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BonzoESC posted:Why is it bullshit? You have to invest substantial time and knowledge to understand the "decoded" codes once you've spent the $20 on the reader anyways. Because it's anti-consumer. Your gas cap example is a good reason why just a check engine light is unacceptable.
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Mar 4, 2012 12:29
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Cakefool posted:Just so you're aware, bluetooth often gives better sound quality that jacks & cables, the digital signal is sent from your phone to the head unit, then turned into an analogue signal by your dedicated hundreds-of-dollars audio system, not converted by the DAC chip in your phone that costs pennies, sent through a pair of 10c jacks, down a 10c cable to your head unit, which then takes the 2-channel sound & guesses which of your 6+ speakers to send it to. Actually, you've got it backwards. While it's true that your phone probably doesn't have a very good DAC, your car's audio system probably doesn't have one that's much better either. In fact, because phones are designed to be used with headphones (which highlight differences in audio quality more than speakers) there's a good chance the engineers who designed it gave more care to the DAC circuitry than the guys designing the stock head unit in your average car. Not that it really matters, anyways: driving at highway speeds could you really hear the difference between a DAC with a -65 dBm noise floor and one with -105 dBm? And Bluetooth's A2DP audio protocol can force re-compression of the audio depending on which codec the file uses and which codecs your head unit supports which will lower the quality far more than any 10 cent cable would. Also, no matter whether you use Bluetooth or analog your head unit is going to be "guessing" where to send your stereo audio to. Bluetooth A2DP is restricted to stereo or mono, the same as your 3.5mm jack, and 99% of music is stereo (or mono) anyways. The only way a digital connection would make a difference is if you were listening to something that was originally in surround sound and the digital connection supported surround sound. Bluetooth is extremely convenient, but don't confuse convenience with quality.
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Mar 4, 2012 15:01
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I thought the point in saying, "USB connector (with software support for iPod/iphone" is because the data transfer over USB is digital from the iPhone?
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Mar 4, 2012 18:54
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oRenj9 posted:I thought the point in saying, "USB connector (with software support for iPod/iphone" is because the data transfer over USB is digital from the iPhone? I believe he was talking about Bluetooth vs. Line-In. USB transfer is obviously the best, if you don't mind plugging and unplugging your iPod. Myself, I have an ancient iPod that I dedicate to keeping in the car, so that's not a problem for me.
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Mar 4, 2012 19:16
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ppp posted:Because it's anti-consumer. Your gas cap example is a good reason why just a check engine light is unacceptable. The gas cap is a common error that was made impossible through engineering and design in a way that doesn't require effort and understanding from the user. As far as decoding trouble codes to some kind of in-car display, maybe something like a secret input sequence (i.e. the field test modes on cell phones) would work, but that's considerable software complexity compared to the OBD-2 codes that they're legally obligated to provide anyways. It would be cool if Chevrolet gave me a free Corvette ZR-1 (attn. GM PR: call me), but they're not in the business of throwing away six-figure sums of money to appease one of the least-profitable demographics (people who buy one car and then drive it for decades and don't buy new ones).
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Mar 4, 2012 20:55
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Cakefool posted:Just so you're aware, bluetooth often gives better sound quality that jacks & cables, the digital signal is sent from your phone to the head unit, then turned into an analogue signal by your dedicated hundreds-of-dollars audio system, not converted by the DAC chip in your phone that costs pennies, sent through a pair of 10c jacks, down a 10c cable to your head unit, which then takes the 2-channel sound & guesses which of your 6+ speakers to send it to. For me bluetooth has been very hit or miss depending on what car and phone I'm using - sometimes its very clearly compressed, sometimes it sounds pretty decent. As for multichannels that's pretty much moot anyway as all the music on my iPod and phone is straight stereo anyway. BTW I use a tape adapter too so I'm definitely not fussy, it actually works surprisingly well in my car.
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Mar 4, 2012 21:08
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The 3.5mm audio jack in the Yaris is one of the very few things about this car that I don't hate.
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Mar 4, 2012 23:11
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There's plenty of technical fixes you could use to limit the distraction from making phone calls while driving without banning them entirely. I'm imagining some built-in computer mom that starts beeping at you to pay attention if you're talking too much before it yells "HE'LL CALL YOU BACK HE'S DRIVING" and hangs up when it detects stuff ahead or if there's lots of driver inputs going in all of a sudden. Then later when you park the car it will scold you for driving and talking on the phone like an idiot. If you try to avoid it, it will hector you like Mr. Resetti in those Nintendo games until you apologize and promise to be a better driver. Or, hell, limit your calls to non-realtime communication only where you just push short voice messages, so the driver can respond at their leisure. I use the phone when driving sometimes, but it's mostly limited to really short calls with limited interaction like "Hello? I'm 20 minutes away, get ready. Gotta go, I'm still driving, bye". I also can't stand people who call you up from their car phones just to chat because they're bored while driving around town or something.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:45
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Cream_Filling posted:I also can't stand people who call you up from their car phones just to chat because they're bored while driving around town or something. Good lord, this. Or the people who won't take "yeah, I'm on the road right now" as a cue to shut up and call back later. I already can barely hear you because of my busted-rear end speakerphone, and now you want to just have a random conversation? Wait until I arrive already.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:52
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I'm definitely guilty of conducting business calls while driving, but that's due to a decent amount of road time and not nearly enough time to accomplish everything.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:54
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BonzoESC posted:The gas cap is a common error that was made impossible through engineering and design in a way that doesn't require effort and understanding from the user. More info could be good so long as it's well handled. The computer analogy is apt in both ways because on one hand you have poo poo like Apple's big frowny face and numerical error codes, and on the other you have infamies like "PC LOAD LETTER" and the various scary and indecipherable error messages you sometimes get. I feel like a reasonable amount of additional info would actually benefit auto dealers because plenty of people have this weird paranoia that dealers are going to cheat them every time. But if the car actually tells you "Change Air Filter" or "Water Pump Warning," and remembers the car's official maintenance schedule, people will be more willing to buy poo poo from the dealer and will remember to take their cars in for maintenance. I'm far more willing and likely to obey a status message, the discretionary text scrolling at the bottom of a screen, or message of the day when I start the car than I am an e-mail, post-card, or random phone call from a dealer telling me that I'm due for my 50,000 mile service or that my coolant levels seem to show leaking or whatever. On the subject of car nav/infocomp systems, one good trend these days is the rise of stuff like Sync or the new MeeGo based systems that use fairly unified platforms instead of whatever horrific proprietary crap the supplier cooked up. This opens up the option of hacked and custom firmwares written by enthusiasts since the engineering effort to break into a system can be shared. If even a shred of the homebrew support you get for smartphones or consoles could be had, this opens up a lot of great opportunities for car owners, particularly driving enthusiasts. OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Mar 5, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 21:54
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I'm definitely guilty of conducting business calls while driving, but that's due to a decent amount of road time and not nearly enough time to accomplish everything. Dunno, if you're cruising on the highway and using cruise control, I don't see the issue unless you're also looking up figures and graphs or taking notes or something.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:56
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Cream_Filling posted:I feel like a reasonable amount of additional info would actually benefit auto dealers because plenty of people have this weird paranoia that dealers are going to cheat them every time. But if the car actually tells you "Change Air Filter" or "Water Pump Warning," and remembers the car's official maintenance schedule, people will be more willing to buy poo poo from the dealer and will remember to take their cars in for maintenance. I'm far more willing and likely to obey a status message, the discretionary text scrolling at the bottom of a screen, or message of the day when I start the car than I am an e-mail, post-card, or random phone call from a dealer telling me that I'm due for my 50,000 mile service or that my coolant levels seem to show leaking or whatever. They already put quite a lot of info into some cars, particularly safety related systems. I got a cab in Singapore (previous model C-Class I think) and it had all sorts of dire warnings scrolling across the dashboard - "SRS failure GO TO DEALER IMMEDIATELY", "ABS failure GO TO DEALER IMMEDIATELY" and also something about a door being open (it wasn't). Obviously the driver was ignoring them completely.
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Mar 5, 2012 22:28
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dissss posted:They already put quite a lot of info into some cars, particularly safety related systems. The Ford Escape cab I was in in South Beach on Saturday had a TPMS warning light on, and I've been in cabs in Miami that got into three-digit speeds because the driver really doesn't care about the dashboard.
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Mar 5, 2012 22:42
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What's wrong with three digit speeds?  Anyway, just saw the new A-Class:  Holy poo poo, that's just so much better than the old one, it's amazing. It's probably still FWD but other than that I think it looks great. A few friends and I are going to Geneva later this week, so maybe I'll get a closer look at it (do they let people touch/sit in them?). You can expect a bunch of photos as well of anything that won't be covered to death by then.
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Mar 6, 2012 00:10
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The new Aventador J is just awesome. There'll only be one. But just look at it! 
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Mar 6, 2012 01:11
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217 mph without a windscreen? I think it should come with a pair of those old aviator goggles.
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Mar 6, 2012 01:49
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Jeez, having the guy sitting in there makes it look ENORMOUS
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Mar 6, 2012 02:37
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Saw this on autoblog: Did Mitsubishi get an actual soccer mom to model with their soccer mom SUV?
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Mar 6, 2012 10:11
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everyone posted:Bluetooth Welp, thats me schooled 
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Mar 6, 2012 10:21
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A5H posted:The new Aventador J is just awesome. Looks great but i actually think the BAC mono looks better and i think i would just enjoy it more over all. Plus BAC mono is a helluva lot cheaper.
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Mar 6, 2012 10:25
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 Ruf stretched panamera, 6 inches longer than the current lwb 7 series. I want some subway now
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Mar 6, 2012 11:28
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ppp posted:
there's an internet meme that fits that picture but I'll be damned I'm going to post it.
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Mar 6, 2012 14:15
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Howay Bentley, give your head a wobble. 
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Mar 6, 2012 16:36
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A5H posted:Howay Bentley, give your head a wobble.
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Mar 6, 2012 17:32
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So there's a bunch of poo poo bouncing around about the next generation of the WRX/STI, which will probably move from the 80s chic EJ series of boxer engines to the new and futuristic FB series (as seen in modified FA form in the BRZ/FRS/86/GT86). Some of the rumours from various sources:
As you can see, there's a whole pile of rumours and almost all of them are likely bullshit. We'll see what Subaru decides soon.
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Mar 6, 2012 17:42
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Friar Zucchini posted:The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Read about a new car you hate? Post it here, in the news-thread! You know perfectly well that it's going to be the best-selling car they've ever produced. And I'll be honest -- as much as I dislike the car itself, I kind of dig the turbine thing they have going on in the fog lamps. I hope those spin. quote:Electric turbocharger that uses a clutched heat-driven generator to simplify exhaust plumbing and reduce turbo lag Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Mar 6, 2012 |
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Mar 6, 2012 17:44
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Sagebrush posted:I don't know about the rest of them but this is clearly bullshit for a whole whack of reasons Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Mar 6, 2012 |
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Mar 6, 2012 17:50
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Ah, I see...the electric motor actually just prespools the turbine so it's always near operational speed, with the actual energy required for useful boost still coming from the exhaust. That seems a whole lot more reasonable. Sure isn't something I'd want to work on, though 
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Mar 6, 2012 17:53
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Seat Safety Switch posted:There was also the news item from last week where Subaru Australia expressed disdain at having to listen to what other countries' Subaru offices think is best for the WRX/STI instead of turning it away from the fat fragile beast it's becoming and back at being a rally rocket. I say listen to the Australians. I'm betting the only reason Subaru Australia cares is because CT and KB keep sending them John Galt monologue length e-mails about handling and rally and the wrx that may or may not be coherent. They're secretly hoping turning it back into a rally rocket will make these e-mails stop.
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Mar 6, 2012 18:11
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Friar Zucchini posted:The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Read about a new car you hate? Post it here, in the news-thread! 
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Mar 6, 2012 18:59
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I thought it worthy of discussion. Sorry bros. 
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Mar 6, 2012 19:01
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Sagebrush posted:Ah, I see...the electric motor actually just prespools the turbine so it's always near operational speed, with the actual energy required for useful boost still coming from the exhaust. That seems a whole lot more reasonable. Is it really that much worse than the current system where you have two sets of plumbing going through a single point and a lot of stuff is purely mechanical instead of software? I'd imagine you'd have a generator unit stuck on the exhaust end and then a compressor motor/turbine on the intake end, with only electric wires and capacitors/batteries connecting the two. Routing a wire is way easier than routing actual gasses, either air or exhaust. And on top of that, it means a lot more opportunity for low-effort tuning since programming changes could radically alter performance. In addition to the savings from all that extra plumbing as well as the fact that the heat from the exhaust is separated from the heat of the air compression, you'd have what is essentially a cheap anti-lag system since the energy generated from the exhaust gas could be decoupled at least partly from the energy spent on compression. Not to mention the fact that you're eliminating the need for multiple turbos. Even though there would be some really significant losses in efficiency from having to transform kinetic energy to electrical energy and then back again, you could also add in other sources of energy like regenerative braking to help power the compressor. It's an interesting concept. Maybe someone with more technical knowledge than me can tell me if my wild guesses are anything close to accurate. edit: gently caress, beaten and also I was wrong. Looks like it's some sort of super-complicated system that's basically a hybrid drivetrain in miniature crammed into the turbine. Though this does open up the question of what the best control for an electronic turbo-boost would be. Maybe a big red button on the shifter? What do the KERS cars in F1 use for their push to pass buttons? OXBALLS DOT COM fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Mar 6, 2012 |
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Mar 6, 2012 19:07
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Cream_Filling posted:
button on the steering wheel, just like Literally Everything Else except for gas and brake
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Mar 6, 2012 19:20
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A5H posted:Howay Bentley, give your head a wobble. Looks like a bodykit on a Land Rover. The funny thing is that Bentleys are so tall and fat that at first, with the back end cropped off by my window, I just thought it was some sort of downsized mini-Bentley in the vein of the Rolls Royce Ghost because of the proportions. I don't think there would be any real difference between a Bentley station wagon and a Bentley SUV. It's ugly but then again it's not like Cayenne ugly. Bentleys are giant cars with big engines for dumb rich people, so I don't see it as really diluting their brand at all.
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Mar 6, 2012 19:24
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Cream_Filling posted:Bentleys are giant cars with big engines for dumb rich people, so I don't see it as really diluting their brand at all.
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Mar 6, 2012 19:50
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Mar 6, 2012 20:02
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That Bentley may be a bit on the fugly-side (but it could be waaaaaaaay way way worse), the interior is just magnificent.
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Mar 6, 2012 23:56
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mobby_6kl posted:What's wrong with three digit speeds? So, is this another one of those hatches that we can expect to not see in America? Because that car looks gorgeous.
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Mar 7, 2012 00:29
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You guys actually think that looks good? Looks like a truck has backed into it to me.
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Mar 7, 2012 00:31
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