Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

No it's not go slow and pick your spot, It's pick your spot as soon as you can, get there and match traffic speed and merge. You are not slowing down the guy behind you if s/he is merging properly. It's not gun it and get in front of as many people as possible. If you are going significantly faster than the flow of traffic on the highway you're doing it wrong.

Horsepower is often utilized to compensate for a lot of driving ineptitude- I see it on the road as well as on the track.

I remember watching racing a long time ago. Every time a 911 would come screaming into a corner, I’d watch a Viper cut right in front of him. The 911 would have to downshift and get the engine boiling again while the Viper just mashed the gas and let it’s torque do all the work.

My Club Sport actually made me a better driver as there's not enough horsepower to cover up mistakes such as over-braking or just flat blowing a corner. .

I was thinking about this and I will say, it probably took more skill getting onto I-75 in the Passat than it does in the E400 which probably has about 3 times the HP.
With the Passat you have to carefully judge where the break is, whether you can power up to get into that spot, decide whether to go slower and try a little later, or if you decide to go slower will you still be able to get up the speed to move in front of oncoming cars.
In the E400 I have more options, and it is safer overall......I can speed ahead of oncoming cars, I can wait and still get up to speed with less on ramp.....I can edge ahead and move in.
I found it a lot more effort getting on an on ramp in the lower power car.....and with fewer options not as safe.
Therefore: MORE HP = SAFETY, when used wisely IMHO.

imidazol97

Remind me never to buy a Passat with too little horsepower.

I like using an on ramp nearby that's well engineered. But truckers coming down the 3 lane hill to the ramp expect idiots to merge on well below the speed of the trucks. If I see a truck in the right lane as I ramp on, I downshift and go like "he77". I do always check ahead because that's a great spot ahead on the uphill side for our OSP to sit and watch for speeders. Often I look at my speedometer and I'm well over the 65 limit.

I actually was behind a laCrosse that stopped on this ramp just because they saw a truck far behind coming. White laCrosse. LOL. And the driver did not appear to be very elderly or sight challenged as is sometimes the case.

imidazol97

Happy New Year.

graphicguy

Took my Stinger to the dealership (not the purchasing dealership) yesterday to get the recall for engine fire fixed. New Dealership is called Cronin. They’re a little ways from me (35 minutes), but nice.

I was ready to go apoplectic on them when they told me the repair would take longer than expected, and they closed at 1. Then they said they’d give me a loaner. So, I was OK with that.

This would never have happened at my purchasing dealership (Wyler), who said they would not be able to fix my recall for 5 weeks. I shouldn’t have been surprised, given the principal also owns the Cadillac dealership where things went very awry. Come to find out, the service director also manages their Kia, Nissan and Cadillac service depts. He’s pretty much worthless, obviously.

Anyway, https://www.croninkia.com/ also owns a Ford Dealership next door. While the Kia service writer was finding me a loaner, I started to wander over to the Ford store. Had to go look. The only thing they had that peaked my curiously was a Mustang GT that had an MSRP of $37K. Equipped just the way I liked it, save for the automatic. Nothing frivolous....just a V8 and the standard equipment. Sales guy asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin. I told him that would be a literal “spin” given it was spitting frozen rain at the time.

Came back to the Kia store and they had a Telluride waiting for me as a loaner. WOW...these things are quite nice. I’m assuming it’s a base model as it didn’t have the fancy wheels or the huge LCD screen. Still, I can see where it would give a Tahoe, Explorer, 4 Runner, etc a run for the money. Didn’t have a sticker on it. So, not sure what it would list for.

Given Kia service is closed today, tomorrow and Sunday, looks like I’ve got a pretty decent loaner for the weekend.

sda

graphicguy said:

Took my Stinger to the dealership (not the purchasing dealership) yesterday to get the recall for engine fire fixed. New Dealership is called Cronin. They’re a little ways from me (35 minutes), but nice.

I was ready to go apoplectic on them when they told me the repair would take longer than expected, and they closed at 1. Then they said they’d give me a loaner. So, I was OK with that.

This would never have happened at my purchasing dealership (Wyler), who said they would not be able to fix my recall for 5 weeks. I shouldn’t have been surprised, given the principal also owns the Cadillac dealership where things went very awry. Come to find out, the service director also manages their Kia, Nissan and Cadillac service depts. He’s pretty much worthless, obviously.

Anyway, https://www.croninkia.com/ also owns a Ford Dealership next door. While the Kia service writer was finding me a loaner, I started to wander over to the Ford store. Had to go look. The only thing they had that peaked my curiously was a Mustang GT that had an MSRP of $37K. Equipped just the way I liked it, save for the automatic. Nothing frivolous....just a V8 and the standard equipment. Sales guy asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin. I told him that would be a literal “spin” given it was spitting frozen rain at the time.

Came back to the Kia store and they had a Telluride waiting for me as a loaner. WOW...these things are quite nice. I’m assuming it’s a base model as it didn’t have the fancy wheels or the huge LCD screen. Still, I can see where it would give a Tahoe, Explorer, 4 Runner, etc a run for the money. Didn’t have a sticker on it. So, not sure what it would list for.

Given Kia service is closed today, tomorrow and Sunday, looks like I’ve got a pretty decent loaner for the weekend.

Tell us all about the ride, Telluride. Sorry, a little humor, very little. Though do tell us your observations with it. Happy New Year everyone, to a tremendously better 2021!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

No it's not go slow and pick your spot, It's pick your spot as soon as you can, get there and match traffic speed and merge. You are not slowing down the guy behind you if s/he is merging properly. It's not gun it and get in front of as many people as possible. If you are going significantly faster than the flow of traffic on the highway you're doing it wrong.

If I am entering a highway and I see that a big transport truck is doing 70 and we are going to be at the critical enter point at the same time I would rather get ahead of him - it might save him from trying to go one lane over, and it will open up the space behind him so the car behind me might have a chance to enter.

OK if you are on a on ramp and notice that you are pacing a big transport truck and are next to them hopefully you are actually watching traffic on the highway at the earliest opportunity. If that's the case either gently closing or opening the throttle would move you to a better position to merge. On the vast majority of on ramps if you find the need to use all 340 HP to get in front of the truck or brake hard to get behind him you are near the end of the acceleration lane and you haven't been paying attention, if that's the case maybe you should follow the advice of another poster here and invest in bus tokens.

driver100 said:

Same as the guy in the underpowered car at the advanced green light....the car is so slow only he gets through, if he could go faster 3 cars could get through.

If that's the case I would suspect that it's due to the inattention of the driver, not the lack of horsepower. Really observe traffic taking off from a light, it's at a rather mild rate of acceleration.

driver100 said:

The rules are made so traffic should move as efficiently as possible, if you have to slow down to make a maneuver that you could have made more easily and safely going faster than I would go faster....within the speed limits - horsepower allows you to do that.

Actually Torque allows you to do that.

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

No it's not go slow and pick your spot, It's pick your spot as soon as you can, get there and match traffic speed and merge. You are not slowing down the guy behind you if s/he is merging properly. It's not gun it and get in front of as many people as possible. If you are going significantly faster than the flow of traffic on the highway you're doing it wrong.

Horsepower is often utilized to compensate for a lot of driving ineptitude- I see it on the road as well as on the track.

From my experience it does seem to be compensating for something.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

Probably not- since you are likely taking the curve on the entrance ramp at 10 mph under the posted advisory speed and simultaneously dragging your brakes.- which is why you "need" the extra horsepower to merge.

How do you know what speed I take the curve at? The speed limit on the curve is usually a yellow cautionary sign, made for the lowest common denominator....a car or more likely a truck that doesn't take curves very well. One reason I like a nice handling car is so it will take corners well, and I don't have to go unnecessarily slow.

Well the fact that you claim the need for 340 horsepower to merge gave us a clue.

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

Same as the guy in the underpowered car at the advanced green light....the car is so slow only he gets through, if he could go faster 3 cars could get through.

If that's the case I would suspect that it's due to the inattention of the driver, not the lack of horsepower. Really observe traffic taking off from a light, it's at a rather mild rate of acceleration.

Exactly. I'm almost always first away from the light no matter what I'm driving- and unless I'm competing in the Stoplight Grand Prix I'm usually not even clone to hammering the throttle.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

well, unless he is driving a 1965 Beetle with a bad clutch and down 2 cylinders, that is not happening. I think you are confusing inattention and staring at your phone with a lack of HP.

and I fully believe that nearly everyone out on the road never actually uses all their HP

Usually it is inattention or sleeping at the wheel, but I have seen underpowered cars move slowly through an advanced light.....might be the type of driver who drives the car but the car might be a factor. I know I have the horses to get around the corner fast enough to allow the maximum number of cars to clear the light, if the cars behind me move too.

I would say that it's always either an inattentive driver or a timid driver or both. Even the lowest powered car can clear an intersection in a reasonable time. If that wasn't the case only one or two cars would have gotten through traffic signals each green light in the 30's.

ab348

snakeweasel said:

I would say that it's always either an inattentive driver or a timid driver or both. Even the lowest powered car can clear an intersection in a reasonable time. If that wasn't the case only one or two cars would have gotten through traffic signals each green light in the 30's.

Well, it could just be what I call a "road slug", typically but not always driving an Accent, Corolla or similar vehicle at 20% below whatever the posted speed limit is. You could put them in a Mustang GT and nothing would change.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

the Lambos? watched that. He was agog the entire time. Even the Weezard looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Those two Lambos might be the lowest mile cars he’s ever bought. If they are as collectible as indicated they might actually bring him a profit other than YouTube.

fintail

I'd recommend he holds those and sells the yellow Murcielago and maybe a few of his other money pits to fund these new additions. These latest 2 cars are solid investments and likely will only increase in value, especially if he really got what he calls a buy one get one free price on them.

They are also much cooler than 21st century Lambos.

oldfarmer50 said:

Those two Lambos might be the lowest mile cars he’s ever bought. If they are as collectible as indicated they might actually bring him a profit other than YouTube.

stickguy

I would do that also. Actually, might clean up the Diablo and flip that one for a profit and make the Countach a keeper. But 3 lambos in the garage, seems like too many.

fintail

So you've driven in Seattle. It's always a Civrolla, Korean equivalent, or middle premium CUV.

Out this morning I saw a Kia Forte clip a snow berm going around a corner. Of course.

ab348 said:

Well, it could just be what I call a "road slug", typically but not always driving an Accent, Corolla or similar vehicle at 20% below whatever the posted speed limit is. You could put them in a Mustang GT and nothing would change.

fintail

The speeds I'd attain in my old E55 AMG on some 405 on-ramps at night, oh those were the days.

I look at on-ramps now like a game of Tetris or Frogger, find a spot and get going. It's funny, this part of the world is known for a slightly passive-aggressive nature, but I don't see many merge blockers as are famous on the east coast.

driver100 said:

I found it a lot more effort getting on an on ramp in the lower power car.....and with fewer options not as safe.
Therefore: MORE HP = SAFETY, when used wisely IMHO.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

No it's not go slow and pick your spot, It's pick your spot as soon as you can, get there and match traffic speed and merge. You are not slowing down the guy behind you if s/he is merging properly. It's not gun it and get in front of as many people as possible. If you are going significantly faster than the flow of traffic on the highway you're doing it wrong.

Horsepower is often utilized to compensate for a lot of driving ineptitude- I see it on the road as well as on the track.

I remember watching racing a long time ago. Every time a 911 would come screaming into a corner, I’d watch a Viper cut right in front of him. The 911 would have to downshift and get the engine boiling again while the Viper just mashed the gas and let it’s torque do all the work.

My Club Sport actually made me a better driver as there's not enough horsepower to cover up mistakes such as over-braking or just flat blowing a corner. .

I was thinking about this and I will say, it probably took more skill getting onto I-75 in the Passat than it does in the E400 which probably has about 3 times the HP.
With the Passat you have to carefully judge where the break is, whether you can power up to get into that spot, decide whether to go slower and try a little later, or if you decide to go slower will you still be able to get up the speed to move in front of oncoming cars.
In the E400 I have more options, and it is safer overall......I can speed ahead of oncoming cars, I can wait and still get up to speed with less on ramp.....I can edge ahead and move in.
I found it a lot more effort getting on an on ramp in the lower power car.....and with fewer options not as safe.
Therefore: MORE HP = SAFETY, when used wisely IMHO.

I can merge no matter which car I’m driving but the trouble is remembering which vehicle I’m driving. You have to time your moves differently in a 190hp. 5500lbs. van compared to a 460hp 3500lbs sports car.

fintail

I'm amazed how much better looking the Telluride is compared to its Hyundai sibling. It definitely looks more expensive than it is. Maybe the most interesting Hyunkia out there, other than the Stinger and the upcoming Genesis with the 928 rear end.

graphicguy said:

Took my Stinger to the dealership (not the purchasing dealership) yesterday to get the recall for engine fire fixed. New Dealership is called Cronin. They’re a little ways from me (35 minutes), but nice.

Given Kia service is closed today, tomorrow and Sunday, looks like I’ve got a pretty decent loaner for the weekend.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

I have to get onto a pretty heavily traveled highway 2 to 6 times a week, and 80% of the time I am thankful for having 340 hp......it can mean the difference between speeding ahead of oncoming traffic or having to watch and carefully thread my way in. And by speeding ahead I don't have to get in front of a transport truck barreling down on me, or get caught in a huge mass of cars.

I am not sure what you mean by "pretty heavily traveled" but for me when traffic is pretty heavy its going under the speed limit. And heavy traffic means you are always going to be getting in front or trapped behind something.

What I am saying is that any car sold today has enough power to get up to highway speed on the vast majority of highway on ramps. Unless you are in a dense urban environment or someplace like the mountains your on ramps tend to be long enough to easily get up to highway speeds. On the Sebring with only 170 or so HP I easily matched or exceeded the flow of traffic on entering interstate highways, the only exceptions was when there was a timid driver ahead of me slowing me down. And believe me that Sebring was no race car.

I agree 100%. I have no problem merging into traffic with my glacially slow Clubman. If you “need” over 200 hp to safely merge into interstate traffic I suspect what you really need is to sell your car and buy a huge box of bus tokens.

Yeh, go slow, pick your spot, and put the guy behind you who would also like to enter the highway in jeopardy.
I have had slow....the 2013 Passat, and although you can get on I-75 you don't have the same options you do if you can speed up to get on. If I am behind your Clubman I could have very limited options for getting on....I also consider the guys behind me.

No it's not go slow and pick your spot, It's pick your spot as soon as you can, get there and match traffic speed and merge. You are not slowing down the guy behind you if s/he is merging properly. It's not gun it and get in front of as many people as possible. If you are going significantly faster than the flow of traffic on the highway you're doing it wrong.

Horsepower is often utilized to compensate for a lot of driving ineptitude- I see it on the road as well as on the track.

I remember watching racing a long time ago. Every time a 911 would come screaming into a corner, I’d watch a Viper cut right in front of him. The 911 would have to downshift and get the engine boiling again while the Viper just mashed the gas and let it’s torque do all the work.

My Club Sport actually made me a better driver as there's not enough horsepower to cover up mistakes such as over-braking or just flat blowing a corner. .

I was thinking about this and I will say, it probably took more skill getting onto I-75 in the Passat than it does in the E400 which probably has about 3 times the HP.
With the Passat you have to carefully judge where the break is, whether you can power up to get into that spot, decide whether to go slower and try a little later, or if you decide to go slower will you still be able to get up the speed to move in front of oncoming cars.
In the E400 I have more options, and it is safer overall......I can speed ahead of oncoming cars, I can wait and still get up to speed with less on ramp.....I can edge ahead and move in.
I found it a lot more effort getting on an on ramp in the lower power car.....and with fewer options not as safe.
Therefore: MORE HP = SAFETY, when used wisely IMHO.

I can merge no matter which car I’m driving but the trouble is remembering which vehicle I’m driving. You have to time your moves differently in a 190hp. 5500lbs. van compared to a 460hp 3500lbs sports car.

That is the thing....the extra HP gives you more options.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

well, unless he is driving a 1965 Beetle with a bad clutch and down 2 cylinders, that is not happening. I think you are confusing inattention and staring at your phone with a lack of HP.

and I fully believe that nearly everyone out on the road never actually uses all their HP

Usually it is inattention or sleeping at the wheel, but I have seen underpowered cars move slowly through an advanced light.....might be the type of driver who drives the car but the car might be a factor. I know I have the horses to get around the corner fast enough to allow the maximum number of cars to clear the light, if the cars behind me move too.

I would say that it's always either an inattentive driver or a timid driver or both. Even the lowest powered car can clear an intersection in a reasonable time. If that wasn't the case only one or two cars would have gotten through traffic signals each green light in the 30's.

It isn't usually a Mustang GT or a Barracuda that takes 5 minutes to complete a turn. Usually it is a Corolla, Fiats and Smartcars that are in the top 10.

driver100

Here is another example....and I have driven low HP and a fair amount of HP (340, actually I exaggerated, 339 but who is counting) cars.
To get onto the Main Rd I go up the street, come to a STOP, and then turn right onto a street where the cars are going 45 to 50m.p.h and the road has 2 lanes each way. Usually, there is a break in traffic and it is fairly easy to make a right turn. Some days especially during rush hour there aren't too many spaces in the flow. You could try popping the clutch to get into traffic in the Passat, but you would have to choose your entrance time pretty carefully. You still have to be careful even with the added HP, but, you have way more chances to get on. Choose a space, move out, get up to the same speed as the traffic and blend in.

Doing a left turn is more difficult, although you can stop in the turning lane in the middle, and there is a rise in the road coming from the side you are trying to get to....best to get into the middle turning lane and rather than cut in to the traffic flow do it as a merge in case someone comes over the rise in the road....but, once again nice to have that burst of speed to have choices of where you are going to merge, or to stay ahead of the pack.

jmonroe1

Po

driver100 said:

Here is another example....and I have driven low HP and a fair amount of HP (340, actually I exaggerated, 339 but who is counting) cars.
To get onto the Main Rd I go up the street, come to a STOP, and then turn right onto a street where the cars are going 45 to 50m.p.h and the road has 2 lanes each way. Usually, there is a break in traffic and it is fairly easy to make a right turn. Some days especially during rush hour there aren't too many spaces in the flow. You could try popping the clutch to get into traffic in the Passat, but you would have to choose your entrance time pretty carefully. You still have to be careful even with the added HP, but, you have way more chances to get on. Choose a space, move out, get up to the same speed as the traffic and blend in.

Doing a left turn is more difficult, although you can stop in the turning lane in the middle, and there is a rise in the road coming from the side you are trying to get to....best to get into the middle turning lane and rather than cut in to the traffic flow do it as a merge in case someone comes over the rise in the road....but, once again nice to have that burst of speed to have choices of where you are going to merge, or to stay ahead of the pack.

Hey, I have the answer for you. You, more than anyone in here can appreciate this, GET A GARBAGE TRUCK...problem solved. Speed or lack of it, horsepower or lack of it makes no difference. Can we now get back to appliances, geeze.☹️

This suggestion will give all of us the leg up on a good year of posting.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

Po

driver100 said:

Here is another example....and I have driven low HP and a fair amount of HP (340, actually I exaggerated, 339 but who is counting) cars.
To get onto the Main Rd I go up the street, come to a STOP, and then turn right onto a street where the cars are going 45 to 50m.p.h and the road has 2 lanes each way. Usually, there is a break in traffic and it is fairly easy to make a right turn. Some days especially during rush hour there aren't too many spaces in the flow. You could try popping the clutch to get into traffic in the Passat, but you would have to choose your entrance time pretty carefully. You still have to be careful even with the added HP, but, you have way more chances to get on. Choose a space, move out, get up to the same speed as the traffic and blend in.

Doing a left turn is more difficult, although you can stop in the turning lane in the middle, and there is a rise in the road coming from the side you are trying to get to....best to get into the middle turning lane and rather than cut in to the traffic flow do it as a merge in case someone comes over the rise in the road....but, once again nice to have that burst of speed to have choices of where you are going to merge, or to stay ahead of the pack.

Hey, I have the answer for you. You, more than anyone in here can appreciate this, GET A GARBAGE TRUCK...problem solved. Speed or lack of it, horsepower or lack of it makes no difference. Can we now get back to appliances, geeze.☹️

This suggestion will give all of us the leg up on a good year of posting.

jmonroe

I don’t think it’s garbage trucks per se, it’s Florida. My niece in Florida also got rear ended by a garbage truck. They must hire some real cowboys down there.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Po

driver100 said:

Here is another example....and I have driven low HP and a fair amount of HP (340, actually I exaggerated, 339 but who is counting) cars.
To get onto the Main Rd I go up the street, come to a STOP, and then turn right onto a street where the cars are going 45 to 50m.p.h and the road has 2 lanes each way. Usually, there is a break in traffic and it is fairly easy to make a right turn. Some days especially during rush hour there aren't too many spaces in the flow. You could try popping the clutch to get into traffic in the Passat, but you would have to choose your entrance time pretty carefully. You still have to be careful even with the added HP, but, you have way more chances to get on. Choose a space, move out, get up to the same speed as the traffic and blend in.

Doing a left turn is more difficult, although you can stop in the turning lane in the middle, and there is a rise in the road coming from the side you are trying to get to....best to get into the middle turning lane and rather than cut in to the traffic flow do it as a merge in case someone comes over the rise in the road....but, once again nice to have that burst of speed to have choices of where you are going to merge, or to stay ahead of the pack.

Hey, I have the answer for you. You, more than anyone in here can appreciate this, GET A GARBAGE TRUCK...problem solved. Speed or lack of it, horsepower or lack of it makes no difference. Can we now get back to appliances, geeze.☹️

This suggestion will give all of us the leg up on a good year of posting.

jmonroe

I don’t think it’s garbage trucks per se, it’s Florida. My niece in Florida also got rear ended by a garbage truck. They must hire some real cowboys down there.

I’m pretty sure when our poster buddy tangled with a garbage truck it was in Canada. Up there the driver probably said, “oh, excuse me I thought you were going to run the yellow light”. In Florida the driver probably said, “what the hells wrong with you, everyone down here runs yellow lights and even early to mid red lights”.

One of the first things my Delray Beach SIL told me when I was driving her car when we went out to dinner was, “don’t stop at yellow lights and even early red lights down here like you do back home. I don’t want my car rear ended” and she was dead serious. It’s a different world down there. I’m sure @abacomike can confirm that.

jmonroe

driver100

One of the first things my Delray Beach SIL told me when I was driving her car when we went out to dinner was, “don’t stop at yellow lights and even early red lights down here like you do back home. I don’t want my car rear ended” and she was dead serious. It’s a different world down there. I’m sure @abacomike can confirm that.

jmonroe

I'll confirm that, I see very few cars stop for red lights in Florida. I have gone through a yellow light in Florida and felt a bit guilty, and a car about 20 car links behind me goes through it too....I see them in the mirror.

I try to stop for yellow lights in Florida if possible, but, there better not be anyone anywhere behind me because stopping would be suicide in most cases.

I don't know about buying a garbage truck, but I have thought about getting a Hummer as a Florida car.

roadburner

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

abacomike

Got an email from our homeowners association yesterday informing all residents who are 65 years of age or older that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to those residents who call a specified phone number and leave a message with name, address, phone number and age beginning this coming Monday at 9:00 AM. That is sure convenient!

Got another email this morning assuring those residents who responded via phone or email that we would be contacted in the next 24-48 hours with two appointments - one for the initial inoculation and one 28 days later for the second inoculation.

It seems that 8 Broward and Palm Beach County senior self-contained communities have been identified by the governor as being initial points of inoculation due to the heavy concentration of 65+ residents. It’s open only to residents of those 8 gated communities. Our gated community has 5500 full time and snowbird residents.

I have not received a return phone call yet but will update you guys as to what happens next.

mjfloyd1

Pfizer second shot is 21 days...

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/index.html

Moderna is 28 days.

driver100

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes! And I don't dither wondering....horsepower lets me just do it!

Michaell

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes!

Only if that striped shirt was a gift!

:laughing:

roadburner

So an idjit posts on a Stinger FB page the following:

Yo I was doin donuts last night and the car shut off completely, then after starting it. It was making a weird grinding noise?
Anyone ever had this problem? And no I didn’t hit anything

I helped out with this response:
You might have thrown off the calibration of the knuter valve. It resets itself overnight so you are likely fine.

Now to see if he takes the bait...

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

well, unless he is driving a 1965 Beetle with a bad clutch and down 2 cylinders, that is not happening. I think you are confusing inattention and staring at your phone with a lack of HP.

and I fully believe that nearly everyone out on the road never actually uses all their HP

Usually it is inattention or sleeping at the wheel, but I have seen underpowered cars move slowly through an advanced light.....might be the type of driver who drives the car but the car might be a factor. I know I have the horses to get around the corner fast enough to allow the maximum number of cars to clear the light, if the cars behind me move too.

I would say that it's always either an inattentive driver or a timid driver or both. Even the lowest powered car can clear an intersection in a reasonable time. If that wasn't the case only one or two cars would have gotten through traffic signals each green light in the 30's.

It isn't usually a Mustang GT or a Barracuda that takes 5 minutes to complete a turn. Usually it is a Corolla, Fiats and Smartcars that are in the top 10.

Yet those cars can easily clear an intersection at the same rate that normal traffic normally does. Again it's not the car it's the driver. And you must admit that your typical Mustang driver is different than your typical Corolla driver.

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes!

Only if that striped shirt was a gift!

:laughing:

I got good mileage out of that shirt....it has made me famous!

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

So an idjit posts on a Stinger FB page the following:

Yo I was doin donuts last night and the car shut off completely, then after starting it. It was making a weird grinding noise?
Anyone ever had this problem? And no I didn’t hit anything

I helped out with this response:
You might have thrown off the calibration of the knuter valve. It resets itself overnight so you are likely fine.

Now to see if he takes the bait...

Wait, don't you need a gonculator to reset a knuter valve?

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

well, unless he is driving a 1965 Beetle with a bad clutch and down 2 cylinders, that is not happening. I think you are confusing inattention and staring at your phone with a lack of HP.

and I fully believe that nearly everyone out on the road never actually uses all their HP

Usually it is inattention or sleeping at the wheel, but I have seen underpowered cars move slowly through an advanced light.....might be the type of driver who drives the car but the car might be a factor. I know I have the horses to get around the corner fast enough to allow the maximum number of cars to clear the light, if the cars behind me move too.

I would say that it's always either an inattentive driver or a timid driver or both. Even the lowest powered car can clear an intersection in a reasonable time. If that wasn't the case only one or two cars would have gotten through traffic signals each green light in the 30's.

It isn't usually a Mustang GT or a Barracuda that takes 5 minutes to complete a turn. Usually it is a Corolla, Fiats and Smartcars that are in the top 10.

Yet those cars can easily clear an intersection at the same rate that normal traffic normally does. Again it's not the car it's the driver. And you must admit that your typical Mustang driver is different than your typical Corolla driver.

At the advanced green light in town, it is advanced for a short time. If the guy in the first car is sleeping only one car gets through - I have seen no one get through, if he is in a slow moving underpowered car (won't use names, could be P.I.), then 2 cars might make it....if everyone moves quickly 3 or 4 cars can make it. If I am first I go as fast as possible (being safe) to allow the maximum cars to turn....should be 4 if the guys behind me is with it. That is optimum performance....keep traffic moving as efficiently as possible. And 340 HP allows me to do it easily......

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes!

Only if that striped shirt was a gift!

:laughing:

I got good mileage out of that shirt....it has made me famous!

I’d say more like infamous but there is a famous in there too. Leave it to you to pick and choose.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

roadburner said:

So an idjit posts on a Stinger FB page the following:

Yo I was doin donuts last night and the car shut off completely, then after starting it. It was making a weird grinding noise?
Anyone ever had this problem? And no I didn’t hit anything

I helped out with this response:
You might have thrown off the calibration of the knuter valve. It resets itself overnight so you are likely fine.

Now to see if he takes the bait...

Wait, don't you need a gonculator to reset a knuter valve?

Only if you’re still living in the past century.

jmonroe

abacomike

mjfloyd1 said:

Pfizer second shot is 21 days...

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/index.html

Moderna is 28 days.

If you say so. I had heard Moderna was 24 days - but if you are correct, I stand corrected!!!🤓😜🤪

mjfloyd1

Moderna info from cdc. 28 days

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/moderna/index.html

cdnpinhead

abacomike said:

I have not received a return phone call yet but will update you guys as to what happens next.

Whatever it is, it's likely to make more sense than what has been happening anywhere else, particularly California. They've been locked down tight lately and to a lesser extent for the past nine months, while Florida has been pretty much business as usual. The numbers tell the story.

Go figure.

I trust you appreciate where you are, but I'm pretty sure you do. The poor sods in California, not so much.

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes!

Only if that striped shirt was a gift!

:laughing:

I got good mileage out of that shirt....it has made me famous!

I’d say more like infamous but there is a famous in there too. Leave it to you to pick and choose.

jmonroe

Thanks for fixing that.

driver100

Since we have been stuck here this year I think it is snowing more than usual. I do like my neighbors snowman, I have never seen one with hair before;

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

I still prefer relying on anticipation and situational awareness over having to depend on horsepower to correct my mistakes.

But, I don't make mistakes!

Only if that striped shirt was a gift!

:laughing:

I got good mileage out of that shirt....it has made me famous!

I’d say more like infamous but there is a famous in there too. Leave it to you to pick and choose.

jmonroe

The fans loved it!

ab348

driver100 said:

Since we have been stuck here this year I think it is snowing more than usual. I do like my neighbors snowman, I have never seen one with hair before;

As a member of the bald community, this new development leaves me cold.

explorerx4

A while back we had a discussion about capacitors.
Here is an example of how not to connect one(40 second video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7bPmGTQUk

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Since we have been stuck here this year I think it is snowing more than usual. I do like my neighbors snowman, I have never seen one with hair before;

As a member of the bald community, this new development leaves me cold.

Yeh, the world is chasing after a younger demographic, even when it comes to snowmen.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

A while back we had a discussion about capacitors.
Here is an example of how not to connect one(40 second video).

He should have called "The Guy".

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

A while back we had a discussion about capacitors.
Here is an example of how not to connect one(40 second video).

He should have called "The Guy".

He supposedly is The Guy, so what does that tell you about hiring out work?

jmonroe

abacomike

cdnpinhead said:

abacomike said:

I have not received a return phone call yet but will update you guys as to what happens next.

Whatever it is, it's likely to make more sense than what has been happening anywhere else, particularly California. They've been locked down tight lately and to a lesser extent for the past nine months, while Florida has been pretty much business as usual. The numbers tell the story.

Go figure.

I trust you appreciate where you are, but I'm pretty sure you do. The poor sods in California, not so much.

No question about it! I am blessed in some ways to be living in the State of Florida. Climate (8 months of the year), low taxes, low cost of living, away from big cities, and now, access to a needed vaccine.

I am very concerned about the virus variants (mutations) that may be unaffected by the existing vaccines. Also, if you’ve had the original virus, can you get one of the variant viruses?

It is becoming more obvious to me that this virus was created in a lab rather than a naturally occurring virus. What happens if this virus is incapable of being neutralized due to a myriad of variants and mutations? I hope and pray there is an end to all this madness.

Think of how far behind the children of this country will be due to inconsistent or lacking educational experiences. As a former educator I can tell you that online learning for young children is a waste of time and money. The average child has lost at least two years mental growth due to this shutdown of the educational system. Only the gifted and bright kids will survive.

I am obviously pessimistic about resolving this gap.

driver100

Mike....there have been bad times before, and somehow we have to move forward. Do you know how many people died during the Spanish Flu.......500 million? Today, almost 2 million have died....with a much larger world population. But, we do have more knowledge today, and we have to hope they come up with a solution to win this battle.
Yes, schooling isn't ideal but I'm not so sure the old way was that great as well. For example do we really need big expensive college campuses? Maybe lectures from the top Guy in whatever field you are studying would lead to better education....why pay 1000s of profs when you can have the top guy teaching classes around the world? Maybe schools work in the city but maybe rural kids are better off being at home a few days a week, and not spending as much time on a school bus. Some things are better, more companies are finding employees can work from home, the air is cleaner, we can do with less. We are learning to stay at home and make our own entertainment.
Somehow, we find a way.