Bell's Banter 2022

[Lancsbreaker]

I doubt that most of Boris's many critics would actively consider him to be "evil" - amoral, certainly, but more seriously without any sense of purpose save self-promotion, and lacking in the inclination to sully himself with the details of policy and procedure.


I seriously wonder why he wants to stay in the job - he's making no money, he is constantly hounded and ridiculed (mostly justifiably) when all he wants to do is be surrounded by people telling him how wonderful he is, whilst living a life of comfort that most of us little people can't imagine.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

I doubt that most of Boris's many critics would actively consider him to be "evil" - amoral, certainly, but more seriously without any sense of purpose save self-promotion, and lacking in the inclination to sully himself with the details of policy and procedure.


I seriously wonder why he wants to stay in the job - he's making no money, he is constantly hounded and ridiculed (mostly justifiably) when all he wants to do is be surrounded by people telling him how wonderful he is, whilst living a life of comfort that most of us little people can't imagine.

I assume that is a No! Then?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

I seriously wonder why he wants to stay in the job -

Apparently some think that, as a PM, one only really has a right to a footnote in History if one has waged war.

There are aspects of the pandemic that might have been dressed up that way to some extent and the costs have probably been similar but I doubt that it will count as a war when history is written.

Thus Boris may be hanging on in the hope of something more clearly war-like becoming available?

[grantp]

On a different matter, has anyone here got a relatively modern car with which they are familiar - especially one that might have Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control that they actually use?

If so, any observations about pros and cons?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by grantp

On a different matter, has anyone here got a relatively modern car with which they are familiar - especially one that might have Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control that they actually use?

If so, any observations about pros and cons?

What do you mean by Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control?

[Gerard C]

Adaptative cruise control puts on the brakes automatically to avoid any collision with the car before yours. Works fine, the distance between the two cars can be adjusted via the control panel. Nothing to worry about but there are so many automatic devices now that the threaten is the lack of driver attention.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Adaptative cruise control puts on the brakes automatically to avoid any collision with the car before yours. Works fine, the distance between the two cars can be adjusted via the control panel. Nothing to worry about but there are so many automatic devices now that the threaten is the lack of driver attention.

Thanks for the clarification Gerard, so it's some sort of semi-autonomous driving system then really? Sounds a bit scary to me!

[Lancsbreaker]

I have friends with the current Alfa Giulia who say the adaptive cruise works perfectly, even to the extent that you can use it in stop-start traffic to set off when the traffic moves and stop safely when it halts. Conversely I have another mate who's wife has an Audi A1 and that has sensors that apply the brakes when they think you are too close to something, and finds it frequently slams the brakes on when he is on a narrow lane with stone walls near him, as it thinks he's going to crash......he's hoping the sensitivity can be adjusted.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Thanks for the clarification Gerard, so it's some sort of semi-autonomous driving system then really? Sounds a bit scary to me!

In some ways it may be less scary than normal cruise control, where for some bizarre reason if I'm gradually catching a car in front I feel a reluctance to dab the brakes (thus cancelling the cruise)......having the car do it for me could be good

[E.B]

Originally Posted by grantp

On a different matter, has anyone here got a relatively modern car with which they are familiar - especially one that might have Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control that they actually use?

If so, any observations about pros and cons?

I couldnt live without it. I use it all the time..... mainly because our police are hugely camera happy especially in 40-60kph zones, not friends with performance cars, so I get to the speed limit click the cruise control and allow it to slow down in traffic and then speed up again when it clears. No need to reset anything. I have minimised the sensitivity though because on full it tends to slow for cars not in your lane especially if they are not in the centre of their lane which can be irritating.

The auto lane correct though I never use.... ever since I was travelling through some road works with a slight diversion and the car tried to follow the white lines straight on as I was trying to follow the detour and witches hats. It wasnt an issue and actually was more a vibrating steering wheel tugging against your input. A bit like if you have a front wheel puncture. Switched it off and its never been on again. Steering and I want to be fully in control.

Talking of that I could not drive or cope with one of the Tesla autopilot systems.
Always reading of crashes caused by autopilot errors. Like this, in the news today. Mind you the driver was watching a movie whilst the car was 'in control'
https://www.9news.com.au/world/tesla...b-92a48b34baeb

[grantp]

I've used th Cruise Control (manually set, no automation available) on the Saab since I bought it 18 years ago and the 2 Vauxhalls I has before that, slightly preferring the VX controls for setting, adjusting and resuming. They were a little easier to use as a sort-of hand throttle than the Saab.

Management has just bought a Kia Hybrid thingy (HEV not PHEV) that came with just about all of the stuff one might wish for - if one wished for it.

The default start point for Cruise control is the Smart setting but one can then turn it off. Haven't found a way to jump straight to manual yet but there is a speed warning function which seems to be separate and may allow something.

Anyway, an early attempt got it working when I thought it was not working so I was following a car on a dual carriageway, was unsure if it was matching speed and keeping a distance but we needed to take the exit so I was too worried about working it out at the time.

As I pulled off at about 55mph the thing accelerated down the exit road towards the roundabout at the bottom. Somewhat disconcerting. I thing the speed must have been set to about 65, or maybe 75 but controlled to 55 behind the car I had been following.

On another trip I got the set to follow and all was well until there was an opportunity to join a faster lane albeit just at a point when it was slowing slightly and briefly. As I changed lanes the car that I would not be following was just ahead of the "smart" distance the system defaults to and once again the travel speed had dropped well below the "set" speed, so it started to accelerate fairly rapidly towards a slowing (but not stopping) stream of traffic in the faster lane.

No big deal when one knows it does things like that, though had management been with me she would have reacted badly. However, it does seem to be a "feature" that might reduce the benefits of the technology in its current form.

I suspect that those people who actually use it rarely change lanes on Motorways so that they don't have to be concerned about the effects. Fine in the USA but not so good in the UK?

Still, at about 40 or 50 % usage the traffic would probably be so speed managed on motorways and Dual carriages that everyone might as well follow the same mode of use and let the tech do the work.

The modes of steering "assistance" available are also quite interesting depending on how good the road markings are and whether one is using headlights. (And what speed one is using. )

The best fun is the KERS system, observed via some good looking graphics.

That said I may get bored with it quite quickly.

[Gerard C]

When in town, the automatic braking system can help a lot in case of a pedestrian trying to cross the street just in front of you. It will stop the car presto at the limit using sometimes the ABS. The auto lane correct can help during long distance travels on the highway. Some brands just use a viber under the driver's seat… Something I cant appreciate is the auto counter steering I dont know how they are developped but some found on jap'cars are pure crap.

Some devices are not of great help under some circumstances like the cruise control under heavy rain.



Some others are pure jewels like the HUD (Head Up Display), the one "reading" the speed limit or the ability to locate a pedestrian in the dark. Adaptative front head lamps are useful too.



There are many automatic devices we dont care or know about, like your car using the braking system under heavy rain to dry the disecs and pads.

[Willmaz223]

Been confirmed on Socials that the WSC winning Jaguar XJR9 will be driven by Pro driver Phil Quaife at the Donington Historic C1 grid.

Not a bad way to start.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

When in town, the automatic braking system can help a lot in case of a pedestrian trying to cross the street just in front of you. It will stop the car presto at the limit using sometimes the ABS. The auto lane correct can help during long distance travels on the highway. Some brands just use a viber under the driver's seat… Something I cant appreciate is the auto counter steering I dont know how they are developped but some found on jap'cars are pure crap.

Some devices are not of great help under some circumstances like the cruise control under heavy rain.



Some others are pure jewels like the HUD (Head Up Display), the one "reading" the speed limit or the ability to locate a pedestrian in the dark. Adaptative front head lamps are useful too.



There are many automatic devices we dont care or know about, like your car using the braking system under heavy rain to dry the disecs and pads.

I tried out the Automatic Dipping head lights and they seemed to work pretty well. Maybe, overall, a fraction of a second later than I would choose but I would probably lose that courtesy element in reaction times over the course of a night time drive - also use the main beam less I would guess.

No HUD. Would have been nice but the way the display is positioned and with the options available to configure it I don't think would find it heavily used.

Speed info. comes from the Navigation system. How good it will prove to be depends on the regularity of updates but there is always Google to fall back on. Anyway, around here many speed signs seem to be partly missing (one side of the road and not the other, hidden behind vegetation or so dirty that they are almost unreadable under even perfect conditions of visibility.

The lane guidance stuff seems OK. Mostly gentle but with strong road marking at some speed I found myself having to strongly resist "correction" on a couple of sweeping right-handers. So it was pulling me in and across the white line - basically turning in early (quite a banked road if I recall correctly) and was quite insistent.

Something to test further. I'm not sure Management would have appreciated that exercise.

Nice sound system though. If only it had a CD player for all of Management's CDs ...

(She does have an iPod Nano the kids bought some year ago. Unused. I seem to have somehow "recovered" the longtime flat battery but it fails to retain a Bluetooth connection. Constantly connects and disconnects. Other options are being considered - since for some reason she does not want music on her phone and does not want to connect the phone to the car's systems anyway. I'm starting to wonder why we moved on from the previous transport.

Suggestions for suitable devices welcomed.)

[grantp]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Thanks for the clarification Gerard, so it's some sort of semi-autonomous driving system then really? Sounds a bit scary to me!

As Gerard said but it will also speed up to maintain a speed dependant distance to the car in front up to the Cruise speed one has set at the time. (Or, as in my earlier post, accelerate back up to speed should the road ahead become clear ... which may be less appropriate in some circumstances.)

It can use basically the same technology to follow along in traffic queues - which this one will do using its Hybrid battery alone if it has sufficient charge at the time and the queue is not moving too quickly. If you don't let that happen for some reason the sensors will warn you that traffic in front has moved off. Presumably also that it hasn't - another of the safety systems apparently installed.

I have yet to try all of that out in a real situation but so far it seems likely it will work well.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

In some ways it may be less scary than normal cruise control, where for some bizarre reason if I'm gradually catching a car in front I feel a reluctance to dab the brakes (thus cancelling the cruise)......having the car do it for me could be good

I usually just adjust the speed setting to match the speed and then either nudge it up again when possible or accelerate up to speed and reset the CC.

However, that assumes "motorway" type driving and no manic traffic conditions.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

What do you mean by Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control?

That's has got to be the most "Historic Racing Today" comment ever

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[bauble]

Originally Posted by midgetman

That's has got to be the most "Historic Racing Today" comment ever

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

Cruise Control? I have never seen a film where Tom has been at less than flat out. Am i missing something?

[terence]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

I have friends with the current Alfa Giulia who say the adaptive cruise works perfectly, even to the extent that you can use it in stop-start traffic to set off when the traffic moves and stop safely when it halts. Conversely I have another mate who's wife has an Audi A1 and that has sensors that apply the brakes when they think you are too close to something, and finds it frequently slams the brakes on when he is on a narrow lane with stone walls near him, as it thinks he's going to crash......he's hoping the sensitivity can be adjusted.

First time instructing in a new Golf R at Spa, I knew it was a new car, so the usual switches were turned to the off position. Went out for a trial run, approaching another car and positioned to go past when the brakes just slammed on.
I pulled into the pit lane to tell of the problem, our head mechanic, reached under the dash apologizing for not telling me where the switch was, he was smiling when he told me. So yes, it can be disabled.

[midgetman]

Reminds me if the stories I heard in the early days of ABS when it could be switched off. Numbers of people were jumping in their road cars, pressing the ABS button to turn the light on and driving like a (expletive deleted) thinking they had ABS when they'd just switched it off!

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[midgetman]

I see one of our Historic Tenthers has received a long service recognition from MSUK. Congratulations Derwent, AKA Graeme. Nice to see your hard work appreciated by the governing body.

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[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by grantp

On a different matter, has anyone here got a relatively modern car with which they are familiar - especially one that might have Smart (Adaptive) Cruise Control that they actually use?

If so, any observations about pros and cons?

Yup and it is great as long as you remain aware.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I see one of our Historic Tenthers has received a long service recognition from MSUK. Congratulations Derwent, AKA Graeme. Nice to see your hard work appreciated by the governing body.

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

Plus 1

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Reminds me if the stories I heard in the early days of ABS when it could be switched off. Numbers of people were jumping in their road cars, pressing the ABS button to turn the light on and driving like a (expletive deleted) thinking they had ABS when they'd just switched it off!

Last week I had a Corsa in with a brake problem that pulled to the left and the ABS kicked in locking the rear brakes up, I pulled the fuse from the ABS and tested it to find that if you stood on the brakes it would probably turn over !!
A recon ABS unit sorted it out, very common on that model but it had only done 28k since new

[Colin McKay]

Kent police have discovered that they can't do T-pac stops with their new Volvos, the brake assist can't be disabled and the car won't let them get close enough to carry out the manoeuvre. Volvo won't help them out by telling them which wire to snip unlike BMW & Ford who fall over themselves to promote the blues & twos image that sells cars.