Barry

Fined? They should be prosecuted, electrocuted, hung, drawn, quartered, stabbed and shot.

Oil also brings with it another set of social and economic problems aside from the environmental issues. Anyone remember the American invasion of Iraq? The real reason Saddam Hussein was removed from power was that certain people were scared that he had control of a very large supply of oil and could cut it off at any time. I dread to think what people will do to each other to gain control of the small amount of oil (money) left in a few years time. If we don't get organised and prepare for the future now, the future could look like a scene from a Mad Max movie.

Electric cars aren't particularly environmentally friendly anyway when you consider this is the result of mining lithium to manufacture the batteries,

Farting cows, that's another good source of energy. There's a monestary not too far from my home place and the monks have built a plant to harness the power of methane. As far as I'm aware, they use it to generate all their own electricity and also heating. I also seen a couple of plants in Germany where biogas is produced from waste corn husks and stalks and this biogas is then used to produce electricity for small villages.

Below is a video showing a demonstration of how much fuel is injected into one cylinder of a top fuel dragster at idle. After 15 seconds, RPM increases to 8,000 and 2 additional nozzles open to supply a total of 8 gallons per minute. Multiply that by 8 cylinders and you have an engine consuming 64 gallons per minute. Also bear in mind that this is old technology and the latest systems can supply 100 gallons per minute. Most of these beasts use around 45 litres of fuel to complete each quarter mile run What was that you said about the environment?

Also to add, the original engine built by Rudolf Diesel was designed to run on vegetable oil. Who would have thought a few dragsters could have caused such a fuss? 😬

I think hydrogen is the way forward. It's probably the cleanest fuel we currently know, the only byproduct of combustion is pure H2O. However, the problem with hydrogen is that it takes a lot of electricity to produce and most our current electrical production is coming from fossil fuels so if you're burning dirty oil to produce clean hydrogen, you're just robbing Peter to pay Paul. This can be combatted by using more sustainable electricity generation methods such as wind, solar, water. I don't know why Dubai isn't using more solar power, there's no shortage of sun and no shortage of space in the desert to put solar panels. I was in Germany last year and they had fields full of the things. Tidal turbines are another trick were missing out on here, especially being right beside the sea.

I am aware that I have publicly denounced American cars on this forum many times but there's something in me that really likes Challengers. There's something really badass and mean looking about them. After a bit of research, I've figured out I can realistically afford a V6. I'd like a V8 but they're out of my league at the minute. I'm determined to pass my driving test and not end up in a Tiida. So, has anyone owned one? What are they like to live with, especially in the gulf climate? What are things to look out for when buying?

Yes, I agree. We are killing the planet. But when you have a look around and see how unnecessary most of the vehicles here are, huge unnecessary 4x4s that never leave the Tarmac, big v8 passenger cars that never see a race track or get the chance to go over 120, you soon realise that it will take a lot to make people change their ways. I'd guess most people here could survive with a little 1.0 city car like a Polo or a Fiesta but hey, where's the fun in that?

I hope they name them properly this time. I found it very confusing at the start when I came here that a lot of the stations are named after companies rather than the area they are in.

Adrenaline I guess. I put my hand through a plate glass window a few years ago. Sliced my wrist and forearm open, cut a tendon, blood everywhere. Managed to wrap it up and drive myself to hospital. Never felt a thing until the next day. Then it really hurt lol.

Fitting bigger rims on a passenger car means you can fit low profile tyres without changing the size of the rolling circumference of the wheel. Low profile tyres means you have less flex in the sidewall which has the effect of making the steering more direct thus improving handling. However, because there is less flex, you can lose grip and spin out more easily when cornering. Not always a problem if you're into drifting. I like things with big wheels. The wheels on this monster truck originally came from the LeTorneau electric land train. Something interesting to read about if you have half an hour to kill. http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/11/19/54-wheel-drive-the-letourneau-electric-arctic-land-trains-that-put-australian-road-trains-to-shame/

Most oil can be used in both petrol and diesel engines as long as it's the correct grade, it's just marketing. Take Mobil1 and Mobil1 turbodiesel for example. It's the same stuff in different jars, the spec sheets are exactly the same.

What happens when you stick your finger into a running turbocharger?

Technically, it's not really a Mini, its an A3 1.8T with fibreglass panels but still, I like the idea.

Also donk style from America. The biggest wheels you can afford with low profile tyres.

Check out these Bosozuko style cars from Japan. Fibreglass and plywood everywhere. I love the crazy exhausts the most.

When something uses up some of the power that the engine is producing. Things like a supercharger, air conditioning, electrical things such as heater, lights, ICE etc causing the alternator to work harder

Yes I saw that. I'd rather have recommendations from people about companies they have used though. There are so many Cowboys in this town I feel like I'm in a John Wayne movie sometimes.

It's a key to wind up the toy car I present to you the leaf blower turbo. It has been tried and tested many times and actually works.

Hi does anyone have any good reliable contacts for media blasting/chrome plating and upholstery in Dubai or Sharjah? thanks in advance

I'm sorry!

What are your favourite engines and why? Mine are, in no particular order, Ford Kent - Simple pushrod design, easy to work on, first engine I learned about tuning on Ford Pinto - Heavy but uncomplicated, the basis for the famous Cosworth YB Turbo Cosworth YB Turbo - Can produce 500 BHP on standard internals, show me another 2.0 engine that can do that without exploding Suzuki GSX 1300 R - Lightweight, revs to 11K, can rev to 14K with some programming, the basis for all the best bike engined cars Subaru EJ - Boxer design gives great stability with low centre of gravity, can produce silly horsepower and makes that noise only Subarus make Peugeot XUD - Probably the most reliable diesel ever built, lots of torque, so good that PSA used it for almost 20 years in different forms

Diesels are usually known for their low down torque and pulling ability but these badass machines have some serious horsepower and acceleration.