Curtis,
I am afraid I have to disagree with you pretty strongly on this one; and I'm not anywhere close to being knowledgeable about engines. I agree that SUVs don't have to be gas-guzzlers, but as you pointed out, the "current incarnation" of them is. Therefore, "SUV = gas guzzler" is not an over-generalization but rather an accurate and descriptive generalization. In fact, unless we can identify an SUV that doesn't guzzle gas (and I can't) then it jumps to the category of being a universal truth. When the majority of SUVs cease to be gas-guzzlers, then we will be able to say, correctly, that most SUVs don't guzzle gas. Until then, Moreover, I think that focusing solely on the question of fuel-consumption is a bit of a sophism, as it detracts from the larger picture of overall efficiency and use chracteristics. SUVs, and any vehicles built for off-road use, weigh more, and so the ratio of vehicle weight to driver weight increases. Hence, there is an inherent inefficiency in using such vehicles for cetain purposes, such as single-person commuting, as more energy is expended hauling the vehicle as opposed to what is actually being moved, i.e. people and cargo. I am not against SUVs per se. There are certainly situations which justify their use, although, as you have pointed out, SUVs could overall be more fuel efficient (which can be said of all cars and trucks). But most SUV use I see is not justified. Freeway commuting with a single person in a vehicle that gets 15-20 mpg is ridiculous. And while we're on that topic, let's reaffirm that the ICE is by its nature highly inefficient, and may never be anything but a gas guzzler. As a hot-rodder,, engine modifier, and student of engine theory, you know this to be true. So really, all cars are gas-guzzlers, only some less so than others. regards, thor skov Message: 20 Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 12:40:47 -0600 From: "csakima" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: SUV's and gas consumption Was: excuse me ......... Or maybe "4X4 truck ... take off the Cab and Bed .. and replace top part with a station wagon body". And BTW Keith, I would like to clarify that "SUV's" are NOT "gas guzzlers". Only the "current incarnation of them"... is. Or to put it another way, being Sport Utility ... or having 4 wheel drive .. does not "automatically" pigeon-hole it as "automatically" wasting gas. It only seems to do so because none (or yes, ALMOST none, lol) of the major car companies have come forward with a "gas efficient proving model" that shows "it doesn't HAVE to eat gas". And THAT, as was discussed earlier, has to do with all those CAFE laws and emission-"all except trucks and SUV"-laws .... discouraging manufactures from making them. But, of course, THAT is "another story". MY bottom line ... is requesting that we separate the "pure letters" S .. U.. V ... away from the over generalization of "gas guzzler". Cause I'm a Hotrodder ... I study engine theory ... I modify engines ... AND I KNOW AN SUV DOES NOT "HAVE" TO EAT GAS. Thanks, Curtis __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
