Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

I feel like people buying cars today (be it used or new) would benefit from market research like this. The overall feeling of the used car market is down in all categories over the past year.

H22A1. Guy said it makes 360 HP on 10 lbs of boost. Weight plus driver is 2,500 lbs. I asked him why an H instead of a B or K. His answer: "Nobody else is doing it."

As a Prelude owner, I immediately recognized the H. They're excellent engines that never had their time in the sun. Mad respect.

Here's a few others I liked

SW20 MR2

Ford Falcon

And then this guy showed up with a Countach so my dreams of having the coolest car there are shattered lol

In the spirit of the start of the 2024 IMSA season, we raced the clock in our long-term electric pickup, attempting over 1000 miles in 24 hours or less.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12746233

I haven't heard of this list before. ACEEE claims to consider the caustic effects of mining and total environmental impact of EVs, thus giving a way to consider lifetime emissions and lifetime pollution.

We all know that Tesla vehicles have over 1000lbs of batteries in them: batteries that were mined through dirty means, and hundreds of extra pounds that reduce the efficiency of the vehicle. Adding up the total environmental impacts overall are difficult, and I've always been looking for a methodology that took these issues into account.

ACEEE did come up with a 2024 list of the "greenest" cars, as well as a top-10 list of "Greener, non-EV cars". The non-EV list is for anyone who is unable to use electricity (ex: living in an apartment without access to a charger), who still wants the greenest solution for themselves.

Lightweight EVs like the Nissan Leaf and Mini Cooper SE are near the top of the list. Surprisingly, Prius Prime 2024 (a PHEV) tops the list as #1 greenest car according to the ACEEE's methodology.

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I'll have to read more about the methodology here, but I'm glad to see a total lifetime envrionmental effects list like this. I'll have to review their methodology before I fully trust it, but the surface-level discussions look great.

A pretty good overview of the benefits of PHEV, one of the fastest growing categories of cars in the USA today.

The tl;dr: Cheaper than EVs, takes gasoline for long-trips, are effectively electric for typical distances (~20mi to ~40mi depending on model).

However, I'd like to add that PHEVs are incredibly varied. Everyone can agree that a Prius Prime is efficient and environmental, but PHEVs like the Jeep Wrangler 4xe is incredibly inefficient. Furthermore, Jeep buyers have a reputation of not even charging the batteries!!

All in all, it seems like a good article so I feel like its worth sharing.

Context: I have a Ford Taurus AWD with a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 (288 hp & 254 lb-ft, stock). It had reached the point in life where it's old enough that I'm ok tinkering with it, but new enough that it's still worth tinkering. There was also zero info about tuning this engine and I wanted to fix that. So I brought it to a dyno.
I went with an HP Tuners ECU. The only other "mod" to my car was a set of one-step colder spark plugs; everything else is stock. Edit: I also stuck with 87 octane.

The shop managed to increase the peak wheel horsepower from 217 hp to 231; and the torque from 203 lb-ft to 222. Increases of 14 hp and 19 lb-ft, or 6% and 9%, respectively. Assuming the parasitic losses is the same, my new power at the crank is roughly 306 hp and 278 lb-ft. Pretty similar to the stock 3.7L that Ford made.
But as you can see from the graph, other areas improved even more. Some sections received 20+ lb-ft, and 15+ hp above 5000 rpm.
Mileage seems to have improved, too. However I still need to test that more. I've only had this tune for a week now.

I haven't done many hard accelerations, but it does feel a little faster when accelerating. Pre-tune, I remember feeling a surge in power around 4000 rpm; I'm glad the dyno proved me right.
In terms of feel, the most noticeable difference is in city driving. The engine feels so much more responsive when I start to press on the pedal from a standstill. But not in a jerky, aggressive way (unless I choose to floor it); it's still a very comfortable daily driver. It just "feels" more put together, if that makes sense.

Total cost for the dyno and tune was around $1500-2000. Plus any extraneous repairs they required me to do before I could go on the dyno (I.E. I had a leaky transaxle seal that cost $525 to replace). So, I see why not many people choose to get their cars tuned. At the same time, I feel this was worth it for the science.
If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Hello! I own a 08 Acura TL that has an oil leak from a bad valve cover gasket. I took it to my mechanic for some other things, but also wanted a quote for a replacement. The number they gave me was too high for my liking, and I did some research and decided to attempt the replacement myself. The shop would've done a spark plug replacement as well, so I also plan to do that. My issue is I have never done work on a car, not even an oil change. In total so far, I need 2 sets of valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, an intake plenum gasket, and maybe an air filter boot (since I've heard they have a tendency to crack, if anyone has a good source please let me know). What other parts should I preventatively replace, and what are the normal steps to working on the top of the engine?

Hi all I currently have a Honda Civic 2017 (a regular one) but I always wanted a Type R. Looking at used cars market in my country, they are a bit out of my reach at the moment :D Could you recommend any other Japanese cars, that could scratch that itch but not destroy my wallet? Have to be family friendly too as I expect kids :D Cheers

Hey Lemmy. I have a 2010 Toyota Camry with 150k miles. The front bumper's bottom segment (maybe 2 inches) has a crack and the grill is out of place. Also, there's a couple small scratches in the paint elsewhere. Would it be worth it to have the bumper repaired as well as the paint touched up before selling it? I was given a quote of $1500 for the bumper repair but haven't inquired about the scratches. Thanks in advance!

TIL GM and Ford built vehicles for the Nazis during WWII

I'm assuming I can polish the plastic on the headlights in my 2006 Toyota Matrix. I plastic is still "clear", but all the road grit over the years have pitted and fogged the surface. Any advice on material for polishing?