When I was a kid, a friend's father would flash his brights whenever we were at a stoplight. "They have light sensors, so when you hit 'em with hi beams they think more cars are waiting and change faster." I once asked a city engineer about flashing your brights at stop lights. His response, "What?!?" Even adults get caught up in automotive mythology. As Frank Williams reported, the Tesla Roadster is fast becoming a mythological creature, a kind of four-wheeled Griffin. Or have a look at Mr. Wilkinson's rant about the need for robocars, which deconstructs the myth that giant SUVs are safer than smaller, more nimble machines. (I've long been of the opinion that the Caterham Se7en is the safest car on the road. Perfect visibility, massively maneuverable, way better than average stopping distances and the ability to quickly accelerate away from pending danger.) Care to explode some automotive myths?
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“If I had been wearing my seat belt in that crash, NO WAY would I have lived.”
“Before they had crumple zones, cars were built like tanks.” Um, no — they just crumpled in random places, including the occupant compartment.
I don’t need electronic handling Nannies.
My favourite one is the myth that Ford and GM cars are equal or better quality than Honda and Toyota……
My favorite is the myth of all those secretly invented cars that can run on water, only Big Oil bought all the patents and are keeping them locked up in Hades. Nevermind the question of where the energy would come from in a “water-fueled” car.
And, of course, any time a hydrogen-propelled car makes the news, you have the idiot MSM newsreaders asking: “How would you like to fill your car with [angelic music in the background]water?”
Police cars have high performance chips, and supercharged engines and can go 0-60 in 3 seconds, and are faster than a Porsche.
you need to bring your car back to the dealership you bought it from to get warranty work done.
Myth: young women drive better than young men, as evidenced by lower insurance rates. (Does this count?)
Actually, women have more mishaps per X miles … the lower insurance results from women driving far, far fewer miles than men, on average.
The 100 mpg carburetor that the car companies are suppressing.
I like the 150 mpg carburetor. Another one of those Big Oil killed off the inventor stories.
Electronic nannies and SUVs are good ones.
Also:
- “AWD means I can drive 80mph in a snow storm because it’s all that matters”
- cars from the 80s with the ridiculous plastic strip hanging from the back, so that “vibrations that make people sick go to ground instead”
- a little off-topic, but people who believe their car is FWD when it’s RWD and vice versa. I’ll never forget the schmo in law school 4 years ago who just traded an Audi A4 for a bimmer 325xi, saying “yeah, my BMW has FWD. It’s what people want now, better control and handling”
- cars catch fire when crashing
How to open a can of worms, by Robert Farago:
“I don’t need electronic handling Nannies.”
Hey, JTSparts! That carb was only good for 100mpg!
All of the “no seatbelt” excuses, especially those involving egress after a water/fire incident.
Oversimplified “XYZ basic car (or engine) is really made by ABC upscale company, they just sell it for way less and don’t want anyone to know” arguments.
Diesel suck.
3000 mile oil changes.
Especially for highway driven, low-load cars.
The Hummer has a lower environmental footprint than the Prius.
Warming up your car before driving it.
A roll of toilet paper is a better oil filter (seriously, they sold adaptors to use tp instead of filters back in the sixties).
Premium gas will make your car: 1)run better; 2)get better mileage; 3) clean out the gunk.
Change your oil every 3,000 miles.
Take your car to the dealer for scheduled check-ups.
Running a stored car for five minutes once a week.
A heavier car hugs the road better.
You should rev the engine once just before shutdown. It fills the cylinders with fuel and makes it real easy to restart.
Lugging is bad for the engine. (I remember the resultant fury after Pat Bedard deconstructed this one in a C/D column some years ago…nobody would believe it.)
You need to rotate the tires to even out the wear. (Oh, really? When I took the summer tires and wheels off the Boxster to put the winter wheels on last November, all four were absolutely identically worn out even to the point of showing the identical strong-negative-camber wear. Tire rotation may have been necessary once upon a time, when cars were weirdly balanced and had primitive suspensions, but it’s a waste of time now, at least for sophisticated cars, a category that does not include trucks.)
Marvel Mystery Oil will cure any engine problem. (It’s perfumed kerosene.)
ArmorAll is really good for your car. Put it on anything.
If you can nab some 100-octane aviation fuel out at the local airport, it’ll add probably 25 hp to your car.
ABS is fabulous in really slick snow and ice.
I’ve heard this fave 5 or 6 times: “On a cold morning, if your battery’s low, and the car’s hard to start, turn on the headlights for thirty seconds or so to warm up the battery before you turn the key.”
Premium gas will make your car: 1)run better; 2)get better mileage; 3) clean out the gunk.
I really like the people who insist premium gas has more energy content than regular gas.
Other myths I have heard:
1) The H2 is just a rebadged & rebodied Tahoe/Suburban.
2) “My car can go _____ mph…with half the pedal!” (mostly in high school)
3) Spinners look good
4) 26″ rims look good
5) Lowered trucks are cool (if you want something that seats two and rides low with a Bowtie emblem, buy a Vette.
6) “My truck pulled a ______ lb load and I couldn’t tell it was there.”
7) Front wheel drive handles better because it “pull the car through the turn”.
8) Lowering the tailgate helps a truck get better mileage.
9) Porsche is pronounced “poorsh” (just to clarify it is pronounced “poor-shuh”)
10) People want to hear the bass notes in your music from a mile away.
11) Pulling the gear lever down to “1″ or “L” in an automatic starts the vehicle in a special “super-low” gear. (Not a common myth, but one I’ve heard)
OK, I’ll bite.
Robert,
I don’t need none of them e-lectronic gizmos on my Jeep cuz I can drive better than all those sissy Rhode Island boys in their Porsches. All that stuff is for folks that don’t know how to drive right. Any real American driver don’t need anything but tires, a transmission and a Chevy small block.
OK, I jest, and I don’t have anything against Porsche or the Ocean State. I do have mixed feeling about ESC and other forms of traction control. I was once driving too fast on a wet mountain road in my Wrangler and almost lost it in a tight turn with several oncoming cars in the other lane. Had my Jeep been a year or two newer, it would have had ESC and my safety would not have been so compromised. I imagine it has saved many lives. So I guess I’m for it so long as it has a by-pass switch.
Driving a hybrid makes you a steward of the environment and thus also the road.
Mustangs are fast.
Diesels are noisy, smelly, and slow.
All Jaguars are massively expensive cars. (you’d be suprised how many women believe this)
Americans don’t like hatchbacks.
Putting a big wing and stickers on your car makes it faster.
It’s better for you engine when the gas tank is more than half full.
I was once on a 400 mile with a journey with a aldy who insisted that her father knew what he was talking about — he was in the air force.
And we stopped every time the we got close to half a tank.
Yet another reason why I always drive.
On all those electronic things, the best feature is the bypass switch.
“cars from the 80s with the ridiculous plastic strip hanging from the back, so that ‘vibrations that make people sick go to ground instead’”
What the crap is this? Anyone have a pic for me and/or an explanation for exactly what they were supposed to do?
TexasAg03: “11) Pulling the gear lever down to “1″ or “L” in an automatic starts the vehicle in a special “super-low” gear. (Not a common myth, but one I’ve heard)”
There’s basis to that one. It was quite common for older automatics to start in second. The ZF in my Peugeots did it. And the Mercedes 4-speed autobox did that (except the diesel) unless you put it in low or floored it. This was in the mid-late eighties.
Maxo: A grounding strap, to discharge static electricity to the ground. Very popular JC Whitney add-on accessory in the late fifties-mid sixties. Still effecitive for recurring static electricity problems.
You’ve all missed the biggest car myth…I’m so ashamed of all of you…
Putting your classic Ferrari on jack stands, in reverse, and letting it run, will roll the odometer back.
Paul Niedermeyer :
March 4th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
TexasAg03: “11) Pulling the gear lever down to “1″ or “L” in an automatic starts the vehicle in a special “super-low” gear. (Not a common myth, but one I’ve heard)”
There’s basis to that one. It was quite common for older automatics to start in second. The ZF in my Peugeots did it. And the Mercedes 4-speed autobox did that (except the diesel) unless you put it in low or floored it. This was in the mid-late eighties.
And earlier. My father’s ‘69 MB 280 SE started in second unless you put it in “2″ (its lowest setting). Then it started in first.
Make sense?
Virtual Insanity: I don’t know about Ferraris in particular, but it’s likely true. Lots of speedometer cables were connected to the output shaft of the transmission, which would rotate backwards in reverse. I do know that running old mechanical odometers in reverse would roll back the miles. When I worked at a Ford dealer, they had a special electric motor they would hook up to the speedometer cable just for that purpose. Better than running the engine. So, it would seem to work with the engine running too.
Lieberman: “It’s better for you engine when the gas tank is more than half full.
I was once on a 400 mile with a journey with a aldy who insisted that her father knew what he was talking about — he was in the air force.”
If he was a pilot, he sure as hell did.
The Jato boosted 300mph Chevy..
Paul…
Not a fan of Ferris Bueler, I see.
The 100 mpg carburetor that the car companies are suppressing. This is has got to be the #1 myth. Related, myth that evil corporations have developed, patented and filed (i.e. suppressed) rubber compounds that would allow tires to go hundreds of thousands of miles before being replaced.
Adding acetone to your gasoline improves fuel economy.
FWD with snow tires is better in winter than AWD or FWD (with appropriate tires).
Cars from the ‘50s and ’60s are better than today’s.
“cars from the 80s with the ridiculous plastic strip hanging from the back, so that ‘vibrations that make people sick go to ground instead’”
What the crap is this? Anyone have a pic for me and/or an explanation for exactly what they were supposed to do?”
It was actually supposed to be a “grounding strap” and wasn’t plastic at all–had some kind of metal matrix in it. This was a hangover from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, when tanker trucks all had chains hanging from the back bumper, supposedly to dissipate static electricity. So cars started using them too, I guess because people thought it was a perfectly reasonable idea. (Maybe it is, considering that every once in awhile somebody will start of fuel fire from a static spark while refueling.)
I’d never heard that they were supposed to dissipate nausea-inducing ju-ju, just static electricity. But then I’m old.
Virtual Insanity: Popular culture always trips me up, but I think I can imagine it…
It’s better for you engine when the gas tank is more than half full.
In some cases that was true. My dad resented paying for gas, at any price. So, he’d let the car go down to E, then put in half a tank. Year after year. Then we elected to take a cross country voyage and he filled it up. Gasoline everywhere. The tank had rusted through from the inside out. (This was in GMs dark days).
8) Lowering the tailgate helps a truck get better mileage.
This is actually true, but possibly not to an extent that you would notice. It smooths out the airflow over the truck, lowering the drag coefficient and hence, improving mileage.
Actually, the biggest myth of all (dons Kevlar) is the general belief that a lot of 60s musclecars were blindingly fast. This is especially true of particular models. Everyone knows the GTO…but the big Catalina was quicker. In stock form, most of them wouldn’t raise much of an eyebrow now…mid 7 seconds 0-60 with some in the mid 6 second range. And many of them didn’t break 90mph in the quarter mile.
I just like the Expensive Nameplate = Expensive Car myth. Oh and the fact that this carries weight with anyone.
“Oooh a BMW, he must be RICH!” – Never mind that it’s 10 years old, and cost lest than a new Kia.
“That Rolls must have cost a fortune” – Well, the restoration did, does, and will continue to cost a fortune.
“I can’t believe he bought a Benz, that must have cost a fortune” – Nope, it’s 4 years old and about the same as a new Civic.
“I like that new Lexus, but I couldn’t afford it” – About the IS after spending a similar amount of money on an SUV.
And conversely,
“It’s still just a Nissan/Toyota/Mazda/Mitsu/Subaru” – Yeah, whatever makes you feel better.
Another great myth “IT IS SO CHEAP/EXPENSIVE TO FILL UP MAH CAR” Well, if your gas tank is x gallons, it will cost x * gas price to fill up. If a Civic had a 30 gallon tank, it would cost a fortune to fill it up…but you’d only have to fill it twice a year or so :) And a Suburban with a 2 gallon tank would cost SO MUCH LESS. But you’d fill it daily. The concept of rate (fuel consumption, interest, etc.) just blows peoples’ minds, it seems.
And as always, “It’s a 3 hour drive from Austin to Dallas” or something from your locale. It’s sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 6 hours, but it’s always roughly 210 miles. Sheesh. Is it that hard to think of traveling as “covering distance” instead of “burning time”? Partially explains why drivers are uninterested in erm…driving.
Stephan Wilkinson: I have no clue what he did in the air force, but I kept saying, “where did you get that from?” and she kept saying her dad. When pressed on his credentials she said, “He was in the air force.”
So…
“It’s dangerous to drive a powerful RWD car in the winter”
This myth is often perpetuated by people who have never driven a powerful RWD car, or people who lack any kind of driving skill
I’ll have to throw my hat in with the “ability to accelerate away from danger” and “maneuverability” chestnuts trotted out by hotrodding leadfoots convincing people that their new sports car was a practical purchase. I have never been in a spot of trouble that I could have gotten out of by accelerating (that’s what generally led to the trouble) and people that try to maneuver their way out of trouble generally end up crashed into a tree.
It’s always better to have abilities that you don’t need to use, but possessing an athletic car doesn’t mean you have a safe car, no matter how great a drive you think you are.
Stopping distance and visibility, though, I think those are pretty legit.
Also I hate listening to tiny ladies talk about how they love to sit in the “command position,” high up in their gigantic SUVs. That’s not really a myth, it just sounds like more self-justification…
…the new Hemi is really a hemi (has hemispherical combustion chambers).
…the Chrysler 383 is a “stroker” engine (spoken by those that are only familiar with Chevy smallblocks).
…George Barris created the Black Beauty and the Back to the Future DeLorean.
…the back end of 1959 Chevys lifts-up at high speed because the “fins” act like wings.
…disconnecting the battery with the engine running is a good way to test your alternator.
…the “oil can” light on the dashboard is an OIL LEVEL LOW indicator.
…seatbelts are unnecessary if your car has airbags. Somebody actually said that to me once! I’ve seen crash test footage where an unbuckled dummy’s head was fired through the windshield by an inflating airbag, while the rest of the body stayed in the car.
…that a passive device like “the tornado” in your intake will improve fuel mileage by “straightening out the air”. No I haven’t tried one of these, but the airflow gets messed-up again as soon as it hits the throttle plate, so any positive effect of these devices will be negligible. (Okay, MAYBE they’d show some improvement on a diesel since they lack a throttle plate.)
…diesels are noisy, smelly and slow. :)
@ William C Montgomery: If I lived in a climate without road salt, I’d drive 50’s and 60’s cars exclusively… but I’m strange that way.
I notice nobody has proposed that the idea you’re safer in a larger vehicle is a myth. :)
NickR,
The tailgate myth was busted on Mythbusters, for what it’s worth. Of the two identical trucks with exactly the same amount of fuel driven at the same time on the same route, the one with the tailgate up went several miles further. Lowering the tailgate creates a large area of low pressure in the box and results in pressure drag. It’s not visually intuitive, but is a very standard aerodynamic concept. The tailgate up helps maintain higher pressure in the box and causes less pressure drag.
Teflon additive in oil, (OR us old guys might remenber Graphite additive oil, yuck, what a mess) and sparkplugs with 4 electrodes and spark plug wires as big around as your wrist, and all the other snake oil being sold on eBay and late night TV.
Japanese cars are more reliable. Some are, some aren’t.
Sudden Acceleration
Joshvar…
We’re in Texas man. We measure all distance in time. Whenever anyone asks how far I am from Dallas, I say about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Paul…
Yup, pretty much. After a day of a valet hotrodding around in the dad’s 250GT California, they had to find a way to roll back the odo.
Joshvar again…
My buddy picked up his IS300 for 14K even, lol.
The myth that Corvettes and GM LSX-powered cars average 30mpg.
They only kiss it if you drive on an open road that’s straight and level, with the cruise set to 60mph or lower and no throttle variation.
kazoomaloo:
“I have never been in a spot of trouble that I could have gotten out of by accelerating (that’s what generally led to the trouble) and people that try to maneuver their way out of trouble generally end up crashed into a tree.”
Not picking fights, but I’ve quite successfully gotten myself out of a few accidents through acceleration and handling.
I’ll have to throw my hat in with the “ability to accelerate away from danger” and “maneuverability” chestnuts trotted out by hotrodding leadfoots convincing people that their new sports car was a practical purchase. I have never been in a spot of trouble that I could have gotten out of by accelerating (that’s what generally led to the trouble) and people that try to maneuver their way out of trouble generally end up crashed into a tree.
I had come to a complete stop in traffic, on the highway, and had to accelerate and steer to the shoulder to avoid getting rear-ended and hence sandwiched. Mind you, 140HP was adequate for the job in this case, and more power may have meant more wheelspin if the road surface was dodgy.
I wasn’t as lucky the first time this situation occurred, as there was nowhere to go, and I merely had 125HP available in that car. Less damage to my 1993 2500lb Civic (bent bumper, scratched bumper cover) than the 4500lb old-ass Lincoln (broken radiator), so that helps some other myths on here :)
NickR: “8) Lowering the tailgate helps a truck get better mileage.
This is actually true, but possibly not to an extent that you would notice. It smooths out the airflow over the truck, lowering the drag coefficient and hence, improving mileage.”
I always assumed it was true, but it has been proven to be untrue. Keeping the tailgate up creates a trapped mass of air inside the bed, and the air flowing over the cab flows over it. A bed cover or canopy is better though.
Myth: you have better visibility from a car that rides close to the ground.
The persistent rumour that the Starion is the result of Mitsubishi executives’ poor pronounciation of the word ‘Stallion’.
There’s also the rumoured Darwin Award winner, where an unidentified man strapped a Jet-Assisted-Take-Off (JATO) rocket to the top of his 1968 Chevrolet Impala. JATO’s are used on military cargo planes to help them take off on short runways. As you can imagine, they carry a lot of thrust. The story goes that upon firing the rocket, the Impala gathered so much speed that it took off and flew right into a mountain. Police arrivingon the scene initially thought it was a small plane crash. The only remains of the driver they recovered were a few teeth embedded in the steering wheel. Skid marks from the driver trying to slow the car down measured a mile and a half long, at which point the police believe the brakes melted.
Great story, but not true.