matibay din pinoy motorists

[mbeige]

Yep, Redorange has a good point also. Cars back there with their puny engines will never suffice for the way people drive over here. I guess that's why the Smart car still hasn't made its way here.

People here are so spoiled with powerful cars that it's easily seen in their manners of driving. Take the Picanto, Alto, etc and you'll just be pushed around. They won't even wait for you and rather just pass you quickly. Hindi sila mahilig sumingit, uutakan ka lang nila. That's their way of driving. They won't forcibly cut in front of you or swerve into your lane although that happens on occasion but very seldom compared to how often it happens there. Here they use their car's power to overtake you with ease and just get in front of you. Besides I don't think the small cars like the Picanto are even geared for highway driving. Maybe they are, but once you take it out here it'll take forever to get up to speed, and sustain it for miles on end.

As you can see power and fuel economy don't always go hand in hand. That's where the diesels come in, but their drawback is their emissions restrictions are so tight. I'm optimistic they'll be able to work their way into the American mindset pretty soon. I have met a lot of diesel owners since my W123 ownership here in California back in 2004 but unfortunately most of their diesels are the truck type, the other viable alternatives are Volkswagen diesels (TDI) but then those are plagued with electrical problems from what I've heard.

[boydapa]

buti nasabi ni cvt

yup matibay nga pinoy motorists ksi relative sa kita nakakagamit pa ng sasakyan at namementain ito.

ako nga eh magkano sweldo ko isang araw minimum P350.00petot tapos syempre pasok dala sasakyan para hindi ako akalain janitor. papakarga ako gas full tank papasok 100petot o edi 250 nlng natira eh pauwi pa 100petot uli edi 150 nlng nartira sakin. yun 150 na yun pambili ko nlng ng pag-pag sa tabi tanghalian lasang jolibee at mcdo pa yum yum. o biruin mo yan naubos more than half sweldo ko sa gas. eh sa tate assuming sweldo nila isang araw $80 gas nila 1 gallon papunta $3.50 tpos pabalik $3.50 uli edi $7 lang nabawas sa sahod nilang $80 and that is less than 10% ng sweldo nila eh ako more than half ng sweldo ko ubos eh my golly....










buti nlng lpg na ako ngayon

[Jun aka Pekto]

As for cars being more efficient in the Philipines that can be debated ,since how efficient is it to sit in traffic for 2 hours to move 10 miles. The cars are smaller because so are the roadways and the people and the slower speed they travel. Try driving a small car like the Picanto, Alto, etc at freeeway speeds, not the 65mph posted but closer to the 75mph-85mph(120km/h-136km/h) and have a big rig pass by and see if that doesn't make you pray to all the saints in heaven.

Oh c'mon. Small subcompacts can travel just fine on US Interstates. When I was younger, our designated driver drove a Metro. Imagine me (drunk), him, plus 2 burly caucasians (also drunk) in that Metro doing 105 mph on the Interstate.... And we're egging him on to go faster

Didn't you have a Metro yourself? He He.

[mbeige]

buti nasabi ni cvt

yup matibay nga pinoy motorists ksi relative sa kita nakakagamit pa ng sasakyan at namementain ito.

ako nga eh magkano sweldo ko isang araw minimum P350.00petot tapos syempre pasok dala sasakyan para hindi ako akalain janitor. papakarga ako gas full tank papasok 100petot o edi 250 nlng natira eh pauwi pa 100petot uli edi 150 nlng nartira sakin. yun 150 na yun pambili ko nlng ng pag-pag sa tabi tanghalian lasang jolibee at mcdo pa yum yum. o biruin mo yan naubos more than half sweldo ko sa gas. eh sa tate assuming sweldo nila isang araw $80 gas nila 1 gallon papunta $3.50 tpos pabalik $3.50 uli edi $7 lang nabawas sa sahod nilang $80 and that is less than 10% ng sweldo nila eh ako more than half ng sweldo ko ubos eh my golly....










buti nlng lpg na ako ngayon

You assumed wrong on the distance and amount of fuel they consumed going to and from work. Some people commute long distances (say, from Orange County to Los Angeles, which is roughly 45 minutes in rush hour traffic). Bring an SUV and there goes your money. On a good day at least from my experience, going to Los Angeles takes an hour at the most, on a really bad day it can take 2 hours, sometimes more depending on the volume of cars on the road. Parang EDSA rin yan bro pero malayuang biyahe. Let's give it an estimate of 40 miles one way, so that's 80 miles total. If your car consumes 20MPG for larger engines with more power (think SUV), you consume 4 gallons of fuel at best (most efficient). If you get into heavy traffic, that goes down to let's say, at worst, 10MPG for the same car. So instead of just 4 gallons, you actually consume 8 gallons of fuel. Fuel here is now up to $4/gallon for premium so that equates to $32 spent or P1280 for one trip! Think of how much you'll spend if your work requires you to travel that much, you'll be spending at least $32 per day on fuel costs alone. That's how much I spend for my car in a WEEK! So your $80 will have $48 left after using the rest for fuel. Add to that lunch money if you eat out ($10 at most, $5 at least). That will leave you with $40 for extra expenses. So if you're earning $10/hour (for that $80/day amount) you don't have much left.

To sum it up: mabilis rin maubos ang pera dito because the cost of living is higher.

*Jun, I'd hate to take anything smaller than the Honda Jazz/Fit on our freeways. That Metro is a tiny little car(t). Sometimes I feel strong crosswinds on the highway blow past me then I see cars swerving left and right. When I feel that and see cars sway about, I make sure to pass truckers with tall profiles (semi trailers, panel trucks, rent-a-truck types, etc). In our 1992 Corolla, that crosswind certainly can make the car switch lanes unintentionally if you're not paying attention! I'd hate to experience one in anything smaller!

[Jun aka Pekto]

*Jun, I'd hate to take anything smaller than the Honda Jazz/Fit on our freeways. That Metro is a tiny little car(t). Sometimes I feel strong crosswinds on the highway blow past me then I see cars swerving left and right. When I feel that and see cars sway about, I make sure to pass truckers with tall profiles (semi trailers, panel trucks, rent-a-truck types, etc). In our 1992 Corolla, that crosswind certainly can make the car switch lanes unintentionally if you're not paying attention! I'd hate to experience one in anything smaller!

You know what the trick is to counteract the buffeting you're experiencing, right?

If you think the approaching semi is doing 75 mph, you do 90 mph. Somehow, the increased airflow around your vehicle helps.

If you have a lumbering motorhome or semi ahead of you, stay within its slipstream.

I know what you mean about semis, especially while traveling Nevada Highway 95 up north which is a 2-lane highway for hundreds of miles. If I see an approaching semi, I just bury that gas pedal.

[mbeige]

I didn't really think about the airflow helping stabilize my car when passing, but it sure helps get out of their blind spots and fall-over spots just in case they do (it's happened before in the news).

I don't see why the trucks here can't be as aerodynamic as those in Europe. I mean those ones in Europe even have double deck cargo bays, and the lower deck is close to the ground. There's a lot of wasted space between the double axles of the trailer and those from the cabin. At least that way they don't have to worry about losing precious fuel due to drag, plus have more room for extra cargo. And finally, loading will be much easier due to the lowered first deck, and for the second deck a lift found in those for-hire vans should work just as well.

I thought about that just now after driving beside a semi and remembered this thread. A lowered Civic could pass underneath the lorry and still have room for a speed bump

[Jun aka Pekto]

I didn't really think about the airflow helping stabilize my car when passing, but it sure helps get out of their blind spots and fall-over spots just in case they do (it's happened before in the news).

I don't see why the trucks here can't be as aerodynamic as those in Europe. I mean those ones in Europe even have double deck cargo bays, and the lower deck is close to the ground. There's a lot of wasted space between the double axles of the trailer and those from the cabin. At least that way they don't have to worry about losing precious fuel due to drag, plus have more room for extra cargo. And finally, loading will be much easier due to the lowered first deck, and for the second deck a lift found in those for-hire vans should work just as well.

I thought about that just now after driving beside a semi and remembered this thread. A lowered Civic could pass underneath the lorry and still have room for a speed bump

To me, the main danger with driving a sub-compact is not the performance. Rather, it's the small size. I still remember an incident near home where the driver of a huge fullsize 4x4 raised pickup didn't see the Miata in front of him (at a stop sign) and crushed the rear 1/3 of the car.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Also, check out Utah. It seems they're starting to get bigger on natural gas-powered vehicles.

Utah Natural Gas Vehicles Yahoo News

[redorange]

*Jun- The Geo Metro tops out at 85mph maybe a bit more if going downhill and that's with the engine screaming at the top of it's lungs. I was lucky to have owned it in Guam and not the mainland so I didn't have to deal with the scare, but I wouldn't want to drive anything with less than 60hp again on any road much less an interstate. I remember driving it and thinking that a Miata looked big, until I got in my other car and saw the Miata from that point of view. Not many cars you can drive can make a Miata look big.

[redorange]

You assumed wrong on the distance and amount of fuel they consumed going to and from work. Some people commute long distances (say, from Orange County to Los Angeles, which is roughly 45 minutes in rush hour traffic). Bring an SUV and there goes your money. On a good day at least from my experience, going to Los Angeles takes an hour at the most, on a really bad day it can take 2 hours, sometimes more depending on the volume of cars on the road. Parang EDSA rin yan bro pero malayuang biyahe. Let's give it an estimate of 40 miles one way, so that's 80 miles total. If your car consumes 20MPG for larger engines with more power (think SUV), you consume 4 gallons of fuel at best (most efficient). If you get into heavy traffic, that goes down to let's say, at worst, 10MPG for the same car. So instead of just 4 gallons, you actually consume 8 gallons of fuel. Fuel here is now up to $4/gallon for premium so that equates to $32 spent or P1280 for one trip! Think of how much you'll spend if your work requires you to travel that much, you'll be spending at least $32 per day on fuel costs alone. That's how much I spend for my car in a WEEK! So your $80 will have $48 left after using the rest for fuel. Add to that lunch money if you eat out ($10 at most, $5 at least). That will leave you with $40 for extra expenses. So if you're earning $10/hour (for that $80/day amount) you don't have much left.

To sum it up: mabilis rin maubos ang pera dito because the cost of living is higher.

*Jun, I'd hate to take anything smaller than the Honda Jazz/Fit on our freeways. That Metro is a tiny little car(t). Sometimes I feel strong crosswinds on the highway blow past me then I see cars swerving left and right. When I feel that and see cars sway about, I make sure to pass truckers with tall profiles (semi trailers, panel trucks, rent-a-truck types, etc). In our 1992 Corolla, that crosswind certainly can make the car switch lanes unintentionally if you're not paying attention! I'd hate to experience one in anything smaller!

Don't forget to factor in taxes in your equation. I myself spend about $300 a month on fuel alone for our two cars add the cost of maintenance and it's can sometimes reach $400. We can't car pool here since my wife and I have different schedules and there is no carpool program in Guam.