Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Board and Card Games > Car Wars

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-03-2017, 01:58 PM   #1
josephrey
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: on the road!! check out www.chingchingwong.com to see where we currently are. :)
Default The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

This might just be a thought exercise (hopefully a fun one), and not really applicable in game, but on my walk this morning I started to wonder what the most effective vehicle would be for a Chassis&Crossbow (or any resource gathering-type) scenario where one needed to burn/carry a combustable fuel source in search for more combustable fuel sources. In CW vehicle terms, or in real life.

Say, in one vehicle type I burn 10 gallons of gas to find 12 gallons of gas. In another vehicle I may burn only 3 gallons to find that same 12 gallons, but that vehicle would probably be smaller and lighter, and would have a smaller maximum capacity, and therefore potentially less range. However, a larger vehicle could carry more fuel, but would be heavier, so potentially less efficient at burning the same fuel. Are smaller engine (generally) more efficient than larger engines?

So I guess my question is, what would be the most efficient weight to space to fuel efficiency ratio to apply towards creating that next C&C vehicle, or just owning something in real life in preparation for the big day? :) All fuel sources are equally efficient in this scenario.

Apologies if this is too abstract or weird, but I'm a terrible numbers cruncher. And I can't help but think of a quote from I THINK Patton Oswalt, where he talks about a movie critic in his home town reviewing the Road Warrior to something akin to, "I don't get it! It's a bunch of guys with no gas driving around in the desert looking for more gas!"
josephrey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2017, 04:39 PM   #2
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

I am not sure that question can be answered as it stands.

The obvious answer would be a fuel tanker. They exist in real life and fuel companies will have done the maths.

You also need to consider the available resource. A vehicle that burns a gallon of gas every 10 miles but can carry 5000 gallons is more efficient than one that only burns a gallon of gas every 50 miles but that can only carry 100 gallons.

But if you only find one gallon of gas every 10 miles you do, you are never going to fill that big tanker.
swordtart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2017, 07:57 PM   #3
Suncrush
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Default Re: The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

smaller engines are more efficient, so the answer in some sense is a subcompact. A better answer might be "The smallest car that will carry the fuel you will consistently find."
Suncrush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2017, 11:50 AM   #4
Racer
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London, UK
Default Re: The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

A Trike would be best . Both Light & Medium can use an efficient 1 Space Gas Engine & have more spaces available than a Sub .

Also without OR Suspension , they suffer minimum penalties for going Off Road - especially useful as Roads are in so poor state after the collapse .
__________________
Five Gauss Guns on a Camper !!!
The Resident Brit .
Racer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2017, 01:26 PM   #5
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

If you compare power factors (i.e. hauling capacity) vs mpg the larger gas engines are more efficient.

For real fuel economy however you need an oversized vehicle. The largest gas engine is capable of hauling 90,000lb for 5 miles on a gallon of gas. With a even a well armed and armoured rig 40,000lb of that could be payload.

You would need 100 of the smallest gas engines to haul that (and far less would be payload). They would also burn 6.25 gallons of gas for every mile between them.
swordtart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2017, 08:50 PM   #6
Suncrush
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Default Re: The most efficient body type RE: fuel?

Quote:
Originally Posted by swordtart View Post
If you compare power factors (i.e. hauling capacity) vs mpg the larger gas engines are more efficient.

For real fuel economy however you need an oversized vehicle. The largest gas engine is capable of hauling 90,000lb for 5 miles on a gallon of gas. With a even a well armed and armoured rig 40,000lb of that could be payload.

You would need 100 of the smallest gas engines to haul that (and far less would be payload). They would also burn 6.25 gallons of gas for every mile between them.
This is true if you're regularly going to encounter stockpiles of 6000 gallons of gas. If you're not, you're burning a lot of gas to haul empty space.
Suncrush is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:05 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.