Video Is your new car actually spying on you? (The unpalatable truth.)

[Racer88]

As one who is likely buying a new car next month, this seemingly unavoidable reality is dismaying. I'll be going from a car with virtually ZERO "tech" to one that is a computer on wheels. And my new car is nothing special... They're ALL like this now.

I'll admit that some of the tech is pretty cool. And I'm even looking forward to it. I like me some gizmos!

But besides the privacy concerns, it also presents many potential points of failure aka reduced reliability. The only other choice is to buy an OLD car. I have an old car. 12 years old with 212,000 miles. It runs, but it's looking rough. It's time to let it go. I don't want another old car. I want a new car that is reliable, comfortable, practical, and maybe even a bit fun.

I like vintage cars and their simplicity. My 1967 Mercury Cougar (wish I still had it!) was SO simple. That Ford 289 cu in V-8 was SO easy to work on. But driving a vintage car as a daily driver is simply not practical for a number of reasons.

I love the Aussie attitude and sense of humor. What do you think about all this?


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUIDiOLxDpE

 

[Notshawn54]

That Ford 289 cu in V-8 was SO easy to work on.

Truth. I had a 289 I’m my 66 Mustang GT convertible. No A/C, no power steering, no power brakes, just a motor. I too wish I still had it.

 

[Hvymax]

Big Brother is Everywhere!!! We have welcomed him with open arms!!!

 

[Racer88]

Big Brother is Everywhere!!! We have welcomed him with open arms!!!View attachment 16703

Yeah... I would NEVER install one of those in my house. Crazy, IMO. And before anyone says, "but your phone!" I have that featured turned off on my phone.

That said... I think this is one of the funniest SNL "commercials" ever...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

 

[Knack]

There's always Tesla. 200 parts vs 1000 parts in a gas burner. It literally is a computer with wheels. The model 3 will do 0-60 in 3.2, and an 11.8 second quarter mile.

I like the old muscle cars but they are priced out of my range now. I also like the small foreign sports cars cars from that era. British, Italian. I had a very used '74 Alfa Romeo Spyder in college. That was the most unreliable car ever but I still loved driving it. I felt like Joe Cool driving it around town with the top down. I was convinced all the girls were looking at me. My wife assures me that was my imagination.

Not too many factory cars in the 70's could do an under 12 second quarter mile. The Corvette and Z28 were expensive cars in the day and did around 15 seconds in the quarter mile. Today an EV with a motor the size of a watermelon and no transmission can do 11-12 seconds. If speed and acceleration is your thing, electric is the way to go. If you love the smell of gas fumes, shifing thru the gears and burning rubber, then the gas burner is the way to go.

Paraphrasing someone else here, nostalgia dont mean nothin if you dont have any. In the 70's I thought Cookie Monster and Big Bird were real.

 

[Racer88]

Today an EV with a motor the size of a watermelon and no transmission can do 11 seconds.

The model 3 will do 0-60 in 3.2, and and a 11.8 second quarter mile.

Accelerating in a straight line means NOTHING unless you're a 1/4-mile drag racer. But to real drivers, it means very little. EVs are heavy PIGs, which makes for horrible handling in the twisties. It also makes for horrible braking, which is kind of important in performance driving.

I spent many years driving on the track (road courses). An EV wouldn't do well on an actual track. On the track, nobody cares how quick you can go from 0 - whatever in a straight line, because it's almost irrelevant to performance on the track.

 

[Knack]

Ha! I grew up only knowing drag racing, sprints on oval mud tracks and demolition derby. What are you, some kinda Youropeein?

 

[Racer88]

Ha! I grew up only knowing drag racing, sprints on oval mud tracks and demolition derby. What are you, some kinda Youropeein?

LOL! Nope! But I was an avid track junkie for a while. The kind of performance driving that involved shifting up and down, braking, and turning (both directions). I've been through the 3-day Racing School and 2-day Advanced Racing Schools with Skip Barber Racing, too.

Not the driving school. The racing school. Two different things.

A video I made a long time ago. The good ol' days! At first it seems I'm by myself. But later in the video, I catch up with some other cars to play with.

View: https://youtu.be/0LLwbSPBt0k

Maybe some day I'll get back into it. I miss it.

 

[no4mk1t]

EVs are heavy PIGs, which makes for horrible handling in the twisties. It also makes for horrible braking, which is kind of important in performance driving.

I spent many years driving on the track (road courses). An EV wouldn't do well on an actual track. On the track, nobody cares how quick you can go from 0 - whatever in a straight line, because it's almost irrelevant to performance on the track.

Agree in part.
The factory EV's like the Tesla are heavy. But they are not intending for owners to race them.

One of the things I like about Richard's conversions is he keeps the weight very close to what the car originally weighed. In the case of the Testarossa, all the ICE components are removed. Exhaust, system, cooling system, fuel system. And of course the V-12 engine and transaxle. He weighs the car and documents the total weight and weight distribution, which as one might surmise is heavy in the rear. When he was done, the cars total weight was about 50Kg. more than when it was ICE, but more important, because part of the battery pack, plus the electric A/C compressor was located in the front, the weight distribution was improved.

 

[Racer88]

The factory EV's like the Tesla are heavy. But they are not intending for owners to race them.

Of course. Which is why 0 - 60 acceleration times mean nothing. Of course EVs are quicker (not faster). Electric motors offer instant torque. So an ICE cannot compete there.

Testarossa, all the ICE components are removed. Exhaust, system, cooling system, fuel system. And of course the V-12 engine and transaxle.

Flat-12 boxer, actually.

 

[no4mk1t]

Of course. Which is why 0 - 60 acceleration times mean nothing. Of course EVs are quicker (not faster). Electric motors offer instant torque. So an ICE cannot compete there.


Flat-12 boxer, actually.

Right you are!
It was the Ferrari 308 that had the V engine.

About 690Kg came out.

 

[Knack]

What I know about racing would fit on the head of a pin and leave enough room for the Lords Prayer. I thought I read someplace that Formula 1 was going electric and that in ten years or something like that there wont be any petroleum fueled F1 cars. I can't recall where I saw that. It had to be a year ago or maybe longer.

 

[Racer88]

Right you are!
It was the Ferrari 308 that had the V engine.

About 690Kg came out.
View attachment 16711

My "first love" for a car was the Ferrari 512 BB (Berlinetta Boxer). I bought a book about it when I was 14 and still have that book. It was the predecessor to the Testarossa (which I actually don't care for). The 512 BB was a far more attractive car, IMO. But the 512 had the 5-liter flat-12 "boxer" engine, which again, preceded the Testarossa.

512 BB:

 

[Racer88]

I thought I read someplace that Formula 1 was going electric and that in ten years or something like that there wont be any petroleum fueled F1 cars.

I've not heard any such thing. There has been an electric formula series for a number of years now. But I've not heard that ICE F1 cars are being replaced.

 

[Knack]

Ten years is a long time. The rate of change in technology continues to accelerate. It wouldn't shock me to see F1 or Indy cars go electric in that timeframe. I'll try to find that article.

When EVs are in full production everywhere and they work out the kinks in manufacturing and charging, they will be everywhere. And so much cheaper to build than gas or diesel powered cars. It's going to be very profitable. This is inevitable. Today's cars have a very expensive bill of materials and assembly is costly. Thousands of parts vs. hundreds of parts is impossible to ignore. It all comes down to COGS.

I'm not sure long haul trucks will be EVs though. The argument for hydrogen is plausible.

Diesel locomotives will be gone in less than 20 years. In the same timeframe there will be automated drone taxis. I have been waiting for flying cars since I was in kindergarten. They will probably arrive before my dirt nap and look like large drones. Probably expensive but there are prototypes being tested now.

One of these days and probably soon, the Vulcans are going to decide they are ready to make contact with Earthlings.

Live long and Prosper!

 

[Racer88]

When EVs are in full production everywhere and they work out the kinks in manufacturing and charging, they will be everywhere. And so much cheaper to build than gas or diesel powered cars. It's going to be very profitable. This is inevitable.

I could not disagree more. Here's why: The laws of Physics. Technology cannot overcome the 1st Law of Thermodynamics. The ONLY way we can generate enough electricity to convert cars completely to EVs is with NUCLEAR generation. And that's never ever going to happen.

EVs will remain a small niche... if they survive in the market at all. It's not looking good... and for good reasons. Even some Ford dealerships won't take one of their own Mach-E cars back on trade. They are worth nothing used. Literally nothing. And the new Mach-Es are piling up on dealer lots unsold.

^^^ Bear in mind that BRAND NEW, the Mach-E (depending on trim level) range from $43,000 - $60,000.

So replacing the battery on the base model costs as much as a new (whole) car.

 

[Racer88]

The argument for hydrogen is plausible.

Hydrogen is a net negative fuel source because of the energy it takes to generate it either by hydrolysis of water or steam methane reforming. Once again.. that pesky 1st Law of Thermodynamics.

Hydrolysis takes tremendous amounts of electricity to split the water molecule into oxygen and hydrogen.

Also... steam methane reforming creates a lot of carbon dioxide... and a lot of other very bad byproducts. Whoops! That's counter to the "green" narrative!

 

[Racer88]

Nuclear power is our best (most energy dense), most productive, cost-effective (long-term), safest, and cleanest source. Yep. All true. But the muggles will never listen to ACTUAL Science and will reject it on an emotional basis... likely forever.

 

[Racer88]

It wouldn't shock me to see F1 or Indy cars go electric in that timeframe.

Nope. I don't follow F1 closely but a little. I do follow Indycars a bit, too. I have been aware of a completely separate electric series (that nobody watches).

F1 'Will Never Go Electric,' Says CEO

Formula 1 will not take part in the electric car transition, says its CEO, who instead favors synthetic fuels.

www.thedrive.com

Indycar is possibly introducing hybrids but not EVs. A race like the Indy 500 requires multiple pit stops. Can't do that with batteries that have run down.

Electric Indy 500? 'It’s among the most interesting questions in motorsport' - Autoblog

Will the Indy 500 be electric someday, making Gasoline Alley an anachronistic term like Carb Day? (Associated Press) INDIANAPOLIS — There’s nothing

www.autoblog.com

Even the track days that I have done require multiple tanks of gas (refills) for just one day of sessions. Can't do that with EVs.

 

[CECannonJr]

Yeah... I would NEVER install one of those in my house. Crazy, IMO. And before anyone says, "but your phone!" I have that featured turned off on my phone.

That said... I think this is one of the funniest SNL "commercials" ever...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

They still spy on your phone. Have you ever noticed that you can have a conversation around your phone or computer about something you need or want, and you start seeing ads for exactly the item you were discussing?

.....unless it's gun related, of course.