Fuel Mileage

T

TonyB

Guest
I was asked this on antoher board, so I'll throw it out here sicne I don't know the answers...

NOTE: No accusations here, just trying to understand the items that might effect mileage.

1.) Would cooler weather affect fuel mileage? IOW, colder weather = better fuel mileage.

2.) Would the use of TC (traction control) affect fuel mileage? IOW, getting better fuel mileage.
 
Good questions.
I really don't think the weather would have that much affect. If it did it would affect all the cars not just onecar but all.
As for TC. I don't have the foggest. Where's Windsor?
 
Cooler denser air would create more horsepower. In turn, burn more fuel. Using traction control at a place like Kansas would really not help out. Martinsville? Yes it would.
 
The colder an explosive is when it explodes the greater the rate of expansion. This in and of itself does not equate to more fuel usage, only the rate by which the given amount of fuel expands.
 
Cold air requires more jet, which in turn will produce more power. Cold air mixed with jetting set up for hot air will cause a lean condition that could be fatal for an engine.

TC....hmmm...TC could help by reducing the amount of pedaling a driver needs to do. Every time you hit the throttle (while using a carb), the accelerator pump(s) feed extra fuel to the engine.
 
An old trick was to cool the intake manifold......Jr got busted for this last year....well, he got busted for having a refrigerant type substance in the garage area. Best guess is that his team was either cooling the fuel or the intake.

Of course then again, maybe the motorhome's A/C needed a recharge ;)
 
Originally posted by Windsor377@Oct 6 2003, 10:04 PM
Cold air requires more jet, which in turn will produce more power. Cold air mixed with jetting set up for hot air will cause a lean condition that could be fatal for an engine.

TC....hmmm...TC could help by reducing the amount of pedaling a driver needs to do. Every time you hit the throttle (while using a carb), the accelerator pump(s) feed extra fuel to the engine.
Click to expand...
...sorry...translation: more jet for cold air means more fuel and less mpg.

71, a trick we used to do for street cars was to run a length of fuel line along side the cold AC line to help offest the drag of the compressor...never dynoed it???
 
So would cooler fuel get you better mileage (as oppoed to cooler air temperatures) get you better mileage?
 
No. Once it all mixes in the induction, the temp for the intake charge (air/gas mix) becomes a result of each. Colder will still mean more.
 
Probably some confusion on this issue caused by the type of engine you're dealing with.

There is a whole slew of difference between a race engine and a street engine. Those with some experience know that a typical street engine will indeed get somewhat better mileage when it is cooler, or when it is raining for that matter. Perhaps not so much with the newer fuel injection computer controls. But back in the days of carbs the difference was very noticeable.

Street engines are by necessity set up as a compromise between performance, endurance, reliability, and driveability. when the gets cooler or moister more air will be pumped in but not more fuel. The result is a leaner burn which with the setup of street engine results in both more power and more mileage.

A race engine makes no such compromise. The teams set these babies up to run as lean as they think is possible based on conditions right now. If they get more air, they need more fuel because there is no margin left.

One of the things many street racers learned the hard way was that more oxygen will produce more power. Lots and lots of it. That is the whole "secret" of nitrous systems. But they learned that if you not put more fuel into the mix (lots of it) the result is one very very burned engine.
 
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