Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > ShittyPostmakerPro's Shitty Soarer Shenanigans
 
  • Locked thread
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747
I had an SC400 way back when, and I remember it being from the era of Toyota really going berserk on technology. For the early 90s that car was pure insanity. I came quite close to owning an SC300 manual about 10 years ago for a turbo kit install, but ended up with an Evo. The SCs were great cars.

* # ¿ Aug 20, 2015 05:50
  • Quote
Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 13:13
  • Quote
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747
If the active suspension was all that, why don't we see this in modern cars? No call for it? MRS good enough?

* # ¿ Dec 28, 2015 20:09
  • Quote
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747

ShittyPostmakerPro posted:

Most likely a combination price, complexity, higher maintenance and service costs. It has reappeared in other cars now and then, it's currently available in a few Mercedes models. Citroen has been using hydropneumatic suspension for years, and they still do, but this is not truly active - it is just variable dampening of hydropneumatic shocks with the cute balls on top.

The Soarer was unique in that it also merged active 4WS into the same system, allowing the car to do pretty much whatever the gently caress it wanted.

This was Toyota's halo car, it cost around $100k in 1991 money, and subsequently, only 872 were ever sold.


Mercedes markets their similar product as 'Magic Body Control'. This is a fully active hydraulic system, very similar to that found in the UZZ32. No 4WS intervention, but it does use cameras to detect road surface changes, and pre-emptively adjusts the shocks to meet bumps at the correct time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Body_Control#Magic_Body_Control

Many other manufacturers are using 'magnetic ride' type "active" suspension (really just adjustable damping rates for regular coil spring suspension. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagneRide

It's quite remarkable to see this just now making it into a magnetorheological suspension system. The touch screen is also reminiscent of the Chrysler system in my Viper, which debuted (I think) 22 years later. It's cool to see how advanced these cars are; if they sold here, I'd bet they would start hitting Mecum and Barrett-Jackson in about 10 years.

* # ¿ Dec 28, 2015 21:49
  • Quote
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747
Why go to all the effort of converting to LPG in a luxury car?

* # ¿ Jan 25, 2016 00:39
  • Quote
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747

ShittyPostmakerPro posted:

There was not much effort - it took around 4 days, working 4-6 hours per day. Total cost to me was £681 (including inspection and registration), and the system saves me around 11p/mile in fuel (after considering reduced mpg and valve saver fluid costs). I daily drive my UZZ32, doing around 20,000 miles per year. There is no noticeable change in the characteristics of the vehicle on LPG. If anything, luxury cars are most suitable for conversion.

I'm curious as to why you're surprised at this. Is it because luxury car owners generally don't care so much about their fuel consumption? In the UK, it's not uncommon to see larger cars with larger, more thirsty engines on LPG. Most of my US import vehicle sightings have been at the LPG pump.

If it helps, when I converted my car, fuel was costing me $8-$9 per gallon, with LPG costing half that much, on a car which returns 20mpg highway. I charge a set amount per mile by my clients, anything I can do to decrease my direct costs of driving will leave me with more money to spend elsewhere.

My LPG install is next up, I'll detail the installation in my next update.

Wow, so it's even more than when I left a few years ago. I suppose it makes sense when you're doing that much driving. Definitely interesting stuff.

* # ¿ Jan 25, 2016 01:42
  • Quote
Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 13:13
  • Quote
Das Volk
Nov 19, 2002

by Cyrano4747
If we got the 1JZ-GTE powered cars in the US, I'd probably already own one. Still this thread makes me miss my SC400.

* # ¿ Feb 3, 2016 00:55
  • Quote
  • Locked thread
The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > ShittyPostmakerPro's Shitty Soarer Shenanigans