Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

Happy New Year to Blu, Olds, Drew, Balth, etc. Happy New Year to you all, Make 2018 an awesome year!  

[ocnblu]

[daves87rs]

Sorry.....had a rough first day of the year.(Food poisoning)

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

[balthazar]

Feel better Dave!

So I posted a pic of this car from eBay earlier:

Seller had it advertised as an Eldorado, which is isn't. I contacted him pointing this out, he mumbled back he was told that's how many were made (quoted Eldorado production number in auction) and that the values of the 'E' and Series 62 were only $10K apart (way off there).

So I'm watching the auction anyway. Starts at $15K, no reserve, gets bid to $20,910. Auction ends. Terms are $500 deposit required within 48 hours. Within 2 hours, the car is relisted with exact same description with 1 additional line: "Relisted with buy it now due to non payer".

I guess the winning bidder backed out immediately at the end of the auction. Weird.

- - - - -
2nd auction was ended- seller updated description saying he would take $18K. There are beautiful examples of this year/model for sale asking in the $55K range- could not restore this car to that condition with a buy-in of $18K andbreak even.

Edited January 5, 2018 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

Just watched the Genovation GXE Corvette hit a world record 190.48 standing mile speed with a top speed of 209 MPH for an EV Corvette. 

Amazing part is you can choose yours with an 8 speed paddle shifter or 7 speed manual trans.

 

[ccap41]

As much as I think I'd like the feel of a transmission shifting gears, is there any benefit for that in an EV? Are RPM's and spinning speed of a motor ever a factor in an EV to the point that you'd want to slow them down through gearing? 

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

As much as I think I'd like the feel of a transmission shifting gears, is there any benefit for that in an EV? Are RPM's and spinning speed of a motor ever a factor in an EV to the point that you'd want to slow them down through gearing? 

In watching the record set above for standing mile, clearly he is driving a manual EV, but I think the records will go beyond that with an automatic as the computer can shift faster than a human can.

In regards to slowing down, it is more a matter of keeping the electric motor in it's maximum torque and HP range which I have read and see examples about that does help I believe the EV auto from a supercar standpoint. 

I think for a commuter car, no transmission is just fine as they run the instant torque to get going and maintain the speed for what is done around town.

[G. David Felt]

Gotta love History, on this day Jan 2nd 2009 a rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, one of only 17 built was found in a garage of a doctor who passed away. His family put it up for auction getting over $4.4 million for the car. Supercharged Inline 8 motor. 26,284 original miles according to the story.

http://www.inticweb.com/top-stories/rare-1937-bugatti-type-57s-atalante-coupe-found-in-garage-998-2018/

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

As much as I think I'd like the feel of a transmission shifting gears, is there any benefit for that in an EV? Are RPM's and spinning speed of a motor ever a factor in an EV to the point that you'd want to slow them down through gearing? 

The short answer is that for vehicles like a Bolt or Tesla, there is little need to have a transmission.  The friction losses and additional weight won't be made up for by increases in efficiency or performance.

The basic rule is that an electric motor's peak torque happens at zero RPM and it drops from there. Now that isn't always true due to some technological advances, but the overall trendline keeps to that.  Computers are able to change the waveform of the current to "grab" the motor and make it more torquey at lower RPM and more efficient at higher RPM.  As with gasoline motors, efficiency and power can vary at different RPM.  If you've ever heard an electric train accelerate from stop, the sound they make is the computer adjusting the waveforms to maximize torque. 

You'll hear 2 distinct noises in this clip, a high pitch whine from the coils that changes independent of vehicle speed, and then another lower pitch wine from the electric motors.

 

 

This is effectively a similar idea to a transmission in that it changes the torque and efficiency output of the motors.  The train above is scheduled for 180mph and it doesn't have a transmission.

 

The reason for a transmission develops when the rotational forces from the motive power do not match the delivery needs of a vehicle.  A gasoline motor produces zero torque at zero RPM and typically doesn't produce usable torque until about 1000 rpm.  After that level, the best torque for most consumer gasoline engines typically is in a range from about 1500 rpm - 4000 rpm.  There are exceptions to this range, but that will cover most vehicles.   Outside of those ranges, gasoline engines aren't really efficient... That's why you don't want to run around in 2nd gear all the time even though the performance might be better. 

Electric motors simply do not have that issue.  They start at max torque and it's a gentle slope down through the RPM range until red-line.  They are also capable of RPM that gasoline motors can only dream of. Where a typical consumer gasoline motor may top out at 6,500 RPM (this is also the design limit for most of the automatics on the market today), an electric motor can keep right on trucking to 10,000 rpm or 15,000 rpm or more.

The only time a transmission might make sense is if you are keeping the motor size so small that even at max torque it isn't supplying enough torque to keep the car moving at the default gearing.  Even a Chevy Spark can fit an electric motor that has more torque than a 5.3 Silverado.... so I don't see that becoming an issue for cars.

All of that said, the power curve of electric motors is such that even if you did put a transmission on it, the best setup would be a CVT, so you'd never have a shifting automatic anyway. 

[ccap41]

Oh wow, Thank you, @Drew Dowdell! 

[balthazar]

58 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Gotta love History, on this day Jan 2nd 2009 a rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, one of only 17 built was found in a garage of a doctor who passed away. His family put it up for auction getting over $4.4 million for the car. Supercharged Inline 8 motor.

Butt-ugly car, but bet that I-8 was incredibly smooth.

[balthazar]

Mecum auction, 2016. Bid to $325,000 but failed to hit reserve.
1 of 16 '62 Pontiac Grand Prix Super Duty 421 factory race cars.

[A Horse With No Name]

Love that era of Pontiac.

[A Horse With No Name]

Extra points for nailing the mailbox...

Edited January 3, 2018 by A Horse With No Name

[A Horse With No Name]

 

https://youtu.be/iGzTfeaaehY

 

We don't need no stinkin chargers with a flag on the roof...SUV will work just fine...

[Frisky Dingo]

Damn, people are stupid. 

[ccap41]

That's hilarious that the driver of the recording vehicle just turned around and said "fck it". 

Edited January 3, 2018 by ccap41

[daves87rs]

Someone folks really stocked up on "Dukes of Hazzard" Reruns......

[balthazar]

9 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Love that era of Pontiac.

Me too- that's why I've owned 7 in early-mid 60s.

[balthazar]

Kudos to the Mustang; has remained pure:

[Suaviloquent]

On 12/31/2017 at 11:50 PM, balthazar said:

The true gold member!

[daves87rs]

3 hours ago, Suaviloquent said:

The true gold member!

That a-s-s......

[A Horse With No Name]

15 hours ago, Suaviloquent said:

The true gold member!

In the midst of a difficult day at work, seeing this on break makes my day!

[oldshurst442]

Boston is getting hammered with a snowstorm as we speak? (Yesterday and today)

This is what I just learned while watching the news on TV.

Im jealous. Montreal just got a measly 1-2 inches of snow in that same time frame. We used to get that kinda storm. 

Oh well. Obladi oblada life goes on. 

[A Horse With No Name]

25 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Boston is getting hammered with a snowstorm as we speak? (Yesterday and today)

This is what I just learned while watching the news on TV.

Im jealous. Montreal just got a measly 1-2 inches of snow in that same time frame. We used to get that kinda storm. 

Oh well. Obladi oblada life goes on. 

Montreal is often known for being a couple of inches shy....

[balthazar]

Not too bad in central NJ, blowing a lot, maybe 3" so far.

Hate winter now, snow can go F itself.

[ccap41]

We're not getting snow but we've been in the nasty cold for about 2 weeks now. Yesterday was the warmest in that time span with a high of about 23F. We've been in the negatives at night and morning and highs in the single digits to teens. Luckily it really hasn't been windy so it isn't as bad as the numbers suggest, imo. 

When I got in my car this morning it was 1F at about 7:15am. 

[Robert Hall]

Pretty cold here in Cleveland, maybe 6 inches of snow on the ground from the last few days..single digit highs today and tomorrow. 

[G. David Felt]

30 degrees and sunny in Seattle, please send snow.

[Drew Dowdell]

I want to go back to Miami.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I want to go back to Miami.

But But The online pictures show Florida is covered in Ice!  

[Robert Hall]

59F and sunny in Marathon..that is cold for the Keys...I remember when I lived down there they closed the high school when it got to 45F one January day.  Planning to go down there a couple times this year.

Edited January 4, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, dfelt said:

But But The online pictures show Florida is covered in Ice!  

That's way far north of where my parent live. 

Just now, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

59F and sunny in Marathon..that is cold for the Keys...I remember when I lived down there they closed the high school when it got to 45F one January day.

You lived in Marathon?  How did I not know that?

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

That's way far north of where my parent live. 

You lived in Marathon?  How did I not know that?

Thought I'd mentioned that before...I lived there from '81-88.   Went to Jr High and High School there, graduated from Marathon.   My folks bought a winter house there in '81, sold it in the mid 90s.   Loved living down there...

[Drew Dowdell]

18 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Thought I'd mentioned that before...I lived there from '81-88.   Went to Jr High and High School there, graduated from Marathon.   My folks bought a winter house there in '81, sold it in the mid 90s.   Loved living down there...

With the weather we're having here lately, moving to Miami to be closer to my parents is looking very attractive. 

[Robert Hall]

Yeah, been pretty cold and snowy since Xmas here in NE Ohio..I wouldn't mind winters in S. Florida eventually.   I'm still happy to be away from Arizona and love having the Lake Erie beaches and islands close by (in nice weather). 

[A Horse With No Name]

3 hours ago, balthazar said:

Not too bad in central NJ, blowing a lot, maybe 3" so far.

Hate winter now, snow can go F itself.

Absolutely...dealing with frozen up buildings all day here in Columbus.

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

But But The online pictures show Florida is covered in Ice!  

For the last two years life just seems to get more and more surreal...

56 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Yeah, been pretty cold and snowy since Xmas here in NE Ohio..I wouldn't mind winters in S. Florida eventually.   I'm still happy to be away from Arizona and love having the Lake Erie beaches and islands close by (in nice weather). 

I don't plan to move out of Ohio.  Unless I could move to like rural Canada or Scotland or something.  But that is never going to happen.

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

With the weather we're having here lately, moving to Miami to be closer to my parents is looking very attractive. 

Cost of living and traffic suck though.  I looked at mo0ving to Miami a few years ago and just....no....

[balthazar]

[ykX]

21 hours ago, balthazar said:

Not too bad in central NJ, blowing a lot, maybe 3" so far.

Hate winter now, snow can go F itself.

Depends where, a little closer to the shore, we got over a foot yesterday.

[Robert Hall]

Cold and sunny again today in Cleveland.  Was 0F when I rolled out the rubbish bins a couple of hours ago.  About 6 inches of snow still on the ground.   Jeep grubby, need to run through the car wash soon.

Edited January 5, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Drew Dowdell]

17 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Cost of living and traffic suck though.  I looked at mo0ving to Miami a few years ago and just....no....

I'd need a completely different pace of life to live there..... but I need a completely different pace of life to live here.... so 6 of one, half dozen of the other. 

[Robert Hall]

I could see retiring to S. Florida...or spending winters there.    I love the Keys, love the international flavor of Miami...

[ccap41]

28 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Cold and sunny again today in Cleveland.  Was 0F when I rolled out the rubbish bins a couple of hours ago.  About 6 inches of snow still on the ground.   Jeep grubby, need to run through the car wash soon.

Oh my car looks bad right now.. Salt and crud on the roads. I was going to run through the wash the other day but with it being so cold...1: I wasn't sure if the auto washes were open and 2: It would have bugged me having the frozen water = water spots immediately after cleaning aaaaand 3: there's still so much salt on the roads..

I should just do it anyway. 

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Oh my car looks bad right now.. Salt and crud on the roads. I was going to run through the wash the other day but with it being so cold...1: I wasn't sure if the auto washes were open and 2: It would have bugged me having the frozen water = water spots immediately after cleaning aaaaand 3: there's still so much salt on the roads..

I should just do it anyway. 

water spots are less bad than salt.

[daves87rs]

Yeah, the cold can go away now!

Both my cars (wife's is bad) are almost white instead of silver, and my OCD to wash them is getting bad....

And my other car is trapped in the garage-as the door likes to stopping working under 20 degrees or so...

Just wish I could start it though.....it doesn't come out when there is salt on the ground. It's probably one of the rare rust free 14 year old Cavaliers.....

[A Horse With No Name]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I'd need a completely different pace of life to live there..... but I need a completely different pace of life to live here.... so 6 of one, half dozen of the other. 

If I was going to move to a larger city NYC over Miami.

[ccap41]

57 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

water spots are less bad than salt.

I know.. lol 

[Drew Dowdell]

9 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

If I was going to move to a larger city NYC over Miami.

Funny you mention that... NYC area (NJ, just over the Hudson) is #1 on the list right now.

[ccap41]

24 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Funny you mention that... NYC area (NJ, just over the Hudson) is #1 on the list right now.

I thought you liked cars..? Do you not want to enjoy driving ever again? 

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I thought you liked cars..? Do you not want to enjoy driving ever again? 

No city is good for driving.  For that area though, I can just point my hood ornament westward and be fine.  I grew up about 40 minutes south of where I'm looking and I'm in the area often for work. 

I'm also not afraid to drive into NYC with my old girl...

 

The Prius taxis are scared of me.