A new era for Micros?

[DrewS]

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/Petrol-Prices-To-Hit-70-A-skynews-473049294.html?x=0

Makes intersting reading............. although I'm sure a full tank for my schmitt would only be about £21 nicker!!! not including the slippery stuff you mix with it!! Maybe we shall see a new era of microcars in the same way as occurred in light of the Suez crisis?

[Big Al]

Schmitts I drive are not that economic. It equates to about 40 mpg with two stroke costs against other classics, so not far off a Mini really. I could go slower but then I would not be driving the Schmitt properly as it is a nutters car as far as I am concerned. Heinkels on the other hand will return incredable economy. Fitted with a more efficient carb and induction and sorted out correctly these really can do 100 mpg. I believe the best back in the day on a Pallas was 120 mpg by Kelvin Luty doing B'ham to Bristol for the Bristol Classic Car Show (when it was in Bristol Docks not miles away south of Shepton Pallet as a mis-described show in the middle of nowhere). I believe he was slipstreaming cars and making the attempt so a bit of a one off. Certainly going round Germany the fuel economy was remarkable. I recall Mick Leeson averaged about 90, Sumpy Marshell about 80 and Bismark about 70 in part due to loosing the windscreen to half a Merc emergency plastic replacement one for some 500 miles. This was something of a waterproof parachute. This trip included two expeditions up the Hartz mountains, the second time so we could burn off all the Isettas up hill having given them a good start (the Schmitters had made excuses and gone home! Schmitters hate being overtaken by Isettas!) so we were doing miles. I doubt many Micros could compete with these underrated little chaps but the problem is to find and/or create a good one! Most struggle to do 45 mph whereas they should be able to hit 60 mph briefly and cruise at 50 mph all day. Many and varied reasons but that is a topic for the Trienkel lot to sort out.

[P50]

Schmitts I drive are not that economic. It equates to about 40 mpg with two stroke costs against other classics, so not far off a Mini really. I could go slower but then I would not be driving the Schmitt properly as it is a nutters car as far as I am concerned. Heinkels on the other hand will return incredable economy. Fitted with a more efficient carb and induction and sorted out correctly these really can do 100 mpg. I believe the best back in the day on a Pallas was 120 mpg by Kelvin Luty doing B'ham to Bristol for the Bristol Classic Car Show (when it was in Bristol Docks not miles away south of Shepton Pallet as a mis-described show in the middle of nowhere). I believe he was slipstreaming cars and making the attempt so a bit of a one off. Certainly going round Germany the fuel economy was remarkable. I recall Mick Leeson averaged about 90, Sumpy Marshell about 80 and Bismark about 70 in part due to loosing the windscreen to half a Merc emergency plastic replacement one for some 500 miles. This was something of a waterproof parachute. This trip included two expeditions up the Hartz mountains, the second time so we could burn off all the Isettas up hill having given them a good start (the Schmitters had made excuses and gone home! Schmitters hate being overtaken by Isettas!) so we were doing miles. I doubt many Micros could compete with these underrated little chaps but the problem is to find and/or create a good one! Most struggle to do 45 mph whereas they should be able to hit 60 mph briefly and cruise at 50 mph all day. Many and varied reasons but that is a topic for the Trienkel lot to sort out.

Surely a KR does more than 40mpg?

Where did you get that from?  They're not in the 80's but deffo not a as low as 40.  I suppose there is power to weight ratio but they're generally ok.

I'm tempted to drive on a gallon 'til it stops..

[Big Al]

I found I got about 55 mpg to the gallon in YMR. This is because I drove the schmitt hard, with my weight, two up remember, I expected it to cruise at 57 ish realtime. To get it into top you need to rev it in third. I do not do the plop round at 45 mph bit. To produce a realistic value comparison the cost of two stroke needs to be added. (I am still using up a clearout of oils, some 8 barrels!, I did years back so I have not bought two stroke for a long while so I do not know what the price is at the moment). On the basis that on using the car then half the time I would have no two stroke so would have to buy some from the garage at top price against home brew or ST30 at sensible price I get my estimated MPG figure. This was backed up by the fact that a tank full of fuel did about 150 miles so on tour it was stop every 100 miles or two hours. Maybe my two stroke additive calculation is wrong.
Now with the benefit of some mild tuning, a better carb and exhaust I would expect the new Schmitt to do the same speeds with better climbing for a far better return on economy, say 60 mpg, as the thing will be far more efficient than back in the day when we ran using cobbled up second hand stuff due to availability issues, being skint and a lack of knowledge. Also the two stroke can be got in bulk cheaper, as I have money now and the mix weakened a tad as it has a roller top end.
My Goggo 300 used to be more expensive to fuel than a Mini. Though true one should add into the Mini running cost the change of oil to balance the books.