HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving

With the kind of gear reduction you're talking about, you would have at
best, one chance to down-shift.  You would have to match the RPM of the
engine with your roadspeed perfectly the first time.  If you miss, you'll
be going too fast the bring your engine up to the required speed. Now
you're going to be in for a Really Exciting ride!!

Actually, it probably would be safer and cause less damage to the vehicle
and/or passengers if you just sideswipe the mountain-side gradually (don't
hit it so hard that you bounce off) before you build up any signficant 
speed.

I used to drive tractor-trailer rigs cross country and the way I was taught
to keep it under control in the mountains was to go down the hill in the 
same gear I went up it.  If something goes wrong, STOP IMMEDIATELY!  If it
picks up speed before you react, your relatives are going to get some bad
news.  In the kind of "roads" you're describing, I think the same precautions
probably apply.

Good Luck,
 Gary


Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas)
Subject: Re: Illegal Acceleration?
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 16:07:43 GMT
Organization: Cambridge Technology Partners

In article <94610@bu.edu> antoniou@buitc.bu.edu (George Antoniou) writes:
>In article <1992Aug25.055015.14481@leland.Stanford.EDU> tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug24.171230.18978@ctp.com> bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas) writes:
>>>In article <1992Aug17.164537.25359@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> jrd@po.CWRU.Edu (John R. Daker) writes:
>>>>I wonder about this more often now that I have 0-60 times in the 3
>>>>second range.
>>>Commuting in a top-fuel dragster?  What the hell car gets '3 second range'
>>>0-60 times?  Even if you drive around with slicks, I find it hard to believe
>>>that you can get under 4 seconds...  (I don't think most motorcycles can
>>>hole-shot that fast!)
>
> Dude my 600 CBR does 0-60 in 3 seconds... what planet do you live on???
>
>
The one where not every bike is a rice burning sport bike?

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        ___          
       / _ \                 '85 Mustang GT                        Bob Pitas
      /    /USH              14.13 @ 99.8                      bpita@ctp.com
     / /| \                  Up at NED, Epping, NH           (Cambridge, MA)

"If you go fast enough, driving in traffic is like driving in a parking lot"
Disclaimer: These opinions are mine, obviously, since they end with my .sig!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty)
Subject: Re: Indy 800
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 19:47:29 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.124506.23802@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan) writes:
>ALERT!!!   ALERT!!!     ALERT!!!

>Just when I had begun to feel that we might have put this behind us - I picked
>up the Washington Post this morning I read the WE ARE GOING METRIC AND OFFICIALS
>FEAR A PUBLIC OUTCRY.
...
>We converted our liquor industry... er,.. relabeled - that 1/2 gallon bottle now
>has a label that says "1.75 liters".  987 ML of milk???

>"Beginning measured 1.62 kilometers."  :-)

you're either a comedian or a idiot.  which, i'm not quite sure of as of
yet.  in theory, given the johns hopkins address, you're not supposed
to be an idiot, so we'll presume that you're a comedian, at least
for now.

in any case, if you're actually not able to cope with the metric system,
then if i were a university official, i'd be ashamed to admit that i
admitted you in the first place.

realistically, this country will eventually go metric, one way or
the other, protests notwithstanding.  the only question is how long it
will take.

cheers,
  richard
-- 
richard welty                            518-393-7228
welty@cabot.balltown.cma.com
  ``if you can read this, mario, you're too close''
    -- bumper sticker seen on a CART safety truck
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Subject: Re: left lane for big trucks
Reply-To: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 18:39:01 GMT

In article <Sstevens.122@oregon.uoregon.edu>, Sstevens@oregon.uoregon.edu (Shirien Stevens) writes:
|> 
|> So I thought:  let's just change the whole scenario, and have the big trucks 
|> mostly stay in the far left lane, so that they don't have to deal with the 
|> on-off mergers.....
|> 
|> But then my sweetie, a driver of many years, pointed out that when they did 
|> change lanes for passing, etc., they'd be changing to lanes to the right 
|> much more often, and they don't see their right hand spaces as well as they 
|> do their left-hand spaces.......
|> 
|> So it was a good try, but no cookies.

I'll try again.  Left lane, no passing, 85 mph speed limit, pro drivers only.
From: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Indy 800
Date: 25 Aug 92 21:10:46 GMT
Reply-To: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov
Followup-To: alt.systeme-crankee
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.198
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4

>WE ARE GOING METRIC...eating away at the foundation of our culture...

If our culture had such a flimsy foundation that adopting a logical,
user-friendly system of weights and measures could topple it, would 
that be much loss?

Please... let's argue about important things, like whether a Mustang
is better than a Camaro.  I'm old enough to think more intuitively
in king's-toes and barleycorns than in SI units in most areas of life,
but that's no reason to hobble the next generation in this manner.

Joe "Fill it up, please... in IMPERIAL gallons" Chew
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen)
Subject: Re: Flashing to Pass: An Observation
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 92 02:44:18 GMT

In article <23947@oasys.dt.navy.mil> bense@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Ronald Bense) writes:
>As for backups, try a truck accident at the beltway on i-95 north. The
>backups have been reported to start in Frederick, which is approximately
>45 miles south of the beltway. Or yesterdays twin accidents on the beltway,
          ^^^^^
>causing two sections of 17-25 mile stopped traffic, as the beltway was
>shut down in 2 places. (this was a first in 3 years for me)

that's funny, i could have sworn i drove north from d.c. to frederick
yesterday.
-teddy
From: Cliff_Lum@mindlink.bc.ca (Cliff Lum)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: WANTED - 50 MM SIDE DRAFT CARBS
Date: 15 Aug 92 02:04:22 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada

Mikuni 50 phh from Lou fusz are 345.00 to 396.75 US
These are recommended for racing only.
Thats at LOu Fusz toyota though.
800-325-9581.
But mikunis are usable on other cars since not a stock item.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: goudreau@batman.rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau)
Subject: Re: LIDAR, License plates, and ECM
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 16:19:25 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC

In article <67240@hydra.gatech.EDU> hh2@prism.gatech.EDU (Hap Haas) writes:
>
> It was stated that a prime reflecting surface used by police is the
> license plate ("tag" for you northerners).

Err, I think this is exactly backwards.  Growing up in the northeast,
I *never* heard the term "tag" used for license plates.  Only upon
moving to the south did I find out what a "license tag" was.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Goudreau			Data General Corporation
goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com		62 Alexander Drive	
+1 919 248 6231			Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: mann@csd.uwo.ca (Robert Mann)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Western Ontario, London
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 05:36:30 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.144123.16072@dg-rtp.dg.com> goudreau@batman.rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) writes:
>In article <94619@bu.edu> nicos@cs.bu.edu (Nicos Kontopoulos) writes:
>>
>>The funny thing is that in Europe we measure fuel consumption in
>>liters/100km.
>>...
>>So for the US newsreaders, have fun if (when) the US changes to metric...
>
>God, if/when we do convert, I certainly hope we don't replace the
>practice of quoting mileage (kilometerage??) with this silly "fuel
>consumption" figure.  It makes about as much sense as replacing
>speedometers with "time consumption" meters marked in hours/100km.
>
Well, here in Canada we've been metric for quite a while and fuel consumption
is still listed both ways.  Its kind of strange, since I've grown up being
taught metric all through school but miles/gallon seems to make a lot more
sense than litres/100km.  BTW, keep that hours/100km quite or the politicians
will be having them put in our cars.  I can see the cops writing the tickets...
"do you realize you took too little time for your last 100km?"

Rob

>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Bob Goudreau			Data General Corporation
>goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com		62 Alexander Drive	
>+1 919 248 6231			Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA
From: cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Illegal Acceleration?
Date: 26 Aug 92 23:31:08 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <1992Aug25.055015.14481@leland.Stanford.EDU> tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen) writes:
>In article <1992Aug24.171230.18978@ctp.com> bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas) writes:

|>Commuting in a top-fuel dragster?  What the hell car gets '3 second range'
|>0-60 times?  Even if you drive around with slicks, I find it hard to believe
|>that you can get under 4 seconds...  (I don't think most motorcycles can
|>hole-shot that fast!)

|there are a few motorcycles (in the one-liter class) that will
|go under 3 seconds for the 0-60 with ETs in the 10 second range.
|and a honda CBR600F2 takes just a hair over 3 seconds for the 0-60.

No doubt he was referring to American motorcycles :-)
-- 
Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.aifh          +44 (0)31 650 3085
Department of Artificial Intelligence,    Edinburgh University
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK                DoD #205
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 17:11:46 GMT


In article <972@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM> jhart@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Jim Hart) writes:
>
>[what] if the metric change-over included **time**!
>Just think, time, as we know it, is based on 60 - 60 minutes to the
>hour, 60 seconds/minute -- and 24 hours/day, 12 months/year.  Now, if
>an "hour" was 100 minutes (or whatever) and a minute was 100 or 10
>whatevers, that would make a day, logically 10 "hours" long and a
>year 10 "months".  For a true metric system we must consider this!!

Is this even possible? Since our year is not an integer multiple of our
day, even if we take a year and divide it up into 10 "months" each month
will either have a nonintegral number of "days" (e.g. 36.525 "days" per
"month") or the "day" will lose synchronization with the actual rotation
of the Earth. It would wind up being even more of a pain than the current
system!

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Subject: Re: LIDAR, License plates, and ECM
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 03:32:37 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

hh2@prism.gatech.EDU (Hap Haas) writes:

>One way to absorb this return is to cover the trihedrals with a polarized
>sheet.  This would effectively cancel any return due to the relectors.
>You should probably tilt the plate a bit in order to reduce any reflection
>due to random occurrences of dihedral formations in the paint.

>Just a thought.  If anyone has a hobby laser and a pair of polaroid
>sunglasses, we could check it out . . . 

Doesn't work.  Just tried it with a He-Ne laser and some polarized film.
Other than the attenuation from the tint, no decrease in the 
intensity of reflected light at any polarizer angle.  I suspect the reason
is the glass beads form more of a specular reflector than a trihedral
and thus return random polarization.

The best bet for blocking IR laser from a license plate will be a dichroic
filter tuned to block IR at the appropriate frequency.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
Performance Engineering Magazine (TM) |
Marietta, Ga                         |Interested in high tech and computers? 
jgd@dixie.com                        |Write me about PE Magazine
Need Usenet public Access in Atlanta?  Write Me for info on Dixie.com.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: hale@btree.uucp (Bob Hale)
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 19:48:36 GMT
Organization: Brooktree Corporation
Subject: Re: What is a "jake brake"?
Summary: 
Followup-To: 
Distribution: na
Organization: Brooktree Corporation, San Diego
Keywords: brake

In article <1992Aug26.144306.28162@berlioz.nsc.com> alan@lancaster.nsc.com (The Hepburn) writes:
>
>...and when a cement truck hauling 10 yards of wet cement rolls over your
>little putt-putt at the bottom of a loooooooong 6 1/2% down grade because
>his wheel brakes have overheated and faded you'll be saying "why didn't you
>use your Jake brake?".  I would not drive a truck without a Jake brake, or
>some other type of compression braking, because I know that the wheel brakes
>are not enough when you're trying to keep a large vehicle under control.

Why not put a muffler on the Jake brake?  The Jake brake is almost as
load as unmuffled engine exhaust.

Bob Hale                                      ...!ucsd!btree!hale
...!btree!hale@ucsd.edu                       ...!ucsd!btree!hale@uunet.uu.net


Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jimb@access.digex.com (Jim Brooking)
Subject: Re: What is a "jake brake"?
Keywords: brake
Organization: National Commitee to Keep Slower Traffic Right
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 13:41:05 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.032657.378@tamsun.tamu.edu> mds8539@tamuts.tamu.edu (Michael David Slater         ) writes:
>>
>>2. My problem with jake brakes is purely the fact that they can be heard for
>>several miles. 1. I don't believe noise is necessary for good braking...
>
>Well, 1. You're wrong and 2. Who cares. 

Wrong?  There are lots of heavy vehicles which brake just fine without
disturbing every living being within a 10 mile radius.  Loud bad-ass
Jake Brakes are the exception rather than the rule.

Who cares?  Obviously several localities care enough to make their use
illegal...

-- 
jimb@access.digex.com  | (Cage) 1991 323se     ZCP-710   |     Comus Road
Merry Land (MD) U.S.A. | (Bike) 1986 GSXR750    (sold)   |     ClarksBURG
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But of course, I have three eyes.  I have clairvoyant paranoia.  -King Missile
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: kdarling@garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling)
Subject: Re: Mountain driving and brake failure
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 08:17:07 GMT

Gary Goodlund writes:
>With the kind of gear reduction you're talking about, you would have at
>best, one chance to down-shift.  You would have to match the RPM of the
>engine with your roadspeed perfectly the first time.  If you miss, you'll
>be going too fast the bring your engine up to the required speed. Now
>you're going to be in for a Really Exciting ride!!
 
Amen.  Back in '78, I and my girlfriend we were driving across Monarch Pass
CO in a '67 Dodge van, pulling a Javelin (we'd just gotten out of the Army).
Coming down the other side, we were behind somebody who was going just the
wrong speed for my second gear (automatic transmission) and while I was
trying to stay off my brakes, I must not have been careful enough...
suddenly I could feel them fading off very fast.

I immediately moved the gearshift into first, but we were going about 25mph
and that was too fast for the shift to take.  My next thought was to bump
a hill, but there were ravines on both sides.  Then I thought about jumping
out and trying to get into the towed Javelin and use ITS brakes to stop us,
but its doors were locked.  So I yelled at my girlfriend to get ready to jump.
(All this took place in about one second :-)

The brakes had completely failed by then and we began to pick up speed.
But just as we opened our doors to bail out, I remembered double-clutching
on a standard transmission... so I stomped the gas pedal to the floor.
The engine revved up and thank god!  the transmission dropped into first.

>Actually, it probably would be safer and cause less damage to the vehicle
>and/or passengers if you just sideswipe the mountain-side gradually (don't
>hit it so hard that you bounce off) [...]

Warning: don't try this on normal street curbs!  I'd just had my brakes
replaced on a '61 Mercedes when they failed going down a very steep street
with a busy intersection below!  So I tried to scrub my tires on the curb.
Guess what?  That requires getting the angle **exactly** right :^)

I scrubbed for about ten feet and then the tires rode up the curb, hurling
the car into a front lawn and STILL heading for the intersecting street.
I had to swing the wheel to the right to avoid a collision... and ended up
going across the yard on my two left wheels with the right side in the air,
but was finally able to bring it down safely between the cars below.

>I used to drive tractor-trailer rigs cross country and the way I was taught
>to keep it under control in the mountains was to go down the hill in the
>same gear I went up it.  If something goes wrong, STOP IMMEDIATELY!  

Sound like good advice to me :-)

kevin <kdarling@catt.ncsu.edu>
From: alan@lancaster.nsc.com (The Hepburn)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Mountain driving and brake failure
Date: 31 Aug 92 18:44:14 GMT
Organization: National Semiconductor Corporation

In article <1992Aug31.075450.14889@colorado.edu>, drew@ophelia.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt) writes:
|> Let's say you're driving in the mountains, up some moutain passes.
|> We're talking real mountain passes, above 12,000 feet,
|> that may involve 4wd-only, single lanes and no guard rails, that aren't 
|> open every year because some years in August they still have a 5-10' 
|> snow bank on top.  One side will be rock, the other a nice long freefall.
|> 
|> To make things more interesting, let's assume that your brakes 
|> fail.  You're driving something truly ancient, so 1st has no  
|> syncromesh and you can't shift into it without stopping, and
|> you can't stop without brakes.
|> 
|> What do you do?  
|> 

First of all, even without synchromesh, you can shift into first, or even
reverse.  Double clutching still works like it did before synchros came
on the scene.  Also, how do the brakes fail?  If it's a hydraulic failure
then the parking brake, aka the "emergency" brake, should work.  Although it's
not nearly as effective in stopping a vehicle, considering the alternative,
it's worth a try.

Cutting the ignition is an option also, so long as it's an older vehicle or
you don't turn the key all the way to lock the steering wheel.  Just remember,
any power assist will be gone.  Steering will require a lot more effort if you
have power steering.  Another option, which can be used in conjunction with others 
is to use the rocky side of the road to scrub off speed.  Careful contact with the 
rocks can do wonders for your speed! Again, considering the alternative, any sheet
metal damage should be acceptable.


-- 
Alan Hepburn           "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know
National Semiconductor       what you have just found out."
Santa Clara, Ca              
alan@berlioz.nsc.com                              Will Rogers
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: ashaw@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (andrew.shaw)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 16:19:28 GMT

> In article <972@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM> jhart@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Jim Hart) writes:
>I've often wondered...
>Since the metric system is based on 10 and switching from the English
>(American) system would take some getting used to, what a hassle it
>would be if the metric change-over included **time**!
>Just think, time, as we know it, is based on 60 - 60 minutes to the
>hour, 60 seconds/minute -- and 24 hours/day, 12 months/year.  Now, if
>an "hour" was 100 minutes (or whatever) and a minute was 100 or 10
>whatevers, that would make a day, logically 10 "hours" long and a
>year 10 "months".  For a true metric system we must consider this!!

Interestingly, base 12 is more useful for fractional calculations
than base 10:

	Base	Factors
	10	2, 5
	12	2, 3, 4, 6
	24	2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12
	60	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30

So maybe that "inches in a kings foot" system was not so irrational after
all.

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: mppg9231@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael Peercy)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 00:38:19 GMT
Keywords: metric system

ham@wam.umd.edu (Scott Richard Rosenfeld) writes:

| The United States and Liberia (a U.S. colony for freed slaves, started in

| the late 1860's) are the ONLY countries in the whole world still using the
      ^^^^^^^^^
1822, actually, with independence in 1847.

| English system

Not that the Liberians have time to worry about their measurement system,
considering their state of civil unrest/war for the last 12 years.  Kind
of puts arguments about English vs. metric in perspective, actually.

(However, I didn't know that these were the only two English measurers
left.  Thanks for the trivia.)

Mike Peercy
peercy@crhc.uiuc.edu