Dumb Questions Thread

[Famine]

Surely they can make custom parts for supercars right?

Sometimes.

It might be necessary - Honda didn't really make anything good for 140mph+ in 1991, so its standard dials simply wouldn't have worked for a 157/175mph car (or it might be a 180km/h dial assembly from something really pap in Japan with a new face and a tweaked sender; same sweep, different units). It might also be for image, to create a different cabin environment for the supercar compared to the rest of the range... although since Honda saw fit to put the Civic infotainment in the current NSX, maybe not.

I half-wondered if they might have put that dial into some fruity Type R later on, but it looks like the DC2 is merely similar, while CH1/EK/EP are all different.

 

[wfooshee]

All you little ones should be glad you weren't around American cars in the late 70s through the 80s, as far as stupid speedometers were concerned. The government, in it's decidedly non-infinite wisdom, decided that people would slow down if their speedometers wouldn't read so high, and in 1979 mandated an 85-mph maximum reading. The mandate only lasted two years, but the 85s continued for nearly the entire 80s decade, mainly for the cost issue discussed above. Manufacturers designed them, cars kept getting built with the same systems, so the speedometers didn't change for a very long time.

As far as government psychology goes, it was a dismal failure, as nobody slowed down. This was during America's fuel-crisis-induced 55mph national speed limit, the biggest federal override of states' rights that ever happened (IMHO.) States were free to set their own speed limits, as nothing in the Constitution reserves that right to the Federal government, but the Act defining the limit linked it to the availability of Federal highway funding; play nice or build yer own stinkin' roads! That 55mph limit was also universally ignored by drivers, and even highway patrols disliked it.

Going back to 85-mph speedos for a moment, I had a 1985 Fiero GT, the first new car I ever owned, and it indeed had the 85mph speedometer, even though it was easily capable of 120+. The dial wasn't mechanical, though, like the old-fashioned ones driven by a spinning cable from the transmission, it was run electronically. Also, it had no pins at 0 or 85, so nothing to limit the pointer. One afternoon, I found a long, empty road and decided I needed to find out the car's top end. I had a tach, so it would be easy to calculate the top speed by revs reached, just by noting revs at 60 or so.

Started the run, the speedometer ran up past the 85mph point, eventually pointing straight down, continuing around, and finally reaching the 0 mark again, at which time it just started spinning! The car's top speed was actually higher than the dial's scale could accommodate, but I did not expect what happened, I thought the needle would just reach a point and stop. Calculating from the tach, I had reached about 125 at that point.

 

[Blitz24]

All you little ones should be glad you weren't around American cars in the late 70s through the 80s, as far as stupid speedometers were concerned. The government, in it's decidedly non-infinite wisdom, decided that people would slow down if their speedometers wouldn't read so high, and in 1979 mandated an 85-mph maximum reading. The mandate only lasted two years, but the 85s continued for nearly the entire 80s decade, mainly for the cost issue discussed above. Manufacturers designed them, cars kept getting built with the same systems, so the speedometers didn't change for a very long time.

As far as government psychology goes, it was a dismal failure, as nobody slowed down. This was during America's fuel-crisis-induced 55mph national speed limit, the biggest federal override of states' rights that ever happened (IMHO.) States were free to set their own speed limits, as nothing in the Constitution reserves that right to the Federal government, but the Act defining the limit linked it to the availability of Federal highway funding; play nice or build yer own stinkin' roads! That 55mph limit was also universally ignored by drivers, and even highway patrols disliked it.

Going back to 85-mph speedos for a moment, I had a 1985 Fiero GT, the first new car I ever owned, and it indeed had the 85mph speedometer, even though it was easily capable of 120+. The dial wasn't mechanical, though, like the old-fashioned ones driven by a spinning cable from the transmission, it was run electronically. Also, it had no pins at 0 or 85, so nothing to limit the pointer. One afternoon, I found a long, empty road and decided I needed to find out the car's top end. I had a tach, so it would be easy to calculate the top speed by revs reached, just by noting revs at 60 or so.

Started the run, the speedometer ran up past the 85mph point, eventually pointing straight down, continuing around, and finally reaching the 0 mark again, at which time it just started spinning! The car's top speed was actually higher than the dial's scale could accommodate, but I did not expect what happened, I thought the needle would just reach a point and stop. Calculating from the tach, I had reached about 125 at that point.

"But officer, I don't understand. My speedometer was reading 0 MPH!"

 

[Pupik]

All you little ones should be glad you weren't around American cars in the late 70s through the 80s, as far as stupid speedometers were concerned.

The C4 Corvette had the "dual" digital speedometer which capped out at 85 on the bar graph, but the numerals could read higher than that.

My dad had a 1984 5.0 and bought the 140mph speedometer face through the Ford parts catalog.

Started the run, the speedometer ran up past the 85mph point, eventually pointing straight down, continuing around, and finally reaching the 0 mark again, at which time it just started spinning!

That's ludicrous speed, is it not?

 

[wfooshee]

That's ludicrous speed, is it not?

I've driven a Tesla in ludicrous mode! The Fiero... did not have that!

 

[kikie]

Ford went the extra mile and went from this to this for the ST220.

 

[Roo]

That's a terrible facemask.

 

[Blitz24]

That's a terrible facemask.

Hurts the neck too when trying to wear it.

 

[ryzno]

Surely they can make custom parts for supercars right? Here is a '91 NSX speedo compared to a '91 accord speedo (I think).

'91 accord theoretical top speed without governor looks like 125 mph.

My little 91 has a similar but different dash, spedo and tach are the same but my gas and temp are different same with my odometer. I believe there is a picture of it in my thread in the members ride section.
Anywho, I think they can do every bit of the 140.
I got it up to a verified 127 before it started shaking to a point were even my crazy self was like no mas. That said it still had 1k RPM left.
Also a blowout at 110 in between 2 cars is fun to put it mildly.

 

[kikie]

Yes, but it stops everything from getting in.

That terrible facemask.

 

[wfooshee]

 

[kikie]

Why is a USB flash drive called a thumb-drive?

 

[Rossell2]

I'll take a guess and say because it's the size of one.

 

[TexRex]

Okay but why are they called thumbs?

 

[Joey D]

Okay but why are they called thumbs?

It comes from the Proto-Germanic thūman, which essentially means stout or fat finger.

 

[Liquid]

Is it correct that a thumb really is different to a finger because it has only two knuckles and not three?

I understand that opposable thumbs and the levels of grip and dexterity they provide have enabled us to become the masters of toolmaking and object manipulation but what I mean is, in a rambling sort of way, is that a thumb isn't just "a wonky finger" which became useful, it's actually an independent, different appendage compared to fingers and that the number of knuckles is one of the ways you can tell?

 

[TexRex]

object manipulation

 

[Joey D]

Is it correct that a thumb really is different to a finger because it has only two knuckles and not three?

I understand that opposable thumbs and the levels of grip and dexterity they provide have enabled us to become the masters of toolmaking and object manipulation but what I mean is, in a rambling sort of way, is that a thumb isn't just "a wonky finger" which became useful, it's actually an independent, different appendage compared to fingers and that the number of knuckles is one of the ways you can tell?

From what I can remember about my human evolution class, a thumb is not a finger but is an appendage (or digit) on your hand. A finger requires two joints and three phalanxes, while the thumb only has one joint and two phalanxes.

Really though, I don't think anyone is going to get on you for calling a thumb a finger.

 

[TenEightyOne]

That does something odd to my insides. Who is that, a friend wonders?

Really though, I don't think anyone is going to get on you for calling a thumb a finger.

On the internet?

It comes from the Proto-Germanic thūman, which essentially means stout or fat finger.

This, which means it doesn't really even have a name, it's just "the fat one". The Gary Barlow of fingers.

 

[Joey D]

Who is that, a friend wonders?

Milana Vayntrub, she's the AT&T girl here in the US.

 

[Blitz24]

Milana Vayntrub, she's the AT&T girl here in the US.

Uzbekistani/FSU Jewish immigrant to the US as well.

 

[TexRex]

Milana Vayntrub, she's the AT&T girl here in the US.

And before that, Live Prude Girls.

 

[UKMikey]

From what I can remember about my human evolution class, a thumb is not a finger but is an appendage (or digit) on your hand. A finger requires two joints and three phalanxes, while the thumb only has one joint and two phalanxes.

Really though, I don't think anyone is going to get on you for calling a thumb a finger.

If the number of phalanges counts, does that mean that big toes aren't toes for the same reason?

 

[Keef]

And before that, Live Prude Girls.

Spectacular.

The show I mean.

 

[Joey D]

If the number of phlanges counts, does that mean that big toes aren't toes for the same reason?

That I'm not actually sure of, someone who has a better understanding of anatomy can probably chime in but googling it suggests that the big toe is a toe and not a foot thumb.

 

[PeterJB]

That I'm not actually sure of, someone who has a better understanding of anatomy can probably chime in but googling it suggests that the big toe is a toe and not a foot thumb.

The big toe is clearly analogous to the thumb, and probably worked in the same way way back when when you consider that most apes' feet look and function almost exactly like their hands.

 

[kikie]

A USB drive is sometimes called a thumb drive because of its small size and shape.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/23815/thumb-drive

A thumb drive, also called a "flash drive" or "jump drive,

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-thumb-drive.htm

 

[kikie]

Why is it that your own smelly socks smell so good?

 

[Liquid]

Why is it that your own smelly socks smell so good?

Weird question to ask. I mean.. I can tolerate the smell of my own socks but I wouldn't say it was so good.

I would guess, um... because you're so used to your own body odour.

 

[RacingGrandpa]

Why is it that your own smelly socks smell so good?

It doesn't.