Autoblog

Mythbusters answers which is greener, cars or motorcycles?

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:59:00 EST

Using portable emissions equipment, a wide sampling of cars and bikes from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and with the help of Dr. Kent Johnson of UC Riverside, the Mythbusters team claims they proved motorcycles are dirtier than cars.

Doing so meant gathering data in real-world driving conditions along a 75-percent freeway, 25-percent city driving loop in and on the vehicles from different eras. The results of that test proved one thing that everyone should already know: motorcycles use less fuel than cars.

They also produce less carbon dioxide than cars, which accounts for 90 percent of a vehicle's emissions. Where cars pull ahead, though, is in the amount of other noxious gases they produce. The Mythbusters found that bikes produce tons more hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic; nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain; and carbon monoxide, everyone's favorite odorless deadly gas. Astoundingly, the 'busters claim bikes produce up to 8,000 percent more carbon monoxide than cars. Yes, 8,000 percent.

A controlled test on a track using a small displacement, fuel injected modern bike didn't give two wheelers the help the 'busters thought it would.To give bikes another chance, Jamie and Adam built an aerodynamic frame to make the modern bike sip even more gently through the wind. The result, predictably, was that the emissions got a little better, but were still worse than the car's. See the videos for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Mythbusters answers which is greener, cars or motorcycles?

Mythbusters answers which is greener, cars or motorcycles? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mythbusters, cars and duct tape. What could go wrong?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Humor

Duct tape versus a speeding car - Click above to watch the video after the break

You can fix anything - (repetition for emphasis) anything! - with duct tape. Right?

Says Wikipedia, "Duct tape is a polyethylene, reinforced, multi-purpose pressure sensitive tape with a soft and flexible shell and pressure sensitive adhesive." Sounds pretty simple. And yet, as you are likely aware, the uses for such a product are seemingly endless. Just ask the Mythbusters.

The dynamic duo of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who may just have the coolest jobs on the planet, joined their three sidekicks on last night's Discovery Channel broadcast to find out if there's anything that duct tape cannot do. And, surprisingly enough, there isn't. Almost.

There were a couple of enterprising uses tested by the Mythbusters that are of interest to us auto-obsessed types. First, is it possible to reassemble a torn-apart car using nothing but a few rolls of tape? Next, is it possible to stop a car from moving with the sticky silver material? Plus, there's a twist on that last point... and the 'Busters explore more than one definition of stopping a car.

After watching these videos, we're thinking we'd better throw some duct tape in our trucks... you never know, if you know what we mean. As always, the videos (broken down into two parts) can be found after the break. Enjoy!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Mythbusters, cars and duct tape. What could go wrong?

Video: Mythbusters, cars and duct tape. What could go wrong? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 May 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mythbusters put the science of crashing cars to the test

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

~~Hyundais~~ Daewoos sacrificed in the name of science - Click above to watch the videos after the break

In between repeated bouts to literally knock your socks off (well, not yours exactly, but you get the idea, right?) last night, the Mythbusters crew decided to revisit an old myth that was drawing the ire of the show's fans for quite some time. And it's sure to be an interesting topic to automotive enthusiasts.

When two cars collide, each traveling 50 miles per hour, does the resulting force equal one car hitting an immovable object at 100 miles per hour?

It seems like such simple physics, no? But don't forget Newton's third law. To quote the great Wikipedia of knowledge, "Whenever a first body exerts a force F on a second body, the second body exerts a force −F on the first body. F and −F are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction." Or, more simply, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Great, thanks for that, ~~Einstein~~ Newton. What does that have to do with crashing cars? Glad you asked. Find out in the videos pasted after the break. Warning: A large number of ~~Hyundais~~ Daewoos were harmed during these videos. Oh, and the results of the crash testing may surprise you.

[Source: Mythbusters]

Continue reading Video: Mythbusters put the science of crashing cars to the test

Video: Mythbusters put the science of crashing cars to the test originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythbusters fail to foil the speed camera

John Neff — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:02:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

Last night's episode of Mythbusters was wonderfully auto related. The show's hosts, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, take on the myth that a speed camera can be foiled. They attack the myth from various angles, including testing various types of license plate covers that claim to obscure one's plate from the prying eyes of a roadside speed camera. Of course, every mailorder plate cover fails miserably.

The real myth behind this segment, however, is that one can drive so fast that a speed camera will be unable to snap a pic before the car moves out of frame. They begin with an average car, the late-model Dodge Neon. On an abandoned airforce runway the Neon manages to hit 100 mph, clearly not fast enough to foil the camera. Their best shot is with a Lamborghini Murcielago, but they make the mistake of using a drag strip this time that doesn't offer enough room to get up to speed. A professional driver manages to reach about 140 mph, though it's still snapped with ease. Their conclusion is that the speed camera cannot be foiled just by going faster. Really? The Top Gear crew actually managed to foil a speed camera back in their first on-air episode back in 2002, when a TVR Tuscan S driven by the Stig passed a speed camera at over 170 mph, and the camera never went off (check the video here). Now, speed camera technology has no doubt advanced in the past five years, so perhaps the Mythbusters crew is still right and it is impossible to beat a speed camera in 2007.

Adam and Jaime have so much fun testing cars that at the end of the show they implore their viewership to send in more auto-related myths. You can do so here, and tell them Autoblog sent you. Maybe we can get a walk-on roll or something.

We've left some surprises if you still plan to watch the show, which will now enter the pantheon of Mythbusters reruns on the Discovery Channel, and can also be downloaded as a torrent here (NSFW).

Mythbusters fail to foil the speed camera originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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