Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

8 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Then what horsepower number for our appliance vehicles is appropriate for our roads?

Just a question. 

To me my friend this is an easy answer, Maximum Torque to move the PHAT Ass that auto's have gotten on this safety everything kick that makes the auto Obese followed with enough horsepower to ensure you can keep moving with the flow of traffic without a struggle.

Seamless smooth movement without the struggle that so many small auto's with under powered ICE have.

[FAPTurbo]

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

Kids seem to naturally pick up on a persons reputation.

- - - - - 

Edited June 19, 2019 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, FAPTurbo said:

Is Ghost Penis a relative to the Ghost Pepper? ?

[daves87rs]

3 hours ago, FAPTurbo said:

Yo quiero taco balls?

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

Look at that dinky little Chevy, just a couple of years old, compared to the relatively giant Pontiac and Cadillac.

[ykX]

I am not a big Porsche fan, in fact not fan at all, but the new 2020 Cayman GT4 is super cool, looks awesome, finally back to inline 6, manual transmission. 

[balthazar]

[Drew Dowdell]

9 hours ago, balthazar said:

All of the Steak n Shakes near me closed on the same day.  We now have none in our area. 

2 hours ago, ykX said:

I am not a big Porsche fan, in fact not fan at all, but the new 2020 Cayman GT4 is super cool, looks awesome, finally back to inline 6, manual transmission. 

err... flat 6?

[ocnblu]

Cayman has been my fayvert Porch since it came out.

Yesterday, my neighbor across the street ran over his wrapped newspaper with his lawn tractor... and blew it all over his newly mowed yard.  LOL.

[ykX]

9 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

err... flat 6?

  My bad

[balthazar]

My kind of sports car! 

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, ykX said:

I am not a big Porsche fan, in fact not fan at all, but the new 2020 Cayman GT4 is super cool, looks awesome, finally back to inline 6, manual transmission. 

Love the Air Stream Pics they have.

Thought this was interesting:

Sitting amidship is a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat six engine. Porsche says it's "new," and develops 414 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque on its way up to an 8,000 rpm redline. This engine sounds like it's a de-tuned derivative of the 911 GT3 enginethat makes 500 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque — it also revs out to a glorious 9,000 rpm in the 911.

Cool Flat 6 Engine pic they released.

[Robert Hall]

51 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

All of the Steak n Shakes near me closed on the same day.  We now have none in our area.  

Bummer..I like them, and they don't overdo the french fries like Five Guys ...have a Steak & Shake and a Five Guys near each other near here..

[balthazar]

What's so funny about my above post, Robert Hall? You don't think I was serious?

- - - - - 
How about this; a Hemi-powered Messerschmidt! 

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, balthazar said:

What's so funny about my above post, Robert Hall? You don't think I was serious?

 

I don't think I'd categorize a rusted '50s lump as a 'sports car,' even w/ a Viper powertrain.  It's interesting, though.. reminds me of one of the Icon Derelict builds.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

Well, styling is highly subjective (outside of  certain aerodynamic aids), everything else is about performance, handling, braking, steering when talking sports cars. None of the components that handle those duties ‘care’ what the body looks like.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Bummer..I like them, and they don't overdo the french fries like Five Guys ...have a Steak & Shake and a Five Guys near each other near here..

Five Guys is so overrated. Burgers are ok, Fries are terrible.

Best Burgers and crispy not greasy fries is "The Habit" https://www.habitburger.com/

Habit Burgers, sandwiches and salads are AWESOME!

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Five Guys is so overrated.

+1 

I've had it twice and I don't hate it but I don't love it. It's overpriced for how it tastes, imo. 

[Robert Hall]

15 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Five Guys is so overrated. Burgers are ok, Fries are terrible.

Best Burgers and crispy not greasy fries is "The Habit" https://www.habitburger.com/

Habit Burgers, sandwiches and salads are AWESOME!

Yes!!!  Had a Habit store in my Phoenix neighborhood...better than In N Out, IMO.   Alas, don't have either chain back here.   We have Shake Shack here also, but I think they are overrated. 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

+1 

I've had it twice and I don't hate it but I don't love it. It's overpriced for how it tastes, imo. 

Exactly, for the price you get an over cooked burger from the same type of flat top grill as McDonalds but at a price you pay for The Habit which does actual grill them to order on a real grill and the fries are crunchy fresh, not a soggy greasy mess.

1 minute ago, Robert Hall said:

Yes!!!  Had a Habit store in my Phoenix neighborhood...better than In N Out, IMO.   Alas, don't have either chain back here. 

Here is your Weekend Challenge Robert!

Look on Yelp for the top 3 Burger Joints and then go try them and report back on what you find.

BURGERS ??

If Challenge accepted, please take pictures!  

[G. David Felt]

JD Power Says Korean Cars Beat US and Europe in Quality

http://flip.it/xocAn_

This awesome as Koreans, Americans, Japanese and last place is the Germans according to the JD powers. Only worst is the Italians in last place.

[balthazar]

^ Why is that "awesome'?

[G. David Felt]

38 minutes ago, balthazar said:

^ Why is that "awesome'?

Cause some folks think Germans are the best and now they are pretty much last for quality.

[daves87rs]

13 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Bummer..I like them, and they don't overdo the french fries like Five Guys ...have a Steak & Shake and a Five Guys near each other near here..

Still have a few Steak and Shakes here....shakes are quite yummy.....

[ocnblu]

Waiting with baited breff to see what GM has in store for the Colorado styling update.  The order guide states the 2020 model is unchanged, which is a disappointment, but hopefully it will be a short model year.  I am hoping they go big and make it look like a baby 2020 HD... I would be all over it!

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

Toyota and Subaru have officially signed an agreement to build an EV Platform that both companies will use to build SUV and Cars.

https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/28377766.html?adid=ag478_mail&padid=ag478_mail

 

[balthazar]

Still unlikely to be a viable venture. Maybe if each country engineered an EV platform then hung their respective sheet plastic on it...

[Robert Hall]

5 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Still unlikely to be a viable venture. Maybe if each company engineered an EV platform then hung their respective sheet metal on it...

It's a shared platform between two manufacturers.  Nothing new, happens all the time...like with Toyota and BMW on the Supra/Z4, or Toyota and Subaru w/ the 86/BRZ...except this time it's an EV platform instead of ICE.

[balthazar]

You don’t think that makes a bottom line difference?

[Robert Hall]

5 minutes ago, balthazar said:

You don’t think that makes a bottom line difference?

I don't see how it's different than any other shared platform JV project.  Toyota is investing in the battery and electric motor development, Subaru is contributing the AWD parts it sounds like.  No different from the 86/BRZ using a Subaru-developed engine or the Supra/Z4 using a BMW development engine.   Each manufacturer in the JV invests in certain components. 

It is interesting to see Toyota finally getting on the BEV bandwagon, after years in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. 

Edited June 21, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Potluck]

Toyota owns a controlling interest in Subaru... it's like signing a contract with yourself.

[Robert Hall]

8 minutes ago, Potluck said:

Toyota owns a controlling interest in Subaru... it's like signing a contract with yourself.

They are still separate companies, though....Toyota only has a 16.5% stake in FHI. 

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I don't see how it's different than any other shared platform JV project.

Of course it's different; it's an EV. No one has even suggested they make a profit on building an EV, I wonder if it's possible even with sharing the building of one over 2 companies. Either the price is low enough it gains some sort of measurable volume, or it's priced to the moon and only a few hundred sell.

I think at this point at least 4 or 5 companies need to get involved on engineering one platform and splitting the cost, then each having a 'snap on' plastic body with their own grille.

[Robert Hall]

I'm sure the effort will result in a variety of products of different styles and price points..from cheaper Toyota and Subaru models to premium Lexus models.    

Similar to the approach GM, VWAG and others plan for their EVs--a platform for a common set of components (for the battery pack, motors and other dirty bits) with unique bodywork and interiors for different models...Ford and VW are in talks for the same sort of thing, I believe...

[ccap41]

18 minutes ago, balthazar said:

I think at this point at least 4 or 5 companies need to get involved on engineering one platform and splitting the cost, then each having a 'snap on' plastic body with their own grille.

That and to get a good universal plug going instead of each company having their own. 

[balthazar]

^ Right.

We've already seen the industry move to ubitquitous displacements (2.0L/3.0L/4.0L) and aerodynamic demands have rendered everything the same except for grilles/lights & emblems. There's less & less reason to have a 'toyota EV' and a 'nissan EV' and a 'mazda EV' when there's not much in the way of differentialion to come, just ink a multi-armed JV and call it the 'toysanda' EV and be done with it.

Maybe they can 3-way split a Ben Franklin in profit on it some day.

Edited June 21, 2019 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

Exactly.  Common platform, different silhouettes plopped on.  Sooooo exciting.  *YAWN*

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, ccap41 said:

That and to get a good universal plug going instead of each company having their own. 

There is already a universal standard that everyone except NIssan and Tesla are using, unless I am missing something in your statement about universal. ?

50 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Exactly.  Common platform, different silhouettes plopped on.  Sooooo exciting.  *YAWN*

So says the Fiat 500 owner with a snapped on Jeep Female body.

[ocnblu]

9 hours ago, dfelt said:

So says the Fiat 500 owner with a snapped on Jeep Female body.

I'm speechless.  You are so right.  I made it personal by calling you out on the electric car you own, so it is only natural that you would retaliate in kind.

Edited June 22, 2019 by ocnblu

[balthazar]

1937 ~  

[FAPTurbo]

has anyone else ever not showered for several days and fallen in love with the odour of your own, undeodorized flesh? 

[balthazar]

[daves87rs]

50 minutes ago, FAPTurbo said:

has anyone else ever not showered for several days and fallen in love with the odour of your own, undeodorized flesh? 

New scent for Old Spice?

[ocnblu]

6 hours ago, FAPTurbo said:

has anyone else ever not showered for several days and fallen in love with the odour of your own, undeodorized flesh? 

Well if you can't love yourself, how will you love anyone else?  Just don't go blind.

[balthazar]

[FAPTurbo]

11 hours ago, daves87rs said:

New scent for Old Spice?

mold spice