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Automobiles? Any other car freaks out there?

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AToE said:
Sometimes turning at all is the worst thing you can do, crashing under control may be better. (For example taking a corner at higher speeds, better to hit that rail/curb/wall/whatever head-on than spinning or flipping)
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amen, I was driving on a dirt road early in the spring north of Boise. We used to call it the "Boise Ridge Run" it went across the peaks of the mountains north of Boise and has some beautiful views of both the city and raw wilderness just on the other side of the peaks.

We got towards the top, near the antennas and top of the ski lift at Bogus Basin ski resort. The last 200 yards was solid ice and snow and I was in my 2wd ranger. I couldn't keep the momentum going and had cars behind me on the run. As she gave up all hopes of traction and started going backwards, I watched the 200 foot cliff to my left (no guard rails dirt forestry road and all that) the guy behind me that couldn't slow down for the same reasons, and the very deep ditch on my right...

I quickly decided on the ditch , chained up, used a hi-lift jack, tree and some chains as a come-along, pulled my butt out and finished driving to the top. The decision to go in the ditch was a really good one though, nobody could stop, the road was so slick that anyone trying to stop just skidded backwards. One of the people behind me tried to stop, and with wheels locked ended up almost going over the cliff... backwards.
 
In Texas, if the roads are icy/snow covered, I just don't drive. Not only are my cars/tires just terrible in it, everyone else on the road is terrible in it, since virtually nobody knows how to drive in it. I did have to drive the '68 Grand Prix home one night in a spontaneous blizzard last year though, that was a trip... Took over an hour, and I almost lost it on an ice covered bridge. Good thing nobody else was around because I was literally all over the 4 lane road before getting it back under control.
 
No shame in just staying home, I remember the last time it snowed heavily before I got my winter tires on, thought I was gonna die.

Small brag, the Beast made it to Sudbury and back, 1000 km round trip, only one little hiccup, I think the whatever-it-is that tells the starter it can engage when the shifter's in "park" is loose... on the way there, we stopped for gas, then when I tried to start her again, turned the key... nothing, not even a click... had to wiggle the shifter around a couple times to find the sweet spot and no problems thereafter, she was fine on the way home... but SOMEBODY's getting a checkup soon as I can get an appointment, presuming I can't find the info I need in either the shop manual or the Haynes manual... (it probably IS in the shop manual, I just don't know how to look it up)
 
Good read, this thread.

I've never been a car fan, mostly a jeep nut. (I am building my second currently) However, I would like to someday build a Shelby Cobra replica, as that has been my dream car as long as I can remember. I also have always liked the older muscle cars. My father had a '69 GTO that, unfortunately, he sold before I was born. He talks of it rather fondly.

Hmm... It appears that I have somewhat "dated" myself.;)

Living all of my life in "snow country", I have to admit that I have a ball driving in the winter. Winter is also my favorite time of the year to do a bit of "off-roading" with my jeep.

I always make it a point to test the available traction on winter roads when it is safe to do so. It allows one to know what can and cannot be done.

ABS brakes, traction control, stability control, etc... You can have 'em. I prefer not to relinquish control of my vehicle to a circuit board. I'm not faulting any of the stuff, I just don't have a use for any of it. I have, in fact, had ABS result in an accident in the past. It was a complete fluke IMO, but it wouldn't have happened without the ABS.
 
Muscle cars.... <drool>

Well, as for an update on the Chevette, the steering coupler is borked again but I'm driving her anyway (critical failure isn't much worse than what it's doing already, which is a slight looseness in the steering wheel that is also a looseness in the wheels, but it's only noticeable in high winds, which have always knocked the Beast around a lot anyway so I really don't notice it) because the part's gonna be a pain to get off a frozen Chevette, already did it once in the cold, not doing it till spring thaw... and the engine's got one cylinder that's a bit down in compression, so I'm treating her nice and hoping she lasts till spring when I can deal with an engine change. Providing my spare engine's still functional... She did make it to Sudbury and back with pretty decent gas mileage at Christmas and not ENTIRELY embarrassing performance on the hills... and as long as I run her on mid-grade gas and keep the oil and tranny fluid topped up, she's running just fine... 345,000 km and turning 30 this year. I may have to make a commemorative Chevette Weirdomel for the occasion...
 
I'm having a bit of trouble with the '68 grand prix too. Drivers side motor mount broke, so that whole side of the engine is sitting lower than it should. This pulled the drivers side header down into steering components, slightly damaging them and punching a hole in the header. That header is gonna be a real pain to put on too, it takes several hours and liberal application of a hammer.
 
Bleahhh, that sounds like no fun at all. Except maybe for hitting things with a hammer. That's sometimes fun.

Hopefully if my spare engine's not borked, it'll be a piece of cake, this'll be the fourth transfer I've done... of course, each one had something different go wrong... the first time we dropped the engine and broke an engine mount, shorted out the starter and the bolts attaching the pipe to the exhaust manifold broke, plus the transmission mount was in the wrong place AND had been badly welded in... the second time the welded transmission mount made it necessary to detach the transmission first when they're meant to be installed and removed as one unit, and then the engine was blown... the third time (a week after the second time) the water pump on the new engine went and was piddling coolant all over the place, I let my hubby tighten the oilpan bolts and he cranked too hard and bulged the gasket right out of place so it was dribbling oil, the alternator was wiggly so the fan belt was screaming, and I didn't have deep enough sockets to get the exhaust pipe attached to the manifold so it roared all the way home. An embarrassing drive, but at least it got to the mechanic for final fix-up by itself, the two previous attempts required tow trucks.
 
Yep. The last dashboard light behind the speedometer finally went tonight, gotta finally crack and install the new bulbs I bought!
 
AAACK! Aaack! Aaack!
This DieHard MustangWoman has traded in her beloved Pony...
For a Prius c
Who knew!?
Wave of the future, I reckon...
Sure, the new guy doesn't have the Power that the Mustang did, and he looks a bit like a suppository, but (BUTT! or maybe I should say AND consequently) he gets tuchaskickingly great mileage. Already.

Time For A Road Trip?!??!!
 
TheAlchemist said:
AAACK! Aaack! Aaack!
This DieHard MustangWoman has traded in her beloved Pony...
For a Prius c
Who knew!?
Wave of the future, I reckon...
Sure, the new guy doesn't have the Power that the Mustang did, and he looks a bit like a suppository, but (BUTT! or maybe I should say AND consequently) he gets tuchaskickingly great mileage. Already.

Time For A Road Trip?!??!!
Click to expand...

Mustang to a Prius? OK that is a seachange but if it works...anyway yea roadtrip somewhere forsure. if you wander near Savannah Ga drop by!
 
Yay, Prius! And yeah, they do look pretty silly, dunno why they had to make it so weird looking...
 
Chevette Girl said:
Yay, Prius! And yeah, they do look pretty silly, dunno why they had to make it so weird looking...
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Same reason seals, dolphins, humpbacks etc all evolved to the same approximate shape, I suppose. They just move with more energy efficiency that shape.

It's all physics.

God bless physics.
 
My problem with Prius's is a nagging question about what it will cost to replace that battery, and will that cost not exceed the lifetime savings on fuel? Not to mention the toxic waste generated in the manufacture of that battery and the heavy earths . Then there is a phenomenon, whenever I am following one, they seem to be in perpetual "lag Phase" and are being driven by people who obviously are not expected anywhere soon! I can in no way see how they enhance productivity in a nation.
 
But you have to remember that Priuses (Priusi??) aren't the best alternative to straight up internal combustion, they are merely an alternative that could be brought to market now, in order to get people thinking about new, more efficient transport technologies. We're in the "chicken or egg" phase of electric vehicle propulsion now, where nobody was willing to put a fully electric car on the market realizing full well that the technology wasn't there to support North America's real driving habits (neither speed, nor performance, nor range between recharge are yet up to the task for a fully electric vehicle - Tesla notwithstanding), and the hybrids are a transition phase to allow some savings (admittedly minor once all the costs are taken into account) and to get the public used to the idea of at least partial electric propulsion while the storage technologies for a fully electric vehicle continue to mature.

BTW - It isn't necessarily the Prius that is the culprit when you see one lagging behind the general flow of highway traffic. At least not if it is one of the newer generation. I'd never driven one prior to a couple of months ago, but I had one as a rental for a quick trip that I took back to Ohio. I used to pride myself that, over one span of the Ohio turnpike that encompasses a bridge over the Cuyahoga river, I could take my '68 Olds (Cutlass 442) from 70 mph to speedometer pegged (somewhere above 120 mph - I think it was more for psychological limit than an indication of actual top speed) before spanning the bridge.

Well, I had to try to see what the Prius would do. In order not to suggest that I was in any way driving in an unsafe manner, all I'll say here was that the Prius reached its top limit in a similarly short distance. If you don't already know, I'll let you look up the current generation Prius' top speed elsewhere.

(Really, Mr. Highway Patrol Trooper, I must have lost control or something....)
;D

There's enough power in that package to move you along in quite a sprightly manner, if you're willing to use it.
 
Last week I talked to a lady whose brother drove his until it hit 200K miles, at which point it wasn't passing the emissions test.
 
My stepdad's been driving a Civic hybrid for a couple of years and he's about ready to trade it in before the batteries go, wouldn't surprise me if they got another though.

I'd consider a Smart car for a second car if we needed one, they get awesome mileage and are surprisingly roomy for large passengers like my hubby, so long as you don't have more than a shopping cart's worth of groceries to bring home... My biggest beef with them is that the rabbit cage won't fit in the "trunk". I think they're just as good as hybrids for changing our perception of what we need... I'm consistently disappointed in the lack of improvement when it comes to fuel economy of new cars, instead of making it get 50 mi/gal, they've given you more horses under the hood than you really need and a top-end speed you can never use since we don't have an equivalent to the Autobahn on this continent.

And I've joined the ranks of granny drivers if I'm not in a particular hurry, I did some math and I really DO save gas if I drive at or under the speed limits.

We'll just not talk about acceleration on the 'vette though, we're down to 3.5 cylinders at 350k km, and it was never very good even with all 4 banging. Let's just say patience is a virtue in more than just meadmaking ;D

Damn but I miss my '77 Olds Cutlass. It had a bit of a delay (as in, it gave you a few seconds to ponder your sanity) between when you hit the gas and when passing gear kicked in, but when it finally decided you were serious, it went like stink, as my dad always said... at 13 miles per gallon (imperial, so about ten US) no matter how I drove it... the Beast has the Cutlass's horn, at least... no little "meep" horn for THIS little car...
 
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I'd have loved to get the DeLorean that uses compost for fuel, but didn't have the patience to wait for that model to come out...

What do we want?
Time Travel!

When do we want it?
That's irrelevant!
 
One of the reasons here for the pathetic mileage is the pollution of the gasoline with alcohol which is just not an efficient fuel. It lowers the mileage a bunch and the arab spring was largely caused by higher food prices brought on by our huge production of legally mandated ethanol. This year with a disastrous crop, we are going to have to make a choice between this feel good balony and starving people to death! We have so much more oil than literally anywhere else on this continent. What a crime against humanity to burn food in our vehicles!
 
Actually, my 'vette gets the same mileage with ethanol gasoline as with mid-grade gas. Got the same result with my Cutlass when ethanol was new.

And looking at the pollution profiles of gas versus ethanol, it's not better or worse, just different. The hydrocarbon profile is different and you don't get as much SOx because there's just no sulphur in there, where we have a lot of it naturally occurring in our oil, but you get more NOx with ethanol because it burns a little hotter and your NOx is temperature-dependent (evidence of a misspent youth! :p).

Here we've got farmers getting large subsidies if they grow corn for ethanol, so there's not a whole lot of incentive to grow much else.

... and I find it insulting that I pay significantly more in Canada than you do in the 'states for gas, when Canada produces a lot of oil too... (although I do realize our gas prices don't hold a candle to the petrol prices in Europe, but how many Europeans have 50 km or more daily commutes? My poor Chevette did around 500 km per week for the ten years I was working where I was).
 
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