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Originally Posted by DaBears
What did i say about Materials?
Here is your proof guys.
Proof? The Z06 and ZR1 have a lot of Carbon Fiber. GM did the first CF hood on the C5 Corvette LeMans Special Edition (worked on both of those  ) CF remains very cost prohibitive. It will come down with volume of course but the time to produce one part jacks the price up just in cycle time even if the cost of the materials come down (and they have recently).
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/13/f...tes-hope-to-s/ |
Every OEM is looking at materials to save weight.
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Originally Posted by rayhawk
Carbon fiber is often cost prohibitive on an aircraft, I don't think you will ever see it in significant quantities on an entry level car.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cvega
I believe Camaros and Mustang could and should weigh around 3400 pounds. A 3400 lb Camaro SS with the 6.2 v8 would be much better on gas, much faster and quicker, it would be better handling.. It is possible.. If a Toyota Camry SE V6 weighs 3240 lbs, then a Camaro could way a bit more..
Plus keep the Camaro looking similar though
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"Should" based on what? The fact that smaller 4 cylinder cars do? A Chevy Cruze weighs over 3,000 pounds.
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Originally Posted by iHasCamaro
Holy crap. So the giant steel cars of yesteryear are actually lighter than our modern Camaro? That's amazing.
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And imagine how light they would have been using alum. engine blocks etc.
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Originally Posted by LOWDOWN
Not really...
Base Curb Weight ('64-'72) was for a 6-cylinder/3-speed manual/no power steering-brakes/no air/no cruise/no tilt/no radio etc. etc.
No 5mph bumpers/ABS/Stability Control/air bags/4WDB etc. etc. etc.
What now is "mandatory", by customer taste AND government regulation, is a "weighty" issue.
Keep in mind, too, the "current" Camaro is based on a version of a "current" Chevelle (i.e. mid-sized 2-dr coupe a.k.a. Holden Monaro). The Camaros of old were based on the smaller/lighter Chevy II/Nova chassis...
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Yessssir
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Originally Posted by kbui
Safety wasn't as big as a concern back then !
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Didn't even have mandatory seat belts until 67 or 68 I think.
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Originally Posted by camaro-dreamer
Hybrid could also mean eco-boost (i.e. factory turbo).
Frankly, I don't care if they change the styling for either the camaro or mustang next gen as long as my 6'4" frame can fit.
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Eco boost is not a hybrid. However you can be sure Ford will use their turbo SIDI 4 cyclinder and 6 cylinders in upcomming Mustangs. BTW GM beat Ford to the punch on their own Ecoboost with the first SIDI Turbo in the Sky/Solstice. Not magic, just marketing.
Go sit in a BMW 3 series. If you can fit in that you might be ok.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cbass
I know. Amazing isn't it? And those had iron blocks. 
I often sit and wonder how the hell the cars got to be so heavy. I remember the v8 monte carlo was like 3300 or 3400 lbs. The car was a full size car with more room than the camaro inside and yet it weighed less.
Even the hood and trunk? I know some cars these days are using aluminum hoods and trunks to keep weight down. |
Safety, emissions, and electronics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nessal
Why not? There are a bunch of lighter cars with these standards.
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And they don't have to put up with the stresses associated with 400+ HP engines or the weight of performance enhancing technologies or even simply 20" wheels. Do you know how much weight it takes just to handle the loads of the 20" wheels? A LOT.
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Originally Posted by Captain Awesome
They also have a habit of cracking over time from vibration or from shock. Once you have an accident, the structural integrity of the entire car is in question.
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The C5 and C6 Corvettes are all composites bonded to the steel/aluminum hydroform rails. No problems at all in crashworthiness or durability. I worked on both the steel and aluminum frames and most of the parts bonded to them. No issues what so ever.
A true global car will be the size of a BMW 3 Series. The new 2012 weighs about what the article says, with the 4 cyclinder engine. An M will weigh more unless they offset the mass increase with advanced ($$$$) materials.
Global means small size for parking and driving in small urban areas (Europe and Asia) and tax restrictions on engine size (2.0, 2.5, 3.0L) engines.
So it is obviously possible and it will likely happen for CAFE reasons as well as the ability to sell cars in countries where gasoline is 8 to 10/gallon.
Also to be truly global you have to offer a diesel. Not suggesting a Mustang diesel will ever happen, but that about half the volume in Europe.
So what is the size of a BMW 3 Series coupe vs. the Mustang and vs. the Camaro?
Keeping in mind that you could go to a BMW 6 Series or Audi A5, but those are bigger, generally more expensive cars in the global market.