P & M session

[Jon A.]

I saw a video fairly recently on the pitfalls of new cars, the "infotainment" system being one of them. One may as well be learning a whole new operating system when dealing with those things, I don't think anything about them is standardized.

I recall riding in someone's late-model piece of crap and wondering "where's the bloody ignition key?" The owner uses a USB stick with the stereo and brags about how many songs it can hold. Mom seemed impressed by it but I was thinking something like "Yeah, so?"

I just modded an AM-FM-8 track car stereo for use as my computer's sound system, sounds pretty good too. I didn't want to permanently modify the stereo's case so I gutted and cut down a bad VHF tuner; I thought it ideal as it already had RCA jacks and the hole in the back fit perfectly over the volume control shaft. A micro-mini DPDT switch fit nicely between the stereo's case and the attachment. As for power I just tapped the 12V rail in my computer.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I saw a video fairly recently on the pitfalls of new cars, the "infotainment" system being one of them. One may as well be learning a whole new operating system when dealing with those things, I don't think anything about them is standardized.

I recall riding in someone's late-model piece of crap and wondering "where's the bloody ignition key?" The owner uses a USB stick with the stereo and brags about how many songs it can hold. Mom seemed impressed by it but I was thinking something like "Yeah, so?"

I just modded an AM-FM-8 track car stereo for use as my computer's sound system, sounds pretty good too. I didn't want to permanently modify the stereo's case so I gutted and cut down a bad VHF tuner; I thought it ideal as it already had RCA jacks and the hole in the back fit perfectly over the volume control shaft. A micro-mini DPDT switch fit nicely between the stereo's case and the attachment. As for power I just tapped the 12V rail in my computer.

I'm really spoiled with the keyless entry and the keyless ignition. My old Prius and the newer one has it.
All you have to do is keep the fob in your pocket, touch the driver's door handle and it unlocks. Push button on dash, put it in drive or reverse and go. The engine starts itself. The engine shuts down when waiting for one of the painfully long traffic lights.

[zeno]

I agree with night driving. I wont anymore unless I HAVE to. Bring back
the round sealed beams ! No $500 plastic lens to fog up & I could
see at nite ! Require 4 per car & you will always know if you are getting
hi-beamed.

Radio stuck on ? Happend to me. I sold a wood lot & bought my Squaw
a 16 Caravan. Drove me nuts. Silverado the same. Just F'n turn off PLS !

I got a few more bitches I may start a thread on. Dont take this as a slam
to GM, its across the board. I looked at the big 3 trucks & there arnt many
differences. Good points & bad for all.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I'm really spoiled with the keyless entry and the keyless ignition. My old Prius and the newer one has it.
All you have to do is keep the fob in your pocket, touch the driver's door handle and it unlocks. Push button on dash, put it in drive or reverse and go. The engine starts itself. The engine shuts down when waiting for one of the painfully long traffic lights.

I assume the engine shutdown feature is exclusive to hybrids. I like things mechanically, electronically and even aesthetically simple so stuff like that doesn't appeal to me, and may even make me feel rather uneasy. I'm the type who would not only insist on a manual transmission, I would probably back it with a four-speed auxiliary given the opportunity. I reckon double low gear would make traffic jams a lot easier to handle.

The only newer technology I've been spoiled by is DVD players and LCD monitors. When I got a laptop in '05 and saw how clear the display was compared to my 17" ViewSonic CRT I was like, whoa. I was reluctant to give up my first-gen Mac G3 but it barely ran and Win XP grew on me anyway. I still used CRTs on desktops for some time after that but gradually gave that up.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I assume the engine shutdown feature is exclusive to hybrids. I like things mechanically, electronically and even aesthetically simple so stuff like that doesn't appeal to me, and may even make me feel rather uneasy. I'm the type who would not only insist on a manual transmission, I would probably back it with a four-speed auxiliary given the opportunity. I reckon double low gear would make traffic jams a lot easier to handle.

The only newer technology I've been spoiled by is DVD players and LCD monitors. When I got a laptop in '05 and saw how clear the display was compared to my 17" ViewSonic CRT I was like, whoa. I was reluctant to give up my first-gen Mac G3 but it barely ran and Win XP grew on me anyway. I still used CRTs on desktops for some time after that but gradually gave that up.

My 2006 Jeep Wrangler has a six speed manual transmission that seems to have a real low first gear. When driving it, I also shift through all the gears, instead of starting out in a higher gear, which is harder on the clutch.
Regarding the engine cut-off feature, there's is some gasoline-only cars out there that have it. I believe it's not a good system.
The Prius' design doesn't use an alternator or a starter. Everything is done by the traction motor and the invertor system.
There's a theory of operation found on the internet.

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

My 2006 Jeep Wrangler has a six speed manual transmission that seems to have a real low first gear. When driving it, I also shift through all the gears, instead of starting out in a higher gear, which is harder on the clutch.
Regarding the engine cut-off feature, there's is some gasoline-only cars out there that have it. I believe it's not a good system.
The Prius' design doesn't use an alternator or a starter. Everything is done by the traction motor and the invertor system.
There's a theory of operation found on the internet.

That sounds like the old granny gear, it's probably related to the off-road nature of the Jeep. I think it would come in handy if you were off-roading and needed to crawl over some really ugly terrain. Old Ford farm trucks with the 4 speed always had that, it's great for starting an overloaded trailer moving without burning your clutch, not so great for city commuting.

I think you might actually put less wear and tear on the clutch by shifting frequently with the engine putting out very little torque, than by starting in a high gear and dumping the clutch into a situation where it has to close under a big load - like say starting rolling in 3rd gear.

[jr_tech]

Out of curiosity, what would be a typical top speed in these very low “granny gears”? I once had an old Peugeot that would red line at 20 mph in first... seemed like a real “stump puller” gear, but I always used it to start out, rather than slip the clutch excessively.

jr

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

My 2006 Jeep Wrangler has a six speed manual transmission that seems to have a real low first gear. When driving it, I also shift through all the gears, instead of starting out in a higher gear, which is harder on the clutch.
Regarding the engine cut-off feature, there's is some gasoline-only cars out there that have it. I believe it's not a good system.
The Prius' design doesn't use an alternator or a starter. Everything is done by the traction motor and the invertor system.
There's a theory of operation found on the internet.

I knew one guy who had a 1988 Ford F-150 with a 4-speed; He would always start out in second gear, probably not a good idea considering what I've read here. He also drove a fuel truck with a splitter switch so I couldn't tell what was going on there.

I'm not sure what a traction motor is; I've heard of traction elevators but I hadn't heard the term used elsewhere. There's another thing to look up.

I found this fairly recently, it's the result of someone who drove her VW Transporter everywhere in third gear because she didn't know how to operate a manual.

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I knew one guy who had a 1988 Ford F-150 with a 4-speed; He would always start out in second gear, probably not a good idea considering what I've read here.

In an old F-150 it would probably be fine to start in second. Those were a true granny gear, and almost painfully slow to start in first.