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Coolest Older ICE Cars
- Thread starter SgtHulka
- Start date
We stand around the pits at the dragstrip complaining that gas for the tow rigs is $3 a gallon, but gladly fork over $10 a gallon for race gas.
I ran race gas a few times. My engine wasn't wild enough to utilize effectively it so went back to 76 high octane ( tells you how long ago I was a strip regular
) My buddy ran a 454 slingshot dragster on Alcohol. It was a learning experience figuring out how to jet it. Once we got it dialed it was a wicked ride.
I ran race gas a few times. My engine wasn't wild enough to utilize effectively it so went back to 76 high octane ( tells you how long ago I was a strip regular
Unless you have a high compression engine (or a forced induction setup) high octane fuel is a waste of money and often times you're engine will run worse with it. The higher the octane number, the more cylinder pressure you need to burn it effectively.
Alcohol is a different story. It has about half the energy that gasoline has, so if you're running a 75 jet in your Holley double pumper on gas, you'll need a 150 jet (and a bigger fuel pump) to run alcohol and make the same power.
The only advantage I've seen on an alcohol motor is they run cooler. So if you're in a situation where there's little to no time between rounds, the alcohol motor will be somewhat more forgiving than the gas one will.
12 quarts of full synthetic 5W40 oil and a $40 oem filter adds up to $160 in parts. Unless you have to R&R the engine to access the drain plug or filter, I don't see how this adds up to $500 - $1000.
But, if you can afford a Ferrari to start with I guess this is nothing for an oil change.
Alkali Ike
Gold Supporting Member
- Jan 1, 2011
- 2,857
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- I never actually learned to play very well
If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it. 
Most Expensive Cars For Oil Change Maintenance | Luxury Car Repair
The manufacturer [McLaren] quotes that the average cost of a simple oil change for the F1 will set you back about $8,000.
Most Expensive Cars For Oil Change Maintenance | Luxury Car Repair
The manufacturer [McLaren] quotes that the average cost of a simple oil change for the F1 will set you back about $8,000.
Very cool little car. I enjoyed mine.
But if we're talking about French cars, let's go for the ultimate one
The advantage with ethanol is you can run a higher compression ratio and/or more aggressive timing without pre ignition or detonation ( because it runs cooler). This translates to more available power from the same engine - the only changes being CR, fuel delivery, fuel and spark map (we're talking EFI, here). The difference is more pronounced with forced induction.
The only downside to alcohol is the lower AFR means you need to burn more of it so you need a bigger fuel tank.
Admittedly, alcohol is more corrosive than gasoline, but if corrosion resistant components are used, there's no problem.
I'm fairly certain that with improvements in technology in the near future, alcohol will be truly carbon neutral and will become increasingly more economical compared to gasoline. The ICEs of the future will mostly run on alcohol.
You gonna do this, do it right.
1976 Caddy convertible.
Look at it!!!!!!
Plus it's the last year it you could get it with 500 cubic inch engine!
1976 Caddy convertible.
Look at it!!!!!!
Plus it's the last year it you could get it with 500 cubic inch engine!
Infrastructure aside, what is going to be the source of the electricity to fuel the burgeoning EV market? It won't be wind or hydro - too inconsistent. Nobody wants nuke, 'cuz "Muh Three Mile Island". What's left but carbon/fossil fuel, e.g. coal?
And you have to remove the engine to replace the timing belt every 30K on the 3xx models (308, 328, 348)...so I've heard.
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The extra 340-840 is due to the plain fact that Ferraris (all Italian cars, basically) are huge PITA to work on!
Intentional design for poor serviceability tends to be where absurd (oil change, spark plug, timing belt, etc.) costs come from. It doesn't happen by accident.
Exactly our experience with Alchy. Eventually Tommy went back to Trick racing fuel.
Owning many sports cars over the years, my experience has been anytime you need to get Klaus or Tony to work on your car, you are going to pay big for it. Just sayin.
More often it is design for performance, and serviceability is not really considered. They aren't intentionally making it hard to work on, they just don't care if it is hard to work on.
I get that serviceability isn't the #1 priority for the engineers, there's far more important things to consider when designing an automobile.
However, commonly performed services like an oil change and basic bulb replacement should be simple to do, regardless of make/model. Other jobs like spark plugs and timing belts are a job that's done every 90,000 miles so a little extra labor is no big deal.
I can think of a few vehicles where headlight bulb replacement requires removing the front bumper cover and others where there's a bunch of crap in the way of the oil filter and if you do manage to access it, you're going to spill oil everywhere and piss the customer off. Heck, even the early Ford Explorer had the oil drain plug pointed directly at the right front lower control arm...... if you didn't have a piece of cardboard to direct the oil away when you pulled the plug, you made a huge mess.
However, commonly performed services like an oil change and basic bulb replacement should be simple to do, regardless of make/model. Other jobs like spark plugs and timing belts are a job that's done every 90,000 miles so a little extra labor is no big deal.
I can think of a few vehicles where headlight bulb replacement requires removing the front bumper cover and others where there's a bunch of crap in the way of the oil filter and if you do manage to access it, you're going to spill oil everywhere and piss the customer off. Heck, even the early Ford Explorer had the oil drain plug pointed directly at the right front lower control arm...... if you didn't have a piece of cardboard to direct the oil away when you pulled the plug, you made a huge mess.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Not sure about that. Go back a generation, and most car were very easy to change the oil by crawling under the car. Most cars today, it's impossible to easily do it if the car isn't on a lift.
