Electric F-150

[Oldtimer]

The early Mustangs had the same issue

[Donna D.]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother Robert. Wow. I bought a 2002 Pinto Runabout brand new. Loved that snappy little car. Fortunately, no rearenders though.


The 1960s Mustangs suffered the same affliction. Rear filler. Ford came out with a recall/fix for the gas tanks. It wasn't because the filler was jammed into the tank (although it did), it's because the bolts on the frame punctured the tank in a rear end collision. I think we can thank Ralph Nader for the 'fix.'

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I think we can thank Ralph Nader for the 'fix.'

That, and the Corvair I think. If I recall, he wrote "unsafe at any speed" to describe the Corvair.

[Mike Lewis]

We've come a long way since then. The author of the book "Traffic" says that cars today are about as safe as possible, and that any further improvement in traffic safety will have to come from better road design.

Like those stinkin' roundabouts. But what makes them annoying (to me, anyway) is the same thing that makes them safe: a lot is going on, so drivers have to slow down and pay attention. I get it, but I don't like them.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

We've come a long way since then. The author of the book "Traffic" says that cars today are about as safe as possible, and that any further improvement in traffic safety will have to come from better road design.

Like those stinkin' roundabouts. But what makes them annoying (to me, anyway) is the same thing that makes them safe: a lot is going on, so drivers have to slow down and pay attention. I get it, but I don't like them.

The Sedona area of Arizona loves roundabouts. The first place I've been that the signs for the next one are on the exit from the previous one, with 6 in a 3 mile section.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

That, and the Corvair I think. If I recall, he wrote "unsafe at any speed" to describe the Corvair.

Nader was associated with the Corvair, but the section about the Corvair was only a small part of the book. The original Corvair was no worse than a Porsche or VW or any other rear-engine cars and swing-axle cars (such as the earlier generations of my wife's Triumph Spitfire); the second generation fixed the car's only safety issue and was already in production before Nader's book was even published.

As usual, the people who design and build products are the ones who improve them, not the people who make their name complaining about them.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

As usual, the people who design and build products are the ones who improve them, not the people who make their name complaining about them.

Well yes, but the question is, would the improvements be made as quickly, or even at all, without those who complain? I suspect sometimes yes, sometimes no. Nader is no idol of mine, so perhaps there are better examples.

[mizterwizard]

I am one of the few people who have actually read "Unsafe at Any Speed". I have always been interested in all things automotive and I thought it would teach me some things about car design. I was half way through it when I realized it was only about the Corvair. The thing is, there was nothing unique about the Corvair except that it was built by GM. VW Beetles had the same swing axle suspension problem as did Triumph Spitfires and several other cars. They all had a tendency to roll over rather than slide and to spin rather than plow.

My opinion of Ralph Nader was that he was a self promoter more than anything else. Some good came out of what he advocated but it was coincidental. He took on GM because if you want to get noticed you need to have the biggest opponent possible. I don't respect him much.

I like roundabouts. At first they are tricky but once you get to understand them they work very well. A roundabout takes more land and paving to construct but MythBusters proved that they handle traffic better even for those not accustomed to them. Watch this starting at 2:40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvNO8LWVfAg

[Eggscape]

You know the fuel tank is a little to close when you can use a stick to check the fuel level while driving...as in my 47 Willy’s.

[StarvingHyena]

"Now if you want a bang, you attach a condom filled with the mixture from and e..."…

Mmmm I always had more interesting things to do with my condoms …..

How did we ever get on this thread anyway?


Tom

[mizterwizard]

It's one of those segue things, sort of like the seven degrees of Kevin Bacon. You start out talking about a new and interesting development in Ford tow vehicles, that shifts to a discussion of alternative propulsion systems which leads to alternative fuels which transitions to fuel safety which becomes a discussion of the merits of different fuels which morphs into alternative uses of fuels which enters into crazy things you can do when you are young and stupid but don't know it.

Where will it all end? I'm following to find out. Probably with good weather for RVing and less time for typing.

[gbaglo]

Speaking of typing, I'm a touch typist. Have been since the 10th grade. Have a new MacBook Air and now I have to keep correcting because I hit the 'b' with my index finger when I want to hit 'n'. Did Apple shrink the keyboard? I also hit 'g' instead of 'h'; 't' instead of 'y'.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Speaking of typing, I'm a touch typist. Have been since the 10th grade. Have a new MacBook Air and now I have to keep correcting because I hit the 'b' with my index finger when I want to hit 'n'. Did Apple shrink the keyboard? I also hit 'g' instead of 'h'; 't' instead of 'y'.

I have a friend who is a superb typist Glenn. He's crazy fast and accurate as well. He had the same issues typing on a laptop that was rather smallish. His fix was to attach a Cherry mechanical keyboard. Ugh. Kind of a pain.

[gbaglo]

This MacBook Air replaces a 2012 MacBook Air.

I'm thinking my arthritic index fingers are worse maybe.

[mizterwizard]

AAAAAAAnd off we go on another tangent. Come on sun.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by mizterwizard

AAAAAAAnd off we go on another tangent. Come on sun.

It's kind of like Lake Powell. Yes, you can steer your boat down the center channel (Colorado River) all the way to the Glen Canyon Dam bouys if you like. But sometimes it's way more fun to explore the side canyons.

[Greg A]

I got lost at the exploding condoms.

[Hilola]

What was this thread about again?

[Mike Lewis]

The problem with traffic circles / roundabouts is that with heavy traffic from one direction there isn't a break from the cars streaming in, so those coming in from another direction just have to stop and wait. It reminded me of a "latch" from a course I took in integrated circuit design. This is typical during rush hour, and it is when traffic circles need traffic lights to regulate the flow.

Apple has gotten complaints about the keyboards in its newer laptops. I recently bought a mechanical keyboard for when I use my laptop at home, and it is nice. They are popular with gamers nowadays, so they are rugged. The one I bought is a Das Keyboard, but Cherry has a good rep. I'd recommend one.

I have no comment about exploding condoms.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Hilola

What was this thread about again?

Oh! look! A squirrel eating poutine!