Friday, May 12, 2006
Flawed Cars: Reply
While some may see aspects of certain vehicles as flaws (and no doubt, some of those aspects are flaws!), some of them are in the nature of the compromises made in creating a vehicle, and some flaws and/or compromises create character.
Ben's comments were with regard to old cars. And they all seem pretty valid. But those flaws are there because the vehicle was designed and built with compromises in mind, and add to the character of the vehicle.
An example that Ben quotes, and I know a little about, is the rear suspension of Datsun1600/180B sedans. In the late 60's/mid 70's, these cars got pumped out of the Datsun factory, and have gone on to be a staple of motorsport in Australia, on various fronts. They have independent rear suspension. "That's Good", I hear people saying. Yeah, sure it is. But it is also flawed, because of compromises that had to be made.
Datsun IRS gets awful camber and toe change throughout it's range of movement. And at high speed, 180Bs and 1600s get floaty, and ride height seems to increase, which leads to rear toe-in. Then you go over a crest, and the suspension compresses, and suddenly, you have rear toe-out. Similarly, you get camber change throughout the range of movement as well, which affects the handling dynamic greatly.
Why did Datsun choose to do this? Because these cars were mass-production econoboxes, and this suspension was a compromise between "better" suspension design, vehicle packaging and manufacturing cost.
Naomi and I have been looking at getting a newer ute, and were stunned at the awful fuel economy of the current model Falcon ute. Naomi's 1997 Falcon ute got better fuel economy than the figures quoted for the current model Falcon ute. "Surely not", we thought, and checked again. While the engine design hasn't moved much, the EFI technology should have delivered some improvement? Well, it has, but in the mean time, the rest of the vehicle has gotten fatter. Even in commercial vehicles like this, the need for better NVH, more safety features, improved handling and load-carrying, and more car has added to the vehicles weight, and reduced any gains that may have been made with the fuel efficiency of the engine.
Ahhh, but what about character? Well, character comes from the compromises. My everyday Pulsar has some character, but none in comparison to the SimsMetal refugee from the 70's that is my roadie 180B. The 180B has way more character. It has way more compromises too. I have often thought that the Pulsar is probably quicker, definitely safer, and just plain better than the 180B. But the character of the 180B will have me crying when it leaves my driveway. The Pulsar will have me thinking about the fuel efficiency of its replacement.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Killing Time: Euro GP '06.
Paulie made an open offer to me (foolish man!) about 2 years ago, that I could pop over and watch Grand Prix at his place. Why at his place? Because Paulie has the rear projection TV whihc is huge, the DigitalTV nous, and a supply of some of the finest scotches to while away the hours watching the hilarity of million dollar machines transporting million dollar princesses around tracks in lands far away, while we discuss real people in real motorsport, and what we are doing in that arena, natch.
It also means that I can avoid working on my god-awful 180B, which has returned from the paintshop today, with painted panels awaiting installation, and in desperate need of time spent on it if I'm to make the next event. But given that Canberra has turned into "The Ice Planet" today, motivation to go out and worship the motorsport gods in my shed is somewhat low. It shouldn't be. I've got a rally on in 6 days (only 5 sleeps), and a car that is in only slightly better condition than when I crashed it!
I was going to use the time my rally car was away to clean the shed. There has been nil action on that front, and instead my energy has gone into starting email discussions about various rules that really have no impact upon my life, but I am passionate about nonetheless.
Oh well.
