Rant: the big lie

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ramenth

ramenth

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How many of you noticed the idiots who drive Priuses? (Or any hybrid?) I call them idiots for several reasons but a few jump right to mind. Number one, they buy a car that's supposed to be so fuel efficient but they don't know how to drive for efficiency. Jackrabbit starts, quick stops, weaving in and out of traffic, flying down the highway at 20-25mph, sometimes 30mph over the speed limit. Then they cry that their econobox doesn't get the EPA estimated fuel mileage.
First of all, dumba**, it's a hybrid. A hybrid is designed to get it's best mileage in-town driving when the batteries are operating and the dynamic braking system recharges the batteries. When you stomp the pedal at the greenlight and race in traffic you're kicking in the gas engine, bringing your economy down, this is true for any car. Notice the hyper-milers? They don't do this. A steady speed also increases mileage, so weaving in and out of traffic, stomping the gas to go around that car, hitting the brake to keep from rearending the one ahead of you hurts economy. Learn to drive, for pete's sake!
How many times have you been on the highway and had one blow by you? I'm guilty of 75mph in the 65mph speed zones. It's a speed I can live with. I can't tell you how many times I've had a hybrid blow by me going a lot faster. What do they think, since it supposed to get 40-50mpg highway it doesn't matter what speed they go, it'll automatically get that mileage? Modern PCMs are programmed for efficiency at within 10mph of the speed limit. Case in point: I went to TN to help my parents move back to NY. The trip down I was doing 85mph with the cruise set. I know mileage was going to suck, but I had a deadline to make. The wife's V6 Hyundai got 22mpg. On the trip home, with Pop leading the train of four vehicles and me tailing, I got 32mpg because Pop kept us at around 68-70mph. Gradual stopping getting off the highway, getting to highway speed on the ramps so that all I would have to do is just adjust my speed to enter into traffic.
Hybrid owners are idiots because they fall for the big lie of hybrids. I'm sure all of you have seen the new TV spots for the Prius, where the earth is celebrating. What a load of hogwash! How many of you have run across hybrid owners who have an environmental holier-than-thou attitude because they're making "an environmentally friendly choice of cars?" Know how to shut 'em up? Just point out to 'em that the environmental footprint of a hybrid is larger before it even begins than your musclecar ever will be. Where does the nickle and lead for the batteries come from? Huge strip mines in Canada, great big holes in the ground, usually powered by diesel and other fossil fuels are used to dig those great big holes. Once the raw material is dug up then it's all put in a great big diesel powered turbine boat and shipped to China for processing, and we all know how environmentally friendly the Chinese are. Once the processing and batteries are assembled it's all put another great big boat and shipped to Japan for assembly, where the final car is put on another great big boat to be shipped here to the States where the cars are put on trucks to be shipped out to dealerships where some idiot will fall for a sales pitch. And we won't even talk about battery disposal if the car gets wrecked or once it goes to the salvage yard.
Top Gear on BBC America took a Prius and a BMW and put 'em on a road course and did 55mph. End result? In order for the Prius to maintain 55 on a typical road course, which would be a good model of winding, hilly American roads they had to push the Prius. It got 22mpg. The BMW, trailing the Prius around the course didn't even sweat and got 25mpg. And looked better doing it.
 
I hate that Prius commercial. Like you say, these cars will not be truly environmentally sound until the battery technology catches up. These dumb *** legislators can't get that through their thick skulls. The technology just isn't there yet.

The next stupidest thing I saw was a french car that ran on super high pressure compressed air. What the heck runs the compressor? Duh.
 
It really is amazing how much pollution is generated by modern production, especially considering the Chinese connections.....worst polluters in the world next to India.

All the savings added together from all the Priuses in the world couldn't match the negative side of it. Good rant!

Go BMW !
 
With all the polution being made to produce these hybird cars, wouldn't it have been more eco friendly to drive the car that was already built, instead of trading it in. I have a 1998 Ford ZX2. I paid $1500 for it. I've been getting 39 MPG on it http://www.gassavers.org/garage/viewgaslog/2538 No hypermileing, just easy driving. I'm not for the hybird movement. I also think its a load of crap that the goverment want to tell, or "dictate" what we can drive. Obama's car of choice as a senator, a 300M, not a hybird.
 
Next time someone is talking about the "global" environment and how we are messing it up, as them what would happen to the "global" environment if the US cut its oil usage in half. (Just talking about the environment and not the ecomony.)

NO, the "global" environment will not get better! What will happen to that oil? It will not stay in the ground, it will be bought up by China and India. If will be used in their dirty factories and dirty vehicle. By cutting our usage, the "global" environment will get wose not better. Most people do not think that far ahead, they just buy the line that the US is causing all the climate and evironment damage when it just the opposite.
 
my bro-n-law traded his ford escort wagon that got 34mpg and got a prius. he was unpleasantly surprised to learn that he would have to drive that little crapper to an average of 55mpg for 11 years(he did the math) to save anything over what he would have gotten with the ford. the upfront cost for it isn't worth the 'savings' return. truth gotta love it!!
my ignorant neighbor bought a new dodge truck because it's e85 compatible that gets 19mpg on gas and 14mpg on e85.(v-6 5-spd) needless to say he uses gas now because i convinced him with math that he's not saving **** on e85. sure it's cheaper(.20) at the pump but you have to visit that pump 100 miles sooner. he's a farmer who is pushing for e85 use so he can "get rich" and he won't buy the crap himself. :angry7:
my v6 sonata averages 25mpg with the 10% e85 blended fuels they sell here with cruise set at 60mph. it hits 28mpg on straight gas though.
i had an '83 volkswagen jetta 1.6l n/a 5-spd that got 63mpg. i literally drove from brinkley, ar to oklahoma city and back on one 13 gallon tank. it was a dirty running little piece but it got 63MPG! didn't matter how i drove it, it got better than 60mpg. now i go to look at a new jetta 1.9l tdi and they boast 38-40mpg. it costs $4k more than a gas jetta that gets 34-36. would you recoup the extra cost before you decide to get rid of it(3yr average)? hell no! with all the technology advances we've achieved, why can't a new car get at least the same mileage as a 26 year old 'clunker'? it all comes down to MONEY....line my pockets with cash and i'll help you screw America is the overwhelming consensus with the big boys in charge.

sorry to jack your thread but you got me going.....



Flatlander said:
No, their gay. So are "Smart Cars"
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that hurt someone's feelings somewhere....but who really gives a rats ***?:thebirdm:




oh by the way, my '72 scamp 318 2bbl auto got 22mpg before it turned into a drag car. why is my car a 'clunker'?
 
don't forget that the metal to make the prius is shipped to japan from here in the us and once the batts go out in 5-7 years toyota pays for the first replacement but come time to replace them again and it coasts more than the car is worth. It is also very expensive to recycle the batts.

The prius has a bigger carbon footprint then the new challenger.

Unfortunately this is an (unnecessary?) stepping stone in developmentally progression.
 
Fuel economy is a big deal to me as I drive 45 minutes each way to work and don't have money for gas after doing a lot of research what blew me away is the prius is the only car to get better fuel mileage then a Geo Metro with a 3 cylinder 1Litre standard engine even a smart car is worse and I doubt the prius would keep up with the metro on a highway for long periods once the batteries die and guess what my 95 metro cost me 350$ in one year thanks to car pooling I have logged 40K kilometers on it and maintence has cost me less then 400$ including a new set of tires sure I can't beat a cyclist off a light but it does the job why do we need a fuel efficiant car that can burn rubber isnt that the oppisite of the point?
 
Here's my fuel mileage vehicle. '79 Kawasaki 1000ST, bought it brand new 30 years ago so it's loooong since paid for itself many times over. More fun than any hybrid out there, will blow their doors off either straightline or through the curves, and gets 33 mpg all day long no matter how I ride it.

P7200492_edited (Small).JPG
 
Smart cars are cool with motorcycle engines.... but thats about it. I hate the prius... really do. I feel bad for the person who buys one when their battery goes bad... they arent cheap to replace if you have to!
 
Dan201 said:
Fuel economy is a big deal to me as I drive 45 minutes each way to work and don't have money for gas after doing a lot of research what blew me away is the prius is the only car to get better fuel mileage then a Geo Metro with a 3 cylinder 1Litre standard engine even a smart car is worse and I doubt the prius would keep up with the metro on a highway for long periods once the batteries die and guess what my 95 metro cost me 350$ in one year thanks to car pooling I have logged 40K kilometers on it and maintence has cost me less then 400$ including a new set of tires sure I can't beat a cyclist off a light but it does the job why do we need a fuel efficiant car that can burn rubber isnt that the oppisite of the point?
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Get a Honda Civic CRX HF. just as good of gas mileage as a metro, but a better all around car. 4cyl 1.5L 5-speed...44/53mpg.
 
I know it's sacrilegious, but i have a Civic.... I drive normal (because i'm in law enforcement) and enjoy the 40 mpg.... Prius' are for n00bs :)

If dodge makes a decent small car again, I'd get it....
 
Around here, hybrids can go in the HOV lane with only one occupant. Since they get better mileage in stop and go trafffic, if everyone was so environmentally consciuos, they should stay in traffic in the regular lanes.
 
The idea that came to me before I wrote this is that most Americans are consumers. Consumers, unlike capitalists, never do the math and never adjust their habits for the end result. Wanting fuel mileage out of a vehicle goes beyond just buying the car and assuming going hammer down all the time will get you great fuel mileage. Fuel mileage also has to do with driving styles, how to calculate the best routes to get to where you're going, etc. Case in point: my pop's '54 Ford 239 OHV 3/speed w/OD get's 23mpg mixed driving. My wife used to get 33mpg out of a '90 3.3L Chrysler 5th Ave, with some hilly driving, but with long flat straights at the top of the hills. Pop's Neon gets 45mpg highway.
A big difference, too, is car maintainence. I used to work in Ithaca, NY, considered to be San Francisco of upstate NY. High homosexual population, high liberal population thanks to Cornell University and Ithaca College. (Unofficial motto of Ithaca is five square miles surrounded by reality.) Used to deal with the idiot college kids who would come into the shop for work and have "save the environment" or some such horses*** plastered all over the car and refuse to do simple maintainence such as oil changes, air or fuel filters, tune ups, etc. Had a kid come in with half flat tires, air filter was dirty enough that the car couldn't breath, the engine hadn't been tuned in over 100,000 miles and ran like it. The MAF sensor was fouled out, and he'd hypocrisized himself by jumping on the environmental bandwagon and made comments about the SUV that was on the wrack next to his car. Finally, I got tired of it and pointed out to this idiot that the SUV may be a gas guzzler, but not a polluter like his car was. (Oops, another rant.) He was getting an oil change that was 10,000 miles overdue. I didn't score points with a customer that day, or the boss, but I did finally stop biting my tongue.
The problem is American's (for the most part) fall for a TV commercial and a sales pitch and expect the product to work miracles. There is no accountability or responsibility on using that product in such a way as to get the most out of it. And the government doesn't help in this. Everything in the car advertisements says EPA estimated mpg. The EPA doesn't actually put butts in the seat and real world test a car. They use a formula based on weight, horsepower, average commute, speed limit (by the way, I once read they still use 55mph), etc and extrapolate a number from there.
American's don't want to do the research on a car either. Most of 'em have no idea the hybrid has such a large environmental footprint before it's made!Most of 'em don't care. They just want to be seen as "doing the right thing" in the cause du jour, but wind up hurting their own cause in the long run.
 
I believe South Park did an episode on just this topic. The use of hybrid cars, if properly done, decreases pollution post-production, but leads to increased output of 'SMUG'.
 
pharmboy said:
I believe South Park did an episode on just this topic. The use of hybrid cars, if properly done, decreases pollution post-production, but leads to increased output of 'SMUG'.
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and eventually californian smug combines with south park smug and destroys california
 
wow , interesting topic.here in australia petrol is about $1.20 a litre..(which is like 4litres = your one gallon)...there is a few of these lawnmower hy brid cars floatin about ,save the world blah blah people love to own em,you see em in the city and very rarley out in the bush... but all your views and opinions you have all brought up is true ...
how popular is LPG (liquid petroleum gas) over there ?? as in australia many big engine cars have been fitted with lpg,very popular converstion even the government is giving a $1750 rebate on fitting your car to run LPG..(a simple car conversion is around $3500) i have had 2 cars both fitted with lpg , one runs dual fuel..(petrol/lpg, the other is striaght lpg, and both 5litre motors , still gettin around 11litres of lpg to 100km,open road which is pretty good for a v8,and it is 47cent a litre.....
i cant wait to see these hybrid cars in say 10years time , when they need all there batteries replaced or will it be more econmical just to scrap the car ??? i wonder wot the greenies will say then????

keep cruizin!
 
Right now LPG is in it's infancy with only Rousch making a viable entry into the market with Ford pickups. Others that have been bandied about: hydrogen fuel cells, methane (but then, according to the watermelons [green on the outside, red on the inside] cow farts add to global warming), but the infrastructure doesn't exist for anything more viable. Interesting thing here is that we can't drill for our own oil on our own soil to make our economy better, but the Chinese can come into Cuba, drill for that same oil and none of the watermelons want to complain about the environmental impact. Or we can't drill on certain land because that will upset the mice, but we can put solar panels or windmills on that same land and that won't upset the mice. Or we can't drill in Alaska because that will damage the permafrost, but the Russians can drill in Siberia and they have no problems with that. Get the picture of the hypocracy of the environmental groups here in the US, Aussie?
 
jeez, thats nuts????
lpg is all over the place in australia , like 99.9% of all the taxi cabs run on it ... and yeh we have the same "mice" problem, but here it is with "frogs"! lol
do you have problems with crap ethonal blend fuel???

ya gotta love "global warmin"

a/d
 
AUSSIE DART said:
jeez, thats nuts????
lpg is all over the place in australia , like 99.9% of all the taxi cabs run on it ... and yeh we have the same "mice" problem, but here it is with "frogs"! lol
do you have problems with crap ethonal blend fuel???

ya gotta love "global warmin"

a/d
Click to expand...

Yes, the crap enthonal blend exists here. But the environmental groups lie about that, too. Corn gives us an 8:1 energy yield. Meaning we have to use 8 units of pre-existing energy for one unit of energy from corn to produce ethanol. But sugar crops are a 2:1 yield. But we want to use corn and not sugar because we're pissed at the Brazilians, but not OPEC? And then drive up the cost of corn, in turn driving up food prices of food in general, then b**** that the third world countries who buy our corn can't afford to buy it, then complain that the world poverty level is going up. It tells me that those in charge have no idea how a free market works.
 
Actually, a hybrid can make better city mpg with brisk takeoff, and braking (as opposed to coasting) to stops. During a brisk takeoff, you have more electric assist, and the more you brake, the more regeneration you are producing. So those jack arses might not be as dumb as they seem But they don't to as well on the highway, assuming your highway is not stop-and-go, as it is here. And of course wind resistance kills mpg in any vehicle, even if it is shaped like a rectal suppository, so the 80mph crowd is not taking full advantage of the car..
The real joke is in the resale, though. You MIGHT save a few bucks in operating costs if you hypermile, and are lucky enough to get a hybrid loaner car for while yours is in the shop (which in my experiance was frequent). But you will loose it all in the end in resale. And if you decide to drive it into the ground, price out the assist batteries which have roughly an 8 year lifespan.
If you drive 10,000 miles per year, what you are driving at the moment is probably the cheapest transportation. More than 25k, like I do, and a small, late model diesel car is the best bet. They come in normal shapes, with full amenities (for a small car), require little maintnance, and last seemingly forever. And if you do decide to sell it, the resale is suprising.
 
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