Rednecks intentionally making their vehicles worse for the environment

[Takket]

These vehicles should be declared un-roadworthy and confiscated.

http://www.vocativ.com/culture/society/dicks-pick-trucks-meme-rollin-coal/

[Brickbat]

1. That is one of the most butthurt articles I've ever read.

[Gravitycollapse]

2. I'll be honest with you, I've driven a 700 hp Cummins which had a "smoke mode."

And it was kind of fun.

Many of the electronically fuel injected diesel engines have switches or dials which allow the driver to alter the fuel supply. This means that for daily driving you can turn the mode to normal or even conservative (no pun intended) operation which can actually increase fuel efficiency.

When you feel like being a hooligan, you can change the settings. There's usually a performance mode which optimizes fuel for the power increase and then there is a smoke mode which simply dumps fuel into the engine producing the black smoke.

These kind of trucks are fun, even if they may be a form of compensation for douchebags.

[WinkyDink]

4. Well, ain't that just a yee-haw moment.

[Gravitycollapse]

7. You can't insult me with such things. I grew up in a hick town.

Ideology aside, these kind of vehicular projects can be fun. There is something fun and comical about driving a 3/4 ton truck that can outrun a Ferrari. In many ways, it represents a sort of lower class rebellion. I don't agree with using such things for a conservative agenda. But I admit they are enigmatic in a way that you probably won't understand unless you grew up in a rural community.

The obscured side of all of this is that many of the modifications are done to increase fuel efficiency. I've seen 5.9 liter Cummins trucks average 25 mpg on the highway that can run 11 second 1/4 miles. There's a duality of performance and practicality that isn't being addressed in this article because it focuses exclusively on the douchebags.

[MillennialDem]

35. No, a 3/4 ton truck cannot outrun a Ferrari. Power to weight and aerodynamics are a

big problem.

Unless you spend well over ten thousand dollars in mods AND/OR have reliability go out the window.

And your 11 second example is quite a rarity (lots barely get into the 12s if at all).

A Ferrari is going to run 11s easily if not 10s.

[Gravitycollapse]

41. I thought it would be implied that I'm not talking about top speed.

A 1/4 mile race is a test of acceleration. This is why unfaired motorcycles and cars can still dominate in such races.

Also, I'm not talking about all Ferraris. If for instance my friend was to encounter an F12 on the road, he would undoubtedly lose. But something like a 360, the kind of used Ferrari which makes up most of the ones you see on the road? It wouldn't be much of a competition.

A Ferrari is going to run 11s easily if not 10s.

You'd be surprised how factually incorrect that is as far as late model super cars go. Running a 10 second 1/4 mile is a relatively recent widespread accomplishment amongst super cars.

[MillennialDem]

43. That's why I said 11s easily. Yes 10s = rare 11s = common. And most 3/4 ton diesels aren't going to

run 11s for very long until they spill their lower end or more likely transmission guts.

Fast, cheap, reliable. Pick two.

I've seen plenty of 20 year old camaros run 10s only to shatter their pathetic 10 bolts. If your friend has a reliable 11 second truck, he spent big bucks on it. More than your average hillbilly.

You don't want to know how much I've put into my forged 383 Z28... still haven't bought the supercharger yet because I'm getting everything else in working order first.

[Gravitycollapse]

46. I suppose reliable is a relative term.

His truck was reliable up to the point that a rod snapped and utterly destroyed the head and block. Considering the budget nature of the build, it was a remarkably reliable vehicle mostly on the condition that you knew its limits. That is the beauty of many turbodiesel engines. They are built so solidly and can operate under such diverse conditions that you can turn up the fuel and not really cause a difference in performance or reliability except under heavy load.

[MillennialDem]

49. Most factory forced induction cars have strong guts - but as your friend found out far from perfect

Someone snapping a rod at 11s, unless it was

a. Poor assembly

b. Massive loss of oiling or cooling by a typical wear and tear issue (big oil pan gasket rip, water pump giving up the ghost, etc)

is not what I would consider reliable at 11s. Your friend had an 11 second ticking time bomb. Still faster than most anyone else will ever build, but not as good as reliable 11s or a 10 second ticking time bomb.

[Gravitycollapse]

52. "...but not as good as reliable 11s or a 10 second ticking time bomb."

An undebatable conclusion.

[MillennialDem]

54. Not sure if snark or serious - but you can't really compare vehicles of in a sense

different classes. And I don't mean truck vs sedan vs coupe vs supercar. I mean a reliable 11 second racing an 11 second time bomb isn't really a fair race.

It's very hard to build a truck that will reliably compete with Ferraris. It's not even close to easy to build a car that will do that. I guess that was my main point here. Of course one could build many time bombs before coming close to the price of a Ferrari so if you view them as disposable...

And the article isn't even really talk about fast vehicles (smoking or not) but solely on assjacks who make their diesels smoke because it looks cool - which is an asshat thing to do. No function, waste of fuel, extreme pollution (vs mild), irritant to those with respiratory problems and those with not.

[flvegan]

47. Didn't you say earlier "there's a 24 valve Cummins that will destroy your car"

notwithstanding what "your car" was, nor what the track was nor the goal? Then you started in on dragsters.

"I'm gonna need you all to take those goalposts over there and over there."

But hey, pollution is "fun" right? Going to have to remember this.

[Gravitycollapse]

48. The non-straight line argument is moot. To anyone who understands what a 3/4 ton truck is...

It is implicit that I was not talking about a vehicle which took turns well.

In a straight line is clearly what I was talking about. That I didn't clarify I wasn't talking about top speed was a mistake on my part. But one which I would hope is seen as small because, again, we are speaking about pickup trucks. And quite vast ones at that.

So, it's pretty safe to assume I was talking about races involving straight line acceleration. Under that condition, I would bet that there is a 24v Cummins out there that could destroy the other car in question. Even without knowing exactly what that car is. Unless Throd is driving something truly maniacal. Which I suppose is always possible. Hence, I used the word "bet."


I don't think polluting is fun. Which is why I get my vehicular kicks from motorbikes. But, taken within the context of the automobile (especially pre-cat gasoline engines), the diesel engine gets a bad rap.

[flvegan]

53. But that's not what you said.

Read it all again and get back to me.

[Gravitycollapse]

55. You're right. What I said is it would destroy the car while doubling or tripling the mileage.

That mileage being 8 mpg.

What issue do you have with this statement beside what we already discussed? If anything, the part we haven't talked about, getting 16 to 24 mpg, is the least controversial claim I've made so far.

[betterdemsonly]

51. I live in rural America

It is not my personal experience that guys that are into modified pickups are working class. They tend to be lower acheiving sons of wealthy farmers. Lots of time on their hands. Mind you they may end up working class owing to low academic achievement.

[Turbineguy]

3. How cool is that?

After a hard day of spewing out smoke, there's nothing better than taking a good dump on your living room coffee table.

[Throd]

5. I have a modified car that gets 8 mpg.

It smokes the tires more than the exhaust though.

[Gravitycollapse]

8. See, that's the funny part. I bet there's a 24 valve Cummins that will destroy your car...

While doubling or even tripling the gas mileage.

The turbodiesel engine is an amazing wonder of technology from more than one perspective.

[Throd]

12. There's always a faster car if you have the money.

I like the power those trucks offer, but I'm not sure I'd want to throw one around some corners.

[Gravitycollapse]

14. The genius though is that diesel technology is now being implemented in race cars.

Even if you don't want a humungous diesel, you can build track oriented performance VW TDIs. I mean, the heavy engine block and components are still a potential drawback. But there are ways to deal with the weight bias.

This is a diesel and it has won the 24 hours of Le Mans.

[Skeeter Barnes]

18. Diesels have won Le Mans so much because the rules favored them so heavily.

The Audi engineers, crew and drivers are top notch but the rules ensured they would win against the gas powered cars. The ACO wrote the rules so diesels had more HP and big enough tanks that allowed them to go more laps before stopping to fuel. Almost all the factories dropped out of LMP1 as a result. Not sure what it's like now in 2014 because I quit watching.

[Gravitycollapse]

23. I'm pretty sure that was speculation. After the R-10 dominated the class, it was restricted.

They actually reduced fuel capacity for diesel prototypes and gave more favorable regulations to gasoline powered cars.

[Skeeter Barnes]

50. It's a known fact that the ACO handed LMP1 to the Audi diesels, otherwise Audi was going to

spend their money elsewhere in motorsports. The diesels kept their unfair advantage after the token performance restrictions were in place. The diesels still pulled the gas cars on the Mulsanne straight and still had enough fuel to stay out for another lap after the gas cars had to pit for fuel.

The rules are supposed to performance index cars in the same class so they are capable of similar lap times but it wasn't even close even after the R10 was cut back.

The ACO desperately wanted factory cars in LMP1 so they pretty much gave Audi what they wanted. LMP1 got real fuckin boring as a result.

[reddread]

13. I love looking back at those turbodiesel truck boobs

who cant keep up with my 53 Panel.
All the black smoke, big stacks and conspicuously grotesque consumption and
attitude doesnt seem to help them.
I should probably watch where im going,
but its important that they know they are being taunted and laughed at.
mummy and daddy didnt spend enough on juniors rig, I guess.

[Gravitycollapse]

15. Like I said upthread, you can build budget hp monsters...

My friend basically built a twin-turbo 12v Cummins in his front driveway, with just a few thousand dollars, that was making 700 hp and well over 1000 lb/ft of torque.

Unless your 53 is running low 11s, it would lose rather gloriously because there is something kind of hilarious about a humungous truck seemingly defying the laws of physics.

[reddread]

16. dont worry about a thing

theres a lot heavier artillery in the arsenal.

[Gravitycollapse]

17. Trust me, there will always be a diesel faster than what you own.

[reddread]

20. faster starships and planes too

but there wont be somebody faster there when I am.
11's is acceptable for grocery getting.
If you want to teach me a physics lesson,
feel free.
Diesels stink and who cares how much filthy fuel they can pass when its
hardly doing people or the environment any good.
people who drive these trucks without a reason are about as low on the evolutionary scale as it gets.
Yes Virginia, there is something worse than a herd of SUV buyers.

[Gravitycollapse]

21. And pre-cat engines don't stink?

I guarantee there's a contingent of society who would just as easily argue your 53 stinks to the high heavens.

The diesel engine has a massively underutilized potential for both performance as well as energy efficiency. The issue of particulate pollution is obviously an aspect of the technology that needs to be wrangled in. But low sulphur fuels and other alterations can drastically reduce the perceived and real "dirtiness" of diesel engines. When you combine the new possibilities of cleaner diesel engines with their impeccable reliability and fuel efficiency, we may very well have a great transition engine platform before we go totally electric in the future.

[reddread]

24. they dont trigger asthma n/t

[Gravitycollapse]

27. All car exhaust can trigger asthma. Especially non-catalyzed exhaust.

[reddread]

29. not mine it doesnt.

diesel is bullshit. especially as fuel for irresponsible kids showtrucks.

http://oehha.ca.gov/public_info/facts/dieselfacts.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130923114152.htm

http://thorax.bmj.com/content/66/1/4

http://www.ehhi.org/reports/exhaust/summary.shtml

"All vehicles, especially diesel engines, emit very fine particles that deeply penetrate lungs and inflame the circulatory system, damaging cells and causing respiratory problems. (8) Even short-term exposure to vehicle exhaust may harm asthmatics. "

[Gravitycollapse]

32. I'm not sure being as hard-headed and ignorant as the kids your talking about furthers your position

You drive a pre-cat engine and you're complaining about particulate pollution? Listen, criticism is okay as long as you can also criticize yourself. Calling diesel "bullshit" and claiming your heavily polluting 60 year old engine is magically incapable of causing asthma attacks is absurd.

[reddread]

39. theres big differences

im neither hard headed or absurd about this.
you simply wish to present a picture that
doesnt fit my facts.
sorry to tell you I cant retrofit cats to pre cat models. Nor am I motivated to own newer junk.
not one of the 18 53-74 cars I have will ever sport them.
nor will they see endless amounts of useless emission maximizing cruising, as opposed to those hillbillies running up and down the street hitting their smoke switch trying to impress someone as dumb and indifferent as they are. thats got to be a difficult task.

[Taitertots]

40. Unless you own...

[Gravitycollapse]

42. Nitromethane is its own special fuel class far beyond gasoline or diesel.

Obviously, nitromethane fueled cars are on the limit of what is possible using reciprocating internal combustion engines.

[MillennialDem]

45. Those also run down the strip once then get rebuilt. LOL. It's always a tricky thing comparing speed

down the strip of X vs Y because one may be a hell of a lot more reliable than the other. One can always throw a huge shot of nitrous or a bunch of boost on a factory N/A car..... or crank the boost on a stock turbo or SC car and go down the strip fast like a maniac until one puts a hole in the block.

You can't really compare a reliable car that runs on pump gas to someone who has built a bomb waiting to be lit inside the block or bellhousing or rear axle.

Anyway, what does this have to do with rednecks who modify their trucks to make them black soot up the environment and daily drive the things and often aren't even that fast. Have a kook around here who does that and if he took it to the strip he'd be lucky to hit 14s unless he's giving it less than full throttle at lights (which I highly doubt).

[cali]

6. I don't know anyone who does that but it always boggles my mind

that these young guys working at the mill for a pittance (Ethan Allen), with a couple of of young kids, drive these brand new pickups that get 8 mpg.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. It takes away from the gunrack in the window, though.

Yet tiny-dicked folks don't seem to realize that.

[ZombieHorde]

10. “Your truck is not just something to get you from point A to point B. It’s who you are.”

I don't understand identifying with vehicles, but so many people, including hippies and rednecks, often do so.

[AlinPA]

11. Sounds like a real bunch of teabagger republicans.

[Kurska]

19. "I have a great idea, let me surround my vehicle with a constant cloud of toxic chemicals"

"Cancer? Whats that"

Natural selection at work.

[Brickbat]

22. Lots of loose reporting with that article.

Lots of scare words and very few hard facts. How many people actually do this? Why are the two people quoted identified only by their first names? And frankly, as an editor, those quotes sound made-up to me.

A quick google of "nature nuffies" finds exactly two references: this article and an aggregator. "Nature nuffy" finds exactly one.

On top of it all, the contempt made it almost unreadable.

[TheMightyFavog]

25. I know local yahoos that have been ripping out their catylitic converters since they were mandated..

They either have the skills to rip out the part and replace it with a straight pipe themselves, or they have a buddy or mechanic who will quietly do the job for them. Since Wisconsin does not have mandatory emissions inspections, (Outside the Southeast Wisconsin counties, but there's ways around that.) they can get away with it.

[MohRokTah]

34. That fucks up the engines, though.

So they're only fucking themselves by doing it.

[MillennialDem]

37. Actually it doesn't. I have no cats (non-emissions county) but I'm running a fuel injected gas engin

e. Lack of cats causes no problems - fortunately or unfortunately depending on your perspective.

It probably would borderline pass or fail a sniffer test - unlike these trucks which would fail 20 times over. It doesn't smoke and I didn't remove them to be an annoyance and black smoke crap. Of course it's a car so...

[LeftyMom]

36. God, they could make a killing selling them to Californians.

Fucking tweakers will steal them out from under a whole parking lot's worth of cars in a single night, just to sell for scrap. Meanwhile replacing them costs a mint to the owner of the car.

[RKP5637]

26. BEAM ME UP SCOTTY, THIS PLACE CALLED EARTH IS TOTALLY FUCKED UP! n/t

[blm]

28. One cut right in front of me on the freeway here and let off. Dem bumper stickers tick them off.

Total asshole on a crowded rush hour freeway.

Idiocracy

[Reter]

30. Absolutely not confiscated

Ticket them or whatever, but I despise the idea of the government taking personal property.

[Alex P Notkeaton]

31. Fuck the Earth, we got GAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWD!

on s

[MohRokTah]

33. These men have very tiny penises and are trying to compensate.

Seriously tiny penises.

[Generic Other]

38. Why don't they just get jobs

at the coal mines?

[TheMightyFavog]

44. Or they pull shit like this...

[backscatter712]

56. When doing anti-war protesting during the Iraq War, we've had douchebags do this...

They'd drive up in their pick'em'up trucks, complete with trucknutz, and drive past, "rollin' coal" on us.

Then come back, do it again, several more times, flipping us off, occasionally with death threats.

We just took their plate numbers and referred them to the cops.

On the other hand, one of the videos I saw of "rollin' coal" showed it being done to a Westboro Baptist Church protest. Two wrongs made a right!