[demime could not interpret encoding binary - treating as plain text] For those who can wait a year or two before buying a new car Honda intends to add the hybrid engine to the Civic lineup. That way you can get a great little hybrid motor in a larger more useful vehicle (not that I'm knocking the Insight, it is a great proof of concept vehicle). The mileage will undoubtedly not be as great in a Civic (due to weight and aerodynamics) but the vehicle will be a little more practical. The thought of a sea kayak on top of the Insight reminds me of when my wife and I were trying to decide if we wanted to buy kayaks. One of our major concerns was whether or not we could transport them on top of our two door Integra. Our mind was made up when we saw a Metro going down the road with the largest canoe I have ever seen on top. The canoe literally looked like it was eating the Metro. We figured that if they could carry that canoe we could carry two kayaks. Although after three years of hauling boats on the roof I'm leaning heavily towards a trailer next year. The rack rubs the metal where it grips the car. My biggest complaint is that the extender (had to use it on the short two door roofline) works its way backwards on long trips. I have started attaching straps from the front fixed bar to the back bar just to keep it from shifting backwards. Plus a trailer would let me get a much larger spread between the bars. And I get to avoid buying an SUV or van, I enjoy sporty cars too much (a GS-R and Prelude). Mel "When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl." ------------------------------------------------------------ --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Before you buy. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Mel Grindol" <grindol_at_my-deja.com> > For those who can wait a year or two before buying a new car Honda intends to add the hybrid engine > to the Civic lineup. That way you can get a great little hybrid motor in a larger more useful > vehicle (not that I'm knocking the Insight, it is a great proof of concept vehicle). The mileage > will undoubtedly not be as great in a Civic (due to weight and aerodynamics) but the vehicle will > be a little more practical. Given the loss in fuel economy, I wonder if the Civic hybrid will be any better than the discontinued VTech version (which I own)? I looked at the Insight and felt it's just too small - the Civic hatchback is a much better size for two people plus gear. I also wonder whether the hybrid is a worthwhile technology in the long run compared to the coming fuel-cell electrics. Could be another Honda gee-whiz concept without a serious future. Hybrids were demoed in the early seventies when I was in university - it took this long to get to production (battery tech improvements helped). > The rack rubs the metal where it grips the car. My biggest complaint is that the extender > (had to use it on the short two door roofline) works its way backwards on long trips. > I have started attaching straps from the front fixed bar to the back bar just to keep it > from shifting backwards. Plus a trailer would let me get a much larger spread between the bars. I haven't had such a problem on my Civic with the short roofline adapter. Have you been tightening it enough? I haven't been shy of cranking it down as hard as I can without resorting to tools. The extender bar is slightly bent is use on mine. Mike PS - Too much attention is paid to big vans/cars. Even the Outback gets poor fuel economy to my tastes. You breath what comes out the back end of your vehicle. We've only got so much atmosphere and our kids don't want to inherit a polluted desert. If you don't pee in your water, don't pollute the air. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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