<VV> If the General says (85 mpg carburetor)

[NicolCS at aol.com]

85 mpg carburetor/  Sure, right next to your soon-to-be-delivered  Brooklyn 
Bridge!  It's not the carburetor - with EFI we can have "perfect"  carburetion 
and we don't see 85 mpg do we?  It's the efficiency of the  engine. As I 
recall, engines are about 30% efficient, the balance of the  gasoline's power goes 
to waste heat (exhaust, radiator, friction) and the  creation of vacuum.  A 
"good" carburetor (i.e. EFI) will reduce some of the  waste heat, that's one of 
the reasons why a Cadillac today will get 30 mph on  the highway, but good 
"carburetion" won't reduce engine  friction.  Reduced friction is the goal of 
have roller rockers, 0W-30  oil, and low tension rings. That's also why we have 4 
and 6 cylinder engines  today (a four has almost 1/2 the engine friction of 
an eight).   Slowing the engine down through "overdrive" gearing also reduces 
engine  friction and helps lower engine vacuum, both of which boost fuel 
economy.   (Low engine vacuum boosts fuel economy - except on carburetors with 
vacuum  operated power valves).  I can't believe that we still hear the rumor of  
the "85 MPG carburetor that Godzilla and the big three kept on the shelf"   
Does that story have legs or what?!
Craig (hiding the true 100 mpg carburetor) Nicol