Prius

[OZ132HOME]

Thanks, Peter. Didn't buy the car to join the snob club, or anything. Just a car...

[Kent Kershaw]

I saw part of a car show on BBC America and they tested a BMW M3 and a Prius side by side on a closed course. I think they had the Prius set the pace. The BMW got better gas mileage. Their point was it's not what you drive, but how you drive.

I forget where I saw it, But there was a story on the carbon footprint of the manufacture of the Prius's batteries. It starts in Sudbury, Ontario, a place supposedly heavily damaged by acid rain from the smelters near the nickel mines, and literally circles the globe as the nickel gets refined and manufactured into batteries in different places, to Japan, where the batteries are installed in the cars, and then shipped to the USA and Canada.

I also saw that Car and Driver article, and was amazed by the performance of the Hybrids. I would never have thought that they went like that. I would have thought that the Metro would have performed the same or better.

Scared behind the wheel? Let's see, there I was, fat, dumb and happy behind the wheel of my '63 409 Impala Super Sport. One hand on the wheel, the other elbow sticking out the window. Too cool!! I floored it. At that moment, the driver's bucket-seat back "went adrift". I managed to keep it on the road and get it stopped. I must have looked funny driving home with the wheel white-knuckled to my chest. You don't appreciate a seat back until you don't have one. Not only does it help keep you out of the back seat during acceleration, it also helps keep your butt in place around curves. I wish I still had that car.

[terry h]

Your old car is high on my "wanna have one" list Kent. I had a plain vanilla 63 Impala. Was a very good car for me.

[35Z5]

Yeah most everyone thinks of the 409 Impala SS as a screaming, hairy chested, monster but a fellow I know had one with 340Hp(I believe thats correct) hydraulic cam engine and a Powerglide... While it wasn't slow, wasn't a match for my 428 Cobra Jet Torino...

Tom

[Samham]

My last year in Grad School (1963) , I had a '57 Nash (factory 3-color paint job -- dark brown.light bown, and coral pink!) with the collapsing seat back feature just like Kent experienced -- except I couldn't afford to fix mine properly. I had a brace, "T"-shaped, made of old leaf spring stock which worked most of the time. But when I hit a bump, down it went. Very embarrassing on a date.

I eventually replaced it with a '57 Merc "Turnpike Cruiser" with push button tranny selector. Kept that car until I had been on active army duty for a while and could actually afford to buy my first new car.

[terry h]

[Burnt Fingers]

I dont believe the 425 HP version was available with the PigGlide.

I had a 409 Impala wagon with the 400 hp and 4 spd. It was one of the nine 63's I had over several years when they were at bottom dollar. Being a wagon it was a real sleeper. Sold that one for parts when a drunk tailended me and buckled the frame on both sides. But my favorite 63 was a SS HT with a blueprinted 350 that was good for around the same power. Put a lot of miles on that one until the body and frame rotted out.

Carl

[Burnt Fingers]

What is it with Prius drivers running with the lights off during the day? Is it another way of squeezing the best mpg? Id say that 50% of the ones I see are running dark.

Carl

[terry h]

[Kent Kershaw]

[Burnt Fingers]

Back in the days Before Wife and when I had spare money available I bought a new 64 GTO convertible with the 389, tripower, 4spd and posi. It never lost to a 409.

After Wife I was relegated to the back of car lots and Sunday papers for my transportation. Of course the little princess and brats had 2-3 year old transportation at their beck and call.

Wife hasnt changed, currently tooling around in a 07 Volvo Turbo. Daddy wants a NEW toy and is waiting on a 2010 Camaro LS3.

Life is too short to waste on an econobox.

Carl

[Kevin Clark]

[terry h]

[Burnt Fingers]

Terry, many of the 64-66 GTO's were automatics which was a 2 spd version of the Jetaway. It wasnt until the TH-400 came along plus aftermarket shift kits that the automatic versions could perform.

A 425 nailhead with dual quads and TH-400 was a force to be reckoned with as was the 425 Olds.

The older design (from the 1949 303) 394 Olds never really impressed me but the Jetaway was a dog and little could be done to improve it. I have a 57 in storage with the 371, J-2, and Jetaway that makes more noise than progress going down the road.

But in those full size power war years the 413 Wedge with dual quads on the long rams was king. A friend had a 63 New Yorker wagon with that setup that simply ate up any of the heavyweights of the day. We used it to tow my GTO to the drags up in Sanford, ME after I extensively modified the engine in 65, M&H cheater slicks, and more.

With that backround there is no way I could be dragged into an econobox unless it is a hearse which would be the ultimate insult

Carl

[terry h]

Seems like we've had similar stuff over time. (J-2 etc.) My stuff was generally old when I got it.

Some differences though; Never saw or drove an older GTO with an automatic. All 4 speed. The J-2 Olds was half installed in a 55 Pontiac 2 door. Had a 3 speed stick. My uncles had 55 Pontiacs in their time. One was a stick. Olds vin. 1955 was owned by a friend. Had a 3 speed stick. A 57 Pontiac, same story.

Those older cars went a lot better with standard transmissions.

You are probably more metro., so an automatic was more popular.
Here, many of us learned to drive a grain truck early on. I may have been 9 or 10 when I started crunching gears in a 33 Ford truck. Common thing in farm country back then. Could drive legally on the roads adjacent to our land. Licenses were issued when you turned 14 if you were a farm kid. Just for work. Don't get caught in town on Saturday night though.

With that background, we tended to shun failure prone automatics when we shopped for our first cars.

Prius; Are they automatic or gear transmissions? Gears used to save gas. Their complexity makes me uneasy. Fear of failure. Fear of severe wallet ache too.

[Burnt Fingers]

[terry h]

CVT. I am guessing that means constantly variable transmission. I missed that.
Our old swathers had a big short belt on pulleys that had variable sheaves. Push lever forward to increase speed. Bring back and the machine would stop.
Prius must work on the same principle without belt.

[OZ132HOME]

Actually, the planetary gearset and accompanying gearset are not variable at all, but fixed ratio. "ICE" (Internal Combustion Engine) Electric Motor/Generators and wheels are all solidly connected together at all times through the Planetary gearset and differential. No clutch or torque converter. No drive belts. No more chain drive. Fewer moving parts than a conventional ride.
The "CVT" action actually is performed by the Electronics--computer and inverter. because the torque curve of an electric motor is pretty much opposite of that for an ICE (max torque at stall) they use the electric motor for acceleration.

It's all very clever and elegant:
http://priuschat.com/forums/ge ... -flow.html

[Peter]

Hey Oz,

I think I saw your car at Lansing. Red, Indiana plate, was parked 2-3 cars down from my vehicle (blue Pontiac Vibe with two kayaks on the top). Nice looking car if it was yours. Sorry I didn't see you during the show.

peter

[OZ132HOME]

That was most probably us.
We didn't stay as long as usual. Left friday noon.
Was a bit disappointed in our MPG for the trip.
Only got 48.
Around town its better than on the highway. Usually get 50.
The wife is a bit lead footed, and so am I, so it doesn't reflect on the car.