Fat people? Less gas!



bill van wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dover Beach wrote:
>>
>> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
>> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
>> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> make it so.


Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
of it that way before.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org
 
bill van wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dover Beach wrote:
>>
>> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
>> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
>> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> make it so.


Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
of it that way before.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org
 
bill van wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dover Beach wrote:
>>
>> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
>> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
>> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> make it so.


Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
of it that way before.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org
 
On Nov 10, 2:29 pm, Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> bill van wrote:
> > In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> > Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> >> Dover Beach wrote:

>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
> >> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
> >> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> > Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> > we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> > make it so.

>
> Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
> of it that way before.




I'll bet your whole day would go better if you just untwisted it a
couple of cranks.


V.
--
Veronique Chez Sheep
 
On Nov 10, 2:29 pm, Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> bill van wrote:
> > In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> > Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> >> Dover Beach wrote:

>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
> >> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
> >> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> > Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> > we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> > make it so.

>
> Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
> of it that way before.




I'll bet your whole day would go better if you just untwisted it a
couple of cranks.


V.
--
Veronique Chez Sheep
 
On Nov 10, 2:29 pm, Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> bill van wrote:
> > In article <[email protected]>, Blinky the
> > Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> >> Dover Beach wrote:

>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for
> >> > a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it
> >> > would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
> > Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road,
> > we'd have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't
> > make it so.

>
> Okay. It's smart to make your toy car appear unsafe. I never thought
> of it that way before.




I'll bet your whole day would go better if you just untwisted it a
couple of cranks.


V.
--
Veronique Chez Sheep
 
Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:

>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>>>Smart Car?

>>
>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>
>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.


The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling aid.
I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem to worry
about instability.

There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's SUV
was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at the time.
The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a bit lower)
but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross winds. My
current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than the Metro, but
feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:

>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>>>Smart Car?

>>
>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>
>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.


The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling aid.
I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem to worry
about instability.

There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's SUV
was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at the time.
The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a bit lower)
but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross winds. My
current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than the Metro, but
feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:

>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>>>Smart Car?

>>
>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>
>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.


The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling aid.
I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem to worry
about instability.

There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's SUV
was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at the time.
The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a bit lower)
but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross winds. My
current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than the Metro, but
feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>>news:[email protected]:
>>>>Smart Car?
>>>
>>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>>
>>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it
>>for a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks
>>like it would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes
>>by.

>
> The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
> safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
> issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling
> aid. I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem
> to worry about instability.
>
> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross
> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.


Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
make it less sensitive.
 
- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>>news:[email protected]:
>>>>Smart Car?
>>>
>>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>>
>>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it
>>for a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks
>>like it would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes
>>by.

>
> The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
> safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
> issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling
> aid. I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem
> to worry about instability.
>
> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross
> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.


Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
make it less sensitive.
 
- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Dover Beach <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote in
>>news:[email protected]:
>>>>Smart Car?
>>>
>>> Yup. I'm in Canada where the Smart has been available for a few
>>> years. 800 cc turbo diesel in a damn-near trunkless car.

>>
>>One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it
>>for a little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks
>>like it would get blown off the road the first time a semi goes
>>by.

>
> The car was introduced by Mercedes into the paranoidly
> safety-conscious European market. It flunked some of the handling
> issues till they introduced some kind of computerized handling
> aid. I'm not sure what it consists of. None of the reviews seem
> to worry about instability.
>
> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee cross
> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.


Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
make it less sensitive.
 
Sano <[email protected]> wrote:

>- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote
>> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
>> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
>> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
>> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee3 cross
>> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
>> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.

>
>Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
>make it less sensitive.


I don't think any econobox cars have had a rear axle since the Civic
(or whoever) introduced struts in the middle seventies.
http://www.internetautoguide.com/car-specifications/09-int/1996/geo/metro/index.html
This web page describes a car three years newer than mine. I think
that there was a change in sheet metal, but it was essentially the
same car.

"strut rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with hydraulic
springs"

http://tinyurl.com/2pmplq discusses a rebuild / merge of several
totalled Metros (or equivalent). January 20 shows a couple of pics of
the bottom rear. No axle. I don't think I've ever owned a non-pickup
with a straight axle.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Sano <[email protected]> wrote:

>- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote
>> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
>> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
>> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
>> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee3 cross
>> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
>> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.

>
>Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
>make it less sensitive.


I don't think any econobox cars have had a rear axle since the Civic
(or whoever) introduced struts in the middle seventies.
http://www.internetautoguide.com/car-specifications/09-int/1996/geo/metro/index.html
This web page describes a car three years newer than mine. I think
that there was a change in sheet metal, but it was essentially the
same car.

"strut rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with hydraulic
springs"

http://tinyurl.com/2pmplq discusses a rebuild / merge of several
totalled Metros (or equivalent). January 20 shows a couple of pics of
the bottom rear. No axle. I don't think I've ever owned a non-pickup
with a straight axle.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Sano <[email protected]> wrote:

>- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote
>> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My wife's
>> SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro was at
>> the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart (perhaps a
>> bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV would fee3 cross
>> winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I think longer than
>> the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not sure why.

>
>Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would probably
>make it less sensitive.


I don't think any econobox cars have had a rear axle since the Civic
(or whoever) introduced struts in the middle seventies.
http://www.internetautoguide.com/car-specifications/09-int/1996/geo/metro/index.html
This web page describes a car three years newer than mine. I think
that there was a change in sheet metal, but it was essentially the
same car.

"strut rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with hydraulic
springs"

http://tinyurl.com/2pmplq discusses a rebuild / merge of several
totalled Metros (or equivalent). January 20 shows a couple of pics of
the bottom rear. No axle. I don't think I've ever owned a non-pickup
with a straight axle.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>Dover Beach wrote:
>
>> One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>> little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>> get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>Doesn't sound very smart to me.


"Looks like" doesn't offer a complete description of a car to be sold
as basic transportation for adults.

Mercedes is pretty proud of the car. None of the reviews of driving
the thing complained about top-heavy or wind-sensetive handling.
Calgary is a windy city. There are two dealers in town that sell
these cars and there are quite a few of them on the road.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>Dover Beach wrote:
>
>> One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>> little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>> get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>Doesn't sound very smart to me.


"Looks like" doesn't offer a complete description of a car to be sold
as basic transportation for adults.

Mercedes is pretty proud of the car. None of the reviews of driving
the thing complained about top-heavy or wind-sensetive handling.
Calgary is a windy city. There are two dealers in town that sell
these cars and there are quite a few of them on the road.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:

>Dover Beach wrote:
>
>> One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>> little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>> get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>Doesn't sound very smart to me.


"Looks like" doesn't offer a complete description of a car to be sold
as basic transportation for adults.

Mercedes is pretty proud of the car. None of the reviews of driving
the thing complained about top-heavy or wind-sensetive handling.
Calgary is a windy city. There are two dealers in town that sell
these cars and there are quite a few of them on the road.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
bill van <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dover Beach wrote:
>>
>> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>> > little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>> > get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
>Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road, we'd
>have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't make it so.
>
>I've seen some of them parked in very nifty and tiny spots.
>
>Fair to say, though, that they're designed more for urban commutes than
>open highway travel.


On my last drive from Vancouver to Calgary, I saw two of them out on
the open highway. Both were in oncoming traffic, so I couldn't
compare their speed to my own, but there didn't seem to be any backlog
piled up behind them.

One of those was coming down the Coq. That means he was able to get
to the top.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
 
bill van <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dover Beach wrote:
>>
>> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
>> > little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
>> > get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.

>
>> Doesn't sound very smart to me.

>
>Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road, we'd
>have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't make it so.
>
>I've seen some of them parked in very nifty and tiny spots.
>
>Fair to say, though, that they're designed more for urban commutes than
>open highway travel.


On my last drive from Vancouver to Calgary, I saw two of them out on
the open highway. Both were in oncoming traffic, so I couldn't
compare their speed to my own, but there didn't seem to be any backlog
piled up behind them.

One of those was coming down the Coq. That means he was able to get
to the top.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27