Site update.

I've concluded the long term test of the Pulstar spark plugs. You can read the review here : Pulstar plugs review.

The right engine makes all the difference.

Gas mileage in a vehicle has a lot to do with how you drive it, but more importantly is how well matched the engine is to the weight of the vehicle.
I recently test-drove a Mazda CX7. The mpg figures are in the same ballpark as my current vehicle - the Honda Element - averaging about 19mpg. But the performance difference is staggering. The CX7 has a smaller engine but it's turbocharged and that makes all the difference in the world. It's not sluggish. It doesn't bog down going up long inclines, and it just feels altogether more peppy. Well - with a turbo, it would, but the 6-speed automatic gearbox helps too.

So I figured it was the turbo and the lighter vehicle that made it more zippy to drive (I can't bring myself to use Mazda's "Z" word). Well - not so much. The quoted kerb weight for an Element is 3640lbs for the 4WD AT. For the CX7 it's 3930lbs - about 300lbs heavier.

So a smaller (albeit turbocharged engine) in a 300lb heavier car, with 6 gears instead of 4 and returning about the same gas mileage, makes it an infinitely more driveable SUV than the Element.

And this is the problem with the Element overall. It's a wonderful vehicle - totally practical and fun to drive, but it's just out of breath all the time. The engine just isn't up to the job because it's a normally aspirated 2.4 engine from the Civic and Accord. What Mazda did was realise they were hauling a heavier vehicle around and adjust the engine accordingly. Honda didn't. The difference is like night and day.

Variable Vent Tubes?

I went to test drive a Mazda CX7 yesterday. The car is nice - peppy - a lot different to the Honda Element. It's because of the turbocharged engine of course. What was entertaining was when the salesman started to tell me about the VVT engine. According to "Chuck", that meant variable vent tubes, which as he described it, was the difference between the size of your airway when you are breathing normally, and the size of your airway when you are panting for breath whilst running. Say what? The Mazda engine is able to alter the size of it's intake manifold depending on how hard I'm breathing?

Well I suppose it was a nice try. He got the 'variable' part of it right at least. What he was trying to describe of course was variable valve timing. More zippy engine performance requires more fuel-air mix, which requires altered and lengthened valve opening timing.

The closest thing to what he was describing (I think) is the variable length intake tubes on the Yamaha R1 motorbike. Or he could have just been pulling it out of his arse. Either way, he was trying to sell me a product he clearly didn't know anything about.

Treating the symptoms instead of the cause.

So the Nanny State (England in case you were wondering) is now claiming that airbag jackets should be mandatory for motorcycle riders, because whilst riders account for only 1% of road users, they account for 20% of fatalities.
You know what, they're right. But rather than force everyone to wear a ridiculously cumbersome jacket that hinders your movement and would cause more accidents through loss of control, might it not be better to treat the cause of the problem : car drivers?

TRL323 (a report commissioned by the UK government themselves) indicates that 90% of motorcycle accidents are caused by cars driving into them. In other words, 18% of all road fatalities are caused by car drivers hitting motorcyclists.

Here's an idea - ban cellphones and enforce the ban. Remove air bags, traction control and all the other so-called "safety" devices that are put into cars to eliminate responsibility from the driver. Until motorists realise that they are accountable, and there are consequences of their actions, this statistic isn't going to change. And that won't happen until the car manufacturers stop building ridiculously cocooning living rooms on wheels.

More details on the actual facts (rather than random government conjecture) about accident rates are available on the facts about speeding and accident rates page.

The delicate art of the torque wrench

One tool that is a complete must-have when it comes to working on cars and bikes is the torque wrench. Don't skimp on the price either - get a decent one and it will last for years. Having said that, you also need to get matched parts for it, by which I mean the driver bits, sockets and heads. I was over at a friend's house this afternoon and he was working on the brakes on his Moto Guzzi. As he came to tighten the final bolt on the brake caliper mount, the torque wrench suddenly became very loose. We both thought he'd stripped a thread, but it turned out that the socket set he was using was a 7mm hex head on a 1/8 inch mount. That was attached to the torque wrench with a 1/4 inch adapter. The 1/8 inch driver just didn't have the strength to deal with the torque he applied to it, and it literally shattered. I'm home now and he's off to our local tools emporium to but a 7mm hex driver on a 1/4 inch mount....

When all wheel drive isn't a luxury.

This last weekend I went skiing as I normally do during the winter. It was snowing and as I trekked up the canyon to the ski resort, I didn't give much though to the road surface. The Honda Element has a part-time all wheel drive system, and combined with the winter tyres, it made the trip as effortless as driving up in the middle of summer. A colleague of mine was not so lucky though. On the same road at the same time as me, he was trying to make it up in a two wheel drive Chevy Malibu. He said that it was slippery and gruesome most of the way up, but his problems didn't really start until they were nearly at the top. The driver in front of him decided to stop to pick up an uphill hitchhiker, but did so by stopping in the middle of the road so nobody could get past. My colleague had to stop, and once he'd lost momentum, getting going again was a complete nightmare. The car was sliding side to side and the tyres couldn't get a grip, and when he did manage to get going, he could barely manage 20mph without sliding. Coming down the canyon was even more sketchy because the road hadn't been ploughed, but again my Honda dealt with it as if it were a dry day. I didn't realise how much difference the all wheel drive and winter tyres made until I came across a two wheel drive sedan going down the hill. We were making steady progress but we got to a long straight and he pulled over and gestured me to pass him. I did and within two corners, I'd lost sight of him in my mirrors. He was obviously also having a really hard time.
So whilst I pay the price for all wheel drive in terms of reduced gas mileage in the summer, in the winter I don't consider it to be a luxury around where we live. It's a necessity if you're going to drive on snow.