51–60 of 528 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My 1999 Camaro Z28: 320 HP and ~3,400 pounds My 2016 Camaro 2SS: 457 HP and ~3,700 pounds Well, half-right at least... That said, IMO that 2016 car drives like a budget Porsche Cayman while the 1999 car was a glorious tire-smoking muscle car. Ironically, I get slightly worse mileage out of the 2016 edition (22 vs 25 mpg).
Why would that be ironic? It has almost 1.5x the horsepower.
I'm not sure that I believe their assertion that cars have gotten lighter. Perhaps the real land-yacht monstrosities have been weeded out (and replaced with SUVs). But it seems like comfort and safety concerns, coupled with more power and better fuel economy have been causing equivalent cars to become heavier (and more expensive) over time. As an example, one of my first cars was an 84 VW GTI. It weighed ~2000lbs. Tr…
My 1999 Camaro Z28: 320 HP and ~3,400 pounds My 2016 Camaro 2SS: 457 HP and ~3,700 pounds Well, half-right at least... That said, IMO that 2016 car drives like a budget Porsche Cayman while the 1999 car was a glorious tire-smoking muscle car. Ironically, I get slightly worse mileage out of the 2016 edition (22 vs 25 mpg).
The chart makes me sad. My Subaru BRZ (2013-) "sports car" comes with only 200hp. Many people looking for more power install aftermarket superchargers.
Take one look at the grassroots drift scene over at Ebisu Circuit and you'll notice that nearly everyone's running Silvias, Skyline GTSTs and AE86s. Hardly anyone is taking cars with over 300hp to the track... Too much power.
If only the auto industry hadn't canned Henry Ford's efforts to mass produce cars with hemp-composite materials.[0] They would be arguably faster, lighter, more efficient, and safer than anything on the market. But, ya know. Car wrecks are good for business, and efficiency is bad for business. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srgE6Tzi3Lg
Not as good as hand-spun fibers, but cheaper to produce..
Not sure if it per se is that innovative, similar tech has been used for a long time for (cheaper) pleasure boats, though with chopped glass fibers and polyester resin.
They picked an interesting starting point for their comparisons, which was 1975, several years after the following: 1) HP ratings went from SAE gross (at flywheel with no accessories) to SAE net (at flywheel with accessories and stock exhaust) 2) Smog controls (AIR, EGR, and cats) 3) Lower static compression ratios to handle unleaded fuel That said, computer-controlled spark and fuel, and now direct injection, makes…
I'm not sure that I believe their assertion that cars have gotten lighter. Perhaps the real land-yacht monstrosities have been weeded out (and replaced with SUVs). But it seems like comfort and safety concerns, coupled with more power and better fuel economy have been causing equivalent cars to become heavier (and more expensive) over time. As an example, one of my first cars was an 84 VW GTI. It weighed ~2000lbs. Tr…
The article only references gas mileage improvements, which are substantial.
I'm not sure that I believe their assertion that cars have gotten lighter. Perhaps the real land-yacht monstrosities have been weeded out (and replaced with SUVs). But it seems like comfort and safety concerns, coupled with more power and better fuel economy have been causing equivalent cars to become heavier (and more expensive) over time. As an example, one of my first cars was an 84 VW GTI. It weighed ~2000lbs. Tr…
I have made this argument before on the internet and I have learned that it is a European vs American perspective. American cars in the 70s and 80s were monsters . Definitely heavier than modern cars. For example, here are 10 popular cars in the US from 1984. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1984-10best-cars-1984-h... Audi 5000s: 2850-3100 lbs Dodge Daytona: 2830 lbs Honda Accord: 2300 lbs Honda Prelude: 2220 lbs…
Infiniti QX80 – 5,633 pounds
Toyota Sequoia – 5,730 pounds
Toyota Land Cruiser – 5,765 pounds
Lincoln Navigator – 5,830 pounds
Lexus LX 570 – 6,000 poundsI have a 2016 Ford Mustang GT/CS and consistently get 23-24 MPG with mostly highway/freeway driving. It's unreal that a 5.0L V8 with 435HP (stock) gets that good gas mileage. The materials and fit & finish is better all around too. We are truly living in the middle of another "golden age" of automobiles. Watch out though - here come the EVs :)
I mean, I'm super happy that my 2.0L petrol 381bhp beast gets 30mpg on the motorway, but we can still do a lot better.
I'm not sure that I believe their assertion that cars have gotten lighter. Perhaps the real land-yacht monstrosities have been weeded out (and replaced with SUVs). But it seems like comfort and safety concerns, coupled with more power and better fuel economy have been causing equivalent cars to become heavier (and more expensive) over time. As an example, one of my first cars was an 84 VW GTI. It weighed ~2000lbs. Tr…
I have made this argument before on the internet and I have learned that it is a European vs American perspective. American cars in the 70s and 80s were monsters . Definitely heavier than modern cars. For example, here are 10 popular cars in the US from 1984. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1984-10best-cars-1984-h... Audi 5000s: 2850-3100 lbs Dodge Daytona: 2830 lbs Honda Accord: 2300 lbs Honda Prelude: 2220 lbs…
No. Car weights in America fell dramatically after the 1973 oil crisis, reached a low point in the mid 1980s, and have been rising since. Here are the 2017 Car & Driver 10 best
BMW M2 3450
Chevy Bolt 3563
Chevy Camaro 3883
Chevy Corvette Grand Sport 3428
Honda Accord 3336
Porsche 718 Cayman 2988
VW Golf GTI 3027I drive an Opel Astra H 1.7 CDTI and I can get up to 50 mpg (4.7 l/100 km) on the highway, and I never dip under 40 mpg (5.8 l/100km) even when doing a lot of city driving. I understand that my car is comparatively somewhat smaller (1200 kg) and underpowered (100 hp), yet I can't imagine needing more horsepower. It's a very comfortable ride as well.
But even my parents' larger car doesn't get even remotely as low as 25 mpg. First time I saw a car with less than 30 mpg was when I drove a company van.
When I compare these numbers with my American friends, they're incredulous as to how low they are, and they're not exactly driving SUVs either. What do you get in the place for this lower efficiency? Are American cars that much heavier? More comfortable? Faster?