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| Author |
Message |
| 22 new of 91 responses total. |
keesan
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response 70 of 91:
| 
Oct 28 23:25 UTC 2006 |
Electric cars could be designed with insulation. Jim also never turns on the
heat unless the car has run for 30 minutes. We used to drive once every
winter and I would take along a sleeping bag and wear warm slippers. Is it
possible to warm the batteries?
|
ball
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response 71 of 91:
|
Oct 29 01:39 UTC 2006 |
Re #69: That's true here too and the extra stops and starts
would wear parts (e.g. clutch, brakes) out more quickly.
Re #70: Insulation would also help keep cars cool during the
summer. It would have to be light and relatively thin.
Aerogel would be nice, but I'm sure it would cost a
fortune.
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keesan
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response 72 of 91:
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Oct 29 14:29 UTC 2006 |
Anything more than metal and single-pane glass would help. I forgot that
Americans are now also demanding that their cars be air conditioned. Can you
still buy a car made here that is not? Or one without power windows (another
waste of fuel)? Our neighbors replaced their old car when one stopped working
and an expensive repair (motor replacement) did not work for long. Then there
are power seatbelts - anything else?
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cyklone
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response 73 of 91:
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Oct 29 16:35 UTC 2006 |
While I too wish there were far fewer power accessories on vehicles, I doubt
their effect on fuel economy is great at all. The intermittent use of a power
accessory is not at all comparable to AC use on a hot day.
|
ball
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response 74 of 91:
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Oct 29 18:03 UTC 2006 |
Happily my car has manual transmission, manual window
winders and seatbelts. I doubt you can buy a new car in the
U.S. that doesn't come with A/C. I doubt power windows make
much difference to fuel economy, but there's more to go
wrong with power windows and I don't find it a significant
effort to crank a small handle a few times.
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rcurl
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response 75 of 91:
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Oct 29 19:55 UTC 2006 |
It is not only inconvenient but really dangerous to open or close any car
window manually while driving, except your own.
I'm surprised they are as reliable as they are, but they hardly affect mileage
or even the car cost. Manual mechanisms are also subject to malfunction and
are not free.
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keesan
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response 76 of 91:
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Oct 29 20:10 UTC 2006 |
Why would anyone want to open or close someone else's car window while
driving? Our manual mechanisms have never worn out. I heard you can pay
extra to get manual instead of power windows on some cars.
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rcurl
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response 77 of 91:
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Oct 29 22:55 UTC 2006 |
The driver may wish to open or close other windows to increase or decrease
ventilation and/or noise, and to keep out rain, smoke, dust, and other
debris, while driving. You control heating and cooling with switches on
the dash. Controlling window ventilation is part of such environmental
control.
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gull
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response 78 of 91:
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Oct 29 23:07 UTC 2006 |
Some luxury cars are coming with double-pane glass now, for sound and
heat insulation. They tend to be better insulated in general, for
noise deadening reasons. However, all that insulation adds a lot of
weight, which is one of the reasons luxury cars get poorer fuel
economy.
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keesan
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response 79 of 91:
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Oct 29 23:24 UTC 2006 |
How much heavier is the double-pane glass? Noise insulation is based on
increasing mass, thermal insulation works better with low-density materials
and should not add much to the weight. I thought luxury cars tended to be
a lot larger, and to have owners that don't care about costs much.
|
ball
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response 80 of 91:
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Oct 31 06:46 UTC 2006 |
It is done. Mrs. Ball bought something about the size of a
Type 42 destroyer. Apparently estate cars/station wagons are
unfasionable, so the Camry and Accord aren't offered that
way. Whatever, presumably this means in ten or fifteen years
time when I get to buy my next vehicle I will get to choose
the vehicle of my choice (who knows, by then perhaps an
electric or Hydrogen Jetta will be on the market).
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keesan
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response 81 of 91:
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Oct 31 19:21 UTC 2006 |
What is a Type 42 destroyer? I hope you don't need to drive it anywhere at
65 mph.
|
ball
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response 82 of 91:
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Oct 31 23:03 UTC 2006 |
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/HMS_Nottingham_D91.j
pg
I would be happy if Mrs. Ball would just slow down to 65 MPH!
|
ball
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response 83 of 91:
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Oct 31 23:06 UTC 2006 |
That URL was too long for Grex. Here's another...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HMS_Sheffield_%28D80%29.jpg
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keesan
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response 84 of 91:
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Nov 1 03:26 UTC 2006 |
Can't see it when dialed in, maybe you can post a description.
|
ball
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response 85 of 91:
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Nov 1 04:24 UTC 2006 |
Ah, good point. The Type 42 destroyer is a surface vessel
(ship) of the Royal Navy. It displaces about 5,350 tons, is
141m long and has a 15m beam. I was trying to imply that
Mrs. Ball's new van was a large lump of metal.
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keesan
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response 86 of 91:
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Nov 1 04:38 UTC 2006 |
I take it you had no input into the decision to buy the destroyer, and that
it will not maneuver well in small spaces. Does it sleep three?
|
gull
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response 87 of 91:
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Nov 1 04:45 UTC 2006 |
Station wagons are coming back into vogue, but manufacturers are
studiously avoiding calling them "station wagons" because that conjures
up mental images of stodgy mommy-mobiles. Silly terms like "sport
tourer" and "crossover vehicle" are replacing it. The Dodge Magnum is
a good example of this type. On a smaller scale, there are cars like
the Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, and Honda Fit.
|
nharmon
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response 88 of 91:
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Nov 1 04:45 UTC 2006 |
Your new van carries Harpoon missiles? Boss. :)
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gull
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response 89 of 91:
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Nov 1 04:46 UTC 2006 |
Actually, I take that last one back. The Fit is more of a hatchback
than a wagon.
|
ball
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response 90 of 91:
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Nov 1 16:18 UTC 2006 |
Re #87: The Vibe and Matrix are basically the same car too.
|
ball
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response 91 of 91:
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Nov 4 23:02 UTC 2017 |
It's time to start thinking about Ballmobile IV. My old
Matrix needs a new clutch, exhaust system, the A/C crapped
out some time ago and various other things are broken and/or
breaking. In short, my car needs a new car.
I can't afford a Nissan Leaf and a lot of slightly used
cars seem to cost the same as a new Nissan Versa. Mrs. ball
complains that the Versa is "too small". Perhaps I'll be
able to find a slightly used Sentra for not much more than a
brand new Versa. I don't think the chap at the local Nissan
dealership believed me when I asked for something used with
a manual gearbox.
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