5

3/28/2008 4:56:00 PM

Umm, well yeah but you stripped the hell out of that car, lol.

3/28/2008 6:54:21 PM

yeah, im just saying. back when a car could get under 2000lbs.

i still remember that spread in one of those car mags that they got a car in low 14s or something by stripping it down and eventually cutting the roof. or was it 13s, i dont remember

3/28/2008 9:28:00 PM

Yeah, it was in SCC. It was a Nissan Sentra SE. They got it into the 14s by pretty much stripping and cutting it down to a bare chassis.

3/29/2008 2:10:21 AM

Well actually they cut the chassis as well. The A,B and C pillars were cut as well as the front and rear bumpers. It basically became just an under carriage.

Thing is, while cars are getting heavier, they are also a lot safer and offer a lot more luxury.

You can argue thats not necessary, but I think the average driver prefers plush seats and tomb-like interior noise to being able to go 0-60 in 5 seconds with a 140hp motor.

The real issue I have is with performance cars like the M3 being ballooned to 3700lbs. Yea BMW gets away with by adding stout suspension and 400 HP and yea nigs will buy it but come on man. 3700 lbs?

That thing weighs more then a E39 M5 practically.

I think the Lotus Elise is a good model for how sports cars should be, though I for the life of me can't figure out what part if it warrants the high price tag.

3/29/2008 11:08:10 AM

^high price tag? the car is cheap as hell.

Speaking for the exige, the car is all bonded aluminum and fiberglass. For 65k, that's a damn steal. It's the chassis that makes the car cost (and weigh) what it does.

The weight of modern vehicles doesn't have as much to do with safety as you'd think. It has a lot more to do with ride comfort and sound dampening in the cabin. The Elise/Exige could be much safer adding only a couple hundred pounds for a full roll cage, still putting it at only 2200lbs. or so. It's got dual air bags and every other modern safety feature.

It's just loud as fuck and rough as fuck on the road, because who cares about that in a real sports car?

3/29/2008 11:33:46 AM

I dunno dude

Having 10 airbags and fifteen computers to control them adds quite a bit of weight in wiring alone.

Then there's the '70% stiffer chassis' every iteration of any model ever that makes one think the previous car was made of paper.

3/29/2008 7:45:07 PM

The airbag system in the lotus weighs under 25 lbs for both of them + wiring + electronics. It ain't heavy. Even with side impact airbags, you are looking at a hundred pounds, tops.

3/29/2008 8:33:08 PM

lol. driver + pass airbag, plus 1 computer weighs nothing. in any car.

25 lbs for your airbag system. thats hard to believe. they really dont weigh much.

3/29/2008 10:03:31 PM

100lbs. are we driving a tank?

ive worked with tons of cars airbags. every possible location. yeah, they weight a bit cuz of all the metal, but ill be damed if they weigh close to 100lbs. even 50.

or maybe im just that strong that i didnt notice.

3/29/2008 10:05:59 PM

Maybe I'm used to BMW over engineering everything beyond logic.

I mean this is a company that has the sunroof computer sync up with the car's main cpu.

3/30/2008 1:56:08 AM

Over engineering != stupid engineering

3/30/2008 11:26:40 AM

I'd post a smart reply

But I have to reboot my cupholder computer

brb

3/30/2008 12:21:54 PM

If it makes you feel any better to drop my roof i have

If ( car not moving & e brake handle active & roof latch pressed)


that may be so the roof doesnt rip off the car at 60mph. it doesnt actually check if the manual latchs are closed though.

3/30/2008 12:32:21 PM

Quote :

"25 lbs for your airbag system. thats hard to believe. they really dont weigh much."

When you rip out the bags, you can rip all the associated shit out too (aka dash+mounting brackets+under dash extrusion), plus a lighter wheel, and all the wiring and harness shit. it's right at 21-22lbs if i remember correctly.

I used the 100lb estimate as a super top end, on a high end Mercedes or something with like 12 airbags and all the reinforced doors and shit to go with them

3/31/2008 1:19:24 AM

Quote :

"Maybe I'm used to BMW over engineering everything beyond logic. I mean this is a company that has the sunroof computer sync up with the car's main cpu. "

I love BMWs. They do absolutely overengineer the bejeezus out of everything, though.

my 330 did some weird deal where like every few times you turned on the ignition, it would cycle all of the HVAC valves and stuff.

and i think they're awesome cars, but i'd much, much, much rather (at least in any sort of 3-series) they leave a lot of that bullshit out and sell a lighter car for a lower price.

3/31/2008 1:38:29 AM

There's a mechanical servo of some sort near the battery that turns on intermittently while the car is parked.

Like literally, this thing makes noises when its off.

So yea, I think for a german car, 100lbs is a bit of a conservative estimate for safety systems.

Especially considering the plastic covering for the engine itself is 25lbs.

3/31/2008 1:44:02 AM

why do companies cover up the entire engine bay?

i mean .... the only people who go in there know what they are doing and don't want to spend the first 30 minutes solving the interlocking engine bay jig saw puzzle

3/31/2008 7:24:44 AM

Quote :

"the only people who go in there know what they are doing "

ahahhahahahhahahahhahahha *breath*

aahhahahhahahahhahahahhahahaha

3/31/2008 7:31:09 AM

Quote :

"why do companies cover up the entire engine bay?"

so when you pop the hood to diagnose a problem, you look at it and say "where is the motor, this is all plastic" and you take it to the dealer who laughs at you because it worked.

and to make it look "cool".

3/31/2008 7:58:04 AM

^^

I would love to see the average luxury car buyer doing their own car repairs. I wouldn't imagine them even filling the washer fluid up much less checking the oil.

3/31/2008 6:42:44 PM

It depends greatly on the brand and type of car.

Some luxo brands are mostly purchased by enthusiasts, though in LARGE part I would completely agree that most people couldn't change their own wiper fluid (though I'll fess up, I have no clue where it is on the Lotus yet either).

3/31/2008 8:10:59 PM

when it comes to luxury brands, i'll go out on a limb and say that BMW is the only one with any significant enthusiast customer base.

i mean, there are a handful of G35, IS300, and AMG buyers who fit the bill, and a whole shit ton of BMW owners who wouldn't know how to change a wiper blade (hell, I seriously doubt my dad does, and I don't even know how many BMWs he's owned!). On average, though, I think that segment of the luxury market gravitates overwhelmingly towards BMW.

[Edited on March 31, 2008 at 8:29 PM. Reason : asdfasd]

3/31/2008 8:26:42 PM

Quote :

"my 330 did some weird deal where like every few times you turned on the ignition, it would cycle all of the HVAC valves and stuff."

self test.

3/31/2008 9:08:41 PM

have to admit, i like it

4/5/2008 1:35:02 AM

Well lets be honest

You buy a luxury car so you don't have to worry about greasing your fingers.

4/6/2008 3:37:28 AM

Exactly my point.

Garage Grammar boy just didnt agree.

Your right though. (the "your" brings him out of his cave)

4/6/2008 9:17:45 AM

New 2 litre TT 290 hp GDI engine by Hyundai!

Hyundai Genesis Coupe Makes Korean Debut

Quote :

"The Hyundai Genesis Coupe made its world debut at the recent New York Auto Show impressing most of the attending press with both the looks and its rubber burning entrance. And in our never ending quest to bring our readers the most accurate local news from all over the world, we bring you the Korean debut of Hyundai's brand new Genesis Coupe. The car is painted poison green but the Hyundai display stands out in a few ways other than the vibrant color choice of the show piece. The Hyundai stand also featured a new 2.0 liter THETA I-4 twin turbo GDI engine capable of putting 290 hp to the road, only 13 hp less than its poison green big brother with the 3.8 liter V6, reports GenFans.com. Whether the engine is production ready or if it will ever leave the Korean peninsula is not mentioned in the official press release."

Wow... that engine will be cool. A DI engine is also coming in the next gen M5.

And I love that poison green paintjob.

5/7/2008 7:33:54 PM

c'mon they could have found hotter korean chicks than that

the guitar guy is awesome though

5/7/2008 7:50:20 PM

Been driving this rowdy beast for the last month courtesy of Advantage rental car.

Can vouch for superior handling during e-brake slides in the snow.

5/7/2008 8:01:37 PM

^ yeah that's what i was thinking, since korean chicks are known to be super-hot.

the one in the 1st pic is not bad at all, and in the 2nd pic, the one on the right looks quite hot.

the one in the last pic is with that 1970's style hair.

5/7/2008 8:02:05 PM

So even though she may look ,in your opinion, with that hair , you wouldn't hit it? I think not. If you had the chance, without a doubt, I'm sure you would. Now focus on the car

5/7/2008 10:33:26 PM

haha, all those people are tripping me out... especially thumbs up guy and the creepy staring photographer in the first pic.

5/7/2008 11:36:35 PM

bttt

So what's the update on this car? Is there one?

7/15/2008 1:51:42 PM

the sedan version is reviewed in C&D this month.

they said it's basically a big, overrefined softie...basically a Korean Lexus, not a Korean BMW.

7/15/2008 2:12:48 PM

^^its a 2010 model, so it'll be a while longer before more info comes out.

7/15/2008 2:43:21 PM