A Gearhead Thread

[R_Head]

I always been a gearhead since little. Is not about computers all the time.

Next time that I am on the look out for a Pick Up Truck, I rather have this.

I think they were spotted in Iowa at a car show.
How neat, a Chevy 350 Mouse Motor modified by Aussies on the GM RWD Zeta Global Platform.

Now, that is stile

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[dedanna1029]

Um, I'm not seeing the images. All I'm seeing is "image image image image (etc.).

[R_Head]

Ok, I need to fix it. I know why. Is from the G8 Forums and I believe that you have to log in to be able to see them.

Give me a few and I will find other place to host the pics.

[R_Head]

What about now?

[dedanna1029]

You really don't want to know what I'm thinking, other than must be nice.

[R_Head]

I know, is not your lane of cars.
The only Japanese car that I think that came close to it was the Subaru Brat.

Anyway, I like my cars with character.

[dedanna1029]

No, m'dear, you're WAAAAAAYYY off base. Would've had a new car this year. Would've had my trip to Europe in January. Would've had a lot of things. Not your fault, I know. Just thought I owed it to everyone here to let them know.

I do prefer imports, but anything would've sufficed. That's why I said "must be nice".

[viking60]

Well I like my BMW:

[R_Head]

Is funny, not even Toyota is a true Japanese brand...

For example, the Camry was designed and assembled in the USA along with the Tacoma, the Matrix was build in California in NUMI same as Geo with Suzuki and Toyota. Their sub assemblies and components come from other sources overseas. Their headquarters are in Japan.

GM for example... Holden is an Aussie car company part of GM like Opel in Germany and Vauxhall in the UK and Daewoo with Daewoo in Korea and Isuzu (partnership) in Japan. So the mentioned car uses a platform designed in Australia but is built in the USA for the US market. The engine is just a modernized version of the 350 Chevy/GM motor. The transmission is build in the USA.

There is no such thing as a full build in any country brand. Toyota started to feel the pinch, they are cutting corners to lower prices and meet demand so their cars sucks more now. I do not know why, but I have an idea, and is the Japanese companies have the worst warranties. So you better the car never breaks down, any issues are drivers faults.

Is really puts in perspective when you work in manufacturing. How things are put together and how people buy brands thinking they buy some top notch.

In the manufacturing world is so vast and intricate that you can not think about nations any more.

[viking60]

Jup that is right most Japanese cars are produced in Korea these days. BMW and Mercedes are producing in South Carolina and Alabama (ML and X5). So different models in different countries. The future of American cars probably lies here:
http://www.teslamotors.com/
That is a beauty and it beats the Porsche 911 any day (and it uses no gasoline at all).

[R_Head]

It is a well know fact that dates more than 100 years that electric motors are better than internal combustion.

But there is one problem they have that makes them impractical. That problem is the way the energy is delivered to the motor.

On a combustion engine, the energy saved on the fuel is constant. Does not matter a Full Bin of Coals or 1/8 of it still have the same amount of energy if you take a handful. On a battery is like a can of compressed air. If the can holds 100 PSI and you squeeze the trigger, let say you loose 10 PSI the reminder will be 90 PSI of pressure. An analogy with a fuel cell, you use 10 % of it, you still have the same "Pressure" of 100 PSI.

Also, batteries does not have the same capacity density that fuel does, they are too expensive to build, maintain, dispose, too much weight and bigger sizes.

That is why combustion engines went ahead of electric because is more convenient no because efficiency.

I can say 99% of all trains in the world are electric. The electricity is supplied either by the rails or over head lines. No need for batteries except to use them for emergencies or as an accumulator for power fluctuations.

Hybrids are not the greatest on cars and there is a reason why. The Laws of Physics.

When you transform energy you loose energy.

Lets break it down....

Using a combustion engine that is already inefficient to churn a generator to run an electric motor to turn a drivetrain to place power in the wheels. There are a lot of loses on that set up.

A regular car is engine, transmission, wheel. Just few losses.

Sounds like mind boggling why they are such a power misers?

Is easy answer... Combustion engines does not like RPM fluctuations, so running such engine at a constant speed when is more efficient is less polluting and saves fuel. Add an aerodynamic body with low rolling friction tires and there you have it.

Now that makes one boring as car... Skinny tires, crappy performance, funky looks. That is why they all look so dorky. There is a problem not addressed yet and is... when the Battery Life Cycle arrive, what would you do? That is a huge expensive part that needs to replace and disposed. So you are postponing a Carbon Footprint for later days. Now, what car pollutes more?

Hybrids works on Trains and Ships like magic, the reason why? They travel at constant speed for long trips.
Inertia Law at its best.

In reality they are not that much of a fuel miser compared to Diesel Engines. Is a matter of fact, a VW TDI holds the record for the longest range on a car, no a Prius. Also, meet and exceed EPA standards in California. That is impressive.

The technology that I want to see to flourish is the Fuel Cell Technology. Just fill your tank with a fluid and converts the stored energy into electricity. It has all the conveniences and can be used on the present infrastructure of service stations.

[viking60]

Yes producing the batteries must make a carbon print too. It seems that it is less than traditional cars anyway. The days of the horse power burnouts are gone (sorry ). The hot rod culture is very American so it is going to be painful, but there is no smart defense for burning up all that fuel . The efficiency of the batteries will improve I guess. Hybrids are a good intermediate solution.
Also making the fuel consumption efficient by using all of it, like BMW does, is a good idea. There you get the hp and the speed and still use less fuel.

I have to add that the American cars never have been on my favorite list. I like the elegance of the Ferrari and the Porsche (and yes BMW) much more than the Dodge Viper, even if the Viper has more hp's. And I am sure that the Viper uses the most fuel of them too.

I think the car industry has moved forward and developed in Europe and Japan where the American industry delivered "muscle". I also think there is a difference in what the Americans and the Europeans prefer. It seems GM lost their market shares in Europe that way and that the American market slowly is moving in that direction too. That is why I find Tesla so refreshing and actually world leading with a new technology, in an otherwise very car-conservative country.

(Although I'll have to admit that I would like a spin in the Chevy above - I am not that fanatic about it )