My "fart can" has arrived from Japan

If one lives a full life, one will make mistakes. And if in your life, you learn from those mistakes, then it (the mistake), is worth it.

In this case, you feel bad, but not bad enough, so it seems. What to do, you ask. I would say, put the muffler on. Every time you hear it, it will remind you, and make you think again. It will make you remember not to think of yourself, but to think of the earth.

When I moved recently, I gave away a lot of stuff, so I would not have to move that stuff, thus reducing my carbon footprint just a bit. That included a couch, easy chair, TV, book shelves, CD'S, DVD'S, a lot of heavy stuff. I knew that I was going to be driving here, from South Florida, and I really wanted to reduce my weight, for gas mileage, and less emissions from the truck.

When I got here, I bought a new couch, made from recycled materials, and the delivery of that was far less of a carbon price tag.

I have been changing things I do, thinking twice about the world and all, since I got my Prius. Every day I drive my hybrid (either one), when I am at a light, and it's all silent, it reminds me of what I am doing.

So, perhaps your loud exhaust will remind you as well. I don't mean to sound mean. I just think since you are already realizing your mistake, you can continue to learn from it, and educate others about it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Nov 18 2007, 09:56 PM) [snapback]541450[/snapback]</div>

How is a cat-back exhaust going to increase emissions? It is mounted after the catalytic converter. All emissions impacts occur before exiting the converter. Also, the converter is a bottleneck on flow, since it has a maximum flow that can pass through it. You can do all manner of things with noise after the converter, but chemical (CO, CO2, NOx, SOx) emissions cease to be controlled upon exiting the converter.

 

You probably learned in your teenage years that a large muffler was a really neat addition to a car. But you didn't have the money to buy it, or a nice enough car to put it on.

Now you've got a neat car, and obviously still have that nagging need for spiffing it up. The difference is that now you've got the money.

So put it on. It's a lot less "overconsuming" than many television sets that I've seen. We've got so many options for overconsumption that treating one item as more important than others seems a bit ridiculous. What else would you do with the money? Give it to a good cause? Or just select some other unnecessary consumption? If you've really got too much money, I'd be happy to tell you where to send it...

Think it would have looked good on my '72 Pinto hatchback? German engine with the 4-speed. Spark plugs that never lasted over 10,000 miles... Bad cooling system thermostat that stranded me in beautiful downtown Buttonwillow for 6 hours on a rainy Friday night...

 

It's a bit of bling, it has nothing to do with performance or economy it's just bling. Any man who has a wife without jewelery or woman without jewelery is qualified to have a go at Pinto Girl everyone else should understand the desire for bling. Anyone who wears a tie or designer clothes, has a lawn in front of their home or paid extra for anything but a basic model of their car should understand the desire for bling.

Good on you PintoGirl for wanting your Prius to be out of the ordianary. Good on you for keeping people in work somewhere in the world and good on you for caring about how your decisions affect the planet, most don't.

Enjoy the glow of the polished stainless steel and know that if just 1 person likes the look and buys a Prius instead of a turbo rice racer you just doubled your carbon reduction through owning a Prius!!

If I were you I'd ignore the grumpy old men. I might even head out and buy a 4 inch tailpipe too!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Nov 19 2007, 12:02 AM) [snapback]541482[/snapback]</div>

If memory serves, the cat-back came with something like a 4" tailpipe.

Here is a thought on the packaging issue: Presumably the cardboard packaging can/will be recycled; if the plastic protective wrapping is re-used (holidays are fast-approaching, I imagine at least one gift will be sent by mail/UPS to somewhere else), you have avoided putting plastic into a landfill or having it dumped at sea. Maybe the recipient will similarly attempt to re-use the plastic.

However, ultimately, it comes down to what you do going forward. It is a conscious decision about how large of a footprint you want to make.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RonH @ Nov 18 2007, 02:31 AM) [snapback]541144[/snapback]</div>

:huh: :mellow: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

You can't beat yourself up over this. You don't have a time machine to go back. You've changed your mindset after purchasing this and now you have to deal with it.

You can stick it on your car. You can sell it. You can't undo buying it.

And you can now move forward under your new perceptions and act differently before you purchase future products.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 19 2007, 10:32 AM) [snapback]541591[/snapback]</div>

There is a concept in business called sunk cost (another more creative phrase that I like is: you can't cry over spilled milk... but the spilled milk phrase doesn't have the intellectual tony-ness); the fart can is sunk cost (or milk that has been spilled). What you do going forward is more important (as in don't go and spill more milk).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 19 2007, 02:32 PM) [snapback]541591[/snapback]</div>

Agree with Godiva and many other comments.

Some other suggestions:
1. Plant some trees and/or shrubs;
2. Join a shoreline clean-up event (maybe something to do with the spill in SF Bay)

Gabe

 

With small engines, the final muffler doesn't even have to work
that hard. When Mike Dabrowski did his 5th-wheel conversion, he
removed the final muffler on his Insight to fit the rig in its place,
and the cat-back stuff is just a straight pipe to the rear now.
Granted this is only a 1-liter engine, but even under load it only
makes a gentle, inoffensive puttering because the pair of cats in
front of it also smooth out most of the exhaust pulsation. And
emissions are unchanged.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 19 2007, 07:37 PM) [snapback]541720[/snapback]</div>

Please remove the bubblewrap before installing.

 

Good on ya Natalie, Please post a picture as I'd love to see it on.
You have to be pretty strong to put up with all the hollier than thou lot.

 

To be fair to all the judgmental replies, you invited judgment in the first post. But to be fair to reality, anyone on here who's said anything resembling a negative word about your purchase is more of a hypocrite than you!

We all have cars that were shipped from Japan... just because they didn't come in a box that said "JAPAN" on it with an international waybill doesn't mean that they didn't come from there.

None of us, nobody who could comment on your decision here, is in a position to judge you. I know I can neither absolve nor berate you without being hypocritical, and I'd really like to know what kind of life someone leads if they think they're qualified to pass judgment.

In fact, you're probably not even qualified yourself to pass judgment, and you've probably done lots of worse things for the environment or the economy, or your neighbor, or anything else you're worried about. I think the real lesson here is, don't come to us looking for moral support because you'll either get irony in the extreme, or rationalization from others who don't want to feel guilty.

Just enjoy the new toy!

 

Hi Natalie,

I wanted to post something a bit different from many of the replies you have recieved to date - what I am curious to know is your impression of your Prius after the "Fart Can" has been installed. Is it any (or much) louder? Does it sound better when the ICE is operating? Do you notice any change in power, acceleration, mileage? I'm just wondering what the overall delta is between a stock Prius and this kind of mod...

Thanks!
cc

One of the best things about this country is that we have the freedom to make choices and learn from our mistakes

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 19 2007, 04:37 PM) [snapback]541720[/snapback]</div>

Curiosity overwhelms. Are either of the opportunities related to your employment situation? If so, that would seem to be an incredible way to land on your feet....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Nov 19 2007, 09:21 PM) [snapback]541758[/snapback]</div>

Hey, wait a second. I don't care what she does with it and didn't judge her purchase. But her attempt to draw some sort of moral for others to live a better life struck me as incredibly selfish. But that's just me.

And 1 db is about 26% increase in intensity. And although healthy human hearing responds logarithmically, those with marginal or aided hearing have a decreased dynamic range. Not to guilt you or anything, but think of the seniors.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 17 2007, 10:12 PM) [snapback]541140[/snapback]</div>

hey, the thing came over in a boat full of other stuff. recycle the cardboard, if we all just did that, it would help a GREAT deal... btw... how much did you pay?

 

When the engine is now running, it might be louder than the tires now. Think of it as making you car safer for the blind.