What's the point of lots of speed and acceleration?

You tell me. China or the US...who do you think offers more freedom to their inhabitants.

 

Personal transportation includes high-speed rail. Some countries have a lot of that; others little or none. It does figure into this discussion.

I've used such trains many times, for need of going somewhere to do something. 200 km/hr is efficient. They usefully supplement me-only vehicles.

Local city buses here are many, adequate, and cheap. US may lack that option in some places.

Saying again that I could if desired buy any car available in US and more besides. Saying larger that my personal transportation options look not worse in China than in US. I might pay more for a Maserati than you would (they make nice sounds), but we'd have to work that out.

==
So tell me again about your transportation freedom.s If you want to discuss other freedoms, check with moderators. I am always here at your service.

 

Per thread topic...

"Are there any modern cars that are cool to you, and why do you think they are cool? Is it their tire shredding speed that I personally don't agree with, but maybe you like it? Or is it something else?".

Should you like to further discuss comparative "freedoms" offered in different parts of the world...I'm sure you can start a new thread in Fred's other House.

 

Um......NO.
It does not.
Perhaps this is a linguistic 'clog.'
Personal transportation refers to the modern privilege of using private vehicles for mobility, which can greatly influence individuals' lives and activities.

It's a 'freedom' thing - so it may not transliterate globally - and I get that.
THERE.

NOT here in the land of the free.

Knowing me as I do I probably said something about 60 posts ago that goes something like:

Acceleration.
It's like Jazz music.
If you 'get it,' no explanation is necessary.

If you don't get it you don't 'get it.'

 

... it's not speed, acceleration, per se. It's the variance. Evaluating its continuum, it can only be 5 things (e.g., trend/drift; cyclicality; periodicity; white noise/multi-collinearity; structural break).

We had a university fellow come to the track a few years back, evaluating a Viper converted to natural gas. In a two hour run group, I lapped him twice in my Supercharged MR2, on 101 octane competition unleaded.

Deviation, between a Dodge Viper on 101 racing unleaded, Dodge Viper on CNG on paper would be, a structural break. Significance would be -- null hypothesis, say, our freeway on-ramps are too short? It would be a chore, even for a 8 liter Viper huffing 'n puffing on CNG, reaching highway speed in the quarter mile breadth of a contemporary on-ramp.

It's for good reason we use gasoline. Efficient market hypothesis, were CNG efficient, we'd be doing it.

Once upon a time, those who drove our particular vehicle were characterized as, intelligent.


Samuel, '04 Ruthiemobile

 

Land of the free, Murica

 

I took the train across Canada in ‘68, Vancouver to Halifax, on my way to Basic Training, for $90 (not out of my pocket).

Googled current situation:


• Al Overview:

The cost to take a train across Canada depends on the route, the time of year, and the class of ticket you choose:

• The Canadian: A VIA Rail train that offers scenic views of the country's geography: ®
• Sleeper Plus cabin: In 2024, a Sleeper Plus cabin costs around CAD $2,500 per person in the winter and CAD $4,500 per person in the summer for travel between Toronto and Vancouver
• Prestige cabin: In 2024, a Prestige cabin costs around CAD $5,500 per person in the winter and CAD $7,500 per person in the summer for travel between Toronto and Vancouver
• Inclusive packages: Start at $5,280 and include meals, hotels, transfers, sightseeing, and activities

 

I always though one of those scenic train trips would be nice.

 

+1.

They're perfect for listening to a good book because you can enjoy the book and the scenery without involving yourself with the whole 'aviate, navigate, communicate' thing.

 

For me in ‘68, the allure of the rails wore off, maybe halfway ‘cross the prairies; Incessant replay of Lineman for the County (Glen Cambell), and Little Arrows (Leapy Lee?) wears thin.

the diner for the first half was a stainless steel decor hosted by Soup Nazi’s kin, “tick only two items on the card”. Then in Ontario switched trains, and walk into dining car: there’s table cloths, bound menus, waiters attending tables.

strange deja vu thing: there were little pockets along the hallways with water dispensers and little conical paper cups. First time I used it, the distinctive smell of the paper cup brought back a flood of recall:

I’d crossed Canada by train in ‘54 I guess (I was three), with my mom, bound for east coast ship to Holland. Mom was sort of a war bride, long story. The same paper cups still in use I guess.

mom disclosed to me when she was dying, she’d been thinking to not come back, to stay in Holland. Funny lives.

 

the train ride sounds nice, if it was first class and private dining. orient has always had some majical appeal.i had a eurail pass summer of '72. that was fun, but i was 18

 

I should not expect words to have consistent consensus definitions. I do in science, but this is not that.

Planes trains automobiles etc. all get 'er done, one way or another. If I were choose an automobile in complete ignorance of other transportation options, I might choose poorly.

All trains mentioned so far seem rooted in nostalgia. Me too. sigh. But currently high-speed rail is a thing in many countries. Pooh poohed in others, which has some parallels to this thread. They are nifty at 200 km/hr, and Shanghai maglev is faster.

Subways and similar largely substitute for urban automobiles, even in Ameri-car-ica. But close one eye if you see more clearly that way.

 

public transportation is full up around here, fraught with breakdowns, cost overruns and political intrigue

 

Nostalgia = history soaked in ethanol.

IMHO trains are somewhat antithetical to "lots of speed and acceleration" as applied to a 'car' forum - even a 'Prius' car forum.

Trains seem to me to be "public" transportation - which like labour unions - are something that people in 'Merica, in the year of our Lord 2024 think is GREAT......(as long as someone ELSE does it!)

 

Nothing to do with the fuel, everything to do with the tuning. Properly tuned, including the fuel/air delivery, CNG, LNG, LPG, make a great choice for high power ICE engines. Nothing like seeing the intake manifold with ice forming on it after a really hard run.
CNG really doesn't make sense, LNG on the other hand ...... you can get a lot of very high octane methane (natural gas) at a very low temperature blasting into the cyl cooling it to improve the volume of air that can be added before the valve closes, more air = more oxygen to burn more fuel, the only thing better are the fuels that produce their own oxygen, but you have to dump a lot of those type of fuels into each cyl each cycle, they have very poor calorific value.

T1 Terry

 

For that proper tuning, you also have to adjust the compression ratio. Natural gas has an effective octane of over 120 AKI. Simply converting a gasoline engine, even a high octane one, will mean not gaining the full power and efficiency potential of natural gas.

One of the problems with the US flexfuel cars was that the manufacturers used a regular octane engine. The efficiency drop would have been less using a hign octane engine.

PS: Found this little comparison tool.
Alternative Fuels Data Center: Fuel Properties Comparison