Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

cp-the-nerd

New Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,267

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by cp-the-nerd

  1. cp-the-nerd
    I get that way on the months where we don't have an extended weekend for a holiday or something. It is amazing what a 3 day weekend will do mentally. Not just the time off but just having something to look forward to that isn't the same. For instance, this weekend. I'm so stoked for it..yet I have nothing planned or anything.. just won't be working. lol My day job has been taking advantage of me for a couple years now and I am so pinned down by them I don't have much time or energy to make a change. I understand, jobs can have a creeping oppression over us.
  2. cp-the-nerd
    I have that thought every week or so. When times were rough and money was tight, I used to love the notion of giving up everything and starting over somewhere in the midwest. Maybe chase tornadoes (apparently I'm a closet lunatic). For years, I was in a rut just waiting for life plans to pay off. It was mentally exhausting going from college graduation at the peak of the recession to grinding out debt, living paycheck to paycheck, and sticking out a long distance relationship. If you guys don't have a good reason to be in a rut, maybe it's time to shake things up.
  3. cp-the-nerd
    I actually think there's a typo somewhere in the 1/4 mile specs because the ATS-V is ahead .4 seconds to 100 mph, and a massive 3.5 seconds ahead to 150 mph. The engine is showing significant power over the two competitors once you reach triple digits. It's not necessarily what they say about the interior, it's how they go into the final scoring and somehow a bland gauge cluster and cramped back seat steal the win in a top tier performance comparo. That's RIDICULOUS. They say right in the pages that the ATS-V is the best driver's car, but they fudge the subjective scores to keep the ATS-V on the bottom. I mean if there was a single demerit in their notebook, they found a way to subtract for it twice. Seriously, look at the points: -The ATS-V loses 4 points for the back seat ALONE for two separate catagories. -1 to 2 more points lost for "features/amenities", not sure how that's even calculated. -Fit and finish loses 2 pts to the BMW and 3 pts to the AMG, really? Glossy plastic means that much? Apparently, because... -ANOTHER 4 points are lost to the AMG and 3 pts to the Bimmer for interior design. We're talking 10 total points lost to the M3 and 13 lost to the AMG just on the interior nitpicks.
  4. cp-the-nerd
    I've been in multiple ATS's since they came out, I've NEVER been underwhelmed by anything other than the gauge cluster. This past year, I also sat in an S4, an A5, and a handful of Acuras including a $60k RLX. None of them made the ATS-V interior seem like a deal breaker by comparison. Could the V-series interior be more special? Yes. Does it look like a Chevrolet next to other luxury cars? Hell no. Hopefully GM swaps out the gauge cluster and CUE console for 2017 so journalists can stop with the eye-rolling hyperbole and concentrate on how well it performs.
  5. cp-the-nerd
    I really liked the CC when it was new. It was a great looking, clean design with just a hit of aggressiveness. The interior was also the best around. Now that it's aged and VW gave it a half-hearted refresh that included making the face completely forgettable, I don't look twice at them. At this point, I think the interior looks older than its age. The rest of the industry advanced too quickly while VW put all its focus into increasing volume of lesser models and let the CC stagnate. This was a much better looking car.
  6. cp-the-nerd
    Sorry about your dog, dude. Worst part of pet ownership is saying goodbye. It's like having a close family member or best friend guaranteed to live just a small fraction of your life span. Seems like a lot of pets passing at C&G right now.
  7. cp-the-nerd
    Car & Driver has posted the first ATS-V comparison up against the M3 and AMG C63. Frankly, if you look at the performance, this car has 100% delivered. If you look at the price, this car has 100% delivered. Somehow in the final tally after scoring an incredible 58 out of 60 points in the chassis chart, and topping fun to drive, and taking top honors for 1/4 mile acceleration and lateral grip--all the tests one would expect to be the most important in this class of car--you'll find the ATS relegated to last place after losing 10+ points for the interior and backseat. As tested, it was ten grand cheaper than the BMW and almost twenty less than the Mercedes. Final scoring: 1st: BMW M3 - 207 pts 2nd: AMG C63 S - 205 pts 3rd: ATS-V - 201 pts Link to the scanned issue of C&D: http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1143937
  8. cp-the-nerd
    7 sec is a bit more reasonable. Hopefully they're sandbagging because the turbo-4 ATS and 3 series crush that. Even the refreshed ILX can crack the high 6's with 202 horsepower.
  9. cp-the-nerd
    Lexus claims an 8 second 0-60? They must have let Hyundai tune it.
  10. cp-the-nerd
    I've been really wanting one of those lately. Last time I checked, there were only two in my area and not what I'd want. One was molested with a flashy chrome grille. Bleh.
  11. cp-the-nerd
    My girlfriend's brother was recently in the market for a new-ish used vehicle. He was shopping 4-cylinder CUVs because he has no shame. Wound up with a 2008 CR-V, the quintessential dumpy-driving set of ovaries on wheels. I want to make fun of him so bad, but he's too thin skinned to take it on the nose. His girlfriend drives a Prius and they both really like it, if that gives you any indication of their excellent taste in automobiles. I'm sure he'll love how "reliable" the CR-V drives sitting in its dreary interior and puttering along slowly.
  12. cp-the-nerd
    I don't follow, the base Trax comes with 16s in either steelies or alloys.
  13. cp-the-nerd
    I want this to be the refreshed Chevy Trax in a couple years, with one of the new small turbo engines under the hood:
  14. cp-the-nerd
    If they do AWD in the upcoming Verano, it will use the torque vectoring HALDEX system from the Regal and Lacrosse, which is one of the best (FWD-based) systems in the world. The Trax and Encore, as far as I know, use a traditional system albeit with good programming.
  15. cp-the-nerd
    Most mainstream cars that offer AWD use a crappy passive system that only sends a small fraction of power to the rear wheels. Honda's system was so bad on the CR-V that it was literally adding a badge and 200+ lbs to the vehicle without being able to power the rear wheels, they had to reprogram the car in a TSB campaign. It's still an incredibly weak system that isn't worth the weight, mileage, or cost penalties. GM's passive system is reasonably good, able to send up to 50% of power rearward, but most of the time the car is driving 100% or 95% FWD even in the rain. There are a lot of false assumptions about AWD. Most people literally think they're getting full time 50/50 split 4-wheel-drive, and they drive the car in adverse conditions with false confidence. Others believe AWD is a performance booster on CUVs and sedans, which is completely wrong. For most people buying AWD, it's the equivalent of paying $2000 to have 200-300 lbs of bricks strapped to your undercarriage and the misconception that they're driving a rally car.
  16. cp-the-nerd
    YES!! Kung Fury was TITS! I had the weirdest boner after I finished watching. Here's the whole thing if anyone has 30 minutes to spare for the best 80s throwback kung fu spoof this side of existence.
  17. cp-the-nerd
    I'm curious to see that engine in action. It snuck in under the radar because peak numbers are so similar to the single scroll version. Are there plans to get that motor in the current gen Focus ST? I think we'd see a good drop in acceleration times.
  18. cp-the-nerd
    If you're saying the factory tune isn't an excuse, I agree. However, I get tired of hearing (quite often) that the GM V6 is peaky. It's not. I can find dyno charts all day of N/A engines that have 50% of peak torque until over 3000 rpm. Then peak at 4000-5000 and immediately fall off the table. I mean I guess GM is tuning for its audience with those cars, and we enthusiasts are the only ones offended by it, because they've sold like crazy for more than half a decade and power complaints are few and far between. These vehicles are intriguing to me because there's so much left on the table. I bet I could get an LFX Impala or Equinox to crack 6 seconds 0-60 and run mid 14s on stock hardware, and I'm an amateur tuner. Few N/A vehicles have THAT much potential.
  19. cp-the-nerd
    Just for comparison sake.. Ford's 2.0T I recall that engine, despite all its low end torque, lacking quite a bit compared to the duratec 3.5L V6 in the Explorer and Edge. Explorer 2.0L Ecoboost review: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/1108_ford_explorer_ecoboost_test/
  20. cp-the-nerd
    No, the amount of torque management is not consistent per RPM, it depends on a number of variables like I mentioned. The graph would be a clusterf@#k if they tried to present that information. The SAE cert is done under controlled conditions. The charts are a reference tool anyway, not advertising material. Power output varies significantly from climate and elevation too.
  21. cp-the-nerd
    A variety of circumstances command the engine to pull back timing, thereby reducing power and torque. There's also a lot of restrictions on power enrichment mode, so in order to get a good 12:1 AFR (on 10% ethanol) you have to rev above 5000 rpm and have your foot planted. For all I know, 1st and 2nd gear might be universally torque limited to drive more docile. I'm not sure what your level of knowledge is here, but to put it simply, a modern computer controlled engine can literally be told to put out 1% of torque, max torque, or anything in between and from the driver's seat it doesn't feel electronically limited other than being sluggish off the line.
  22. cp-the-nerd
    Lol am I talking to myself? It's the tune!! Tune, tune, tune! Give me 1 hour with an Enclave and it'll probably be able to do a burnout. You know, in case you want to lay down a patch when taking the kids to soccer practice. These cars are set up to pull timing for like 5 different reasons, it's asinine. Has nothing to do with gearing. The transverse V6 cars all have the same transmission as me, the Lambdas even have a more aggressive final drive ratio. I'm confused because your tune youre talking about transmission tuning correct? Not a tune for more power..right? Also, 265tq isn't anything special in a 3 row SUV..so yes a lack of torque still, imo. The debate is whether GM's 3.6L DI motors are peaky. It's a sensation caused by the powertrain tune, both the engine and transmission. The graph isn't incorrect, I simply didn't think it was necessary to post multiple graphs for each iteration of the V6 and each vehicle application. The Lambdas have a tune with 270 lb-ft with a similarly flat torque curve. 90% of torque is available from like 2000 rpm to 6000 rpm.
  23. cp-the-nerd
    Lol am I talking to myself? It's the tune!! Tune, tune, tune! Give me 1 hour with an Enclave and it'll probably be able to do a burnout. You know, in case you want to lay down a patch when taking the kids to soccer practice. These cars are set up to pull timing for like 5 different reasons, it's asinine. Has nothing to do with gearing. The transverse V6 cars all have the same transmission as me, the Lambdas even have a more aggressive final drive ratio.
  24. cp-the-nerd
    Does this look like peaky torque? I'm telling you guys, it's in the tune. It's overly aggressive torque management and to a lesser extent throttle response like Casa said. My Malibu is port injected and will roast the tires all the way through 1st gear and chirp the 1-2 shift. It's he most torquey V6 I've ever driven. LFX SAE Dyno Chart (Transverse Application): Link to high res chart: http://gmpowertrain.com/2014_images/charts_lg/lfx_chart_cadillac_srx.jpg
  25. cp-the-nerd
    Not going to happen. New engine family only goes up to 1.5L because of the european displacement tax. Same reason Ford switched to the 1.5T in the Fusion after debuting with a 1.6T. ... Spark gets the EV... the Sonic tho.. what about the Sonic??? Sonic SHOULD be getting an SS. It's about time GM got back into the sport compact game. The Sonic is BEGGING for it, and the RS was just a tease without more power.
×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search