Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

They are hardly attainable here now due to heaps of people from other countries going OMG MAD MAX INTERCEPTORRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.


So, they're really expensive here now, which is fucken gay.
Which pisses me off, cos I'm a Ford man through and through.
True. :( A lot of them went to America.

really? because as far as i can tell there are only 5 or so in country
 
the buses in my university are automatics, but then they came and made a manual swap on them, the way god intended them to be.

also, the first 2 days of driving my mitsu to college i got a blue ticket, then all of a sudden they started giving me yellow tickets. hmm.....
 
Quick question: For standing start, is it better to hold down the accelerator a bit and then slowly release the clutch into first gear OR it it better to release the clutch, balance it (or feel the friction) and then push down the accelerator?

throttle first, then clutch
you can do it the other way around if you have a diesel with lots of torque, but i still prefer the first option
 
Quick question: For standing start, is it better to hold down the accelerator a bit and then slowly release the clutch into first gear OR it it better to release the clutch, balance it (or feel the friction) and then push down the accelerator?

Learn to drive and do both at the same time.
 
Totally random: I find it strangely ironic that the US is the country of the big engines and at the same time its speed limit is lower than that of most European countries where the typical car has probably less than 100 hp.
Yeah I know it's caused by taxing and fuel pricing, but anyway.
 
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throttle first, then clutch
you can do it the other way around if you have a diesel with lots of torque, but i still prefer the first option
Hmm.. That's the way most people do.. But I was taught personally to wait for friction. That's probably why I stall so much from a start

Learn to drive and do both at the same time.
I do know how to drive, but haven't done a manual for a long time.
 
I think so... the only problem being they will all be autos when they finally hit the civilian market. Manual ones that sold last year will go for big $$$



I think this means they will be importing them here en masse eventually. Which of course will bring the option of maual transmissions to the table.
 
really? because as far as i can tell there are only 5 or so in country

I did not state just America, I said other countries.

The three biggest, in order I can think of are: Japan, America then England.

For Mad Max clones that is, thus Falcon coupes.


Outside of Australia that is.


I know a lot about this stuff as my girlfriend's dad is a Mad Max nut, seriously, the amount of stuff he knows about those movies is rediculous. Plus being an Aussie into Fords, I also know about the coupes myself.
 
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Totally random: I find it strangely ironic that the US is the country of the big engines and at the same time its speed limit is lower than that of most European countries where the typical car has probably less than 100 hp.
Yeah I know it's caused by taxing and fuel pricing, but anyway.

What's the typical European speed limit? Most of our interstates here have a limit of 75 mph....
 
What's the typical European speed limit? Most of our interstates here have a limit of 75 mph....

Around here, it's 90kph on regular roads, 100kph on wider(improved) roads which form part of main road links across Europe, and 130kph on whatever excuse of a motorway we have. And 130kph is somewhere around 75-80 mph...
 
Update on the Volvo:

I've always know it leaks some oil from the rear main seal, but I didn't think it was very bad. Well, it is now.

I drove 400 miles yesterday and lost somewhere between .5 and .7 quarts (liters) of oil. It's not burning it...it leaks it.
To fix the main seal it costs $600-700...and I will still have a 15-year-old car with a problematic transmission.

I just put a bottle of Bar's Rear Main Seal fix...it's optimistic, but keep your fingers crossed that at least it improves the situation a little bit.
 
Quick question: For standing start, is it better to hold down the accelerator a bit and then slowly release the clutch into first gear OR it it better to release the clutch, balance it (or feel the friction) and then push down the accelerator?

On my Corolla, (especially since it's only a 3 cyl.) it's throttle first followed by the clutch. And, there is a sort of a dead zone before the clutch engages. If the engine wasn't prone to misfiring at low revs. I probably wouldn't give it as much throttle.

On a Mazda Protege I drove, there was no dead zone on the clutch, and the engine was powerful enough that throttling first caused it to lurch. On that car, start letting the clutch out (which immediately catches, no delay) and gently give it throttle to start rolling as needed.
 
Quick question: For standing start, is it better to hold down the accelerator a bit and then slowly release the clutch into first gear OR it it better to release the clutch, balance it (or feel the friction) and then push down the accelerator?

1. clutch in
2. engage first
3. boot the throttle until it's banging against the rev limiter
4. move your foot to the side of the clutch, quickly releasing it.
5. ???
6. crash.
 
Update on the Volvo:

I've always know it leaks some oil from the rear main seal, but I didn't think it was very bad. Well, it is now.

I drove 400 miles yesterday and lost somewhere between .5 and .7 quarts (liters) of oil. It's not burning it...it leaks it.
To fix the main seal it costs $600-700...and I will still have a 15-year-old car with a problematic transmission.

I just put a bottle of Bar's Rear Main Seal fix...it's optimistic, but keep your fingers crossed that at least it improves the situation a little bit.



I used something similar on the Sebring... it was a very small leak but it worked well enough. Went from adding a quart a month to adding a quart in 6 months.
 
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Anyone else see the new Mazdaspeed3?

28anm2u.jpg


Yikes! I'm not sure this one will grow on me... somebody needs to make some body kits for this thing, especially that front bumper.
 
Update on the Volvo:

I've always know it leaks some oil from the rear main seal, but I didn't think it was very bad. Well, it is now.

I drove 400 miles yesterday and lost somewhere between .5 and .7 quarts (liters) of oil. It's not burning it...it leaks it.
To fix the main seal it costs $600-700...and I will still have a 15-year-old car with a problematic transmission.

I just put a bottle of Bar's Rear Main Seal fix...it's optimistic, but keep your fingers crossed that at least it improves the situation a little bit.

Try the tampon trick
 
Totally random: I find it strangely ironic that the US is the country of the big engines and at the same time its speed limit is lower than that of most European countries where the typical car has probably less than 100 hp.
Yeah I know it's caused by taxing and fuel pricing, but anyway.

There's a reason we have such utter disregard for the speed limit and invent our own.
 
Anyone else see the new Mazdaspeed3?

28anm2u.jpg


Yikes! I'm not sure this one will grow on me... somebody needs to make some body kits for this thing, especially that front bumper.

very subtle changes are not always a bad thing

volkswagen_golf_mk_1_gti_alloys.jpg


although the 3 is not very good looking, i'm sure you can just slap a original 3's front

the smoke issue on the mitsu fixed itself and now it seems it has more power as i managed a little wheelspin on the way home today
 
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