Work by Ron Cobb
…i’m surprised to read that; my elise and MX-5s all get around thirty miles per gallon on the street, it’s only on tracks where fuel economy drops precipitously…
The S2k is just in a weird spot due to the engine being so crazy. The 2005 EPA rating was 17/23 for example. It’s a combination of high revving engine (you seriously drive in the 3-5k rev range in normal traffic), short gear ratios, and more weight than either an MX-5 or Elise. The thing is a legend but it’s far from perfect! Or perhaps, it’s a legend because of the imperfections the engineers gave it.
…the elise’s 2ZZ-GE is nearly as highly-strung as the F20 (splits the difference from the F20C at 8500 RPM) but it’s also 10% less displacement, which may make the most difference in fuel economy compared to pushing 40% more weight in the S2000…
…i wish my mazdas revved so high!..
Yeah, it also makes 50 less horsepower (but more torque!) than the s2000 engines and that power has to come from somewhere. Ironically, the cars with the F20C tend to do a little better than the cars with the F22C, probably down to the gear ratios being shorter for the latter cars (in the US at least). That said, the difference in engines is probably not as relevant as the difference in weight. It’s crazy how light the Elise is.
ND Miatas are getting there. The new engine is 180 bhp and revs to 7500 (i think?), combined with its light weight that puts it at a similar performance level to the S2000. Obviously i’m not rushing to trade mine in any time soon but the fact that Mazda is still willing (and able) to make a car like that is really impressive imo.
