jellybeard999 said:
Oh, where to start.....
jellybeard999 said:
Granted, but i think people refer to "american cars" as the models made exclusively for the US market, the massive barges, Buicks, Cadillacs etc, that are just basically a massive (but really crap) engine, a sofa in the front and back, and some metal, with the level of design of an anvil.
Really crap huh? Let me guess, you think they're really crap because they have a lower power output per litre than European cars with similar sized engines? See, that would be on account of them being in a much lower state of tune for reliability purposes. The thing about North America is that it's big. Really big. Mind bogglingly big. If you want to travel anywhere by car, you have to drive a very long distance for a very long time before you even make it to the next state. So their cars were generally designed so that the mechanicals would last for 500k miles before needing any attention.
jellybeard999 said:
One thing i dont get is why Americans as a rule, think EU cars are really slow because they dont have a 5+ litre engine
I can't honestly say I've ever heard an American say anythig like that? In fact, if you talk to them about performance cars the only American cars mentioned will be the 'stang, the 'vette and the Viper. Everything else, it's BMW M cars, Jap stuff, high powered Mercs etc.
jellybeard999 said:
1 - Our cars weigh less than a planet
And the point you were trying to make was? My Oldsmobile weighs just a little more than St Paul's cathedral yet it copes with UK country roads without destroying anything.
jellybeard999 said:
2 - Our engines actually have to be developed, because our petrol prices are higher, so we dont rely on the same tech used to produce the model T
Ah yes, that old argument. I'm fairly certain that every car on this planet owes something to the Model T to some extent. Though let us compare the engine and gearbox of the Model T with my Oldsmobile:
Ford: 2.9L inline-4, side valve configuration. Pedal operated manual gearbox with 2 forward gears.
Olds: 5.0L V8, overhead valve configuration. Automatic gearbos with 3 forward gears plus overdrive.
Yes, I'm seeing the similarities there.....
jellybeard999 said:
3 - Our roads have corners, so having 99% of the cars weight at the front isnt great
Think you'll find it's on the order of 60-65% in the worst cases, but I'll just assume you were exaggerating. And again, my Olds doesn't mind corners as long as I don't try and take them at Formula 1 speeds.
jellybeard999 said:
4 - We dont feel the need to haul room sized seating around in our cars
Not sure of your point there. I'll say this much - it's damned useful having that much room in a car sometimes. I've been glad of the width when hauling a lot of stuff around.
jellybeard999 said:
5 - We dont need to be able to stretch our arms fully to reach for our 6 gallon coke drink or half cow burger we got at the drive through, hence our cup holders accept a small coffee cup, or small soft drinks can, rather than a dustbin
I'm with you on that one. I don't like this cupholder frenzy in new American cars. I don't like this cupholder frenzy in new European cars or Japanse cars for that matter - maybe it's because I've never had the need for one. I tend to drink my coffee rather quickly, so I never really need to put it down.
jellybeard999 said:
Sorry to stereotype, but its what seems to happen to us with our "puny" 1L engines, which actually have a use, if you are in a city centre or drive on tiny trips (5 miles or something commute).
Yep, which is why in addition to an Oldsmobile I have a Fiat Seicento. With a 0.9l engine in fact, rather than a whole litre displacement.
jellybeard999 said:
Anyone tried to raise a discussion on XS.org ? George W is god, 1mpg is the target fuel efficiency, patriotism to the extreme, massive pick up trucks are king and i go hunting native americans on a weekend
Oh I see! You've been confusing retards on an internet forum with what actually goes on in the real world! Oh well, it makes sense now.
jellybeard999 said:
Most pictures i've seen of american streets, everyone seems to drive Toyotas, Hondas, Fords etc.
The Camry is pretty much the best selling car over there. Ford and General Motors aren't doing very well at all. The Mopar boys seem to be doing alright though - god bless the Hemi. And before you witter on about that being unsophisticated - show me a large European engine that shuts down a bank of cylinders when loafing around to save fuel.
jellybeard999 said:
Im sure there are a lot of disastrous american cars, but a lot more good ones, but why do the bad ones seem to be so popular.
Simple answer - the bad ones aren't popular. Never have been.
jellybeard999 said:
I mean how popular are Ford F150 (?) or Cadillac Escalade subs / pickup trucks ? They feature reasonably frequently in american TV programmes at least
In Seattle, the only Escalade I saw was at a dealership.....and it wasn't selling. The place was crawling with BMWs though.
America changes vastly when you go from state to state. What's popular in one area won't be in another.
jellybeard999 said:
... but one of the funniest things i ever saw was a review of the Harley Davidson F150 on Top Gear, in which the dash dropped to bits, a major component (gearbox?) broke, the ride was the worst Clarkson had ever had, and the suspension etc etc were basically the same as the 195x model, the most major change was the body
And you don't think that possibly some of it was done for the comedic effect?
Yes, the ride is appalling. It was designed to go off-road. Land Rover Defenders aren't exactly like Rolls-Royces on-road. Yes, the interior quality can be a bit poor. It's cheap. It's just supposed to be there to hold the gauges roughly in place. As for the suspension - sorry, but the front suspension is of an entirely different design to the 1950s models. As for the 'cart spring' rear - it needs leaf springs and a solid axle, as it's an off-roader. It needs to be tough, and a leaf-sprung solid axle is tough.
jellybeard999 said:
Rant over
Thank God for that.
jellybeard999 said:
If anyone visits the motors section of xtremesystems occasionally, they'll know the bias i speak of...
*braces self for flame and bombardment*
No thanks. I get enough idiocy on the forums I currently visit without adding another one to the mix!