The Front Wheels Setup

[NRB]

Am also concerned about ceramic lined cylinder walls. Hope they go steel liners as they have stood the test of time. AND I thought this IAV outfit already had developed the ELIO engine. The decision for production involved whether they or the ELIO plant was going to produce them!! RB ( some of the pic''s of the ELIO on its trip around the country showed the IAV engine on a stand right beside the vehicle!) Explain somebody , please. RB

 

[Rolf]

As of this writing, Chrysler is now owned by FIAT of Italy. I read somewhere that Elio might get their Fiat 500 drive train with several motor sizes available. It would also give Elio instant access to all North American Chrysler dealerships for Sales and Service. As I said, just a rumor but interesting.

 

[jetpack54]

As of this writing, Chrysler is now owned by FIAT of Italy. I read somewhere that Elio might get their Fiat 500 drive train with several motor sizes available. It would also give Elio instant access to all North American Chrysler dealerships for Sales and Service. As I said, just a rumor but interesting.

It may well be just rumor but a good one! And it makes good business sense because big company Crysler/Fiat can supply Elio Motors with steady supply of the engine that will power this vehicle.

 

[corvairbob]

to be honast i don't think it will see 84 mpg. i'm thinking 55 to 65 mpg the geo metro 3 cylinder 5 speed got on a good day going down hill with a tail wind got 55 mpg. and some will argue they got more some even say 65 but then that goes that pissing contest again. i had 8 of those cars and none got over 50 for me so that is the driving style your talking about. most people can't drive 55 to 60 where the mpg's are generated most have to do 70 or 75. and on the other elio sites they are complaining that the car will only do 100 predicted, that tells me they want to go faster that 70 and there goes the mpg's. but if they can maintain 55 to 60 75% of the owners will be plenty happy. also some are already whining about the tire size. for some reason they think they need 60 series tires. when 560's will do just fine. motorcycles ride on 560's and some even smaller and they do just fine. you have to remember it has 3 wheels and with 2 in front the stability goes up. so the smaller tires will allow better mpg's. also they have that sharp back side and some claim it will improve mileage but i don't believe it all these years car makers have been rounding the back of there cars to improve drag and now some german engineer from years gone by made a claim that the squared back is better? if so then why was the beetle rounded in the back? and stayed that way for all the production run. german car german engineer somehow he did not convince vw his idea was better.

 

[jtmarten]

I had a Metro years ago, got a consistent 48mpg hwy. But remember, the Elio is ~1/2 a Metro, so fuel economy should be much better due to lower Cd and lower weight.
The boxy rear may be a compromise for better safety. The wider rear light assy yields much better visibility from behind; also gives a larger trunk opening.

 

[jetpack54]

I had a Metro years ago, got a consistent 48mpg hwy. But remember, the Elio is ~1/2 a Metro, so fuel economy should be much better due to lower Cd and lower weight.
The boxy rear may be a compromise for better safety. The wider rear light assy yields much better visibility from behind; also gives a larger trunk opening.

I 2nd that. Not to mention Elio's skin are mostly if not everything "composite" for even lighter weight. And so there will be among us who will definitely be driving this baby at 70-75 mph in the freeways (for working stiffs like me) who does not care about the mpg when it matters but what's important is it's ability to be pushed as aggressively or as "mildly" when mpg is the objective!
P.s. corvairbob makes good argument about the smaller tires and it makes sense...less surface friction! I know that's why my road bike is faster than my mountain bike!

 

[NRB]

15 inch wheels will do just fine. If you drive all out 70--75 all the time your MPG will be minimized--it is that simple! Gear ratio's will be part of the key to MPG as well as a fuel sipping power plant. As for this possible tie in with Fiat / Chrysler, I remember the Fiats of the "50"s and man was that a dog of a vehicle!! I assume those problems have been cured or hope so! As far as service is concerned, the tie in with Chrysler dealers (or any established dealer agency like Harley Davidson) would be a God send for ease of service! RB

 

[jrm_cr_fl]

15 inch wheels will do just fine. If you drive all out 70--75 all the time your MPG will be minimized--it is that simple! Gear ratio's will be part of the key to MPG as well as a fuel sipping power plant. As for this possible tie in with Fiat / Chrysler, I remember the Fiats of the "50"s and man was that a dog of a vehicle!! I assume those problems have been cured or hope so! As far as service is concerned, the tie in with Chrysler dealers (or any established dealer agency like Harley Davidson) would be a God send for ease of service! RB

Please no Harley Davidson dealer servicing. We are trying to keep all the costs of ownership down. Have you seen the prices on anything at an HD dealer that was reasonable? I haven't. My two cents.

 

[ccryder]

Many engine designs these days do not use steel liners and have long service life's. Vega was an idea not thought through.
The 84MPG even compared to the Metro is doable for three main reasons:

1: Weight
2: 3 wheels
3: Aerodynamics​

With the long intake runners,high lift cams and a low friction engine this should be a torquey engine. Besides a 3 banger has a sound and feeling of their own, I can't wait!!

 

[LGilbert]

Good comments LGilbert and interesting video! RB---now explain why we do not have the proper IAV engine in this machine? RB

Thanks! I'm sure the proper engine will show up shortly. I am very excited about the ceramic lined aluminum block! Ceramics are tough and should resist wear far better than a steel cylinder and be significantly lighter. Weight is the enemy, both is inertia and center of gravity. In both cases, lower is better. A boxer engine (opposed cylinders ala Porsche and Subaru) with four cylinders would have a lower center of gravity, but would be significantly more expensive to produce, so a compromise is justified.

I agree that driver weight will play a noticeable factor because the car is so light, but only if changes in inertia (stop/go) is a major part of the route or going up hill. Steady state driving on flat roads with no hills or lights will favor a heavy weight once the vehicle is up to speed. So, people, start dieting. A 160 lb person raises the gross weight 12%; a 200 lb person raises it 18%; a 250 lb person raises it 20%.