# General car talk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 30, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611 "2022-08-30T15:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/341 "2023-10-06T19:56:36Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > buy 4 new tires because they are going bald after just 2 1/2 years. LOL You are going to love EVs! Imagine something the size of your HRV, with twice the horsepower and three times the torque. The tires won’t stand a chance. At 12,000 miles per year, you are a perfect candidate for an EV. For some hard numbers, last year (2022) I drove 11,000 miles and spent $325 charging at home, and another $150 at superchargers on road trips. Guessing an HRV gets about 32 MPG, and a search says the average gas price in 2022 was $3.95/gallon, so about $1300 to do the same driving in an HRV. Saving $800 is nice, but also not really life changing. Even if you throw in another $100 for the two oil changes the gas car would have had, it is a good sized savings, but not shockingly so. So maybe $1000 per year savings for the life of the car? You might spend that on tires, though. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/342 "2023-10-06T22:43:29Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I’m going to “Just Tires” to buy 4 new tires because they are going bald after just 2 1/2 years. LOL In my experience, that’s not so odd because the tires that come on the car are usually not top-of-the-line tires. Yes, the kind of driving you do, mileage, and the types of road surfaces you drive on matter. But so does the quality of the original tire. Be sure to look online for recommendations before you buy. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/343 "2023-10-08T02:41:06Z")
I’ve not driven one, but is the HR-V a hoot to drive? Seems that the Civic Si would be the choice in that price range. Still would go through the tires though. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/344 "2023-10-10T11:15:11Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > In my experience, that’s not so odd because the tires that come on the car are usually not top-of-the-line tires. Hey, now I feel better. LoL You’re right about the quality of ties, and I will buy the best. I punked out yesterday and didn’t go, but we have veteran’s day off, and that is before our snow season begins. I’ll definitely go then. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/345 "2023-10-11T00:31:00Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > In another 3 years the landscape will be dramatically changed. I don’t think at that point there will be any question that you would go electric what with the almost universal adoption of NACS and a flood of new models and new tech at all price points. If Tesla can make a profit on a Model 3 at $39k (net $31,500 after tax credit), then things are really changing. +1 add: better controller tech (at least 2-3 gen. more advanced - lower consumption) - potentially larger battery, way better/more polished User Interface, etc… We are currently on a steep upward incline in terms of learning-curve and tech-advancement … kindalike smartphones in their 3rd or 4th generation … the great screens, large batteries and really good camara are just being ushered in (figuratively speaking). ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/346 "2023-10-11T00:42:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > That said, it’s unclear [what the implications of using cast unibodies could be](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-gigacasting-a-cars-entire-underbody-is-surely-a-great-idea). Casting could theoretically cut costs and weight, but the porosity of cast metals could reduce strength, and therefore safety. Additionally, there is the question of repairability, as cast bodies might be more difficult to fix in the event of major damage, such as a crash. [_Body Shop Business_](https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/tech-feature-repairing-advanced-metals/) describes repair options for cast metals as “limited,” so it’s possible any significant damage could total a vehicle with a cast unibody. mark my words: as those vehicles get more and more common, there will be a new generation of body-shops specializing in this new reality. The same (to an even more relevant extent) will be true for “battery-shops” … specialized vehicle services that will offer services like: - pre-purchase check (how is the state of battery of that used tesla 3 on craiglist?) - battery diagnostics and repair. - whole battery swap Historically strong demand always created its own offer (just think of that vinyl-records craze, chip-tuning and remapping services, etc…). ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/347 "2023-10-11T04:03:42Z")
My wife’s car is the first model year HRV and I get to drive it occasionally. Kind of loud, slow acceleration, and you have to like plastic. At least it has some good cargo space and is easy to maneuver. And yes, we replaced the tires after about 18 months and less than 10,000 miles. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/348 "2023-10-20T01:45:38Z")
> Excluding Tesla, the fuel type loyalty rate for mainstream brand EV households is 52.1% this year through July, according to the latest S&P Global Mobility loyalty analysis. > That’s staying loyal to electric vehicles, regardless of which brand they purchased next (even if they moved on to a Tesla). > **[Does the auto industry have an EV loyalty problem?](https://www.spglobal.com/mobility/en/research-analysis/does-the-auto-industry-have-an-ev-loyalty-problem.html)** > > The easy headline is: “3 out of 4 Luxury EV Households Stick with EVs for Next Vehicle.” But remove Tesla’s industry-leading loyalty numbers from the equation, and the percentage for the rest of the industry falls off sharply. That could pose a... While a part of this is the lack of recharging places, this suggests that EVs are not going to completely take over. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/349 "2023-10-20T12:52:18Z")
I’d happily have two EVs if they met all our family’s transportation needs. But a mix of EV and ICE/Hybrid vehicles allows us to do everything we need (we don’t have an EV currently but our next car will be one). If the charging infrastructure improves and/or range of EVs improve we would have no problems being an all EV family. I think we’re just in a transitional period. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/350 "2023-10-20T21:02:43Z")
Even 50% is a pretty good number. It means that about half of all people are ready to be a _pure_ EV household. But many of the remainder are likely to be a dual EV/ICE household, which is still much better than pure ICE. If most households have two cars, and they’ve just bought an EV, we should expect that their _next_ car would be the alternate ICE car–it doesn’t imply that they’re unhappy with the EV, just that it doesn’t cover 100% of their needs. That could mean ~75% overall EV share. That 75% of Tesla customers are loyal might imply that access to the Supercharger network (as virtually all EVs will have starting in 2024-ish) can boost the 50% even further (though it depends on their exact reasons). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/351 "2023-10-20T21:18:29Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > a dual EV/ICE household, which is still much better than pure ICE. I was window-shopping for cars, and realized “Hey, what am I doing? I’m a bike guy…” I was crunching the numbers on Hybrid vs EV, and realized that in the last six months I’ve used a car less than a dozen times. Mostly short trips to the hardware store for stuff too big for panniers… though I did bungie some 8’ lumber on the bike (from handlebars to the rack then hanging out another 4’…). For longer trips I’ve lucked out, and could take a bus (six trips to music festivals this summer!). So the effects of me driving my mom’s gasaholic Oldsmobile or buying a Prius or Polestar isn’t enough to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/352 "2023-10-24T02:28:50Z")
Tom Scott goes for a ride in a car that can do 0-60 mph (0-100 kph) in under a second. It’s an electric car specially designed by engineering students to set this record, and uses a fan to create enough downforce so that all the power can be put through the wheels without wheelspin. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XQIu5tZ0vbQ/maxresdefault.jpg "0-100 in less than a second. And I'm driving.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQIu5tZ0vbQ) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/353 "2023-10-24T11:48:45Z")
So how many Gs of acceleration would this generate? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/354 "2023-10-24T13:41:35Z")
He says the car can pull 3.8 Gs. He did it in 1.4 seconds, slower than the world record they set of 0.956 with a lighter driver, but faster than the previous record they just beat, which was 1.46. Undoubtedly, someone here can do the math to calculate how many Gs he pulled in his run. Here’s another video about setting the record. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mvoFemftA34/maxresdefault.jpg "New World Record – from 0 to 100 km/h in 0.956 seconds") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvoFemftA34) ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/355 "2023-10-24T14:00:35Z")
Also–it took **12.3 m** to reach 100 kmh. That is simply nuts. I like that they came to Hoosier for the tires… ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/356 "2023-10-24T14:11:06Z")
I haven’t had a moment to watch the video, so flame away if I’m asking questions answered in the content. How is that car setting a world record 0-60mph time at 0.956s given that [top fuel dragsters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Fuel) get to 60 in [about 0.4s](http://www.nobbyville.com/TopFuel.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/357 "2023-10-24T14:17:45Z")
World record for an electric car… An interesting thing is that this is repeatable whereas a top fuel dragster needs a full rebuild after each run–the clutches friction weld themselves among other things. The EV? Plug it in and warm the tires up with the blankets. Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/358 "2023-10-24T19:24:04Z")
Sorry I didn’t make that clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/359 "2023-10-25T11:30:03Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Also–it took **12.3 m** to reach 100 kmh. That is simply nuts. I like that they came to Hoosier for the tires… just as an odd-fact and for perspectiv: they could go from 0-100km/h in my living room (although the story would end badly)! ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611/360 "2023-10-25T13:10:19Z")
Likewise, our garage/workshop is 31’x48’. Now, if there was an arresting cable that could make for fun times… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-car-talk/970611.md?page=19)