Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 75308	2006-12-24 05:25:00	Don't try this at home . . . .	R2x1 (4628)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
509160	2006-12-24 05:25:00	One winter evening in the early 1960's at XXXXXXXXXXX Aero Club, we ran out of firewood. One learned aviator noted several things:- A. The bar was getting colder than the beer. B. Someone had been stating that it was impossible to over-rev a VW because of the very long, small bore intake manifold (An obvious bar challenge.) C. He wasn't ready to go home yet. (He could still stand. A standard sobriety test for those days.) D. The bar had double doors to the outside, big enough to get a VW through. E. A VW heater takes outside air and blows it into the car. F. He had a VW outside. G. The VW was rear engined, so the noisy, smelly end could stay outside. H. Most important. It was a rental car, and therefore both neutral and expendable. Earnest discussion with a great deal of nodding and a couple of near fights among opposing opinion holders indicated the need for a proper scientific test. The end result was a VW parked part way through the doors, packed all 'round the doorframe with spare cushions, aircraft dust covers etc, and with both it's doors wide open. The heater was put on full hot, the engine started and the accelerator was wedged, also at maximum heat. Several bottles later, a few things were apparent:- A: Quite a good heating effect was enjoyed after a fairly disappointing initial output. B: By no stretch of the imagination was all the noise outside. C: Terminally revving V.W.s make a pretty good amount of smoke after a while. D: After some time spent testing, a VW will start to suck in it's own smoke through the fan and recycle some of it through the heater. (The noise was shrugged off as a worthwhile sacrifice, the smoke was dealt with by opening a couple of windows since the heat output by then was more than adequate to allow the experiment to continue.) E: If balanced carefully enough with the bar doorstep just forward of the rear jacking point, a VW will indicate it is running low on fuel by tilting back and admitting cold air laced with evil smoke due to the displaced cushions. In hindsight, it would have been better to hold it's nose down while refueling to avoid mess. 100-130 Octane aviation fuel definitely helped ease some of the “pinking” sounds from the rear end for a while. F: It is possible to over-rev a VW, but it takes two hours or more to show up. (This one seized up, but did not dismantle itself.) The rental company now had possibly the most free turning VW in the country, but we had to tow the damn thing to get it started again after it cooled down, must have been barely a 1 to 1 effective compression ratio. Later, the renter requested, and got, a discount on the car rental because of the dreadful fuel consumption, the low power, and the hard starting. (Now you know why it's called “Hertz” car rentals these days. It had a different name then.) For varying reasons, loudly promised comparison tests on other brands were not carried out. This test was carried out away from public roads by untrained un-proffesionals, and should not be attempted at home. Your mileage may vary. No animals were harmed in carrying out this test, although some mice may have been severely inconvenienced. They DON'T build them like they used to.:groan:	R2x1 (4628)
509161	2006-12-24 15:16:00	"They don't build them like they used to..." I suspect you meant the vehicle? Personally, I think it's the No.8 wire fellers we're losing. Playing silly buggers for fun nowadays seems to involve no-skill fast car stuff that creates danger for both those involved & the general public. Nothing inventive about it - just sad outcomes.	Laura (43)
509162	2006-12-24 22:09:00	Yep, the vehicle alright. Actually the reminiscence was inspired by hearing the Spanish National Anthem (www.renaultf1.com) played on a Renault F1 engine. But I forgot to include the link. :p	R2x1 (4628)
509163	2006-12-25 20:46:00	I thought a VW engine was best placed in an homebuilt!	dolby digital (5073)
509164	2006-12-25 20:59:00	You've got that right, North Cape to Bluff with a VW in one day (Daylight part). This is not how they normally run them in though. ;)	R2x1 (4628)
1