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Barlow, OH Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Article Comments - 2008 KTM X-Bow First Drive [KarenS]

by jlbl on Sun Jul 27 05:07:46 PDT 2008

For a start, he's driving at a gear higher pretty much everywhere, using the engine's broad torque band to carry the speed instead of running at peak rpm, like we were doing. Looks like Janson Barlow was describing the way of driving a performant diesel car. :) Regards, Jose

This is a great idea...

by british_rover on Sat Jun 14 07:25:05 PDT 2008

When I first moved up to CT I lived in this tiny town called Collinsville. Collinsville used to have an ax factory that was powered by two damns on the Farmington river. The factory and dams are still there but they are dormant with all of the generators and machinery gone. I always wondered why with all the push to get more sustainable domestic power into the state why the town didn't try and refurbish those old dams. Well apparently the town first selectman thought the same thing and had the town engineer look at the dams to figure out if they could be refurbished to provide local hydroelectric power. Homegrown Hydro As our ancestors duly observed, Connecticut has a lot of hills and a fair amount of rain throughout the year. Those crafty Yankees knew that water moving downhill would turn a waterwheel and power a mill or factory. They built dams to increase and control water power. Many of these dams were abandoned over the years, as steam and then electrical power replaced the waterwheel. But many — perhaps hundreds — of those dams are still there, in varying degrees of repair. Energy from fossil fuels has become problematic. Water power is clean. Wouldn't it make sense to use those dams again? Canton First Selectman Dick Barlow thinks so. Canton was home to one of the state's premier factories, The Collins Co., maker of world-renowned blade tools. The company, in the eponymous Collinsville section, ran on power from hydroelectric generators at two dams on the Farmington River. The generators fell quiet after the company closed its doors in 1966. Northeast Utilities bought and scavenged the machines for scrap metal. Barlow figures it's time to put them back into service. He and his fellow selectmen plan to ask the finance board for $20,000 to hire a consultant and a lawyer to help navigate the complex licensing process. The town engineer estimates each of the two dams would need $3 million worth of work. But depending on the size of the new generator, the upper dam could earn up to $138,000 a year for the town by selling electricity to the grid, and the lower dam could bring in $118,000, after bonds were paid off. This is a very promising idea. State utility and environmental officials ought to help the town navigate the regulatory rapids, and other towns should be looking at their dams with an eye toward doing the same thing. The water in the Farmington River is not imported from the Middle East. Its use doesn't add to greenhouse gas emissions. The more power we can derive from hydroelectric sources, the better off we'll be. Here is a follow up to the first article. Green certification for hydro dams The June 10 editorial "Homegrown Hydropower" pointed out the advantages of generating power at Connecticut dam sites, specifically the upper and lower Collinsville dams along the Farmington River. The town of Canton is quite sensibly looking into this possibility. After all, the dams are already in place, they have produced hydropower in the past and increasing local energy self-sufficiency is, in itself, a good idea. That said, even good ideas, if poorly executed, can turn into bad ideas. On the other hand, well-executed good ideas can become models, and restarting hydropower production at Collinsville could be a proud example of the right way to do hydro in Connecticut. At the very least, the project would use existing dams rather than further segmenting the Farmington River with new impoundments. Also, the project would require installation of fishways, helping to mitigate the present barriers to upstream fish passage. But it could be so much more. What would make this project a true model is to have it meet the criteria for certification developed and tested over time by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. LIHI is an independent nonprofit that recognizes that well-done hydropower can be "green." LIHI has standards for impacts of dams on flow, water quality, fish passage, species of concern, watersheds, cultural resources and public access and recreation. Thus LIHI certification addresses many of the concerns about damage to the river expressed by local citizens who know the value of a healthy river system to public health, wildlife, recreation and tourism. Many consumers already seek sources of green energy and pay a premium for it. By providing a credible, rigorous green designation, LIHI certification would also add value for the hydropower producer. Hydro could be a win-win situation on the Farmington, but it is not a one-size-fits-all solution for all rivers. Anyone who has ever driven through CT will tell you that there are rivers everywhere and that many of those rivers have old dams attached to old factories or mills right on top of them. The dams are already built they just need to be refurbished and have modern turbines put in which is a lot easier and less expensive then building new dams.

Re: M-B C300 Lux with the Sport Grille [be325]

by janc on Tue Nov 20 08:47:30 PST 2007

I have the lux with the sports grill. barlow metalic red, with buff interior. great look.. it should have been that way from the start.

Re: ? [madmanmoo]

by 240ka on Fri Jan 18 10:52:21 PST 2008

nope no opinions facts. Top gear gave the R8 sport car of the year. GT-R won supercar of the year GT-R wins Supercar of the year in top Gear and also includes R8 vs GT_R comparison http://www.tacticalcenter.net/GT-R/ full topp gear article on the GT-R http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2007/12/stories/12/1.html and Top Gear cars of the yaer awards http://www.germancarzone.com/pit-general-discussion/21405-top-gear-car-year-awar- - - - - - - - - - - - d-2007-a.html and in regards to the z06 i was saying beyond a quarter of a mile. which is the way i put it to the chevy fanboys. they like to claim the z06 is as good and better than the 911. we know the z06 has a faster trap speed and the z06 is faster than both beyond a 1/4 of a mile. but they like to rant and rant about how great the Z06 is. its a good car for what it is bot not great. but i love the 911 and GT-R both. i may sound like a fanboy now b/c of the 911 fanboys not wanting to admit the GT-R performs better and is all around the better car. but this competition will make porsche come down in price and offer more performance and amenities from the 911 in order to stay competitive. i cant wait for the V-spec and Evolution porsche cant be cocky anymore thats it. theres a new kid in town 'The GT-R is monstrously good. It locks on like a missile. Seriously, this thing hooks up and accelerates like a Bugatti Veyron. Its body control is breathtaking, too - you just know that this car has been meticulously engineered down to the last tiny grommet. I seriously doubt that there is a car on the planet that can corner faster or more aggressively than this.' Jason Barlow of top gear

GM seeks quiet riot for Enclave

by rockylee on Sun Nov 12 01:54:59 PST 2006

From 11-10-06 2008 crossover boasts soundproofing features in a bid to compete with Lexus, Mercedes-Benz. MILFORD --General Motors Corp. will employ an arsenal of soundproofing technology in hopes of making its upcoming Buick Enclave crossover one of the quietest rides on the road. Buick officials said Thursday that the brand will face off with the likes of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz when the five-door luxury crossover debuts next year as a 2008 model. The Enclave will be built at GM's new $1 billion plant in Delta Township near Lansing. GM hopes a sleek exterior, laminated steel and perforated leather seats that absorb sound will quiet critics and sell the Enclave to a younger, more affluent crowd. The features are the latest incarnation of Buick's QuietTuning technology, used in such models as the Lucerne and LaCrosse sedans. "This technology is very powerful and very simple," Buick general manager Steve Shannon said Thursday at the GM Proving Grounds, where the Enclave underwent sound testing in high-tech wind tunnels and on low-tech bumpy roads. "This is basically a luxury car that just happens to seat seven or eight people." A quiet ride is not a perk, but an expectation in the luxury market, and it's an area where Buick has fallen short in the past, said Brian Moody, road test editor for Edmunds.com. "People who are purchasing luxury vehicles expect a certain serenity or quietness with a vehicle," Moody said. "If they don't get that, it seems cheap." GM has been on a mission to reincarnate Buick as an American version of Lexus, Toyota Motor Co.'s popular luxury line. Buick, while still profitable, has continued to lose longtime customers. U.S. sales dropped 15 percent in the first 10 months of 2006 from the same period last year. Among the Enclave's soundproofing features: Acoustically laminated windshield glass that sandwiches a sound-absorbing glass panel between inner and outer panels. Soundproofing foam in 28 places that expands to seal openings that could let noise in. Tires with specially designed tread to avoid the noise associated with larger tires. A team of engineers worked to ensure the Enclave absorbs sounds, reduces noise made by the vehicle and drowns out noise from the outside. One person's full-time job, for example, was to create the most pleasing sounds for functions such as shutting a door or rolling down a window, said Roger Barlow, a noise vibration team leader at Buick. "We're talking about excruciating detail," he said. Edmund's Moody said the QuietTuning technology should help the Enclave compete when it goes on sale next summer, But it won't be enough to sell the vehicle in the crowded luxury market. "There's more to a car," he said, "than making it sound quiet" http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/AUTO01/611100321/- 1148/AUTO01 Rocky

Re: I will take that bet..... [larsb]

by dewey on Mon Nov 21 10:52:31 PST 2005

And Barlow, the lawyer in the group, was pulled over by police yesterday at 2 a.m. because he was driving too slow. In order to achieve extreme fuel economy, the team primarily used a gas-saving technique called pulse and glide. It's a form of coasting that involves releasing the gas pedal, then pressing it slightly again to disengage the electric motors. And as they glide, the drivers glance at a built-in screen displaying vital statistics like average miles per gallon. LOL, I can ride faster with my bicycle and save even more gas! That article was more funny than serious :D