Switchable ESP
A lot of European cars are being made with
non-switchable ESP these days; it would be great if you guys could develop some
sort of ESP override electronic gadget, I'm sure you would sell it a
lot!
Rodrigo Passos
Portugal
We have covered a way of switching off traction
control while still leaving ESP active (an approach we consider to be better
than switching off ESP entirely) – series starts at
Modifying Electronic Car Handling Systems, Part 1. We have also covered a
system that allows user-adjustment of the action of stability control – see
Electronic Stability Control - Part Three
Writing Like Teenagers
I just wanted to comment on a couple of your
articles. I usually read car reviews from different sites within Australia. But
I must say that some of the reviews I have read from autoweb.com.au today are
extremely disappointing.
I quite regularly came across negative points
raised on certain vehicles but then praised on the same points later on during
the article. It's almost like two different teenagers were given an article to
write and then thrown together and published.
I'd also like to make a
comment about the review on the VE SSV. A point was made over the size of the
vehicle in that it was far too big. A fair comment to make. But then making the
comment that this size is more ideal for a lower spec Commodore but not the
sports model i.e. SSV. Some colleagues and I were reading this and couldn’t
believe that an auto journalist/web site would think that Holden should alter
the SS by changing sheet metal/dimensions etc to reduce the size. It's almost
laughable basically suggesting that the SS be a completely different
vehicle.
I think a website with as much exposure as yours should
seriously think about the way it presents itself.
Matt Chandler
Australia
Where are the examples in road tests of
negative points that are later praised? If it occurs regularly, you must be able
to find lots of examples. Re the size of the Commodore as a sporting machine:
you miss the point. No doubt Toyota could do a sporting version of the Tarago,
but would that make for a good sporting car? Yet its size is fine for carrying
large families...
More on Oval Chain Rings
1
Regarding oval chain rings on bikes, Shimano offered these in the
early '90s under the 'Biopace' tag but they were soon discredited. I
understand that they got the major axis of the ellipse in the wrong orientation
(by 90 degrees) so that the effective gear ratio increased rather than decreased
during the 'dead spots' of the pedalling cycle (TDC and BDC), exacerbating the
loss of momentum at these positions and producing a jerky pedalling
action. The 'Eggrings' made by Highpath Engineering which Julian has
bought are, I understand, correctly manufactured to give a higher effective gear
ratio during the power stroke when the pedals are close to horizontal.
Ben Garside
United Kingdom
More on Oval Chain Rings
2
Just a response from me regarding the oval chain rings which others
seem to be confused about. The main reason why they are no longer used on racing
cycles in that the oval shape made shifting gears on the big rings slow and
cumbersome. You really need to use a special front dérailleur to shift the gears
properly and then even then it didn't work too well. (The proper dérailleur moved
diagonally instead of just straight out.) Also there was the issue of the chain
dropping off if you down-shifted at the incorrect moment, and excessive chain
wear. These are the reasons why they are no longer used.
Kai
Fuller (a bike mechanic)
Australia
More on Oval Chain Rings 3
I
read with interest your total conversion to elliptical cogs (see
Driving Emotion). These have been around
for many years - my first mountain bike bought in 1988 had Shimano Biopace cogs,
with a lovely elliptical shape. If you go to www.cyclingnews.com and have a surf
around the technical section you can see that elliptical cogs are beginning to
move into the pro ranks. But there are still many doubters and naysayers. And if
the UCI is true to form they will probably ban them!
Me, I never found
them to be any big advantage or disadvantage. I have always been able to keep
the legs turning in circles and never noticed any particular flat spot in the
pedal cycle. When I replaced the worn out Biopace with a normal cog, I barely
noticed. I have ridden supposedly bouncy dual suspension bikes and not had
issues with pedal bounce. So maybe if you can keep pressure on the pedals all
the time (gotta love those clip in pedals!) and turn a high cadence, the
ellipses aren’t noticeably different. But if you turn a low cadence, like
struggling to the top of a hill in a recumbent, they are absolute
magic!
So I have to ask have you tried even lower gearing? Even if you
are barely moving, if the legs are going around it’s always
easier.
Donal Storey
Australia
In-Car PC Power Supply
In
relation to your article titled "Setting Up an In-Car PC" Issue 306 (10th Nov
2004) you said "Power supplies for PCs that work off 12V (ie car battery
voltages) are also available. But they’re not cheap – try something like ten
times the price of a normal mains power supply! So while it sounds a bit like
working backwards, the cheapest way of getting an in-car PC power supply is to
use an inverter to boost the car battery voltage up to mains voltage before
connecting it to the PC power supply – which then drops it back down to the
right DC voltages. Suitable inverters are available from about AUD$150."
A couple of years ago I setup a 12volt PC using
standard desktop hardware. The power supply I used was bought new and was a
power module from the inside of a laptop. These modules will take 12 volts and
create all the correct voltages for the motherboard and the drives. The module
is small (about the size of an Ipod Nano). No fan required. Efficient (ran a 586
motherboard and hard drive with just under 1 amp of current from a 12 volt
battery, so 12 watts.) Cheap ($25 plus shipping.) Also has outputs to signal low
battery voltage to allow the PC to shutdown or
hibernate.
Jase
Australia
Ride Quality 1
Regarding "Going the wrong way in the
ride/handling compromise" (see Driving Emotion.)
Quote: ''Go for a drive or ride in a mid-Eighties Mercedes Benz 300E, or a 1960s
Jaguar or Citroen or Austin 1800. Put your fingers in your ears to get rid of
the noise that is always so much higher than current cars and marvel at the ride
quality, a ride that allows long distance, fatigue-free kilometres. If you
haven’t previously done so, you’ll be very surprised."
It's funny that
you asked this question of your readers as I was talking about this with a good
friend recently at the "end of a long night". Having previously owned 3 of the 4
cars on the list (no Citroen and the Jaguar was ‘80’s) I couldn’t agree more,
indeed I would also like to add my old Rover 3500 (P6B) and Peugeot 505, and to
a lesser extent original shape SAAB 900 and Peugeot 406.
I would like to add a couple of more reasons
to this appalling lack of understanding to driver/passenger comfort, in addition
to tyre fashion.
1. Engineers used to tune seat springing to match
the car's springs. A lot of older cars have now had their seats collapse, but
when you get a good one the difference is obvious. Seats are now built better
and are more supportive over longer distances, however, those same engineers are
trying to give a feeling of sportiness, which demands that they remove some of
the isolation that was previously desirable. The seat of the pants feeling is
great when you are out for a hard drive; otherwise it is just tiresome.
2. BMW. Yep, I will come out and say it, it
seems to me that every one is trying to build car that fits the BMW niche.
Dynamically exciting high quality executive vehicle, a highly profitable niche,
naturally. Don’t get me wrong, they make fine vehicles, the E39 is one of the
best cars I have ever driven, however, they make only one type of vehicle in
various degrees. Previously, you had a choice, now if a manufacture offers a
softer alternative they are persecuted in the press for it. The ultimate irony
is when BMW produced the Rover 75, its niche was a “gentleman’s” vehicle, they
were panned as delivering something that wasn’t exciting enough dynamically. Yet
I was passenger in a Rover 75 Club on a 1000 km journey and I actually thought
it performed far beyond the capabilities of 95% of other modern cars, for that
use. Would I want to lap Phillip Island in it? Not on your life, I have a
dedicated race car for that – it has 350 pound front springs and 600 pound
rears, plus $4000 in shock absorbers and that is the exact point, it is designed
for the job.
At the end of the day it comes down to horses for
courses. If you are in the bush, a 4WD is the best tool; early morning mountain
fang in patchy damp - use a performance AWD; ultimate comfort cruising over
broken roads at our (low) highway speeds – choose the Jaguar XJ6; driving at 200
kph on the autobahn where infallible reactions are mandatory – THEN the BMW is
the best bet.
Blair Coull
Australia
Ride Quality 2
Couldn't agree more with you 'Driving Emotion'
of 10.03.2007. I have been thinking the same for a very long time. I had an old
P6 Rover many years ago and marvelled at the soft smooth ride over bumps
and dips yet how much faster I could go round corners than my friends’ newer
cars in casual on-road races....!
Your quote: 'the circular sequence of
car testers constantly wanting better handling cars, car company engineers
responding, and then sufficient time passing that everyone has forgotten
what good riding cars are really like'. This is exactly what has happened; most
drivers have never been in anything other than a Hyundai or Toyota, so don’t
know a car that rides well so think that these new cars must be as good as
can be.
The same goes for engine performance, most new cars have great on-paper specs = lots of kilowatts and gear ratios etc.., but in real world
driving feel less than special. My 30 year old 3 litre 6 cylinder has
'stats' that are well below current designs, and ultimately it goes about as
well as a 2 litre 4 cylinder, but to 'drive every day' it gets off the line
better than most new Commodore 6 cylinders, goes up hills without fuss or gear
changes and overtakes easily on the open road. Around town driving I never
have to go over 1500 rpm to keep in front of traffic.
My 'new' daily
driver, is more than 3.5 litres; and is smooth and quiet and has 'on
paper' 50% more torque. However it always revs to 3500 rpm to accelerate
from rest and keep with the traffic, and in normal driving shunts back a gear
for hills and overtaking - not very relaxing but irritating.
Like you said, new cars are quieter (and ultimately
better than?) old cars, but some of the lessons of the past need to be
re-learned
Craig Dunn
Australia
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