The Elio Engine

[NSTG8R]

Wheaters please jump in but I remember Colin Chapman
drilling holes in the early Lotus frames, brake disks, wherever
he could to lower weight, to the point where drivers (?) didn't
want to drive for him, due to safety concerns...............I don't
see that happening with the Elio (winning races isn't a concern)
but weight & aerodynamics are surely on their mind.............

Absolutely! But they're (EM) constrained by material/manufacturing cost. You could make it lighter, without sacrificing safety, using high-tech materials. But the cost of the materials would jack up the selling price (Snick got me on that one ). EM's doing a great job of using the right materials and manufacturing methods to achieve their goals, as far as I've seen. If they can keep on track with their predicted start date, I'll be a happy guy!

 

[AriLea]

We had a saying at the Vehicle Research Insitute, cost $2.50/lb to add it on and $5/lb to take it off.

i.e, Each part is examined and trimmed down until it breaks in use, then just a little bit added back again. Expensive but valueable process. When you do your own work, you can get a little more detailed than normal manufacturing can muster.

 

[Terrence]

Wheaters please jump in but I remember Colin Chapman
drilling holes in the early Lotus frames, brake disks, wherever
he could to lower weight, to the point where drivers (?) didn't
want to drive for him, due to safety concerns...............I don't
see that happening with the Elio (winning races isn't a concern)
but weight & aerodynamics are surely on their mind.............

How sweet it is <> our Elio is 1,240 Lbs, 84 mpg, comes with a warranty (for the icing on the cake) !!
Terrence

 

[wheaters]

Colin Chapman was supposed to have said that he would be happy for his racing cars to disintegrate just as they passed the chequered flag in first position. Unfortunately, his road cars often had things go wrong, too.

LOTUS often stood for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.

 

[Kuda]

Snipped: LOTUS often stood for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.[/QUOTE]

Rindt & Clark might agree................http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jochen_Rindt

 

[Ray O]

In the motorcycle world 2 cylinders generally have low end power and no high RPM range. On 4 cylinders you generally power comes from high RPM. Triumph has a 3 cylinder that is a good compromise. the Elio engineers looks like they really on the right track.

 

[wheaters]

Triumph has a 3 cylinder that is a good compromise. the Elio engineers looks like they really on the right track.

Ray O, I agree, the Triumph Triple engine has gained an excellent reputation, especially in the USA.

I've obtained a set of throttle bodies from that particular engine and converted them to fit the Geo / Suzuki Swift 1.0 engine, which should release a bit more power than the stock 52 hp - especially with the removal of the airflow restriction of the standard 1 into 3 inlet manifold. I'm not too concerned about the mpg. It's to go in my little Liege fun car, and if I can equal the present 48 mpg I get from the carburettor equipped 850, which it has at the moment, I'll be quite happy.

 

[Ray O]

Ray O, I agree, the Triumph Triple engine has gained an excellent reputation, especially in the USA.

I've obtained a set of throttle bodies from that particular engine and converted them to fit the Geo / Suzuki Swift 1.0 engine, which should release a bit more power than the stock 52 hp - especially with the removal of the airflow restriction of the standard 1 into 3 inlet manifold. I'm not too concerned about the mpg. It's to go in my little Liege fun car, and if I can equal the present 48 mpg I get from the carburettor equipped 850, which it has at the moment, I'll be quite happy.

That was interesting

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Ray O, I agree, the Triumph Triple engine has gained an excellent reputation, especially in the USA.

I've obtained a set of throttle bodies from that particular engine and converted them to fit the Geo / Suzuki Swift 1.0 engine, which should release a bit more power than the stock 52 hp - especially with the removal of the airflow restriction of the standard 1 into 3 inlet manifold. I'm not too concerned about the mpg. It's to go in my little Liege fun car, and if I can equal the present 48 mpg I get from the carburettor equipped 850, which it has at the moment, I'll be quite happy.

This brings up an interesting point.
Not all Elio owners will care about fuel economy. Many will like an inexpensive, easy to work on car to mod.
Maybe I'll do that with my second Elio....

 

[Ekh]

I have only one question about the engine -- where the heck is it? They've had all the parts together for two months, "waiting on machining," but that excuse is wearing thin. If they have it, and it's running, you'd think they would say so. If they have it, and it is not running, that's a different sort of problem that they surely would not want to talk about. The silence on the state of the engine is worrisome.