Non-SE-R: GM OHV engines

[George Roffe]

Brian Cembor wrote:

>Methanol is a pipe dream. It is so subsidized by the Federal Imperial
>Government that any cost advantage is erroneous.

I never said anything about a cost advantage.  When the dino juice is gone,
methanol will look very attractive.  But that will probably be 200 years
from now anyway, not the 20 years the tree huggers have said in the past.

>Methanol has not conclusively proven to be a reliable alternative to
>gasoline, despite what is in the press.

Y'all need to tell the boys at CART and the IRL.  They've been running
methanol exclusively since the mid 60s.  So have sprint cars and super
modifieds.

>If you really dig into the whole methanol issue you soon realize how much
>taxpayer's money is being wasted, worse than many other programs.

I don't deny that.  I only said that methanol was a suitable substitute for
dino juice once it's all gone.  I stand by that.  Methanol has been used as
a race fuel for many many years quite successfully.  Once there is
sufficient incentive (market incentives, not government subsidies) it will
likely be the motor fuel of choice.  Something else could come up, but I
don't see anything on the horizon.  Perhaps the Mr. Fusion Home Reactor.

>Second, SUVs came about because of the EPA and NHTSB.

SUVs have been around a lot longer than the EPA and NHTSA.

>SUVs are trucks, station wagons are passenger cars. SUVs do not have to
>follow the same regulations as station wagons in terms of safety and fuel
>economy, therefore they are cheaper to make and sell at a higher profit.
>The automakers realized this in the 70s, think how many station wagons you
>see today. So it is up to you to figure out who to blame for that
>situation... manufacturer, consumer, marketer, govt' officials?

This is basic Econ 101.  It doesn't matter what it costs to build the
damned things.  What matters is what the consumers demand in the
marketplace.  Somewhere along the line SUVs became sexy for some reason (I
don't get it).  Sally Soccer Mom thought it was great to sit up high, haul
the little rug rats, and drive a tank with tires.  Men apparently like them
because, well, I don't actually know.  Perhaps it's because it's almost a
truck and it's one they could talk their wife into.  Who knows?

The bottom line is the marketplace decides what's hot.  That's you and me
and all the lemmings out there.  There is no conspiracy and the
manufacturers sure don't get to choose (thank God).  The government can
influence things with laws and taxes, but God help the politicians if they
make an unpopular decision.  Many of them get voted out of office.  They
certainly worry about that.

George Roffe
Houston, TX
http://www.nissport.com