29 replies to this topic

[NergiZed]

the vid

Pretty amazing stuff, actually quite complex, not sure I could be able to do that. If the economy still sucks major cocksicles when I get out of collage, then I may contemplate this option.

I dunno, It's a normal car, with only exterior mods. I'm fairly amazed that it could boost Mileage by about 30% - 50%.

The big question is: how does he get to his trunk?

Discuss.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Needs a paint job.

[Sgt. Nuker]

It needs more than a paint job.

Meh, it's still a Honda.....

[BeefJeRKy]

Whats wrong with a Honda?

[NergiZed]

I ditto Scope. Honda's like the most reliable brand evar. They also don't seem to actively jump on bandwagons (They didn't really jump on the SUV and truck bandwagon, and didn't really do it with Hybrids either, even though they were the first company to mass-produce and sell hybrids).

They also make the NSX, which is like my fav sports car.

[Dr. Strangelove]

If it came straight off an assembly line it might actually look good.

[Whitey]

Gas is only $1.58 here... =\

-Rorschach

[Sgt. Nuker]

Scope, on 8 Dec 2008, 23:10, said:

Whats wrong with a Honda?

Do you really want me to answer this?

For starters, most of their cars can't even begin to get out of their own way. In the name of fuel economy, Honda thinks it's doing the world a favor by providing most of their line with an I-4 (inline 4) that hovers around the low 100's in terms of horsepower. Sure it's great for sipping fuel, but what about merging on a highway? Merging is where you need bottom end grunt, so I hope you've got a strong tailwind, because unless you have a clear stretch of road and are carrying a fair amount of speed, that Honda just isn't going to accelerate in time. I drove my friend's '89 Prelude when we were in high school (3 years ago) and I'm still waiting for the "VTEC" to kick in.

To top it all off, Honda is one of the most over-rated brands in the industry. Some will deny it, others might agree. Every car magazine I know of has rated the Accord the best mid-sized sedan so many times it should be illegal. Car and Driver's editors have their heads so far up Honda's tailpipe that I can't tell where Honda begins and the editors end. I'll give Honda credit for making a smooth car, but for the love of all things sacred, stop sipping the herbal tea and take a swig of black coffee every now and then. Don't be afraid to stuff a healthy V6 under the hood of a light car, give it a manual and shed that "I'm an economy company" look for once.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Rorschach, on 9 Dec 2008, 8:10, said:

Gas is only $1.58 here... =\

-Rorschach

And dropping. Too bad I couldn't go back in time and sell it.

[Major Fuckup]

NergiZed, on 9 Dec 2008, 15:43, said:

I ditto Scope. Honda's like the most reliable brand evar. They also don't seem to actively jump on bandwagons (They didn't really jump on the SUV and truck bandwagon, and didn't really do it with Hybrids either, even though they were the first company to mass-produce and sell hybrids).

They also make the NSX, which is like my fav sports car.

haha hardly go buy a toyota landcrusier my one its 15 years old and hasn't broken down yet or needed any major repair jobs done and i thrash the shit out of it XD

price of fuel $98.9 cents for unleaded 95 suck on that lol i was so pleased when i filt up with high octane 98 being a $1.10 and i spent 70 bucks on a full 80 litre tank XD

also that nissan needs a V8 u cant call a sedan a sedan with out a big bloody V8 hahahahaha

[Alias]

His accent ticked me off HARDCORE.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Alias, on 9 Dec 2008, 8:31, said:

His accent ticked me off HARDCORE.

Who's?

[Alias]

The host.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Don't go to the mid-west then.

[Dauth]

Good idea, and if you don't want to look like some loony, you can invest in a VW bluemotion http://en.wikipedia....wiki/BlueMotion

[BeefJeRKy]

I know what you mean about the merging thing Nooka but I forgot that US Hondas are different from European ones. Plus the Inline-4 is not as weak as you imagine. Just take a look at Mitsubishi's Lancer Evo X. It squeezes out 291 BHP from a 2.0L Inline-4 turbo. As well, Honda offers V6s on their Accord model. I don't think the Civic will ever need a V6. In fact it's too big right now. As well Honda is far from from perfect but I can say that it is most definitely reliable as my aunt's accord '96 is still alive and kicking and has only had regular checkups and one change of brakes. For performance, a 2.0L Turbo I-4 is great for smaller cars. Though the V6 is the future of performance IMO whereas the V8 will die off.

[Major Fuckup]

bull shit V8 will never die off it will always be used in racing and petrol heads.

[BeefJeRKy]

Link.Take a look at this. If six cylinders can deliver as much power as eight, why do you need a clunky V8? Machismo? I can think of no other reason but if the next generation corvette will be powered by a V6 then I would certainly say the day of the V8 is lost.

[Sgt. Nuker]

I disagree about the V8 dying off, but I'm going to provide a bit more of a reason as to why it won't. The traditional muscle car V8 may (which is rather sad to be honest), but the V8 engine as a configuration will not. As long as there are diesels, there will be a V8 diesel, whether it's made by Bavaria (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche), or the Yanks (Dodge/Cummins, Ford/Powerstroke, GM/Duramax).

As to the Civic "needing" a V6, I reply "only always". Too big is about right, considering the previous generation Civic was thin and long. The current is rather bloated, bulbous and blunt. The engine bay may or may not have grown in proportion, but it certain looks like it could have. At any rate, Honda probably could have shoe-horned in their 3.5L V6 from the Accord for the Civic Type S (Type R in Europe). The European and American models are different, namely in engine choices and in options. The American version would be heavier because of all the "crash safety requirements" and the US has always been short changed when it came to cool factory options.

I do know the I-4 isn't "weak", but what you mentioned Scope, is an inline that's being force-fed. Acura (Honda's American "luxury" arm) has dug deep and found well over 250 hp in their 2.4L (Acura TSX, if I remember right). This is done with computer and camshaft tuning, and timing. Subaru has found 307 ponies from their 2.5L boxer engine, but there again, it's being force-fed. Turbo'd four cylinders can be quite nice, just look at VW's 1.8 and 2.0 triple k turbo motors. They work buttery smooth (if a bit noisy) and they deliver gobs of power. The issue with turbo motors is the lag, so when the motors aren't receiving help from their power adders, the basic nature of the engine comes through.

[NergiZed]

Define 'Petrol head" please.

Normal consumers don't really drive race cars... Unless your talking about illegal street racing.

I doubt V8 will die off. But I think they will get a whole lot more rare. Most models offer a V6 option, even then I don't really see that many cars that have that option on the road; they're usually parked on a lawn for sale (good prices too). Especially muscle cars, and those Large SUVs, nobody wants them anymore, even with gas being less than a third of what it cost a couple months ago.

It's also not like you see Ferrariis, Aston Martins, or Bentlys, Roles Royce, and Maybaches everywhere. Plus, any real exotic car would have a V12.

Then again, this is the East coast of America, perhaps there are V8 Ford Broncos, Merc M class, and Range Rovers everywhere over in Western Australia. (I wouldn't been all that surprised.

[BeefJeRKy]

I don't think the V8 will completely disappear. Its just that it will fade from mainstream performance and remain in the Luxuries department. The demand for SUVs is waning and well priced performance cars from the US triad will likely switch over to the V6 to meet better efficiency requirements. For example the current Ford Mustang is powered by a 300 BHP 4.6 L V8. This kind of power can easily come from a 3.5L V6 which is lighter, more fuel efficient and more reliable (less moving parts). We'll still see the V8 in the Corvette I say though hopefully a new engine block as the Northstar is getting old.

I agree with you Nooka. You did indeed provide excellent reasoning for that. In fact, I had forgotten all about diesel power especially in Europe. However, if you were to dig a little you would see that the European and US civic are two completely different chassis and bodies and indeed engine configs. Also, giving a V6 to the civic would cannibalize the Accord coupe (only slightly).
US:


EU:

[Sgt. Nuker]

I could have sworn the Northstar was dead, but if it isn't (and if I remember right, it's still in some newer model Cadillacs) GM does have plans to phase out the venerable, yet aging Northstar. The simple fact is, no one at GM has given a second thought to updating the Northstar so that it makes more power. So it only goes to reason that with the way the industry is advancing V6 technology, that a smaller and lighter V6 would, could, and can make almost as much power as a healthy "old school" V8. But why go with a V8 over a V6? I'll give a couple reasons:

1). Bragging rights: The ability to look at someone and say "I've got 8 cylinders. You've only got 6" (note the pompous and ignorant attitude in this statement.)

2). Displacement: As Carol Shelby would say "There's no replacement for displacement". What the V8 may have a narrow advantage in horsepower, it has a boat load of an advantage in the torque department. Torque is what moves you. Horsepower is what applies the torque. The being pressed back in your seat feeling you get when you stomp the loud pedal is all because of torque. As tuning is done to smaller displacement engines to gain horsepower, the torque curve begins to suffer, unless engine displacement is increased.

3). Sound: Face it, a V8 is just enjoyable to listen to. Whether it's in an old Mustang, or a $1 million Ferrari, V8's have a character and voice all their own. It is true there are some pretty vocal and sweet sounding V6's (namely Alfa owns rights to these), but all things considered, a basic V8 has a certain throaty note that trumps the higher tenor/ soprano note of a V6.

Given these few basic reasons, you can see why some would chose the V8 over the V6. GM has a history of making sweet V8's (look at the small-block and 5300 series) and rather bland and horrid sounding V6's (L36/L67, 3800 series in general).

Now back to the Civic. Sure giving the Civic a "real" engine would gouge sales of the Accord coupe, but couldn't they also detune the V6 to have less than the Accord? Other manufacturers have done this. For example, look at Mercedes and GM. GM's 5300 series V8 makes more power in the Pontiac Grand Prix than it does in the Buick Lacrosse/Allure (303 vs. 300). What's more, the Lacrosse's motor makes more power than it does in the Buick Lucerne (300 vs. 292). I've always seen this as rather pathetic that an auto-maker couldn't drop the same engine into a different model and have it make the same power.

Oh, the Corvette has never used the Northstar, and never will. The Northstar is a variant of the LS engines designed for Cadillac, though the engine has been seen in a select few models outside the Cadillac nameplate (Pontiac Bonneville GXP). The current Corvette uses the LS3, with the ZO6 using the LS2. Future 'Vettes will use an LS4, that could see horsepower ratings north of 450hp (the LS3 already makes 400+).

[Major Fuckup]

Scope, on 10 Dec 2008, 14:32, said:

Link.Take a look at this. If six cylinders can deliver as much power as eight, why do you need a clunky V8? Machismo? I can think of no other reason but if the next generation corvette will be powered by a V6 then I would certainly say the day of the V8 is lost.

lol u could never get a V6 to out do an V8 u can modify the shit out of a six but when u get a V8 twin supercharged piggy backed through a turbo its unstoppable. also with the sound thing as explained by Warboss Nooka no matter what u do to a V6 it will still sound like a V6 even with quad hotdog exhausts it will sound like a half assed V8 and once people see the V6 badge u will get laughed at over here. a V8 has a unique sound to it. it vibrates and thumps the ground on idle and will wake up the neighbors and it roars. and yes its pretty much about the machoismo.

Cops don't care for Skylines people just do them up because they have watched "Fast and the Furious" movies to many times and cant afford a V8 and think im so awesomely hard core cuz i can slide my rice burner around a corner and gives me the excuse not to go fast cause im scared of speed and speeding tickets so i will spend most of my time around suburbs spinning out around corners and knocking peoples bins over LOL NO don't LOL me with that crap The cops they wait in the bushes for the Commodores and Falcons to rock up and register 5.0 on the richter scale at the lights when they revv up waiting for clearance from ATC for a take off.

also why do people who own smaller cars like Skylines, Subaru's all sorts of Nissan's and Toyota's put watermelon sized exhausts on them. A guy who went to school with me has a Mitsubishi Mirage with this chode exhaust and it sounds like a constance fart i couldn't help my self i just laugh each time it drives past my house and its even funner at night when its quiet.

Also i have heard a Skyline that sound like 100 lawnmowers in sync could some one tell whats with that trend of big exhausts? its just retarded and sorry for ripping on Skylines but you see them every where in WA. ( next bit not related sorry XD )And every couple of weekends i go to a drag strip with mates and watch randoms bringing their cars in doing burnouts and racing and the majority are V8's u get V6's and u hardly see somethin like a Skyline or a 350Z cuz they get the shit kicked out of them.

Edit: Major Fuckup's definition of a Petrol head:: a guy who spends friday afternoon at the strip doing burn outs and the quarter mile spends most of saturday with mates tuning the car and spends sunday making a list of parts for the car to improve performance and its overall awesomeness and goes for a cruise sunday night goes to work and trash talks and drinks all week till friday afternoon. and of course ME!

Edited by Major Fuckup, 12 December 2008 - 12:45.

[Overdose]

Honda's the perfect brand for japanese life. Over there the bigger the car and the more it burns fuel equals to more taxes, this is where Honda shines. I don't think they are as suited outside Japan however.

[BeefJeRKy]

Works for Europe apparently (at least the cities).