Why does "size matter" in N.America???

[Pskhaat]

Guys, the point is that we're still a far cry from clean air (or soil or water) in our country. Many countries are worse and yes some days, some months, some years are better than others but we still have brown clouds that cover our metropolitan areas and even our more remote national parks. Call it global warming or climate change or whatever your liking, but we are fools to think that we can give up our health which I prize well more than my fuel guzzler.

I do not believe that we are close by any stretch to having car exhaust as a non-issue in this country.

It is an old graph, but "industry" and mobile exhaust as I understand it are still quite split as to the emissions source.

I put in the particulate (and disclaimed it as such) because there are some folks who also think that our development of the desert land increases the severity and frequency of these desert dust storms. I guess I think it is all tied-in. Don't like that picture? that's fine still chose any workday in a major metro area without wind and tell me everything is just fine. I concede, maybe not the proper context of the picture, how about this?

 

[trump]

Only one person here said pollution is a non-issue... and he didn't post a picture of a snowstorm to try and debunk global warming. I understand your point of view, but a picture of a dust storm in Tucson is somewhat disingenuous.

 

[southpier]

i never had children. i'm keeping that as the ace up my sleeve.

 

[RMP&O]

You should see the smog that forms somethimes here in the JH area from all the hundreds of thousands of cars in GTNP and Yellowstone. Not to mention Wilson, Wyoming smells badly like bruning brakes for at least 1/2 the year.

 

[Stumpalump]

I'll ride the two stoke in the morning. Oil mixed with leaded race gas is in the tank.
I pee in the yard once in a while to save the planet some water and the electricity to pump it so I'm carbon neutral right?

 

[goodtimes]

I'll ride the two stoke in the morning. Oil mixed with leaded race gas is in the tank.
I pee in the yard once in a while to save the planet some water and the electricity to pump it so I'm carbon neutral right?

Nope. You'll need to pee in the yard at least twice to offset a 2-smoke, unless it's a really short ride.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

So, complaining about huge trucks that are not needed, yet your father is dangerously overloaded. DOT would shut him down here in oklahoma. We all could do more to help the enviroment. I would like to see the foreign trucks here, but as already stated fatass americans won't buy them.

 

[Deib]

I keep poking my head into this thread and cannot believe it is still going on.
It comes down to one thing, Freedom, and when they try to take away my massive SUV I will get out my guns and revolt.

It is still somewhat a free country and although we don't always agree we are allowed to voice our opinions and do what makes us happy.
As stated by another poster in this thread of whom I am too lazy to seek out his name, admire the passion. Appreciate the work that is put into it. Be happy you are not paying for the fuel and maintenance on it.
The joy and happiness that comes from such stupid little things like a lift kit makes the world a better place to live in. The guy that drives that truck is happier, that is reflected in the way he treats other people. I am sure he works hard like everyone else and in that respect he deserves a vehicle to pull his camper or boat or 4wheeler, as much as anyone deserves to follow their hobbies.

He also has the right to defend himself and his family, as said repeatedly, people pulling overloaded trailers, like a '98 Jeep XJ overloaded with a kubota on a dump trailer. You realize a '98 XJ has a towing capacity of 2,000 lbs right? The trailer itself probably uses all of that up and the tractor is just overload.

So when the unibody tears apart from said overloaded trailer, and that trailer comes at me I would rather be sitting in a jacked up F350 as opposed to a smart car. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I drove a smaller vehicle to save a couple dollars in gas and one of my family members got hurt.

The auto makers follow the demand. The demand here in the us is to be the biggest. Don't blame them. If a grocery store only sold pepsi products and people mostly wanted Coke products that said store would go out of business.

Give credit to a larger number of people that actually need their big vehicles. Don't judge others when you never know the whole story, that same contractor that you were upset with in the original post could be donating his spare time hauling medicine to some remote location that saves hundreds of lives every year and that massive F350 might be the only dependable vehicle capable of safely hauling it there. Maybe his son is dying of cancer and that is the pickup that he dreams of riding in everyday. He could very well have taken someone to the hospital, or pulled someone out of the ditch during bad weather and saved a life, Or maybe he is just a ******************, but stop looking for the worst and try looking for the best answers.

 

[Mc Taco]

I keep poking my head into this thread...'snip'...try looking for the best answers.

Welcome to ExPo! Great first post. Well, it might be your second or third, but great regardless. Hope that you will stick around and submit more of the same.

 

[iMTB]

My DD is a 50cc 4stroke scooter. I LOVE jacked up huge trucks, but I don't need one.

 

[McZippie]

I thought I read somewhere that the gross energy required to manufacture and operate a Toyota Prius for twenty years is equivalent to the gross energy to build and operate a fullsize SUV for the same amount of time. If this is true what have we accomplished by substituting gasoline for rare earth metals like lithium, etc.?

Now that's something I liked to read about and find out if it's true. My gut tells me, there's some truth too it. Those Prius batteries got to have an environmental impact that isn't being fully disclosed.

 

[bfdiesel]

The batteries in these new all electric and hybrids also hate cold weather. I have looked into them and below like 32-40 F they need to be kept in a heated garage or have a heater in with the batteries to keep them warm. Electricity is also an inefficient producer of heat and the heater in the new all electric cars is straight up electricity from the battery that powers the car which drops the range dramatically.

I remember the life span of said batteries being only about 5-10 years and then they all need replaced whether they have 100,000 miles on them or 15 miles. Looking at the current price for those batteries makes my pocket hurt.

"GM has previously said they expect to warranty the Volt batteries for 10 years/150,000 miles. In this new interview Lutz said “We’re being conservative on battery life. For our cost calculations we’re assuming each car will need a replacement during the warranty period.”" From: http://gm-volt.com/2008/09/03/lutz-each-volt-factors-in-the-cost-of-a-battery-replacement/

 

[scrubber3]

This thread is nuts.

 

[19psi]

OP, I agree with yor view to some degree. I certainly don't need a huge full size truck, but it's the only thing I can buy that will comfortably tow my jeep and 4wheeler's up hills without struggling along at 50 mph. If we had half ton trucks here with turbo diesel engines, I'd buy one of those.
That being said, I think we have these trucks because they're toys too. I l.ove toys and most of us do too. Sme guys like 8" lifts and 40" tires because it's a cool toy. What's the problem with that?

 

[Flagster]

Grand Canyon (the power plant nearby does NOT help, but can often come from Westerly winds):

******...which power plant??? Page??? that is 100 miles away NE?