What does GM have to go toe to toe with this??

Go to any city in Italy. Not that speed of course, but the small scooters and bikes do the same at every traffic light. When it turns green, it is like cockroaches startled by a light. That yellow line down the center is just a suggestion, not a demand to stay on one side. You've not driven in real traffic until rush hour in Rome.

To me, Paris is much harder to navigate than Rome...Drivers are much more aggressive, and more of them...If you go to the French riviera, you will really see people doing crazy things on motorcycles...Looks like action sequences to movie thrillers.

Or Boston LOL

mike

In most states one is expected to stop for a red traffic signal, not wait for the traffic to stop. LOL

mike

No, I drive Boston fairly regularly; downtown, airport, Storrow Drive, etc. Comparing Boston to Rome is like comparing a kids birthday party to a major brawl. I've driven every major city in the US and none compare.

So true. How many keep the revs up in the high HP range anyway. Torque in the RPM range normally driven gives the best performance.

Another thing to watch for is the need of premium fuel to achieve the HP and fuel consumption ratings. Noticing the very high compression ratio of the Camry 3.5L V6 I asked Toyota what fuel is needed. They said premium to achieve the ratings.

I've had that Impalla as a rental. It has an extremely high top gear, resists down shifting and as a result is a pain to drive. It needs at least a 6sp, but GM obviously finds that too expensive.

The 4 cyl Camry would be OK in urban driving or on flat highways. Certainly not in hilly country when fully loaded.

He was unlucky or an idiot. The Twin Cam issue has been going on for years. MCN did a owner survey its so bad. Most Harley riders don't put enough miles on their bikes to have a problem under warranty so it's cheaper for Harley to pay for the engines of the few that actually do ride.

It's been fun but discussing this when the most believable person is someone who races a Venture at 130MPH its pointless. I'm out of it.

You didn't drive the one I have then. It downshifts at any hint of requesting acceleration - making the accelerator pedal basically a binary input. You can feather on the gas to keep it from downshifting, but it won't accelerate AT ALL... give it a little more gas and suddenly you've dropped two gears and the engine is screaming. It also has a nasty habit of unlocking the torque converter the second you let off the gas, meaning attempting to hold a constant speed on a somewhat hilly road means that the TC is constantly locking and unlocking. A pain to drive, but in a different way than you describe.

I dunno, a friend of mine owns one, with a 5-speed - it certainly doesn't feel underpowered, and the engine is less thrashy and intrusive than the Impala.

nate

That is NOT my normal riding style. I normally just get on and ride. This past year was a low miles year though. Only turned in 10,000 for the year. The bike is currently torn down so I can finally repair a problem in the clutch. Also decided to strip it to the frame and blast and powder coat the frame and rear swing arm. Polish and clear the rims and do some repaint on the panels. Then do some upgrades on the wiring and lights (adding LEDs in some areas) and putting her back together.

Been looking at newer bikes but haven't found something I like yet because I want something with an upright seating position. The closest thing so far has been a BMW but I don't like the vibration of that boxer engine. May just have to find a last year first generation Venture (93)and completely go through it.

Yeh...so is your bike.

It just didn't respond as my '95 Chrysler does. Yes I did hit it, having to push the accelerator very far down to get a downshift, with the increase in in RPMs and noise illustrating the excessive spacing between

4th and 3rd gear. My Chrysler has close spacing between 4th and 3rd, plus lockups on 2, 3 and 4th gears, giving in effect 7 shift points. The Chrysler simply has a much more modern transmission and is adaptive. I used cruise control at higher speeds and my oh my how it struggled until the huge RPM jump when it downshifted. It didn't have the tach my Chrysler has, but the noise on downshifting told the story.

Handling was not to the same standard as the '95 Chrysler as well. Simply an old tech design that would have been OK in the late 80s.

I'll agree that the programming of my friend's LHS transmission is what the Impala *should* be. Even nicer, the LHS will actually downshift while you're on cruise control and going down a steep grade. Too bad that the Chrysler transmissions are notoriously finicky, but they are the standard when they're working correctly.

nate

I would say that some of the old Chrysler transmissions were as tough and reliable as they come.

I have seen ads recently about the new Lexus 8 speed tranny (Worlds first! they say). Do you know who is making these for them? Aisin, or another supplier? I would hate to buy a 'worlds first', having been bitten in the ass by that snake before.

Do 8 speeds really make a difference? Many have gone to five, a couple have CV, but I wonder if the 8 speeds really helps performance or does it just add bragging rights.

I also like the ability to do a 2nd gear start in my car for slippery weather, but I've not had the opportunity to try it yet.

The 'standard' for trannys today is five and six speeds, not 4. ;)

mike

IMO, the CVT is still delicate technology...the early versions were prone to failure and were limited to low HP applications. I dont know about the newer ones.

The 8 speed is probably a combination of bragging rights, with a little performance and economy built in. Ill bet these would be expensive rascals when they fail.

Oh, for damn sure. It's hard to kill a 727 or 904. I was referring to the newer, FWD transaxles.

Not a clue...

Personally, I don't mind an autobox that shifts hard etc. so long as it selects the correct gear at the right time. I'd also like it to lock up as soon as it can, and STAY locked up until I come down from highway speed again. Something like the old Ultramatic in my '56 Golden Hawk, I'd be OK with that.

nate

Like I said before, I don't care if it has six speeds or two, as long as it selects the right gear at the right time. I was impressed with the gear selection program in the LHS. I am constantly annoyed by the gear selection program of the Impala.

nate

Mike Hunter wrote: