Seriously? Glass could never be molded into the complex shapes that todays cars have and can be molded to better focus light. Not only that but polycarbonate is way more impact resistant (10 times) than glass. Why do you think most aircraft have "plastic" windows and canopies or why are saferty googles and faceshields made from this material? Todays cars are faster, lighter, safer, more reliable and powerful. This is like comparing an incandescent light bulb from 1950 to a modern led bulb.
What IS different about starters used in auto start/stop equipped engines?
- Thread starter gregk24
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sorry I wasn’t more clear. They are going AWAY from gear reduction for auto-start/stop starters.
Ahh hey Capt......
Again... Vehicles will be totalled.... By insurance companies.... Because the super expensive housings and headlights.... Will cause the cost to be so $$$$$... A vehicle will be totalled because of THAT largely.... Which is a bit crazy.... Because if headlights and housings were not that crazy.... Another different circumstance a vehicle would be repaired easily.
Hard to understand I guess.... It's not...
You are very, very, very intelligent. Think about it.
I had a 75-80 percent feeling my Ford Fusion was going to be totalled because of the airbag having to be replaced.... I knew roughly how expensive that would be. I believe a lot of people are going to be shocked at how expensive their headlights and housings are when they have a relatively minor crash... And has those vehicles age out in the next 5-10 years... Those vehicles will be possibly totalled because of the expense of replacement headlights and housings plus any other damage done.
And... If I were against "newer" stuff.... I would not have got the car I have... Hid headlights... Push button start... CVT.... Etc etc.... But I got it.... Evidently I am not against "newer type stuff in a vehicle"....
Just pointing out that how expensive things are getting... And what results will possibly be seen at times going forward.
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I want to see it... have you ever turned an engine by hand? Compression doesn't last, it all escapes to the sump in seconds. 4 cylinder engines always come to a stop with 2 cylinders at or near TDC
Not sure about manifolds, but I have a plastic plenum chamber from a 1995 alfa romeo in the shed
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Yes seriously.
Simply put they are engineered for a longer life cycle. You do this by reducing stress (operating at lower percent of capacity), increased robustness of components and more expensive materials. Like most components starters are engineered to be just enough at minimum cost. Making it last just as long with a higher number of start cycles is simply a matter of allowing a higher production cost.
It is a hell of a lot easier to run wiring to the rear calipers than try and run a cable to the rear parking brake. Makes designing the car much easier. That is the main reason for the switch.
Another point. BMW is now going to 48V systems in cars, and will now have two different starters. The normal one for cold starts, and the generator/starter for start/stop. This allows much faster start/stop activation and much quieter/smoother. The generator/starter also acts as a mild hybrid system for energy regeneration and a 10 hp boost to acceleration.
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VWAG is already there. The Bentayga and SQ7 were the first "production" cars fitted with a 48V system.
FCA is also doing the same thing with their eTorque system, up to 90 ft lbs additional torque on the v6 and 130 on the 5.7!
Glass can be made in many shapes and can be very durable. One example..Curved glass, perfect light, no distortion or yellowing and retails cheaper than the plastic ones but the profit margin on the plastic is probably much more.
" DOT (US department of transportation) mandates that all headlights used in the US are made of plastic. So some vehicles that are sold both in the US and abroad have glass lenses for the rest of the world, and plastic for the US."
Latest car I ever had with glass headlamps was a Volvo S60R. Pretty curvy shape but was a rock chip magnet
Yep, my old car has glass lamps and the newer Saab has similar shaped plastic. Newer Saab has needed refinishing before I got it and were terrible the old glass ones are original and pristine, never touched. Thick glass though, they weigh a lot for lights.
I'd like to see some intrepid car company bring back the vent window. Retro engineering, a paean to simpler times.
It's good to note that jet aircraft windshields are nearly all made from layered glass. Except certain Cessna Citations and Lears. Glass is amazingly impact resistant and exceedingly strong when manufactured correctly and laminated with other materials.
These are laminated glass:
Our F150 has start/stop tech. Still working fine, no issues noted.
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