Gold Plated World
I just wanted to make a point that I think your article on the
Holden Astra coupe (Holden Astra Coupe Test) is ridiculous. Over AUD$23,000 for a car and you call that
cheap?It must be nice
living in a plush gold plated world where everything is handed to you on a silver platter
but, in the
real world, AUD$23,000 for a two-door car, made cheap on the cheap
and then imported is not a
cheap car. You can go
ahead and ignore me -
that's your business - but
how can you honestly say a
car that costs AUD$23,000 is
cheap? I would call
the little Korean imports
at under AUD$14,000 cheap, but
in your rich world you
probably think people earn that sort of money in a week -
maybe a month - and so they are just kid’s cars. Wake up and smell the roses. Australians are doing it tough. Howard is bringing in these new IR laws to screw Australian workers and
families and you
go and call an AUD$23,000 car cheap. I am
appalled.
Frank Smith
Australia
Enjoying Making Things
I’m enjoying your series on "Making Things" - do we get to seethe finished product? Specifically, regarding Making Things, Part 3
you mention to wear eye protection, but I think it's worth BOLDING
and CAPITALISING when
working with aluminium. You see, the first port of call in hospital emergency to remove metal splinters
from the eye is with a magnet - and of
course, with alloy, this won't work. It is incredibly painful having a metal splinter removed from your
eye with
tweezers...Just thought I'd mention
it.
Luke Konynenburg
Australia
Very good point. And, yes, you probably
will see the product once it is
completed...
Details on WD
I saw your mention of
WD40 in Making Things, Part 3 with a
query about what
it means. As a wayside,
from my memory, the "WD"
in "WD40" means Water
Dispersant/Displacement. The number 40 is actually the iteration of attempts at creating a water
dispersant. So WD40 is the
40th attempt at creating what it actually is. Dunno about RP7.
Nigel Hornidge
Australia
Hardware Shops and Cars
Great magazine - if it
wasn't for AutoSpeed I
would never have owned a turbo
car! I couldn't help
laughing this weekend as I was reminded of words that I read numerous times on
your site - and that is the description of hardware shop attendants'
faces when an explanation was given for what was
going to be done with a part in question... I
think I made a shop attendant’s mind go all fuzzy when asked what I was going to do with PVC pipes usually used
for guttering and I
answered: "it’s for a
car..." The blank and
confused expression was
worth a thousand words!
Francois van Jaarsveld
South Africa
DFA Tuner?
I just bought and put together the Digital Fuel Adjuster (DFA) and
the hand-held adjuster for my 1990 Range Rover five-speed. I was
wondering if you know
anyone in Melbourne who can tune it? And do you know of anyone who has tuned a Range
Rover with this
system?
Jeffrey
Australia
Any workshop with a wide band air-fuel ratio meter and an open mind should be
able to successfully tune the DFA. Can any
readers suggest a Melbourne-based tuner with experience using
DFAs?
Demonstrating the Bogan Mentality
Well, no-name, it's a pity you didn't sign off or initial your article on the
Territory/380 'comparo'... though I can see why. It is nice how, these days,
anyone - that's ANYONE - can feel free in venting their 2 cents on any issue,
such as you have with the article in question. Just like you, I'm going to give
my 2 cents - though I'm actually capable of doing so with far less words.
As a fan of the 380 (yes, and I'm aware it's not perfect) I find it
disconcerting that those in the media such as yourself seem to find enjoyment
out of denigrating what is essentially a very good car. You clearly demonstrate
a bogan mentality (your picture proves it) and that, thankfully, takes away
virtually all credibility you could have had in your juvenile arguments.
Unfortunately it won't stop people reading it - that's why I'm writing this. It
is painfully obvious you either have never driven a 380 or, if so, drove it for
10 minutes to the shops and back. I worked with a car rental giant and had the
privilege of driving many cars on a regular basis for next to nothing. In fact
there's a 380 in the driveway is I write this. The first time I drove it, I
REALLY drove it. From slow suburban driving to rapid acceleration to hairpins
out Mt Macedon way, I was having so much fun I stopped and rang Mitsubishi to
let them know. They need positive feedback, but you couldn't care less about
this Aussie car - you couldn't give a bloody f**k about the workers over in
Adelaide who have poured their blood, sweat and tears into this car whilst Mitsu
Japan hangs over their heads feeding them cash on a drip. Your comments
regarding its mechanicals and drivetrain are as shallow as your mind. Sure, a
single cam engine could be found 15 years ago - as could 4 x 4s and four-door
sedans. Progressive technological advancement (hope I'm not confusing you) is
what 380 is all about.
Imagine this. A new car customer has narrowed their choices down to a VZ
Commondork and Mitsubishi 380. It's a hard choice but the problem is they’re
confused. The person wants to confirm with their lease officer that the specs of
both cars haven't been switched somehow. The person has read that Crappodore is
'all-alloy', has double cams, variable valve timing etc - all modern stuff. 380
has only one cam, no VVT and is part alloy and part steel. Yet they swear it
feels the complete opposite. So what car do they choose? The 380. Why? Because
they felt greater enjoyment in driving the 380 than in reading the spec sheet of
the VZ.
As for saying it would be hard to, amongst other things, find a consumer who
doesn't have loyalty to either Ford or Holden is yet further proof of your and
most Ford/Holden fans' bogan mentality. You think you are God's gift to the auto
industry and to hell with any other marques whether they're Aussie built or
not. It is also clear you haven't driven other cars you claim you have, such as
when you say the Honda Accord V6 has similar performance etc to the 380. You
should go into comedy.
My final point involves mathematics - so if you don't understand, don't
worry. The Lord designed your feeble mind for Holden/Ford chat only. Take two
average drivers, driving through a mix of city and freeway conditions over
20,000km in a year, using 91 octane set at a fixed rate of AUD$1.10 per litre.
One is driving a 2.4-litre Camry, the other a Mitsubishi 380. The difference is
minimal - in fact, the Camry driver would save less than AUD$250 in that year!
That's less than what most manufacturers charge for metallic paint - a feature
the vast majority of drivers don't even consider. So there goes your 380 economy
argument down the drain - or for any family 6 cylinder, for that matter.
Just a warning. I strongly suggest you take greater care and consideration
before you write your future literature works. Consider you are contributing to
the totally unfounded negativity about the 380, which in turn may contribute to
MMAL's downfall. If you continue to publish such absolute garbage, I will make
it my priority that I find out who you are and track you down for, let us say, a
wake-up call. PS - please elaborate on your term "stylistically forced".
Matthew Wells
Australia
The article you mention – Driving Emotion – is an opinion piece by
Julian Edgar (as credited at the beginning of the article). The full details of
our 380 road test can be found at Mitsubishi 380LS New Car Test. Stylistically
forced = an appearance which is a bit ‘try hard’...
Refreshingly Honest Re 380
Your Mitsubishi 380LS New Car Test was refreshingly honest. I
have owned two consecutive
Mitsis which have both been great cars but, as you noted with the 380, they can be an odd mix of
inspired thinking and
annoying cost cutting. My
current Magna is no exception. From COTY in 1996, it stagnated to being unceremoniously run out at thousands of $ below retail... which, as a cheapskate, is why I bought one with a ten year warranty and all. Nice car to drive
though.
But all that aside, I do think to myself... wouldn't it have been nice to
have seen the Adelaide factory building a new generation Lancer? Perhaps slightly bigger, a turbo
diesel engine choice with
the option of a small V6 engine (just like the Magna of 1985) and we could start the cycle all over
again...
Darren
Australia
IEBC with Staged Injectors?
I've enjoyed reading your Boost Controller Roundups (Boost Controller Roundup - Part One and Boost Controller Roundup - Part Two) and am trying to pick the controller
for me. I'm thinking I like your IEBC the best, but I
have some questions...My injection system consists of two pairs of injectors with staged
operation. Can I run off duty cycle in this application? Is it possible to have this setup so
that I have 1 Bar of boost at
mid-rpm and 0.5
Bar at top rpm?
Simon Nieper
New Zealand
It largely depends on the operational duty cycle of each set of injectors. If
the primary injectors are augmented by the secondaries at, say, an engine load
corresponding to 80 percent duty cycle you may be able to tune the IEBC based on
the signal from the primary injectors. In this case, you’ll still be able to
tune the top-end of your boost control between around 80 and 100 percent duty
cycle. On the other hand, if the secondary injectors are staged quite early in
the load range (and, of course, use variable duty cycle) you might be able to
tune the IEBC from these. Failing these scenarios we don’t think the IEBC is
suitable – at least, not without some fancy custom modification...
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