Cobra GT500

Young and talented driver Erica Ortiz teams with BRISK USA to debut a 6 second, 200+ mph 2007 Twin Turbo PRO 5.0 Mustang

Original post by All Ford Mustang News and plugin by Elliott Back

A group of young men decide to destroy a Jeep by running it off road. It seems to hold up quite well–if this isn’t a Jeep ad, it should be. Check out the tire re-beading technique they use at around 2:30.

Via The Auto Prophet

Via Karl Nichols

A quick take on the policy proposals that the White House has posted as part of the State Of The Union Speech.

PRESIDENT BUSH’S DOMESTIC AGENDA

Energy

President Bush Will Ask Congress And America’s Scientists, Farmers, Industry Leaders, And Entrepreneurs To Join Him In Pursuing The Goal Of Reducing U.S. Gasoline Usage By 20 Percent In The Next Ten Years – Twenty In Ten.

America Will Reach The President’s Twenty In Ten Goal By:

• Increasing The Supply Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels By Setting A Mandatory Fuels Standard To Require 35 Billion Gallons Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels In 2017 – Nearly Five Times The 2012 Target Now In Law. In 2017, this will displace 15 percent of projected annual gasoline use.

This sounds like increased mandatory ethanol mix, as well as possible mandates of biodiesel. Unless an open international market in ethanol and biodiesel is permitted, fuel prices will likely go up.

• Reforming And Modernizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards For Cars And Extending The Current Light Truck Rule. In 2017, this will reduce projected annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons, a further 5 percent reduction that, in combination with increasing the supply of renewable and alternative fuels, will bring the total reduction in projected annual gasoline use to 20 percent.

Not much detail here, but likely it means “increase CAFE”, which is a mixed bag. On one hand, it will make cars more expensive or less powerful. On the other hand, more regulation means more competitive advantage to the established players, and a steeper hill to climb for the Chinese.

• Congress Must Reform CAFE For Passenger Cars. The Administration has twice increased CAFE standards for light trucks using an attribute-based method. An attribute-based system (for example, a size-based system) reduces the risk that vehicle safety is compromised, helps preserve consumer choice, and helps spread the burden of compliance across all product lines and manufacturers. Congress should authorize the Secretary of Transportation to apply the same kind of attribute-based method to passenger cars.

So cars would be graded approximately by weight (footprint = wheelbase x track) rather than all being required to average out to the same number. This is a smarter way to do CAFE (a smarter way to do a stupid thing) because it takes size into account. However, we don’t know yet how hard the new rule will push on fuel economy.

The President’s Plan Will Help Confront Climate Change By Stopping The Projected Growth Of Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Cars, Light Trucks, And SUVs Within 10 Years.

The President’s Plan To Strengthen America’s Energy Security Also Includes:

• Stepping Up Domestic Oil Production In Environmentally Sensitive Ways

Good. Supply and demand–reduce demand, but also increase supply. Require more ethanol mixing, but reduce the price of the major component to offset some of the pain.

• Doubling The Current Capacity Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) To 1.5 Billion Barrels By 2027. Doubling the SPR alone will provide approximately 97 days of net oil import protection, enhancing America’s ability to respond to potential oil disruptions.

Interesting. The SPR is not just used to control market prices, and Bush didn’t seem to suggest that it would be. Is he preparing for another possible embargo from the Arabs over war policy? The turmoil in the Persian Gulf caused by a war with Iran would certainly cause a huge spike in oil prices. Update: I did a little reading about the SPR, it only has a capacity of 700 million barrels, in underground caverns. To double it would take a long time.

So, overall it looks not too bad but also not great for the auto industry. CAFE pressure will increase, which will cause vehicles to be more expensive as more technology (hybrids, turbos, direct injection, etc.) is thrown at the problem. A quick answer will be to sell more cars with less powerful engines, so as a result the V6 and V8 options may become pricier. OTOH, CAFE will help keep the Chinese out longer.

Increased mandatory use of ethanol will cause fuel prices to go up (also corn) but may be offset by additional supply, if Congress agrees (unlikely). Increased fuel prices will encourage a mix of smaller vehicles–more pain for the midsize/large truck based SUVs, and fullsized pickup trucks.

Via The Auto Prophet

Via Karl Nichols

Via Karl Nichols

When Consumer’s Union (Consumer Reports) reported that the majority of infant seats they tested failed a side impact crash test, NHTSA was horrified and sprang into action. They tested samples of the same car seats that CU was claiming failed–and they couldn’t duplicate CU’s results. NHTSA deduced that CU had tested an equivalent of a 70mph side impact, not a 38mph side impact.

“Our initial review of the Consumer Reports testing procedures showed a significant error in the manner in which it conducted and reported on its side-impact tests. The organization’s data show its side-impact tests were actually conducted under conditions that would represent being struck in excess of 70 mph, twice as fast as the group claimed. When NHTSA tested the same child seats in conditions representing the 38.5 mph conditions claimed by Consumer Reports, the seats stayed in their bases as they should, instead of failing dramatically.”

I have always been suspicious of Consumer Reports “scientific” methods–they don’t reveal details of their testing, use tiny sample sizes, and inject (mostly liberal) politics into their conclusions. For example, CU apparently gives the same weight to a burnt out lightbulb on a new car as a non functioning ABS system–both are “problems”. Obviously, one is major and one is not.

CU has retracted their report, but the damage has already been done to the car seat makers, who were pilloried by the local nightly news (”Your kids at risk! News at 11:00!”). Even worse,they may have convinced some people that their car seats are unsafe. I hope they get sued.

Here’s a video of a re-test that NHTSA did of one of the “failed” car seats, at the actual speed of 38mph:

Here’s a video of an unrestrained infant dummy:

(Please, don’t be a dummy!)

Via The Auto Prophet

Ford has begun testing prototypes for its 2009 Mustang, which appears to be destined for a serious mid-cycle makeover.

Original post by All Ford Mustang News and powered by Img Fly

Via Karl Nichols

Funny/scary video from Portland. Icy street, apparently on an incline, clueless drivers. Add them up, and you get life size curling!

Via The Auto Prophet