Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidVizard-GFN
When it comes to drivability and carbs it seems to me a good ol' SU is hard to beat! You just have to master that needle profile problem and there you go.DV
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Bloody brilliant carb IMO. I think the world has pissed away a fortune on catalytic converters and other expensive crap to solve emissions when the SU had most of it there to start with. OK maybe 6 bhp down on a 45 DCOE for race use but 50% more mpg most of the time and sod all in them to go wrong.
If we're concerned about oil reserves and oil consumption then surely mpg is more important than emissions. Cats and FI are of course good for emissions but the best mpg figures I've had in daily driving have actually come from SU carbed vehicles.
I've kept a log of the mpg for every tank for every car I've ever owned over the last 30 years and average mpg hasn't gone up a jot. In fact it's gone down. What modern FI engined cars gain in mpg from engine efficiency they lose from the weight that central locking, crash protection, air bags, electric everything add.
In the 80s the average hot hatch weighed 850 kg. The Mk1 Golf, Fiesta XR2 are examples. Now a hot hatch weighs 1250 kg. The Golf has bloated up by 50%. Every measure our lords and masters take to save fuel is cancelled by another they take to stop us killing ourselves.
My solution is simple. A sharp steel blade sticking out of the steering column that you'll impale yourself on if you crash into anything. No added weight for air bags, side impact protection or anything else. Simple light cars with SUs and Darwinian safety features which mean if you are stupid enough to crash you get out of the game.
Dave