Car Bumpers

[Red Arrow]

Plus, if I remember right, the higher combustion temperatures required for the higher pressure does some 'not so good' things for combustion by products (don't hold me to that...need an automotive combustion engineer).

I believe it contributed to the NOx but I'm not sure.

[sauerkraut]

Geeesh- if the tiny VW only got only 21 MPG your better off in a full size pick-up truck you have more room and get nearly the same mileage, at least in the new ones you do.

[nathanm]

Geeesh- if the tiny VW only got only 21 MPG your better off in a full size pick-up truck you have more room and get nearly the same mileage, at least in the new ones you do.

Please find me a truck that is one of the original Beetle's contemporaries that gets 21 miles to the gallon.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Today's pickups are better.  Not much, though.
'67 Ford w/ 390 and auto - about 10 mpg.  But you could pull some weight.  Still not as much as my diesel, though.  At 12 to 13 loaded.  21 mpg with no load.

21 for the VW was great for the time.  '67 Olds with 455cu. in. Rocket got 7.  You could literally hear the sucking sound at the carburetor when you stood on it.  But it was smmmoooooottthhhhhhh!

By 1970, the mileage was slightly up - 12-14 for Olds 350 w/ auto (Cutlass).

Rabbit diesel was the shining star - still is.  45 to 50 was incredible.  Still is.

[sauerkraut]

Please find me a truck that is one of the original Beetle's contemporaries that gets 21 miles to the gallon.

The new trucks have mileage stickers on the window that say 20 miles per gallon, or in that neighborhood, I don't know what the milegage of the 1960s pick up trucks was.

[heironymouspasparagus]

65, 66 Chevy 350 w/auto - 10 to 12 mpg.
66 Ford 390 - about 10, no load.  6 with load
73 Ford 351 Windsor w/auto - 12mpg
86 Ford 351Windsor w/auto 14mpg
86 Ford diesel 6speed manual - 14mpg with a heavy load  17 without
99 Dodge diesel 21 without, 14 with load

Some samples

[sauerkraut]

65, 66 Chevy 350 w/auto - 10 to 12 mpg.
66 Ford 390 - about 10, no load.  6 with load
73 Ford 351 Windsor w/auto - 12mpg
86 Ford 351Windsor w/auto 14mpg
86 Ford diesel 6speed manual - 14mpg with a heavy load  17 without
99 Dodge diesel 21 without, 14 with load

Some samples

Very Grim numbers but I guess with gasoline at 25 cents a gallon it did not matter.

[sauerkraut]

On the subject of car bumpers, I remember a 1973 article in Popular Science Mag. called "Those New '73 bumpers... first the good news" The problem with the first year of the bumpers was they had no standard bumper height limit, the Plymouth Sebring front bumpers overrode many other bumpers and the '73 Chrysler Newport rear bumpers were up too high so that other 5mph bumpers slid right under it. It was latter that they required all bumpers be the same height, and then latter on they required the bumpers to take a corner impact at 5mph too, the first year of the bumpers only required a 5mph hit into a wall square on. They did prevent alot of damage in accidents though.

[Red Arrow]

Very Grim numbers but I guess with gasoline at 25 cents a gallon it did not matter.

I don't remember seeing any $.25/gal gas after the early 70s.

[heironymouspasparagus]

1968 there were still "gas wars" where stations dropped the price to try to get volume.
Found one in Missouri where bought for 12.9 cents per gallon.  Pretty wild.

Then in about 73 it started up.  By 78, it was 55 cents and rising.

If we had started THEN we would BE energy independent!