Performance increase, is more horsepower and torque, and if you learn to drive it conservatively it can translate into better fuel economy... With the current cost of fuel, tow vehicle engine performance upgrades passed by before due to cost, are now much more affordable !! Headers, increased exhaust, supercharging, turbos, intercoolers, chip up, increased air intake, can all pay off now twice as good or in half the time..
For instance: I think it prudent to examine all of the Chip up conditions for the common Diesels of Fords and Landcruiser, with a mind that higher performance on the low setting, can mean better fuel economy.. I know this is true, if you drive with a light foot, not utilizing all of the performance increase; then more HP can mean better fuel economy on some vehicles… Also the mechanical things you can do to the engine like free flowing air intake and exhaust systems.
The same goes for LPG intake manifold injection into diesels, if the conversion cost is reasonable and the Government was going to subsidize the costs per the Post on the Public
Forum for diesel applications, then we should re-examine the option. Prior diesel costs at nearly half what it is today, when penciled out did not have an attractive pay back period. The Converse is true now…
THE FOLLOWING IS JUST AN OPINION, AND NOT NECESSARILY SCIENCE, JUST AN OPINION ON EPA EMISSIONS CONTROL REMOVAL IN THE COUNTRY SETTING: The Greenie Flaw is the condemnation of performance enhancing or removal of EPA Emissions DE-TUNING, is that it is only justifiable in the Cities where smog and general air quality is the primary issue… Removal of the emission controls or programming, IF YOU KEEP YOUR FOOT OUT OF IT, can mean better fuel economy. This part is fact, science, not just an opinion.. Removal of the emissions controls or programming does in fact lead to better engine performance, and if you drive conservatively could mean as much as 10-15% LESS fuel used. The reason it does not work in places of mandatory emission controls like California, is the Urban environment and Gear Heads that would SPEND the performance increase with a heavy foot….
You add tuning, possibly LPG injection into the equation on one end, and then look at mechanical conditions on the engine itself for better breathing and exhaust, and you could end up with MAJOR increases in fuel economy… For instance the better breathing ability of the Ford AIS / Donaldson larger air intake. Not only will it allow less restriction to the engine with better air flow, but it will last far longer being packed up with bull dust before it gets restriction with a much larger filter surface area. This could add a few percent…. Then not only breathing better on the intake, but a larger exhaust can add up maybe another 3% - 5% (depending on the vehicle) with doing away with backpressure in the exhaust system with a free-flow hot rod muffler and larger bore exhaust can only help.
It goes on, as in things like an Intercooler??? ( Cooled ex-Turbo Air sort of an air –radiator in the front), if you do not have one, it can add 5% on its own… In the “Old Days” we might have not opted for it as Intercooler, Turbo, and Exhaust job could be $5000 !! But Whoa there! Now with fuel at double the cost, it is time to re-visit some of the costs on these things… And an Intercooler reduces heat stress and wear to the engine..
PETROL HEADS EVEN: Here is another one, Supercharger…. Now don’t scoff, I have seen a couple of them with 25% or better fuel economy, even a couple of them on diesels!! They are a belt drive massive air volume compressor air feed. It is BETTER than Turbos in some respects as the air is already cooled… Now think about it, possibly the only reason they have not been made a fad like the turbo is that it is more expensive. The Supercharger being belt drive does take horsepower, but so does the effort with a turbo with increased back pressure on the exhaust to some degree. And with the Supercharger just like the Turbo, the horsepower increase is engineered to compensate for that HP it takes to drive it.. Supercharging is arguably better, with less heat load transferred to the engine. In either case, with fuel costs doubled, I think these kind of options are worth revisiting… It goes on, with the availability of injectors and headers and such for some types of vehicles… Headers, are a typical hot rod thing, it that the free flow out of the exhaust into a smooth bore exhaust manifold again means less back pressure again..
Think of it this way, when you calculate the “Pay back time” of these performance enhancing items, which it the time it takes for the performance gear to pay for itself in fuel economy.... The cost just got cut in half by virtue of the diesel price increase by double!! I am not telling you which if any of these things you should do, only opening the door here, so you can do your own investigations on it… OK?
Bigger exhaust, better air intake, chip up, diesel performance enhancing on the fuel and air, all of these things that maybe you passed by in the past may be worth re-evaluating now.. AND THEY DO WORK, with the caveat of course that you keep your foot out of it…! Talk to the people in the know, performance diesel people, the likes of which that do turbo jobs and such... That is a start.
Best Regards from the lone Ranger….
