You're talking to Serenity. And, Early... Serenity is very unhappy.

River ,'Objects In Space'


Natter 34: Freak With No Name  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


§ ita § - Apr 04, 2005 11:30:59 am PDT #2972 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Car question: If I'm looking to compare on paper based on whatever the technical term for pep is, I'm thinking I'm looking at horsepower. How important is engine size? What mitigates the HP rating? Do reports list 0-60?

Not-car question: I've noticed a lot of tidily dressed men matching their belts to their shoes, their socks to their shirt, and their pants to nothing at all. Is this a prevailing method of matching or an anomaly in my sampling? It's pretty neat.


Cashmere - Apr 04, 2005 11:31:26 am PDT #2973 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.

All personal feelings aside, I would be lost without Elmo. He seems to get the job done.

As for Sesame Street, I like that I can see big stars on some of the segments--most recently, Natalie Portman and BB King. It's a nice surprise every once in a while. Needless to say, when I'm up at 6 a.m. it's either CNN or Sesame Street. I find Sesame Street to be much more conducive to my mental health.


Maria - Apr 04, 2005 11:35:54 am PDT #2974 of 10001
Not so nice is that I'm about to ruin a Friday morning for a bunch of people because of a series of unfortunate events and an upset foreign government. - shrift

Car question: If I'm looking to compare on paper based on whatever the technical term for pep is, I'm thinking I'm looking at horsepower. How important is engine size? What mitigates the HP rating? Do reports list 0-60?

Also look at torque, especially at low RPMs. Increased engine size can mean more pep, but it can also mean lower gas mileage. Reports usually do list 0-60 times.

edit: Here's a good site that explains why torque and horsepower are important. [link] Ignore the last bit about torque being important at high RPMs; that's only important for racing.


tommyrot - Apr 04, 2005 11:38:59 am PDT #2975 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Car question: If I'm looking to compare on paper based on whatever the technical term for pep is, I'm thinking I'm looking at horsepower. How important is engine size? What mitigates the HP rating? Do reports list 0-60?

This might be more complex than you think. Lots of car reports list 0-60 time - this is probably the best measure of "pep." Horsepower is important. So is torque. If you have two engines of equal horsepower but one is bigger (meaning, has a larger displacement) then the bigger engine will put out more torque (assuming the gearing is the same).

Torque can be thought of as the "twisting" power of an engine, whereas horsepower is the total power of the engine. That's about all I understand of the two, except that for initial acceleration, torque is more important, but as the car goes faster, horsepower becomes more important.

Of course, the horsepower and torque of a car have to be compared to the car's weight - obviously a lighter car with the same engine is gonna accelerate faster. Some reviews, datasheets, etc will give a car's power-to-weight ratio. But looking at a car's 0-60 time is probably the simplest indication of a car's "pep."

eta: I'm assuming that your use of "pep" is somewhat synonymous with "acceleration."


Steph L. - Apr 04, 2005 11:41:01 am PDT #2976 of 10001
I look more rad than Lutheranism

For those of you keeping score, the Reds scored three runs against Pedro in the 1st, but the Mets managed to tie the game up in the 3rd.

I can't get the broadcast on AM radio at my desk, but the internets inform me that it's top of the 8th, Reds trailing by 2. They're still in it, baby.


Sean K - Apr 04, 2005 11:41:24 am PDT #2977 of 10001
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

(The yipyip monsters always scared me when I was a kid. Don't know why.)

The yipyip monsters were always my favorites.

The Sesame Street "near...far" just gave me the first true happy I've had all day.

From the first moment I saw Titanic, and heard the chorus of that awful Celine Dion song, I always heard Grover singing it.


msbelle - Apr 04, 2005 11:43:09 am PDT #2978 of 10001
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb

M
E
T
S

METS METS METS!!!


DXMachina - Apr 04, 2005 11:43:31 am PDT #2979 of 10001
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

I can't get the broadcast on AM radio at my desk, but the internets inform me that it's top of the 8th, Reds trailing by 2. They're still in it, baby.

I bought the MLB Gameday audio package for just such a problem. I'm listening to the game right now, AIFG.


lori - Apr 04, 2005 11:44:05 am PDT #2980 of 10001

MFNLaw found one the same links I was gonna post. But I also found this one which explains the torque vs. horsepower in somewhat simpler terms.

ita, for example, my old silver MX-6 had 110 hp @4700 rpm, and 130 ft-lbs torque @ 3000 rpm. My newer turbo version of that same car has 145 hp and 190 ft-lb. More torque = more wheee! aka getting pushed back in your seat, aka, pep.


§ ita § - Apr 04, 2005 11:45:39 am PDT #2981 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

I'm assuming that your use of "pep" is somewhat synonymous with "acceleration."

It's as good an assumption as any, and better than most.

I'm skimming reviews trying to find out what's peppier than my VR6 Jetta. Which looks like this:

  • Acceleration (0-60 mph): 7.6 sec.
  • Braking Distance(60-0 mph):125 ft.
  • Roadholding Index: 0.80
  • Base Number of Cylinders: 6
  • Base Engine Size: 2.8 liters
  • Base Engine Type: V6
  • Horsepower: 174 hp @ 5800 rpm
  • Torque: 181 ft-lbs. @ 3200 rpm

So I'm going to, then, focus on comparable accelerations, and look best at stuff with higher or equivalent horsepower and torque. And then maybe that engine size thing. Is the roadholding index from 0-1?