Have you ever participated in a 'Cruise Night' in your city?

[Peakster]

It was a really warm day today: about room temperature outside. So by nightfall, every young kid got into their 'suped' up car and drove down Albert Street in my city. I was surprised that this tradition has started so early in the year.

Anyways, I drove past to where the entusiasts usually hang out (mall parking lots) and spotted a totally tricked out '96 Suzuki Swift. This thing had blue underglow, 15" rims, window tint, and all the fixings. However the Swift wasn't lowered. I spoke with the owner and he said he knew a guy that had lowering springs for his '95 Geo & later took them off because he was trying to sell the car. Incidentally, I actually graduated with the guy in highschool, so maybe I should give him a random call and ask how much $$$ he wants for his springs , if he still has them.

I cruised some more down Albert and even did some "brisk acceleration" with other cars (of course I was always left in the dust). The cool part is that even though my max rpm reading for the evening was ~4750 or so, I still ended up with 53+ mpg for the night.

The most intense "cruise night" I've experienced in was in Winnipeg Manitoba on Sunday nights. It's so extreme that there was vehicular congestion when I approached the infamous Portage/Main intersection and pedestrians had lawnchairs to sit on the sidewalks to watch the 'show'. Even though my Fiero at the time couldn't keep up to anything it was still very fun.

What are 'Cruise Nights' like in your areas?

[VetteOwner]

my area? my corn/bean/cow area? yea losts of either older people with cars or middle aged people. theres a few younger (my age) custom car groups around but ive never seen a cruise with them or anything. But ive been in a few cruise nights with my chevette. my dad brings his VW Ghia too so its kind of a family thing. drive up park pop the hood confuse a few people cuz suprisingly alot have never seen a carbed 4banger. or they start up a chat about how a chevette was thier first new car they ever bought. i usually stay for about 1-2 hours just walkin around lookin at some cars, chattin with the "usualls"

[The Toecutter]

Since the snow started melting I've been going for walks and since I'm out and about already, picking up aluminum cans from the roadside. Every time I do this I fill a plastic grocery bag with cans.

That's sad. On a positive note, there are some recycling centers that will pay good money for those cans, if you clean them. I once made about $8 over a 2 hour period picking up cans on the side of the road and bringing them to a recycling center. Filled up a tall kitchen trashbag with crushed cans(uncrushed cans were crushed with my foot), and about 2 grocery bags.

Yes, now that it's above freezing we are blessed with straight pipe Hardley's and 10,000 watt car stereos again, at all hours. God I wish gas was $5 a gallon.

Would be nice for my EV to be finished by then, so a friend and I can roll around doing activities of questionable legality without anyone or anything else to share the road with, while only spending a few cents for electricity and battery costs.

Rolling around, listening to Dre, passing a J, and looking for play. Good times.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by theclencher

now that it's above freezing we are blessed with straight pipe Hardley's.

Anything straight pipe should be required by law to exit it in the driver's face. If they want that magnificent rumble, they can have all of it.

[cfg83]

Peakster -

Way back in the day, maybe mid 1980's, Westwood was the car cruise capital of the West Side. I did this to my (Dad's) Karmann Ghia :

Attachment 291

The great thing about it is that it was 100% removeable. Take off the bar and you're back to stock. The eye-covers are soft Tandy Co. leather. Later on I used chrome VW eyelets turned to look "mean".

I would turn so many heads with that car bra on. The Ghia nose is a "natural" shark nose, IMO.

CarloSW2

[The Toecutter]

Too bad it's not really a money-making proposition though. I figure each can is worth about two cents at today's price. If I could collect 500+ cans/hour I'd be on to something.

That's one can every 7.2 seconds. Then there's cleaning and crushing, taking even more time. Definately not a moneymaking proposition, unless you don't have much work available. I've probably put $30-40 into my EV conversion thanks to recycled cans people have thrown on the side of the road over the summers of the past 2 years. Hey, when it's summer, you're still looking for a job, and your university job ran out of available work, any money is better than nothing. Free money gotten just by walking around with friends looking for abandoned lots to blow stuff up or smoke/drink. I'll take what I can get.

Now if you have no problem ripping off taxpayers of other states and live near these states, you could drive over with a huge bag of cans and turn them in for a $.05 refund on each can in CA, VT, ME, MA, NY, OR, and $.10 refund per can in MI. If I left out any states, sorry, but this is from memory. Personally, I wouldn't do this if I lived close enough to one of these states for this to be viable.

Anything straight pipe should be required by law to exit it in the driver's face. If they want that magnificent rumble, they can have all of it.

Motorcycles and extremely low sports cars usually need to make a lot of noise so they can be heard on the highway. Many times they are usually not seen, *especially* by large trucks and SUVs. If they are heard, at least the drivers of these vehicles know that they should take caution when changing lanes, unless they want to kill someone.

Reminds me of that Alligator car in Deathrace 2000.



Sterling kit car on a VW chassis.

That Ghia is one sweet ride. Would make an excellent EV conversion due to low weight, low aero drag, and decent battery room. Ghias can get 100 Wh/mile from the battery pack at 60 mph with aero mods, LRR tires, synthetic lube, and other efficiency modifications. John Bryan of the EV list has achieved consumption this low. Got 60 miles range or so on 16 Optima Yellowtops, at least when the pack was new(Now he's getting much less given the pack is almost a decade old). On 25 of them, I calculated he would get about 120 miles, from the lower amp draws and its relation to Peukert's effect.

Another electrical engineering student I know is thinking of converting his Ghia into an EV. Such a great platform.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

I totaly agree, you don't need to be loud in a small car or on a motorcycle to be safe, you need to pay attention, and use your horn when others aren't paying attention, I've alwas had small motorcycles, and small cars, my civic vx is the largest car I've had yet.

[GasSavers_DaX]

First Thursday night every month kids gather at the legendary Varsity drive-in restaurant in downtown Atlanta. I took the Beat last month and instantly had a crowd of interest gathered around the tiny car.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by theclencher

You are so wrong on this one I don't know where to start.

Originally Posted by Ryland

I totaly agree, you don't need to be loud in a small car or on a motorcycle to be safe, you need to pay attention, and use your horn when others aren't paying attention

I'm with the crowd here. The only way for a loud exhaust to be effective is if the rider is going slower than everyone, which I have never seen. Rider height is the same as a car, and as long as they're wearing bright colors, there's no reason for a driver to miss them.

theclencher, I think I should do the same. Might as well get a reputation as a letter writing extremist started early on. But yeah, really obnoxious... Especially on a bicycle, since they'll filter past you occasionally.

[cfg83]

Hello -

I don't mind noise for the most part. We have Harley's go up and down the street alot. When I really need quiet, I use earplugs.

What I do like is the idea of "inverse proportion" horns. I see no reason not to put a HUMUNGOUS horn on a little car so that it can be heard when it needs to be heard. I remember upgrading my motorcycle horn back in the day for that reason. I keep toying with the the idea of an air horn, but I can never tell how loud they will really be, so I never get one.

PS - I almost NEVER use my horn. Only in extreme "you're about to hit me!!!" circumstances.

CarloSW2