Stupid things non petrolheads say... Vol 2

[Pan Pan Pan]

urquattroGus said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

Baldchap said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

the old diesel versus petrol argument is a red herring, usually only indulged in by those who for a variety of reasons only have one car.
It is a matter of using the type of car best suited to the needs of the driver, and in some cases that means using a diesel, and in others a petrol car.

My van is diesel. It's quite rubbish to drive.

Petrol all the way with cars.

Most vans are rubbish to drive, but that can hardly be a surprise. They are intended to carry large or heavy loads.
For a car that has to have good passenger (and their luggage) carrying capacity, is economical to run, and has very long range, it is diesel all the way.

Disagree with that to be honest, all of the current Ford Transit or Courier range are great to drive, and super comfortable too.

I am not surprised at this, but they ought to be, since they are intended to be driven by people who will often be sitting in them all day, But would you pit a van, against car, for overall acceleration, handling, performance and comfort? I suspect I probably wouldn't.

[Milkyway]

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

[vaud]

Milkyway said:

Do all the cars have the pedals in the same order...

Autos became standardised with PRND in the 70s through US legislation, pedals were probably earlier.

[Milkyway]

vaud said:

Milkyway said:

Do all the cars have the pedals in the same order...

Autos became standardised with PRND in the 70s through US legislation, pedals were probably earlier.

A bit of light reading;
https://www.wapcar.my/news/before-the-1920s-the-th...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:29

[CanAm]

Milkyway said:

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

Well they didn’t all follow the usual order years ago. I’ve certainly read of racing cars in the 50s with a central throttle pedal, but any road cars with such an arrangement were probably a good few years older than that. But someone is now bound to pop up a more modern rarity.

[Gad-Westy]

Zarco said:

I generally avoid chatting about cars at work. Almost without fail someone will interject with 'my mate has a RS3, its well fast' and it's just becomes too tedious.

I hear a lot of the tuned to ‘insert infeasible number’ bhp. Accompanied with mention of stage 7 driving to work on methanol or some other such bollux. I know some of these 700 bhp hatchbacks exist but it’s amazing that everyone’s mate seems to have one.

[Milkyway]

Analogue speedos: “ Is that the maximum speed”... really.
Or... “yeah, I’ve had it off the clock”.
( OK as kids, trying to convince your friends).

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 12:24

[Blown2CV]

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

[ChemicalChaos]

Twolane said:

Someone I used to work with described the plush, suede like interior of a car as Alicante.

Sorry but that's brilliant :ROFL:

CanAm said:

Milkyway said:

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

Well they didn’t all follow the usual order years ago. I’ve certainly read of racing cars in the 50s with a central throttle pedal, but any road cars with such an arrangement were probably a good few years older than that. But someone is now bound to pop up a more modern rarity.

Pedals on road cars (race cars followed later) were pretty much standardised by the Austin 7 being such a big seller from 1923 onwards. Austin however had copied this layout from the 1916 model year Cadillac.

Coincidentally I went out today with someone in a 1911 Hudson speedster with centre throttle and outside gear lever, that was certainly an experience!

[Drew106]

Second Best said:

Someone I've known for a few years. Not a petrolhead, not exactly a friend, but we get along in small doses.

Not friend (NF): "You've got one of those, right?"
SB: "I just got here, what are you talking about?"
NF: "Your car. The SRW."
SB: "I've never had one of those."
NF: "Yes, you have one. I saw it when you visited your parents the other week."
SB: "Uhhhh.... [click] oh, my Impreza?"
NF: "Whatever. Your SRW. You know what I meant."
SB: "Where's this going?"
NF: "My mate has a similar car [note: it's a Subaru Legacy]. He loves it."
SB: "Sure. My SRW. Tell your mate you love my Impreza SRW".
NF: "Finally. Will do."

I don't know his mate but I expect an "Impreza SRW" might be met with confusion. He can deal with that himself.

I'm guessing he's dyslexic and thinking WRX?

Maybe due a parrot if that's painfully obvious.

[InitialDave]

CanAm said:

Milkyway said:

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

Well they didn’t all follow the usual order years ago. I’ve certainly read of racing cars in the 50s with a central throttle pedal, but any road cars with such an arrangement were probably a good few years older than that. But someone is now bound to pop up a more modern rarity.

My dad has a 50s Thwaites dumper truck with a central throttle pedal, that's the latest example I've encountered.

[donkmeister]

Milkyway said:

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

I picked up a hirecar when in France with a colleague. He'd never driven outside of the UK and was both really excited and nervous about the prospect. So, we were sat there for a few minutes, he seemed to be familiarising himself with the controls and I didn't want to hurry him, when he piped up... "It won't start".

So, I suggested he try pressing the clutch before he try starting it again.

"I was pressing the clutch, it won't start".

I look over and realise he's got the accelerator mashed into the carpet.

"Oh, I assumed it was the clutch... Aren't the pedals the opposite way round to ours too?"



If you ever find yourself grumbling about a clutch pedal interlock, think of Bob mashing the accelerator in the French rental car

[V 02]

Blown2CV said:

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

Well she has a point IMHO … the Kamiq is based on and not much bigger than a Polo, and the Evoque is somehwere between the size of an Audi Q3 and an Audi Q5, so a fair bit bigger

[Blown2CV]

V 02 said:

Blown2CV said:

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

Well she has a point IMHO … the Kamiq is based on and not much bigger than a Polo, and the Evoque is somehwere between the size of an Audi Q3 and an Audi Q5, so a fair bit bigger

There’s really not much in it. Particularly not in line with the gigantic versus tiny characterisation they were suggesting.

[Slow]

InitialDave said:

CanAm said:

Milkyway said:

Do all cars have the pedals in the same order...

Edited by Milkyway on Sunday 12th March 10:08

Well they didn’t all follow the usual order years ago. I’ve certainly read of racing cars in the 50s with a central throttle pedal, but any road cars with such an arrangement were probably a good few years older than that. But someone is now bound to pop up a more modern rarity.

My dad has a 50s Thwaites dumper truck with a central throttle pedal, that's the latest example I've encountered.

My digger has a knob you turn and the other one has a lever for throttle!

[donteatpeople]

Blown2CV said:

V 02 said:

Blown2CV said:

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

Well she has a point IMHO … the Kamiq is based on and not much bigger than a Polo, and the Evoque is somehwere between the size of an Audi Q3 and an Audi Q5, so a fair bit bigger

There’s really not much in it. Particularly not in line with the gigantic versus tiny characterisation they were suggesting.

There's a similar step up in size between the Polo and Kamiq as there is between the Kamiq and Evoque. I wouldn't call any of them a similar size really.

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/skoda-kam...

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/volkswage...

[Alex@POD]

donteatpeople said:

Blown2CV said:

V 02 said:

Blown2CV said:

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

Well she has a point IMHO … the Kamiq is based on and not much bigger than a Polo, and the Evoque is somehwere between the size of an Audi Q3 and an Audi Q5, so a fair bit bigger

There’s really not much in it. Particularly not in line with the gigantic versus tiny characterisation they were suggesting.

There's a similar step up in size between the Polo and Kamiq as there is between the Kamiq and Evoque. I wouldn't call any of them a similar size really.

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/skoda-kam...

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/volkswage...

2 things come to mind:

1 - Polos have got massive!
2 - It's a conversation where it was made to sound like the difference between an A1 and a Q8. Both cars are small SUVs, both cars are practically the same size. Quit being all Pistonheady and picking everything apart.

[Dracoro]

Great site to compare car sizes though!

[Blown2CV]

Alex@POD said:

donteatpeople said:

Blown2CV said:

V 02 said:

Blown2CV said:

witnessed my wife and her mate discussing the fact that the mate's car is huge and so much larger than the wife's... wife car - skoda kamiq. Mate car - range rover evoque. I suggested that they are fairly similar apart from the evoque's larger wheels making it appear taller... obviously to both i was very wrong.

Well she has a point IMHO … the Kamiq is based on and not much bigger than a Polo, and the Evoque is somehwere between the size of an Audi Q3 and an Audi Q5, so a fair bit bigger

There’s really not much in it. Particularly not in line with the gigantic versus tiny characterisation they were suggesting.

There's a similar step up in size between the Polo and Kamiq as there is between the Kamiq and Evoque. I wouldn't call any of them a similar size really.

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/skoda-kam...

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/volkswage...

2 things come to mind:

1 - Polos have got massive!
2 - It's a conversation where it was made to sound like the difference between an A1 and a Q8. Both cars are small SUVs, both cars are practically the same size. Quit being all Pistonheady and picking everything apart.

thanks for this... yes they really aren't that far apart if you look at them side by side, or length. Neither are big cars at all.

To your other point i really do agree that PH has really gone downhill since the pandemic and prickish responses to anything and everything any person might choose to post are 100% guaranteed. I think people just generally have become far less agreeable, more grumpy, less tolerant and really wanting to feel superior. It's gone from gentle banter/ribbing to just verbal takedowns at every turn. Contemplating closing my account to be honest.

[WarrenB]

Dracoro said:

Great site to compare car sizes though!

I've just accidentally wasted a couple of hours on that......