Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

[Spectre]

With an automatic transmission, if you have the thing in Drive, you must apply the brakes to keep the vehicle from moving forward. After a while at the light, your natural tendency is to slack off the brake pedal a bit, which means the car will creep forward.

Many lights in the US are placed at the intersection of a busy street and a less travelled one. To run the thing on raw timers would be stupid if there isn't much cross traffic, so the traffic light relies on magnetic sensors placed in the road bed to tell it when there's a vehicle there. The sensor reports the presence of a vehicle, the light's computer goes into "change light mode", and depending on how many vehicles are waiting for the light (as reported by multiple sensors in each lane), it changes and holds the light for the crosstraffic, then changes the light back to let the busy street flow again until another car arrives at the cross street.

 

[NooDle]

people should stop being so lazy and put the car in N when infront of a traffic light. problem solved !

 

[public]

I usually put the automatic car I sometimes drive in N, because it tends to vibrate more if I have it in D while standing at the lights.

 

[chaos386]

Oh, when you said "releasing pressure", I thought you meant somewhere in the transmission, as if staying in drive while stopped would cause some sort of damage, not just that people were being lazy! I've driven auto much longer than I've driven stick, and I've never accidentally let go of the brake while stopped at a light.

 

[mclarensmps]

First time I ever drove an Automatic I had no idea it would just start moving when it was in drive :lol:, I've spent 95% of my driving life with Manuals

 

[_HighVoltage_]

First time I ever drove an Automatic I had no idea it would just start moving when it was in drive :lol:, I've spent 95% of my driving life with Manuals

Same here. Although I am much worse with Automatics. Especially when the car has a more "sporty" interior and the gear lever looks like that on a manual car. In these cases, I'm always tempted to press the clutch when stopping, and hitting the brake pedal with your left foot is NOT FUN! :lol: :lol:

 

[mclarensmps]

Oh my God, yeah, I did that the first time, too :lol:, it was an uncomfortable ride for my passenger (the owner of the car), until he told me I'm supposed to use the same foot for braking and accelerating :lol:


^Fail

 

[Labcoatguy]

How offensive (to veterans especially) would it be to put a circular red magnet on the side of a Japanese car?

 

[Crazyjeeper]

I would find it hilarious. You have to get a guy in a mustang to put American flags on his car and chase you around.

 

[Labcoatguy]

I would find it hilarious. You have to get a guy in a mustang to put American flags on his car and chase you around.

Or, get four of those Mustangs to escort one of those USA Trucks with the Air Force emblem on them, while getting buzzed by a squad of BMWs. Actually, this is a great idea for a road rally: "Interstate WWII".

 

[Crazyjeeper]

Or, get four of those Mustangs to escort one of those USA Trucks with the Air Force emblem on them, while getting buzzed by a squad of BMWs. Actually, this is a great idea for a road rally: "Interstate WWII".

Don't forget to have 1 or 2 pesky little MGs floating around.

 

[Spectre]

Don't forget to have 1 or 2 pesky little MGs floating around.

You could substitute Morgans or XKRs.

 

[Labcoatguy]

You could substitute Morgans or XKRs.

Gotta be Morgans then; you need a few wooden British specimens showing the Germans a thing or two. The Jags have to be V-12s, bonus points for supercharging.

 

[Adunaphel]

You could substitute Morgans or XKRs.

Pfft, then go for Triumph Spitfires

 

[thedguy]

For some of them, it's because they have automatics and they're releasing some of the pressure on the brake pedal.

For others, it's because they think it WILL make the light turn green sooner, but don't know why or how so it might as well be magic.

For me, it's because I can see where the magnetic sensor has been embedded in the pavement and if I don't put the magnet clamped to my bike's frame over one of the loops, the idiot light will NEVER change.

I'll roll back and forth once in a while if the light is taking too long. On most of those occasions it has worked.

 

[Redliner]

First time I ever drove an Automatic I had no idea it would just start moving when it was in drive :lol:, I've spent 95% of my driving life with Manuals

I almost panicked when that happened during a test drive I did on a Honda Fit with the CVT gearbox!:lol:

 

[Spectre]

Pfft, then go for Triumph Spitfires

It is next to impossible to find one still running that has the original Triumph engine; said engine had a known defect that would result in a dropped valve on a regular basis, IIRC.

 

[Labcoatguy]

It is next to impossible to find one still running that has the original Triumph engine; said engine had a known defect that would result in a dropped valve on a regular basis, IIRC.

Of course the original Supermarine Spitfire had a supercharged Rolls-Royce V12....

 

[Lupin_IV]

Of course the original Supermarine Spitfire had a supercharged Rolls-Royce V12....

After all the modification to fit the Merlin in it, there wouldn't be much of the Triumph left.

 

[CrzRsn]

Someone should pitch this Idea to the cannonball/gumball/bullrun organizers.
Bullrun WWII would be great.