Forum: Off-topic

I think the only thing keeping the US auto market going is NASCAR

Did anybody else see the ending to Talledegha Shocked

Favorite car is Honda Civic, favorite truck is toyota Tacoma. I'm still patriotic because both are screwed together in the good old USA!

Favorite song at the minute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXKBUK94cC0

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VarkVet wrote:

Favorite car is Honda Civic, favorite truck is toyota Tacoma. I'm still patriotic because both are screwed together in the good old USA!

Favorite song at the minute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXKBUK94cC0

Oy vey.

Bodizzle wrote:

the Corvette is the epitome, the very definition of the American car.

You mean, the American MUSCLE car, right?

You all know the joke I'm sure: What's the difference between a Corvette and a Porcupine? (obvious answer here...)

The Taurus, one of the most practical American cars ever built, saved Ford once. They got smart, and brought it back. Most likely, it won't be the Blue Oval that suffers through this downturn.

GM really needs to pull its head out of its @$$.

Hey, I like Ford, too, but if GM goes under, a lot of people are going to be out of jobs, since plenty of smaller companies have directly or indirectly supplied GM's parts, Ford can't take up all the slack, and I'd bet Tom Clancy was right on when he said Japan ships the parts over here just so's they can say the cars are made in America (but not with American parts). Debt of Honor foreshadowed one thing already, why not another?

I do find it odd that the government will throw uncounted billions (really, I don't htink anyone counted where they're going) at banks but gets really stingy with some of its largest employers.

One thing they really need to do is give the unions a swift kick in the @$$. The huge cost of some of union stuff is bringing down all of the Big 3. They did it to themselves but the UAW isn't helping. Really they need to actually make the lines run better and more intelligently. Ford (I believe) has one of the best factories in the world down in Brazil. Why is it in Brazil? Cause the unions would never let them get away with it here (doesn't employ enough people, etc.). They can make 6 car lines on the assembly line independently (like an SUV and the next car in the line is a sedan). They're also making use of lean manufacturing so there's almost no inventory to keep track of (make it when you need it, and yes it actually works). It's a brilliantly designed plant, but its been driven to Brazil.

I'm not sad to see the American muscle car go. I see them as a lack of engineering prowess. Displacement for horsepower is both silly and wasteful in the end. You add lots of weight and burn tons of fuel. It also annoys me that we're not even close to running into the auto-ignition limit of gas engines. You can generally run up to a 14:1 pressure ratio on engines before bad knocking and when your cycle's efficiency is defined by pressure ratio is seems silly not to push it for better fuel economy. Sad to say most sports cars only run around 10-11:1 pressure ratio (mine runs at 10:1 but it's a Wankel so it's weird to start). It just seems to be that the American car industry has severely lacked good engineering for quite a while.

BTW, Saturn was supposed to be a non-union shop originally but the unions and internal bickering got in and screwed that one up very quickly.

Talking with some friend's of mine who are really into the car industry one of the things the Big 3 did was promote talented engineers way up high into management. But that meant that down in certain fields that lacked for skilled people who understood the problems because they got promoted into management.

Well, fear not folks, I'm sure our newly appointed car czars will have it all straigtened out in no time. What this country is just dying for is a small 4 wheel electric box with a top speed of 10mph (pedestrian safe). Shouldn't need a range of anymore than 5 miles as no one really has a need to go any farther than that. Charge time of 10 hours should be sufficient. This is want the american auto consumer craves. Don't let the fact that SUV's, trucks, and yes, even those new muscle cars are selling confuse anyone.

Pontiac going is really no shock. Back when they axed Olds it was the only one of GM's brands that was still showing a steady sale of cars, and no, not just to old people.

As much as I hate the UAW, they are not all to blame, or the management. The one entity that always seems to get a pass on, well, everything they screwup across the board, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! Yes, your friend and mine. Everytime they get the R&D completed to meet the latest round of CAFE standards, the gov hooks 'em up with a whole new standard. R&D costs never get worked out.

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I'm not sad to see the American muscle car go. I see them as a lack of engineering prowess. Displacement for horsepower is both silly and wasteful in the end. You add lots of weight and burn tons of fuel. It also annoys me that we're not even close to running into the auto-ignition limit of gas engines. You can generally run up to a 14:1 pressure ratio on engines before bad knocking and when your cycle's efficiency is defined by pressure ratio is seems silly not to push it for better fuel economy. Sad to say most sports cars only run around 10-11:1 pressure ratio (mine runs at 10:1 but it's a Wankel so it's weird to start). It just seems to be that the American car industry has severely lacked good engineering for quite a while.

You pay much attention to anything? GM's LS series of V-8's (or any of the big three's V-8 for that matter) is making power and MPG numbers these days that no one even 10 years ago could have ever imagined. I'm under the assumption you are speaking of compression ratio in the cylinders. The only thing running 14 to 1 comp ratios that are NOT race motors running 110 octane are diesels. Gasoline itself is not going to allow that without alot of octane. Eliminate the hot spots in the cylinder thats sets the gas off prematurely and you may have something, but since that doesn't seem to be a very controlable variable, good luck.

Now, having said all that, went by one of the Ford dealers here in Vegas over the weekend. Anyone want new Shelby GT500? I know where you can get a great deal. They have about 20 of 'em collecting dust. My question is, if they can't sell them, what will they do with them? Auction them as is no warranty?

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What this country is just dying for is a small 4 wheel electric box with a top speed of 10mph (pedestrian safe)

Uh-oh, Mary-Kate Olsen will end up having more muscle than American cars in a few years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP-tyvBGla4

Sorry, I was off on a rant. Coming back to reality now.

Anyway, I do like the GM V-8's. It's a very good idea shutting down half the cylinders.

Truth be told piston engines as a whole bug me. Considering most engines are no more than about 8% efficient with supercars bumping 12% efficient. That's why so much of it bugs me and the part of me that still remembers my thermo classes is bugged by the cycles that we're currently running considering max theoretical compression ratios (gas 14:1, ethanol 18:1, diesel holy ****:1).

Also, the use of turbochargers to increase efficiency would be good but expensive upgrade. It won't improve the fuel efficiency of an engine as an aftermarket part, but if designed to have it, it could. Using all the waste heat from the engines would be good. I know Beemer actually worked something out that's a Rankine steam cycle (read: power plant) that attached to the exhaust and increase the engines power, added about 25hp to a 3-series I think.

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Anyway, I do like the GM V-8's. It's a very good idea shutting down half the cylinders.

Modern tech is a great thing. Caddilac tried this idea many years ago and managed to make a bunch of problems instead of a viable variable displacement engine. Say that three times fast.

Turbos are another thing that have gone way ahead of where we were 10 years ago. Porsche has the new set up where the turbo itself changes its displacement according to engine speed. bye bye lag.

cutlassracer2, I like the stuff your saying. To address the efficiency of engines, your not going to see 14:1 in a gas engine anytime soon, but they are doing amazing things with direct injection. As far as turbos go, GM has a quasi variable displacement turbo right now in their Duramax, but most companies opt for sequential turbos. They could build much more efficient engines, no problem, nobody could afford one. Also, all you bozo's out there, the muscle car isn't going anywhere! Bang Head

Anybody want to buy a GT500KR, only $72,988 new! Silver with a blue tape stripe, 40th anniversary, and mine aren't collecting dust! We have sold every GT500 we could get allocated, borrowed, begged and stole to get a couple more to sell, hey I got news some of us are doing great Cheers

GM is closing 400 dealerships a year until 2012, they have over 6000. There never should have been 6000 GM dealerships, that's WAY too many. I recently moved from Sacramento, there were 9 Ford dealerships within 50 miles, that's ridiculous. Now that half of them went out of business the rest can actually make money, and not advertise ludicrous prices! I personally think this situation is good the us auto manufactures (except for the Govt). Much of the problems with the manufactures is not their fault, they just got caught like the rest of the economy. Now they can adjust, streamline manufacturing and cut wasteful practices. Eventually the economy will improve, US investors will buy back Chrysler, the voters will get tired of the current administration and either change it or replace it and get them out of the public markets, i.e. GM. Ford will come out on top, but their real problems haven't started yet, GM will tank temporarily and the loss of parts manufacturing will cause Ford major supply problems driving up cost. You will most likely see Ford getting some form of a bailout within the year, although they should be able to pay it off quickly. Anyway, that's my Two Cents

Call Friendly Ford here in Vegas. They seem to have plenty of GT500's. The economy has really takned here in Vegas as this is a tourist driven town and when ya ain't got tourists.......

Diesel technology has just gotten crazy over the last couple of years. When you go to a drag strip and watch one ton pick up trucks turning 10's you wonder what the world has come to. Up is down, cats mating with dogs, it's just not right!

I'm with you on the way to many dealers. Everything will work out fine, as long some of those clueless types in charge would keep thier medeling hands out of it. It's called a cycle. These things happen, generally for the better. Unfortunatly those with the medeling hands have decided to infect pretty much everything now. Oh well, was a good run while it lasted.

Dont worry, we will all be driving these midsize cars in a couple of years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=439N7KbWQg4&NR=1

I like this car better, although it better perform as advertised or else I'm going to sue!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Guufs3mdgg

Forum: Off-topic

RIP Pontiac