Why does it take a hybrid to get 45 mpg these days

[DVINNY]

BTW, I miss the econo boxes from the 80's. My first car was a Chevette, and I could fix anything on that car.

That's what went wrong, Detriot was losing money on those rides.

 

[FusionWhite]

Cars are getting heavier actually. The average car weight has risen a couple hundred pounds in the last few years. People despite ******** gas prices are also demanding MORE horsepower. Theres also the wide spread conspiracy between auto makers, Republicans and oil companies which is hosing the middle class

 

[DVINNY]

Theres also the wide spread conspiracy.....

OH BOY, here we go. pi mole: pi mole: pi mole: ALERT!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

every now and then I have to drive it to the store to get milk or something, and some other hippie will park next to me in their "prius" and assume we have something in common, I have to remind them that I am a WASP, Republican, Gun Owner, Hunter, Jeep 4X4 enthusiast and they should leave me the hell alone

ROFLMFAO!!!!!! You talkin' about VTE? (Just kidding VT)

:lmao: :lol2x: :rotfl:

Actually, you don't see too many hybrids driving around here. They tend to be more expensive than their gas counterparts, and there's not much money around here.

The thing that turns me off about them is they're so damned small. I'm not a large person, but I've gotten spoiled with the roominess and storage capacity of an SUV.

I got a CRV which I like and I wish they'd make a hybrid one of those the next time I'm in the market for wheels.

 

[DVINNY]

Fusion,

who's conspiracy is it to 'sell' all these Japanese cars, driving the profits out of our country, and in turn, hosing the middle class, lower class, and upper class?



I had to.

 

[FusionWhite]

Fusion,
who's conspiracy is it to 'sell' all these Japanese cars, driving the profits out of our country, and in turn, hosing the middle class, lower class, and upper class?



I had to.

Honestly I really dont believe in all that crap. I think its a society problem. People want big fast cars and if they have to pay huge $$$ to fill the tank then it gives them something to ***** about.

One of my favorite classes was Thermodynamics and the heat cycles behind the functioning of an engine explain it all.

I just dropped my car off at the shop and they gave me a loner car. Its a 2007 Toyota Yaris and it gets 44 MPG and is not a hybrid. Im surprised some of the new diesels dont get upwards of 40+.

 

[DVINNY]

Ya know I was just kiddin' around anyway.

I do wish that there were less foreign cars and more AutoWorkers still employed though

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I just dropped my car off at the shop and they gave me a loner car. Its a 2007 Toyota Yaris and it gets 44 MPG and is not a hybrid.

Plastic-mobile eh?

 

[Road Guy]

The only thing I hate more than buying a car 100% made in Japan is giving money to the arabs via gasoline.

I dont really feel for the american auto workers to be honest. I dont think the money hungry unions give a **** about what it costs the "average american" to buy a car, and then have that same overpriced POS break and have to get it fixed.

I also blame the execs at Ford, Chevy, DC for just thinking they didnt have to change and adapt and barely react to the incursion of the japanese market. I think they all just thought, well hell I am FORD, I aint got to do no better cause them sheep (like me) will just keep coming back to buy my same old crap and think that it is still as good as it was 20 years ago..

My Jeep and my Dodge Durango were also made in Canada : USA : so it seems like there really is no way to win..

 

[Dleg]

I agree that the US automakers have only themselves to blame. And the unions.

When my family bought that 1980 Mazda GLC, it was out of disgust from two previous, totally ****** American cars - a Pinto and then a Ford Fairmont. We only had the Fairmont for a year before buying the GLC - it was such a hunk of ****, and very poorly made on almost all levels. I remember my biggest impression of the Mazda, as soon as we got it, was that nothing rattled in it and all the interior finish parts fit together properly - which could not be said of the Ford. Not to mention that the Ford was in the shop numerous times (it was brand new!), and the GLC didn't have any problems until it had almost 100,000 miles on it. ****, I remember the family getting pulled over by a cop in that Fairmont because it had black (!) smoke coming out of the tailpipe, and the cop said he was concerned.

I think the US automakers have come a long way since then, but it's too late. It doesn't matter what you're manufacturing, the US can no longer compete in today's global economy. Pretty soon the US job market is only going to be composed of a handfull of rich business people who own factories overseas, and the rest of us are going to have no choice but to work in the box stores and strip malls that they spend their money in.

Oh well. At least we're engineers, so we can build the strip malls...

'.02'

 

[MA_PE]

I'll let ya know in two years, when GM makes me my LS8 500+HP CAMARO!!!

DVINNY Camaro????? one of these is better.

 

[TouchDown]

I think the US automakers have come a long way since then, but it's too late. It doesn't matter what you're manufacturing, the US can no longer compete in today's global economy. Pretty soon the US job market is only going to be composed of a handfull of rich business people who own factories overseas, and the rest of us are going to have no choice but to work in the box stores and strip malls that they spend their money in.

Yes. You can see over the last few months just how hard it's hit both Ford and GM. They need to take a few risks and try to get ahead of the curve. On their own, they should be driving to get better gas mileage without being pressured by government or facing bankrupcy.

I want a truck that is rugged, 4WD and can get 50 MPG, and I want it now!!! :tv:

 

[NIW_Engineer]

Getting back to the MPG issue...

Applying some of the techniques of "hypermiling" described here: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/20...ypermilers.html I've driven my Toyota Rav4 for 430 miles on a 13 gallon tank. Yup, that's 33 mpg for a mid size SUV. Not bad at all.

 

[Road Guy]

you cant really consider a rav4 an SUV

I agree you can get better mpg by slowing down, but some of those other things like drafting an 18 wheeler on an interstate.. I will pass on..

 

[grover]

What about the 6-stroke engine a tinker invented last year? It injects water into the cylinder at the end of the exhaust stroke, which flashes to steam using waste heat, and is supposed to increase fuel efficiency by as much as 40%, and eliminate the need for a radiator.

I'm a bit skeptical of some of the claims, but it strikes me as a brilliant idea with a lot of potential.

 

[TouchDown]

Man that's gotta take a toll on the cylinders if you're flashing steam on the backside of it - lots of heat / cool cycles. Interesting concept, just wonder if you'd start throwing rods more often due to steam corrosion. Would this mean that you'd hook up your car to a water hose every night?

I'll have to look into that one. Do you have a website?

 

[Dleg]

I haven't read this thread in a while. Thanks for the link NIW_Engineer - that was a pretty cool article. I'm going to see what I can do with my RAV 4 now...

 

[MA_PE]

What about the 6-stroke engine a tinker invented last year? It injects water into the cylinder at the end of the exhaust stroke, which flashes to steam using waste heat, and is supposed to increase fuel efficiency by as much as 40%, and eliminate the need for a radiator.
I'm a bit skeptical of some of the claims, but it strikes me as a brilliant idea with a lot of potential.

Never heard if it. my thoughts went immediately to the oil/water thing ---- they don't mix. How do you lubricate this?

 

[moderndoug]

DVINNY Camaro????? one of these is better.

Ed Welburn - GM Design Chief has publicly promised "not to put any birds on hoods" of the neuvo-retro designs. ModernDoug

 

[Flyer_PE]

What's up with that. It just wouldn't be a Trans Am without a 'Screaming Chicken' on the hood.