Motoring related Q&A thread

griffo_001 · 2 Jun 2011 at 09:37

zootfloot said:
Q) Someone once told me that the fuel symbol on your dash will always have an arrow pointing to the side of the car that the fuel filler is on, however the last 3 cars i have driven do not show an arrow on the symbol at all....is there some truth in this myth?

It's not an arrow. Look at the picture of the pump on your gauge: you will see the hose/nozzle is either on the left or right of the pump. That's the side your fuel filler cap is on. Even the Italians seem to respect this "standard"

zootfloot · 2 Jun 2011 at 10:04

griffo_001 said:
It's not an arrow. Look at the picture of the pump on your gauge: you will see the hose/nozzle is either on the left or right of the pump. That's the side your fuel filler cap is on. Even the Italians seem to respect this "standard"

Excellent, now i know.

However i have just spoken to a colleague who said that his car has an arrow pointing to the right.

Liampope · 2 Jun 2011 at 10:13

My car has no arrow, but I've seen some that do. Never paid attention to the pump symbol itself - will have a look see if it is right!

Liampope · 2 Jun 2011 at 10:16

TS7 said:
Why does fuel make such a big difference to the gear change in my car?

I've had my car for almost two years now, when I fill up at Sainsburys the gear change is rough and notchy, if I fill up at BP / Shell it's a great deal better, when I fill up at Excel it's almost silky smooth. When the petrol level is low it gets notchy and rough again.

Now these just aren't some one off experiences, this is conclusively what I've experienced over the time I've had it.

I've had my gear box oil changed twice and had it looked over and there absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Come on you know it's impossible. It's all in your head!

Philz0r · 2 Jun 2011 at 10:34

in a rwd car. Do the tyres wear down faster on the front wheels or back?

Saytan · 2 Jun 2011 at 12:49

Philz0r said:
in a rwd car. Do the tyres wear down faster on the front wheels or back?

the rears wear quicker

markweatherill · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:22

Why don't electric cars have alternators? That would greatly extend their range, I'm sure.

Clarkey · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:30

griffo_001 said:
It's not an arrow. Look at the picture of the pump on your gauge: you will see the hose/nozzle is either on the left or right of the pump. That's the side your fuel filler cap is on. Even the Italians seem to respect this "standard"

Are you actually serious?

andy_mk3 · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:30

markweatherill said:
Why don't electric cars have alternators? That would greatly extend their range, I'm sure.

Probably because the energy produced by the alternator isn't enough to make a difference after the energy used to run the alternator. Although some cars have regenerative bakes.

Liampope · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:34

markweatherill said:
Why don't electric cars have alternators? That would greatly extend their range, I'm sure.

Why would an electric car need an alternator?? Use some electrical energy to rotate a mechanical device which generates [less than you input] electrical energy. :confused:

Muffin` · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:35

Liampope said:
Why would an electric car need an alternator?? Use some electrical energy to rotate a mechanical device which generates [less than you input] electrical energy.

He might mean an electric hybrid.

Kenai · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:36

markweatherill said:
Why don't electric cars have alternators? That would greatly extend their range, I'm sure.

An alternator generates electricity by effectively sapping some of the engine output.

If your car is powered by electricity anyway, all an alternator would do is waste power through efficiency losses, it won't just magic more electricity out of nowhere.

Philz0r · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:51

Clarkey said:
Are you actually serious?

its true.

Gaygle · 2 Jun 2011 at 13:58

Why don't car manufacturers just make car's rev higher to get more power out of them?

Philz0r · 2 Jun 2011 at 14:18

Puts more strain on the engine.

MeEsH BaKkA · 2 Jun 2011 at 15:20

Gaygle said:
Why don't car manufacturers just make car's rev higher to get more power out of them?

Because you have to burn more fuel to make more power and a high reving engine won't be particulary economical, therefore will be hated by 90% of the motoring population for being a noisy polluting boy racer machine... RIP Type R engines

A much much more efficent way of producing more power is by using a turbo, hence all the small capacity turbo engines these days. Sure they are quick with sometimes interesting power deliveries.... But I miss induction noises that amount to more than a hiss/whistle.

Disco Boy · 2 Jun 2011 at 15:35

andy_mk3 said:
Probably because the energy produced by the alternator isn't enough to make a difference after the energy used to run the alternator. Although some cars have regenerative bakes.

Muffin` said:
He might mean an electric hybrid.

Kenai said:
An alternator generates electricity by effectively sapping some of the engine output.

If your car is powered by electricity anyway, all an alternator would do is waste power through efficiency losses, it won't just magic more electricity out of nowhere.

Did you actually thing he was being serious? lmfao.

daveydave · 2 Jun 2011 at 16:17

Philz0r said:
its true.

Ford's all have an arrow...but it is true.

Kenai · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:36

Disco Boy said:
Did you actually thing he was being serious? lmfao.

I never underestimate the stupidity of people on the internet.

Jjustme · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:08

Forgive me if this is nonsense.

But if CVT's have effectively, an infinite number of gear ratios, why don't all automatic cars have this so they can always run at it's most economical RPM at any speed?