h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Makes you wonder what C1 to C4 were like.

Every time I see the title I keep reading the word cat..

Such a weird brain fart.

I've never seen such a concerted effort to derail a thread.

I agree, can we take the comedy cat moments elsewhere please?

For quite a while there's been bikes that have electric motors built in for when you need a bit of extra help up a hill. But I think the weight of a car engine would make it impractical. Although it's been a fair while since I last tried to lift a car engine, so they may have got lighter.

But average miles per gallon does need to come down a lot. Or, we could end up with people owning town cars and motorway cars. Having said that though, that's pretty much what we do. The old Landrover is used around town because it's our only car, and when we want to go further afield, we hire a car because the Landrover rarely makes it above 45mph. And I dread to think what the fuel consumption's like when it's up to top speed.

The cost of hiring a car is actually a lot cheaper than you'd think, and if you only use it occasionally it's certainly cheaper than owning one, and then having to pay for tax, insurance an upkeep.

it's a pity that cars couldn't be modular like some types of furniture. If you need to commute long distances by yourself, the smallest combination would provide the greatest fuel economy. Add a back seat module and an engine reinforcement, and you can carry one, two or three passengers. Add another engine module and a suspension upgrade module, and you could tow a trailer. At every level, you would be getting appropriate fuel economy, performance, and comfort without the need to own three or four difference vehicles, all with big bills for insurance, registration, etc.

And does it really matter whether you use 'premium' fuels? Does a 'brand' work better than a supermarket petrol?

PP.

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: Yes it does.


The additives put into fuel affect the way that your engine works, because we've got a pre-unleaded engine in our classic Landrover we have to manually add these things. It's possible to go into automotive stores (Halfords) and buy the chemical additives separately. Premium unleaded has extra additives to normal unleaded, and as such it makes the fuel burn more efficiently, taking the strain off the engine itself.