nowgrn4 said:
The thought of those main crankshaft needle bearings running 100:1 at WOT makes me cringe.
Screw the EPA. I'd run around 50:1. 2.7oz per gallon or 13.5 oz per 5 gal. container.
Soap Box time. If the EPA really gave a crap about MPG and pollution we could get vehicle's like the rest of the world gets. Example; The Miata C-X5 small SUV with Skyactive diesel. 176HP with a whopping 315 ft lbs of torque out of a little turbo 4 Banger. That will pull your tinny. 50MPG highway while not towing as well.
Think what would happen if the majority of drivers here were getting 50MPG like the rest of the world. Fuel tax revenues would be drastically slashed. As a gov agency high tax revenue is their real concern, Not efficiency's. The EPA is a joke.
Agreed, the EPA is a joke. But in the case of auto's, I kind of understand why we don't get the "cool" stuff here. Some countries have MUCH stricter emission standards than even our own EPA does. Problem is, manufacturers have a LOT more to deal with when it comes to marketing something, like, say maintenance costs, initial purchase costs, repair costs outside warranty, etc....and all of that adds into the vehicle's pricing and overall cost of ownership. Sometimes those costs put it outside what Americans are willing to pay, hence the marketing bean counters keeping that vehicle in non-USA markets. The Aussies have some really cool stuff over there, some of which I'd love to see here....but to market it here would put the cost of ownership higher than a cat's back.
I hate the EPA. Example. I'm working on tractors now, not as many outboards and boats. Got a Tier 4 tractor in the shop, about 35 hp, comes factory with a DPF (diesel particulate filter)-and of course all the stuff that goes with it, electronic controls, electronic injection, fly by wire, etc. One of the things about the DPF system is that if the DPF itself gets plugged, it will cause the EGT's to go through the roof (exhaust gas temperature). Left this way for any length of time, and the engine will destroy itself-burned pistons, broken pistons, etc. And that's what we have currently. An operator who ignored the warning lights and buzzers that were designed to tell you that it wants to regenerate (burn off the soot in the DPF). So, now we're looking at a repair bill of about $14,300. New engine, new DPF muffler assembly and all of the junk that's attached to it. The tractor was $20,000 brand new with the loader, 2 implements, and a trailer.
The EPA has totally and forever ruined diesel engines and I suspect that sooner or later they'll do similar with gas burners and outboards. They're meddling with small gas engines now too. Catalysts in mufflers for lawn mowers. Cat mufflers on 50cc scooters. What a joke. It is such a small number of those engines running around that it does not make any difference whatsoever, BUT it does a good job of screwing the owners and operators come time to repair them.
