Razorback

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Everything posted by Razorback

  1. I went to the "reserved users" Road Show on 24 Aug 2007 and it was being held in a large empty lot across the road from a Checkered Flag Dealership. Upon parking I ran into SCHMART and he tells me his impression of the 451 smart. I get my wristband and proceed to the smart trailer and take a quick walkthru and head to the line. The line is short and SCHMART tells me that he had waited much longer than I did which was about 10-15 minutes. A smart representative walked up to the line and asked if anyone needed anything to drink and I asked for some bottled water. While I was waiting another smart representative was directing drivers to the smart cars as they came around stopping in front of the tent protecting us from the sun when it came from behind the clouds was talking and answering questions from each driver and even when he was asked the same question over and over again by different drivers he was polite and answered each one. When it was my turn to drive I was presented with a black on black passion and my inital impressions were when I got in the car it was roomy and plenty of space. The 451 model was the European version so it still has the KMH speedometer and the odd gearshift that will be different in the North American version but that's ok. The air conditioner was running well and it was quite cool compared to the temperature outside which was running around 90F. We take off in automatic mode and at first it felt slightly sluggish but I'm used to an automatic transmission and in retrospect it was normal for a car that is a manumatic transmission so everything is ok... I take the short road trip and am impressed with the handling and feel. The car doesn't feel stiff over bumps in the road that you might expect with a small car. The RED smart was NOT the red that I expected it's more of an orangish-red and I asked the smart rep if that was the red to be expected to be produced for the North american market and he said "yes". I was disappointed but that's ok. the pictures of the "RED" smart I have taken with my camera DO NOT show the car in the same "RED" that it really is. I went and toured the smart trailer where it was air conditioned inside for a bit of respite and they had information on the walls and some pc's there where people could browse the smart website and place their $99 deposit if they wanted to and there also was a tv there and you could watch some clips of the smart. I retured to the drivers line to take another drive in a cabrio and it was a blue on tan which was an ok combination. I noticed a few stains in the drivers seat, what they were from I didn't ask but for light colored interiors you may want to get some good scotchguard protectant for spills and such. This car drove much like the first one. I didn't notice much air coming from the open top but our driving route didn't allow for any speeds that I really wanted to go. Things I noticed and made me think "Why did they do it like that or Hmmmmm...?" They had a display model there and I had taken several pictures of all around the car. I noticed around the trunk area some exposed wiring that wasn't protected as well as I would want wiring to be protected and then I noticed the fuel requirement of min 91 octane and for a car that you are wanting to expouse as fuel sipper and welll it may be but 87 octane would go along way to acceptance of the general consumer than 91. Personally I didn't care for the plastiky 6 cd changer. It seemed too close to your feet and could get dirty inside easily. I have placed all the pictures of this road tour and video on my server for you to download because most are over the maximum size allowed by this forum. Some notable pictues are IMG_0241.jpg showing exposed wiring, notable videos are MVI_0255.avi showing a SCHMART review, MVI_00275.avi & 0276 showing a cabrio top retracting and closing respectivley. I may go back for some more pictures and videos tomorrow and Sunday so come back to see if there is anything "NEW " to see. You can find these at ftp://smart:@a.servegame.com in the folder called G:PubSmartRoad Tour Va Bch VA Aug 24 2007 in the pictures and video subfolders. addition there are a few notable highlights such as the following picture: Overall I give this smart car
  2. Those are nice looking hubcaps.
  3. I came across this bit of information while surfing the internet for smart stuff. "Smart_car_runs_340,000_miles_in_5_years"
  4. WHAT: smart fortwo 'Road Show" Event WHERE: La Promenade Shopping Center 1860 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454 WHEN: August 25-26, 2007 Test Drives: 12pm-7:30pm
  5. Information from: http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?...9&ran=38758 smart fortwo minicar dealership Checkered Flag Motors will be the exclusive Hampton Roads smart Dealership. The new showroom will be housed two doors east of Checkered Flag's Mini showroom on Virginia Beach Boulevard. Checkered Flag Web Blog
  6. Programs that I have used over the last 20 years, as well as my personal opinion about them. They are listed in no paticular order; Internet Relay Chat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat 15 years (no longer use IRC. Just gotten tired of it ) CUseeMe http://www.cuworld.com 1month ( didn't care for it ) HearMe http://www.hearme.com ( I don't even remember when I used this one. Must not have been too good ) PalTalk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paltalk 2-3 weeks ( I remember trying to use this one but I didn't like the user interface ) Roger Wilco http://rogerwilco.gamespy.com 6-8 months ( Me and friends used this one for about 6-8 months while playing online games. I was good until bought by GameSpy. Takes some pc knowledge to set up the RW Server properly ) Skype http://www.skype.com 1 month ( Worked ok but I wanted something more regarding multiple user contacts at the same time and it did use a far amount of bandwidth ) Trillian http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/learn 1 day ( Hat it installed a couple of times but for some reason never really gave thie one a chance ) BattleCom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleCom 1 week ( I used this for a few weeks but Roger Wilco was better at the time ) ICQ http://www.icq.com 10 years or so ( I still have this software installed and use it occasionally to speak to old friends but I don't have it running all the time ) Ventrillo http://www.ventrilo.com A few days ( Tried it, some really like using it and some do not. Personally I liked Teamspeak better. Very popular voice/text chatting software just like Teamspeak ) TeamSpeak http://www.goteamspeak.com 5-6 years to present ( This is the one I use now I like it alot and it is very configurable for what I want it to do ) There are others but because they are so old there is no point in even mentioning them. Several above have been around awhile and it really depends on what you want the chatting software to do for you as to the best solution. I ended up with TeamSpeak because I could control it, manage it, configure it, anyway that I wanted. The biggest negative thing about it would be that it is primarily intended for Windows, Linux and Mac pc users and is not for ISP server side use such as Unix. Also some people don't care for others to hear their voice. TeamSpeak is primarily a voice chat software but can be also used to text chat but isn't as friendly as IRC for text chatting. There you go a little insite to the world of voice and text chat programs. In closing I have been running a TEAMSPEAK Server for several years now and it is my preferred voice/text software. To get the most benefit from TEAMSPEAK you would need to have a microphone.
  7. In my opinion should the smart be as popular as I think it will be, then before too long smart will bring the BARABUS and the CDI models into the USA. It just a matter of time.
  8. I have been giving this some thought and I'll try and give it a go... There are some of you out there that cannot attend a Road Show event so what I'm wanting to do is when the "Street Smart" Road Show comes to my area ( The CENTRAL Tour: Virginia Beach Aug 24-29 ) I am going to try and get a Smart representative on video to answer some questions that you would like to ask. I will be or have someone take some video during the test drives and I will also be taking alot of pictures so if you have a question that you would like answered or a paticular photograph of a Smart that you havn't seen I'll try and oblige when I go. Please PM me or reply here with your question/s or your desired picture shot/s and I'll reply in the Driver reviews at the tours thread when I return home. I will host all videos and pictures on my server so hard drive space and bandwidth will not be an issue. Fire away with your questions and picture requests.
  9. Alot of snippage. I almost made a grievous mistake in thinking the content from this post was from you. My mistake. I deleted the reply and if you were one of the people who did read my scathing reply I apologise to you and smart142. If you didn't see my scathing reply then please just move along...
  10. Thank you for the link you posted. There are alot of interesting pictures about Smarts involved in crashes and also other pictures catagories as listed HERE. I just noticed the Smart with the gullwing doors. Great looking! LINK.
  11. HAPPY CANADA DAY... from South of the Border.
  12. I personally like the layout that http://autopia.org/forum has with their "Learning Library" It has alot of useful information for people who are NEW to car cleaning and detailing so something similar could be implemented here with popular proven mods, ideas, How To's or some such but I also just wanted to point out this link as it is a very good place to read up on good ways to keep your vehicle nice and shiney.
  13. My idea would be to lower the deck plate and relocate the license plate out to the deck plate when you have your rack installed. you can also add a licence plate lite over your plate on the rack so everything would be legal. This way people could still see your license plate, you wouldn't have to lift so high to install the bike, better safety if involved in some sort of accident and you would have better visabillity out the back window.. Secondly any place where you have tie down straps running thru holes in your tie down points (if you didn't already) round the edges so the straps don't chaff or cut.
  14. Well that sounds logical to keep them out of direct sunlight as many would know that Las Vegas can get extreamely hot in the daytime. It would kinda ruin the experience to sit on a hot plate that your trying to impress.
  15. I have noticed a few threads about utility/camping trailers and some comments about the towing ability of Smart cars. If I remember correctly towing with a Smart car isn't recommended and if this is true I'm wondering what the ramifications of towing a trailer with a Smart car is, such as more wear and tear on your Smart car components, max towing capacity, legal ramifications if involved in an accident while towing a trailer with a Smart, recommended towing equipment installed on a Smart car for maximum safety in mind, and so on... If you tow a trailer behind your Smart what can a person expect to feel while towing a trailer because a Smart's engine is pretty small to begin with and how about pulling up hills or going downgrades and how about wide trailers say 5 feet wide or so... wouldn't you have to have some pretty wide side mirrors installed in order to be able to properly see behind your trailer? The reason I ask is to try an centeralize information regarding towing with Smarts. I also want to get a camping trailer someday after I get my Smart. At one time I was very interested in getting an RV that all I had to do was to get in and drive to where-ever I wanted to go but in retrospect I thought that in getting a Smart car it would make more sense to get a camping trailer and pull it behind a Smart to enjoy the vehicle and camping. I have thought about the potential limitations of towing a trailer behind a Smart car but without information I would be very leery to venture into towing anything behind a Smart. I have thought up some basic questions and perhaps someone here on the forum can help out in answering these questions: 1) What is the maximum size of a trailer that can be safely towed behind a Smart? 2) What is the maximum weight of a trailer that can be safely towed behind a Smart? 3) Do you recommend electric brakes on any trailer pulled behind a Smart? 4) What type/size of towing equipment do you recommend be installed on a Smart? 5) What different characteristics can I expect when towing a trailer with the Smarts manumatic transmission? 6) Different countries may have different laws regarding towing a trailer with a personally owned vehicle. licensing etc...? 7) What towing equipment do you consider essential in order to tow safely with a Smart? I searched the internet for some camping trailers that I'd like to be able to pull behind my Smart when I get it and here are a couple of links that I found interesting: 1) This link is a link to several links to teardrop camping trailer companies: Teardrop Campers 2) My favorite camper found so far: Teardrop Trailers by Camp-Inn I liked the 550 Deluxe camper. Here is a link that I thought contained some very useful towing information: Towing Your Trailer Safely No matter what type of trailer you may want to pull behind your Smart it is of utmost importance to do it correctly and safely.
  16. Thanks RoySkyBell I'll keep the Alite in mind as I do have some time before I purchase the Smart and I intended to purchase the Smart before I did the camper so I have plenty of time to look around the net. Thanks again for the info. YES the search function works well on finding 'trailer' threads too.
  17. and I thought you were pulling my leg.
  18. I claim no responsibility for misprints or errors. Here are some pages from the above first link under the PERFORMANCE, SAFETY, GRADE/PRICE PERFORMANCE http://translate.google.com/translate?u=ht...Flanguage_tools MIVEC DOHC 12バルブ エンジン Actualizing light weight high rigidity with aluminum cylinder block. The DOHC12 valve, MIVEC (continual variable valve timing), you adopt the electronic control throttle and power are low compatibility fuel economy. In addition, 45 degrees being able to tilt in the rear, it loads the engine and actualizing center of gravity conversion low. Handling and travelling stability, riding comfort it improved. ●Max.Power: 38kW (52PS) /7000rpm ●Max.Torque: 57N m (5.8kg m) /4000rpm MIVEC DOHC 12バルブ インタークーラーターボエンジン Aluminum cylinder block, the DOHC12 valve and MIVEC (continual variable valve timing) etc it grips in adoption, it loads the intercooler turbo of the small size light weight which seriously considered the low-speed response, high power is low compatibility fuel economy. Fully you obtained also handiness due to the low-speed torque which is done. ●Max.Power: 47kW (64PS) /6000rpm ●Max.Torque: 94N m (9.6kg m) /3000rpm MIVEC=Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control system is general term of the variable valve timing mechanism attaching engine of the Mitsubishi automobile. SAFETY http://translate.google.com/translate?u=ht...Flanguage_tools - With crusher bull zone of long front impact of front collision absorption dispersion It utilizes the merit of “rear midship layout,” the front side member and the trapezoid deck cross member who are ideal shocking absorption structure on the front, arranging the parallel crosses frame. At the time of front collision by the fact that it is crooked efficiently, securely it absorbs & disperses the impact when colliding. - At the time of rear collision the engine and the floor which catch impact The engine and the floor the rear becoming the wall, impact from the rear is caught, the existence space of the rear cockpit crew-member is guaranteed. - The large section straight frame and the cross member who disperse the impact from the side The large section straight frame and the cross member who connects left and right disperse and absorb the impact from the side. i (アイ) は衝突安全性能総合評価で、5スター[★★★★★]を獲得 i (the eye), JNCAP 2006 (Japan New Car Assessment PROGRAM) * with five stars with the collision safe efficiency over-all judgment both the driver's seat suicide seat acquiring. That the safe efficiency which is superior was proven. As for *JNCAP Freedom of Information Act business of automobile safe efficiency of national traffic ministry. Sale quantity superior model is selected, the test result is released with Web and the booklet. Besides the fact that the space was guaranteed under the bonnet, shocking absorption structure was adopted for the wiper pivot section. The engine in the rear, the tire was put on the four corners, decreasing the load movement at the time of adding deceleration with the ideal weight distribution of “rear midship layout”. At the time of especially deceleration the deceleration which is stabilized with flat nose-dive is not felt by the fact that it brakes efficiently with 4 wheels is actualized. Of course ABS (EBD: The electronic control damping force distribution device) you have adopted to attach. Washer installation to arm. By the fact that it wipes off immediately after the spraying, it does not block sight and safety improves. GRADE/PRICE http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/i/lineup/index.html S mvtec 1,050,000-1,176,000yen L mvtec 1,155,00-1,281,000yen LX mvtec 1,260,000-1,386,000yen M mvtec turbo 1,386,000-1,512,000yen G mvtec turbo 1,491,000-1,617,000yen Casual Edition 1,060,500-1,186,500yen 1st Anniversary Edition 1,199,100-1,325,100yen If you want to convert those currencies this LINK may be of interest but I don't know if the exchange rate is accurate or not.
  19. Just when you think a thread is dead it resurrects just like in "Phronkenstine"
  20. I got this information from thread: http://www.clubsmartcar.com/index.php?showtopic=9889 Thanks for your information "smart to tow 330kg (with max 30kg tongue load)" = tow-727.5255 lb tongue load-66.1387 lb. This gives me more information to work with. Altho many teardrop trailers exceed this weight limitation I'll continue to search for ones that fall below the max tow and tongue limit provided. Thank you for that helpful bit of advice.
  21. Very, very well made video and looks highly professional. KUDOS to the creators a job well done. Now if there is a demand for more storage space Smart owners now have a good looking solution.
  22. The simple answer would be NO. The complex answer would be NO. There is no way to make everyone happy so don't try. Due to the activity level here at this forum I'm sure that it will become THE forum where all people can come to find out about all things Smart.The forum has already been split up according to Canadian provinces to facilitate ease for people who live in those areas be able to get together more easily. What about those people living in Europe? What about Smart owners in South America and here in the USA? As you can see becoming a global forum for Smart owners it is inevitable that a global change may be nessassary to encompass all Smart owners. As a member of a motorcycle group called VROC Vulcan Riders and Owners Club we have 24,000+ members. It started out much like it has done here with a small group of owners who wanted to get together and enjoy our Smarts and exchange ideas etc... Another great idea that I'll shamefully get from our VROC webpage would be an "Smart Emergency Road Service" (SERS). As seen HERE.
  23. Here in the States I usually drive in the "right (slow) lane of a two lane highway" 30 miles to and from work every day and the speed limit is 55mph (88.51kph) most of the way. I drive anywhere between 50-60mph. Most people in the 'fast' lane drive 75mph+ (120.70kph+). I never understood why people seem to be in such a hurry. Often times I get passed then the passer comes back into the 'slow' lane and slows back down. I think it has something to do with some type of superiority complex where they must be in the front.Often times I set my cruise control a couple of mph (kph) below the speed limit so I never have to turn my cruise control off because people are always pulling away from me after passing me. I find having to press the brake pedal after people pass me and slow back down and then resume cruise control annoying.
  24. Interesting idea but I doubt that the Smart factory decision makers would go for something like that. I'm not sure that I would want a camera watching my every move at work. Maybe if they had an outside webcam of the finished Smarts ready to be shipped out may be more viable.
  25. I don't see why with all the talent we have here that we couldn't create our own t-shirts and then wear them "in mass" to the Smart "road show"events. Even if we didn't have enuff time we could still create the t-shirts. I don't think that time would permit tho to make them quick enuff. What say you?