|
|
Post by GTCGreg on Feb 21, 2018 14:27:44 GMT
1] flashing lights, its common here, as a signal "I will give way to you", if that starts getting gang initiation status, "It will be dealt with", because we use it a LOT?.. Same here. The trucking industry and most drivers that do any highway driving know that flashing your headlight means "you're clear." But then you run into the idiots that think they should flash their headlights to let you know you are not clear. That can created a space intrusion problem. |
|
|
|
Post by the light works on Feb 21, 2018 15:33:59 GMT
I gave three examples: if a car approaches at night with no headlights, don't flash yours at them, because it's a gang initiation, and they are to stalk and murder the first person who flashes at them. don't drive with cruise control in the rain, or when you hydroplane, you will have uncontrollable acceleration and take off like an airplane. don't drive through flood water, or it will wash your car away to the ocean and you will drown. Oh, Ok, but can I answer them?. In UK, so you may not get the same mileage. 1] flashing lights, its common here, as a signal "I will give way to you", if that starts getting gang initiation status, "It will be dealt with", because we use it a LOT?.. 2] CC "In the wet", we dealth with this before, that any CC system cancels with the first touch of the brakes, and has to be re-set. However, modern CC systems will not engage if the traction control indicates "thats a bad idea", unless you are using a hill descent crawler on a RangeRover type thing?. 3] I am at least 50 mile from the sea, thats a LOT of mileage?.. I'm sure there is more of these roaming from inbox to inbox. and some have more basis in reality than others. I.E. nobody has found any evidence of #1. #2 has risks in that people might not be attentive to worsening conditions, and end up going too fast for conditions - and a skid will still be a skid, even if it doesn't magically turn your avensis into a Countach. #3: driving through unknown floodwaters is a very real hazard, to your engine if not your life, and many people HAVE died in floodwaters, but it isn't guaranteed in all floods. |
|
|
|
Post by silverdragon on Feb 22, 2018 8:03:21 GMT
Avensis to Countach, thats one hell of a resto-mod isnt it?.
I wouldnt say thankyou either... they are rather cramped, and I dislike the wheels.
Yes driving through unmeasured flood water is a real risk...
I watched with pure hilarity some you-toob vid as some fool who can see the water is only 3inch deep get washed out when he drove on through, the water was from a spillway, and travelling mighty fast.
On Nonsensical ideas, one I have seen, no windscreen protector?.. "Just use a bit of old carpet".
It rained during the night, and then froze iron hard, I took a double take as I passed, and left, wondering, how the [flip] would he manage to get that bit of carpet unfrozen from the windscreen?..
|
|
|
|
Post by the light works on Feb 22, 2018 15:59:06 GMT
Avensis to Countach, thats one hell of a resto-mod isnt it?. I wouldnt say thankyou either... they are rather cramped, and I dislike the wheels. Yes driving through unmeasured flood water is a real risk... I watched with pure hilarity some you-toob vid as some fool who can see the water is only 3inch deep get washed out when he drove on through, the water was from a spillway, and travelling mighty fast. On Nonsensical ideas, one I have seen, no windscreen protector?.. "Just use a bit of old carpet". It rained during the night, and then froze iron hard, I took a double take as I passed, and left, wondering, how the [flip] would he manage to get that bit of carpet unfrozen from the windscreen?.. I was referring to the fact the counatch wants to kill you. |
|
|
|
Post by silverdragon on Feb 23, 2018 8:09:59 GMT
Avensis to Countach, thats one hell of a resto-mod isnt it?. I wouldnt say thankyou either... they are rather cramped, and I dislike the wheels. Yes driving through unmeasured flood water is a real risk... I watched with pure hilarity some you-toob vid as some fool who can see the water is only 3inch deep get washed out when he drove on through, the water was from a spillway, and travelling mighty fast. On Nonsensical ideas, one I have seen, no windscreen protector?.. "Just use a bit of old carpet". It rained during the night, and then froze iron hard, I took a double take as I passed, and left, wondering, how the [flip] would he manage to get that bit of carpet unfrozen from the windscreen?.. I was referring to the fact the counatch wants to kill you. I accept your reference, but its only wanting to kill the fools?.. if you show it respect, it is a docile as a 2 month old kitten. Maybe the kitten of a fully wild Siberian tiger thats not been fed yet today, but still docile in the right hands?. Its a Lambo... If its not trying to kill you, then its not that fun to drive is it?. And I have that from those who make the damn thing. The new one they have, its been "Tamed", it has traction control and all them type toys, its not that fun... This is the thing about Driving, and I know, I am old, but I am "Old school", driving is a fully immersive experience, or rather it should be, if you are driving for fun, you should be challenged, otherwise, your just a machine minder. I am from the era where old Brit bikes, you needed a basic toolkit in your pockets, because they regularly needed a light fettling roadside to keep them running. Part of the fun of riding one is keeping it running. Respect is given to someone who has ridden it every day for more than a year, because if you have had it running every day, you know what you are doing. Modern stuff, the turn-key variety, you dont need no fettling, you get warning lights on the dash to tell you to add oil, you get electronic start, you get all electrical toys... The old bikes I used to own, before you got to the dipstick, would start to run a little different when the oil needed topping up, and then again, started to run less eager when the oil needed changing, you learn to listen to the engine that way. And who can forget the "art" or kick-starting a bigger engine, in a way that when it kicks back, you dont get thrown over the handlebars?. There are too many electronic nanny devices these days, you forget how to drive after a while. And then on to the more eager types... I owned a Ducati. The throttle on one of them is a balance between power and steering, the more you twist, the more likely the front wheel will be overtaken by the rear, horizontal or vertical axis, you learn to feather the throttle in to keep the front end down. Is it trying to kill me?. Well, it doesnt abide fools, it will respond to the right rider who wants to become part of the machinery, and will ride exactly how you want to ride it. If that is foolishly, then you get a foolish bike, and decorations in the scenery eventually. Lambo's are built in the same way. Treat them right, they are nimble machinery, and will give you miles-of-smiles, to the tune my Face hurt when I handed the one I was driving back, because I had spent the last 20 mins grinning like a loon whilst having a totally brilliant time on the track. Would I take one to the road?. Nope. I cant trust myself, and in todays world of excessive speed camera's, that car is just too photogenic to be safe on the roads. That and I would be the very menace I am against who would be a complete twit behind the wheel.... For me?. They are great for tracks, but not for general road use. And if the car is not capable of killing you in the wrong hands, then ANY car, what you got is a pedal car for a kid. My own avensis would try to kill me if I tried to take the local roundabout at 50mph. The fact that the Lambo would arrive there and do the same but 5 mins earlier is neither here nor there. The fact that if I tried to drive a Lambo with the same throttle control I am used to in a "mortal" car like my own, the first time I stomp the gas, its going to swap ends?. See above about Ducati throttle control, its a balance of speed and steering, there is a lot more power available than you need at slower speeds. Getting used to that type of power, its an experience thing. Being allowed to get used to that on a track when you CAN swap end without hurting anyone?. Priceless. Ferrari?. Overly expensive unreliable "look what I got" toys for rich kids who dont grow up. More to be seen that to drive. They are "Bling bling" decorations for the ultra rich, thats all. "Status symbols" Lambo's were built to work first and then look good doing it. Think Porsche, they are technically brilliant but cosmetically a bag of sh*te, they havnt changed in decades in how they look, but are renown for being "The ultimate drivers car"?.. And yes, if you turn off all the electro-toys and drive like a loon, or try to emulate the Clarkson in going sideways at the cost of one set of tyres per 20 mins playtime, then they will try to kill you eventually. Are they art?. If you can accept that there is art in machinery that is function over looks, then yes, yes it is. |
|
|
|
Post by GTCGreg on Feb 23, 2018 14:28:16 GMT
If its not trying to kill you, then its not that fun to drive is it?. Sounds like my Jeep. All the excitement of a Lambo at 140MPH only at 70. |
|
|
|
Post by silverdragon on Feb 24, 2018 8:17:47 GMT
If its not trying to kill you, then its not that fun to drive is it?. Sounds like my Jeep. All the excitement of a Lambo at 140MPH only at 70. Sound like my old Mini [slightly modified] all the design of a 70 mph vehicle but at 140 mph. Quote from the copper who wanted to see under the bonnet after watching us doing that round a race track "Never let me catch you on the road with that, the lads at the station will want me breath tested if I say I just caught a mini doing 140mph..." |
|
|
|
Post by kharnynb on Mar 17, 2018 16:27:18 GMT
again and again, tests done by the finnish road safety institute will rate good tires as the nr. 1 thing to have. even the difference between the "worst" legal winter tyres and the "best" is more than between fwd and awd.
If you have good (studded) wintertyres, AWD can make you go where a 2-wd with less clearance won't be able to go, as for example my dad-in-law's place that sometimes doesn't get plowed roads for days.
|
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 17, 2018 22:31:38 GMT
Sounds like my Jeep. All the excitement of a Lambo at 140MPH only at 70. Sound like my old Mini [slightly modified] all the design of a 70 mph vehicle but at 140 mph. Quote from the copper who wanted to see under the bonnet after watching us doing that round a race track "Never let me catch you on the road with that, the lads at the station will want me breath tested if I say I just caught a mini doing 140mph..." There is no reason why a Mini can't drive fast (safely). The slowness of the original Mini is caused by the long cylinders and the gear ratio which is way too short. By installing a better gear ratio or even extra gears, a Mini can have a very good top speed. Drilling the cylinders wider and using a smaller crankshaft, you can rev the engine higher. Combined you have a very quick and agile car which is also very safe as long as the road isn't bumpy. |
|
|
|
Post by the light works on Mar 18, 2018 0:47:13 GMT
Sound like my old Mini [slightly modified] all the design of a 70 mph vehicle but at 140 mph. Quote from the copper who wanted to see under the bonnet after watching us doing that round a race track "Never let me catch you on the road with that, the lads at the station will want me breath tested if I say I just caught a mini doing 140mph..." There is no reason why a Mini can't drive fast (safely). The slowness of the original Mini is caused by the long cylinders and the gear ratio which is way too short. By installing a better gear ratio or even extra gears, a Mini can have a very good top speed. Drilling the cylinders wider and using a smaller crankshaft, you can rev the engine higher. Combined you have a very quick and agile car which is also very safe as long as the road isn't bumpy. actually, there is a reason why its speed is limited. it is the same reason why my Jeep's speed is limited. just because you can turn the wheels that fast does not mean it is necessarily a good idea to GO that fast. |
|
|
|
Post by silverdragon on Mar 18, 2018 9:49:28 GMT
There is no reason why a Mini can't drive fast (safely). The slowness of the original Mini is caused by the long cylinders and the gear ratio which is way too short. By installing a better gear ratio or even extra gears, a Mini can have a very good top speed. Drilling the cylinders wider and using a smaller crankshaft, you can rev the engine higher. Combined you have a very quick and agile car which is also very safe as long as the road isn't bumpy. actually, there is a reason why its speed is limited. it is the same reason why my Jeep's speed is limited. just because you can turn the wheels that fast does not mean it is necessarily a good idea to GO that fast. Going back to the Mini we over-modified to run a 2ltre Vaxhaull injection engine, we made several aerodynamic additions to the vehicle to allow it to perform slightly better than a sideways brick at speed. This did involve a winglet on the roof, and side skirts, also a spring loaded scoop under the car that dumped a lot of air out through the rear wheel arches, to keep the thing glued to the road. It helped, but there was a definite feel that if we wanted speeds above the mid 140's, we were going to have to spend an awful lot more on the aerodynamics... to start with, windscreen wipers were all but useless at that speed. And the doors "leaked" air, you could hear the wind noise around your ears louder than engine noise. Grip was marginal at that speed as well, In a straight line, fine, but any deviation would create a slight wobble as air leaked around the "Bubble" of the vehicle?. What we did was to prove it could be done, it never won any major events, but it did scare several buckets out of Golf GTI and Ford Cosworth owners in its ability to accelerate like a scared rat. The slowness of the original mini was part of its design, a small wheeled car that was good around town and small spaces, very manoeuvrable, surprisingly spacious inside, but still the original Micro-Car, and still the best at being that. If they started remaking the original mini with a better engine, better engineering, or even an electric one, I would have one in a heart beat. At lest they had style. Good for long distance?>.. not so much, they were never designed for that, but when its JUST you or just two people or just a small family unit on a short trip out, "Perfect". |
|
|
|
Post by the light works on Mar 18, 2018 14:48:04 GMT
actually, there is a reason why its speed is limited. it is the same reason why my Jeep's speed is limited. just because you can turn the wheels that fast does not mean it is necessarily a good idea to GO that fast. Going back to the Mini we over-modified to run a 2ltre Vaxhaull injection engine, we made several aerodynamic additions to the vehicle to allow it to perform slightly better than a sideways brick at speed. This did involve a winglet on the roof, and side skirts, also a spring loaded scoop under the car that dumped a lot of air out through the rear wheel arches, to keep the thing glued to the road. It helped, but there was a definite feel that if we wanted speeds above the mid 140's, we were going to have to spend an awful lot more on the aerodynamics... to start with, windscreen wipers were all but useless at that speed. And the doors "leaked" air, you could hear the wind noise around your ears louder than engine noise. Grip was marginal at that speed as well, In a straight line, fine, but any deviation would create a slight wobble as air leaked around the "Bubble" of the vehicle?. What we did was to prove it could be done, it never won any major events, but it did scare several buckets out of Golf GTI and Ford Cosworth owners in its ability to accelerate like a scared rat. The slowness of the original mini was part of its design, a small wheeled car that was good around town and small spaces, very manoeuvrable, surprisingly spacious inside, but still the original Micro-Car, and still the best at being that. If they started remaking the original mini with a better engine, better engineering, or even an electric one, I would have one in a heart beat. At lest they had style. Good for long distance?>.. not so much, they were never designed for that, but when its JUST you or just two people or just a small family unit on a short trip out, "Perfect". my Jeep is mathematically capable of going 100 MPH. I suspect I have had it in the neighborhood of 90 MPH. at that velocity, if you step off the throttle, the steering geometry will shift it one lane to the right, with no steering input from the driver. if you don't, you are still making constant steering correction to keep it going in the general direction you want. (my mathematically capable, I mean that is the velocity at which the engine hits redline) |
|
|
|
Post by GTCGreg on Mar 18, 2018 15:05:37 GMT
Had my jeep up to 90 once. At least I think I did. It was kind a hard to read the speedometer for all the shaking.
|
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 17:56:45 GMT
There is no reason why a Mini can't drive fast (safely). The slowness of the original Mini is caused by the long cylinders and the gear ratio which is way too short. By installing a better gear ratio or even extra gears, a Mini can have a very good top speed. Drilling the cylinders wider and using a smaller crankshaft, you can rev the engine higher. Combined you have a very quick and agile car which is also very safe as long as the road isn't bumpy. actually, there is a reason why its speed is limited. it is the same reason why my Jeep's speed is limited. just because you can turn the wheels that fast does not mean it is necessarily a good idea to GO that fast. Not at all. The Mini Cooper is a rather simple mod of the original Mini. Except for the engine and brakes (and paintjob) there are only a few minor modifications. The engine is about 50% stronger and the transmission allows the car to reach its top speed at the maximum power of the engine so it is almost twice as fast! The Mini cooper isn't unsafe at all. The restrictions of the original Mini is due to the tax-system back when the Mini was designed. Cylinder gauge and transmission ratio was made "bad" to lower the tax rating. The Mini was meant for people which couldn't afford too much annual taxes. And the Cooper version was made for people which liked the Mini but didn't care about operational costs. |
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 18:04:35 GMT
Had my jeep up to 90 once. At least I think I did. It was kind a hard to read the speedometer for all the shaking. Maybe you might be interested in a Morlock Motors Mutt. 100% restored, "better than new" and for two grands extra, you get a Diesel version which is a lot quicker than the original and much more reliable. The Diesel version starts right up even after sitting in your garage for a year. |
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 18:13:26 GMT
my Jeep is mathematically capable of going 100 MPH. I suspect I have had it in the neighborhood of 90 MPH. at that velocity, if you step off the throttle, the steering geometry will shift it one lane to the right, with no steering input from the driver. if you don't, you are still making constant steering correction to keep it going in the general direction you want. (my mathematically capable, I mean that is the velocity at which the engine hits redline) US made cars are not famous for their precision steering. There is a lot of room for improvements! The Mini has a very precise steering mechanism, you can't compare it with a Jeep. A Jeep is designed to crash a front wheel against a boulder and continue as bad as before. It has one of the worst steering mechanisms in the world. |
|
|
|
Post by GTCGreg on Mar 18, 2018 19:47:48 GMT
Had my jeep up to 90 once. At least I think I did. It was kind a hard to read the speedometer for all the shaking. Maybe you might be interested in a Morlock Motors Mutt. 100% restored, "better than new" and for two grands extra, you get a Diesel version which is a lot quicker than the original and much more reliable. The Diesel version starts right up even after sitting in your garage for a year. Not sure that would do much better at 90, but yeah, I'd love to get my hands an a Vietnam era military jeep. If only I had the space, money and time for such a project. Something like this would be nice. (Including the 50cal mount.)  |
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 20:48:34 GMT
Maybe you might be interested in a Morlock Motors Mutt. 100% restored, "better than new" and for two grands extra, you get a Diesel version which is a lot quicker than the original and much more reliable. The Diesel version starts right up even after sitting in your garage for a year. Not sure that would do much better at 90, but yeah, I'd love to get my hands an a Vietnam era military jeep. If only I had the space, money and time for such a project. Something like this would be nice. (Including the 50cal mount.) You can buy it that way from Morlock Motors. They can customize almost anything for you. For the Mutt, they even made fresh tires which look perfectly original. With a Mutt, space is not a problem, this thing is tiny! In my opinion, the most awesome custom car made by Morlock Motors was a M923 A1 AM (6x6) converted to a 4x4 pickup you can drive with a normal car license (<7.4 tons). |
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 20:58:58 GMT
They can make you almost anything related to US vehicles, especially military ones. You want the A-team van and can't afford the whole thing? No problem...   |
|
|
|
Post by c64 on Mar 18, 2018 21:13:18 GMT
Just for fun: Someone had bought a broken Centurion tank from Morlock Motors because his dad drove one in WW-2. The neighbors were not amused and had alerted the authorities. Since the tank is broken, it is not a vehicle any more and when you want to put 52 tons of steel into your yard, you need a building permit. So the guy had called Morlock Motors to fix the tank to make it legal. I sure hope the neighbors like the fumes and noise of the almost unmuffled Meteor-engine. www.welt.de/vermischtes/article170845556/Brite-mit-Panzer-im-Garten-loest-Nachbarschaftsstreit-aus.html |
|
