MetaFilter posts tagged with automotive

When mod doesn't mean truck nutz

Mitheral — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:19:00 -0800

Whether it's trailer hitches or complete rebody customizations; Ford, GM and Dodge all provide guides to body builders or upfitters to make safe and reliable modifications to light and medium duty trucks and vans. The guides contain wiring diagrams; dimensions and specifications (eg: how much weight can you put on your van's roof); emissions information; and information on areas to avoid mounting equipment in for safety. GM also makes available extensive information on best practices to maintain fit, finish, safety, reliability and noise standards. The electrical guide[pdf] should be required reading at every stereo and lighting installation outfit.

Why's he calling me meat? I'm the one driving a Porsche.

JaredSeth — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:42:13 -0800

The acquisition of Porsche by Volkswagen, just weeks after a Porsche attempt to take over VW via a series of complex stock options backfired, appears to be the latest salvo in the longstanding feud between cousins Ferdinand Piech and Wolfgang Porsche. Back in May, Wolfgang Porsche sought investments from Qatar to shore up Porsche's finances and vowed that “Porsche AG will not be sold to Volkswagen.”

Build Your Dreams

chuckdarwin — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:13:42 -0800

BYD AUTO is launching the F3DM: China's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. BYD uses iron-phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries for the F3DM. BYD has said those batteries are "inherently safe" because they are more chemically stable, although they compromise to some extent on the ability to pack energy in each cell, compared with more conventional lithium-ion batteries. The company's parent is currently the world's largest producer of cellphone batteries. BYD says the car will have a 68 miles (109 km) all-electric range with an auxiliary engine to allow operation in the hybrid mode.

Yes, I would like to purchase a 12-pack of radial tires please.

blue_beetle — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:45:18 -0800

Ken Block Gymkhana Practice [video] (an obstacle course for cars)

It looks so cool though...

Large Marge — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:22:21 -0800

GM has been touting the Volt as it's triumphant entry into green transportation, but 2011 is a long way off and the big three aren't doing so hot and neither is the Volt, it would seem. Meanwhile, Dean Kamen shows off a working Hybrid Electric/Stirling Engine car based off the TH!NK, a car Ford canceled over a half decade ago (and shipped to Norway where they still live on). The full Frontline Documentary, Heat, which is about the current state of energy policy, implementation, and the climate (which is not good!) is online and well worth watching. So is Who Killed the Electric Car, which you can view in full online apparently. And a full Stirling Engine writeup (ignore the section on Stirling's curse, it is wikipedia after all) Previously: Stirling Engines in Space!

Classic cars in barns

machaus — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:24:00 -0800

We put together Bringatrailer.com because finding great vintage cars online has become too much of a hassle. There is no need to keep sifting through hundreds of hopeless projects or overpriced dealer inventories to find that one car you’ve been looking for. We pick the winners and save you the trouble… the best bargains, the best dream cars, and the best rarities.

Wash Your Weave, Brush Your Bong

netbros — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:50:55 -0800

How To Clean Stuff. From kitchen and bath, to flooring and carpets. Indoors, outdoors, your car, dog, colon and bong. More than 800 cleaning tips in all. Submit your best ideas. Each one that gets published, the site will contribute to the Clean Water Fund.

Lee press-on car

XMLicious — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:16:25 -0800

The Tata Nano (pic) is a car that costs less new than the amount I've spent on gas during single car trips, recently announced to the auto market in India. The Chery QQ ^, successful , wide ly ex por ted, and recognized as the Hostage Taker's Vehicle of Choice by China Car Times, is the runner-up for the world's cheapest car but is still approximately twice as expensive. Yes indeed, the price of gas is not going to come back down. So much for my coast-to-coast road trips. Forbes magazine's The World's Cheapest Cars (javascript slideshow)

Now those are some bodacious Tatas.

Afroblanco — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:57:47 -0800

For years, MDI has been developing a car that runs on compressed air. Last month, they signed an agreement with Tata Motors to produce the MiniCat - a zero-emissions vehicle that will travel up to 180 miles on $3 worth of fuel. See it in action here. (youtube)

Aftermarket Turn Signals and Brake Lights from the 20's and 30's.

snsranch — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:44:31 -0800

In the 20's and 30's automobiles did not come with turn signals or brake lights. Accessorizing 1920's style!

Superchargers gain a gearbox

SharQ — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:04:41 -0800

The Supercharger was a fantastic innovation, but it has its downsides. Volkswagen tried solving them by adding both a Supercharger and a Turbocharger, in their TSI engines, but this solution is relatively expensive. Perhaps the new invention by Atonov has merit. Instead of using a standard Roots supercharger, it uses a more efficient centrifugal supercharger, and adding a small two-speed automatic transmission to the loop, ensuring that the engine operates on boost throughout the rev range.

It may not sound like much, but it may change the way superchargers are working forever, allowing smaller engines with higher performance, or adding obscene amounts of power to large engines

Go suck a tailpipe. No really, suck it!

schoolgirl report — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 09:14:35 -0800

UK-based Intelligent Energy intends to put the world's first fuel cell-powered motorbike on sale next year. At 0-50 in 12 seconds and US$6000, it's not a lot of bang for the buck. And there aren't a lot of hydrogen filling stations yet (they're working on that). But it's kind of cool looking, and you can drink the exhaust, so it's got that going for it, which is nice. Interview and details via the Boston Globe.

Exxon: Global warming? Rubbish!

SharQ — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 03:29:25 -0800

Openly and unapologetically, the world's No. 1 oil company disputes the notion that fossil fuels are the main cause of global warming. Exxon opposes the very idea of capping global-warming emissions - From the article Exxon Chief Makes A Cold Calculation On Global Warming. A interesting read, whatever your opinion on the oil industry is...

Is my self-healing quilt body still under warranty?

tpl1212 — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 06:43:11 -0800

MIT Media Labs' concept car project - redefining automotive design and thought, overseen by William J. Mitchell and Frank Gehry [PDF]...via Don Norman's Concept Cars essay...

Honda Grrr Deisel Flash Game

fezdel — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 15:09:03 -0800

Honda + Diesel + Bunnies + Garrison ± Alice in Wonderland = Flash Game! Taking the Corporate Flash game to new levels of abstraction, Honda UK, Garrison Keillor and Weiden+Kennedy have teamed up again to sell quiet diesel engines... with bunnies.

autoxray

stbalbach — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 22:11:57 -0800

Hack your car. AutoXRAY scans internal vehicle computers and gives detailed diagnostics and real-time graphing output.

FUH2

brownpau — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 06:28:48 -0800

FUH2! Flipping the bird at Hummers. Collaborative web photography just doesn't get much better than that. (With the possible exception of the Mirror Project, which, by the way, just hit 20,000. Congratulations!)

How Not To Buy A Lemon

MiguelCardoso — Thu, 20 Nov 2003 14:42:21 -0800

Pssst! Wanna Buy A Reliable, Second-Hand Car? You could do worse than start with Honest John, a plain-speaking, fiercely independent Cockney motor car wonk who'll see you right, no problem. If you're obsessive about reliability, i.e. don't have the time or inclination to look after your wheels and just want the damn thing to get you from A to B and back again, check out the often surprising Reliability Index for the most and least trustworthy automobiles. [Eurocentric warning! Btw, what are the most reliable independent car guides - preferably free and online - in the U.S, Canada, etc?]

Mercedes Gullwing

fezdel — Mon, 14 Jul 2003 17:27:27 -0800

The Gullwing is back. More photos here. Are any manufacturers other than Lamborghini using a gullwing design? Maybe DMC will reappear in the future with their own throwback.

chrisroberts — Fri, 20 Sep 2002 12:08:34 -0800

Drive on air. A new engine design that not only runs on air, but cleans it too.

grabbingsand — Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:07:41 -0800

Goliath lost. This and other pro-small billboards are popping up in downtown Atlanta. No doubt they have cousins (little ones, I'm sure) springing up in your cities. I couldn't believe my eyes, because the billboards seemed to be promoting the ever-so-British Mini Cooper.

The Mini is... well... just like it says, the veritable opposite of the stereotypical American SUV. Yes, it is the type of car Mr Bean would drive. But when you see them in their natural Anglo habitat, you can't help but notice they're just perfectly suited to zipping to and from wherever. The site lets you find a dealer, build your own Mini and save it for future reference. The catch is that you have to fill out an opt-in form, but with lines like this as part of your agreement, how could you resist?

"- I agree to chase squirrels around the park now and then and giggle like a madman while doing it."

Yeah. I want one. But will the American public?

JFunk2800 — Wed, 28 Mar 2001 14:52:02 -0800

Certain things like this irk me just as much as the next guy, but it always makes me wonder how it can bother someone so much to create an organization against it.

mathowie — Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:23:07 -0800

Honda's releasing the first electric-gas hybrid car this year. It claims to get up to 70mpg too. I love innovative vehicles and cutting edge design, but I have to admit I think it's butt ugly (although, this does remind me of my old CRX). I bet they'll want $30k-$50k for it too. So close, yet so far... (update: they want about 20 grand for it - not that bad for an electric/gas car, but it is still just a two-seater)