See full version: How small is too small for an; apartment
Politicians do not tend to live in the following: caravans, boarding houses, cars or under bridges. Lawmakers may struggle to empathise with those people, for whom a real home is a lifelong ambition they may never achieve because it is too expensive. [links]
People might feel cosier and more secure in a small house. People physically unable or mentally indisposed to do housework may love them. Environmentalists may choose them because they require less energy to light and heat. here
It turned out to be mouldy and squalid, and then sold for $370,00. But I would have happily lived in that much space if properly appointed (although not at that price!).
Why would we do it, especially when tiny homes are in huge demand?
Is there inherently anything undignified about having one room that operates as bedroom, kitchen and lounge room? It is doubtless less comfortable, but I suspect that it is also true of driving a Barina rather than a Range Rover.
I went to look at this little flat in East Melbourne a while ago. A bedsit in a nice location, in a beautiful building, with about 35 square metres of floorspace.
Engineers worked hard to reduce the motor’s NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) rating, and did so by reducing friction everywhere possible: the drivebelt for the camshaft, for instance, runs internally in oil to keep it well lubricated, and there is no balance shaft because the pistons are designed to run in sync without one. The dual cooling for the cylinder and the block lets the motor warm up more quickly, too.
Ford of Canada isn’t being specific about fuel-consumption claims for the three-cylinder, saying only that it will be better than the 5.9 figure of the base, because it’s not yet been officially tested by the government. Perhaps Hyundai’s recent costly court case, in which it overestimated the fuel consumption of some of its cars, has set an example against jumping the gun. here
Ford expects this clever one-litre engine to eventually replace the more traditional 1.6L version, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t prove the most popular. After all, customers will walk in to showrooms — or online websites — lured by the lowest price possible, and then learn the advantages of an engine so small it would previously have been dismissed as laughable. Over time, enough will buy it that an entire mindset might be altered.
However, the one-litre engine is already available in Europe in the Ford Focus, which also comes with a base 1.6L naturally-aspirated version, and there the smaller engine claims an 18 per cent improvement in fuel economy on the heavier model. If the ratio holds true for the Fiesta, expect claims of about 4.9 L/100 km, which is right down there in hybrid territory — but a lot more fun. [links]
Even so, a strong man could lift the block without a winch. There are full-sport motorcycles with engines the same size. This thing is tiny.
It’s not alone. The diminutive Smart car is powered by a 999 cc, three-cylinder engine that makes 70 hp — just enough to push two passengers and a few bags of luggage. And smaller engines have been known in cars: the air-cooled 479 cc Fiat two-cylinder that ferried generations of Italians is perhaps the best known, remembered fondly by those who’ve long forgotten their underpowered misery on the autostrada.
Or just drive slower I guess. Of course driving slower with low gearing will also keep your load far lower than optimal for efficiency again.
So why are there reports of vehicles with smaller engines getting worse fuel economy than the ones with bigger engines? There could be a variety of reasons, but I think the main reason is most likely gearing. If the vehicle has a manual transmission, being at low RPM around 75% load on a flat road means the driver doesn't have much pedal left to accelerate without downshifting, especially when he or she hits a small incline and suddenly needs more than 100% what the engine can give at such low RPM's. In an automatic there'd be a bigger chance the transmission will have to shift back and forth between gears just cruising up a slight incline. So what car companies usually do is gear the vehicle with much lower gears. That way the engine stays at a much lower load, even if it's wound up at high RPM's, so that way you have a lot of pedal left to accelerate before needing to downshift. here
The probelem is that high RPM's at low loads is bad for fuel efficiency, even with a small engine. In fact, it probably is better to have a bigger engine that runs at lower loads at low RPM's than a smaller engine wound up at high RPM's and low loads. Of course the best for fuel efficiency is to try to keep the engine close to it's most efficient RPM's and load. And in order to do that it helps to have a small engine but only if you have high enough gearing to keep the RPM's down.
However, there have been people reporting worse fuel mileage in a small engine vehicle on the highway than with a bigger engine. But why? Of course the power needed to cruise along increases exponentially with speed. But generally a large vehicle shouldn't need more than 30 or 40hp, and a small car may need less than 20hp to sustain highway speeds. This is where a small engine should shine since gasoline engines are most efficient ususally around 75% load somewhere between 1,000 or 1,500RPM to 2,000RPM or 2,500RPM. And diesel engines may even have best efficiency even closer to 100% load at even lower RPM's. So how do you get an engine to run at it's most efficient RPM and load ranges? One easy way is to use a smaller engine. [links]
There seems to be a bit on confusion on how engine size affects fuel efficiency. A lot of people believe that smaller engines are less efficient because they are underpowered and will cause them to run outside of their efficiency zone, even when simply cruising down the highway at a steady speed. However, it's hard to find modern day vehicles with engines that are truely too small for the highway.
There is an exception, and that applies to those who live in hilly areas or in constantly stop and go traffic. If you have to drive up steep roads or accelerate and want to do so at a decent speed and still get good fuel mileage you need a bigger engine in order to keep it closer to it's optimal range. Either that, or again, accelerate and drive slower with your smaller engine trying to keep it in it's optimal range going uphill. Or get a hybrid that the electric drive train helps the smaller engine when accelerating.
Exhaust valve clearance (mm)
Valve clearance adjustment: more
If the valve gap is too small, the valve is held up after being heated, so that the valve opens early and closes late, or even can't be closed. The valve and the valve seat do not cooperate closely, resulting in valve leakage.Valve leakage will make the combustion process worse, diesel engine power down, exhaust pipe smoke and fire phenomenon, and valve burning.
if the valve gap is too large, the driving parts will produce a large impact load, damage the CAM, causing valve spring vibration, or even fractur