Crazy idea for smart publicity stunt

[rfernatt]

I've had this idea for a while, but the US doesn't have a diesel model currently. Regardless, here's the idea:

We're all familiar with the Cannonball Run, a coast to coast race. I'd like to do the "Boomerang" as coast to coast to coast - a complete round trip in the least amount of time from Jacksonville, FL to San Diego, CA (apparent shortest route between coasts). The catch is, I'd like to do it without refueling or ever shutting the engine off. In my limited engineering understanding, this would a) require an auxiliary reinforced fuel tank mounted in the storage area, b) diesel fuel and a diesel powered fortwo, c) structural enhancements/wheels/tires to handle the additional fuel weight, d) all the fuel saving tricks you can muster, and e) two drivers that could swap off,

Obviously, high speed will not be the issue, just a leisurely cruising speed and it will take a while to get up to speed. Given the amount of fuel on-board, it has to be diesel to avoid turning into a flambe during any type of accident. With some back of the napkin calculations, it appears that you could carry enough diesel in the space available to make the trip as described, albeit with room for little else.

Am I completely crazy?

[forestacademy]

Yes, Crazy.

How much fuel do you think you could get into a VW Jetta TDI.

Oh and all the extra weight will realy cut the MPG for the first 1/2 of the trip, so it may not actualy work.

Your going to have to go with refueling tankers along the way

[chieftmc]

And don't forget about "refueling" and "re" other things, yourself and your relief driver

[rfernatt]

True about the weight cutting MPG on the first half of the trip. I hadn't factored that in. But, with little stop and go, that effect would hopefully be minimized.

Other cars like the Jetta TDI could certainly compete. The maiden voyage could be a smart, but then anything else could join. It would be a sort of 'green Cannonball' where the objective isn't just about speed, but also about efficiency and pushing a design for maximum distance in a given package. Maybe you limit the amount of fuel (or % of vehicle weight) you can carry on-board and award points for the most fuel remaining as well?

We wouldn't have to limit it to diesel either, any fuel could work.

About refueling and emptying for the pilot/co-pilot: you can stop the car, but you can't shut the engine off. Stops just increase your time and reduce MPG.

I know it's crazy, but sometimes, you just want to be crazy.

[Dunerunner]

How about a dealership that drops smarts from a C-130? They would have parachutes!!

I know WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever did it with turkeys...just a thought!

[forestacademy]

"As God is my Witness I thought Turkeys could fly"

YouTube - WKRP Turkey Drop "As God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly"

YouTube - WKRP Turkey Drop "As God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly"

[BigWarpGuy]

Didn't a Smart car win a Cannonball Run Europe race? 2008.
Smart on the right?

[BigWarpGuy]

Huh? Smart ForTwo Wins Cannonball Run?

"“The downfall of the bigger cars was that they were forced to stop so often, so while they kept overtaking us, we eventually went past them at the next petrol station when they needed to fill up again,” said David, who runs an estate agency in South Woodford. “We kept at a decent speed and still averaged around 35 miles per gallon.”"
It is like the story of the rabbit and the turtle.

[Kermit]

I've got an additional 20 gallon tank in my Jetta. Ready for this - on the highway I had a 1500 miles range! Only problem is that extra 20 gallons is WVO so the engine had to be hot before I could switch over to the aux tank. I've done a trip before carrying an additional 15 gallons of WVO with me in the trunk. That's around 2100 miles total range (give or take). That car is awesome, I need to get it back on the road again.....just need time.

Oh, Dune.....hey, you guessed my "specialty". That's what I do or have done for the last decade. Rig stuff up so it can be dropped out of an airplane..mostly C-130's. That's why I got a little bent out of shape when The Rigger showed up here. Rigger was always my screen name for years and years.

[Carl242]

When I was in High School I used to read Car and Driver, and I read they tried something like that with a Jetta TDI. Their first attempt failed because their rear suspention was killed by all the extra weight of the auxillary fuel, so they beefed it up and were successful--but only coast to coast.