RE: [T3] Wacky Mileage

[Greg Merritt <gregm@vwtype3.org>]

<x-flowed>At 9:57 PM -0400 5/18/04, Kevin Guarnotta wrote:
> I try to pay attention to where the gas pedal is when driving, the closer to
> the floor, the worse your mileage.

	I was surprised to learn that this is not true.

	I recall that brake specific fuel consumption -- the rate of 
fuel consumption per horsepower delivered -- is lowest when rpms are 
low (low internal friction) AND the throttle is wide open (high 
intake throughput / low resistance).

	What's always troubled me about this is that to *get* to the 
minimum bsfc -- when you floor the gas pedal -- your carb or f.i. 
squirts extra gas... hm...  but I learned this from physics 
professors who experimented with doing everything they could to 
maximize their mileage... highly inflated tires, flooring the gas 
pedal under acceleration & shifting VERY early, keeping the rpms (and 
therefore internal engine friction) low.  It was explained to me that 
keeping a light gas pedal wasn't the solution for the BEST mileage 
you could get from a car.

-Greg

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