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[zisraelsen]

I've looked around the forum and haven't seen any sort of thread for discussing cars. Not Cars the movie, cars the... cars.

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I really like them! As a kid I spent a lot of time in the desert- riding motorcycles, dune buggies, rock crawlers, that kind of stuff. Spent a lot of time at off-road racing events. I broke my first car part when I was 4, and I learned to drive a manual transmission at 9 years old. Cars were a big part of my childhood.
Through high school, I drove a 1986 Toyota 4Runner that was falling apart at the seams. With the help of that car, my dad taught me the basics of troubleshooting and working on cars in general. I can simultaneously say that I owe to that car everything I know about mechanics, and that it was a pile of shit and I'm glad I'm not driving it any more.
At the same time I was looking for a car to replace the 4 Runner, I had also recently started playing DiRT, which is a rally game for the Xbox 360. That game is the reason that my next car was a Subaru Impreza, specifically a 1999 Outback Sport named Alfalfa, with 240,000 miles on the clock and 2 previous owners. It's also the reason I started racing! There's a local rallycross event I participate in using that car to this day. I intend to compete in stage rally using it one day, but stage rally is stupid expensive and so I'll have to wait a while for that.

After that car stopped being reliable enough to drive to work and school (at least partially due to the aforementioned racing), I picked up a 2005 Impreza WRX, which is the car I daily today. It's a crapton of fun, and the community surrounding Subaru is really helpful and friendly. With each of these cars, I've learned a little more about driving and fixing them and it's been a really enjoyable learning process.
It's difficult for me, usually, to talk to people I don't know. I'm not very good at making conversation in general, and for someone that doesn't know me,
that usually translates into a lot of awkward silence. If the other person knows about cars, though, I can breathe a sigh of relief. Cars I can talk about,
for a long time, with anyone who wants to. There's not really another subject I can do that with. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging about any of this;
 there are better mechanics than me on the forum and there are faster drivers here too, I'm sure. But the knowledge and skill I've gained in fixing and driving cars is one of the few aspects of my life I feel I can be proud of. So yeah, that's what cars mean to me.

As a warning, that was more long-winded and personal than I meant it to be when I started writing.

What do cars mean to all of you guys? Anyone here race or work on their own stuff? Do you guys think electric cars will ever fully replace the internal combustion engine? I do! Do you guys think self-driving cars will happen anytime soon? I don't! Let's talk about them!

[TheEvilDog]

What do cars mean to all of you guys?

...Cars go vroom vroom nyooooom on the road...

[pwhodges]

I've looked around the forum and haven't seen any sort of thread for discussing cars. Not Cars the movie, cars the... cars.

There's a bit in here, but mostly driving matters rather than the vehicles, if I remember aright.  A separate thread on this subject makes sense.

[zisraelsen]

What do cars mean to all of you guys?

...Cars go vroom vroom nyooooom on the road...

Well said! Some cool ones also go "Braaaaap Stututututu" every now and then.

[JoeCovenant]

Never been *into* cars, was always a motorbike kinda guy.

Then a GF said she'd didn't like them, (I know should have just ended it, huh?), so got a car.

Since then, (a few years under the bridge) I've not driving a bike in years, and thanks to marriage and children I now drive an 8 month old Qashqai.

WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO ME !!!!???

[Ignominious]

I'm quite confident that the current move to electric vehicles is going to start taking a significant growth in the coming few years.

There's a couple of factors that I think are bringing this about.

Publicly we're becoming a lot more aware of the pollution issues relating to petrol and, particularly, diesel powered vehicles. There's a better understanding of how those vehicles contribute to poor air quality and, in turn, public health. With the vast majority of car journeys made being well within the half range of an electric car then use and ownership of an electric vehicle becomes far more attractive to a consumer.

Current fuel prices are only going to continue to increase. That will also be true of electricity. However, in comparison, a compound percentage scale of electric is far more manageable than than it is for petrol or diesel. The only issue here is infrastructure where we're currently seeing a bit of cat and mouse culture on supply and demand. Some government initiatives are tackling this head on by directly commissioning a network of charging points so that becomes less of an issue. However, the nature of vehicular charging does raise the risk of Jevon's Paradox coming into affect.

Some governments are proposing and introducing legislation that means that they will not licence any new petrol or diesel vehicle after a certain date. That means that vehicle manufacturers will want to make sure that they production and supply chain logistics are already established and robust ahead of that date.

While there are some inherent concerns with this scale of change, it generally is good news. We're openly considering a radical shift in our transport model and, save a few blinkered petrol heads, we seem fairly receptive to it. While I would rather see this change come about sooner, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll see a majority shift to electric in my lifetime.

[zisraelsen]

I agree the swotch will happen but i think it will take a very long time.
Jevons paradox comes into effect when you consider producing that amount of full-electric cars as well. The only battery technology we have today capable of supporting an all-electric car is lithium-based, and no facet of a regular fuel-burning car requires lithium. Supplying that lithium would require dramatic scaling of mining efforts as well as transporting and processing it, which all cause pollution in and of themselves. I don't argue this means we shouldn't switch to all electric; all this had to be worked out for petrol engines too.  But it will slow the process and counteract it's main advertised benefit which may hurt public opinion.
Additionally, most people, myself included, are unable to afford a new car, let alone a new electric car. There will be a delay in integration as electrics take time to enter the used market, and the nature of progress, and of battery degradation, promise that these used models will be less efficient and capable than the new versions. Now the same is true of fuel engines, so again, not claiming nails in a coffin, but these factors will slow adoption in my opinion.
What I'm excited to see is the culture that will surround electric cars. Will there be people who mod them, like they do with fuel burners? Will they be fast? Will racing remain petrol fueled, or will the tech eventually be cheap enough to be raced by people like me?

[Cornelius]

One point that I'm missing in many discussions about electric cars is where this electricity is coming from, and how efficient it's transport and storage is. It's still utopic, to believe your electricity is only from clean sources. Quite a lot is still being produced in gas, and even coal plants. Until such time as the supply is sufficiently clean, it might, paradoxically, be cleaner to have an efficient internal combustion engine.
As technology improves, I'm sure will find solution for that as well, however.

[Ignominious]

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130380-future-batteries-coming-soon-charge-in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air.amphtml

I think that with more car industry money being directed at battery tech and the kind of research that is ongoing, we're looking at a 8-10 year issue, not a generational one.

Lithium is the parafin of its technology and I think were close to ditching as an outmoded panacea. Perhaps ironically, as they shouldn't mix with cars, phones are going to be an interesting testbed here.

You're right about the economics, it is an issue for those who don't currently buy new cars. I'm not sure how that will pan out but electrics may force a large shift in a) how we design cars and b) how we perceive them socially and culturally. Both of those could lead to a market for cars that a much cheaper than they are now but also more modular, which makes them much easier to both upgrade and refurbish as finances allow. Note that we're already in the third wave of micro-commuting and this time its starting to stick.

[Ignominious]

Its a good point about energy generation for powering electric cars. But firstly the USDE puts all electric on a par with good hybrids which trump petrol and diesel. However, these only compare on CO2 produced on a per mile/kilometre scale. They don't look at other tailpipe and stack emissions because they're different and therefore hard to compare.

Second there's the point of where they produce it. Stack emissions at ground level, aren't distributed according to population density and are far less difficult to design control measures as well as integrate substitution.

[jwhouk]

Yanno, I thought this was going to be more of a thread about, well, CARS.

You know, like this:


Or this:


Or maybe this:


Nah. Definitely this:


Okay, maybe this:


No? How about this:


All right, yeah, that was a truck. But hey, what about this cool car?


No? Well, I guess I can understand. They had reliability issues. Maybe something more classical, more "solid".


What? You STILL don't like that? Okay, this is my final offer:


(Hint: one of those nine photos is of a car I currently own. One of them is of a car I have never owned nor driven.)

[pwhodges]

Representative images of the cars of my life.  They are not pictures of the actual cars, but as close to the exact model as I could find.  Our current car is not there, as I made the album a while ago.

If I were to be asked which was my favourite, I'd go for a tie between the Austin 1800 and the Citroen BX; but all had their points, which is why they were chosen!

[TheEvilDog]

I have to admit that I'm not a car guy in the slightest.

But ever since I was a teenager, there has been one car that I have always dreamed of owning. Sure, its impractical, it'd be nearly impossible to drive here and cost a small fortune to go for a brief spin, but damn if I wouldn't love owning one.

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[zisraelsen]

Evildog, that is an excellent choice for a pie-in-the sky dream car. My personal pick is the nissan GTR. Whether either of them are good choices in any other context is questionable.

Hodges, there are some cars In that gallery I'd very much like to own, mostly the minis. We don't get many Citroens in my country either so those are interesting to see as well!

Jwhouk, that is certainly a collection of motor vehicles. how's the PT cruiser treating you? 

[Kugai]

Or you can Post Videos   

[jwhouk]

I have to admit that I'm not a car guy in the slightest.

But ever since I was a teenager, there has been one car that I have always dreamed of owning. Sure, its impractical, it'd be nearly impossible to drive here and cost a small fortune to go for a brief spin, but damn if I wouldn't love owning one.

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...There is one for sale, used, at the local Ford dealer here in town. Has flames on it, though.

[jwhouk]

Jwhouk, that is certainly a collection of motor vehicles. how's the PT cruiser treating you? 

I got rid of it. Too much of a PITA to keep running. Of course, what do I do? Eventually replace it with the HHR. 

[zisraelsen]

Coulda been worse. Coulda replaced it with one of these:

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[jwhouk]

Ugh, never. After owning that Dakota crew cab, I swore off pickups.

I wouldn't mind owning a Tesla 3, or a Model S. Cost is just too much of a factor at the moment.

[SubaruStephen]

But hey, what about this cool car?


No? Well, I guess I can understand. They had reliability issues.

Those didn't have reliability issues, they ARE reliability issues. Poor design + cheap materials + almost zero room in the engine bay + over stressed drive train = a nightmare to repair that requires almost constant repairs.

[jwhouk]

That's why I no longer own one.

But the HHR is coming damn close...

[zisraelsen]

I've been under the impression they were built on the same platform. Do they seem like similar cars in general?

In unrelated car stuff, I raced this weekend! It was like 105 degrees F (like 40 C) and one of my radiator fans wasn't working unbeknownst to me, so between heats became kind of a race to get the car cooled down for the next run. Also I ripped a big ol' gash in the front bumper getting the car off the trailer, but y'know, if I was worried about that kind of damage I wouldn't be racing the thing in the first place.

[Kugai]

My two Dream Cars


1) The Tumbler
2) Pursuit Special from the original Mad Max film

[TheEvilDog]

My two Dream Cars


1) The Tumbler

Technically the mutant offspring between a tank and a bulldozer.

[zisraelsen]

Man, imagine commuting in the tumbler? Like, parking at work in it? Then halfway to the door pressing the button on the key fob and having it go *boop boop*? I think you've given me a new dream car, kugai, just for the sheer ridiculous badassery.

[JoeCovenant]

Scottish Government to phase out new petrol cars by 2032. 

Eight years before UK government look to do so.

[Thrudd]

Tumbler? Does google search ... oh god....

Okay, in semi-seriousness here are my realities and dreams.

Reality
First car I drove was my dad's Reliant K Wagon

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His was that pale metallic blue where the paint was blistering and peeling off the hood and roof near the end

The previous ones he owned

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Finding an image was darn hard but envision this in the dark red of the time with plastic seat covers.
The upholstery was impeccable when it was finally sold but the drivers side floor was rusted out since dad didn't believe in floor mats - Fred Flintstones emergency braking system
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Before that was the Austin Morris camper van in two tone grey. The front seats were over the motor, so hot hot hot in summer.
The back interior included a fold out gas stove on the swing out back door and wooden sliding bench seats that were cabinets and doubled as a bed when slid out.

My first car was a 99 VW Golf Wolfsberg.

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Mine had a HUGE whip antenna for 2m radio added. Made it look like an RC car 
I still miss it. Had to let it go earlier this year since repairs were more than it was worth. Went to an apprentice auto-mechanic who I know will keep her running for years to come

My new car is a 2017 VW DUNE

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Yes, mine is just like the one in the center, including the painted alloy wheels 
I may post a real picture if I remember to take one and upload it

Fantasy
What I would love to own and drive for fun

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What I would love to own and drive in traffic

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Sans party favors of course but should make parking a breeze and those aggressive drivers pay the price 

Pure Fantasy vehicle would have to be this one though

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Spectrum Saloon car, sans machine guns in the front wheel wells 

[Kugai]

SIG on that last one   

[pwhodges]

[zisraelsen]

I for one welcome our 18 wheeled overlords.

Also I just learned the roadkill guys (who are kind of my idols in the car world) were at my race. On Saturday. Which was practice day. Which I skipped. And now I'm bummed.

[Thrudd]

18 wheels you say? Geezers.
I regulary see tri axle trailers as often as the old standby dual axel types. So 22 wheelers.
But those are not the big guys that are nkt as common but I  see at least 2 or more on my coommutes that have more.
Yesterday I encounteted a 7 axel monster of which only 1 was single wheeled and the tractor was tri axeled. So a total of 40 tires on the road but I bet someone can find something bigger.

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

[zisraelsen]

Thrudd, I'm reminded of this madness, but that's not so much a crazy amount of tires so much as it is just generally crazy.

[pwhodges]

That's pretty amazing, actually.

[Akima]

I regulary see tri axle trailers as often as the old standby dual axel types. So 22 wheelers.
But those are not the big guys that are nkt as common but I  see at least 2 or more on my coommutes that have more.
Yesterday I encounteted a 7 axel monster of which only 1 was single wheeled and the tractor was tri axeled. So a total of 40 tires on the road but I bet someone can find something bigger.

New South Wales now allows B-triples on our roads:

And of course Australia is the land of the road-train:

But mercifully, even our haulage-industry-friendly state government doesn't permit these on NSW roads except out in the boonies where the traffic-density is low.

[zisraelsen]

My favorite part of those (awesome, by the way) pictures of the road trains is the signs on the front of both that say "Long Vehicle" because yes I have noticed.

[TheEvilDog]

And of course Australia is the land of the road-train:

And more and more, I see the inspiration for some of the Mad Max movies.

[bhtooefr]

Let's see, my history:

1985 Volkswagen Jetta Diesel
1988 Honda Civic
1986 Volkswagen Golf Diesel
1992 Mazda Miata
1999.5 Volkswagen Golf TDI
2000 Mazda Miata (currently own, although I might have it sold in a few days...)
2016 Toyota Prius (currently own)

It took me three times to learn that Volkswagens were not for me.

In any case, I do feel that full electrification will happen, and shockingly (pun intended) quickly. The technology's basically already here to make it work if you want it to work, tailpipe pollution is a huge issue in urban areas (which are growing), many nations have gotten sick of internal combustion engine manufacturers' bullshit, the cheapest additional grid capacity is renewable, smart deployment of vehicle charging infrastructure can actually help stabilize the grid with renewables on it, the grid is already clean enough in many regions that there's often a GHG benefit to going electric...

The big problem is infrastructure deployment - urban charging is the huge problem for the US, where there's not political will for large public works projects. Long-distance charging, Tesla's got that covered, and the other automakers - that are still trying to perpetuate the ICE - still don't get that Tesla will eat their lunch rapidly as the Tesla Supercharger network grows and Tesla's cars become more affordable. (I have some problems with Tesla, but they're the only manufacturer that really gets what's needed, and is just doing it.)

There's also the political will of adopting electric vehicles in general, which is primarily an American and Japanese problem, I think.

In the Japanese case, it seems to be tied to a hydrogen-based (from Australian coal) energy strategy, partially bolstered by the growing anti-nuclear sentiment there, and the difficulty with deploying renewables in Japan specifically due to density and terrain. (There's also the urban charging problem, but as soon as sentiments change towards EVs there, the Japanese society can support a rapid shift in ways that the American society cannot.)

In the American case, it's coming from a fundamentally different place - actively regressive societal views, the widespread belief that global warming is a hoax, and even a belief that pollution is a good thing (see rolling coal). The US could easily end up being the land of the V8 pickup truck as family car, decades after the rest of the world has banned ICE, as a result.

[Thrudd]

And of course Australia is the land of the road-train:

And more and more, I see the inspiration for some of the Mad Max movies.

But that's Australia.

One of CATs plants is just down the road from me and this is the smallest one they build/refurbish here.

Only C$600K 

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These are running around off road in lots of places around Sudbury and further north
Have those road warriors from Mad Max run into one of these monsters going full speed and it goes from a game of el-Toro to squirrel 

[zisraelsen]

The price of industrial vehicles is always mind-boggling to me. Like, I understand that that's a specialized piece of equipment and is a revenue source, but it just doesn't look like 600 grand worth of truck to me. Not sure why.

Also, as much as I don't want to clog this thread with YouTube videos I find neat, climbkhana and ultimate drag race 7 both dropped in the past week and if you haven't watched them I think you should.