Page 1 of 1

What type of fuel did KITT use?

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 2:53 pm
by Patriotic Knight
My eight year old daughter asked me what kind of fuel KITT uses. I haven't a clue myself so I thought I would ask you guys.

I can't recall ever seeing Michael stopping at a gas station! : ) It just wouldn't seem right to make such an advanced machine with out using some type of alternative fuel.

My guess is that KITT uses a combination of oxygen and carbon dioxide. I am basing this theory of mine on the episode where KITT and Michael are stuck under that huge pile of dirt. ( KITT mentioned he might not have enough power to get out. )

I am really glad to see the show back on TV. I too was 8 years old when I first watched Knight Rider. It's a real pleasure for my daughter and I to be able to sit and watch the show together!!

Thanks Everyone!!!

Jessica Young

GOD BLESS AMERICA
http://www.ForTheTroops.org

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 3:05 pm
by Cuda426440
Maybe you'll find your answer here :

http://www.knightrideronline.com/phpbb/viewtop ... light=fuel

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 3:09 pm
by Patriotic Knight
Thanks for your help!!

Jessica Young

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 8:46 pm
by pdennis93
i always thought kitt ran on turbine fuel

in KvK kitt is scanning the sand at the beach for traces of fluids and says "there are faint signs of turbine fuel" wouldnt this mean karr (and presumibly kitt) ran on turbine fuel

also i think they mention his turbine being damaged in Goliath Part 2 at the very beginning when michael jerry rigs that ramjet to get them out of the desert.

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 8:57 pm
by knightimmortal
The turbine ran off of turbine fuel, but it seems that his alternative motor could run off of anything. In "No Big Thing", they gas him up. In "Give Me Liberty" they convert him over to hydrogen. The turbine, it seems, was used for the extreme speeds. (aka Pursuit mode) but otherwise, he ran on a standard combustible engine.

KI

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 10:52 pm
by Rockatteer
I forget whihc episode it was but I distectly remember a scene where they pulled iknto a petrol station and Micheal asked what kind of fuel Kitt used...Kitt replied... "my fuel sythesisers can run on any type of fuel"

they had to fill up becasue Micheal had taken a detour which Bonnie hadn't calculated for when she filled up Kitt... or something like that

Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2003 2:54 am
by Michael SS-R
WEll you wouldnt want to run KITT or a Lear Jet Turbine off anything but jet/J-9 type fuel but Turbine engines are amazing considering what they can run on. Pretty much anything including regular gas, kerosene or even lol cooking oil!

Of course turbine/jet fuel will be proper and give the ultimate power/economy.

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 3:18 am
by jup
It's also worth noting that even conventional internal combustion engines require a mixture of fuel and oxygen to run on. So, it just makes sense that KITT's engine requires a supply of fresh oxygen to keep running on.

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 11:17 pm
by pdennis93
to answer this question

"Mr Fusion powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline, it always has"

so um, oh wait wrong movie/tv show :P

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 5:56 am
by Rockatteer
"Mr Fusion powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline, it always has"

so um, oh wait wrong movie/tv show
Yeah, wrong show...but what a great idea....

Kitt with time travel capability! Now we're talking!!

:lol:

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 8:08 am
by Knight2000
KITT was designed to run on anything combustible, as he states in No Big Thing. Petrol or Gas was what he seemed to run on.

But sometimes I get a little confused. In the Pilot:

Michael: I'm warning you Devon. I'm gonna put this thing to the test

Devon: Be my guest.

Michael seems to floor the pedal. Now when he does this, you can hear a change in the sound of KITT, as well as see a change in mode, and a sudden increase in speed. Is that sound of more fuel being pumped into the system or activation of the turbines?

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 10:41 pm
by Army_F_Body
Michael seems to floor the pedal. Now when he does this, you can hear a change in the sound of KITT, as well as see a change in mode, and a sudden increase in speed. Is that sound of more fuel being pumped into the system or activation of the turbines?
I don't even think the shows writers know that answer.

My grandfather saw a lot of the developement of the turbine engines during his career at Detroit Diesel and says a turbine powerfull enough to power a diesel truck could fit roughly inside a shoe box. So it makes sense for Kitt to have a standard 305 c.i., or whatever size for that mater, engine and an auxiliary turbine. The question is we see part of the engine after Kitt's encouter with Goliath. When Michael pulls out that saw blade from the block and says your turbine shot. From that perspective I just imagined he had some massive F-14 sized motor under his hood.

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2003 11:44 am
by pdennis93
but if you look under the hood of kitt in "trust doesnt rust" when bonnie is moving his power pack, you clearly see a stock 305 and its large air cleaner, woops :P

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2003 1:21 pm
by Darknight
"Michael seems to floor the pedal. Now when he does this, you can hear a change in the sound of KITT, as well as see a change in mode, and a sudden increase in speed. Is that sound of more fuel being pumped into the system or activation of the turbines?"

Any time you floor the pedal in any engine, in any machine, it will dump a lot more fuel in. It's probably both his turbines engaging and his internal combustion engine revving at full throttle. Together, they should make plenty of noise. My guess is that KITT's turbine takes a half second or more to really get going hard, so the ICE would need plenty of power to offset the turbine's lag time. There's also no reason why a properly built 305 couldn't supply the necessary power. I mean, well over 1,000hp shouldn't be that big of an issue with smart design.

KITT's cruising efficiency would come from having multiple, small turbines, because conventional turbines require high speeds for optimum efficiency. Therefore, he could run only 1 or 2 small turbines at high speed to obtain necessary cruising power, then fire up all 4,5 or 6 turbines for wide open throttle. This way, their output potential equals that of bigger turbines, while retaining the efficiency of small turbines.

Obviously, the best idea would combine the low RPM torque of the ICE with the top end power of the turbine, and do so efficiently. That's what MY engine design does, but mum's the word about exactly how it works. :)

DK