[phaster]

figure there should be thread for "peak oil" related move reviews cause I'm sure over time this is going to be an ever increasing topic of interest....

I'll go first with the movie "Gas Hole" which I saw last weekend after listened to this discussion on the radio....

The price of gas in San Diego is now in the neighborhood of $3.90 a gallon for self-serve regular. In a way, that high price is good news because it means more and more people are buying smaller cars. But while we're pleased that some cars can get more than 40 miles to the gallon, couldn't we do better than that? A new independent film called Gas Hole suggests that we can. In fact, it makes the case that a car, getting more than 100 miles to the gallon, could have been developed and sold decades ago.

http://www.kpbs.org/radio/these_days;id=11633

personally I thought the movie was a bit unfocused and leaned a bit too much toward the tin foil hat side. This is because I went to the Q&A section where the film makers could not answer questions about the "super carb" than supposedly made a 1947 car get 150 MPG. They mentioned that somehow the carb run super efficient, which I assumed to be extra lean. I guess that's possible, but I know when ya run an engine extra lean, it runs hotter, might not be as durable, etc. etc.

I just can't see how a new efficient carb built in 1947 for an internal combusion engine of the era could be as efficent as say a modern fuel injection pump like the high pressure common rail pumps than make new diesel engines so much more efficent now when compaired to diesel engines form the 70's.

The other parts of the film that I had problems with, was the fact that they mentioned that gas companies killed off people who had invented alternative engine technology. For example the film claims that Rudolf Diesel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Diesel

died under mysterious circumstances because his invention was a threat to oil companies.

the movie was kinda like a fox news report, lots of hype but lacking lots of evidence for example I wish they linked to the patants they showed in the movie that the oil companies supposedly tried to kill off so a knucklehead like my self could see first hand what the big secret of the carb was....

using the netflix rating of 1 to 5, I'd give the movie "gas hole" only 2 stars! Basically I was interested in the subject, but I just could not buy into the film makers vision of a big evil oil company trying to kill off some "secret" device like a car that will triple a car's gas mileage....

[loopy]

[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('phaster', 'b')ut I just could not buy into the film makers vision of a big evil oil company trying to kill off some "secret" device like a car that will triple a car's gas mileage...

[TWilliam]

Oh, and speaking of automotive technology with potential that got shelved, anyone remember these?

[video width=400 height=350]http://www.youtube.com/v/5IF0VbUb_Ug[/video]

The Chrysler Turbine

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he fourth-generation Chrysler turbine engine ran at up to 60,000 rpm could use diesel fuel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, JP-4 jet fuel, and even vegetable oil. The engine would run on virtually anything and the president of Mexico tested this theory by running one of the first cars--successfully--on tequila. No adjustments were needed to switch from one to another.

[phaster]

I'm not an auto engine expert, but seems to me it would be difficult to really improve the basic design of a carb which is suppose to regulate and optimize the fuel/air ratios. Isn't that why all modern cars use fuel injection in place of primitive carbs?

My first car was an old 1972 VW bus and the engine was a pain in the tush to work on because it had two carbs, which were suppose to increase HP, but I had a hell of time trying to keep them working at an optimum setting (perhaps it was because I drove that bus pretty darn hard).

Anyway when I bring my land cruiser or BMW in to get smogged, I usually shoot the shit with various mechanics and ask their opinions about various cars. One thing I learned is here in california, old 60 series land cruisers have a heck of time getting their smog certificates because the carb on the inline 6 is another example of a basic mechanical device that is hard to keep within factory spec.

Just did a quick search on carbs vs fuel injection, and found this article about carbs vs fuel injection, Team owner and master engine builder Robert Yates would like NASCAR to be the next sanctioning body to put the carburetor in a museum, along with manual chokes, running boards, and jumper seats.

http://www.stockcarracing.com/techartic ... index.html

one other item that crossed my mind was if an engine runs too lean, it has a tendency to run much hotter and therefore is more apt to breakdown sooner...

If anyone knows more stuff about how "super carbs" really work to improve gas mileage, let me know cause its my gut feeling that the story of some old guy selling auto or gas companies a working model, patent rights and design drawings, is plain old BS.


















$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TWilliam', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('phaster', 'b')ut I just could not buy into the film makers vision of a big evil oil company trying to kill off some "secret" device like a car that will triple a car's gas mileage...

[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('phaster', 'I')f anyone knows more stuff about how "super carbs" really work to improve gas mileage, let me know cause its my gut feeling that the story of some old guy selling auto or gas companies a working model, patent rights and design drawings, is plain old BS.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TWilliam', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('phaster', 'b')ut I just could not buy into the film makers vision of a big evil oil company trying to kill off some "secret" device like a car that will triple a car's gas mileage...