Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

At 80 the Grand Prix turns about 22-2300 rpm. Just think if it had a 5th gear in it. One thing that's not so obvious is that the computer in the car is a complete custom tune for that car at my altitude, so it's really not a stock car by any means, it's got custom fuel and air mapping which contributes to that figure. In hilly areas, or not on cruise control I wouldn't be able to hold that high of a mileage, it also helped I went from 7200' elevation to 5200' during that trip- the way back I got about 30 mpg, and that included a lot of slower and varying speed due to the minor blizzard that set in the last 30 miles.
 
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A tachometer can be easily installed in a car that doesn?t have one. Putting a manual transmission in car that has an automatic transmission is much harder.
 
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My father used to have one... it had markings on the speedo indicating the maximum speed for every gear. A little annoying, but perfectly usable.
 
Any thoughts on this?

Daihatsu_Sirion.JPG


Saw one for sale
 
FATMOUSE said:
So what do you guys think of a car with a stick but no tach?
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Welcome to Europe, where most really cheap car's have both of the above. Even brand new ones. Our Picasso has a techhy funky digital dashboard, but no tach.

picasso2.jpg


It's not that hard to shift by ear though.
 
^ i drove 5 years with car that had no tach.. no problems at all.. if you reach the limit, you reach the limit no biggie. only thing that you need to keep in mind is the low revs.. how slow you can drive in each gear.
 
Belgium car fail of the day : apparently ALL new Fiat 500s automatically fail their MOTs since there seems to be a problem with the rear suspension. too hard springs, too bouncy seems to be the verdict

So now you can't sell any secondhand 500 anymore...

weird that it's only happening here though, and since the Ford Ka has the same chassis, why doesn't it have the same problem?
 
FATMOUSE said:
So what do you guys think of a car with a stick but no tach?
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My car's tach is so damn hard to read it might as well not exist.

I just shift by feel now.
 
NooDle said:
Belgium car fail of the day : apparently ALL new Fiat 500s automatically fail their MOTs since there seems to be a problem with the rear suspension. too hard springs, too bouncy seems to be the verdict

So now you can't sell any secondhand 500 anymore...

weird that it's only happening here though, and since the Ford Ka has the same chassis, why doesn't it have the same problem?
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The Fiat 500 shares it's chassis with the Ford Ka? :lol:

I really don't know what people like about it anymore. besides some people liking the looks.
 
That's not quiet a Kei car though.....

Still, the little Daihatsu isn't too bad.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? :blink: At what rpm is the engine at that speed?
My freaking BRICK has 1.5x smaller engine and only gets 27mpg highway (I'm not telling how much it's getting in city driving :cry:)
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Ever heard of aerodynamics and drag?
 
Night_Hawk said:
The Fiat 500 shares it's chassis with the Ford Ka? :lol:

I really don't know what people like about it anymore. besides some people liking the looks.
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Wikipedia said:
The car is currently produced in Tychy, Poland by Fiat Auto Poland alongside the Nuova Panda and second-generation Ford Ka, released in 2008, all using the same platform.
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Yup.

And in the tiny/girly/cheapncheerful cars subsection, looks/style = everything
plus they cost next to nothing, which is always nice
 
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Luckily it's related to the new, worthy Ka instead of the old prematurely rusting heap.
 
NooDle said:
that is awesome, but you'd have to be able to live with that interior.
I just couldn't.

Also, *points at own mpg rating below*
That's a turbocharged car too, and it's not like I'm exactly a slow driver
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Yes, but your engine is slightly more than half the size of mine. I'd be willing to bet it weighs a fair bit more as well :lol:

I'll agree with you on the interior, somewhat anyway. That picture makes it look worse than it is, but it's still a classic GM sea-of-grey interior. Mine's a cloth interior as well, but it's a simple job to swap a leather interior in, and I am keeping an eye out for it. It's actually quite comfortable as is though. Not the best car, sure, but it's not a bad car by any means. I'd have preferred a GTO (in fact that's what I was looking for, but there were none available when I was shopping, so I got that).
 
Spectre said:
I have a few bottles of Lucas smoke and some Lucas Smoke Generators. :D
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The rest of us call those Lucas Smoke Generators "Jaguars"
 
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