balthazar
-
Posts
40,855 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
583
Content Type
Forums
Articles
Garage
Gallery
Events
Store
Collections
Everything posted by balthazar
-
Dirty Air Filters WILL NOT reduce fuel economy.
balthazar replied to dwightlooi's topic in Powertrain
I would agree that the amount of difference is too small to measure. However, I would disagree on a few points as stated. There have been a number of tests pitting different air filters against each other on a number of criteria. Where the said differences are much more measurable were found with oiled fiber (cotton) air filters (such as K&N units). The cornerstone of oiled filter's advertising has been 'increased airflow', and therefore increased speed at a given RPM, but these comparative tests showed repeatedly that oiled filters airflow rates decreased almost from Mile 1, falling steadily and quickly dipping below traditional dry filters. IOW; they only had higher airflow rates when completely clean. This is one reason OEMs don't ever use them (maintenance is another). If one is using an aftermarket filter, this may be a measurable factor. A short stretch of highway driving is not the ideal methodology to test MPG, as at-cruise operation uses very little fuel/airflow. A much better (but harder to duplicate exactly) would be an 'around town' loop where from-stop accelerations were repeated- much more typical of real world driving and encompassing higher airflow draws. This is where drivers would be better familiar with how their vehicle was performing relative to what they are accustomed to. This is where increased throttle position to match expected/desired/usual performance has a strong potential to indeed be measurable. But again; how to accurately reproduce this loop on repeated cycles. -
Spotwelds = unibody Bolts = BOF
-
Mercedez Benz News Mercedes-Benz Introduces the A 35 Sedan
balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mercedes-Benz
You said 'we don't know what it's going to look like', but like I said; we do. Same thing at audi/BMW- the german lockstep triplets. And Cadillac has already done the 'every model looks the same' when they hung the same front clip on multiple models decades ago. - - - - - The pics above don't dispute the CLA/S-Coupe fraternal twin-ship, tho. NEVER should have put the bottom feeder CLA nose on a $90+K car too, cheapens the shit out of it. A deal-breaker. -
Mercedez Benz News Mercedes-Benz Introduces the A 35 Sedan
balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes shares the noses of their cars from the CLA to the S-class; of course we know what it'll look like - a imperceptible tweak of every other mercedes. It's not like MB ever builds any of their concept designs...
-
Mercedez Benz News Mercedes-Benz Introduces the A 35 Sedan
balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mercedes-Benz
You mean the 272 HP turbocharged motor in the REAR wheel drive ATS? Or the available 335 HP 6? I think Cadillac is good- let's see what the CT4 brings. -
Ah, sorry; talkin' @ dfelt. Looking at the market daily or weekly (or even monthly) can be misleading. Sure; one wants to catch a linear trend early, but day trading is not for the weak of stomach or wallet and quick jogs are momentary. Long term is better for investments and a better indicator of economic health. I'm not saying everything is iron-clad, and I'm aware of some downturn indicators, but to my observations- I don't see a crazy drop in 2019. We already saw the market go down to 21,xxx- a significant drop from 26K, but that's but one indicator.
-
• Oil supplies were expected to be down, but today the report was inventories rose by 2.8 million barrels last week. The 25% increase in crude this year ($45 > $60) is after a 45% collapse since Oct '18 ($76-$42). • dave- you were adamant that the Dow 30 at 21,5xx was evidence of an imminent recession, but it since rebounded to 25,6xx. Seems like a it was a false flag.
-
For Blu ~
-
If LMC has ignored the price factor, their entire forward projection may be invalidated (guesswork as it is).
-
'60 BelviDearGodThoseFins ~
-
The increased number of bearings are necessary due to increased crankshaft length/ torsional stresses. V6 doesn't have room for more than 4, but doesn't need more either. I'm not sure an empirical study has been made studying your claim, would be interesting. Probably too many factors to isolate one cause (oiling, engine speed, start/stop cycles, etc). BTW- there have been 4 main bearing I6s in the past, wonder how they stack up to a V6 for longevity (4 = 4).
-
Well.... that's certainly unusual.
-
As the '19 Ram is rated to tow up to 35,000 lbs, it'll be really interesting to see what Tesla (eventually) puts out.
-
Heard a fascinating commercial on the radio today, about how the (93-yr old) Mercedes-Benz company "invented" the "work van" over "100 years ago". ? ? ? Daimler keeps using that word 'invented', but I don't think it means what they think it means. The Freightliner / Dodge / Mercedes sprinter triplets used to own the US Euro van segment, now they're a niche player, having conceded huge swathes of the segment to Ford and others. This Ford work van is 118 years old by 2019 :
-
SIXTEEN YEARS AGO???? MAN, are you camera shy.
-
BMW car sales have been dropping for what- 2 years now? Surprised they keep throwing more slightly-different sized versions at the wall when their numbers have come down so far and they're in trouble financially.
- 14 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- 2-series
- 2-series gran coupe
- (and 1 more)
-
How often do you change your oil?
balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Product Questions and Reviews
'04 DuraMax, just clicked 189K miles tonight. Change it about every 6000, tho at the moment it's overdue. Shell Rotella T / Wix filter. I always change the oil myself. I do not do any of the other vehicles here at the Ranch; I draw the line if I have to jack it up to do so.
