Should Elio Offer An Ecu Tuned For Higher Hp?

[jetpack54]

Same here. I'd gladly give up a few mpg for a little more performance. I'll bet quite a few after market items will come available if this thing catches on.

Rideoften

Here's today's engine update from Elio Motors. From what they're saying, they can up or lower the horses to achieve the 84 mpg goal. Hopefully this is what tenbsmith was talking about.

LOL I bet someone will drop a V8 into one, which would be absolute stupidity considering what would have to be done for that type of mod. It can't be transversely mounted like an Olds Aurora or Caddy NorthStar V8 (way too wide for the Elio chassis). Would have to be installed longitudinally, so now you need a trans hump, or a rear trans/diff out of a Corvette, which would require an additional rear wheel. Ehhh, somehow I don't see that happening.
The Elio would be fantastic with 90-110hp.

Just keep posting your upgrades/mods once you received your Elio next year so we can exchange ideas how it was done! It's still a long way off but that's the other fun part, showing off your personalized one of a kind Elio to other owners. 'Can't wait!
I'll definitely looking forward how you're going to increase the horses on your Elio.

 

[jetpack54]

The whole point of the Elio is, to stay away as long as you can from greedy Oil companies and buying their gasoline and still enjoy the comfort of a car. Either you (plural) are part of the problem or part of the solution. I am with Elio, to be part of the solution, how about it?

Well you certainly succeeded in getting me back on track! I'm definitely on board from the beginning about the whole Elio concept so I want to be part of the solution. Thanks.

 

[tenbsmith]

I applaud those taking the high ground of wanting 84mpg above all else.

In order for Elio to be part of the solution it must succeed, and there is no guarantee it will. Offering an increased HP option could help Elio succeed by bringing in more customers and increasing profit margins.

55hp for a 1,200+ lb vehicle is marginal and I won’t buy an Elio if acceleration is too anemic. My intended use is as a highway commuter in Atlanta rush hour traffic; I require a vehicle to have decent acceleration for that. Even if the base model acceleration is o.k., it won’t be very good, and I would be willing to pay a bit more for a few more horses—that’s this customer’s preference.

 

[Zipper]

I applaud those taking the high ground of wanting 84mpg above all else.

In order for Elio to be 'part of the solution it must succeed, and there is no guarantee it will. Offering an increased HP option could help Elio succeed by bringing in more customers and increasing profit margins.

55hp for a 1,200+ lb vehicle is marginal and I won’t buy an Elio if acceleration is too anemic. My intended use is as a highway commuter in Atlanta rush hour traffic; I require a vehicle to have decent acceleration for that. Even if the base model acceleration is o.k., it won’t be very good, and I would be willing to pay a bit more for a few more horses—that’s this customer’s preference.

I'm also an Atlanta commuter. The car that currently drive has a 0-60 time in the 15 second range. If the Elio actually obtains the claimed acceleration of 0-60 in "under 9.6 seconds", I'll be very well pleased.

 

[Ty]

My truck weighs about 7,038 lbs and it's diesel puts out right at 400HP (it's fuel economy is a whole different issue!). 7,038/400=17.59 lbs/hp... to equal the power to weight ratio of my truck which can actually get up and go when I want it to, the Elio, at 55HP would need to weigh less than 967 LBS to equal that. It won't, of course. However, it's reasonable that it could weigh less than 1,300 LBS at which point, 73 HP would be quite reasonable for a reasonably quick little ride. Now, I know the Elio is made for high MPG and not speed so don't flame me on that. I was merely trying to put in perspective the performance aspect of the little tyke... or should I say trike? Here's the real reason I'm getting an Elio - My truck gets 15MPG on my commute (calculated it just this week) and I drive 220 miles a week. 220 miles/15 mpg*4.71gal= $69 a week in diesel fuel vs 220/84*$3.70= $9.70 a week in fuel. Now, simple math shows that in 20 days of driving to work (average I drive per month) = $276 per month in my diesel or $38.80 in my Elio... $276-$38.80=$237.20... As long as my payment and insurance is less than that, the Elio is basically free (Okay, I just checked... a 36 month loan of 7,000 is $209/mo for me and insurance for that car would probably be around $22/month or less). Plus, it's going to be a blast to drive. And that, if you read this far, is probably far more than you wanted to know about the rantings from my wandering mind.

 

[jetpack54]

My truck weighs about 7,038 lbs and it's diesel puts out right at 400HP (it's fuel economy is a whole different issue!). 7,038/400=17.59 lbs/hp... to equal the power to weight ratio of my truck which can actually get up and go when I want it to, the Elio, at 55HP would need to weigh less than 967 LBS to equal that. It won't, of course. However, it's reasonable that it could weigh less than 1,300 LBS at which point, 73 HP would be quite reasonable for a reasonably quick little ride. Now, I know the Elio is made for high MPG and not speed so don't flame me on that. I was merely trying to put in perspective the performance aspect of the little tyke... or should I say trike? Here's the real reason I'm getting an Elio - My truck gets 15MPG on my commute (calculated it just this week) and I drive 220 miles a week. 220 miles/15 mpg*4.71gal= $69 a week in diesel fuel vs 220/84*$3.70= $9.70 a week in fuel. Now, simple math shows that in 20 days of driving to work (average I drive per month) = $276 per month in my diesel or $38.80 in my Elio... $276-$38.80=$237.20... As long as my payment and insurance is less than that, the Elio is basically free (Okay, I just checked... a 36 month loan of 7,000 is $209/mo for me and insurance for that car would probably be around $22/month or less). Plus, it's going to be a blast to drive. And that, if you read this far, is probably far more than you wanted to know about the rantings from my wandering mind.

EM's claim of 0-60 in 9.6 sec. and speed in excess of 100 mph while delivering 84 mpg is more than enough to put a smile on my face! I'm not expecting much from Elio considering it's really low price. I will however getting me the manual transmission so I'm in charge of when to shift my gears and not the computer shifting for me!

 

[tenbsmith]

If the Elio can do 0-60 in under 9.6 seconds, that would be sufficient for me. I've got a 1995 Honda Odyssey that is reported to have a 0-60 time of around 10.1 seconds and that car does ok on the highway.

Even so, I'd prefer an option of 65-70hp Elio and I'd be willing to pay more for it. Many potential U.S. Elio customers would agree. Keep in mind, the additional weight of passengers and cargo will affect the Elio's power-to-weight ratio more than heavier cars, so acceleration will take more of a hit from passengers/cargo weight.

 

[Eric H]

Many motorcycles today come with multiple mode ecu settings. My Suzuki B-King had (before it got a new tune) an A and B mode that greatly changes the available horsepower depending on riding conditions. There could be an aftermarket or factory option to add an ecu with multiple tuning settings. I for one see the potential this platform has but am buying the current offering as a gas sipping commuter vehicle.

I am positive that when people get their hands on a $6800 race body they will take that factory engine out for something a little less subtle. The rear of the vehicle has room to put an engine in too. Imagine electric motor driven front wheels with batteries and capacitors up front for amazing torque and a 1000cc+ engine in the back driving a big fat rear wheel.

 

[tenbsmith]

It will be interesting to see the customizations and aftermarket stuff available for Elio. I'm not interested in aftermarket HP increases because they usually void the warrantee.

Edit: If the Elio has 55hp and 1,200lb that's a Power-to-Weight Ratio (PWR) of 0.0458hp/lb. A 1995 Honda Odyssey’s PWR is 0.0408 (140hp, 3435lbs) and it is reported to do 0-60 in 10.1 seconds. The Elio's slightly better should PWR should allow it to achieve 0-60 around 9.6s.

 

[tnwesty]

Elio should offer an OEM option that changes the programming of the Engine Control Unit to provide higher horsepower--this would likely result in lower MPG for this version. Many potential Elio buyers want high mpg above all else, which is why this should be an option. On the other hand, many potential buyers would happily loose a few MPG if they could get a few HP. This sort of buyer would gladly pay a bit more for an Elio with more HP that required premium gas. With a relatively small upfront investment, this could woo additional buyers to purchase a higher profit-margin version of the Elio.

Anyhow, that's what I think, what do you think?

At 1000lbs (850lbs + 150lb driver) and 70hp the power to weight is inline with my 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo. What more do you want?