Strange opinions sometimes with a certain twisted logic
Discussion
I've heard all these expressed quite seriously at one time or another albeit by not terribly sensible people.
Oil leaks and consequent top ups mean there is no need to change the oil.
You can't technically be done for speeding if you're going the wrong way down a one way street because the limit only applies the way you are supposed to be going.
Taking more water with your drink means the same amount of alcohol has less effect.
Block changing damages the gearbox, or clutch, or something.
The best way to get from M4 westbound to M25 southbound is through Heathrow airport.
Any other examples from the international conspiracy of idiots?
Oil leaks and consequent top ups mean there is no need to change the oil.
You can't technically be done for speeding if you're going the wrong way down a one way street because the limit only applies the way you are supposed to be going.
Taking more water with your drink means the same amount of alcohol has less effect.
Block changing damages the gearbox, or clutch, or something.
The best way to get from M4 westbound to M25 southbound is through Heathrow airport.
Any other examples from the international conspiracy of idiots?
Worked in an office with a smallish tropical fish tank on a desk
The back half of the cover was missing so the water evaporated quicker than normal
So it was topped up a reasonable amount with new water
I asked the topper upper how often he cleaned the tank, he said never as he was always putting in fresh water
When I asked where all the fish poo and old uneaten food went he just looked at me
The back half of the cover was missing so the water evaporated quicker than normal
So it was topped up a reasonable amount with new water
I asked the topper upper how often he cleaned the tank, he said never as he was always putting in fresh water
When I asked where all the fish poo and old uneaten food went he just looked at me
Dr Jekyll said:
Block changing damages the gearbox, or clutch, or something.
Block changing isn't intrinsically worse but if you do block change and use the clutch and synchros to pick up the slack rather than doing any rev matching then you will get some wear on those components, and I'd guess you'd get a bit more wear that way than working down through the box.
However, modern clutches and gearboxes are designed for it and will hit their design life (150,000 miles or so) with that sort of (ab)use.
If you perfectly synchronised a block change it shouldn't cause any wear at all.
Condi said:
Dr Jekyll said:
Oil leaks and consequent top ups mean there is no need to change the oil.
Taking more water with your drink means the same amount of alcohol has less effect.
Umm.... both of those are correct.... Taking more water with your drink means the same amount of alcohol has less effect.
No?
The problem with never changing the oil is as mentioned, the oil filter. Mind you I know people who change the oil without changing the filter.
In some ways diluting the alcohol reduces the impact slightly, but you've still processed the same amount of alcohol at the end of the day. This guy assumed that diluting booze with an equal amount of water was equivalent to half as much booze for breathalyser purposes.
Dr Jekyll said:
They both have a certain logic.
The problem with never changing the oil is as mentioned, the oil filter. Mind you I know people who change the oil without changing the filter.
In some ways diluting the alcohol reduces the impact slightly, but you've still processed the same amount of alcohol at the end of the day. This guy assumed that diluting booze with an equal amount of water was equivalent to half as much booze for breathalyser purposes.
I know engines which never need the oil changed, by design. You can change the filter on a car without changing the oil and so if the oil is being replaced by needing to top it up its fine. Even if you dont change the filter, I dont believe in a modern engine the filter needs changing every 10,000 miles or so, especially so if the oil is continually being changed. The problem with never changing the oil is as mentioned, the oil filter. Mind you I know people who change the oil without changing the filter.
In some ways diluting the alcohol reduces the impact slightly, but you've still processed the same amount of alcohol at the end of the day. This guy assumed that diluting booze with an equal amount of water was equivalent to half as much booze for breathalyser purposes.
And for the alcohol one, he has a certain point in that alcohol is measured per ml of breath or ml of blood. Drink a load of water with your alcohol and you'll dilute the alcohol down, and by doing so decrease the alcohol content per ml of blood.
Edited by Condi on Saturday 10th March 12:35
Condi said:
And for the alcohol one, he has a certain point in that alcohol is measured per ml of breath or ml of blood. Drink a load of water with your alcohol and you'll dilute the alcohol down, and by doing so decrease the alcohol content per ml of blood.

Read that again, I implore you. And then think about exactly how the amount of water you drink affects the amount of blood in your body.
davepoth said:
Block changing isn't intrinsically worse but if you do block change and use the
clutch and synchros to pick up the slack rather than doing any rev matching then you will get some wear on those components, and I'd guess you'd get a bit more wear that way than working down through the box.
However, modern clutches and gearboxes are designed for it and will hit their design life (150,000 miles or so) with that sort of (ab)use.
If you perfectly synchronised a block change it shouldn't cause any wear at all.
All you really need to do is use the brakes to get to the correct speed for the gear you're about to select.clutch and synchros to pick up the slack rather than doing any rev matching then you will get some wear on those components, and I'd guess you'd get a bit more wear that way than working down through the box.
However, modern clutches and gearboxes are designed for it and will hit their design life (150,000 miles or so) with that sort of (ab)use.
If you perfectly synchronised a block change it shouldn't cause any wear at all.
Tim
davepoth said:
Block changing isn't intrinsically worse but if you do block change and use the
clutch and synchros to pick up the slack rather than doing any rev matching then you will get some wear on those components, and I'd guess you'd get a bit more wear that way than working down through the box.
However, modern clutches and gearboxes are designed for it and will hit their design life (150,000 miles or so) with that sort of (ab)use.
If you perfectly synchronised a block change it shouldn't cause any wear at all.
Reading all this, I felt like mug of the month, I passed my test at 17, on a 3 ton van, and since then in the ensuing 50 plus years, I’ve driven everything, from a Fiat 500, to 48 ton eighteen wheeled artics all over Europe, but I’d never, ever, heard of block changing.clutch and synchros to pick up the slack rather than doing any rev matching then you will get some wear on those components, and I'd guess you'd get a bit more wear that way than working down through the box.
However, modern clutches and gearboxes are designed for it and will hit their design life (150,000 miles or so) with that sort of (ab)use.
If you perfectly synchronised a block change it shouldn't cause any wear at all.
After Googling it, it seems to be missing out one or two gears in a shift, 2nd to 4th, or 5th to 3rd for example.
I can’t recall ever doing that with a car, as I firmly believe that two pedals are better than three, so the only times that I usually have to suffer a stick shift, is when renting in Europe.
However, there have been many occasions when driving say an ERF with 8 gears plus a splitter, making it effectively 16, that I’ve approached a roundabout, and dropped from 8 high, to 5 or 6 low, so now I know that I was block changing, not just down shifting.
Condi said:
And for the alcohol one, he has a certain point in that alcohol is measured per ml of breath or ml of blood. Drink a load of water with your alcohol and you'll dilute the alcohol down, and by doing so decrease the alcohol content per ml of blood.
The only things that can pass the stomach lining are water or compounds disolved in water. Ergo by watering down the alcohol you will get pished a far sight faster than someone drinking the same amount of alcohol undiluted because it will pass the stomach lining faster and get into the bloodstream faster. This is why people drinking 'chasers' get drunk quicker.The idea that watering down the alcohol will somehow lower the alcohol content per ml of blood is risible. You might want to go and look up Homeostasis and associated kidney function.
Think about it. You drink x units of alcohol in the form of spirits of an evening and you go to the toilet once or twice. You drink the same number of units in the form of beer and how often do you need the toilet?
That's homeostasis for you; the (healthy) body keeps the red cell : plasma ratio within strict limits.
Ginetta G15 Girl said:
Ergo by watering down the alcohol you will get pished a far sight faster than someone drinking the same amount of alcohol undiluted because it will pass the stomach lining faster and get into the bloodstream faster.
Incorrect. You'll get just as drunk but it will take longer, Oh, and the hangover won't be as bad.A friend of mine, after spending £15k on a new kitchen (1986) asked his wife why they were spending all that money on laminated chip board boxes and a counter top just to store crockery, pans etc. It would have been cheaper to buy 6 high end dishwashers. they could store everything in half of them and as they got dirty they would get put in one of the empty ones to be cleaned. They could then stay there until needed and when used get put in the next available machine to be cleaned on so on rotating through all the dishwashers. He claimed that the cost of these plus a worktop and a few wall units for food would have cost just over a third of what they spent. she didn't agree of course but she wasn't able to counter his argument effectively.I often remember the conversation and reflect on how it made some sense.
Condi said:
And for the alcohol one, he has a certain point in that alcohol is measured per ml of breath or ml of blood. Drink a load of water with your alcohol and you'll dilute the alcohol down, and by doing so decrease the alcohol content per ml of blood.
This one is more about avoiding hangovers. Alcohol dehydrates you more than most people realise, especially here in a cool country. In the tropics, you need to drink a load of water with your booze or you'll end up feeling like crap in the morning. Its not about diluting the amount of alcohol in your blood at all, drinking more water wont do anything to your BAC at all.
Years back, a clumsy friend stripped a rear wheel hub of one of its threads, so it only had three good holes left for bolts. Being broke, he wasnt interested in repair, and so decided to take another bolt out and use two, as the force would be equal on the wheel with two opposed bolts, instead of three giving an uneven clamping force over the wheel.
It did make a small amount of sense! I think I'd go for a helicoil or new hub though.
It did make a small amount of sense! I think I'd go for a helicoil or new hub though.
Condi said:
I know engines which never need the oil changed, by design. You can change the filter on a car without changing the oil and so if the oil is being replaced by needing to top it up its fine. Even if you dont change the filter, I dont believe in a modern engine the filter needs changing every 10,000 miles or so, especially so if the oil is continually being changed.
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