I always get chewed out on Jalopnik when I make this exact argument (is it an argument if you're right?), even though you and I are absolutely correct when we say torque by itself has no meaning for a car. I'd take 300ft-lb with 400hp every time over 400ft-lb and 300hp. Although I don't usually drive things that go…

I think I may stick to mopeds to get my 2-wheeled excitement. They weigh under 100lb, but can make surprising power—- 15hp is doable with 50cc. Is it as fast as a moderately fast car? Nope. But you can ride flat-out everywhere, and a 2-stroke motor on song with its pipe is just magical. You can never get to any…

Or, you know, the OEM could actually run things properly...

I think Ash outsold you on the concessions, sorry

I purchased a 1980ish Batavus moped a while back, talked the seller down to $150 because the engine appeared to be seized, although the rest of the bike was in great shape. Turns out a nut fell off the points inside the magneto, and jammed things up. Pulled it out with some tweezers and put it back where it belonged,…

No love for HIMYM??? :P I see that you've found the error of your ways

Weekend at Barney's!!!

This thread; my sides.

Haha. I think GM probably doesn't have the dumbest customers :P

Yes, but they made their actions because of the corporate culture, and who is ultimately responsible for that? The leadership. Yet they're clearly emphasizing the blame elsewhere.

Well, my point was that looking down the crankshaft axis, if there are journals 180deg apart then you will see the same thing :P Even if the pistons aren't adjacent.

I brought this up yesterday, because it is definitely a manual transmission with automation. I've even known people who have converted the transmissions (not the car, the transmission) back to manual when the solenoids began to act up. The hardware is a manual transmission, with some additional parts, but that fact…

The interesting thing to me is that Toyota learned directly from American automotive industry model, and yet the difference in how they work is astounding.

The issue comes down to GM knowing its customers. For better or worse, GM is selling cars to horrible drivers. That's their customer, and they can't really change that with engineering/design. So, they need to account for that. In this case it means making sure the ignition stays on. I think we agree, really.

From what I've seen at the ground level, Toyoda has been doing a good job. The culture here promotes raising up issues; I never feel any hesitation to do so and my VP is very accessible and will continue to raise not just issues, but my voice in general up higher in the organization on my behalf. I think time will…

I agree that it's not so surprising, but I also believe that people have the potential to break through that barrier, which makes it more disappointing for me.

Okay, so let's agree that you didn't say all of the drivers were impaired, and that I say I believe in each party taking the responsibility for the actions that lead to this :) I think we're pretty much on the same page.

1) That kid wasn't me

So, according to your statistics, 4 people still died while driving unimpaired and wearing their seatbelt. The outcry should be the same whether it's 4, 11, or 100 deaths — anything above zero is completely unacceptable. The issue itself, regardless of whether it caused any deaths, is completely unacceptable.

While I kind of agree with your sentiment about drunk driving, that's a slippery slope. The car isn't working as designed, and regardless of the cause of the accident, that portion of blame for the deaths and injuries is solely on GM. GM is the only party responsible for their cars' safety systems, and if they made an…