No need for an apologize for that. It was funny at the end 
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Yeah a clutched pulley could work (similar to a a/c pump or toyota supercharger) but then we start talking about the load on the electric system, battery and alternators would suddenly see a surge of power load on the system (ever been in a car with too much power feeding the stereo makong the lights flicker) . People do not realise that making power and economy works hand in hand with boosting the available charge.
air + fuel + Spark
if your charging system suddenly has more load put on it the entire system is affected.
Not a huge problem but a problem non the less
this might be a Little off topic but stilā¦
i went on and used your body to compare a 2.6l i4 turbo producing 213 hp to a 2,4l i6 turbo producing 215 hp with quite similar torque curves and the exact same technology (the i4 spools up a little earlier). the i6 is more comfortable (roughly 4 points) while being cheaper (just 100,- though at a 10% markup) and more economical.
- it would be cool if there was some visualization of engine smoothness in the engine designer.
- i really have difficulties to see how enginneeing time and production units affect the price. are both affecting the price in the market tab? some sort of visualization or a scale in the engine designer might be helpful as well.
how though? modelling vibrations from the engine after every individual explosion is quite frankly an absurd level of detail. what else could you do, make a graph of the engine becoming smoother or rougher running as RPMs increase?
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as with engineering time/production units, maybe just some color coding or so. i mean, as a more or less experienced player i have an idea what 50 smoothness means. as explained earlier, i still have little tnowledge about what 39.2 prodcution units and 69.91 Engineering time mean.
The tool tips arenāt actually fixed up for those yet, and it depends also on the size of your team etc. so the sandbox is a very rough estimate, but letās just say for now that production units is equivalent to how many hours it would take one person, or how many people it would take to build in one hour, and engineering time is expressed in months.
These will obviously be changed by the level of automation, the experience and size of your engineering team, and of course, budget for each portion of the flow of R&D and production.
Thereās a few variables that will be inconsistent that will need explaining here: obviously to make an i4 produce as much peak power as an i6, the i4 will need higher volume or higher boost which means less likely to be as smooth or as economical. I also would wager it may be less reliable, but that depends on the setup. If you didnāt need 215bhp, then you could reasonably shoot for the i4 but for this application, a 4 cylinder would be at a sizeable disadvantage for the demandā¦ at least IMHO.
yeah. dat.
okay this is actually getting even more out of hand. the participants keep increasing, but we pun on a strict 3 day result rule (maybe 4 days toleration)ā¦ i think we need to do something
thereās 2 things that i thought up of
- limiting the participants for each round
- make a āstandardā reviewing format, so it can be done faster. and if the host have more time, the format may be extended or changed, or not used altogether. but it should be made to make the reviewing process faster. but when a host has limited time, just use the format without much alteration, although preferably, SOME alteration, to keep it interesting still
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Yeah,thatās a good idea. Perhaps something like a basic default view and stat breakdown of all entries with maybe a more open bit for the host to put their written reviews?
In the last round (which I hosted), I was in the exact same situation as him, but had most of the reviews ready before the deadline.
I know this wonāt be a popular idea, but the original rules never stated that every car had to be reviewed. Realistically speaking, car shoppers donāt exactly test drive 30 cars back to back, they narrow down the selection first. So I think it would be reasonable to specify, say, 5-10 full reviews, with shorter blurbs for the rest to say why they werenāt chosen/what could be improved.
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Thatās gonna be gut wrenching for those who get chopped without much in the way of an explanationā¦ days and days of work get chucked out. Thatās going to sting.
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i mean, the ones that get chopped would still get a decent explanation, i expect, but maybe a paragraph at most instead of the 4/5 of a normal review
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Thatās pretty much what I did in my challenge, to save up some time and because I was rambling on for too long. I separated them into the first impressions, visuals, interior and space, and then the best cars got a test drive.
I think it is a valid solution for getting the reviews out quicker.
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Review Day:
It has certainly been a roller coaster, no one in the Tatum Heights Police Department or Motor Pool expected to receive so many replies to their ad. An exhaustive effort was made to categorize each car and their capabilities. Blake Worden, head of the Motor Pool will evaluate service costs and general maintenance concerns. Officer Marc Levinstein having a reputation as the quickest driver on the force will evaluate performance and handling. Finally, Sergeant Pete Hayes will assist Levinstein in a pursuit scenario to determine each cars capability. This will take the form of a āstolenā car traveling down the streets of Detroit while the other car pursues and hopefully apprehends. Your adversary will be a 1994 Petoskey Montauk Trance Am.
Boasting the same 377 V8 found in the Meteor, the Montauk Trance Am is designed for maximum performance. Good luck.
Cenaturi Deimos Pursuit (Nialloftara)
Worden: The first car we received looked like your standard FWD sedan. Under the hood sits a 4.1L V6. Upon closer examination I have noted that the engine uses an OHV configuration. Technical sheets show a rather curious application of cast internals. The power output is not all that different from our current Gran Romeros. However, despite seeming a bit archaic, the engine is well engineered and looks like it could withstand considerable abuse before breaking down. As I examine further along the car, I observe a four speed automatic, steel wheels, standard tires. The Deimos uses solid disc brakes in front and drums in the back. The pad materials are of performance quality allowing for decent stopping distance. The radiator is perhaps a little too effective at keeping the engine cool. There is at least three times the air flow necessary to cool the engine, an upside of this is good solid reliability, though running active cooling flaps would be a small investment for reduced drag and improved fuel economy. Overall the car is mechanically sound, though service costs are a little on the high side. With fairly average fuel economy, the bean counters should at least be satisfied. At a price of $12,430, we would be able to afford 20 of them.
Levinstein: My first impression of the Deimos was a fairly average one. Front wheel drive, V6 (Albeit a rather large one) it looked rather mundane. While the car does not produce as much in the way of power, it does at least make decent use of it. Hard acceleration does lead to some wheel spin which the traction control has difficulty fighting. However, it is at least a decent level where the car can still be controlled. Electronic driving assists help some with keeping the car under control, and the car does seem to respond nicely to corners. I took the car around our proving course set up in the parking lot behind City Hall. This course is designed to test close quarters maneuverability and response. The car logged in a time of 1:06.06. A good four second improvement over our current Gran Romeros. A top speed of 130 mph is on the low side but within acceptable parameters. (Youāre not going to find many police chases that go that fast anyway)
Hayes: Okay, now itās time for our pursuit scenario, I will be driving the Deimos while Levinstein will be behind the wheel of a stolen 1994 Petoskey Montauk Trance Am. When pursuing a suspect it is ideal if you can stay on them. A suspect will be less likely to stop and give up if they can maintain a lead over pursuing officers. Unfortunately, Deimos has considerable disadvantages on straight roads, giving the car everything it had I was unable to keep up with the Montauk. Close cornering the car did well, but as we are adjacent to the freeway, the Deimos was sadly unable to make the cut.
Honorable Mentions: Highest Engine Reliability stat.
Corleone Impel (CadillacDave)
Worden: Okay, I gotta say, this car has a cool sounding name. This one uses a 3.0L transversely mounted V6. Unlike the Deimos, this one is a DOHC aluminum design. The engine has a pretty steady torque curve, but has a few issues. The internals, while well setup for reducing emissions, limits the engines output and speed. Despite this, the engine does produce a healthy 198 horsepower, though it does not look like it would be as solid as the Deimos. The Impel features an AWD system mated to a 5 speed automatic. The brakes are vented discs in the front and solid discs in the rear. With a 111ā stopping distance, it is a tad further than weād like but nothing too serious. Service costs are on the high side. Other than that the car seems decent from a mechanical standpoint. With a price of $15,730 we would be able to afford 15 units.
Levinstein: Iām beginning to wonder if thereās a pattern going on. The Impel is decently comfortable, though the lack of a radio is a tad irritating. Since there would be police equipment including a radio to the station, Iām not too hung up on it, but it is nice to be able to tune in to some station, especially on a long shift. Taking the car for a spin I find it well planted on the road. Hitting corners hard does induce some slip, but overall it holds it own quite nicely. The AWD system coupled with the electronic driving aids cuts the wheelspin down nicely. The braking distance is not too bad, though I did notice after some hard braking a loss in effectiveness. Hurtling around the proving course netted a time of 1:07.40. Not the best time Iāve seen, but we shall see.
Hayes: Iām not sure the AWD system helped as much as the manufacturer intended. As I chased after Levinstein, he kept pulling away like before. Iām hoping we did not set the bar too high with our choice of stolen vehicle.
Erin Tauga Lex Tourer 2.8l (DeusExMackia
Worden: This is certainly an interesting change of pace, a wagon from across the pond. Under the hood sits a 2.6l inline six. The engine puts out 204 horsepower which is on the low side of our entries, but power is only good if the car can make use of it. It does look like it could use a couple ticks higher on the redline to make better use of peak power, but all in all it looks to be a good, solid engine. Unfortunately there is a snag, this car requires premium fuel. None of the other vehicles in the city fleet or PD use premium, so I would likely have a hard time convincing City Council that this car would be worth the expense. One positive note on that side is the car is light on fuel consumption. The two other issues I have are the use of a manual transmission and alloy wheels. Should the car hit a curb, an alloy wheel is more likely to bend than a steel one, not to mention being more expensive to replace. As far as a manual transmission goes, not everyone in the PD can drive stick. However, with lower general service costs, it might be possible to convince City Council otherwise. At a price of $18,700, we would be able to purchase 13 units.
Levinstein: I gotta say, when they handed me the keys to this baby, I was excited. Getting behind the drivers seat I let the car have it. It is remarkably well planted on the ground, response to cornering and tough maneuvering allow for hard driving while keeping control. A time of 1:04.43 on the Proving Course made for a six second improvement over the Gran Romero. The gearing combined with the AWD and electronic aids made for no wheelspin that I could measure, and by God I tried. Stopping distance is excellent but an issue with brake fade did come up under heavy driving. All in all this car is pretty wicked, It will be interesting to see what Hayes can do in a chase.
Hayes: This is more like it! I was able to stick with the Montauk and was generally no more than two seconds behind him. On a straightaway the Montauk would have an advantage, but for general pursuit, this car performed excellent.
Serviceman (Ornate)
Worden: Well, this should be interesting. It is a van. Front wheel drive, it makes use of a turbocharged 1.8L inline six good for 120 horsepower. It would appear that everything on this engine is geared towards fuel efficiency. Overall the engine is decently engineered, and fairly solid. The van uses a 6 speed manual transmission which once again raises concerns about those who can drive it. However, with an estimated 41 mpg, the van does count for the highest fuel efficiency. That coupled with lower service costs make this thing a bean counters dream. Unfortunately, I do believe there will be some naysayers among other categoriesā¦
Levinstein: Wow, it takes all sortsā¦ Anyway, I took the Serviceman out for a spin to see what it could do. With no radio to speak of, I am once again without music for long shifts. While the van sips fuel, the low power output results in a predictable slow acceleration. Interestingly enough it is still possible to spin the wheels on hard acceleration. The van is not comfortable though it is at least roomy. The brakes take longer to stop the van than any other vehicle I tested so far and I also experienced fade after hard use. The time of 1:13.09 is technically faster than our older Romeros, but is slower than the 1985 and newer Gran Romeros. A van like this could see use among Detectives or utility purposes, but not as a Police Interceptor.
Hayes: What? Youāre serious? Why would we bother with the test when we both know the likely results? Ugh, fine! In the interest of science Iāll proceed. Suffice to say, in pursuit of the stolen car, I was unable to apprehend the suspect.
Honorable mention: Best Economy, Offroad, and Utility stats.
Ceptor (TR8R)
Worden: An interesting design, comes with light strips along the A pillars. The Ceptor is a rear wheel drive sedan that uses an aluminum DOHC 3.5L V8 rated at 311 horsepower. One peculiar note is the decision to use a two way catalytic converter when a three way would allow for better air flow and reduced emissions. Regardless the engine appears to be solid enough to handle some abuse. One particular note of concern is the limited trunk space. The Ceptor also suffers from a low safety score. Once again a manual transmission will prove difficult for many of our officers. Low service costs and average fuel economy help the Ceptors case. At a price of $14,520, we could afford 17 units.
Levinstein: Well, they certainly pack you in here. The seats are of standard design, though once again there is no radio. At least something basic would be decent. There is definitely not much in the way of headroom. However, I can see one positive side, yes the car is small, but itās also light. Letās see what this hunk of junk can do. The high-revving 3.5L V8 hauled this car around the Proving Course in 1:01.77. The car boasts an excellent stopping distance, and while slight fade can be detected, it is exceptionally minor. Iām betting this one stands a good chance in the pursuit test.
Hayes: Well, as it turns out, the Ceptor is way faster than a Montauk Trance Am. I was almost able to drive circles around Marc heading through town. The Ceptor gets a pass.
WMD Guardsman PPK (abg7)
Worden: Our second 300+ horsepower car, the Guardsman PPK uses a 4.0L AlSi DOHC V8. The engine is considerably advanced and looks to stand a fair chance against wear and tear. On the flip side a six speed manual is used. Iām thinking we may have to spring for a training course for our officers. The use of Alloy wheels is also something of concern as replacements can be more expensive. Fuel economy is also slightly lower than average, and service costs are a bit on the high side. With a price of $19,910 we could afford 12 units.
Levinstein: Well, after getting a sore neck from the last car, this one is considerably more pleasant to sit in. It also boasts of good solid design that should leave me relatively safe should an accident occur. Good seat belts are also important as this baby stops on a dime. No sign of brake fade either. Luckily we donāt live in a rural area so there wonāt be any call to take this thing off road. As it looks, it would not do well at all. But as far as our Proving Course is concerned this baby rocketed through it in 1:01.21, even faster than the Ceptor. The real test however is to see if we can catch the bad guysā¦
Hayes: Another worthy case, In a pursuit scenario the Guardsmann PPK is slightly slower than the Ceptor, but in our test it passed with flying colors.
Honorable Mentions: Highest Sportiness rating, Shortest stopping distance.
Bogliq Service (HighOctaneLove)
Worden: Thereās always something about a Bogliq that you always recognize. It is said you can have a Bogliq in any color you wish, but you may only wish for a blue one. The Service is powered by a 2.5L inline four. The engine is turbocharged offering 282 horsepower. Unfortunately the engine looks to have a degree of valve float issues. The engine appears to run a bit hot for itās size, and while it has sufficient cooling, overall, the car does not feel as likely to hold up to high stress. The engine issues also lead to higher service costs. With average fuel economy Iām not certain I can justify this one. At a cost of $15,620 we could afford 16 units.
Levinstein: The Bogliq service is a comfortable car to drive, Iāll give it that. However, maintaining control is a bit more challenging than some of the other cars weāve tested. On braking the Service does a good job with no signs of fade whatsoever. I was able to get the car around our track with a time of 1:05.61. Iā'm looking forward to seeing what Hayes can do with it.
Hayes: The first part of the chase was a disaster, the suspect was able to pull a considerable lead on me. In a close quarters race around the city, the Service seems capable of holding itās own. But in matters of highway pursuit, it was left in the dust.
ZM Danzig Service (NormanVauxhall)
Worden: An interesting design, an AWD sedan that uses a 3.5L turbocharged inline six. From what Iāve seen so far, this engine is not the most rugged out there, but it seems to be solid enough to handle some stress. Unusually this car uses manual locking hubs, a bit peculiar, but weāll see how it works out. Service costs are on the low side and fuel efficiency is average. At a price of $14,190 we could afford 17 units.
Levinstein: A fun bit of wheelspin at a hard start, but relatively manageable. When you hit 2700 RPM you better be ready for it because the turbo kicks like a mule. Hitting the brakes takes a little longer to slow you down but there is no sign of fade. I was able to get a time of 1:06.10 around the Proving Course.
Hayes: On a straight road the Montauk was able to pull away, on twisting roads the Montauk still had an advantage but I was able to keep a reasonable pace with him. Itās a close one but Iām gonna count this one as a pass, barely.
Talon RX-T (Vri404)
Worden: An aggressive design, the Talon RX-T uses an aluminum twin turbo 4.8L DOHC V6. I question the logic of using a V6 of that displacement. A V8 would offer smoother performance and would hold up better to harsh running conditions. The brochure also made mention of Titanium connecting rods which means this engine is considerably more expensive than other competitors. The car drinks enough to put an Irish dockworker to shame, and lists the highest service costs of any of the cars weāve reviewed. Iām not sure how it fares performance-wise, but from a maintenance standpoint this thing is a nightmare! With a price of $24,860 we could afford 10 units.
Levinstein: Like the Danzig, the Talon RX-T has a turbo setup thatāll kick you hard if youāre not ready for it. The car does put up a bit of a fight when maintaining control, and the brakes arenāt quite balanced. Despite balancing issues, the brakes do an exceptional job of stopping the car. With a time of 1:00.75 around the Proving Course, the Talon is the fastest car I have tested so far. Iām certain how a pursuit scenario will unfoldā¦
Hayes: Marc didnāt stand a chance against me in this. Every turn he made I stayed right on him. This car has enough disadvantages that it isnāt likely to be selected, but when it comes to pursuit, it does a nice job of it.
Honorable mentions: Fastest time around the Proving Course, Highest price, Highest service costs.
Scarab Polaris XC Patrol (gridghost)
Worden: There isnāt much call for wagons in the US but weāre willing to keep an open mind so long as the car fits the bill. The Polaris XC Patrol is an AWD wagon that uses a twin turbo AlSi 3.5L V6. The engine isnāt the most rugged design, but looks to hold up okay. The car uses alloy wheels which again raises concern of replacement cost and durability. General service costs for this car are also high while fuel efficiency remains average. At a price of $18,590 we could purchase 13 units.
Levinstein: This car handles like a dream. I put it through itās paces and it had no trouble maintaining itās composure. The turbo setup allows for a more gradual climb in power so it doesnāt hit you like a a ton of bricks. The brakes are effective at bringing the car to a stop and show no signs of fade from hard use. I was able to whip it around the Proving Course in 1:04.39.
Hayes: Pursuit around the city proved excellent. The Scarab Polaris XC Patrol was able to stay within one second behind Marc. While theoretically the Montauk could make it to the freeway and take advantage of itās higher top speed to get away, in normal pursuit scenarios, youāre rarely able to reach such speeds.
Future reviews pending.
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can I please confirm that you have received my entry?
I received it.
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I should have the second round of review posted tomorrow after work. It should go quicker as I have nearly all the data organized, itās just a matter of writing it out.
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Woooo! Made the Honorable Mentions which is more than enough for me.
Playing the quality card has worked out well for meā¦ so far. Canāt wait for the next round of reviews!
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