cars

To busy to write here lately

This entry was posted in cars work on by

I haven’t posted much here lately because I’ve been pretty busy writing over on AutoBlogGreen and now also AutoBlog. Last week I covered the Detroit Auto Show and we got some unbelievable traffic. There were seven of us writing up all the stories from all over the show, and posting hundreds of photos. It was interesting getting such a close up look at how car makers deal with the media. GM really took a shine to the blogosphere this year, even inviting about twenty bloggers from various web sites to attend the show on their dime. They did encourage everyone to provide full disclosure that GM was paying for the trips, and given that most wouldn’t have the financial resources to cover something like this on their own, I can see why they would accept the offer. Fortunately, WeblogsInc (parent company of AutoBlog and ABG) covers our expenses and we have a policy of not accepting any paid junkets.

All in all the money and time that GM spent on bloggers this year was peanuts compared to what they and all the other companies spent on their displays in Cobo Hall, their hospitality areas and the parties they held all over town. There were over 6600 registered media at the show and all were welcome at the Firehouse after the show hours. The Firehouse is a bar across the street from Cobo, where for several years Chrysler has been hosting a party for media with free food and drinks served up by the likes of Dieter Zetsche and Emmitt Smith.

I got to meet and talk to a lot of interesting people and it was clear that in spite of all the problems of the domestic auto industry, there is still a hell of a lot of talent and enthusiasm, especially at GM. I’ve never been know as a fan of GM, but they really seem to be on the upswing right now. The production cars they unveiled here, the Chevy Malibu and Cadillac CTS are truly impressive, and the Volt concept is something truly special. When this car goes into production, it will be hugely important.

Ford showed some interesting cars but they don’t seem to be committed to actually building them. They still seem to be kind overwhelmed by the financial problems they’re having. Hopefully within the next few months Alan Mullaly will give the company some real direction and put the emphasis on creating great products. Chrysler, has some interesting stuff technically, but they seem to have lost their way lately with their styling. I think that next year will actually have some more interesting introductions from Chrysler.

Overall, it was a really good time and I’m glad I had the chance to do it. I did a lot of writing and photography and I have great hope for the future. From an environmental standpoint, there are some great developments coming. If you’re interested in reading more of the stuff I wrote at the show, just click on the AutoBlogGreen link on the sidebar.

My story on GM’s new electric car, the Chevy Volt

This entry was posted in cars electric Hybrid technology on by (updated 3393 days ago)

Chevy VoltI wrote a series of stories that went live today on the new GM electric car, the Chevy Volt and it actually made it to the front page of Digg this morning. Go check out the articles here, here and here and their’s more coming later today. Don’t forget to hit the Digg this button on the story. This is a very cool car and a great example of what’s coming to the road in the next few years.

My evaluation report on the hydrogen powered Focus is up now.

This entry was posted in cars on by (updated 6594 days ago)

Ford Focus FCVThe first part of my report on the overnight evaluation I did last week on the hydrogen powered Ford Focus is up on AutoBlogGreen right now. There will be three more parts coming out in the next few days along with a video. You can also vote for the article on Digg. This million dollar Focus was definitely the most expensive car ever in my garage. Next up will be my opportunity to drive the Honda FCX fuel car.

Help Digg my new article on the hydrogen powered Ford Focus 13

This entry was posted in cars on by

fuel cell focusI wrote a post over on AutoblogGreen about the new hydrogen filling station that opened in Taylor, MI today and my opportunity to drive the hydrogen fuel cell powered Ford Focus. Ford has a fleet of these zero emissions running around the country right now. I’d really appreciate if you could go over to Digg.com and vote for the story. If enough people digg the post it might be able to get to the front page. Even if you don’t digg it, go check out the story! This car is the future of transportation. The only thing that comes out the tail pipe is water!

My first interview

This entry was posted in cars technology this and that on by (updated 6625 days ago)

I had a chance to interview former Rocketboom host Amanda Congdon a couple of days ago. Amanda has a new project going now. She and three of her friends are driving across America in a Ford Escape hybrid and talking to people involved in citizen journalism and environmental causes along the way. They are doing a daily video blog that you can find at AmandaAcrossAmerica.com. I spoke to Amanda as they driving from Greensboro NC to Knoxville TN and the interview will be up on AutoBlogGreen in the morning. You can find the interview here. In the process of preparing I had to figure out a way to record a phone call. If you have a Palm Treo phone and need to record calls, I definitely recommend a program called CallRec. It’s really easy to use and the quality was quite good.

I’ve started my new gig

This entry was posted in cars on by

autoblog greenThe other day I started my new writing gig. I’m now a regular blogger on AutoblogGreen.com. The site is a car blog that focuses on news and issues relating to the environment, alternative fuels, mass transit and other related stuff. If you have any interest in any of these issues stop by and check it out. I’ll keep writing here though on all the other stuff I like to vent about.

Looking for suggestions 4

This entry was posted in Announcements [A] cars on by

In about a week I’m going to be starting a new part-time gig. I’m going to be doing some writing for car blog that focuses on issues concerning cars, the auto industry and the environment. I know I’ll have lots of stuff to write about, since there are no shortage of issues with global warming and rising fuel prices. If there are any topics that you would like to see me write about, please leave a comment here or send me an e-mail.

Big Wheels

This entry was posted in cars on by (updated 6682 days ago)

For the last couple of years, one of the bigger aftermarket trends in cars has been putting on over-sized wheels and tires.You’ve seen them, big suv’s with 20, 22, 24 inch and larger rims. Later people began putting them on cars too. Chrysler 300s and Dodge Magnums are prime candidates for the so-called “Dub” treatment. It was almost always newer cars, at least until recently. In the past year I have been seeing more and more old cars with ridiculous wheels. If you look around I’m sure you will see some of these things. Most newer vehicles have been designed to accommodate larger wheels like 16-18″ rims anyway, so the bigger wheels can usually fit into the wheels with relatively little modification. They usually do restrict the steering angle which increases the turning radius, but this seems to be a price people are willing to pay. However older cars were typically designed for only a 14-15″ wheel. This means that a 24″ wheel won’t fit in the wheel well, no how, no way. The cars I’m talking about hear are typically mid-70s to early 80s American cars especially mid-size gm coupes like Monte Carlos and Grand Prixs or sedans like the Chevy Caprice. So that means that in order to install such a large wheel on such a car the body must be raised up to provide sufficient clearance. So that means the car will need new springs and shocks to jack it up. Then the owner can mount 22’+ diameter rims and tires on this thing. If you have never shopped for such wheels and tires, keep in mind that a set of 4 wheels and tires of this size is going to cost at least a couple of thousand dollars.big wheels
So you mount a set of wheels and tires that are worth more than the car, and seriously degrade the handling and ride of the car at the same time. These big wheels and tires are much heavier than the stock sized wheels, usually 40-60 lbs more per wheel. The way a vehicle suspension works, the worst place to add weight is at the wheels. This adds what is known as unsprung mass. This adds inertia for to parts that are supposed to move up and down over bumps and potholes. And given the nature of most Michigan roads I would not want to risk really expensive wheels and tires on one big pothole. Also the increased ride height would result in some pretty scary cornering behavior. It’s just my opinion (and of course that is what is blog is ultimately about anyway) but I think these cars just look stupid, and the functionality is very definitely degraded.