Recent Comments:
London 2008: Honda OSM concept roadster says, "Cheerio!" {Autoblog}
Jul 22nd 2008 11:54AM agreed, looks horrible. The current S2000 looks drastically sleeker and more athletic and nimble. The bulbuous and lethargic, the sweeping sideways taillights are like horizontal stripes on a fat man. The short hood only adds to the overweight problem, and the squinty, beady eyes make the face all the more round.
Electric MINI will be in US customer hands in summer 2009! {Autoblog Green}
Jul 22nd 2008 10:25AM I hope it has a range of 150 miles, because that's how far away my nearest MINI dealership is! I'd own one of the first ones, though, if this is true and it offers a decent commuter quality ride, range, and acceleration.
Spy Shots: Suzuki Kizashi prowls the strip mall {Autoblog}
Jul 22nd 2008 10:18AM Unsurprisingly, it looks very similar to the Subaru Impreza ... just like Suzuki's offerings have looked nearly identical to Subaru's in the past.
French rail company makes $1.7 billion profit in 2007 {Autoblog Green}
Jul 12th 2008 5:40PM Trains arent used for long distance travel in Europe, either, mainly commuting. The population density of France is the same as that of Ohio. The article refuting the benefits of trains in America is bound by fallacy. Sure it would take longer to travel across the nation laterally, but people in Europe don't generally travel from Nice to St. Petersburg by train, either.
Volvo to field test trucks with new DME fueled engines {Autoblog Green}
Jul 10th 2008 7:21PM Is that Dimethyl Ether, by chance? If so, I hope they don't drive by any pregnant women, or you're looking at renaming that street to Miscarriage Dr. Hopefully I'm incorrect.
For the truly insane: 1800-horsepower Mosler MT900S {Autoblog}
Jul 9th 2008 8:12PM I can only imagine what that was like standing by the car for the dyno run. When standing about 5 feet away next to my brother's naturally aspirated G35 when he lifts off the throttle after reving, my jeans on my legs get pushed around by air. That much pressure differential must compress your ear drums.
Officially Official: 2009 Ford Focus RS {Autoblog}
Jul 4th 2008 12:51PM And who cares about understeer/oversteer anyway?! The point of racing is to maintain as much traction as possible at all times.
Also, it doesn't matter which characteristic your car has, you compensate. If your car understeers, you turn in early and accelerate early through a turn. If your car oversteers, you turn in late and accelerate late through the turn. No matter which characteristic, the car still accelerates for the same amount of time. And FWD vehicles are more efficient because of fewer drivetrain components, so you get more of your power to the ground and use less fuel meaning you can lap more, spending less time in the pit.
Torque steer is a quality of poorly designed suspension, and is present no matter which wheels are being driven. If you gun it from a stop in a RWD vehicle, the tail end spins sideways and you lose your line and have to compensate via the steering wheel. The FWD vehicle also loses grip and the front end spins sideways, and the same correction methods prevail. An LSD is not by rule of thumb a cure for torque steer, as it simply diverts power to the wheel with the most traction (possibly exacerbating the problem is poorly matched to the vehicle), but could via control mechanisms compensate.
The true issue is the wheel's toe and camber qualities. FWD with slight front toe in and camber out should alleviate torque steer, and RWD with slight rear toe in and camber out should do the same. Concomitantly, the reverse is also true. FWD with rear toe out and camber in will induce oversteer, RWD with front toe out and camber in will produce understeer.
It has nothing to do with the drive wheels, but with your vehicles suspension. And who goes to a track or autocross without proper suspenssion anyway? Who cares what the car does from the factory? They design cars by US Federal Highway safety regulations for understeer by law, because they believe it's easier for people to understand and recover from.
Again, nothing to do with the drive wheels.
Officially Official: 2009 Ford Focus RS {Autoblog}
Jul 4th 2008 12:50PM And who cares about understeer/oversteer anyway?! The point of racing is to maintain as much traction as possible at all times.
Also, it doesn't matter which characteristic your car has, you compensate. If your car understeers, you turn in early and accelerate early through a turn. If your car oversteers, you turn in late and accelerate late through the turn. No matter which characteristic, the car still accelerates for the same amount of time. And FWD vehicles are more efficient because of fewer drivetrain components, so you get more of your power to the ground and use less fuel meaning you can lap more, spending less time in the pit.
Torque steer is a quality of poorly designed suspension, and is present no matter which wheels are being driven. If you gun it from a stop in a RWD vehicle, the tail end spins sideways and you lose your line and have to compensate via the steering wheel. The FWD vehicle also loses grip and the front end spins sideways, and the same correction methods prevail. An LSD is not by rule of thumb a cure for torque steer, as it simply diverts power to the wheel with the most traction (possibly exacerbating the problem is poorly matched to the vehicle), but could via control mechanisms compensate.
The true issue is the wheel's toe and camber qualities. FWD with slight front toe in and camber out should alleviate torque steer, and RWD with slight rear toe in and camber out should do the same. Concomitantly, the reverse is also true. FWD with rear toe out and camber in will induce oversteer, RWD with front toe out and camber in will produce understeer.
It has nothing to do with the drive wheels, but with your vehicles suspension. And who goes to a track or autocross without proper suspenssion anyway? Who cares what the car does from the factory? They design cars by US Federal Highway safety regulations for understeer by law, because they believe it's easier for people to understand and recover from.
Again, nothing to do with the drive wheels.
Maybe you should think in gallons-per-mile instead of MPG {Autoblog}
Jun 21st 2008 10:25PM Why America doesn't need efficient cars:
http://jsonne.home.insightbb.com/VehicleEfficiency.htm
Pics Aplenty: Maserati GranTurismo S, in all its glory {Autoblog}
Jun 21st 2008 10:00PM No kidding. Resale value on these maintenance nightmares is horrible.
