Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by dan brown on March 2, 2010 at 11:13am

just like the lottery is a tax on people who don't understand basic statistics.


good one. or as I always said - "A tax on folks that did not pay attention in math class..."

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Permalink Reply by Michael Perz on March 2, 2010 at 11:22am

I will go to bed this evening thankful for the checks and balances incorporated into the American system. If democracy was ever to truly have it's way, unfettered, half of us would be bankrupt while the other half languished on death row.

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Permalink Reply by Jan on March 2, 2010 at 12:04pm

I can't believe some of the things that I'm reading here. I don't drive a lot but there have been periods during my life when I have. In my 43 years of driving motor vehicles I've never gotten a ticket for going though a red light. Because I don't do it. I drive the speed limit and that always leaves me plenty of time to stop safely under normal circumstances. If every automobile operator would adhere to the rules of the road and pay attention to what they were doing there would be very few collisions. When I'm riding my bike or walking I don't want to be center punched by someone who runs a red light because they are afraid that the guy behind them won't stop.

I am really dissapointed that any cyclist would think that it is all right to drive a motor vehicle in that way.

By the way. This really is a cycling issue.

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Permalink Reply by T.J. on March 2, 2010 at 2:12pm

You are absolutely right about this notorious

notoriousDUG said:

Technically no but it is common practice; if you are sitting there when the light turns and somebody takes off and runs into you when followed to the letter of the law you are in the wrong.

Trust me on this one, I have gotten the ticket to prove it.

Jessica said:

Aren't you allowed to enter the intersection for a left, and allowed to clear it if the light is yellow/red?

And downhill isn't an excuse... speedlimit is the speedlimit, even if you ruin your brakes by riding them. <3 sticks shift for this reason...

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on March 2, 2010 at 2:57pm

It doesn't burn up the clutch... I don't ride it, I downshift and let the engine pressure slow the car down. =P I can downshift/upshift without even USING the clutch. Revmatching FTW! =P (bye bye syncros though... haha)

Edited to add: What I'm saying is if you downshift PROPERLY, the clutch isn't even engaged when you allow the engine to slow you down. I dunno, maybe from a street racing perspective, hitting the brakes at 100 mph isn't in the best interest, and I learned from there. Or maybe I just like to hear my car roar. haha... '99 Camaro, 6 speed manual, headers and dumps. RAWR! =)

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 2, 2010 at 3:57pm

Actually if you are matching the RPMs you aren't really using the syncros much.

If you really want to make a clutch ans trans live long learn to double clutch when shifting normally; learn to do it well and the clutch and trans are going to outlive the car.

A clutch only wears when slipping, down shifting does not increase wear unless it is done wrong, as will up shifting with with to much clutch slip.


Jessica said:

It doesn't burn up the clutch... I don't ride it, I downshift and let the engine pressure slow the car down. =P I can downshift/upshift without even USING the clutch. Revmatching FTW! =P (bye bye syncros though... haha)

Edited to add: What I'm saying is if you downshift PROPERLY, the clutch isn't even engaged when you allow the engine to slow you down. I dunno, maybe from a street racing perspective, hitting the brakes at 100 mph isn't in the best interest, and I learned from there. Or maybe I just like to hear my car roar. haha... '99 Camaro, 6 speed manual, headers and dumps. RAWR! =)

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on March 2, 2010 at 4:28pm

Doug, what law be this? And aren't you exiting the intersection by making the left-hand turn?

notoriousDUG said:

Actually by the letter of the law entering an intersection you are unable to exit is illegal; when you sit in the middle of the intersection to make a left turn you are breaking the law.

I hate the cameras, they often get triggered by legal right turns on red and eliminate the judgment of an actual person writing the ticket.

I have never been tagged by one but a couple of my employees and father have, several of those where legal right turns on red.

caitlin e said:

I HATE THEM. I have gotten 3 red light tickets over the course of 2 months....this was earlier this year, seeing as how I am now carless. They are so ridiculous, because they don't account for situations in which you have no choice, get stuck trying to make a left turn, etc....ugh, it's all about extra revenue for the state, it's not really doing anything to make intersections safer.

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on March 2, 2010 at 5:18pm

Double clutching is putting the clutch in - shift to neutral - let clutch out - reengage clutch (or disengage... are we talking pedal, or what's actually happening? lol), shift into gear.

You're not supposed to double clutch in cars with syncros... at least not the new ones. I dunno... I got lucky with my car. I've been violently powershifting for over 3 years now... it hasn't broken yet. There's a shimmy in my rear end though... I'm sure that's going soon. (typical LS1 though...)

Again, edited to add that 'don't double clutch' has been taught to me by my way-more-into-cars-than-me buddies.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 2, 2010 at 6:26pm

Double clutching is done to match the speed of the gear clusters inside of the transmission when you shift preventing the gears from grinding into each other. The practice is not needed in most modern 'syncromesh' manual transmissions because they use syncros to run the gear you are shifting into to up to a matching speed. It is still needed in some large truck transmissions because they are not synchronized but other then thatif you are driving something made after about the mid 50's it is not a necessity.

H3N3 said:

I still don't quite get it-- why would you "double clutch?"
It sounds like what you're calling "power-shifting" is what I've always heard called downshifting.
Supposed to be good for the engine as it wears the rings/bearings more evenly than always being torqued in one direction.

Jessica said:

Double clutching is putting the clutch in - shift to neutral - let clutch out - reengage clutch (or disengage... are we talking pedal, or what's actually happening? lol), shift into gear.

You're not supposed to double clutch in cars with syncros... at least not the new ones. I dunno... I got lucky with my car. I've been violently powershifting for over 3 years now... it hasn't broken yet. There's a shimmy in my rear end though... I'm sure that's going soon. (typical LS1 though...)

Again, edited to add that 'don't double clutch' has been taught to me by my way-more-into-cars-than-me buddies.

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on March 2, 2010 at 6:34pm

Powershifting is shifting without letting off the gas. You push the clutch in, slam it into the next gear and QUICKLY let out, having the gas floored the whole time. It is AWFUL for the trans/clutch, but makes for some wicked fast runs.

Again, let me stress... NOT GOOD FOR YOUR CAR. lol. I just don't care...

H3N3 said:

I still don't quite get it-- why would you "double clutch?"
It sounds like what you're calling "power-shifting" is what I've always heard called downshifting.
Supposed to be good for the engine as it wears the rings/bearings more evenly than always being torqued in one direction.

Jessica said:

Double clutching is putting the clutch in - shift to neutral - let clutch out - reengage clutch (or disengage... are we talking pedal, or what's actually happening? lol), shift into gear.

You're not supposed to double clutch in cars with syncros... at least not the new ones. I dunno... I got lucky with my car. I've been violently powershifting for over 3 years now... it hasn't broken yet. There's a shimmy in my rear end though... I'm sure that's going soon. (typical LS1 though...)

Again, edited to add that 'don't double clutch' has been taught to me by my way-more-into-cars-than-me buddies.

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Permalink Reply by mattbikes1 on March 2, 2010 at 6:51pm

I think they are the best thing ever invented and I wish they were at every single controlled intersection in the city. People don't care about the accidents they might cause by their careless inattentive driving but when it comes to getting a fine they start to care. That is the way it works and I say fine 'em each and every time.

Sorry Joe, you broke the law and you will have to pay. Better luck next time. I know I have had to break hard more than just a few times but you got to pay attention and speeding doesn't help in these situations. Some of these lights have record-short yellows.

If you are over the line, and I mean all the way over the line, before it turns red you've got no worries. From a business guy's point of view, this is an awesome way to raise revenue.

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Permalink Reply by mattbikes1 on March 2, 2010 at 7:00pm

I beg to differ. You can not legally enter an intersection until it is clear. Jessie White's most recent literature specifies this quite clearly. I had to take the test to get my Illinois license last fall and got 100% after thoroughly studying the driver's rules of the road for IL.

notoriousDUG said:

Technically no but it is common practice; if you are sitting there when the light turns and somebody takes off and runs into you when followed to the letter of the law you are in the wrong.
Trust me on this one, I have gotten the ticket to prove it.
Jessica said:

Aren't you allowed to enter the intersection for a left, and allowed to clear it if the light is yellow/red?

And downhill isn't an excuse... speedlimit is the speedlimit, even if you ruin your brakes by riding them. <3 sticks shift for this reason...

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