Q Could you tell me In which issue of CM you
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published a road test of the Escort Van? And have you at any time tested the Citroen Am! Van? If so, when?
What factors should take into account in attempting to decide between (1) high/ law capacity engines; (2) high/low rear axle ratios; and (3) high/low compression petrol engines when offered as options on the same vehicle?
I am more interested in overall economy than performance.
AWe have tested both the vans to which
you refer. The Escort was the subject of a report in CM April 19 1968 and the Citroen Ami was dealt with in the issue of April 24 1970.. If you require copies of these road test reports we can take photostats for you at a cost of 17ip each.
To answer your third question, we would say that the choices you quote depend on the use to which the vehicle is to be put. If there is a choice of engine size in a van model we suggest you select the larger engine if the vehicle is to be used fully laden for most of its time or worked hard in other ways: larger size denotes additional horsepower and you would get a better life out of the vehicle on hard work if there were horsepower to spare.
With regard to rear axle ratios, when we talk about high ratio we mean one which is numerically low, in oiler words where the engine runs relatively slowly for a high road speed. In a hard-worked vehicle a low ratio would be better and this can be either referring to the weight -.hat is normally carried
or the type of terrain: in hilly districts a low axle ratio would be better than a high ratio and where the roads are flat and where long distances and light loads are involved a high ratio would he better from a fuel consumption point of view.
The choice of a high or low compression ratio depends on the sort of power you need and the sort of performance that is required. So far as power goes, it is the same question as that of whether you should have a higher low-capacity engine. But on the grounds of economy when performance is not important it would, in our opinion, be sensible to employ the less powerful engine which uses a cheaper grade of fuel and demands less maintenance from the tuning point of view.