Hybrids are a hoax.
They’re too expensive to be economy cars, don’t produce the mileage they’re estimated to have and are bought for image more than anything.
At $22,000, the starting price of Prius is far too expensive to be an economy car. A Kia starts at $12,000, about half and delivers an EPA estimated 35 mpg on the highway. A Honda civic starts at $15,000 with 36 mpg. While a regular Toyota Yaris gets 36 mpg for only $12,000.
That’s al based on the respective companies’ Web sites.
Lets compare: The average conventional car price from above is $13,000. The average mileage is 35.3 mpg.
That’s $368.27 per mpg.
Prius: 46.5 mpg city and highway equals: $473.11 per mpg.
Is $104 per mpg good enough to justify the better mileage?
I’m not knocking the Prius alone. The Civic hybrid promises similar mpg on about the same dough.
People who need more mileage aren’t those who can afford to spend twice as much on a hybrid and wait in line until one becomes available.
Hybrids are a fad, just like SUVs were ten years ago. Its about image.
“Look at me I’m better than you because I pollute less and lessen the world’s dependency on foreign oil,” say hybrid supporters.
Get real.
Its more eco friendly to rock an ancient motorcycle that gets 70 mpg, uses half as much rubber, half as much manufacturing and one battery if any.
Supporting manufacturing alone by buying a new car supports America’s oil addiction.
Manufacturing the new car used dirty coal energy, more valuable resources and supports foreign industry.
Buying a brand new hybrid doesn’t follow any environmentally friendly fundamentals; recycle, reduce, and reuse.
An early ‘90s generic Japanese car can be bought for $2,000 per the Kelley Blue Book. That same generic disposable car probably gets between 20 and 30 mpg. Ask anyone who owns one.
That’s $80 per mpg, $393.11 and six times cheaper than a hybrid.
There’s an economy car.
One that also didn’t require firing up any coal to power the purchase.
But does Gladys, who has driven her generic disposable car for 18 years, tell the world she’s better than and demand car pool rights?
You’ll have to ask her.
The EPA, who estimates mileage, tests cars by putting them through a simulation of driving characteristics, including idling at a stop light.
Hybrids don’t idle, they shut down at a stop light. This exaggerates the estimated mileage of the car.
Any penny pincher would shut their engine down knowing they’d be stopped for a while. Next time you’re stopped by Caltrans for road work, see how many engines are running.
Hybrid technology has been around a long time and is great technology.
Trains have used hybrid technology for years. They run a diesel engine that solely runs a generator to produce electricity for electric motors that move the train. In a modern train there’s no mechanical link between the diesel engine and the tracks.
This saves fuel economy.
The difference is that trains last a lot longer in service than the typical car buyer keeps their car.
GM has a prototype using this technology called the Volt. It’s supposed to hit the market as soon as 2010. It’s supposed to get the equivalent of 50 mpg after an all electric 40 miles using no gas, because it’s also a plug-in hybrid.
GM wants between $30 and $40 grand once the car comes out.
Still not economy.
And isn’t that what mileage is about.
Europeans have had it right for a long time because gas has always been expensive there.
Their small, lightweight cars were cheap and sipped gas, even when the US market was still producing gas guzzlers in the ‘70s.
The Japanese market also capitalized on their pocketbook friendly design from the late ‘70s and still dominate the market today.
Small, used, cheap cars are economy.
Hybrids are to stoke an image.
Recently in automotive Category
Two Paradise residents in their mid twenties took to the quarter mile dirt oval at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds Friday April 4 to give it their all in sprint cars on the first points race of the year.
Justin Funkhouser took third place, with 47 points overall in his, wingless sprint class. But John Bunch didn’t place in the competitive 410 class.
Both teams rely heavily on sponsorship to propel their expensive racecars across the finish line. Each team runs a low budget team and has family and friends volunteering to help and donating parts.
The 5f car Funkhouser piloted Friday night was powered by a borrowed 360 cubic inch V8 engine running on alcohol.
John Beck is a machinist at Pro Machine in Chico. He makes engines for some of the racecars and said Funkhouser is one of the best.
“He’s one of the best drivers out here,” he said. “He just doesn’t have the money.”
Beck speculated the engine in Funkhouser’s car was producing 350 horsepower in a class with much more
But it takes a great driver to win with Mark Forner racer and Funkhouser crewman said.
“Justin is an upcoming star,” he said. “He’s got the nerve for it. He’ll step up to the 410s and be phenomenal.”
Mike Funkhouser, Justin’s uncle, has been around racing for more than 45 years.
He helped build the Justin’s car. He said tuning a car is essential to running fast times.
“You could be a hero one night and a zero the next.”
Racing is something a driver almost has to be born into, Mike said.
“Justin is third generation,” he said adding that if his grandchild is a boy, he’ll be the fourth.
Justin’s car is a hot setup for the wingless sprints and features front and rear breaks with breaking on the left rear wheel. He also runs a coil-over front suspension and a torsion bar rear, which is new to this year.
Last year, Justin raced a four corner coil-over suspension, a hot asphalt setup, Mike said.
John Bunch raced his winged sprint car in the 410 cubic inch class. Though he is running a smaller, 360 engine in the class to build experience before he hops in the driver’s seat of the incredibly powerful 410 cars.
“Once he runs well with this, we’ll bump him up to 410,” his step mom Patty said.
Though Bunch didn’t place in the race, it was to be expected with his lack of experience and underpowered motor, his crew said.
410 cubic inch alcohol motors can make nearly 900 horsepower, while his 360 makes a max of 650 hp, John said.
His car is also at least 200 pounds heavier than the lighter, more expensive race cars that use aluminum engine blocks and titanium bolts.
Friday night many cars wrecked, blew tires out and exploded engines.
A lot of racers who jump from cart racing to 410 cars wreck and because of that, the team runs low budget cars with lots of safety equipment, Patty said.
“We’ll let him crash this used one before he crashes a new one,” she said.
Being a parent can be nerve racking, watching cars flip over and roll violently on the course.
“I love it but his mother goes bananas.”
Justin and John know each other and help one another out, Patty said.
“Justin has been wonderful with helping set up the car for the track,” she said.
Bill Bunch, John’s dad and car owner said the car was not up to par with the bigger teams.
“We’re underpowered,” he said. “But, if he does well with this, he’ll run well with a 410.”
Brad Bumgarner, Bunch’s crew chief, has been around racing his whole life and behind the wheel of his car for six years.
He said the sport is expensive.
“It costs so much money and you don’t make anything,” he said. “It’s just for fun.”
Having a 360 in a 410 class is a huge handicap, Bumgarner said.
“It’s like bringing a knife to a gun fight.”
Top notch cars weigh less than 1,400 pounds.
“And this thing there’s no telling how much it weighs.”
Top notch cars have 850 to 875 hp.
“This thing’s lucky if it’s got 600.”
John has a four month old son, who’ll one day inherit racing, Patty said.
“We’re already scoping out what box stock to get him when he’s five.”
Our family has a beater 1986 Ford f-150. We use it to haul stuff around. I use it a lot for firewood, hauling boats docks, trash jet skis and yard waste.
The four wheel drive went out and I converted the automatic hubs to manual hubs to fix the problem.
The swap is pretty straightforward. It’s more or less a remove and replace, however, as long as the assembly is open it’s a good time to repack the wheel bearings as well.
I also turned the break rotors and replaced the pads.
I didn’t know until I put it all back together that the bearings and the bearing race should be replaced as a unit. There’s no better time than during the hub replacement to do this.
Also the bearings are two different sizes (inner and outer) make sure you have them right before you press the new seal into place, or you’ll spend twice as much on seals, like I did.
You will need a special tool to get the lock nuts off the axle, you could probably rent one, but I found one pretty cheap at the parts store. It took two people to break the nuts loose, one to push on the socket to keep it on while I turned the breaker bar.
I like the manual hubs because you know they’re locked or unlocked. You can shift on the fly once you’ve locked them. And, unlike with the autos you can use the low gear in the transfer case in two-wheel-drive.
Why:
Changing points on you car may be the best $10 tune-up your car or truck could have.
Do I have points?
Generally cars and trucks prior to 1973 had a breaker point ignition system. Many small engines also have points.
If you don’t know if your car or truck has points reference a shop manual or call a parts store to find out.
Many models of cars or trucks offered both electronic (solid state) and point ignition systems. GM vehicles called their electronic ignitions HEI or high energy ignition systems.
Some have rare dual point distributors which obviously have two points.
Check your points:
To check your points, open your distributor cap and locate the points. Open them up and look for pitting on them and carbon build up. They may be out of adjustment of just needing a clean up.
If they’re not too bad you can use sandpaper or an emery board if you don’t have a point file. Just make sure to blow out the distributor with compressed air after you sand the points down.
You want the points to meet squarely when they contact. After sanding I like to polish the point contacts with a business card, or really fine grit sandpaper.
Changing points:
Anyway to change points go to the parts store and buy a set. I usually opt for the nicer set if they have two part numbers. You can ask for tungsten steel points or vented, or high performance points. The extra $2 in my experience is worth the dough.
I almost always replace the condenser as well. It is cheap and easy to install. Some points come as a set with a condenser.
Remove and replace the old points.
Set point gap:
Set the gap with a feeler gauge. The points are usually set on a fulcrum where you lightly tighten one screw and the other allows it to pivot to the right spot and then tighten.
Make sure the cam lobe of the distributor is on a high point when you set the gap.
A remote starter is handy here, but a friend in the driver’s seat works just as well.
Tap the motor over with the key, or use a wrench on the crankshaft to get the lobe on the high point and set the gap to the recommended setting, generally it’s 17 to 19 thousands of an inch (.017-.019).
If you don’t have a feeler gauge you can get it close by eye or using a matchbook cover. Then using a dwell meter when the motor is running set it to the right dwell.
Setting the gap with a feeler gauge is a learned skill, but you want light tension, or if a .019 won’t fit try a .017. You want light drag if you pull the feeler out of the points.
It’s like setting a spark plug gap really, but a tighter gap.
Once you’ve done that, connect the wires back to the coil, ground and condenser, if you haven’t already.
Now put the cap back on and secure it with the screws, or the snapping spring clips. Make sure to put the rotor back on the distributor shaft, I always forget that.
Now, if you’ve done the gap right you’re done in there.
Set timing:
Now set your timing.
Start the motor, in park. Or in neutral with the parking break set (manual trans.)
If it won’t start you can loosen the distributor hold-down and turn it slightly, like a couple degrees either way while cranking until the motor starts.
After it starts, warm up the motor and get it to idle, at the manufacturer’s recommended speed.
If you have friend have him or her hold the break and put the vehicle in gear (auto trand) while you set the timing. Using a timing gun, set the timing at the suggested setting. Most cars like a 6 to 8 degree before Top Dead Center (TDC.)
If you don’t see a mark on the harmonic balancer, make sure the light is firing and if it is, make sure the inductive lead is on the number one cylinder. Still no light kill the motor and mark the timing line with chalk or whiteout. Start and time the vehicle.
Tighten the distributor hold-down, put the car in park and go for a drive. The vehicle should run better.
NOTE:
Note the timing is always done after the points are cleaned, adjusted or replaced. The point gap will change the timing.
GM vehicles’ points can be adjusted while running, fords cannot. Motorcycles’ procedures are the same basic idea, just refer to the correct timing mark in the manual. (F or F1 and so on.)
So my girlfriend’s ’97 Honda Civic’s headlights were real foggy and didn’t project well onto the road.
Sound familiar?
Here’s the fix. It worked for a composite plastic lens. I don’t know about glass.
I read in Popular Mechanics that you can wet sand then buff them out to a shine.
Start by cleaning the lenses real well.
