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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar replied to balthazar's post in a topic in The Lounge
    More RPMS equals more emissions. The faster an engine turns the more exhaust it expells. Not more per combustion cycle, just more combustion cycles, period.
  2. balthazar replied to HarleyEarl's post in a topic in Industry News
    Chinese-produced steel has a longstanding & well-earned reputation for being marginally better than compressed tin foil.
  3. balthazar replied to toyoguy's post in a topic in Other Auto Shows
    ^^ Wow, and 'us GM fans' are in foolish half-witted denial...
  4. balthazar replied to toyoguy's post in a topic in Other Auto Shows
    lexus buyers look for signs of crappy assembly quality??? And how is pointing out design deficiencies "mocking"? It's a gap, BTW, and a huge one, right in a close-up factory publicity shot. Oops.
  5. balthazar replied to balthazar's post in a topic in The Lounge
    Let's try this from another angle. If I have 2 identical 3500 lb sedans with a 200 HP V-6, but the 1st develops it's peak HP & torque at 2000 RPMs less than the 2nd. In order to experience the same perceived level of 'performance' in everyday driving, the 2nd car must be accelerated 2000 RPMs higher to reach the same power figures (this is a given). Both cars feature identical combustion efficiencies due to design & electronic controls and both burn the same amount of fuel at a given HP. However, due to that HP/TRQ being set higher in the RPM range, the 2nd car has to emit the same degree of emissions more often due to increased RPMs. This means a greater quantity of emissions from the 2nd car. Given these parameters, how can any other conclusion be valid? Please someone direct me to specific EPA test procedures; I surely would like to see direct hard data (as opposed to mathmatical conversions) of the quantity of emissions over time between a high RPM motor & a low RPM motor.
  6. balthazar replied to toyoguy's post in a topic in Other Auto Shows
    Gotta luv 'em!
  7. balthazar replied to HarleyEarl's post in a topic in Industry News
    Everything I've ever held in my hand marked "China" has been pure, unmitigated crap... why in the world would I gamble on something as complex as a car 'Made in China'?? Show me 50 years of excellent-quality product and they may have a fighting chance.
  8. balthazar replied to balthazar's post in a topic in The Lounge
    >>"such an engine would not emit less emissions"<< Maybe I'm not making my point well, empowah. If a mid-sized car makes 200 HP at 6500 RPM, it will require a certain level of throttle (& therefore RPMs) to deliver the desired level of acceleration in normal driving... ie- more RPMs to develop the required power. If that very same car developed 200 HP at 4500 RPM, that exact same desired level of acceleration would be met using 2000 less RPMs... and 2000 RPMs less of emissions. Every other revolution per minute of the engine produces 1 exhaust pulse per cylinder. If Car X averages --say-- 3500 RPMs during acceleration, the quantity of emissions is less than one averaging --say-- 4500. And if the EPA calculates MPG based on a conversion of CO2 emissions, that agency is even more useless than I thought.
  9. Wow, something new for me. Never heard of it before this. Wild. I wonder how the hell they got it to weigh 5400 lbs?? Concrete fenders? And 130 MPH?? Sounds optomistic on only 192 HP- it took Chrysler 300 to hit 140. "LeSabreski" -- is that the actual name??
  10. balthazar replied to HarleyEarl's post in a topic in Automotive Trivia
    Yes, but this is a 1975 proposal, not an FWD '80s X-body. X-bodies from the mid '70s routinely ran 350s of their respective divisions.
  11. balthazar replied to balthazar's post in a topic in The Lounge
    >>"The EPA doesn't test at specific RPMs..."<< I was referring to readily available data via state inspection stations; the EPA/manufacturer emissions data is not released publically as far as I know (beyond classifications: LEV, SLEV, etc). >>"...certainly there are engines that make most of their power at higher RPMs AND get excellent fuel economy."<< The questions remain: would said engines get equal fuel economy if their power was developed at lower RPMs AND also emit less emissions? Is/ how is high RPMs related to fuel economy and emissions? Are these engines getting "excellent fuel economy" at 80% of redline, or during relatively steady-speed EPA tests? What are individual engine's emission volumes?
  12. balthazar replied to Flybrian's post in a topic in The Lounge
    There certainly was a flurry of custom activity around Cadillac in the late '70s- perhaps not equalled in volume since the '30s, yet I have never seen a single 2-dr Seville conversion (pickup, Opera Coupe or convert). The Seville 2-seat convertibles (no sidemounts) are sweet. The slantback Sevilles abandonment of the sweepspear is puzzling- that simple molding really ties the design together. The 'Eldocamino is downright awful; nothing degrades a Cadillac quicker than an outright Chevy rear. {shudder}
  13. balthazar replied to balthazar's post in a topic in The Lounge
    No; I agree with you: the faster a given engine spins, the more combustion cycles per minute (RPMs) and thusly more emissions. I did ask if anyone could disprove this... so far: nada. The problem with emission testing with regards to this thread is that it is usually performed at moderate & steady RPMs. This is the only hard data available yet does not reflect how a high-revving auto is often driven. I am not aware of any testing to measure the cumulative volume of motor vehicle exhaust, but I'm sure it would be interesting.
  14. balthazar replied to ToniCipriani's post in a topic in Heritage Marques
    By saying the exterior 'counts', they are in no way 'admitting' any sort of problem. Something can count whether it is well done or not.
  15. Holy effing crap; I was going to say it looks like a very rough test mule for the '52 LeSabre. BTW: '3 car lengths' (in this era especially) would be about 54' long; no way is this that lengthy. I still do not know this on. Far too homemade to be a Packard, tho it sure looks like it's wearing Packard caps in that one shot.
  16. balthazar replied to NOS2006's post in a topic in The Lounge
    Charcoal canisters fall under emission controls, of course, and thusly I believe they came into widespread being in the mid '70s: my '73 440 Charger didn't have one but my '78 225 Volare did.
  17. Well, they already have the E-class... then the S-class. (of course the coupes, sports cars and SUVs are on their own naming schemes (CLK, CLS, CL; SLK, SL; MLK, ML) Hooboy- mercedes board meetings must be great fun, what with all the employees constantly questioning each other about what alpha-numeric is which car. Hope they have a huge labeled wall of their product line in the conference room. Easily the most horrible family of names going. WHat the hell is this new Milk truck?
  18. I think the next WRX should be on the Epsilon II platform.
  19. hm-mmm..... this one.... is..... new to me. Congrats, Harley!
  20. balthazar replied to NOS2006's post in a topic in The Lounge
    This whole thing comes off as an automotive urban legend. I assumed it was the gas tank, because a non-running vintage engine cannot be giving off even 1/10th the required "emissions" to kill humans in a closed garage.
  21. balthazar replied to NOS2006's post in a topic in The Lounge
    That's ridiculous! The volume of the GTO's exhaust (which does not contain any oxygen) would overwhelm the occupants (they're in the garage, right??) before the painfully slow evaporative vapors from the Corvette's tank could do the same. Modern gas tanks are vented; they have to be or they'd collapse as the car drained the fuel. Do they pass the gas tank venting thru charcoal canisters or some such- is that the 'trick'?
  22. balthazar replied to Variance's post in a topic in The Lounge
    "nailhead" <> "7.0 liter" Stop that... immediately... or else. Makes my skin crawl. It's like saying 'Mozart wrote really cool MP3s'. Plus: it's less precise a unit of measure. Yes, the nailhead Buicks have seen quite a few installations in Deuces over the years.
  23. Since we're all on Sesame Street here, when can we expect a D, E & F to bridge the gap between the C and the G-wagon?
  24. AH-HA- gonna have fun tabulating these answers into something workable, me thinks. ;) I'd list, but I'd skew your results something fierce.
  25. Sixty8- I would not have had a guess except for clue #5: that GREATLY narrows the field of possibilities... RE: the two Cads- that's correct: full-size Cadillacs were completely reskinned nose to tail for '80.