We’re once again dusting off that old canard where I’m not asking you a question, but where instead I’m asking you for questions. That’s right friends, the tables have turned once again. I figure it’s about time
Here’s how it works: you can ask any automotive question that’s been gnawing at your psyche like a rat on a raisin, and we’ll see if your fellow Hoons can come up with an answer. Of course, we don’t guarantee that it’ll be the right answer.
There is a depth of automotive knowledge present in here, just waiting to be unleashed. If you’ve got a question – is double clutching the same thing as dutch treating? – you can be assured that one of your fellow Hoons will have the answer. So since it’s Friday, and you’ve probably already checked out for the weekend even though you ‘re likely not even at work yet, let’s see if we can get another impromptu Q&A going and see where it goes.
Image source: AllThingsD
Hooniverse Asks: Open Forum, What Car-Related Questions do YOU Want to Ask?
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78 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: Open Forum, What Car-Related Questions do YOU Want to Ask?”
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I just wondered if other car people were like me as kids (or are as grown up kids) in the way that getting a taxi or picking up a rental car was one of the most exiting things ever when travelling. It was like playing the lottery, you could get a ride in absolutely any car. Worst case scenario you’d just get a boring Mercedes-Benz E-Class or a Passat, but with a little luck it would be a Subaru or something else a little more unusual. And maybe, just maybe, didn’t you see Alfa Romeos about the car size you ordered in the Hertz parking lot? Just the thought made my heart skip several beats. Then it would be a Ford and the vacation was ruined for the next 5 minutes.
Or, in general, how did your Hooning manifest itself when you were kids? Has it lived on?-
Mine didn’t start until i was seventeen or eighteen when my mother got our first British car. Which was a ’72 Sptifire. This then manifested into two more British cars. That sparked a bit of a flame. The day I really became a car guy was the day i started reading Jalopnik and started reading offtopic and met the group I talk to up to this day. They are the ones who have taught me what I know. That started in 2008.
Now my kids were started much younger into this mess. -
Taxis never did much for me, but I’m fully with you on the sense of anticipation of picking up a rental car. Mind you, my parents never got anything particularly good, but I’ve lucked into some neat stuff. Of course, I’m on the inside now, and odds are, if you get anything neat, it’s probably because the resale on it is spectacular (the only reason the company I work for buys a lot of Wranglers).
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My dad usually had something interesting in the garage when I was little. He tended to flip them back then. 41 Cadillac, 47 Packard, 38 Buick, a 30’s Olds, probably one or two more. In sixth grade, I got a motorcycle and rode it in a then-undeveloped neighborhood a few blocks away from the house. When I was in high school, he got a hotrod 56 T Bird, and a little later a Continental Mark II. My first car purchased with my own money was a 70 Challenger R/T. So was my second, and fourth, and a couple more.
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I’ve always liked cars. My Dad managed a Chevy dealership until I was three our four. This was the late 60’s when they made awesome cars. Mom drove a 68 RS/SS Camaro, dad favored whatever ‘vettes he took in on trade. By the time I was five my Dad and I had a game where we would try to guess what kind of car we were following based on the tail light pattern.
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My involvement with cars was strictly Matchbox and Corgi toys, until one summer a guy moved in down the street with a ’67 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III. He took me for a ride and I was hooked. He also gave me all his back issues of C&D and R&T. Then, the next summer, the guy at the other end of the block bought a wrecked Pinto at an insurance auction and wanted a extra set of hands rebuilding it.
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My dad has always had interesting cars… Austin-Healey Sprites, late-’60’s Olds & Pontiac musclecars, etc.
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My mom rolled up in a rental Mustang when getting work done on the LTD.
Not the same car but close. My brother and I flipped out.
http://images.hgmsites.net/med/1981-ford-mustang_100179510_m.jpg -
Hey, it’s still exciting when our rental minivan turns out to be a JDM-cool Quest instead of one of the bland T&C or Grand Caravans that they usually are…
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/2012_Nissan_Quest_SV_rear.jpg/1920px-2012_Nissan_Quest_SV_rear.jpg-
We ended up with one of these in Maui, Hawaii, and I was suprised by how much I liked it.
That tall and boxy rear translates quite well into cavernous interior space.
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Hey, us too! Maybe it was the same van…anyways, it was nicer inside than a FCA product for sure but the folding rear seats just aren’t up to par since they only fold fowards and so it creates an uneven load space. Granted, the rearmost well does come in handy for stashing scuba gear to keep the rest of the trunk clean, but it does make the roof seem a bit lower than normal when trying to load suitcases.
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Honda’s design for the Odyssey is better, load space wise, with the seats folding backwards into the rearmost well, with an easyly removable second row, creating an almost flat load space.
For hauling people, though, I like Nissan’s divider. You can seperate dirty and clean things, or hide expensive things, or store things you don’t need in day to day life.
http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/10/2015/09/2012-Honda-Odyssey-rear-seat-down.jpg
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Yeah, the mighty Ody is superior in many respects (which is why we have an ’05 at home). It was definitely designed by someone like us who commonly hauls children, passengers, and cargo.
The Quest is for sure a plusher van, after all, it is based on the JDM Elgrand which is meant for shuttling around VIPs, not kids!
https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/elgrand/images/Main%20Photo.jpg
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My first word was “car”, so you could say I started early. My earliest car memory was of the rear of an early second generation Camaro. I was smitten.
My dad and his dad and his brother are all car nuts too. Grandpa had a 1937 Cord supercharged phantom, a 1957 Eldorado Biarritz, a 1956 Thunderbird (both now dad’s) and the 1960 Thunderbird that I have. Dad had a non-running 1937 Ford in the garage for years and daily drove a 1965 Barracuda until 1982.I remember going with him shopping for his 1977 Cutlass Supreme (dad has always had a coupe in his fleet).-
Same first word here. I could identify all cars on the road (albeit a reduced Communist choice) before there were proper sentences.
I grew up with a single mother who didn’t care about cars. But she supported my interest. Taxis and rental cars were not really part of my world, but drawing and later photographing cars on vacation were standard. We had a couple of strange cars that probably put me closer to the Hooniverse than the usual Ferrariverse-taste of car nut.-
Similar here, first word was car as my mother keeps reminding me. Could identify pretty much every car on the road age 3-4. Then again, probably wasn’t hard as grey pre celtic tiger Ireland had a similarly limited selection of mostly mundane cars. Mostly BL/Ford/VW, the Japanese invasion had yet to happen in a meaningful way, spotting Mercedes was a big deal, spotting a Rolls Royce or Porsche would make your week and Ferraris were mythological things that existed only in books.
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I remember going to London at age 15 or so and spotting a Jaguar XJ220. The one I had on my Amiga 500. I fumbled so hard with my plastic camera, I missed both the camera and the opportunity to document in the gutter. Really just a reminder how different things are today…
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I was a car guy since forever but since you mentioned taxis; Once when I was around 12 (around 86) my dad and I were down to go fishing with my uncle in Hilton Head SC and our car broke down.I think it was a fanbelt or something, It was easily fixed the next day IIRC, We called a cab and what showed up was a black Austin London cab. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I know they’re common some markets and I knew what it was but I had never seen one in SC and I got to ride in it!
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i’d point to two main influences:
My Dad was pretty handy and
had a decent set of tools, but wrenching on cars wasn’t always his idea
of fun. He was a research engineer and born tinkerer, and would often
have to fabricate lab equipment because no one made what he needed. I
suspect he’s where I picked up what patience and attention to detail
that I have. I remember being a human trouble light stand for him many
times while he’d work on whatever was broken around the house, including
the family car.
Being practical Midwesterners, the folks went for
full-size Chevys, so there was only a little auto excitement to be had
at home for a little car geek like me. But a few times a year, we’d take
a road trip to visit my Mom’s folks, where my two Uncles operated the
town gas station and garage. They’d get everything from local cars to
big rigs in the shop, and had cool old school repair stuff in abundance.
A bronze and white ’57 Chevy wagon and a Model A lurked in the back.
If you were lucky, you’d get to go for a ride in Spark Plug, the blue
Willys Jeep with no upholstery, nothing but springs for seats. Grandpa
worked on hydraulics, did the books and ran for parts. There wasn’t much
in the way of high performance or racing stuff, it was a working man’s
garage and had the patina to prove it. I loved going there and would
hang out for as long as they’d put up with me.
Add it up, and by the time I got my first car, I couldn’t wait to take it apart. Not much has changed.
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Never had the rental car experience as a kid, the nearest we had would be getting a loaner off the mechanic when one of my Dads low budget crapcans invariably failed. Getting an ex-Police Ford Orion (MK3 Escort with a boot) seemed incredibly exciting. We chuckled at the various small dents on the bootlid and wondered were they impressions made by the heads of local scumbags meeting the retribution of a snack box (a greasier approximation of KFC offered in most small chip shops, with “chips” rather than thin fries) fuelled Garda..
I think it was these visits to two family friend mechanics that help fan the flames of already present hoondom, sitting in delapidated Fiat 500s and 126s in the yard because I could reach the pedals, being allowed sit in an S3 Landrover, standing in a concrete garage while an unsilenced Fiat 131 Abarth Twin Cam Stock car/banger racer (sacrilege now, but seen as utterly disposable in the day) was started.
It’s ok though, my life balanced childhood rental car deficit karmically and later in life I often found myself needing to get to Colmar in the Alsace region of France, with the most convenient airport being Frankfurt, hence many an Autobahn VMAX run on the company dime. Never got anything awesome, but an Autobahn VMAX run is fun in anything, apart from that Hyundai Accent with the wooliest steering know to man one time..
Ok i’ll probably have a couple questions today since I am looking at replacing the Spitfire but let me ask this totally subjective one.
Is the Studebaker Lark an attractive car? Is it hot or not?
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It looks like it’s really disappointed about something.
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I can dig it.
Or maybe Torque Thrusts look good on everything? -
I regularly browse Craigslist for Studebaker Champ pickups, which share the same front sheetmetal, so I’d say yes.
http://www.kcclassicauto.com/Vehicles/1963_Studebaker_champ_T15-127/Studebaker_Champ_01.jpg-
Yeah it looks better on a truck.
Oh and this has been for sale for awhile. They claim it was part of a Grateful Dead tour.
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5683270273.html
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Not attractive at all
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Hottest in wagon form.
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Yes, but in the Alyson Hannigan way: fun-attractive, not Greek-goddess-attractive.
http://cdn4.thr.com/sites/default/files/2011/12/alyson_hannigan_a_p.jpg -
I think the very formal grille is it’s drawback, much like the early Valiants, otherwise it’s a pretty good looking car.
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I like it, but it looks a bit like it kind of struggles which design decade it wants to belong to. Swooping 50s or formal 60s? The four door and wagon are much prettier to my eyes.
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I had the chance to see another Studebaker Wagon this week at a Professional Car show and it was another chance to see how much the look of the Lark favors a wagon over the sedan.
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I like it, the squarish looks make it look like an American big brother to the Fiat 1500
http://carinsuranceav.com/data_images/gallery/01/fiat-1500/fiat-1500-05.jpg
What’s the highest multiple of the posted speed limit you reached. Example: 90 in a 45 zone is 90/45 = 2 and 90 in a 30 zone is 3. Honor system is in place here; traffic citation not required.
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1.63
I did 90 in a 55 in a 95 Tacoma and the nose felt like it was going to lift off. I am a rebel! -
Slightly over 2.
20 years ago (give or take), on route 12 in Illinois, I had my MR2 up to an indicated 114. The speed limit was 55. -
I once managed nearly a full 3. Story time!
Back when BMW did it’s “Ultimate Drive” thing for Susan G. Komen, you could sign up to drive the cars to the next city at the end of the day, then they’d bring you back on a charter bus.
I signed up early and managed to get my mitts on the keys to a 760Li. The first and only V12 I’ve ever driven. It was amazingly smooth. Effortless acceleration in any circumstance. And the XM radio was activated, so I had jams.
So, we were driving from Columbus, GA to Macon, GA. About a 2 hour drive on rural highways with a max speed limit of 55mph. The college kids that were actually running the thing took the lead in a 650i convertible, and they were hauling ass. I let myself fall to the back of the pack. After cruising for a while, I lost sight of them.
Between Junction City and Butler, GA, there’s a nice long straightaway. I knew it was coming (drove the Columbus>Macon route dozens of times in college), and buried the loud pedal as the road opened up. I hit an indicated 160mph before the nannies stopped the show, even though I had straightaway left to go and the car still wanted to accelerate.
It was the most reckless thing I’ve ever done in a car. And I’d probably still do it again, given the chance. -
108 in a 35 zone, and the transition to a 25 zone was in the braking zone down to 65.
80 in a 30 was also fairly regular in my wilder days.
Note: Take me home, country roads. -
Mine is a bit of a cheat, since it was a driveway with a 20 mph limit, but I was trying out a friend’s G-Tech Pro and recorded trap speeds just over 100, for a factor of 5.
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3:
300kph – modified Suzuki Hayabusa on a road that’s now closed to the public (wonder why)
165mph – lots of open space near Burns, OR that just gets so @&$*$* boring
180kph – Thailand, Mercedes E500, some poor judgement being exercised -
2⅓ — 145 MPH indicated, so probably pushing a genuine 130 in a 55. I have an advantage over younger hoons because this was back during the days of the Federal speed limit, when even a deserted stretch of rural Minnesota highway was restricted to 55 MPH.
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4. 20 in a 5 MPH zone. What? It counts.
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5 mph in a “420” zone is really flying, too.
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2.036…..- 112 in a 55 in a 87 turbo LeBaron, empty country highway. It might have been a 45 at the time. I don’t remember. second best, 1.85 120 in 65 in my 62 Lancer, I-95, I had spotted some shiny chrome a ways ahead of me and wanted a closer look, it was a 62 Galaxie.
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I’m going to cheat slightly because I was a passenger in this case, but I will claim 10! The street is closed to vehicles except for deliveries between 6-8am, when the speed limit is 10 km/h. There are some very large solid timber barriers that don’t leave a lot of space “at speed”. This was probably at 1am on a weeknight so the place was deserted.
Later that night the same guy tried a very large speed bump at about 90 km/h… -
I guess it was only a *beep*.
How long will the ethanol scam persist?
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Not soon enough for me. Ethanol convinced me to wire it $500 to take delivery of a winning lottery ticket.
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I’m overjoyed that the QuickTrip about a mile from my house has been offering 87 octane Ethanol-free for the price of 93 octane Premium. The Trionic engine management system in the Saab is supposed to compensate for the differences in octane to prevent knocking but over the years I discovered that E-10 87 octane was not the way to go. I had to run Premium to get decent gas mileage because the Ethanol 87 would reduce my gas mileage by at least 10% (never mind what it was doing to the engine). Even though the Ethanol-free is the same price my car is happier and my gas mileage is at least 10% better than Premium.
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It’s been growing gradually but now just about every other gas station here has an ethanol free option, some 87, some 90
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I can kinda understand getting annoyed about getting more ethanol than you bargained for, but E85 is great for running lots of boost. Shame it got taken off the market in Ireland when it became environmentally unfashionable due to concerns over affecting food supply. The ironic thing is, our E85 was made from waste dairy products and not Corn.
Very typical of how various hippie causes get hyped up from watching/reading US based media on eco things without looking at local context. A bit like how Vegans here talk about water useage and stuff when it comes to cattle, which is possibly true in the US, but not here when all our beef is grass fed and it rains all the freaking time. Idiots.-
Here in North America ethanol is part of the Big Corn nexus of corruption. There’s nothing environmentally friendly about it, to the point the EPA is now stating that corn-based ethanol is really really bad. However, my own selfish ire comes from having vehicles that barf on the shit, plus it absolutely destroys my carbureted motorcycle by shellacking the carbs into oblivion. I have to do a pricey rebuild every year or two to fix the damage done by ethanol. Motorcycles with polymer fuel tanks also suffer warping issues that cause fuel leaks and other damage.
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Yeah, I think the two issues are
1. How it’s made – there’s alternative to corn, like plant waste/algae/dairy. seems all the hype about corn that has lead to a needless slowdown in investment, just like the European 180 flip on diesel. Only a matter of time before we realise EVs aren’t the answer to everything either. There’s always a swing looking for a single solution, there isn’t, we need a mix
2. The unfair bait and switch on “regular” unleaded making it difficult to run older vehicles, Ethanols fine if you choose to put it in there.
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Who still makes a good 15″ all-season touring tire? Something a little sporty? Specifically, size P195-60-R15? My 240 Turbo wagon needs some new shoes, but I’m not finding nearly the selection of 15 inchers that I could even a few years ago (insert old man rant here).
I have a set of Michelin Pilot Exaltos on my other 240 that I’d happily buy for the Turbo, but they don’t seem to be available anymore. Most of what I’ve seen online are generic all-seasons. I am not giving up my Virgo 15s! What else is out there that’s comparable to my old Michelins?
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Bridgestone introduced a new “Firehawk AS” a few months back that’s available in 195/60R15.
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Continental has you covered:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=filterTireProducts.do&fl=&pc=19671&counter=0&ar=60&rd=15&cs=195
Discount Tire has about 35 different offerings in this size, including the Michelin Defender although it doesn’t look particularly sporty.-
Geez! Where have I been looking? Thanks! Michelins have done me well, but they don’t seem to have what I’m looking for. Those Contis look nice.
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Check in on swedishbricks.net if you’re not already subscribed. People will have recommendations & most likely, coupon/discount codes as well. Come correct, though – it can be a prickly place (i.e., it’s not the kiddie crowd infesting turbobricks.com).
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Continentals can be really squishy, wrecking the steering response. I like Goodyear Eagle RS-A. Good enough for Infiniti G37, good enough for Volvo 240.
Slightly rough ride quality, pretty great handling. 240 (!) tread wear and lightweight 17 pounds per tire. Cheap enough. Lovely.
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A little dark, but do you think anybody’s ever wrecked a car hard enough to make the cylinder head come off?
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No.
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Do blower explosions count?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/2c/5f/97/2c5f97449b7fda7fde54c49dfb51d82d.jpg
Could a band of non-claustrophobic little people turn a bus-sized RV into some kind of multi-deck road-going cruise vessel?
I just want to direct a vehicle from a bridge, or say “Meet me in the observation lounge on C deck”, etc., but roadway height limitations are a mess for my desire to retrofit a double-decker bus.
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Make each deck 3-1/2′ feet high, but cover the floor with closed-cell foam. Everybody just crawls around on all fours. You could name it “Doggie Style” on the
reartransom.-
Full on Dekatora Japanese sleeping tube liner.
Edit: DO NOT SEARCH THAT AT WORK.-
Make it like this inside, but for adults.
http://www.internationalplayco.com/files/File/myAssets/12/IPC1265-Indoor-Playground-Design-474-x-290.jpg
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You mean like the Decoliner? It can been driven from the regular spot or up on top.
http://www.rv123.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/decoliner.jpg
What’s the general first impression of the new Fiat Spider? If you were in the market for a $30K USD sports car, would you consider one?
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-fiat-124-spider-first-drive-review
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I haven’t driven one yet, but I’m smitten. The Abarth, in particular, is the one new car that makes me question my position of not actually needing a new car. (Well, the most affordable new car that does, anyway).
In short, yes, if I were in the market for a $30k-ish sports car, I would consider a Fiata. -
Not driven one, but looking at pricing and reading reviews, the regular 124 seems poor value compared to 2.0 MX5, is bigger, heavier, softer and doesn’t even get you an LSD.
Of course this is a moot point in Ireland because they insist on only selling us the 1.5 MX5 officially (I can live with that, less power but sweeter) but with no optional LSD on the options list. Now maybe you can get one when you actually order at a dealer, but I know if I was in the lucky position of considering brand new one and couldn’t spec it with the LSD, it would literally be a deal breaker. You kinda accept a used car not being your ideal spec, but not when you’re the one ticking the boxes.
Does your spouse comment on your driving, do you comment on theirs? Had this question hanging over me during the vacation season. We have really agreed on not doing that, but…she is an unattentive passenger that likes to shout “whoah” when she sees something in traffic that the driver is already dealing with.
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My former wife used to do that to me all the time. Once on the ways to Key West she did this and I slammed on the brakes hit the shoulder and told her to drive. Flat spotted a perfectly good set of Aquatreads though.
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My wife exhibits the same behavior at times. My favorite thing to do is not react to her “observation” then, when we’re past it, say, “I’m sorry, dear, what did you say?”. I generally get a “Never mind”.
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Normally my wife doesn’t comment on MY driving (unless it’s too slow or I should be in the other lane because it’s going SO much faster, usually because we’re late for something) but she’s always quick to point out pedestrians, bicyclists, when another driver is being “snuggly” (crossing the lane or close to it) or if they’re driving distracted or possibly drunk. My island is full of drunks, but most of them are good at it. She also puts her hand out and sometimes pats the dash if the car in front of us stops short. She’s a nervous passenger.
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“My island is full of drunks, but most of them are good at it.”
I’m sorry you live in a real-world Jimmy Buffett song.-
Don’t be. There’s also a lot of hoons. In my small neighborhood there’s a 62 lancer gt (mine), a 50 ford woody, a shelby cobra knockoff, a healy 3000, a volvo amazon, a mustang ii cobra, a 912 being rebuilt in a backyard, etc. It’s hoon central over here.
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We have both become accustomed to each other’s driving style so that we hiss and huh at each other only when we kinda know that something is about to go wrong.
After the fact, we certainly yell at each other not to do that etc. , like any long time related couple should. -
I try not to, but with a manual box, sometimes my mechanical sympathy gets the best of me.
i’d point to two main influences:
My Dad was pretty handy and had a decent set of tools, but wrenching on cars wasn’t always his idea of fun. He was a research engineer and born tinkerer, and would often have to fabricate lab equipment because no one made what he needed. I suspect he’s where I picked up what patience and attention to detail that I have. I remember being a human trouble light stand for him many times while he’d work on whatever was broken around the house, including the family car.
Being practical Midwesterners, the folks went for full-size Chevys, so there was only a little auto excitement to be had at home for a little car geek like me. But a few times a year, we’d take a road trip to visit my Mom’s folks, where my two Uncles operated the town gas station and garage. They’d get everything from local cars to big rigs in the shop, and had cool old school repair stuff in abundance. A bronze and white ’57 Chevy wagon and a Model A lurked in the back. If you were lucky, you’d get to go for a ride in Spark Plug, the blue Willys Jeep with no upholstery, nothing but springs for seats. Grandpa worked on hydraulics, did the books and ran for parts. There wasn’t much in the way of high performance or racing stuff, it was a working man’s garage and had the patina to prove it. I loved going there and would hang out for as long as they’d put up with me.
Add it up, and by the time I got my first car, I couldn’t wait to take it apart. Not much has changed.
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