[Chris Vais]

"Chris, any chance that alternative fuels project is a combination auto fuel/wine?"

Bill, as it happens, we send off spec. wine to the distillery where it is converted to grape alcohol that we can then use to fortify wine in the Port making process. Could just as easily us it as fuel additive.



Cloud, the process we are working with produces a light distillate fuel similar to jet fuel. In fact, the Navy flew an F-18 Hornet strike fighter on it last year in celebration of earth day. The F-18 was aptly named "The Green Hornet".



Bill, when you have a chance read the series of posts under the title Father/Son. You'll find it under Non-Porsche Related Discussion Topics. After you have a chance to read it, lets talk about the impact of drugs on society over lunch sometime. I think your office is not that far from mine.

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[Rap]

I agree the war on drugs is and has been a failure. But let's remember it has never been fought to win. Money defines the parameters of this war. Do we see banks shut down or bankers incarcerated. The cartels engage in the drug trade not to lower their personal usage costs as perhaps many of us did long ago but rather to make huge amounts of money. Heroin is easier for kids to get than cigarettes which are legal. Childrens behavior is not rooted in whether something is illegal or not. As to the debunking of pot as as gateway drug, cigarettes are the initial gateway. This is a behavior kids engage in because it's cool and their peers do it. Year after year the children we treat get younger and numbers increase. Some kids don't do drugs because they are illegal. Alcohol is legal but yet underage drinking regularly occurs with it's ongoing devastation. Legalizing pot won't make less kids do drugs. By the way, I am not against an honest national discussion on legalization. Lawyers and judges in Pa. Agree that 80-90 percent of people appearing in court have a drug or alcohol component in their charges. Just as just say no didn't work making something easier to get won't reduce usage. Usage in homes by parents is another destabilizing influence that begs much more time and discussion. This discussion though is important to have. It is interesting that although we have drifted afar her from our usage of sixth gear it is done in a respectful mode which so often doesn't occur ia any discussion. Thanks

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[94SilverCab]

[quote name='AJG' timestamp='1306443604' post='110317']

Does anyone else bother with 6th gear, or is it just me? Above about 3600RPM it starts to pull suffiently well for multi lane driving. At about 4800RPM on bends the engine sounds sedate and you feel like your floating along. It's great, makes a break from hard charging! Car now repaired after debacle with she who wondered if she had hit me! Took the oportunity to have undertray refitted ,so the Plank Club is temporarily (permanently!)dis-banded. Also had the Armor Fend removed from front of car, it looks much better!



Andy

[/quote]



Just a reminder that this is where this thread started...it is pretty rare for our discusions to take both a right AND left turn. I firmly believe in our right to discussion both alternative fuels and the war on drugs, but I respectfully request that you start 2 new threads to hash these topics out.



Let's get this topic back on track... I use sixth when I am cruising at (fast) highway speeds...



Jay

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[Rap]

Jay your right sorry for participating in that but well you know. As I was driving back from golfing yesterday I was thinking of this thread as I shifted into 6th and looked at the clock. Still down shift to pass or go faster. Is there a dramatic difference in gas mileage in 6th?

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[tamathumper]

I use 6th on all roads, not just highway cruising.

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[968TDG]

I was reading the manual last year and noticed that it recommended not down-shifting into first if you are going more than 42 miles an hour. I grew up driving a Honda Accord and Toyota Celica, both of which had extremely short first gears...This is the first car I've owned where I can smoothly down-shift and engine brake in first gear, and it's also the first car I never start off in second gear.



As for 6th gear, I think the car passes really nicely at speed in 6th. If you're looking to wind it up and tear past traffic that's different, but it has plenty of pulling power, and a surprising amount of acceleration. Where I live it is mostly flat straight 55-75mph and I'll almost always have it in 6th unless I'm doing some "spirited" driving.



I agree that for having six gears, with first gear being pretty tall already, 6th is surprisingly short...that's not a complaint, it just wasn't what I had expected.



Phil

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[rxter]

WOT = wide open throttle right? Not in this thread.



Since this topic was posted I've been paying more attention to my shifting patterns in both cars (which drive very much the same way in the high gears) I was surprised at how often I go to sixth. Was not surprised how situational it is.



1) Commuting - lowest gear possible without stalling. Commuting sucks so just minimize the cost and wear and tear on the car. If I need to haul I can downshift.

2) Cruising with the SO - smoothest ride possible. The jerks of clutching and throttle bouncing are to be avoided at all cost. That sometimes means a taller gear, sometimes shorter.

3) Having fun driving - rarely get into sixth unless I'm on a freeway imagining that there is no speed limit. Spend most time 2 - 4.

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[Cloud9...68]

rxter,



Well put; pretty much mimics my driving patterns as well. I use 6th gear a lot (well, when my car isn't in pieces like it is now ); I just don't see the sense of winding these engines to the redline for general street use, unless you're out for a fun ride on a lightly-traveled winding road. Then of course, go for it!

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[AJG]

This thread really has been round the block! Let me add that just the other week I took a long trip and can reliably report that economy is not unduly affected by anything! Cloud9...68 was right about carrying it, but I thought more about under my arm seing as how I'm such a knuckle dragger! Flash, you shock me with comments about lazy people, I suppose you would have no room for Rab C. Nesbitt in your world. You can just imagine how Flash would use up spare bodies. There we would be sitting on skateboards with paddles in our hands tied to the front of Flash's cab with the number 41 printed on our foreheads1 And there he would be standing up in the drivers seat shouting "We keep you alive to serve this 968,row well and live". Then the dreaded commands begin, first, "driveway speed", followed by "boulevard speed", then the more excruciating (from a #41's point of view!)"highway speed" and lastly the killer command(many have failed at this point!)"Santa Pod speed"!

Ah he's a hard task master is Flash!



Andy

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[Rap]

I just drove down to Provost today to drop my car off and was paying attention to this 6th gear. Tried to stay in it as much as possible. Seems like I used a quarter tank. Not very scientific for most of you but mileage was beter. I will do it again on the way home. Course I did have my honey following me and she won't go much above 80!!! Lol

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[Cloud9...68]

On an unobstructed highway at a steady speed, using 6th is a no-brainer, imho. Why subject your engine to unnecessary wear and tear if you're just driving at a constant speed? And you should definitely see slightly better gas mileage.

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[flash]

ajg - funny stuff for sure



now get back to work

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[AJG]

Thanks Flash, we'll improve on that sarky tone as time goes on! Meanwhile "Bash on Rob Falls".



Andy

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[Scott Collins]

Just did an hour drive up I 295 - doing about 75 and not paying attention I stayed in 5th gear with the a/c on for about 15min.

I noticed the engine temp was climbing and shifted into 6th - temp dropped back down to about 8'oclock on the guage, just a bit above the lower mark. Outside air temp was about 85 degrees and very humid.



So it seemed like the RPM's dropped from about 4k to 3,200k to stay at the same speed, about 75mph, but the engine temp dropped significantly. So there's a pretty good reason to use 6th gear!



-Scott

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[Cloud9...68]

I've experienced the same thing - high speed at minimum rpms seems to give the most effective cooling. But I don't really understand why this is, because the electric fans should keep the airflow relatively independent of the outside speed, and you'd think the faster coolant circulation at higher rpm would negate the greater heat load generated at said higher rpm. Not to scare you (it applies to me as well), but could the behavior you're describing be a symptom of a weak water pump (e.g. slipping impeller), or of the belt slipping against the pump pulley?

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[bombfactory]

I ran into the same thing on last year's Ortega Hwy run. Gauge edged up to the middle while we were hot footin' it through the canyons, but dropped right back to the lower hash mark on the freeway leg. I'd say it's probably normal operation.

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[flash]

yeah - higher rpm means more heat - there is more timing advance in that range too, which can make things hotter - the placement of the temp sender is also not optimal



air flow is better at speed too, so when you factor in that plus lower rpm, you get lower temps

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[bombfactory]

Flash the other day after I drove home from working on the car - distance around five miles - I noticed when putting my car cover on that the area of the hood over the front end of the valve cover was hot. It was actually too hot to touch! Never noticed this before so I got back in the car and started it up - temp gauge read normal. Anything to worry about you think?



On-topic content: I didn't get into sixth gear!

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[rxter]

Andy - please post more often. Very very funny stuff. "Driveway speed - and watch the angle"

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[flash]

bomb- one of the hottest spots in the engine bay is right there (water neck) - i would not be a bit surprised the hood were 200 plus degrees right there

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