See who is polluting!

[Byock]

Bah, You wouldn't understand. When you are going up Parley's Canyon ( 6% Grade) in a car with < 130 HP, you slow down to 40MPH, and become a hazard. For people who make this commute daily, you could never convince them to drive a underpowered car. With Speed limits 75MPH (People drive 85-90 ) Yes, you do need a bigger engine. I have drove a Geo Metro (Suzuki Swift), and you have to get out and push them up a hill.

[Wombat]

Ah, the Geo Metro. That car will stop on a dime! It can't get <I>over</I> the dime, but it sure will stop there.

[Marshmallowman]

My parents had suzuki swift GA, it was 1.3 litre and with 4 well built guys in it we got up to 180kmh on several occiaisons(easily)..

In fact with only 1 person in the car it was a hairy experience, as it would drift all over the road at those speeds.

But with 4 people in the card it stuck to the road like glue.

I must admit where I grew up up most of the landscape was just plain flat tho.

[Jon P. Inghram]

I wonder if the US versions have their engines derated to make them last longer.

[GT98]

Originally posted by Jon P. Inghram
I wonder if the US versions have their engines derated to make them last longer.

I think it has to do with final drive gearing. I know of a couple people who brought cars from the States to Germany and they killed the transmissions on the car. They couldnt take the constant 100 mph + speeds that you can have on the autobahn.

When I was shopping for my Mustang GT that I got when I go out of the Army, I got paperwork from the local AAFES car sales place and the higher axle ratio wasn't an option for cars sold in Germany.

If you having trouble understanding me, the Mustang GT came with either a 2.73 or 3.27 gear ratio in the drive axle. The higher gear ratio gives you better off the line performance, where as the lower gear (2.73) gave you more high end power and slightly better gas mileage.

[Fluff]

It's a shame my only experience of american car is a Dodge Grand Voyager . Which was pants (like trying to steer a ship sailing on jello.)Stereo was good though. Even though it had a 3 litre V6 engine. 21mpg was the average mpg from NYC to Detroit. Which was not brilliant but it had the arerodynamics of a brick.

I think the engines are the same in the US as the UK it would be to expensive to design different engines for different areas. E.g. Ford focus. Well for upto 2L anyway.

[gt40]

Originally posted by Fluff
It's a shame my only experience of american car is a Dodge Grand Voyager . Which was pants (like trying to steer a ship sailing on jello.)Stereo was good though. Even though it had a 3 litre V6 engine. 21mpg was the average mpg from NYC to Detroit. Which was not brilliant but it had the arerodynamics of a brick.

I think the engines are the same in the US as the UK it would be to expensive to design different engines for different areas. E.g. Ford focus. Well for upto 2L anyway.

Don't forget, the american gallon is smaller than the Imperial (3.8l vs 4.5l)

[GT98]

Originally posted by Fluff


I think the engines are the same in the US as the UK it would be to expensive to design different engines for different areas. E.g. Ford focus. Well for upto 2L anyway.

They are more or less the same thing with some minor changes...mostly to the emissions. My car is pretty much the same thing as a Focus ST170