January 12th, 2011 • 11:01
Can A Carburettor Engine Be Made More Fuel Efficient?
I drive a 2005 chico golf with 1.4 carburettor engine, and was wondering if i could some how make the engine more efficient. At the moment i average about 12 to 13km per litre on 95 octane. My sister bought a 2007 chico golf with a 1.4i and is getting on average 100km more than me and she fills up on 93 octane.
Jan 12th 2011 • 12:01
by johnelwa
aftermarket exhaust system, cold air intake
Jan 12th 2011 • 13:01
by Phillip S
You may be able to get a little improvement in gas mileage with a modified computer chip. I do not think the 2007 Chico Golf 1.4i litre specifies the use of premium gasoline. You should try a tank full of regular gas and a tank of mid-grade gas to see if there is any difference in efficiency. If you can hear “pinging” or detonation under load, you might want to switch to a higher octane gasoline.
Jan 12th 2011 • 13:01
by lloydgbe
I drive a 2005 chico golf with 1.4 carburettor engine, and was wondering if i could some how make the engine more efficient. At the moment i average about 12 to 13km per litre on 95 octane. My sister bought a 2007 chico golf with a 1.4i and is getting on average 100km more than me and she fills up on 93 octane.
Jan 12th 2011 • 17:01
by Steve C
use of high octane fuel allows a higher compression ratio to be used reliably in the engine. But the compression ratio is fixed mechanically, and to change it requires a LOT of work to be done on the engine. Involves changing pistons, crankshaft, or cylinder head- not an easy job!
Little point in using higher octane fuel if you engine doesn’t need it! (indeed if the calorific value of higher octane fuel, is lower than that of a lower octane fuel, your fuel consumption might go up)
Might be possible to do some work on the carb/fuel intake system. If the fuel/air mixture is more even, and better MATCHED to the engine’s demands, then the fuel consumption would be reduced.
Cooler inlet air, might increase volumetric efficiency (but hot air does help vaporise fuel droplets which makes for a better fuel-air mix). Likewise less resistance through the exhaust makes it easier for the engine to push the exhaust out. Having the inlet/exhaust valves “ported” might improve fuel efficiency, but if done badly/unwisely any of the steps could decrease fuel efficiency (it can detrimentally alter the fuel distribution/mixture homogeneity)
“Playing around” with an engine is an exercise in optimisation, and it’s more an “art” than a science/engineering!
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Might make sense to see if the ignition system can be upgraded- a better spark can sometimes improve fuel efficiency
As fuel efficency is closely related to engine torque, any changes you make should be geared to improving the engine’s torque, at/around the RPM YOU drive at.