Mission Impossible: Taming the Giants (Excursion/Hummer modding)

[DifferentPointofView]

yes, this is what I think. it's called a Utility vehicle for a reason... not for gettin' moon pies and droppin' kids off at the pool... and waiting for them by driving around the block for 3 hours.

I mean, if we're always gonna have these cars around because they're actually useful believe it or not, why not improve the mileage on theirs too?

[bennelson]

Interesting how height of a person has come up in this thread.

I have never talked to an owner of a Hummer or similar vehicle who said they bought it because they are tall. I agree that comfort has to do with design, not overall size of the car.

My first car was a Chevy Spectrum (predesesor of Geo Metro) and got 47 mpg. It was pretty comfortable for me. My wife's Pontiac Sunfire gets 26 mpg and I am very uncomfortable driving it. The roof just curves in exactly the wrong spot (where my head is!)

For all the Hummers I have seen, only TWICE have I ever seen one pulling a trailler. I don't think I have ever seen one with a canoe on top. Come to think of it, I never remember seeing a passenger in a Hummer ever.

It is HUGE if you get a couple extra miles per gallon out of a big truck like that. But I don't think we should be commuting in vehicles that get such terrible economy. It really is just wasteful.

However, I can not simply say all Hummer owers are evil or some such nonsense. Some people just happen to like a particular vehicle. Maybe the owner of the Humvee I see at the grocery store only lives one mile away and loves to pack the groceries into. Who knows.

We should try not to be overly judgemental, but only encourage positive change, starting with ourselves.

It would be interesting to see a Hummer modified to get double the original fuel economy. It would be great as an attention-getting publicity truck.

[Gone4]

Originally Posted by LostCause

Good points about the HMMWV issue. That's cool you get to work on military technology, but why the fiber optic cable? Won't the terrorist know which vehicle is remote control... I was thinking infrared, but I guess that won't work in a sandstorm. Lastly, won't terrorists get wise to the fact that the front vehicle is a decoy? I wouldn't want to be in humvee #2...

- LostCause

Infrared wouldn't be reliable like you commented and the data transmission rates wouldn't hold up either. The fiber cable is single channel and can be fairly thin and well hidden, but they will figure out what's happening eventually. My job is to do what the military and company asks for, not actually develop the grand scheme. That's why I am going to grad school so I can do more of the higher level design to solve problems. I'm also pretty torn about working on military technology. I love thinking, "hey I can be saving lives here" but I also hate to be participating in the invasion of a country. Luckily, I had no choice if I wanted to graduate so I don't give it much thought.

[RH77]

For the mass populace, higher seating positions with taller rooflines = SUV-like confidence.

For tall folks, this equates driveability. I bet a 7-footer could fit comfortably in a Honda Fit vs. a Ford Expedition.

RH77

[johnpr]

honestly i prefer sitting lower in the vehicle, that is the only thing that kills the seating position in my jeeps. oh well.

i agree with you bennelson, we cant be overly judgemental, we can only try to inform and accept the fact that not everyone cares about fuel economy, and that people buy vehicles because they like them (me and my jeeps )

[zjrog]

Oh my... Thanks guys. I don't like to be judgemental about what people drive (remember I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee), but one thing I liked about this forum from the beginning was the lack of judgement based on my choice of vehicle.

I have always been amazed at how small big vehicles seem to be inside. I also consider comfort. What I find comfortable in my Neon is intolerable in my F150 Supercrew or my Jeep. And vice versa. Since I carpool, I find the 2000 Infinity SUV is comfortable enough to sleep in, the 99 Tahoe has what are most likely the WORST front seats known to mankind, and if I wiggle just right, the backseat of the 2001 Grand Prix is comfy as long as I keep my head leaned back (the rear window is in the way otherwise!).

[elhigh]

I once had a '78 Civic, a car whose mission in life was evidently to never admit it wasn't a motorcycle. It went like stink, got great mileage, and fit me to a T. It was super tiny and felt almost as roomy as a Citation (from the driver's seat) at the time. I was about 5'11".

I gave it to a friend who was 6'4". He was all leg, and drove with his knees in his ears and one elbow out the window.

The dividing line between "big enough" and "not big enough" is pretty fine.

[Who]

Originally Posted by RH77

For the mass populace, higher seating positions with taller rooflines = SUV-like confidence.

For tall folks, this equates driveability. I bet a 7-footer could fit comfortably in a Honda Fit vs. a Ford Expedition.

RH77

I'm 6'6 and not built like Fred Flintsone - the Fit has terrible legroom. So does our 2001 Accord for that matter. Expeditions fit...

The Smart, the new Beetle and older Civic/CRXs are the only small cars I can quickly think of that have half decent legroom and they all fail the family of four plus a friend test.

[Ryland]

You want a vehicle with head room, leg room, and space for the kids? a friend of mine was telling me the other day about a school bus he used to live in with some other people, piles of junk tied to the roof, inside filled full of people and their stuff, and the bus got 12mpg, a full size school bus! 20mpg out of a hummer should be easy.

[Chris D.]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

Those vehicles shouldn't even exist. There is nothing to justify their existence except the ego of their owners.

Have to agree, all I can do is shake my head when i see those vehicles..

get something else to attract attention, not attention for compensation..

I've got a friend thats 6'2" and he fits in a dodge omni with no issues when he swapped the Dodge Charger seat brackets into his stock seats (1" drop) so even better



Accord Station wagon FTW!!!!!!