06-11-2016, 03:44 AM
While chassis and gearbox are quite easy to design in a way they do perform reasonably good, designing an engine is quite hard.
The per capita is very low in 1900, so engine prices should be as low as possible.
Most times i end up with an 1 hp single cylinder engine with very low sliders (except fuel efficiency) which gives excellent MPG and reasonably good reliability, but it feels somewhat gamey. Even with the "too low power penalty" an 100 MPG engine produces 25 MPG in any car. And there is no need to invest a single buck to fuel efficiency in gearbox or car as that will not increase the MPG with such a low power engine, making the car even cheaper.
There seems no point in designing an 10 hp engine as its still abysmal in power but price, reliability and especially MPG are much worse. Even for microcars 10 hp are way too low to give any benefit over 1 hp.
You would need to design an >25 hp engine but that is extrem costly to produce and limit the target market to the few very wealty.
How do you design your first engine?
The per capita is very low in 1900, so engine prices should be as low as possible.
Most times i end up with an 1 hp single cylinder engine with very low sliders (except fuel efficiency) which gives excellent MPG and reasonably good reliability, but it feels somewhat gamey. Even with the "too low power penalty" an 100 MPG engine produces 25 MPG in any car. And there is no need to invest a single buck to fuel efficiency in gearbox or car as that will not increase the MPG with such a low power engine, making the car even cheaper.
There seems no point in designing an 10 hp engine as its still abysmal in power but price, reliability and especially MPG are much worse. Even for microcars 10 hp are way too low to give any benefit over 1 hp.
You would need to design an >25 hp engine but that is extrem costly to produce and limit the target market to the few very wealty.
How do you design your first engine?