Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Mythbusters tests the square wheel theory]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/09/mythbusters-tests-the-square-wheel-theory/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/09/mythbusters-tests-the-square-wheel-theory/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/09/mythbusters-tests-the-square-wheel-theory/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mythbuster tests square wheels

The Mythbusters have finally tackled the long-unanswered question, "Why don't cars have square wheels?"

What's that? You've never wondered why? Neither have we, because it's freaking obvious. But equally obvious is how awesome it would be to test out a square-wheeled vehicle anyway, which is exactly what the Mythbusters guys did, using an older Ford F-Series pickup.

While the full episode is not available online, you can get the gist of the segment by watching the eight clips Discovery has posted, which we've conveniently organized for your viewing pleasure below.

Continue reading Mythbusters tests the square wheel theory

Mythbusters tests the square wheel theory originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mythbusterssquare wheelstelevisiontvvideoMon, 09 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20211560/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/09/mythbusters-tests-the-square-wheel-theory/20211560/article-detail.xml 20211560 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/myth-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/myth-opt.jpg <![CDATA[Mythbusters test the lumber-hauling prowess of a Jetta]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/29/mythbusters-test-the-lumber-hauling-prowess-of-a-jetta/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/29/mythbusters-test-the-lumber-hauling-prowess-of-a-jetta/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/29/mythbusters-test-the-lumber-hauling-prowess-of-a-jetta/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

MythBusters Volkswagen Jetta

Remember the old saw about German cars being "over-built?" Well, if this doesn't lend it some credence, nothing will.

MythBusters decided to try its hand at debunking the decade-old "Lumber Car" photo. You know you've seen it at least a dozen times by now - the Volkswagen Jetta with the giant stack of plywood and two-by-fours on the roof? So the guys found a Jetta III, bought some 3,000 pounds of building supplies, and... Well, we can't tell you exactly what happens, as that would spoil the ending, but you can clearly see that they at least managed to get the car loaded.

Maybe VW ought to try something like this with its "Great For The Price of Good" Jetta to convince the faithful it is still building them in the German tradition?

Watch the whole four-and-a-half minute "MiniMyth" after the jump.

Continue reading Mythbusters test the lumber-hauling prowess of a Jetta

Mythbusters test the lumber-hauling prowess of a Jetta originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>jettajetta iiilumbermythbusterssnopesvolkswagenvolkswagen jettavwvw jettaTue, 29 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20116879/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/11/29/mythbusters-test-the-lumber-hauling-prowess-of-a-jetta/20116879/article-detail.xml 20116879 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/11/mythbusters-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/11/mythbusters-opt.jpg <![CDATA[<em>Mythbusters</em> answers which is greener, cars or motorcycles?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/03/mythbusters-answers-which-is-greener-cars-or-motorcycl/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/03/mythbusters-answers-which-is-greener-cars-or-motorcycl/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/03/mythbusters-answers-which-is-greener-cars-or-motorcycl/#commentsFiled under: , ,



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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam savagecaremissionsjamie hynemanmotorcyclemotorcycle emissionsmythbustersuc berkleyMon, 03 Oct 2011 19:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20071398/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/10/03/mythbusters-answers-which-is-greener-cars-or-motorcycl/20071398/article-detail.xml 20071398 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/aerobike_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/aerobike.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Mythbusters put the motorcycle tablecloth trick to the test]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/28/mythbusters-put-the-motorcycle-tablecloth-trick-to-the-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/28/mythbusters-put-the-motorcycle-tablecloth-trick-to-the-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/28/mythbusters-put-the-motorcycle-tablecloth-trick-to-the-test/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mythbusters versus the tablecloth
Motorcycle-mounted Mythbusters versus the tablecloth - Click above to watch the video after the break

Remember that viral video of the BMW S1000RR superbike pulling off the old tablecloth trick? Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, better known as the Mythbusters, took a liking to the clip and decided it needed to be put to the test.

The premise is simple: Can a near-200-horsepower motorcycle muster up enough acceleration from a dead stop to pull the tablecloth from under 24 full place settings without sending them all toppling to the ground? And if not, what would it require to make that feat a reality? 100 mph and a quarter-mile of rope?

Instead of using the German machine, Jamie pressed his very own Erik Buell Racing 1125R. No worries about whether or not this bike is powerful enough for the test... it is. And then again, it isn't. You'll just have to click on past the break for the three-part video series to see what we mean. Oh, and feel free to fast forward through the parts you care less about, though it's all pretty interesting to us.

[Source: Mythbusters, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Mythbusters put the motorcycle tablecloth trick to the test

Video: Mythbusters put the motorcycle tablecloth trick to the test originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>motorcycle tableclothMythBustersmythbusters discovery channelmythbusters tableclothtableclothtablecloth demonstrationtablecloth routinetablecloth trickThu, 28 Oct 2010 19:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19694066/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/10/28/mythbusters-put-the-motorcycle-tablecloth-trick-to-the-test/19694066/article-detail.xml 19694066 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/mythbusters-tablecloth_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/mythbusters-tablecloth.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Mythbusters, cars and duct tape. What could go wrong?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/video-mythbusters-cars-and-duct-tape-what-could-go-wrong/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/video-mythbusters-cars-and-duct-tape-what-could-go-wrong/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/video-mythbusters-cars-and-duct-tape-what-could-go-wrong/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam savageAdamSavageduck tapeDuckTapeduct tapeduct tape carduct tape fixduct tape usesduct tape videoDuctTapeDuctTapeCarDuctTapeFixDuctTapeUsesDuctTapeVideogrant imaharaGrantImaharajamie hynemanJamieHynemankari byronKariByronmythbustersmythbusters videoMythbustersVideotorry belecciTorryBelecciThu, 13 May 2010 19:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19476639/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/05/13/video-mythbusters-cars-and-duct-tape-what-could-go-wrong/19476639/article-detail.xml 19476639 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/mythbusters-duct-tape_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/mythbusters-duct-tape.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Mythbusters put the science of crashing cars to the test]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/06/video-mythbusters-put-the-science-of-crashing-cars-to-the-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/06/video-mythbusters-put-the-science-of-crashing-cars-to-the-test/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/06/video-mythbusters-put-the-science-of-crashing-cars-to-the-test/#commentsFiled under: ,

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>100 mph crash100MphCrash50 mph crash50MphCrashadam savageAdamSavagecar crashcar crash testCarCrashCarCrashTestcrashcrash testCrashTestjamie hynemanJamieHynemanMythBustersmythbusters car crashmythbusters crashmythbusters crash testmythbusters crash videomythbusters discovery channelmythbusters videoMythbustersCarCrashMythbustersCrashMythbustersCrashTestMythbustersCrashVideoMythbustersDiscoveryChannelMythbustersVideoThu, 06 May 2010 15:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19466728/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/05/06/video-mythbusters-put-the-science-of-crashing-cars-to-the-test/19466728/article-detail.xml 19466728 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/mythbusters-crash_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/mythbusters-crash.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: Mythbusters tests skipping Lambo from <i>Speed Zone</i>, a.k.a. <i>Cannonball Run 3</i>]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/29/video-mythbusters-tests-skipping-lambo-from-i-speed-zone-i/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/29/video-mythbusters-tests-skipping-lambo-from-i-speed-zone-i/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/29/video-mythbusters-tests-skipping-lambo-from-i-speed-zone-i/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mythbusters car skipping test -- Click above to watch video

In the movie Speed Zone, familiarly known as Cannonball Run 3 and ripe for an award for one of the most incredible ensemble casts ever, the opening sequence ends with a Lamborghini Countach eluding the police by skipping over a lake. You know, like a rock.

Mythbusters' new gearhead Kari Byron wanted to see if that could really be done, so they tested the stunt out on a scale model Lamborghini over an appropriately scaled body of water. Then they tested the stunt again with a full-sized car - Pontiac Fiero, not a Countach - over a real pond, and the results made us go something along the lines of "That's awesome."

Follow the jump for the videos, which are broken up into a couple of segments. The scale model Lamborghini segment is cut short - they want you to watch the show - but the final test of the Pontiac Fiero Water Skimmer Edition is at Mythbusters.

[Source: Mythbusters]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mythbusters tests skipping Lambo from Speed Zone, a.k.a. Cannonball Run 3

VIDEO: Mythbusters tests skipping Lambo from Speed Zone, a.k.a. Cannonball Run 3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Countachdiscovery channelDiscoveryChannelFierokit carKitCarLamborghiniLamborghini CountachLamborghiniCountachmythbustersMythbustersDiscoveryChannelPontiacvideoTue, 29 Dec 2009 19:26:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19296609/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/12/29/video-mythbusters-tests-skipping-lambo-from-i-speed-zone-i/19296609/article-detail.xml 19296609 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/lambo_skip_mb_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/lambo_skip_mb.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: Mythbusters annihilate a car near the speed of sound]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/video-mythbusters-annihilate-a-car-near-the-speed-of-sound/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/video-mythbusters-annihilate-a-car-near-the-speed-of-sound/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/video-mythbusters-annihilate-a-car-near-the-speed-of-sound/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mythbusters make us smile - click above to watch the video

This one is good. Previously Adam and Jamie smashed a car to smithereens between two semi trucks. Which was fun, but hardly fun enough. So, they get a two-stage rocket sled and ram it into some poor, defenseless Ford Aspire -- at 650 mph! As gets pointed out in the video, the word "awesome" is thrown around all too easily these days. That said, this is AWESOME! Maybe double awesome. Make the jump to watch the video while giggling like a ten-year-old.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mythbusters annihilate a car near the speed of sound

VIDEO: Mythbusters annihilate a car near the speed of sound originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythbusters test golf ball-like dimpling on MPG - Click above to watch video after the jump

The Mythbusters must be closet car fans, because the hour-long show on the Discovery Channel seems to be producing more and more experiments involving automobiles than ever before. Their latest again involves fuel efficiency, this time testing if a dirty car is more fuel efficient than a clean one because of the golf ball-like dimpling effect of the dirt. Turns out dirt doesn't make a difference, but Adam and Jamie went one step further to test if covering a car in actual golf ball-like dimples would improve its fuel efficiency. According to cable's most crack scientists, yes, it will.

The show's team completely covered a last-gen Ford Taurus with modelers clay and figured out that it would achieve about 26 mpg at a constant 65 mph. They then went about adding over 1,000 dimples to the car's exterior. To keep the experiment consistent, all 1,082 dimples removed from the clay exterior were put in a box and set in the back seat so that the car would weigh exactly the same as before dimpling. The theory is that, like a golf ball, the dimples would reduce the car's drag through the air, thus allowing it to travel the same distance at the same speed using less fuel. The result? Over 29 mpg.

Follow the jump to watch the whole episode for yourself, though if you're only interested in watching the dimpled car do it's thing, skip ahead to about 40 minutes in.

[Source: Megavideo]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mythbusters test golf ball-like dimpling effect on fuel economy (*Spoiler Alert!*)

VIDEO: Mythbusters test golf ball-like dimpling effect on fuel economy (*Spoiler Alert!*) originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam savageAdamSavagejamie hynemanJamieHynemanmythbustersspeed cameraspeed camerasSpeedCameraSpeedCamerasThu, 08 Mar 2007 12:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/848473/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/03/08/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speedcamera/848473/article-detail.xml 848473 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/03/mythbustersj_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/03/mythbustersj.jpg -1 2