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smrtie last won the day on August 18 2017
smrtie had the most liked content!
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3 NeutralAbout smrtie
- Birthday 11/25/1955
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Victoria, B.C. Canada
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RIP smart. You came into our lives late and you left way too early. While you may be gone (soon), I shall keep you alive thanks to the many fond memories over the years. But if history is to repeat itself, I shall look forward to buying an imported grey market car from China in about 15 years time. Until then, adieu...
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Don't hold your breath on the fire sales. I have already heard stories of ex-Car2go's sitting in a lot in Annacis Island in Richmond (the landing point for many vehicles coming from Asia). The assumption is that they will get shipped off to a third-world country - but that is an unsubstantiated rumor. Some local dealers bought some ex-Car2go cars - but they came from US auction sites.
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Yes, I'm willing to sell the Conti's once
I've made the switch. It won't be for a month or so though...
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No rush, the rains haven't started yet.
Let me know...
Where did you source your new tires? I couldn't find them in the Fortwo size on their web site.
Thx.
Pedro
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I'm buying the tires from Eddy at Flying Tiger in Richmond. He has them
shipped from Europe. I've used the Quatrac 3's on our 450 for years...
Rick
I'll let you know when my tires arrive.
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2017 Smart Electric Drive production timeline/arrival
smrtie replied to alcoolaid's topic in Electric Drive
Lebikerboy, Let me know if you are interested in selling your take-off tires. My new-to-me car needs new rubber. Thanks, Pedro -
Will this be the last 453 ICE cabrio review?
smrtie replied to smrtie's topic in In News & Entertainment
Agreed. My typical reader (not a smart enthusiast) wouldn't know the difference. The DCT is a huge improvement over the single-clutch unit previously found in the Fortwo. Manufacturers these days refer to DCT's as automatics - with no differentiation between an hydraulic (regular) or dual-clutch system. The earlier transmission was as an automated manual transmission, not a true automatic. In 2005 the Fortwo was available with a choice of a Soft Touch or optional Soft Tip (standard on the Passions) transmission. But these days, in every used Fortwo advertisement, the car is advertised as being equipped with an automatic transmission - I have yet to see an owner pointing out the difference. In their defense, they probably didn't know there was a difference. -
Pedro Arrais review: A smart choice for urban driving Pedro Arrais / Times Colonist August 18, 2017 10:04 AM The Smart Fortwo, a vehicle conceived more than 20 years ago for a shrinking world, will shrink once more with the discontinuation of the internal-combustion engine. This makes my tester, a 2017 cabrio version, the last of the breed in North America. Let me be clear: This is not the end of Smart, as the brand will continue. But it will only offer electric cars as of the 2018 model year in the United States and Canada. The Fortwo was launched in Canada (but not the U.S.) in 2005 and totally exceeded any expectations parent Mercedes-Benz had about the diminutive city car. Buoyed by its success, our southern neighbours finally got the cars in 2008, just in time for the second-generation debut. Those were the days, with Smart cars flying out of the showrooms due to sky-high fuel prices. But the continent’s appetite for SUVs grew with a corresponding decline in gasoline costs. Smart found itself a shadow of its former self. In 2008, it was (with a government incentive) the lowest-priced vehicle on the market. Nine years later, it was thousands more. So the gasoline-powered Smart will be no more after the stock of existing cars are sold. My yellow cabriolet tester is one of the last remaining cars. Disclosure: I have owned two generations of Smarts, starting with a 2005, followed by a 2008, so I may have a bit more insight on the 2017 than the average automotive journalist (and more tilted towards the brand). The news of the discontinuation of the gasoline engine is perhaps for the better. The one-litre three-cylinder engine is surprisingly rough, especially when cold. It vibrates like my old diesel engine. Compared with modern machinery from any number of manufacturers, it doesn’t compare favourably. The addition of a turbocharger, though, has livened things up a fair bit, bumping horsepower from 70 to 89. Torque is also up substantially, from 68 to 100 foot-pounds. If you ever drove an old Smart and found it lacking, chances are that you will be happier. The zero-to-100 km/h sprint now takes less than 11 seconds, shaving more than four seconds off the previous car. The last two generations had perhaps the most peculiar transmission to survive the trip across the Atlantic. It was jerky (until you mastered the unique driving habits it demanded) and almost universally panned by critics and consumers alike. Smart finally installed a regular automatic transmission this time. They also offered the Fortwo with a manual transmission (not tested) for the first time. The powertrain combo is more than enough to keep you having fun without getting in trouble. Perhaps the only dark cloud to the excellent fuel mileage is the requirement for premium-grade gas. The big change between the 2017 Fortwo and the previous two generations is in its width — the new car is about 100 millimetres wider. The two occupants — the ForTwo is only for two people (hence its name, in case you didn’t know) — now don’t have to rub shoulders. Surprisingly, the new car’s turning radius — 6.95 metres (vs. 8.75) — is even tighter than the previous generation. Looking to snag that parking spot across the street? The Fortwo will get you there in a heartbeat. If there is a downside to the Smart, its impossibly short wheelbase might be it. While it will get you into spots every other car has to pass up, it communicates irregular surfaces (read: potholes) to the driver. The ride is choppy, to say the least. It’s also tall, which makes it susceptible to side winds or buffeting by a semi-trailer passing on the highway. The ForTwo is perhaps unique in the city-car segment by offering a cabriolet version. The two-layer fabric roof can be open to the vehicle’s tridion (a body shell providing safety for the occupants), giving it a Targa feel, or all the way down and the side supports removed, for a complete convertible experience. If a small convertible on a sunny day in August doesn’t put a smile on your face, better check to see if you are still breathing. But good feelings about the Smart hasn’t been enough to sustain the brand in the face of competition and the lack of a model that carried more than two people. Smart in Europe sells a Forfour, a four-door, five-seater, but it never made the jump over the pond. Plans for a micro-SUV for North America also never made it past the proposal stage. So the Smart as we know it will live on as a niche product, in the same body but only available as an electric car with a range of approximately 100 kilometres. It will be the smallest EV on the market and the only one with a cabrio. It was sad to give my tester back after a week. The Smart brand came to Canada with so much promise, and while it will still be around, gone is the ideal that it could change the way North Americans drive. While you will likely see fewer Smarts going forward, it does leave behind a strong community of diehard Smart enthusiasts whom I am sure will keep the spirit alive for many years to come. Addendum: I so enjoyed my test drive that I went out and bought a used Smart Fortwo Electric Drive — my third car. Wave when you see me. THE SPEC SHEET Type: City car, rear engine, rear-wheel-drive Engine: Turbocharged 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine, 89 hp at 5,500 r.p.m., 100 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 r.p.m. Transmission: Six-speed automatic Dimensions (mm): Length, 2,695; width, 1,663; height, 1,555; wheelbase, 1,873 Curb weight (kg): 915 Price (base/as tested): $21,800/ $23,730 (includes $1,495 freight and PDI and $100 AC tax) Options: Metallic body panels $395, sport package $800, retractable cargo cover $140 Tires: 165/65 R15 front, 185/60 R15 rear on alloy wheels Fuel type: Premium Fuel economy (L/100km): 6.3 highway 7.0 city Warranty: Four years/80,000 km new car, four years/80,000 km powertrain four years/ unlimited km roadside assistance
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Production of the smart fortwo electric drive Hambach, France
smrtie replied to MikeT's topic in Front Page News
Yup, that's me. Did it while the wife was out shopping. Ever since then she's been keeping an eye on me and keeping her shopping trips short (which is a good thing). I was also the first to document the install of the clock and tach cluster too (in Canada anyway). Very true. One story has the German lease rate for an ED at 800 Euros a month. With exchange, that's around $1,100 a month plus tax. For that money I could be driving an E-Class with Bluetec.I'll take a pass if it's that high.Little bit of new info.... Although I doubt the ED will look like the neon green Brabus equipped machine at one show, many people have assume the ED's will all have white panels and green tridion and wheels (as seen on the UK site). That may not be true.I asked if I could pick the colour and MB replied that they didn't know at this point. Can it be that the 45 cars can all look different? Only time will tell. Cheers,pedro -
Production of the smart fortwo electric drive Hambach, France
smrtie replied to MikeT's topic in Front Page News
Hi All,Long time no write.I have been in talks with MB Canada to lease one of the 45 ED's coming to Canada.Don't know any more than what's already published. I'll update from time to time as I get more info.Pedro -
Paint Rocker Panels On 451
smrtie replied to smrtie's topic in Modifications and Performance: 451 Model, 2008-2015, gasoline
Looks good Bil!!It's a sight to remember pedro -
Submitted my paperwork last week of January - got my cheque today.It is important to check paperwork. When I got home I examined my bill of sale closely.... and found the dealership had put '6' as the number of cylinders my car had. Any other time that would have been worth a chuckle but they were not laughing when they had to re-do the contract.pedro
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Feds Cite "Safety Concern" on 2008 Smart Fortwo
smrtie replied to NANCYSMART's topic in In News & Entertainment
OOps, sorry for the repost -
Feds Cite "Safety Concern" on 2008 Smart Fortwo
smrtie replied to NANCYSMART's topic in In News & Entertainment
In the frontal crash the Fortwo got a 4-star for the driver, 3-stars for passenger. Here is the official NHTSA link http://www.safercar.gov/ Fill in the car details in the middle column. pedro -
Feds Cite "Safety Concern" on 2008 Smart Fortwo
smrtie replied to NANCYSMART's topic in In News & Entertainment
NHTSA report in........ WASHINGTON - A government crash test of the 2008 Smart Fortwo micro car, the fuel-sipping vehicle that made its debut in the United States this year, has found a safety concern in side-impact testing, officials said Thursday. During the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration side test on the Smart two-door, the driver door unlatched and opened. The government said that could lead to a driver or passenger being ejected from the 8-foot, 8-inch vehicle. NHTSA, however, still gave the car its top score of five stars in side testing because of the ability of the car to protect the driver and passenger from injuries in a crash. Rae Tyson, a NHTSA spokesman, said the rating is based on the level of protection that the vehicle provides to occupants, but it wanted to note a potential safety implication. “Given the amount of attention on smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in general and this vehicle specifically, we wanted to try to get the vehicle tested and the results out there as quickly as possible,” Tyson said. A Smart spokesman did not immediately comment on Thursday. Smart, a division of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand, began selling the cars in the United States in January. Test results from the new micro car have been highly anticipated in the auto industry because of the vehicle’s miniature size and concerns that a driver or passenger would be more vulnerable in a crash. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a Virginia-based organization that also conducts crash tests, is completing testing on the Fortwo and is expected to release its findings later this month. The French-made vehicle, which has been sold for about a decade in Europe, has a steel safety cage and four standard air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road. Smart has said the vehicle is designed to receive a four-star crash rating from U.S. regulators. In NHTSA’s testing, the Fortwo received four out of five stars in the front-end crash on the driver’s side. On the passenger side, it received three out of five stars. In a December interview, Smart USA President Dave Schembri said every showroom would display the vehicle’s tridion safety cell, which protects occupants in a steel housing. “We’re taking the safety story, and we’re telling it right on the showroom floor every day,” Schembri said. “Because once you walk people through that ... you get it, because you can see it. It acts very much like a NASCAR racing cage.” The 1,800-pound car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway. Smart has marketed the vehicle as a good choice for consumers grappling with high gas prices and urban congestion but unwilling to sacrifice safety. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23940824/ -
Mike,What is the regular 71hp in comparison?pedro