Economy and how it can be improved

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Well my electric fans survived their first trip offroad and kept everything nicely cool.

I've also ordered an adaptronic programmable ECU :D if anyone has any timing or fuelling maps they'd care to share with me I'll post them a pack of hobnobs
 
Bit on an unplanned one this - I'm changing to a manual gearbox as I blew the autobox. I expect to see 4-5 mpg difference which equates to a worrying 40 - 50% :S
I'll let you all know what I find when I've got her back on the road. When I've done everything I plan to I shall post up all the findings
 
Just bought a V8, so, speaking as a complete novice :) There are four efficiencies to consider - Volumetric (how much gas flow can you get efficiently), thermal (how much can you extract from the fuel), mechanical (how much do you lose driving all the bits, like pumping losses, large 4x4 transmission etc) and aerodynamic.
Improving volumetric efficiency is relatively easy - good gas-flow, decent cam, better exhaust, ultimately a decent turbo set-up. Thermal efficiency is harder - higher compression ratio is favourite, but the combustion chambers etc aren`t great.
Ideally the V8 needs a compression ratio of about 12:1 to make it efficient - not the 9-and-a-bit it has stock, bit it would probably detonate like mad unless you ran it on methanol. :)
Mechanical is much harder to solve - the transmission etc is big, heavy, has lots of twiddly spinning bits and autos are worse than manuals. You could probably improve things by fitting the standard SD1 box and making it rear wheel drive only, but probably not much and it rather defeats the object anyway. Oil levels and viscosities probably make the biggest difference.
Improving the aero is almost impossible, given the shape we`re all starting with.

Looking forward to the results, though - if it was me doing the experiments, top of the list would be a good turbo. :)
 
Steve, you are a git! I run a tuning company specialising in installing turbos. I have the programmable ECU in the office waiting to go in and I'm trying desperately not to make turbo manifolds for it - it was bought to be the parts truck!
Happily the Auto is now in the bin and it has user selectable gears now.
 
cummon Doctor! thought yu was a trainee mechanic. all turbos run at a min of 1bar!

excercise for ya - wots one bar in PSI?

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This one runs a bit higher...
And now, a random gratuitous selection of pics cause i'm poorly sick in bed and trying to cheer myself up...
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