choosing a 'green' car?

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choosing a 'green' car?
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Will

Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Grenoside, Sheffield

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 11:48 am Post subject:

puffedpride wrote:

So....Will is recommending Bentleys

Absolutely - hand crafted and finished from the finest available materials, beautiful yet functional...it could be a Bentley, a home-made bread and butter pudding or a jumper knitted from recycled wool.

I agree with you 100% pp - careful driving plus careful consideration of whether to drive is the key to reducing the impact. Having said that, I nearly bagged a hare last night in a small

moment.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 12:14 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

but when transporting elderly relatives becomes part of the spec, it can be quite significant.

That reminds me, would it be worth fitting a tow bar to a small car? Of course you'll be only able to tow a smallish weight but it's often volume rather than weight I have a problem with when getting the occasional thing in a car.

puffedpride wrote:

Sorry guys, if you are serious Downsizers it's PIPE AND SLIPPERS driving for you all day every day.

Yep, it is hard to drive well, especially when people keep pulling out in front of you but I'm getting used to it. I'm trying not to look at the 160PS Seat Ibiza TDI 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and a claimed 63mpg...

How does a diesel engine cope with 'eco' driving? Petrol engines often clog up a bit if you keep the revs down and you often are advised to give it an Italian tune-up to clear out the engine!

Will

Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Grenoside, Sheffield

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 12:25 pm Post subject:

Diesel engines have much more torque than petrols and are both quicker and more economical if you change up earlier, using torque rather than revs to accelerate.

I'm sure somebody will be able to do the explanation of torque versus power - saw an explanation in a bike mag once which involved throwing a labrador off a cliff. Suffice it to say that torque enables mass to accelerate, and that a diesel delivers maximum torque much lower down the rev band than a petrol.

On the cleanliness front diesel is much sootier than petrol, so it's important to use the right oil and change it frequently. A brief burst of high revs doesn't do much for cleaning built up deposits.

The Seat may well be able to do 7.6secs and 63 mpg, just not at the same time...

Nothing wrong with towing with a small car, provided you don't go overboard on the size and weight of trailer. A small car has a shorter wheelbase and will be less stable with a trailer than a longer wheelbase with the same trailer, but stay within the limits of the car and it shouldn't be a problem.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 1:25 pm Post subject:

Of course its much more sensible to have a small vehicle and use a trailer to cope with excessive volume. However things like security and waterproofing may also enter into consideration.
And I hope you're not really thinking of it wrt transporting elderly relatives...

Strangely some small cars (I know of Ka and the real Smart) cannot take a towbar...

I posted details about towing weight restrictions in another thread.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 1:27 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

And I hope you're not really thinking of it wrt transporting elderly relatives...

That would be daft, I would use one of those roof luggage boxes you get.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 1:34 pm Post subject:
Don't forget to punch some air holes in it.

Silas

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 6848
Location: Staffordshire

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 2:14 pm Post subject:
Then again....

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 3:28 pm Post subject:
They should count themselves lucky, in the days before these roof boxes I remember the old fashioned way of tying OAPs to roof racks. Just think how shocking we would find that today.... not a single thought about air resistance.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 3:31 pm Post subject:
We always used to zip ours into a wetsuit and make them lie down with their toes pointed. It's not as good as a box, but it'll get you an extra 5 or so mpg.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 3:33 pm Post subject:
Presumably strapping down all the limbs would help, you don't want them waving about, not to mention the distraction for traffic. Can you do this with children, too? My brother has four, I'm sure he'd find this handy. Or do children go in the boot?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 3:37 pm Post subject:
You can't put children in the boot, it's full of sheep/spaniels/chickens/wood. Maybe you could get a neoprene bag which they could all squeeze into?

Will

Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Grenoside, Sheffield

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 3:52 pm Post subject:
Fit the children with either skids or a parascender and suitable harnesses, tie to the roofrack and tow. If the seats are folded down to accommodate the spaniels, wood etc squeeze the chidren into the wasted space in the rear footwells.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 4:09 pm Post subject:
If children are small then fit suction cups to their hands and stick them on the rear windows like Garfields.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 4:17 pm Post subject:
I was thinking those little net bags on the back of the seats/in cubby holes in the roof, but now I see that was silly.

Will

Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Grenoside, Sheffield

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 06 4:31 pm Post subject:
Provided they have reasonable upper body strength, children can be fitted to tailgate-mounted bike rack with minimal risk of a visit from Social Services.

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