Honest Engines

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theholycow
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by theholycow »

Crap. Page win, and it's my own posts that end the previous page.
ClutchFork wrote: Sun Jan 20, 2019 5:20 pmBack in the day we would have a friend hook a rope or chain to his bumper and tow the disabled car (assuming it was not a blown ball joint with the wheel at some skewed angle. That was risky and I think now a ticket-able offence.
I've done it a few times and gotten away with it, but that was probably just luck.

Now for anything further than a block or two I use a tow bar, like the kind used when dragging your car behind your motorhome so you'll have something to drive when you get there. No second driver necessary.
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Mine has flanges sticking out sideways that I can lash securely to the bumper with ratchet straps, at least on my 1980 Buick whose bumper is amenable to that sort of thing, rather than bolting it on for a one-off recovery/dragging it to the shop. One of these days I'll have to build/buy brackets to hook my other vehicles with it.

I also connect a heavy chain between the frames of both vehicles and wrap it around the tow bar. If anything or everything else fails, the chain will prevent my rig from going out of control or becoming a problem for others...I'll just have to stop and put it back together. Nothing like that has ever happened.

Of course it's not a 65mph highway rig even with that chain; backroads/moderate speeds only!
Anyway, not having my power brakes and a short tow strap to go the last half mile to the shop (lousy red light and rush traffic or I would have made it with clutchless shifting but for the stop), i did not have a good feel for braking power so basically did overkill and broke the guys strap, so we tied it on this time and go there with a bit less brake effort, but those brake pads got hot enough to smell.
A chain is more appropriate for that type of job. The strap is important when recovering a stuck vehicle because you're gonna break it whether it's a chain or a strap, and you don't want a chain slinging itself back at you when it snaps. To tow an unstuck vehicle you're probably not gonna snap the chain.

Also, you get better at de-powered brakes (and steering) with practice - and IMO everyone should periodically practice (under controlled conditions) by putting it in neutral and killing the engine so you'll be able to handle a moving car with a stalled engine in an emergency.
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by Rope-Pusher »

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Re: Honest Engines

Post by ClutchFork »

theholycow wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 4:29 pm Also, you get better at de-powered brakes (and steering) with practice - and IMO everyone should periodically practice (under controlled conditions) by putting it in neutral and killing the engine so you'll be able to handle a moving car with a stalled engine in an emergency.
Great idea. I should try it sometime.

My friend had a car so unreliable that he kept a tow bar on the front if it all the time.

Yep, chain vs snatch strap, but that was all the guy had I guess.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by Rope-Pusher »

I'm thinkin' that a chain doesn't present the same potential for whipping back at you if you fail a link as you might experience with a rope, a cable, or a strap. I believe that the chain is the stiffest of the bunch, so it does not store much energy in elastic deformation as you apply tension in attempting the tow. A solid tow link would be even better than a chain, but a rubber band would probably be the last thing you should attempt to tow a vehicle with!

The Old Man and the Ferrari
A young investment banker goes out and buys the car of his dreams - a brand new Ferrari GTO. After paying $500,000, he takes it out for a spin and stops at a red light. While waiting for the light to change, an frail looking old man on a yellow moped pulls up next to him. The old man looks over at the Ferrari and asks, "What kind of car ya' got there, Sonny?"

The young man replies, "A Ferrari GTO. It cost half a million dollars!"

"Wheeewee... that's a lot of money," says the old man as he tucks his thumbs up against his suspenders. "Why does it cost so much?"

"Because this car can do up to 320 kilometers an hour!" states the banker proudly.

The moped driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?"

"No problem," replies the proud new owner. So the old man pokes his head in the window and looks around at all the bells and whistles lining the dashboard. Sitting back on his moped, the old man whistles and says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right... but I'll stick with my moped!"

Just then the light changes, so the banker decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He floors it, and within 30 seconds, the speedometer reads 160 kph! Suddenly, he notices a yellow dot in his rear view mirror. It seems to be getting closer! He slows down to see what it could be, and suddenly... Whoooooosssshhhhh! Something blows by him, going much faster!

"What in the hell could be going faster than my Ferrari?" the young man asks himself. He floors the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 kph. Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old man on the moped! Amazed that the moped could pass his Ferrari, he gives it more gas and passes the moped at 275 kph. Whoooooosssshhhhh!

He's feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and sees the old man gaining on him again! Dumbfounded, the banker floors the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the way up to 320 kph. Not ten seconds later, he sees the moped bearing down on him again!

The Ferrari red lines and there's nothing more he can do! Suddenly, the moped plows into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear end. The young man stops and jumps out, and unbelievably, the old man is still alive. He runs up to the mangled old man and says, "Oh my God! Is there anything I can do for you?" The old man whispers with his dying breath... "Unhook... my... suspenders... from... your.... side view mirror."
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by ClutchFork »

^ Very nice illustration of the rubber band towing effect. I think as teens we had towed some cars with rope!
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Re: Honest Engines

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Cadillac overhauls powertrain badging to tout power, performance

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Badglng planned on the 2020 Cadillac XT6 crossover reflects 400 newton meters of torque.

"Cadillac is overhauling the badging of its powertrains to focus on vehicle power and performance rather than the engine's displacement as the brand prepares to add an influx of full-electric vehicles.

Instead of identifying the liters of a vehicle's engine, such as a "2.0T" for 2.0-liter turbo, each model will display the torque of the powertrain. Electric powertrains for EVs have no displacement; however, acceleration, as with internal combustion engines, is best measured in torque." - Cadillac

"BS!"- Rope-Pusher "Power is the time rate of doing work. Power is what accelerates a vehicle."

https://www.autonews.com/cars-concepts/ ... erformance
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by tankinbeans »

Oh boy! A measurement for an Amerocentric brand that denizens of these United States aren't going to quite understand. I suppose bigger numbers are better than smaller numbers.
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by potownrob »

tankinbeans wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:28 pm Oh boy! A measurement for an Amerocentric brand that denizens of these United States aren't going to quite understand. I suppose bigger numbers are better than smaller numbers.
und dare knot die own lee brand switch Ching two dat knew norman clay chair :shock: :x
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Subie, Subie Roo, What Happened to You?
We've got some drivin' to do now
Subie, Subie Roo, What Happened to You?
We need some warranty work now
Come on, Subie Roo, I see you
pretending you've got a service procedure
But you're not fooling me, cause I can see
the way you knock and shudder
You know we've got a safety issue to solve so Subie Roo
be ready for your act
Don't hold back!
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Safety advocate raises questions about Toyota, Subaru valve spring recalls
https://www.autonews.com/regulation-saf ... ng-recalls
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Happy Hemi Day!

HELLEPHANT CRATE ENGINE COSTS $30,000
1,000-horsepower does not come cheap. Mopar revealed its Hellephant crate engine will cost a few dollars less than $30-grand. That’s about $10,000 more than a Hellcat crate engine. And if you want the plug-and-play Engine Kit, which includes wiring harness and engine computer, it’s another 22-hundred bucks. Pre-ordering is open now.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRx2kEWQDpg[/youtube]
http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsre ... 0769&mid=1
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Mazda aims for upscale appeal with inline-6

Inline-6....Din't he formerly post here?

Maybe since he went Upscale, we don't recognize his posts anymore.

https://www.autonews.com/future-product ... -6-engines
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by tankinbeans »

Would there be a way to design that platform to take transverse 4 cylinder engines and longitudinally mounted inline 6 cylinder engines? Or would it have to be RWD/AWD only? Curious because RWD platforms for large cars are usually expensive, at least when they're sold.

This intrigues me though either way.
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Re: Honest Engines

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tankinbeans wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 1:28 pm Would there be a way to design that platform to take transverse 4 cylinder engines and longitudinally mounted inline 6 cylinder engines? Or would it have to be RWD/AWD only? Curious because RWD platforms for large cars are usually expensive, at least when they're sold.

This intrigues me though either way.
Chrysler's original LH cars had a North-South / Longitudinal FWD powertrain. It was said that there was the flexibility to do AWD or even RWD variants off that platform, but they never went beyond FWD. One example of a RWD Amish was built, but that was the only one that wasn't a slushbox.

Unless you design for it up-front, it's difficult to transition from longitudinal (North-South, or even South-North) to transverse (East-West or West-East) engine layouts.
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Re: Honest Engines

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 12:59 pm Mazda aims for upscale appeal with inline-6

Inline-6....Din't he formerly post here?

Maybe since he went Upscale, we don't recognize his posts anymore.

https://www.autonews.com/future-product ... -6-engines
That car looks like an electric razor. Where are the engine pictures? That is the most important part and now they like to cover them with a styled piece of plastic. I like inline six engines.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: Honest Engines

Post by watkins »

Rope-Pusher wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 9:12 pm
tankinbeans wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 1:28 pm Would there be a way to design that platform to take transverse 4 cylinder engines and longitudinally mounted inline 6 cylinder engines? Or would it have to be RWD/AWD only? Curious because RWD platforms for large cars are usually expensive, at least when they're sold.

This intrigues me though either way.
Chrysler's original LH cars had a North-South / Longitudinal FWD powertrain. It was said that there was the flexibility to do AWD or even RWD variants off that platform, but they never went beyond FWD. One example of a RWD Amish was built, but that was the only one that wasn't a slushbox.

Unless you design for it up-front, it's difficult to transition from longitudinal (North-South, or even South-North) to transverse (East-West or West-East) engine layouts.
Also every Saab up until the early-mid '90s
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