A (Slightly Early) Christmas DAC Story Part One

[gmgraves]

7 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

and here is a thread I started re car audio:

 

 

 

I guess we should alert @gmgraves and ?? is it @sphinxsix ?

 

 

Certain cars don't need stereos as they are entertaining enough all by themselves. I had a Jaguar XK140 that met that criterion as well as a 212MM Ferrari and an Alfa Romeo GTV-6. Porsches sound great too. Just going through the gears in cars like this makes a sound that rivals Beethoven's 9th.....

[gmgraves]

6 hours ago, accwai said:

In a decade, likely nobody will be doing any driving at all.

One doesn't have to buy self-driving cars. There are always used cars like Alfas, Porsches, Ferraris, Maseratis even C5-C7 'Vettes, Mustangs and Camaros and old E-Types or Aston Martins. Not to mention MGs, Triumphs, Even the odd Fiat X1/9 or Morgan. If you want to drive, there will be cars around that one can drive for many decades to come.  

[gmgraves]

5 hours ago, accwai said:

 

Stangs? This, Ford:

 

 

Made right here in Toronto, Canada... Only if one got more money than one know what to do with of course

 

But in today's internet age, even the original Ford GT40 could be located without great difficulty. In fact, all kinds of obscure things can be found on the net: Lola T70, Lancia Stratos etc. Speaking of Lancia, came across a first generation Lancia Delta parked in the street of Genoa, Italy earlier this year, among a sea of tiny city cars. The thing was sparkling like new. Not a Stratos but still, this generation hasn't been made since 1999. I guess on internet, you can get anything done if you're crazy enough. As for myself, have been thinking about Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 WRC for a while. The WRC Group A homologation specials hadn't been sent to North America as far as I know. But after I retire, I just might be crazy enough to try and pull something like that together.

 

In any case, I've always wondered about the quality of available gas in the future. After alternating between 91 octane E0 and 93 octane E10, I've finally settled on 94 octane E10 only. There is one school of thought that goes like "Octane rating doesn't matter, go with the freshest E0 possible." That's just wrong. The difference between 91 E0 and 94 E10 isn't trivial. What can one say...

 

Speaking of which, I've also been wondering what kind of gas restored classic cars would need. News of a fully restored 1943 VW KdF-Wagen has been making the rounds on the net lately. That's Beetle #20 out of more than 21 million. The thing can go down the road normal now. Does it run on pump gas or need some special brew?

Couldn't mention them all, but yes, there are lots and lots of "driver cars" to choose from. The problem with ex-race cars like the original GT-40 and the Lolas is that they weren't designed as road cars and are not really suited to be driven on "the street". They will fall apart quickly as they were designed to be light and to drive in one race between complete overhauls. But, one can buy, from the South African firm of Superformance, "continuation" models of Shelby Cobras, Re-designed Cobra Coupes (to be more road-worthy by the original designer, Peter Brock) and modified GT-40s, that, while maintaining the look and handling characteristics of the original, have been somewhat "tamed" with air-conditioning, "safe" gas tanks, and a bit more structure to make the cars more durable. There's a dealer here in Reno that sells all of these cars and I've looked them over pretty thoroughly. They are reasonably priced (for what they are) with a "Continuation" model GT-40 costing around  a hundred grand (depending on the power plant you've put in it!). So, self driving electric cars are not ready to retire all of us who enjoy driving just yet. That means that gasoline will still be available for some time to come. There's a Sinclair station about two blocks from where I live that sells several grades of gasoline above 100 octane. They aren't cheap, but they are available. Things aren't looking that bad!

[gmgraves]

17 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

Really? Thats cool.  Do you want to trust it?  ha.

 

edit: They are also reportedly putting a 200kWh battery in the new roadster, once that goes in the Model S I think will be my buy in point for a Model S as my daily driver.

Tesla makes a big deal about the speed of their cars (a new Model 3 will do 0-100 KpH in about 3 seconds flat) and they never talk about handling. Truth is, Teslas' handling isn't so great. Sabine Schmitz, the "queen of the Nürburgring" once took a (then new) white Ford Transit panel van around the Nordschleife circuit in just under 10 minutes; which is also what a Tesla Model S did it in. Cars like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan do it in the low sevens, and race prepared Porsches do it in the low 6's. Of course, no "record" at the Ring stands for long, and I'm sure these records will fall soon (if they haven't already).  

[gmgraves]

19 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

My desire for the bigger battery has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with range, specifically range in cold weather, which as I am sure you know has a significant impact on battery performance.

 

I know all about Sabine Schmitz and ring times...

range is definitely  a real concern and on more than just a single level. While 300 miles on a charge is impressive, it's like the battery life on everything else that's battery powered - your milage may vary and it depends on so many things, of which temperature is only one. Average speed affects battery time, as does how the individual drives. A person who is smooth on the throttle, who pulls away from stoplights and stop signs smoothly and easily (rather than someone who "punches it" at every opportunity). Believe me, that 300 mile range specification comes with so many "ifs", "ands", and "buts" that I'd dare say that most motorists would have to go to Tesla "driving school" to realize it (is there such a thing?).  

 

[gmgraves]

9 hours ago, accwai said:

 

That's one reason I'm more interested in homologation cars. However, I would image no street condition would come close to grinding it out for a whole day at Le Mans. A single GT-40 chassis had won Le Mans twice. That feat has not been repeated as far as I know. By the way, Ross Bentley mentioned in Endurance Racing Guide that modern top echelon enduro cars requires no holding back. You run them flat out all day long (literally ). Perhaps some babying was given in the old days? In any case, there is probably no way to plug a data logger into old cars like GT-40. Current generation GT should be equipped for this kind of thing.

Sure you can make a race car last a long time with kind of maintenance the cars get between races. I can't speak for today's LeMans cars but if you want to see how flimsy they were built (especially the coachwork) in the GT-40's heyday, just watch Steve McQueen's "LeMans" again ('cause I know you've seen it before) and watch that Ferrari and that Porsche come apart in those two accidents. 

9 hours ago, accwai said:

Yeah, some people are into E85 these days. Unfortunately the stuff is nowhere to be found in Canada. There is supposed to be a place in one of the Toronto satellite cities that can supply E80. The stuff is brutally expensive but has has lower than usual energy content Plus installing a flex fuel kit is often required. Too much trouble for now...

And your car doesn't like E85 either (unless it was built specifically for it). It destroys hoses and seals.

 

[gmgraves]

2 hours ago, accwai said:

 

Good idea. Thanks.

 

 

Actually my car has quite a few flex fuel kits available, some of which have PTFE replacement hoses. Installing these things aren't for the faint of heart and running them almost always involve fiddling with the ECU. Too crazy, for now at least...

I suspect strongly that if you put a flex-fuel kit on your car, it will be fine. Flex-fuel kits change out all of the components that are not alcohol tolerant. So that wouldn't be as much of a problem. I was thinking of back about 25 years ago, when California re-formulated their gasoline by adding a small amount of  alcohol to the mix and the number of people who's fuel systems (rubber hoses, gaskets, etc) were damaged by the then "new" fuel. Ultimately, the state took the ethanol back out of the gas. 

[gmgraves]

19 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

There probably is not a Tesla driving school, but all those reasons are why I am waiting for a doubling of the battery size before buying.

 

 

Let's hope that they can do that without doubling the battery weight! Teslas already handle poorly enough to keep me from buying even were I in the market (Hybrids are the only only viable solution for me, as I have no place to plug in a pure rechargeable electric vehicle). 

[gmgraves]

22 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

I don't know how they are doing it, but I read someplace the new 200kWh battery for the upcoming roadster is supposed to fit in the same  size and shape platform as the existing 100kWh battery in the Model S. Whether or not that happens, remains to be seen.

Well, size and shape are certainly one thing, but weight is the culprit. Hopefully, they've doubled the capacity without the next gen battery weighing more!

[gmgraves]

10 hours ago, accwai said:

Changing the hoses is just the beginning. Taking full advantage of flex fuel usually involves retuning. Dropping a ethanol sensor into the fuel system, routing wire into the ECU etc. That's the part that's not for the faint of heart. The high end kits are 4 dollar figure jobs.

 

Yes, of course. That goes without saying.