To crossover or not to crossover? (Possible rant)

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

The older stuff wasn't so picky about minimum starting voltage, the new stuff OBD2 checks for generally a minimum of 10 volts or it won't do anything. The electric fuel pump usually does the fatal deed.

If I had a plug that could have replaced the shut-of solenoid (and the engine weren't too cold) the ol diesel Golf could have been started without a battery.

The thing is that if the 4,000lb Avalon dies for any reason it's a lot harder to push anywhere than the 2,000lb cars we've owned before. In some of our other cars I wouldn't even start the engine to move them around in the driveway. The Avalon, as a hybrid, should work in EV mode for extremely short distances, but ironically that mode isn't available when the engine is cold.

Pushing around a 6,000lb full sized pickup or SUV is even harder.

Quick story. I have a friend who's a photographer that went to take a family of clients up to the mountains in their full sized AWD SUV Yukon on a well maintained dirt road. But apparently they're not from Colorado and when they saw the dirt road and lost cell service they got scared and decided to head back to town. Mind you I and a lot of other FWD, low-found-clearance car owners drive over that same road as the time with zero problems.

However, i did see a Toyota 4runner flipped over on its top there on one of those same roads a month ago (we were in our Avalon again having no problems with the road). The speed limit is 25mph there for a reason (curves, grades, animals, etc.)

It seems there are quite a few that are either too scared for who knows what reason to take their Pickup or SUV over roads any normal sedan can go, or they get too over confident and wipe out.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

I vividly remember one car commercial: A guy is in the gym, and an announcement is made over the speakers: "There's a tan minivan with its lights on." He looks around, obviously hoping nobody sees him, and then gets up. Presumably to turn his lights out.

The ad was for some SUV or another. Basically saying that minivans were something to be ashamed of driving, but SUVs of course were butch and manly and you should buy one of ours right now, you wimp!

For most people, SUVs are minivans that look butch and are marginally less useful.

I like minivans, even though I don't hate SUVs at all. But anyway, I'd rather get a forward-control 4WD van instead of most SUVs. What bothers me is how the SUV craze has led most automakers into phasing out anything else. Even some Chinese automakers, nowadays most of their export offers is also revolving around SUVs.

[Piotrsko]

My 2013 diesel golf will start by itself rolling down my 1/2 percent driveway. The F250 @7800 lbs empty needs perhaps 5 full crankshaft revolutions for the HPOP to build enough oil pressure for the injectors. I have jump started it at my old hilltop house but it won't human push start and will bend a regular cars bumper when I dump the clutch.

It isn't hard to short or open condition switches manually. Bit tougher to fake a signal switch, but doable.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Even though I don't follow the SUV bandwagon, sometimes they can actually make sense. There were some models which are still quite conveniently-sized enough to be a convenient all-around runabout, yet it would probably not be my first choice for a "car".

[freebeard]

Needs more sport and more utility.

[Piotrsko]

Nothing a 1906 ( insert your displacement or energy source of choice) and electric cooling, better suspension, wider tires wouldnt fix. Or just replace the whole vehicle.

Did these ever go to macpherson? I cant remember what I had but think it was ball joint.

[freebeard]

Never suffered from the weakness of Macpherson struts.

VW Type 3 Parts, VW Squareback, Notchback, Fastback
https://www.jbugs.com/category/VW-Type-3-Parts.html
The Type 3 front suspension is similar to the Beetle however instead of torsion leaves it uses a full width torsion bar. The lower torsion bar is used to suspend the vehicle and the upper torsion bar is used as a sway bar. The VW Type 3 front spindles are mounted with ball joints to the control arms which mount to the beam and torsion bars.

The ride is nice because the front and rear subframes are mounted in rubber.


https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lyAAA...abq/s-l400.jpg

I wouldn't go with wider tires. BMW i3 tires should fit on 19" MG-TC wheels.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Had it not been for the "light truck" rules in the United States, I guess this beauty would've never been developed.

[freebeard]

What is it?

It's been a while since I've seen external door braces.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

What is it?

It's been a while since I've seen external door braces.

Looks like the new Toyota Corolla Cross.

Bigger than a C-HR but smaller than a RAV4