch of crap. I've followed the X Prize competition. Take a look sometime at what the other teams have had to do to get 100+ Mpg. Most of it is revolutionary stuff. For example, lightweight materials, Plug In Hybrid Electric Engines, aerodynamics, etc.

I don't think you can take a standard IC engine and "tweak" it better than the engineers that designed it and get 5-6 times the gas mileage while still getting 400 hp and 0-60 in 4 secs.

Bullllllllll......

**aeroclone** · 07-03-2008, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Turbine engine development has advanced so far, that they are no longer, technically, "jet" engines. They are Turbo-"Fan" engines, which depend on low-velocity bypass fans that are driven by the much smaller turbine engine in their core.

One of the problems though... turbine efficiency goes to pot the denser the air. Therefore, you could probably develop a real efficient car, but could only drive it full out, at 40,000 feet....

There are some "nano-turbines" out there that make really friggin' outstanding batteries, though, but they are a very, very new technology....

I'm currently looking for a high-efficiency engine to propel a two-place aircraft, for at least an hour duration at 100 kts.... There are enough tradeoffs involved to make me pull what little hair I have, off....

Spot on there Phaedrus, but the solution to that is simple..... show me the flying car!!

**Phaedrus** · 07-03-2008, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by aeroclone

Spot on there Phaedrus, but the solution to that is simple..... show me the flying car!!

Wait... wait... I've got this great idea for a movie. Find two semi-hot heroin addicts, put them in skimpy blouses and make a movie about "Who Killed The Flying Car???"

We'll throw in a bunch of half-truths and innuendo, and blame big business and rich people.

The conspiracy theory nutcases and ill-informed will LOVE IT!!!!

**isuno1fan** · 07-03-2008, 09:11 AM

It's on the internets....it's gotta be true!

**bmuff** · 07-03-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by ISUonthemove

Wow. You know what sucks though. The government has probably known how to do this for 30 years.

I'll bet at the very least some of these oil companies know of technologies that would be an improvement. That's the good thing about this X prize, it encourages people to take their inventions public instead of being bought off by greedy oil companies.

**aeroclone** · 07-03-2008, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Wait... wait... I've got this great idea for a movie. Find two semi-hot heroin addicts, put them in skimpy blouses and make a movie about "Who Killed The Flying Car???"

We'll throw in a bunch of half-truths and innuendo, and blame big business and rich people.

The conspiracy theory nutcases and ill-informed will LOVE IT!!!!

Now that is a can't miss idea right there. So, who wants to withdraw their 401k to help fund this? Your money isn't doing anything in there anyway!

**Phaedrus** · 07-03-2008, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by bmuff

I'll bet at the very least some of these oil companies know of technologies that would be an improvement. That's the good thing about this X prize, it encourages people to take their inventions public instead of being bought off by greedy oil companies.

You're implying that the millions of technicians, scientists and hobbyists who do this 24/7 can somehow be suppressed by some mythical, eeevil, greedy oil company?

Gotta question for you: Do you think the "X-Files" is a documentary?

As far as "greedy" oil companies are concerned, they are only "greedy" in the sense that each and every one of us are "greedy". We want to get paid the maximum for the work we do. So do they.... Do less would be irresponsible, illogical and harmful.

**aeroclone** · 07-03-2008, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

You're implying that the millions of technicians, scientists and hobbyists who do this 24/7 can somehow be suppressed by some mythical, eeevil, greedy oil company?

Gotta question for you: Do you think the "X-Files" is a documentary?

As far as "greedy" oil companies are concerned, they are only "greedy" in the sense that each and every one of us are "greedy". We want to get paid the maximum for the work we do. So do they.... Do less would be irresponsible, illogical and harmful.

The truth is out there!!

Oops, my tinfoil hat just fell off....

**CyCy** · 07-03-2008, 09:56 AM

GM stock fell below $10 this week, it's lowest point since 1954. It's stock price was over $55 in 2004 and they have lost over 20 billion dollars in market capitalization since then. On top of that Toyota has taken over the lead in US sales.

Any guess on what GM would pay for 110 mpg technology.

**Clonefan94** · 07-03-2008, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

You're implying that the millions of technicians, scientists and hobbyists who do this 24/7 can somehow be suppressed by some mythical, eeevil, greedy oil company?

Gotta question for you: Do you think the "X-Files" is a documentary?

As far as "greedy" oil companies are concerned, they are only "greedy" in the sense that each and every one of us are "greedy". We want to get paid the maximum for the work we do. So do they.... Do less would be irresponsible, illogical and harmful.

I'm really not big on conspiracy theories. But, after Enron, I put nothing past greedy CEO's and their pursuance of more profit. In the end, do large corporations see the new invention as a profit source or competition to their bottom line? Where I don't believe we have a lot of tech stashed away in underground vaults hidden from us by large corporations. If it ever became truth, it wouldn't surprise me. The reason, I believe most corporations could give a rats *** about you, me or the good of humanity. It's about making profit and doing whatever it takes to make that profit. That's what big business is for, making money.

The biggest problem I see right now though is with us the people. We were riding high and mighty on cheap gas for years. That is no longer the case. So, a lot of people, instead of just sucking it up and using less gas, we look to blame someone else for our problems, gas companies, the government, automakers. When in reality, the problem all along was that it was us that was feeding the profit machine. I'd love to blame others for our energy misfortunes now, but, even if big business is covering up the cheapest and most renewable resources ever, really it's all of our faults. Not just theirs. We could have chose something other than Giant SUVs to drive, we chose not to.

**CYlent Bob** · 07-03-2008, 10:37 AM

To quote that great philosopher Homer J. Simpson:

"Boy, in this house, we OBEY the laws of Thermodynamics!"

Even if he's found a way to pull extra potential energy out of a gallon of gasoline, how did he overcome all the friction of the thousands of moving parts inside the engine? Did he cast new pistons and an engine block out of Adamantium alloy? And don't get me started on his "400 hp with a 0-60 time of 3 seconds". Kick-*** performance like that and miserly fuel economy are mutually exclusive.

I don't doubt that shadetree mechanics can come up with new technologies that increase fuel efficiency by 5 to 10% at a time, but when some nobody in a rickety old garage comes up with a game-changing leap forward like this, I usually call "BS".

This claim makes the old "cold fusion in a jar" controversy look like well-documented science by comparison. It's just one step above Nigerian Bank scams on the old CYlent Bob Credibility Meter.

**Irresponsible** · 07-03-2008, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by aeroclone

Spot on there Phaedrus, but the solution to that is simple..... show me the flying car!!

Moulton Taylor tried this in the 1950s. Needless to say, it was unsuccessful.

**djkent01** · 07-03-2008, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by CYlent Bob

I don't doubt that shadetree mechanics can come up with new technologies that increase fuel efficiency by 5 to 10% at a time, but when some nobody in a rickety old garage comes up with a game-changing leap forward like this, I usually call "BS".

Totally different industry, but Bill Gates used to say he was never really worried about competition from the companies most of us would think of as their competitors, Apple, IBM, etc. He said he worried most about the little guy working out of his/her garage that was going to invent the "next big thing". I always found that quote very interesting and telling.

**Psyclone** · 07-04-2008, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by aeroclone

Spot on there Phaedrus, but the solution to that is simple..... show me the flying car!!

Did you know there was an effort in the aerospace industry to develop a personal aircraft with a goal that it would be so simple to fly, anybody could do it? Thoughts of a flying car were probably closer than you realized. I haven't heard much of this effort lately. You can probably learn more by doing a Google search of:
Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE)

**Phaedrus** · 07-05-2008, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by Psyclone

Did you know there was an effort in the aerospace industry to develop a personal aircraft with a goal that it would be so simple to fly, anybody could do it? Thoughts of a flying car were probably closer than you realized. I haven't heard much of this effort lately. You can probably learn more by doing a Google search of:
Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE)

Actually, we had to tear down our original hangar in Newton, because it is a test-site for AGATE. They expanded the sight lines and our hangar was on the wrong side of the line.

You really don't need a pilot for 99% of commuter flying. I still think it's "a bridge too far" for human psychology (as well as the curren human pocketbook) to accept AGATE as a reality.

But thanks for reminding me, and enlightening us on this project.
Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia