Out of curiosity I went onto the K&N site to see what they had for my car, and immediately saw they make no performance claims whatsoever for any of the WRX intakes. So while the K&N intakes make the power they advertise, they're at least smart enough to advertise either nominal or no specific gains on most cars, to…

All true. The largest functional spoilers are going to be the ones on wagons and hatchbacks, because the low pressure area behind the car is larger (yes, wagons are less aerodynamic than sedans, sorry).

Not much at typical highway speeds, but the STI spoilers do have an impact on reducing the low-pressure area behind the rear glass that causes drag. It has to be mounted that high in order to actually "spoil" the airflow coming off the roof. The spoilers on the wagons and hatches do more, mostly because the…

It just felt like a preselector given how long it would be between shifts.

Between recycling and the fact that PEM fuel cells require either platinum or cerium to work, I'm not sure the difference is as large as you may think.

Not exactly a counterargument to this, but I find it interesting that Toyota's conservative nature is showing in their pursuit of hydrogen. Like Frankenbike said, hydrogen is ultimately a stumbling block to disruption, as in the short run it will maintain the need to power cars with liquid fuels (though not directly).…

The construction costs of batteries are less than that of a fuel cell stack, and scale-up like the Gigafactory will widen that gulf. Even if the economies of scale were the same, at best they'd be equivalent. There are companies like Bloom Energy working on cheaper fuel cells (though their solid oxide tech is…

True, and the ecosystem is different now than it was in 1999. I think for $42,000 Mazda could probably sell a Miata with a very S2000-like powerplant, but we now live in a world where for roughly the same amount of money you can get a 400+hp Mustang (whereas in 1999 the S2000 and the Mustang GT made almost the same…

This is true, but I do believe the Miata's torque curve is because it's supposed to sell. It'll feel peppier to casual drivers who will actually buy the cars, and the price will stay low because the engine internals won't need to be worked over like the S2000's were. Remember that an S2000 initially cost $30,000 new,…

And in terms of the 2 liters, it's still never been eclipsed...Mazda's offering beats the pants off of what Honda makes now. So what exactly is your point, other than high-lift cars can't meet modern emissions standards?

Not to mention that the SkyActiv motor makes the same amount of torque as the S2000, but 3500rpm sooner. That means to everyone who isn't an enthusiast (i.e. people who will actually buy these new) it'll feel a lot faster than an S2000. If Mazda pushed the Miata up to S2000 price levels, it could also rev to 9500 rpm…

The Miata has the same amount of torque, 3500 rpm sooner. Probably one of the reasons that the S2000 sold as many cars in the US as the twins sell in a year.

Honda only ever made two 2L engines that made 150 lb-ft of torque, and they made it between 6000 and 8000 rpm. So if Mazda wanted to sell you a Miata that revved to 9500 rpm like the S2000, this one would make notably more power. But I think this one priced 10 grand less will probably sell more.

As long as you're OK changing turbos every time you change the oil...those anti-lag systems are no joke.

Hey! I resemble that remark. And I swear I was going to get the bumper touched up...

Interestingly enough, US products tracking Brent instead of WTI is a relatively recent development. There wasn't a significant premium to Brent until after the shale boom was in high swing, around 2011. If the export ban was lifted, likely the two price indices would converge again...though it's worth noting that WTI…

While exporting lowers the worldwide price of oil, keeping the export ban pushes prices down here...boosting the economy at the expense of the oil and gas industry. Economy numbers re-elect politicians, while the difference between $50 oil and $40 oil vis a vis political capital is negligible. I don't have a strong…

Haha, indeed. I think anything below $45 is going to close enough wells in the US to cause a bounceback, but with the really big guys having already amortized their wells it's hard to say. They say Saudi production costs are down at or below $30/ barrel, which is why they can let the rest of OPEC get hammered.

Realistically, the asset owners are really going to be the only ones who are hurting, and that's where the article comes in- only the small-time stripper well owners are really going to get screwed. Big asset owners are diversified enough and efficient enough for even $50 prices to be manageable.

That's certainly a thought. On the turbo Subarus the PCV is nestled by the intake manifold (since that's basically right on top of the block) and there isn't really any hose to speak of.