I’m too used to older German cars I guess, because when I hear “touring” I expect to see a station wagon. This car as a wagon would rule. Can probably get one in Europe.

I know people are going to get after Honda for creating just another posturing soft-roader but the reality is that Honda VTM4 is a VERY good single speed AWD system. Probably the best single speed AWD system for off-road use.

Looks like I was also wrong. Looks like its both and it can be confusing.

Yeah I don’t understand how a vehicle with higher ground clearance, skid plates and sophisticated AWD wouldn’t be more capable off-road than a FWD econobox. 

The T-Tops did make them trash, IMHO. When I was looking at T/A’s to buy in 1981, the first couple I drove had T-Tops and there was a railroad crossing that went diagonally across a road and the flex those cars had was like, “WOW”. I decided no T-Tops for me and soon found a very clean 25,000 mile 1979 403 Olds T/A,…

Seems they are planning to make a paired generator and drive unit (rotary) at the same time to be around peak efficiency for both components of the system.  Probably a .5l rotary and a 5-7kwh generator.

Rotaries, of old at least, are very power dense but have issue with complete combustion. They run at low CRs which is detrimental to efficient combustion. Also I don’t know of any rotary that can run a modified otto cycle to get good exhaust gas recycling. They also intrinsically burn oil which gives them terrible…

I know a guy who used to have an older model Pistenbully to level out his cranberry bogs, says it’s one of only a few vehicles that doesn’t get stuck in the bogs. He said while the tracks have large surface areas that result in low pressures on the ground, the tracks have long blades from side to side every few inches…

Obligatory notice: Accuweather’s CEO has actively lobbied Congress to force NOAA to stop providing weather information and data for free and instead sell it (to them, generally). Don’t support them.

According to the linked specs, and an online converter about 0.7 psi.

It’s likely thanks to that fact that he’s still alive.

Ive seen them float over fresh powder so pretty damn low.

Not a direct comparison, but the same channel just did a comparison test of ice/snow tires. The Pirelli Ice Zeros were more or less in the same ballpark as the Michelin X-Ice, with the Michelins edging the Pirellis on Ice, while the situation reverses on snow.

There was A LOT of warnings all over the news, social media, and talk all over where ever you went.   They were giving warnings the week before and had already put travel bans in place before Friday hit.   People either neglected taking the warning, or some were essential workers trying to get to and from work. …

Snow/winter tires are in issue. I spend a lot of time all around the Buffalo, NY area and its like anywhere else in the country. At most 10% of people put on winter tires. Majority just go with all-seasons, and a good 10% or more have tires with so little tread they are not safe in any condition, let along snow.

Not cold hearted at all. My thought was, “You have to be one dumb SOB to drive in a blizzard like this one if you absolutely do not have to do it.”  The only thing dumber is doing so and not being prepared for the absolute worst. 

I worked with a guy who grew up in N. Dakota and he told me about the winter survival gear that everyone carried in their car. Made a lot of sense.

No more vertical video!

When the RC51 reigned supreme on the track, during the Daytona race the bike on the high bank oval, at just over 200 MPH, was still not getting all the traction it could. Bikes drive by the average or better than average Joe will run circles around 4 wheels. Even into some well banked corners. Flat turns are a lot…

Electronic launch mode and traction control are the real stars in this comparison. Without it, they’d all just light the tires up (or flip over backward, in the bike’s case). I’d like to see this done again with a rolling start. Would this change the results?