| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_a |
Apparently, VW put the effort together from scratch in nine months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsfecynMpag In bike news Carlin Dunn wins overall and Heavyweight on a Multistrada, with Rennie Scaysbrook in 2nd with a very close time on a 1290 Super Duke. Chris Fillmore secured the middleweight class and 3rd overall on the new 790 Duke. I was also following Rafael Paschoalin who was on a pretty cool Yamaha MT-09 who ended up 8th overall and 3rd in middleweights behind Davey Durell on an Aprilia SXV. Dunn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7epeMKJylVA Fillmore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Z9nObEuJU These guys are putting out new content on the regular https://www.youtube.com/user/pikespeakhillclimb These guys have a pretty good walk through of the cars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYFSRcE7860 | ||
| Rick_a |
...and this dude wrecked on an electric bike. Reportedly minor injuries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGsK8KCvI6Y ...and if you just like crashes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgbbGUwzy2c | ||
| Ducbsa |
Electric cars - Bah!! Can't hold a candle to real cars on the mountain!  http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/vintage-review s/vintage-review-1966-oldsmobile-toronado-car-and- driver-heads-to-pikes-peak-with-the-newest-from-ol ds/ | ||
| Rick_a |
That's cute, but the fastest "real car" got smoked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKTOfXug3Zg The Lovefab Enviate "Hypercar" got 2nd last year...did well in practice, but didn't make the scoreboard on race day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IqFsMeuEg http://livetiming.net/ppihc/ | ||
| Hootowl |
My dad had a 66 Toronado. Power windows. Front wheel drive. We enjoyed playing on the floor of the back seat, since there was no hump in the way, and since it was the 70s, no one cared about seat belts or car seats. Or kids, apparently... | ||
| Macbuell |
Just watching the videos of them flying up the mountain with cliffs and no guard rails gives me the willy's. | ||
| Orman1649 |
I have a 66 Toronado...maybe I should take a stab at Pikes :P | ||
| Hughlysses |
Here's what former Buell/EBR engineer Steve Anderson had to say about VW's PP effort:  Steve's into E-bikes and such now and has a lot of interesting things to say about urban transportation on Twitter. | ||
| Hootowl |
I was thinking the same thing when I watched it fly up the road. Probably carrying just enough batteries to finish the race. I would imagine a gasoline powered car would also have only enough gasoline on board to finish the race. | ||
| Rick_a |
The electric car also doesn't have to deal with the power loss due to thinner air as it nears the summit. | ||
| Oopezoo |
They also have instantaneous maximum torque at all times, regardless of speed or gear. It allows you to completely blow the racing line, recover, and power out of a corner like you wouldn't believe. No gear shifts, no matching revs, just point it where you want to go and mash the pedal. Your biggest issue is usually traction. My daily driver is a Chevy Volt, and I've had a decent amount of seat time in a Tesla Model S. Being an old gear head kind of guy, I was skeptical getting into electric vehicles, but I'm 2yrs in with almost 55k miles under my belt. This is where its going and its going to be awesome......and silent except for squealing tires. I can't wait to get my first electric motorcycle. There will always be a place for the feel and sound of a traditional motor/drivetrain, but electric is SO much better if it is done properly. | ||
| Macbuell |
I get what you are saying but for me, and many, the visceral feel and sound of the engine in a performance car or motorcycle is part of the enjoyment. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I'm not surprised by this at all. Oxygen content has nothing to do with battery output. Their only limiting factors would be if it's really cold up there. Stanley steamers used to stomp internal combustion cars in hillclimbs and shorter races. Just wire the safety valve and store up 100000 psi before the beginning. It probably won't blow up and either way, you get to be in the news papers! | ||
| Hootowl |
"Oxygen content has nothing to do with battery output" This didn't even occur to me. Hardly seems fair racing ICE and electric cars in such an environment. Part of the race is overcoming the challenges of altitude. | ||
| Oopezoo |
Sure....but you have no relative experience driving electric. My thoughts were the same as yours 3 years ago. I'm a gear head, always have been. Did plenty of track days in my old BMW 3-series, grew up building loud high HP engines with my buddies. I'm telling you that a LOT of those peoples perceptions will change once they get honest seat time behind an electric vehicle. I'm not talking a Nissan Leaf either. The first manufacturer to put a good electric drivetrain into something like a Subaru BRZ so that it handles well and is properly balanced will be a serious game changer. The instantaneous torque is something that can't be explained.....only felt, and it is incredibly rewarding. I still miss racking through the gears on a winding backroad sometimes, but the advantages of the electric heavily outweigh the loss of the noise and the 3rd pedal. | ||
| Hootowl |
Maybe they'll just do what some manufacturers are already doing: Pipe engine noises through the entertainment system. | ||
| Oopezoo |
Ha.....reminds me of the youtube video where a guy put a duck call on the blowoff valve in his WRX. I just about pissed myself laughing the first time I heard it. | ||
| Tootal |
I imagine all gas engines are turbocharged for this race. Fuel injection will keep the A/F ratio correct but when there's no air there's no fuel. The electrics won't loose any power as it goes up. I think it was BMW that was running the sound through the speakers. I too have had lots of seat time on a track in a BMW 3 series. I do like that beautiful music! Not the fake crap of today's bimmer. | ||
| Torquehd |
If I ever have an electric car, it's going to sound like a steam train. | ||
| Rick_a |
All the Pikes Peak electric vehicles have a siren so that spectators can hear them coming. I imagine that could be a little distracting. It's an annoyance just listening to it as recorded footage. I'll look into electric vehicles when the run times aren't measured in minutes at a fast pace...and by that time I'll probably not care that the run time was once measured in minutes at a fast pace. The price of electric performance vehicles is extravagant and they're still mostly a novelty. Limited range and frequent charging are still factors to be overcome. The batteries have yet to catch up to the motors. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
>>If I ever have an electric car, it's going to sound like a steam train. Nooo! The Thomas and friends theme on a loop!  | ||
| Dwardo |
I used to love that show. Especially when Ringo Starr was Mr. Conductor. | ||
| Court |
It suddenly starting to load k like there might be a serious e-car in the future fleet here at home. Better half is serious about vehicles ... way serious .....and is starting to ask lots of questions. Time to learn. | ||
| Ourdee |
Their only limiting factors would be if it's really cold up there. Cold would be an asset up there. Need to cool them and every thing else down later in the run. I would suggest a run to K1 Karting and a couple of runs to let you understand electric cars torque. And just plain have a blast. | ||
| Oopezoo |
My Volt has some weird whooshing/whirring noise that it intentionally pumps out of a speaker under the hood when it is in drive. Its supposed to be some sort of pedestrian warning device. I only hear it when I'm rolling through my neighborhood at 15-20mph with the windows down. I still routinely sneak up on elderly walkers and dipshit kids on their skateboards. Perfect weather, with the windows down, on a backroad, it is pure bliss to drive. Nothing but the wind and tires on the road. Thats the part that makes me want an electric motorcycle. No sounds but the wind around my helmet. I mean, sometimes I love the growl of hard downshifting into a corner and listening to the exhaust bark, but pure silence as you link together half a dozen sweeping corners down a back road has its place as well. | ||
| Ourdee |
The quiet is what I like about a canoe with a trolling motor on the river. | ||
| 86129squids |
RD, I like the way you think. Once had a 16' tri-hull runabout, but that just made me realize I'm really not a "boat person". Still would love to throw something in the back of the truck and find a put-in... Back OT: What I'd love about an E-bike, mainly a D/S, is quiet trail riding. We've got SO many great offroad options here, almost endless... Every time I see a Tesla, I kinda get a chub. DANG sexy cars, and I know what they can do. I'd love to try that old "dollar on the dashboard" trick... | ||
| Airbozo |
I got a chance to ride in one of the first Tesla Roadster models several years ago. Impressive! Hoping to finagle a ride in the new Roadster model. I pass by the Tesla Factory every day on my commute and see so many of them. I also got to ride the Empulse and was equally impressed. It was on my short list of next bikes I couldn't afford. |
