Automotive misconceptions that drive me nuts
 

Ok, here are a few misconceptions about cars that drive me NUTS(in no perticular order)

1: the LS-1 is unbeatable
2: a stock muscle car can NEVER be beat by a newer car
3: what's up with "It's got a 3/4 race cam":rolleyes:
4: if you shut down before 150 in a steet race, your forfeiting
5: you can't time a motor with a timing light if it has a cam
6: a stock F-250 will outrun a GT, because the trucks got a 460
7: any 350, 302, exc from the 60's will make 400 hp at the wheels with a cam, edelbrock intake, holley carb, headers, and milled/ported stock heads
8: a huge .590 lift cam in a stock 350 will allow it to out run ANYTHING
9: if a Honda(or other simmilar car) has a wing, body kit, and neon underlighting it's F'in fast, don't mess with it:rolleyes:
10: when comparing ford vs chevy. The idiot that always chimes in, well the vette is faster than the GT
11: people who think their stock mid-70's smogger vette, camaro, exc. make 320 hp stock, when it really only makes 190
12: people who take the maximum hp gain the manufacturer says could happen(ie, 30 hp from a K&N), add all their speed parts together and say that's how much hp they are puttin out.

What drives you nuts???

Re: Automotive misconceptions that drive me nuts
 

Lists. ;)

You can, but you'll do better using a vacuum gauge.

Take care,
-Chris

Misspellings. God, what a pain in the arse those is....uh, I mean are. ;)

I HATE when people add up their supposed HP numbers based on manufacturers claims. This guy I know has a 97 Z28 with "360" horses. Yeah, he's got the Z: 285hp stock, borla catback: 25hp, K&N FIPK: 25hp, and a Hypertech Power programmer:25hp. This guy honestly tells people he's got 360 horsepower. When we go out to the race get togethers, he sounds SO dumb when people say, nice car, is it fast?" and he says, "It's got 360 horses!" Then he lists his mods!!

It's weird, though, that when my GT was stock with pulleys and mufflers I beat him! Usually 360hp vs ~268 would win. ;)

Another good one is
"your car can't beat a vete, they cost more then three of your cars put together"
"Why do you spend all that money on your car when you can by a new one that is faster"
I get this crap all the time because it is a old 79 rustang:rolleyes:

...or...

"I know my car will beat yours because (insert name here) magazine said so."

Take care,
-Chris

one of the things that drives me nuts -when peaple determine how fast a car is based apon peak horse power ratings.........well its quicker becouse it makes 250 horses and it weighs the same as yours..............seems to me torque and horsepower curve make quit a difference.........i see this from the import guy's all the time........peaple don't take into account on how usable the horse power is.....
i've beat guy's before that are supposed to have more horses for the simple reason that -since there power curve only lasts for 100 rpms and the moter has to be wound up to 7 grand to make its peak.......they'll spend to much time shifting ,and since there 4cyl only has a small peak power curve it won't put you back in the seat for near as long .......so while there shifting and waiting for the peak power to kick in i'm sneaking past them becouse my car will make it's meager 230 hp for a range of like 2 or 3 thosand rpms

i lov schooling the import guy's on this .......well i had mine dyno'ed and it makes more power then yours ...:rolleyes: ........well howed you wind up in my rearveiw mirror :confused:

One of the things that drives me nuts is people that swear that there cars are fast when they aren't. Especially the people that have no way of knowing if is or not. Like the ricers who swear that they toasted a vette even though the vette wasn't really racing them. The guys who talk alot of trash even though even though they haven't been on a dyno and don't know how much pwoer they are making. Like putting a turbo on any 4 banger automatically makes it faster than any mustang. I've got a friend who thinks that his new civic is fast cause he can chirp the tires in second.
He says "I bet I can run with mustangs."
I say "4 cylinder mustangs?"

He says "No, I bet I could run with Gt's"
I say "I say there is no way you can run with even a stock GT"

He says "I don't know, its pretty fast"

I have yet to turn him from the dark side. But I will.

It must be cause of the Saleen widshield banner. No its the Steeda graphics. No its the Cobra emblems. No I got it, its the Tornado air thingy, Yeah :D

It just annoys me when like said before, someone addup all the peak horse power numbers for their goodies and adds that to stock hp. Just cause a K&N made 26 hp on the commercial doesnt mean its gonna give my lawn mower that much. I "Figure" that like when they do a K&N test its on like a ram air vette or something goin 110 on the road. Of course its gonna be that much power you freakin moron but thats not what all K&N's give. I gotta K&N key chain hanging from my mirror. Does that mean I got a 20 hp Mirror modification I can put in my sig? I dont think so. If I had all the advertised hp that the speed parts if bought lists, id have a 500 horse small block with no power adder. Thats what we all need

Brad

Hmm this wouldn't be Sasha would it? He only believes it cause its what Brian tells him. Oh don't forget he hollowed out his cat. :D

I thought of something else that really bugs me. Do any of you buy parts faster than you put them in. I've got over 2000$ in parts in the garage at home and no time to put them in. I have been so busy lately that I haven't the spare time to do it. In particular I have an 8.8 rear with 3.73's and a 10.5" clutch to replace my original 10". I even got a brand new flywheel for the conversion. I can't wait to put them in and go for a spin. I know it is going to make a big diffrence. I used to stay up all night and work on the car but now I only sleep 4 or 5 hours night (newborn and early AM job). So I can't do that anymore.

Anyone else have similar problems.

1) People who have quick cars (eg, Camaro SS), but don't take care of them or just don't know anything about it. You ask something like, "What gears you got in the rear?" ---"I dunno". These are the people who can't change their own oil.

2) People who immediately assume I drive an average of 85 mph on the hwy just b/c my car is a Mustang with a 351W 5.8 L. Dude I got a 3-speed auto with 3.55s in the back. Even if I had a 5-speed manual with 2.73s, why I gotta be flyin down the hwy at terminal velocity? :rolleyes: Think b4 you babble. (happens too often to me)

3) A person who really believes that all American cars are inferior to imports b/c this person had a broke down Dodge Omni when he/she was 20 years old and it didn't last over 200,000 miles. :rolleyes:

4) Cool muscle/sports cars with SNOBBY owners. :mad:
a) Guys with cool cars that act stupid after they get beat (by an old '79 stang), :D

5) Idiots on the local cruise strip/lot that do STUPID CRAP and mess it up for everybody. (eg, everybody's chillin in the lot, a little revving, maybe some horns going off, then this moron in the jacked up Toyota with flowmasters wants attention so he does a burn out and throws beer bottles on the lot. :mad:

6) Many of the above already written in this thread....