Stupid things non petrolheads say....
Discussion
shed full o rust said:
Way back, when I learned to drive, you listened to the engine note and changed gear by that.
Now manufacturers fit so much sound deadening that as soon as you put the radio on, the engine is inaudible.
Back in the day, most cheap cars had a 4 speed box, you could kinda guess how fast you were going (wind noise was a good hint, how quickly dashed road markings went by was another - or you could cheat and look at the speedo, assuming it worked). You could roughly gauge which of the 4 gears you wanted and when you wanted to change. A rev counter was unnecessary (I fitted one anyway).
Now you can't hear the engine, you can barely hear the wind, it's progress, but you need something to tell you when to stir the box.
Or you get an aut*matic.
In the old days most cars had cheap sNow manufacturers fit so much sound deadening that as soon as you put the radio on, the engine is inaudible.
Back in the day, most cheap cars had a 4 speed box, you could kinda guess how fast you were going (wind noise was a good hint, how quickly dashed road markings went by was another - or you could cheat and look at the speedo, assuming it worked). You could roughly gauge which of the 4 gears you wanted and when you wanted to change. A rev counter was unnecessary (I fitted one anyway).
Now you can't hear the engine, you can barely hear the wind, it's progress, but you need something to tell you when to stir the box.
Or you get an aut*matic.
te long-stroke push-rod engines that stopped producing decent power by 4,500rpm leaving you with just noise and valve bounce, so you didn't need a rev-counter. However if you were lucky enough to drive a car with a decently engineered motor that wasn't an asthmatic heap it was still useful - and probably provided. My first car, a 1966 Lancia Fulvia had one, so did my boggo 1150cc Alfasud. SS7
Sycamore said:
A guy at work often acts like he's interested in cars, I suspect so he can join in on some conversations.
He's 17, so has been driving a few months.
I asked how his new car was (1.4l skoda fabia shed). He replies "it's quite fast actually, I keep wheel spinning out of traffic lights by mistake!"
A conversation later went along the lines of;
Him: Is your car rear engined?
Me: Yeah rear engined, rear wheel drive.
Him: What size engine does it have?
Me: 700cc (smart roadster)
Him: Ah, mines got twice as much power as yours then.
Me: ????
He also once told someone that he hasn't yet figured out whether his car is front or rear wheel drive.
My son has a 1.4 Fabia. It's 100bhp and with skinny tyres and poor clutch control I reckon you could spin the wheelsHe's 17, so has been driving a few months.
I asked how his new car was (1.4l skoda fabia shed). He replies "it's quite fast actually, I keep wheel spinning out of traffic lights by mistake!"
A conversation later went along the lines of;
Him: Is your car rear engined?
Me: Yeah rear engined, rear wheel drive.
Him: What size engine does it have?
Me: 700cc (smart roadster)
Him: Ah, mines got twice as much power as yours then.
Me: ????
He also once told someone that he hasn't yet figured out whether his car is front or rear wheel drive.
100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
walm said:
Not a rev counter per se but that little red light under the 6 always helped me know when to change gear...
(I miss it...
)
Is the rev limit really around 6k rpm? If so that seems like a huge waste of a 10k rev counter, i'd feel disappointed at not being able to achieve 7,8 or 9k. (I miss it...
)OR is it equipped with the 190 Toyota engine in which case the 6000 marker is to tell you when the engine begins to wake up.
aka_kerrly said:
walm said:
Not a rev counter per se but that little red light under the 6 always helped me know when to change gear...
(I miss it...)
Is the rev limit really around 6k rpm? If so that seems like a huge waste of a 10k rev counter, i'd feel disappointed at not being able to achieve 7,8 or 9k. (I miss it...
)OR is it equipped with the 190 Toyota engine in which case the 6000 marker is to tell you when the engine begins to wake up.
Edited by xRIEx on Thursday 30th October 18:04
blueg33 said:
My son has a 1.4 Fabia. It's 100bhp and with skinny tyres and poor clutch control I reckon you could spin the wheels
100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
If you cast your minds back, the first hot-hatch ala Golf GTi was only 115hp...100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
At the time, they wee considered fast
Scuffers said:
blueg33 said:
My son has a 1.4 Fabia. It's 100bhp and with skinny tyres and poor clutch control I reckon you could spin the wheels
100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
If you cast your minds back, the first hot-hatch ala Golf GTi was only 115hp...100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
At the time, they wee considered fast
SS7
I was talking to a friend who's about to take his driving theory test the other day. I admit I find his lack of general car knowledge quite annoying.
Me (already slightly agitated): You're going to have no idea how to look after a car when you get one, are you?
Him: Well, you give it a service MOT thing every year.
Me: A service AND an MOT.
Him: Wait, there's a difference!?
Me:
Me (already slightly agitated): You're going to have no idea how to look after a car when you get one, are you?
Him: Well, you give it a service MOT thing every year.
Me: A service AND an MOT.
Him: Wait, there's a difference!?
Me:
Scuffers said:
blueg33 said:
My son has a 1.4 Fabia. It's 100bhp and with skinny tyres and poor clutch control I reckon you could spin the wheels
100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
If you cast your minds back, the first hot-hatch ala Golf GTi was only 115hp...100bhp is more than most first hatchback is have. Wouldn't like to drive it hard though under steer is scary.
At the time, they wee considered fast
E.g current Golf weighs up to 1395kg, whereas the Mk1 weighed up to 970kg, a full 1/3rd lighter
ORD said:
luckystrike said:
ORD said:
I'm confused - being able to tell exactly what a car's doing by listening to it and feeling it through the pedals makes you a non petrolhead, or people rely on a gauge clearly not needed to be able to operate a car?
So true.When I drive on track in a my 306 Rallye, I almost never look at the speedo or rev counter, I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what RPM I'm at, but I know when to change.
That said, I'd miss it if I didn't have one.
ORD I mentioned else where, I did a Bathurst 500 [miles] in a Holden Monaro, for the Holden Dealer team, & did not look at the rev counter once in the race.
It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
Hasbeen said:
ORD I mentioned else where, I did a Bathurst 500 [miles] in a Holden Monaro, for the Holden Dealer team, & did not look at the rev counter once in the race.
It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
In summary, a rev counter is not much use if you don't give a crap about blowing the engine because you are mid-race and have lost your brakes. A very helpful observation for road driving It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
Sorry but he's right, you can do it all by sound and feel.
I'm no racer but 90% of the time, do it by sound. I suppose you use it when you first get the car to get used to what the bit between the red line and the limiter sounds like, but after that, if you're going for it, you shift by sound and maybe if you feel you're over the torque hump. On the road when you're at <10/10 you can easily tell where you are by how much torque you've got. If it's queit and not pulling, go down a gear, if it's loud and not pulling, go up a gear (and stop driving like such a hooligan. It's not complicated.
If your engine can't take going into the red all the time, you should buy a better engine (or a nasty little snotter that likes it)
I'm no racer but 90% of the time, do it by sound. I suppose you use it when you first get the car to get used to what the bit between the red line and the limiter sounds like, but after that, if you're going for it, you shift by sound and maybe if you feel you're over the torque hump. On the road when you're at <10/10 you can easily tell where you are by how much torque you've got. If it's queit and not pulling, go down a gear, if it's loud and not pulling, go up a gear (and stop driving like such a hooligan. It's not complicated.
If your engine can't take going into the red all the time, you should buy a better engine (or a nasty little snotter that likes it
)Hasbeen said:
ORD I mentioned else where, I did a Bathurst 500 [miles] in a Holden Monaro, for the Holden Dealer team, & did not look at the rev counter once in the race.
It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
Ignore the trolls, can we have more racing stories please Mr West!!!It was badly sighted, & caused too much distraction. After checking it a few times in practice I then ignored it. It was impossible to use it & see the starters flag, so I used sound.
Later in the race, when the thing ran out of brakes, with 13 laps to go, I was going back to third at 130 MPH, & second at about 85/90 MPH. at this stage I thought it better not to know what revs it was pulling. I was not all that interested actually, I figured it would shortly self destruct, but if it didn't, I was going to go as quickly as possible.
Despite this little problem, & the 13 laps of this incredible abuse, the thing held together, ending up with second place.
Of course, as I must be a numpty for not using the rev counter, I guess this proves numptys are pretty quick.
JakeThePeg said:
"Why have a big engine if you can only go 70 like me?" has been a particular favourite of mine lately whenever I talk about swapping my car in.
This. I've stopped arguing this one I've heard it so many times. The woman who sits opposite me at work is of the "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" persuasion.
I said ok fair enough, but there are track days.
"what's a track day?"
- brief explanation*
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
thatguy11 said:
This. I've stopped arguing this one I've heard it so many times.
The woman who sits opposite me at work is of the "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" persuasion.
I said ok fair enough, but there are track days.
"what's a track day?"
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
Get a new job. You seem to be working with idiots.The woman who sits opposite me at work is of the "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" persuasion.
I said ok fair enough, but there are track days.
"what's a track day?"
- brief explanation*
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
ORD said:
thatguy11 said:
This. I've stopped arguing this one I've heard it so many times.
The woman who sits opposite me at work is of the "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" persuasion.
I said ok fair enough, but there are track days.
"what's a track day?"
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
Get a new job. You seem to be working with idiots.The woman who sits opposite me at work is of the "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" persuasion.
I said ok fair enough, but there are track days.
"what's a track day?"
- brief explanation*
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
thatguy11 said:
The "there's no point in fast cars, no car should be able to do over 70 because that's the speed limit" story.
Why not just reply, "Tell me then, if you're going down a motorway at 70, which car is more comfortable - one that can do 100, or one that can only do 70?"Or you could use the hi-fi analogy; you have more wattage than you need for exactly the same reason.
When being asked what I want for Christmas and I mention a few car parts/car related things I get an adamant "your not getting anything car related for christmas"
Why the fk not??
She changed her tone when I said "ok, but your not getting any jewellery, clothes, shoes or anything else you actually want".
Why the f
k not??She changed her tone when I said "ok, but your not getting any jewellery, clothes, shoes or anything else you actually want".
thatguy11 said:
People who get no enjoyment whatsoever from driving are extremely confusing to me....
I think most of us feel this way. A few of the people I know looked scornfully at me when they saw my track car had no rear seats and a rollcage. They literally couldn't understand the point. I find people like this tend to have trouble understanding anything they have no interest in. There are plenty of things in this world I don't care much for, such as horse riding. But I understand that other people enjoy it and so will support them.
One day when I crashed another car (one that i was very attached to) on track they all commented:
"See, I told you car racing was pointless, it's your own fault"
"It's a silly thing to do anyway"
They then got all upset and couldn't understand why I went off the chain at them. They couldn't see that I myself was annoyed. They didn't think their comments rude at all.
a
holes.I tend to find those sort of people have no hobbies or interests of their own and lead very dull lives.
Even if somebody was really into sewing (no discredit to sewing people) they would understand there are nuances in the different machines and stitches and cottons and so on and would be able to appreciate the same of cars.
The nay sayers would tell them sewing is pointless and all the threads are the same and a stitch is a stitch. Why bother sewing something if it isn't ripped? Oh, you stitched your finger into those leather pants your were working on? Serves you right for trying to sew some lace onto them in the first place.
They are dull, boring and should be ignored.
Even if somebody was really into sewing (no discredit to sewing people) they would understand there are nuances in the different machines and stitches and cottons and so on and would be able to appreciate the same of cars.
The nay sayers would tell them sewing is pointless and all the threads are the same and a stitch is a stitch. Why bother sewing something if it isn't ripped? Oh, you stitched your finger into those leather pants your were working on? Serves you right for trying to sew some lace onto them in the first place.
They are dull, boring and should be ignored.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff