SAE Supermilage
For the Supermileage competition, students design and build a one-man vehicle using a Briggs & Stratton 3.5 Hp engine. Teams can do just about anything they want to increase the fuel economy of their engine, such as installing electronic ignition, electronic fuel injection, overhead valves, and electric start. The Midwest Competition is held at the Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall, Michigan.
A team of Cedarville engineering students took 1st place at the 2000 competition. To reduce the displacement volume of the engine, the students used the cylinder, piston and overhead-valve head from a Ryobi weed trimmer engine. They also installed electronic ignition and a computer. Cedarville's winning fuel economy was 632 mpg, topping the performance of schools such as the University de Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) and the University of California at Berkeley.
A brand new Supermileage vehicle is currently under construction. The basic design will resemble a symmetric airfoil when viewed from above. Airplane Plastics of New Carlisle has donated an airplane canopy which helps reduce frictional drag. The one-inch stainless steel tubing for the new chassis was donated by Atlas Steel of Twinsburg.
The 2005 team competed with their body-less chassis. They passed safety inspection and were able to complete a number of competitive runs around the course. They achieved a fuel economy of just under 300 mpg. Once their aerodynamic body and fully-computerized fuel injection system are added, they should be able to compete for 1st place...stay tuned!