Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

That thing is incredible. I didn't think that design could get any better.

I was wrong.

Battle of Budget Boost! Centrifugal vs. Roots, Paxton vs. Weiand - Engine Masters Ep. 8
Motor Trend Channel

Published on Apr 18, 2016
Boost is good. Forced induction makes huge power, and you want it cheap and easy. This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL, we look at the two most affordable implements of boost from SummitRacing.com: a Paxton Novi 1200 blow-through-carburetor centrifugal supercharger setup ($2,483 at the time this was posted) and a Weiand 174 Powercharger roots blower ($2,794.95). Both of the blowers are tested on a Dart SHP Ford 363ci engine. In the episode, you’ll learn about installation details, problems, hidden prices, and, of course, the shapes of the power curves! Hint: We turn 450 hp into 675 pretty easily.

If you want to duplicate an engine like ours or look further into the tech specs, here are the part numbers from SummitRacing.com:

The Paxton centrifugal supercharger is the self-lubricated kind, so an oil-return line to the oil pan is not needed. We chose the satin finish, as it’s priced lower than the polished kit. The part number we used was 1001864SL.

The Weiand 174 Powercharger roots supercharger kit was also satin rather than polished, part number 77-174FSB-1.

The Dart SHP 363ci Ford has an 8.2-inch deck height like a 302. The part number at Summit is DRT-03243632.

With the roots blower, we used a Holley Aluminum Ultra XP 850-cfm carb, HLY-0-80804HBX. Holley also offers supercharger-specific carbs with boost-referenced power valves that would be a better choice for use in a car.

With the centrifugal blower, we used an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold, EDL-2921.

Microsoft to unify PC and Xbox One platforms, ending fixed console hardware

Head of Microsoft’s gaming division effectively confirms Xbox is becoming a new kind of PC/console hybrid

Ha not my street,

a dodgy back street in West End!

I have a cf guy who reckons for 500 he can make it like new...

'Purple Rain' superstar Prince, 57, dies at US studio complex

Wrestling icon Chyna had been dead for days when she was found

MOTORCYCLE CRASH Rider Flips Motorcycle After COP GRABS Him At Intersection EPIC FAIL 2016
STREETFIGHTERZ

Published on Apr 18, 2016
Check out this insane video of a rider who was grabbed by a cop causing him/her to flip the Kawasaki into the middle of a busy intersection. After tumbling several feet, the rider immediately runs desperately look for anyone willing to let him/her ride on the back.

Ah West End, some dodgy fn random prick with a hate for the world, at least it was just a cover nothing else, sucks all the same.

Many years ago had some hippie burnout with a Kombi roll a trolley into the side of the car at West End Markets and comment "thats what you get for having a nice shiney car", odd thing that Kombi had a massive engine failure due to lack of oil a few months later

Tesla has received almost 400,000 preorders for the Model 3

Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed this morning that the company has received almost 400,000 preorders for its new Model 3 sedan. Musk unveiled the Model 3 earlier this month to much interest, and 325,000 preorders after just a week. "We are now almost at 400,000 orders for the Model 3," Musk told a Norwegian conference this morning, according to Reuters. Interest in the Model 3 has been impressive, and "surprised even us" said Musk.

Hundreds of Tesla fans lined up outside dealerships before the car was even officially unveiled, and Tesla received more than twice the Model 3 preorders it expected. Tesla's Model 3 is set for release in 2017, priced starting at $35,000 with at least 215 miles of range. The huge amount of preorders could cause availability issues next year, and Musk also expects the Model 3 to reach 500,000 preorders before more details about the car are revealed later this year.

The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan
GameSpot

Published on Apr 21, 2016
In the first of our three part series, Danny talks to the Overwatch team about what happened with Blizzard's cancelled MMO Titan, and how it's death lead to the birth of Overwatch.

Volkswagen takes 16.2 billion-euro hit over emissions

Volkswagen (VW) says it will take a 16.2-billion-euro ($A23.52 billion) hit to its 2015 results and slash its dividend to help pay for its emissions-test cheating scandal.
The news came amid growing signs a regulatory clampdown in the wake of VW's cheating is affecting the broader industry, with Germany-based automakers including Mercedes-Benz and Opel - as well as VW - agreeing to recall a total of 630,000 cars to fix diesel engine technology blamed for high pollution.

On Thursday, VW agreed a framework settlement with U.S. authorities to buy back or potentially fix about half a million cars fitted with illegal test-fixing software, and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds.

Analysts said the deal was crucial for VW to give a cost for the scandal in its 2015 results, which have been delayed since February, and provide a starting point for Europe's biggest carmaker to try to rebuild trust with investors and customers.

VW said on Friday the money it was setting aside to pay for the scandal would drive it to a 2015 operating loss of 4.1 billion euros. Full results are due on April 28.

However, analysts said the company could still face further costs, including potential U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) fines as part of an expected civil settlement, and a DoJ investigation that could lead to criminal charges

There are also questions over whether it will offer compensation to the much larger number of diesel drivers affected outside the United States, as well as who will be blamed for the scandal in several ongoing investigations.

VW said on Friday it could not release preliminary findings from an investigation it commissioned from U.S. law firm Jones Day until it had reached an agreement with the DoJ.

German carmaker Volkswagen says it's setting aside 16.2 billion euros to cover the cost of the scandal over its emissions cheating.

Chief Executive Matthias Mueller also said he could not put a figure on the total cost of the scandal - which some analysts have estimated at about $US30 billion ($A38.77 billion) - but there was no reason to believe the 2015 loss would lead to job cuts.

VW said it planned to pay a dividend of 0.11 euros per ordinary share and 0.17 euros per preferred share on its 2015 results, down from 4.80 euros and 4.86 respectively the year before.

The preferred shares, down nearly 20 percent since VW admitted to cheating U.S. diesel tests in September, were down 0.8 percent at 126.05 euros mid-afternoon local time, after gaining sharply this week.

Engine management systems and software have come under increased scrutiny since the VW scandal broke.

Though no other carmaker has been found using the "defeat device" software employed by VW, regulators and environmental groups have criticised the wide use of engine management systems which switch off treatments for reducing emissions in order to improve performance and increase the interval between services.

European tests have found several carmakers using a legal loophole allowing them to throttle back emissions treatments under certain circumstances, ostensibly to protect engines.

Following extensive testing, the Germany's motor transport authority questioned whether the use of this loophole was always justified and necessary, a German official said on Friday.

The official said General Motors' Opel and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz, as well as VW brands Audi, VW and Porsche, had agreed to recall a total of 630,000 vehicles to tweak emissions management systems.

BMW, which invested in fuel saving technologies earlier than most rivals, was not part of the recall, the official said.