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Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

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Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#171
post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bikes like Harleys and BMW twins have plenty of torque, where bikes like Kawasaki Ninja's major on power (peak torque at high revs). Hence Harleys and BMW's are first off the line at the lights (no need to build revs) but the Ninja's will come steaming past seconds later. There are some fun youtube videos demoing bike performance, e.g. Ninja H2's doing 0-250MPH in 26s [0], outdragging a Bugatti [1] and outpacing an F…

You cannot compare just engine torque numbers, without adjusting for gear ratios, wheel size and sprockets. As another commenter said, you rev a Ninja (just like a sports car) and launch it using the clutch.

I believe I did point out that on Ninja's (I have one) you need to build the revs; you can't just dump the clutch and go like you can on a BMW Boxer or a Harley (which I also have). Hence the Ninja is generally slowest away when the lights change (but is by far the quickest bike overall).

In fact bicycles are fastest off the line, since they produce max. torque at 0rpm (just keep weight on a pedal, release the brakes to go). But acceleration is modest, so motorbikes and cars will soon go past.

And of course electrically-driven vehicles are also capable of producing torque at 0rpm, hence their acceleration advantage.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The next derivatives in the sequence of position, velocity, acceleration, and jerk are amusingly named “snap, crackle, and pop”, respectively.

Interestingly, they keep getting into "smaller" sounds. Snaps are kind of long-ish, potentially. Something can slowly snap (jerk primed) in two, it's not "as instantaneous a sound" as the two others. Compare to the pops (third) that are part of any crackle (second) you might hear. I always find it a little extra clever that they're ordered "like derivatives".

Snap, Crackle, and Pop were three cartoon mascots of Rice Krispies cereal. (Mentioning only because non-US or "other generation" people might not get the reference.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap,_Crackle_and_Pop

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#173

The milestone of reaching faster speeds with combustion engines seems to be a wrong goal in this day and age. Climate change is a fact, and the burning of material based on oil/coal is a major driver of this. The effects have been known for decades, but only now major impacts can be seen and felt. In German, there is this phrase, which describes the time period after a certain success/enjoyment/well-being. Literally…

I think the "fat years" are still in the future. Intelligent electric cars (however they may look like, think about the Renault Twizzy) and other means of transportation will make the combustion cars we have now look like dinosaurs and we will be proud of what we have then.

I recently bought a new car in Germany (combustion engine as I needed a 7-seater). People ask me why I took the base engine (140HP) while adding all other optional equipment possible. I tell them: in and around a city, even those 140HP will never get used. And the times I am on the Autobahn AND (!!) being able to actually drive more than 130km/h are so rare that I would never put my money into higher speeds/acceleration. The question of "enough power" has been solved some years ago. Now let's make this power intelligent and sustainable.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty much all modern cars will go faster than is useful and/or safe. Only a small set of public roads allow cars to go their top speed. I have a 1991 Corvette that will go 153 mph, and I've only done it twice. It scares the crap out of me. Top speed is a cool thing to boast about, but most people won't ever see it, and a few stupid people will hurt themselves with it. That's okay on the balance, because millionaire…

a few stupid people will hurt themselves with it. That's okay on the balance, because millionaires are spending their money and supporting the economy. I fail to see how that is ok.

I fail to see how that is ok.

A little bit of chlorine in the gene pool is often beneficial for mankind.

Adults should be free to engage in dangerous activities. The unfortunate problems are 1) they can and do hurt other people and 2) they hurt themselves and subsequently become vegetables and wards of the state.

That's why we have laws against (some) dangerous behavior. It's all a balancing act between individual freedom and society.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#175

The milestone of reaching faster speeds with combustion engines seems to be a wrong goal in this day and age. Climate change is a fact, and the burning of material based on oil/coal is a major driver of this. The effects have been known for decades, but only now major impacts can be seen and felt. In German, there is this phrase, which describes the time period after a certain success/enjoyment/well-being. Literally…

I think you are missing the forest from the trees. If we want to truly reduce climate change we should start by reducing international shipping, consumerism, and non-essential air travel for both pleasure and business.

A 300MPH speed run in an ultra low production Bugatti car is more or less insignificant in the fight against climate change.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#177
post #173

The milestone of reaching faster speeds with combustion engines seems to be a wrong goal in this day and age. Climate change is a fact, and the burning of material based on oil/coal is a major driver of this. The effects have been known for decades, but only now major impacts can be seen and felt. In German, there is this phrase, which describes the time period after a certain success/enjoyment/well-being. Literally…

I think the "fat years" are still in the future. Intelligent electric cars (however they may look like, think about the Renault Twizzy) and other means of transportation will make the combustion cars we have now look like dinosaurs and we will be proud of what we have then. I recently bought a new car in Germany (combustion engine as I needed a 7-seater). People ask me why I took the base engine (140HP) while adding…

The big issue with the small displacement turbo-charged engines is that, at normal autobahn speed, the engine is almost always on boost and therefore burning a lot of fuel to:

1. Reduce intake temperatures/prevent pre-ignition

2. Produce enough power to sustain a constant speed of 120KPH or whatever

This means that they are far less efficient than they should be, and in some cases get more or less the same efficiency as larger displacement high capacity engines.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#178
post #175

The milestone of reaching faster speeds with combustion engines seems to be a wrong goal in this day and age. Climate change is a fact, and the burning of material based on oil/coal is a major driver of this. The effects have been known for decades, but only now major impacts can be seen and felt. In German, there is this phrase, which describes the time period after a certain success/enjoyment/well-being. Literally…

I think you are missing the forest from the trees. If we want to truly reduce climate change we should start by reducing international shipping, consumerism, and non-essential air travel for both pleasure and business. A 300MPH speed run in an ultra low production Bugatti car is more or less insignificant in the fight against climate change.

You write we should reduce: international shipping, consumerism, and non-essential air travel

Sure you can but it will be heavily inconvenient (at least for many in the west). But do you know what reduces the carbon footprint by about 75% in a country like Germany? 1.) Electric cars/trains 2.) Electricity from renewables 3.) Heating using electrical power from renewables (heat pumps)

Of the last 25%, there are 20% from industrial production and in the last 5% you could include air travel (2%) among other things.

Heating and driving and getting power from renewables makes your lifestyle about 0% different from what it is now. Buying goods that last longer even means giving life a touch of luxury. A better, more luxurious lifestyle that produces about 75% less carbon dioxide. Impossible? In a growing number of countries, this will be possible soon. Of course, not flying, not consuming gives you that "holy" feeling of "having done something". But done right, a sustainable lifestyle makes the life we have now even better. It takes a bit of political willpower, of course.

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume you're talking about electric bikes or motorcycles? This confused me a lot for a while because I don't usually see those referred to as "bikes". > This means there are quite a few that will do sub 3 seconds to 60, and sub 5 seconds is practically the norm. This was the give-away - pretty sure very few humans can do 60 mph on a bicycle, unless they're drafting.

Motorcycles are referred as bikes in many countries. And bikes are called as cycles.

It’s actually pretty common in general. I refer to my motorcycle as a bike in the US.

Frankly my favorite is the European “moto”

Re: Bugatti has broken the 300mph barrier

#180
post #177
post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the "fat years" are still in the future. Intelligent electric cars (however they may look like, think about the Renault Twizzy) and other means of transportation will make the combustion cars we have now look like dinosaurs and we will be proud of what we have then. I recently bought a new car in Germany (combustion engine as I needed a 7-seater). People ask me why I took the base engine (140HP) while adding…

The big issue with the small displacement turbo-charged engines is that, at normal autobahn speed, the engine is almost always on boost and therefore burning a lot of fuel to: 1. Reduce intake temperatures/prevent pre-ignition 2. Produce enough power to sustain a constant speed of 120KPH or whatever This means that they are far less efficient than they should be, and in some cases get more or less the same efficiency…

When they are really small: yes. But most cars come with gear boxes and horse powers dimensioned so that you are almost always driving at low rpms at normal autobahn speeds (like 120/130). At least my new car with the 140HP engine rolls along at about 2500rpm at Autobahn speed.
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