@skaycog was here: Lol. Ferraris aren't exactly the tool of choice for killer burnouts. Moron.
@FЯeeMan: You hit the nail on the head regarding my point. In my neck of the woods (Mid-Atlantic) the number of trucks on steroids you describe outnumber the number of actual work trucks about 10 to 1. Even so, the work trucks simply don't need the crazy power these things are often tuned to produce.
And for sgtBeavis, I own a diesel truck and I use it. It's a '98 GMC Suburban. It won't do four wheel burnouts. Nor will it run a 12 second quarter mile. But it'll pull anything I toss on a trailer behind it. All while getting near 20 MPG which was about double what its gas counterpart could attain back in the day.
The biggest issue I see is that the majority of the guys running around in these trucks have no payload and are riding alone. Most have one of those giant sets of bull balls hanging from the rear bumper. All of them are compensating for other shortcomings. #fueleconomy
While this (and every damn study ever done) is basically propaganda, it's not entirely false. We have so much more crap stuffed into our ever burgeoning cars that are cranking out more than adequate horsepower than we could have ever imagined 20 years ago. The poster child for this silliness is the current generation of diesel pickups that have been tuned for ultimate power vs. overall economy. Sure I can now pull my neighbors house off it's foundation at idle, but can only achieve <10MPG while doing it. The point that I think everyone is missing is the fact that we could quite easily be driving 100MPG+ non-hybrid cars if we WANTED to. Problem is, nobody does. Imagine the economy you'd see in a 1980 Corolla with today's tech. All of the efforts going into hybrid technology, fuel cells, etc. are flawed in that we're trying to have our cake and eat it too. If all of the greenies were really committed to saving the world they'd be driving around in cars appropriate for their needs (proportionate to the number of people and amount of cargo they actually transport) and with sufficient power and features to get them from point A to point B in safety and relative comfort. Boom. Done. Problem solved. No crazy, overbaked technology with questionable longevity. No long term waste disposal issues or environmental impacts.
And as I put the flame suit on...my daily driver is a far-from-stock Mustang GT that I beat the living crap out of with no regard for my "carbon footprint." I'm simply making the point that the general crux of the abstract presented is not baseless. #fueleconomy
Super nice example. But there are actually quite a few super nice examples out there. Supply still outpaces demand so this price isn't very realistic. #bmw
Because I was driving a red car. One and only reason. Apparently something went down in the area with a guy speeding away in a red Mustang. I was in a red Supra. An old school '83 Supra with the black hatch and the word Supra emblazoned across the back in 6 inch high letters. #qotd
Only in America. Land of the victimized and entitled. "It's not my fault."
Nowhere else in the world will you find a warning label on a lawnmower telling you not to trim your hedges with it.
#detnewscomautosinsider
@ccl: Uhhh, a car that's hurtling in a straight line down a highway doesn't need a whole lot in the way of steering input. And frankly, the increase in effort for either steering or braking wouldn't really be all that dramatic. Steering without assist at parking lot speeds might be a little challenging, but not at speed.
This whole scenario just wreaks of ineptitude. No offense to those injured/killed, but seriously. Keep a level head and use some common sense.
In the end, the manufacturer will be persecuted for building death traps thanks to all of the lawyers that'll rush to look out for our collective best interest.
#detnewscomautosinsider
What a bunch of little rascals. #lolcars
I'd hit it. #bmwm3
@Pastafariantimatter: Now you're talking. #bmwm3
@Tyson: Agreed 100%. It's a motor on wheels. It's not at all fun to drive or ride in. Huge horsepower isn't really very appealing when you have to give up so much. #dodgeviper
If only they weren't building so much crap. They're designs are the best they've been in a very long time. I came this close to picking up an SRT8 Magnum a few years a back because I needed a family truckster. But then I decided I wasn't too fond of the $20k depreciation that would result once I drove it off the lot. #chrysler
@ishigakisensei: The 850 was a 6 speed. #bmw840ci
@ThreeLitre: I'm partial to them myself. Though I went for the RGR Diamond Black myself... #camaroz28
Frankly, the REAL issue here is the substandard tire wall lined with loose tires. Loose tires tend to gather up in front of/under the car and help to launch it in the air. They do very little to absorb any energy. They simply bounce off the car. I've seen this exact scenario happen many times over the years. #carcrashes
I love the Boxwood plant! I remember fondly when they built 'vettes back in the 80's. #fisker
I think we're looking at Lucas fueling his new BMW. #bmw335i
@LandofMinos, is punching Prius people for pleasure: Nah, just NEW BMWs. Us true enthusiasts have learned to tolerate these folks while they eat the depritiation for us. #bmw335i
@Ford Tempo Fanatic: Wow, you really ARE a "Ford Tempo Fanatic". #australia
This reminds me of a wreck a couple years ago that ended with a Chevy Silverado plowing into the side of my buddy's house about 10 ft. from the ground. He lives along a main road with a posted speed of 45MPH. Around 2:00AM one morning a fine young chap with a BAC of .24 was cruising along at triple digit speeds with his girlfriend and another dude in the cab with him and another girl and dude in the bed. He crested a minor rise in the road which apparently unsettled the truck just enough that he veered off to the left just at the point the guardrail was tapered making it a perfect ramp. The truck hit the rail and flew a considerable distance (150 ft. if memory serves) and rotated before nailing the side of the house and falling to the ground on its roof. The folks that were in the bed were found on the back porch roof and in the yard on the opposite side of the house. The folks in the cab were all unrestrained. Naturally, the only survivor was the driver. Darwin must have been busy that night. #australia
