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But I still see front-wheel drive American cars with the hump in the back seat where a drive shaft used to go, or a live-rear axle in a front-wheel drive so that the car can flail about as much as possible when going over uneven terrain.

You mean a Torsion bar? That Civic that spanks the 'ring like a bitch has one of those in the back. You don't even.

A Torsion bar is not a live rear axle, especially in an FWD car where the entire rear axle is dead.

You don't even know what a live axle is. A live axle is what you have in the back of a typical pickup truck. If it's not powered, it's called a dead axle.

A live axle in this context is literally a bit of pig iron connecting the two wheels usually suspended by leaf springs.

No, a live axle is a powered axle which consists of a tube with a housing in the middle containing the differential, or at least a ring and pinion.

Correct me when I'm wrong, but first make sure I'm wrong. FWD cars don't have live axles in the rear by definition, genius. Now, when you figure out what is being said, and learn what these automotive parts are called, you can try that again. But since I am not only a lifelong enthusiast but also had two years of auto body and paint, HVAC, and automotive electrical, good fucking luck.

"Yes every American V8 you drove had a dirty kludge under the hood."

That's an interesting way of defining kludge. To me it seems like a very elegant solution to creating a smooth large displacement engine without the size/length problems of a straight 6 or a v12.

Also, you might want to let BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche/V8 about that "dirty kluge." Most if not all of their V8 are cross-plane too. In fact, most of the V8 engines sold for passenger cars are cross-plane http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/engine/smooth4.htm

"Yes every American V8 you drove had a dirty kludge under the hood."

That's an interesting way of defining kludge. To me it seems like a very elegant solution to creating a smooth large displacement engine without the size/length problems of a straight 6 or a v12.

Also, you might want to let BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche/V8 about that "dirty kluge." Most if not all of their V8 are cross-plane too. In fact, most of the V8 engines sold for passenger cars are cross-plane http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/engine/smooth4.htm

"Yes every American V8 you drove had a dirty kludge under the hood."

Hmmm. . . that's a interesting interpretation of the word kludge. I guess it could be considered a kludge if the suitability of a cross-plane V8 for use in a passenger car (versus a race car) isn't taken into account. Otherwise its a very elegant solution to providing a smooth engine without the length/space issues of an inline-6 or v-12. See: http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/engine/smooth4.htm/

But don't listen to me, just ask BMW, Mercedes, Porsche or VW. I believe that all of the V8 engines they sell in passenger cars have cross-planes.

"Yes every American V8 you drove had a dirty kludge under the hood."

Hmmm. . . that's a interesting interpretation of the word kludge. I guess it could be considered a kludge if the suitability of a cross-plane V8 for use in a passenger car (versus a race car) isn't taken into account. Otherwise its a very elegant solution to providing a smooth engine without the length/space issues of an inline-6 or v-12. See: http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/engine/smooth4.htm/

But don't listen to me, just ask BMW, Mercedes, Porsche or VW. I believe that most if not all of the V8 engines they sell in passenger cars have cross-planes.

Screw V-6's. Inline 6's have more power and better reliability. Inline engines always do.

I wouldn't say that's always the case. Inline 6's are inherently balanced, which tends to make them better. Unfortunately, their configuration makes them awkward to fit into most vehicles.

Just because a particular engine is an I-6 doesn't necessarily mean it's better. The designers of said engine could be clinically insane, and the build quality could be terrible. In which case, a well thought out V-6 would be better.

Good post. The correct term for what you're referring to is "polar moment of inertia". Here is a graphic to visualize - the two objects are the same size and same weight and even have the same center of gravity, but the bottom one has a lower PMI and would be easier to spin.

While we're all nit-picking, you don't necessarily want to "put all the heavy stuff in the center of the car". The actual point of rotation of a vehicle is mid-way between the rear tires (assuming a front-steer vehicle), and that is the ideal spot to concentrate the weight. The further from that spot, the less weight you want. That of course makes your Ferrari / Corvette argument even stronger.

While it is a matter of opinion. I was attempting to illustrate a point that I could use a check list on features alone and the cheaper option would seem better. I picked the Bentley as most people think of them as high end.

As for speed I was guessing. I have always thought of a Bentley as high priced Rolls Royce with a turbo engine. But here is some info for two cars a Bentley sedan and the current Passat (I currently have the older Passat) that state that Bentley is faster in top speed and acceleration.

http://www.autozine.org/html/Bentley/Continental_S pur.html
http://www.autozine.org/html/Volkswagen/Passat.htm l

Personally my favorite car at the moment is the Lotus Elise. But it lacks the practicality I need :(

While it is a matter of opinion. I was attempting to illustrate a point that I could use a check list on features alone and the cheaper option would seem better. I picked the Bentley as most people think of them as high end.

As for speed I was guessing. I have always thought of a Bentley as high priced Rolls Royce with a turbo engine. But here is some info for two cars a Bentley sedan and the current Passat (I currently have the older Passat) that state that Bentley is faster in top speed and acceleration.

http://www.autozine.org/html/Bentley/Continental_S pur.html
http://www.autozine.org/html/Volkswagen/Passat.htm l

Personally my favorite car at the moment is the Lotus Elise. But it lacks the practicality I need :(