Response

Powder Coating Wheels

Regarding the Powder Coating mentioned in the Facelifting Alloy Wheels story, you may also want to add an advisary to remove the powder coating off the wheel hub face, the bit that contacts the cars hub face. This is may not necessary for "normal road use" what ever that is, but is essential if you intend to use the wheel in any form of motorsport. In high brake heat situations, a race track for instance, the powdercoating will melt and give you a 0.5 - 1.0mm gap between hub face and wheel, this is to say the least an 'unpleasent feeling'. I would also suggest that powder coating is very soft {plastic} compared to the wheel alloy face and that it would be advisable to re-torque your wheel nuts as the powder coating may initially bed down with use. Given that you wrote this article a while back, now would be a goood time to check ;-).

Simon Briggs (long time reader still bemoaning the repeats)

Australia

A very good point – an addition has been made to the article.

Series Hybrids

Hi, I'm wondering whether anyone from Autospeed has driven a series hybrid, and what it was like. I'm picturing it being somewhat like an electric car with extended range, but I can't be sure, not having driven any kind of hybrid myself. Are there any series hybrids available in Australia?

Ben

Australia

We know of local electric cars with mobile petrol generator battery recharge but we’re not aware of any properly integrated series hybrids.

Intake Tubing

I was reading through your ram air article. Can you tell me the company that sales the colored flex tubing? I can't seem to find it. I'm trying to make a ram air system for my g 35.

Brian Crowell

United States

The best bet is to look for major industrial parts and hose suppliers in your area.

Complex Pulser Interfacing

Re: eLabtronics Pulser. What you have is a cheap and simple module for driving a load, but this only partially covers your stated goal of making car electronics modification simpler, interfacing with the sensors still requires a lot of custom electronics soldering, fiddling, and mounting. Having previously built and employed your IEBC kit to great success, I'm not adverse to such things, but I believe what you need to complete the picture is a generic sensor interface to not only simplify the triggering of the pusler but open it up to some more complex behaviours.

Ash

Australia

We don’t believe adding just one component – a pot – to allow the Pulser to be triggered from any voltage outputting car sensor is “a lot of custom electronics soldering, fiddling, and mounting”.

Unique Intercooling Approach

I have recently discovered your website and have found your technical articles very interesting and informative. I saw your article on refrigerated intercooling and that reminded me of a system I came across a couple of years ago - www.wdlpower.co.uk I thought you might find it interesting and might be worth an article if you can wrap your brain around how it works.

Conn Clark

United States

Honda Insight

I have just purchased my first Insight and as an engineer I am absolutely blown away by the technology that is included in this tiny car. I was just directed to your EMag and find this to be the best information I have found yet on the Insight. Much better than what I found on 99MPG.com and equal to if not better than InsightCentral.net.

I just read the article on water injection and noticed that your objection to continuing the research on the Insight centered around the amount of water needed to handle the full tank of gas (10hours=10 gallons). But I think you failed to take into account TWO very important things. First, if traveling with a woman (wife), the female bladder is only good for 2 to 3 hours so you will be stopping that often ANYWAY..or getting a divorce, so fill up a 3 gallon tank then. The second is that in MOST use the car will only be used 2 to 3 hours at a time and then you are at a destination....Fill Up time. So a 3 gallon water tank (21 pounds full, 10 pounds average load) would do the job. I plan on trying this as I have a trip that is a regular for me, 425 miles one way with a lunch stop in the middle. This along with the series resistor in the air temp line should be a winner.

Jim Isbell

United States

Of course you’re right - the car would still have adequate range with a water injection tank providing 2 or 3 hours’ cruise. It’s just that I really like the idea of filling the 40 litre fuel tank and then be able to drive for over 1000 kilometres without stopping at a fuel station... We’d love to hear how you go with the water injection system. - Julian Edgar

DIY Immobiliser

Hey I just read about your DIY car immobiliser. I was just wondering because there is a constant 12v power supply at the start of the circuit, wouldnt this mean that there will be power running through the relays coil holding it to be latched in one it positions. This would then mean that the cars battery could run dead (after about 2 weeks). If wired it up to a ignition wire insead of a constant power supply, wouldnt this then deactivate the immobiliser when the key was turned off?

Thanks for your help.

Jack

Australia

The only current draw when the ignition is turned off is the flashing LED. You can delete this if you like.

Digital Counter 1

Refer to The $10 Digital Counter, Instead of '1' '+' '1' '=' to shart the counter from 2, what i suggest is to press '-' '1' '+' '1' '=' to shart counter from 0.

Gary Ng

Malaysia

Digital Counter 2

Re $10 Digital Counter - great idea! but if you connect the switch to the M+ button, and enter 1 on the display, every time you close the switch 1 would be added to the memory. This would mean you wouldn't lose the data if the calculator was turned off. Also most caclutors without memory will increment by a given amount if you key in 1++1 instead of 1+1 and then hit the = button

Mike Constantine

New Zealand

Electric Pre-Warming the Engine

I love your articles, keep up the good work. Pre-warming the engine indeed reduce emissions and fuel consumption throughout most of the year.

Here are some interesting and relevant references:

http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/ajas/ajas43106%2d111.pdf

http://www.scantechab.se/projekt/mv/rapporter/isata.pdf

You might also find interesting the list of fuel economy related papers I compiled over at ecomodder.com

http://ecomodder.com/forum/19078%2dpost1.html

Martin

Canada

Did you enjoy this article?

Please consider supporting AutoSpeed with a small contribution. More Info...

Share this Article:

Tweet