Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Truth. Especially in the best color

l1zvJNX.png
Damn, that does look great.


Not really slow... 0-60's run mid to upper 5's (MT says 5.8s). It's generally accepted to do 5.6~5.8s on average under ideal conditions/elevation. Also, don't forget 340bhp 333tq is nothing to sneeze at even a few years ago, and at the time it was on the streets new it was plenty fast. It would easily give a 2002-2003 Mustang GT auto a run for its money. It would downright leave the Lincoln LS V8 in the dust--which I also like.
It's not faster than my TL. I want an upgrade in speed. For a 3500lbs car, I need at least 300hp with a stick or 350hp with a slushbox. The M45 weights 3800+lbs
 
7IUJcHC.jpg


I like this one the most. :)

Truth. Especially in the best color


l1zvJNX.png

I'm sorry but what?

Now, we don't get the infinity (I think), so I have no idea how it is like as a car, but that looks just like any generic car in any video game....that's 90's American sedan level of boring and then some.
 
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I'm sorry but what?

Now, we don't get the infinity (I think), so I have no idea how it is like as a car, but that looks just like any generic car in any video game....that's 90's American sedan level of boring and then some.

Compared to what was available at the time, it was a bit more "crisp", sharp-edged. The then-contemporary Acura TL had some of that, but still pretty dull over-all.

Ignore the wheels:
hqdefault.jpg

Infiniti-M45-2003-ig.jpg


I would agree, though, in the video game comment. I always thought this looked like a generic sedan from video games, but from gangster/mobster games, at least.
 
There's something about the proportions that does it for me with this one. The greenhouse-to-beltline ratio is just perfect. The rear overhang long but graceful. It just looks... sturdy and distinctly american in a way that american manufacturers couldn't do anymore by the time this came out.
 
There's something oddly lovable about it. I think the C pillar really makes it special.
I think you're right. That combination of long overhangs, general length, and steeply raked windshields front and rear also reminds me of:
3801559061_8d4fddaaf0_b.jpg
 
Oh alright, I see where you guys are coming from in it's side profile, that indeed looks quite good, did not get that vibe from the first pics.

Front still looks like I designed it though.
 
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Seriously: fuck off, all of you.

"Not fast...only 340hp...I need more...:spectre:"

You guys need a reality check.
 
Most of us live in the land of V8s and straight highways. Just this morning I was merging onto a highway that was flowing at 85mph - having decent acceleration is really a safety consideration at times. Sorry you have to make due with little diesel hatchbacks :tease:
 
Seriously: fuck off, all of you.

"Not fast...only 340hp...I need more...:spectre:"

You guys need a reality check.
I'm starting to get accustomed to 485 hp (albeit in a 4200 lb car)

:p
 
Having merged to the Autobahn countless times with 54hp, I can say it's enough :p
 
How do you merge in front of a semi-truck that's doing 75mph with no power? Sure, most of the time they move over but certainly not in medium traffic where they have no room but are still able to go fast, never mind the fact that on two lane roads it's illegal for them to be in the left lane.

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You probably don't have to merge from a stop sign...
Also this.
 
I'm starting to get accustomed to 485 hp (albeit in a 4200 lb car)

:p

Hey, now - 115hp is more than enough...

...if the vehicle it's in only weighs 428lbs. :evil:

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You probably don't have to merge from a stop sign...

Or worse, a metered on-ramp.



The above videos are propaganda for metered on-ramps and they don't mention the downsides. One problem is that they often install these things close to the point at which you actually enter the freeway so you actually have to hammer it and hope you have power to get up to speed before you have to merge. I like these on a motorcycle because it's a legal excuse to go full throttle from a standing start without getting an 'exhibition of acceleration/speed' charge; I hate them in lower powered cars and trucks because a lot of them aren't going to able to get up to speed by the time you have to merge into the right lane. Which means you better hope the people behind you are paying attention - regulation or no, if the speeding semi behind you isn't paying total attention, you may be getting a Kenworth enema.

My personal 'favorite' ramp metering installation was one someone posted on another forum years and years ago. It was a highway onramp with a meter system at the end, maybe 50 meters of uphill acceleration lane after it... and it dumped you out in the left lane of the highway. Even some sport bikes of the time weren't going to be able to get up to nominal highway speed by the end of the ramp, let alone fast lane speed. I think it was in Kansas or Missouri, but I can't recall.
 
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Having merged to the Autobahn countless times with 54hp, I can say it's enough :p
Oh that's not fair, the autobahn is designed for it. Also, how many times has this exact debate come up in this thread alone?
 
Hey, now - 115hp is more than enough...

...if the vehicle it's in only weighs 428lbs. :evil:

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Or worse, a metered on-ramp.



The above videos are propaganda for metered on-ramps and they don't mention the downsides. One problem is that they often install these things close to the point at which you actually enter the freeway so you actually have to hammer it and hope you have power to get up to speed before you have to merge. I like these on a motorcycle because it's a legal excuse to go full throttle from a standing start without getting an 'exhibition of acceleration/speed' charge; I hate them in lower powered cars and trucks because a lot of them aren't going to able to get up to speed by the time you have to merge into the right lane. Which means you better hope the people behind you are paying attention - regulation or no, if the speeding semi behind you isn't paying total attention, you may be getting a Kenworth enema.

My personal 'favorite' ramp metering installation was one someone posted on another forum years and years ago. It was a highway onramp with a meter system at the end, maybe 50 meters of uphill acceleration lane after it... and it dumped you out in the left lane of the highway. Even some sport bikes of the time weren't going to be able to get up to nominal highway speed by the end of the ramp, let alone fast lane speed. I think it was in Kansas or Missouri, but I can't recall.

Metered ramps around here have a decent enough run up as they are all in outside of city limits so relatively empty areas. The stop sign merges I'm talking about give you about 2 car lengths to go from 0-50 (nominal speed), or to put it another way even in my Mustang I tend to avoid one specific on ramp and take streets...
 
[video=youtube;2-qHo7YT4w8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qHo7YT4w8#action=share[/video]
 
Most of us live in the land of V8s and straight highways. Just this morning I was merging onto a highway that was flowing at 85mph - having decent acceleration is really a safety consideration at times. Sorry you have to make due with little diesel hatchbacks :tease:

Hey, you're completely wrong. :shakefist:

We're not allowed to have diesel hatchbacks! :lol:


Having merged to the Autobahn countless times with 54hp, I can say it's enough :p

You probably don't have to merge from a stop sign...

Oh that's not fair, the autobahn is designed for it. Also, how many times has this exact debate come up in this thread alone?


"America, solving design problems by adding POWEEEEER!"

?[Freedom intensifies]
 
Not allowed or stolen?
 
I'd always like more power. I watch Engine Masters on Motor Trend and the HP number then use as a 'weak' baseline is still 100-200 more than my V8 Disco puts out. That thing also weighs as much as an American house but strangely has a shorter wheelbase than most 60s or 70s muscle cars. :dunno:

*In-car Tetris

Now I'm going to have the tune stuck in my head all night. :lol:
 
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