balthazar

Never driven any, cannot recall riding in any. My buddy (I don't see anymore, but recently started chatting with again) had a pristine Gen 1, but I've not seen it and I haven't asked if he still has it. He just told me he was buying a late Gen 4 as a 'beater'; haven't seen that one either. Frankly, I'm not much enamoured with Chevy cars (like their trucks, tho), and the only MC I would be interested in inspecting/ driving is a Gen 1- the rest don't interest me.

Feel free to correct a misleading title, BV; consider it a public service.

>>"OHV struggle higher up in most cases past 4-5K. The LS7 is proof that it is not all, that puppy screams past 5-6-7K! "<< It's all in how it's spec'd, not in valvetrain style! Guy I know builds motors for a living. He built what he called a "junkyard" Pontiac 462 (uhh, that's 7.4L for you newbs) that turned 8900 RPM and propelled a '70 Firebird drag car to consistant very low 9s in the quarter for a number of years of regular racing. Most bench racers would tell you that's 'impossible' 'because it's a pushrod, and pushrods don't rev, you know.'

Thanks for the vtec detail- I've never investigated the mechanics of it before. What is the central, encased spring on the left-side valve set? Looks like 'slider' cam followers rather than rollers- rollers would eliminate a lot of friction- esp since each lobe in a 3-lobe set-up is much narrower- providing far less surface/wear area. I assume there is no room for rollers, then? "slop" is a rather extreme term. There will not be any momentary 'gaps' in any valvetrain with properly engineered spring pressures until near-redline speeds. Well, not univerally, but valve float is valvetrain speed fast enough to overcome spring pressure, so this should be consistant within one engine/spec. Increasing spring pressure will eliminate valve float (or at least further 'bump up' it's RPM occurance), but sometimes with the downsides you mention above. Roller valvetrains also reduce valve float, as the flat end of the hydraulic/solid lifter is eliminated. This should never happen in a properly-engineered engine. A proper-spec engine doesn't allow the pushrods to rotate by hand under low pressure- there is not going to be any clatter unless something is wrong. Spring pressure dictates valvetrain 'snugness'- grossly insufficient pressure could result in microscopic lift, tho this incorrect pressure obviously could occur in both IBC and OHC engines- it is not a result of valvetrain design as it is of valvetrain spec.Valve float should unload the entire valvetrain and allow multiple points of lift/clatter/noise- not just at the lifter, but again- this should not be a discernable issue in street cars since we're talking about redline engine speeds. What, exactly, provides 'pushrod noise' at low speeds, I'm not sure of, beyond the multiple contact areas in a IBC engine.

I was only in the dealership for about 10 mins before work- I was centering on the mid-level FWD V-6 model, not the AWD, which I assume has the larger engine.

>>"...chuck the traditional lifter and replace each with a pair of roller rockers in the block. One follows a lower-lift/low-duration cam lobe. The other follows an aggressive high-lift high-duration lobe. The pushrod is connected directly to the low speed cam. The rocker following the high speed lobes bounces on a spring actuating nothing but itself. At a certain RPM, a steel pin, slipper or collar locks the two together. And the valve is then forced to follow the high speed cam."<< Interesting. Do any DOHC motors use a 'split' cam lobe (as far as the cam grind goes)? Not positive of the workings of your propsal from the sectional view; is the "pair of roller rockers" going to actuate twin pushrods, or singles? This pair of rollers is always in contact with the cam, right? but unless each pushrod's lobes are synchronized on the cam centerline (optimum for performance/emissions??)- this obviously won't work. It the lobes are synchronized and you attempt to connect the 2 at some mid-point in the RPM scale, there would be tremendous valvetrain noise, vibration & wear, not to mention long-term durability issues- unless computer controls can pinpoint the nanosecond the 'holes' would be aligned and make a near-seamless connection. OR.... what if the cam lobe featured a 'ramped' lobe allowing a 'CVT-ish' transition between low- and high-profiles? >>"tiny amount of "float" during those small periods of time where the engine is actually reving at the upper 1/4 of its rev range does not hurt the engine."<< To my knowledge, valve float does not occur until the last 5-10% of the RPM range, not the last 25%, and this small margin tends to be beyond peak power anyway (near redline). But the average joe will attribute 'pushrod clatter' to ANY RPM, even idle. There shouldn't be much --if any-- valvetrain sound difference between bluepinted IBC & OHC engines until valve float; a IBC engine has higher spring pressures but a DOHC had double the valves. Many people obviously make this judgement -valid or not- standing outside the car at idle or 'goosing' RPMs - where valve float is not occuring. I would have to believe "interferance layers" is the cause of pushrod 'clatter' far more than valve float- at redline inside a car, with wind roar, tire roar, exhaust roar heavily involved, valve float would be very difficult to pinpoint as a factor in dubbing pushrod motors 'clattery'. BTW-- your illustrated proposal has added another 'interferance layer' to the pushrod design. Great, informative article, DL.

No- haven't gotten over to the Pontiac dealer to check the Torrent yet, but it's on my list. I like one thing I've heard about the '08 Vue: no more honda V-6 !!

"This is so unreal, what I feel Flood, sell your soul, feel the blood Pump through your veins, can't explain The element that's everything Just clench your fist and close your eyes Look deep inside, hypnotize Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray You will never let it slip away"

Yes; you're weird, but you're not alone.

>>"Conservative design can camouflage an otherwise competent contender. Case in point: the upcoming G8 will hit our shores with class-leading power, rear-drive, and one of the best interiors of any North American GM product. Staid sheetmetal will likely be the fatal flaw that keeps sales from ever reaching projections. In the mind of consumers, its capable underpinnings will quite literally be beside the point."<<

Check it again, bobo; every single acura car is down vs. last year- a coupe isn't going to change that. Tho the mdx had a slight uptick- the only acura selling notably better is the one with 0 sales last year to compare to (rdx). >>"The Insight is discontinued."<< That's OK- engineers were hard at work on the masterpiece that is.... the ridgeline. Good timing, too.

Halls of justice painted green, money talking, Power wolves beset your door, hear them stalking. Soon you'll please their appetite, they devour, Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower.

The idea that someone who has/buys a large boat, then needs a pickup to haul it, then says to himself: 'I can only choose from 1/2-ton models, because that would be fair to the other trucks I didn't choose' is hilarious. Why buy a truck that's capacity is barely beyond your needs when a comfortable margin makes so much better sense? Anyone towing 10,000 lbs will look automatically to a 3/4-ton truck. Ooops- toyoda doesn't have one... still. Perhaps they'll get one out before rising gas prices and the shrinking segment constrict so much that the effort will have been an embarassing waste. Is 300 lbs really a make-or-break amount? If it is, have no fear and throw another 1000 lbs behind the Sierra, it's well-known & has been proven countless times to handle notably more than the factory rating. Cakewalk. If toyota with more power & 2 more gears can only move 0.02% more weight... seems like it's toyota that Or maybe this pissing contest over numbers just needs to stop.

Lot of people don't care for blatant retro. If Pontiac's split grille is "tired", this one is positively rotting death. Jag sales are down 29% last quarter. Just some random thoughts....

-- Another month of the same pattern: honda continues to dial back domestic production and increase imports. So much for the Great Contribution of Transplant Manufacturers. Is honda enacting a slow pull-out ?? -- Insight was mentioned in another recent thread- but honda's not selling any (0)- is it discontinued? Hybrid sales aren't very healthy either. Year-to-date: honda car sales: - 0.3% honda truck sales: + 4% acura car sales: - 29% acura truck sales: + 48% The year-to-date numbers paint a troubling picture; basically the accord is carrying the corporation as far as volume increases goes.

>>"Responsible, smart enthusiasts drive RWD cars and mount on snow tires on steel rims/cheap rims as soon as the temp. falls south of 40* F."<< Bah: I've been driving longer than a few C&Gers have been alive. Of the 20 vehicles I've owned..... 19 have been RWD and 1 >is< 4WD. Never owned a set of snow tires in my life. Never got stuck in snow in my life (off-road and in mud, tho, is another story). Once in a fit of anger against a cop that allowed traffic to drive 2 miles from a main road on a back road before turning everyone around because of the snow & a steep decline, I cut a 180 in my RWD F-150, driving completely off the road and into snow over a foot deep and still didn't get stuck and this on 'street' tires. It doesn't snow regularly in Jersey, but over the years I've seen plenty. I've also driven on roads that were complete sheets of ice from edge to edge on street tires without undue drama. There's a lot more to winter driving than nervous prayers and snow tires.

x 1,000,000,000

{edited for the kiddies!} "To a world that never appreciated sh*t, you can s*ck my d*ck and f*cking like it!"

I would LOVE to see an analysis of how CR determines scoring, ie; what makes a half black dot vs. an open dot. They have never revealed this formula, to my knowledge. Please provide a link.It would also be extremely helpful to divulge the number of surveys they receive per vehicle, as they have never revealed this either, to my knowledge. I know that one year I did a rough calculation based on number of vehicles sold in the U.S. and number of CR surveys received, and a car like the infinti q45 had a statistical (2) surveys behind the red & black dots. It's misleading, deceptive and invalid, but CR would rather extrapolate and fudge than admit they often just do not have a meaningful database to publish findings on. And, of course, this is why they do NOT publish number of surveys per vehicle or the formulas for computation/evaluation... because it's a shaky house of cards and Big Money is at stake.

I've since looked at the Eqinox and wasn't particularly smitten with the interior. The Vue on the other hand, has a very nice interior, tho the nose is rather arbitrary in design. They're both on the small side. I am pointing back toward the Aura, my intital consideration.

Only area of valid criticism with the F-150 is the power levels- everywhere else it's still thoroughly competitive. I for one still find it completely relevent and I'd be driving one now if the great deal on my Silverado hadn't come along.

prius weight distribution is 59%/41%.

>>"The important thing is that $400 million dollars creates jobs."<< Even if each job costs the state 3-4 times what the job pays? >>"That $400 million is not given to Toyota, that $400 million is paid to American workers to build these roads, piping, sewer, etc."<< Not all of it, not by a long shot. Typically, utility costs are waved for years- that money is not paid to American worker. Typically, taxes breaks in the millions are given to the 'transplant' corporation- that money is not paid to American worker- in fact the American worker then subsidizes the corporation. You are blissfully oversimplifying.

So some kids acted judgmentally & superficially towards others in a non-PC manner? How crushingly newsworthy.

Yeah- the wing does look like an afterthought, but it's expected in this segment for the most part. Suede steering wheel? Does it come with a shag carpet dash cover?