I want to buy a new car

mubs said:
I suspect apart from thermal insulation, they will have good acoustic insulation properties too, eh?

There seems no end to your talents!
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The acoustics is at least 50% of the motivation for this project. The weather here is mild and our heat pump ultra efficient, so financially there isn't much incentive for more insulation. However, we live on a road with some traffic on it, and the master bedroom is at the front of the house. It is pretty clear to me that the main path for sound at this point is through the ceiling.
 
Howell said:
Where is your ductwork? I would encapsulate the area that includes your ductwork into the building envelope for the ultimate in efficiency. You can just leave the current insulation between the joists.
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All ductwork is in the attic and is already fully insulated. I spec'ed that when they were doing the install. As far as energy efficiency goes, the only thing I'm missing is the hot water recirculation, but I don't want to put that in until we've moved the bathrooms to their final locations.
 
With your house being ultra-insulated, is there concern with getting fresh ventilation into it? Can you add a sound barrier (fence) in front of the house to deflect sounds from the street?

Our house is also on a street with some traffic. Our master bedroom (or rather the largest of bedrooms) is at the front of the house also. We moved into the small bedroom in the back of the house because it it much quieter. It's smaller but it keeps it focused as simply a bedroom with no other distractions like TVs, projectors ( ;) ), etc.
 
Handruin said:
With your house being ultra-insulated, is there concern with getting fresh ventilation into it? Can you add a sound barrier (fence) in front of the house to deflect sounds from the street?

Our house is also on a street with some traffic. Our master bedroom (or rather the largest of bedrooms) is at the front of the house also. We moved into the small bedroom in the back of the house because it it much quieter. It's smaller but it keeps it focused as simply a bedroom with no other distractions like TVs, projectors ( ;) ), etc.
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Along with sealing up the space I'll be putting in an air-air heat exchanger at some point. For now I just make sure that air is circulated between the rooms at night and some windows are open during the day (currently 65F).

Edit: A brick planter (sound fence) is on the plans for the front yard, but still a ways out. The other steps I've already taken for sound control in that room have worked wonders.

Edit2: Sorry for the colossal derailment....probably should continue this elsewhere...
 
Handruin said:
With your house being ultra-insulated, is there concern with getting fresh ventilation into it?
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Define fresh. I'm sure you would agree that moldy air from a damp crawlspace or fume laden air from a garage would not qualify. Some do not have to content with these and simply have to worry about pollen infiltration. Personally, I would rather have complete control over the environment.

It is difficult even in new construction to get the building so tight it needs mechanical ventilation but if you do your new hvac unit will have the capability to draw in air from the outside and filter it.
 
Howell said:
Define fresh. I'm sure you would agree that moldy air from a damp crawlspace or fume laden air from a garage would not qualify. Some do not have to content with these and simply have to worry about pollen infiltration. Personally, I would rather have complete control over the environment.

It is difficult even in new construction to get the building so tight it needs mechanical ventilation but if you do your new hvac unit will have the capability to draw in air from the outside and filter it.
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Not consisting of excessive CO2.
 
In general there is a concern of CO2 buildup just as there would be a concern of build up of any number of plastic materials off-gassing or laundry room chemicals or even humidity. Historically we have relied on the chimney effect and sub-hermeticly sealed building envelopes but the science it's revealing more and more assumptions that are less often true. Many times this putts building science at odds with building codes.

I have a personal reason for researching how to insulate a structural brick building for my climate. Conflicting information is everywhere.
 
Howell said:
It is a good thought. Remember there are just as many reasons to expel the air currently in the structure as there are to be concerned with what comes in.

http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/23818/Myth-A-House-Needs-to-Breathe
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I hadn't done the research, but that was basically the logic I was following. No combustion appliances in the building, seal it up as much as possible, make sure that all the volume in the building (including walls and attic) have a permeable exit for moisture.
 
I do drive stick, and know how to heel-and-toe, etc. But in my opinion it is a hindrance and gets in the way of what I like about driving. Focusing on weight transfer and line is plenty to keep you occupied without trying to do something that the car does so much better than a human ever could. Other things I like the car to do for me is manage the timing, fuel pressure/flow, and to make the turn signals go on and off at regular intervals automatically.
 
I must be missing something because what I read it is a dual-clutch automatic and I thought you loved those.

EDIT: apparently while that's a 6-speed gearshift pattern on the knob, it's got a dual-clutch automatic that still allows you to row your own. No clutch pedal here.)
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I understand that designing for the maximum stringency between US and EU is slightly more expensive but surely it is cheaper than redesigning multiple random components and economies of scale should pay for it all anyway. The only time that shouldn't work would be if the two standards are mutually exclusive like requiring metric vs english measurement bolts and threads.
 
Because a sealed beam headlamp is nothing but a huge bulb, it is possible to very precisely locate the filament for the desired near perfect light beam. Modern advancements in technology and manufacturing may have negated this advantage though.
 
That's a car I would love to have for myself, except with the 272HP turbo 4-cylinder, not the V6. So clocker, when do you buy a C7 Corvette as a week-end car?
 
CougTek said:
That's a car I would love to have for myself, except with the 272HP turbo 4-cylinder, not the V6. So clocker, when do you buy a C7 Corvette as a week-end car?
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Price is way out of my league for a C7. I got a great deal on the ATS otherwise it would not have happened. It's a lease by the way, so 3 years of fun. 321HP>272HP and the weight penalty is only about 60 lbs more on the front wheels (easily offset by my son in backseat) so I opted for the V6. :)

This will be quite a change from the LaCrosse... +40HP, 500lb less mass, AWD instead of FWD.
 
What are people's opinions of turbo vs normally aspirated engines? I'm owning a turbocharged engine for the first time, and have mixed feelings. The power when the turbo kicks in is awesome, the sluggishness till it does is not. I guess this is because of the air intake design? The very design that makes it great with turbo boost starves it of air till the boost comes on? Especially problematic when starting uphill from stop.

I loved my 1994 Camry's 3.0L NA V6 for the great, even, continuous torque delivery.
 
mubs said:
What are people's opinions of turbo vs normally aspirated engines? I'm owning a turbocharged engine for the first time, and have mixed feelings. The power when the turbo kicks in is awesome, the sluggishness till it does is not. I guess this is because of the air intake design? The very design that makes it great with turbo boost starves it of air till the boost comes on? Especially problematic when starting uphill from stop.

I loved my 1994 Camry's 3.0L NA V6 for the great, even, continuous torque delivery.
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I'm no stranger to turbocharged vehicles. My father worked for Chrysler in the 80's and 90's and we had turbo cars all the time. Shit, Chrysler was even putting turbos in their minivans back then! Drove a 1986 Dodge Daytona Tubo-Z 5-speed for about 9 years. It was an OK vehicle except for the T-tops that leaked. Stock, at 2.2L it was 146HP but I tweaked to just under 200HP. The turbo lag was noticeable, with the turbo not kicking in until about 2500rpm. Even cars with automatic transmissions (where the torque converter could let the motor rev higher during takeoff) were afflicted, badly. This improved a lot with cars from the early 90's when they got lower inertia turbos and had improved induction systems. Got to the point where, on a FWD vehicle, you could get some good wheel spin on an automatic car, just from flooring it from a stop back then.

I recently drove the ATS 2.0L turbo and also had the chance to ride in a Chevy Cruze with the 1.4L turbo as well. Both were automatics, not manuals. I would say the power delivery is very very good. Nothing like the reputation that cars of the past have earned. On the Cruze I had no idea the engine was only 1.4L in size, it seemed a lot more formidable than that, even from a stop. On the ATS, I was expecting good performance and that's what I got. Going up a hill from a stop is a tough test, even for a non-turbo vehicle and I didn't have a chance to try that on either.

That being said, I still got the V6 version of the ATS because I wanted the higher output and didn't care about the significant decrease in fuel economy. You can definitely get a better deal on the 2.0L Turbo version though...GM is pushing them to improve their CAFE numbers, I think.
 
Thanks Clocker.

Bought a new car barely a year ago, not replacing it anytime soon unless I stumble into that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! I have a Fiat Linea (it's sold in very few countries) with a 1368cc turbocharged petrol. Turbo starts kicking in by about 1900 rpm and by 2200 it pulls like a locomotive. I was actually interested in the diesel, but the lag was so bad ruled it out instantly.

You didn't answer my question about the air intake design, though :(
 
I drove my coworkers ATS 2.0T with the 6MT and was not impressed. The shifter was so rubbery and the acceleration didn't seem very quick. I thought the Regal GS (2.0T) 6MT I took for a test drive was a much nicer car.
 
Stereodude said:
I drove my coworkers ATS 2.0T with the 6MT and was not impressed. The shifter was so rubbery and the acceleration didn't seem very quick. I thought the Regal GS (2.0T) 6MT I took for a test drive was a much nicer car.
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Agree. I didn't drive the 6MT but the auto was what I would call 'good'. With any manual I think you will notice the turbo lag more because you don't have a torque converter to help keep the engine at the desired RPM (from a start, anyway) and you have to rely on your ability to slip the clutch. The 2.0T is mid-level engine in the car so my expectations were a little less with respect to performance. The Regal is a good value, IMO. Back seat just seems small to me, just from a one time ride in the front seat impression.
 
mubs said:
Thanks Clocker.

Bought a new car barely a year ago, not replacing it anytime soon unless I stumble into that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! I have a Fiat Linea (it's sold in very few countries) with a 1368cc turbocharged petrol. Turbo starts kicking in by about 1900 rpm and by 2200 it pulls like a locomotive. I was actually interested in the diesel, but the lag was so bad ruled it out instantly.

You didn't answer my question about the air intake design, though :(
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From what I understand, it is more about how greedy the designer is when they size the turbo. It is possible to put in a (relatively) small turbo and get a nice performance gain without much lag at all (as is the case in my car), but if you really want to squeeze the max from an engine you can strap a massive turbo to it and deal with the lag. This is common in the smaller displacement cars in Europe and Asia. 200HP from 1L is totally possible this way, but you'll need to keep it above 3000RPM at all times.

There are ways around that of course, variable geometry turbos and the various twin turbo systems will get you there.
 
I recently test drove an 2014 Accord Hybrid and I found it to be significantly better than any Prius or the Camry Hybrid. It has significantly better city mileage than the Camry hybrid and more room than any Prius. Unfortunately, Honda and Camry were vetoed because of the lack of trunk space. After I place my current sub-woofer's in I'd have no trunk. I have a seriously nice car stereo and I do not want to sacrifice it. I also vetoed the Prius for a similar reason, when I talked to a stereo installer, they said there was no room for my McIntosh amps and I'd have to replace them with a bunch of smaller inferior-sounding amps. We didn't get to mounting good speakers in a Prius but I have my doubts, if they can't find anywhere to mount amps.

Still looking
 
I don't exactly know why, but I wouldn't have pegged you for a car audio guy... Interesting... I put aftermarket stereos in all my previous cars (new head unit, amps, speakers, subwoofer, etc). Each car got a higher end and more sophisticated setup than the one before it. However, my Audi with the B&O system is the first car that actually has a stock system that's good enough to where I won't bother. It's not perfect, but I'm happy. The digital time alignment ("Sound Focus") set to the driver's seat is what sold it.
 
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