Commute too short

   / Commute too short #11  
You must be talking about the back spark plug on the right bank. I learned that it was easier to change that one from under the car. And yep, 12k miles to change points and plugs was the maximum; sometimes 8k.
 
   / Commute too short #12  
Dang... Thats a long commute compared to my wife. She runs the snack bar at the golf course next door. Commute is two par four fairways!

mark
 
   / Commute too short #13  
Dang... Thats a long commute compared to my wife. She runs
the snack bar at the golf course next door.
Commute is two par four fairways!

mark
I recall you posting about that a while back.
Do you ever get any stray golf balls on your place?
 
   / Commute too short #14  
I have bushel baskets piled high like ice cream cones of golf balls in the garage... must have several thousand!

mark
 
   / Commute too short #16  
Prokop- one other thing to consider-- as mentioned about today's injected (gas) vehicles... I find that they warm up a LOT quicker than the "old" cars did. My wife's Matrix comes off fast idle in about 2 minutes or less, and starts putting out heat in about 8 minutes, even when it's really cold out. I believe they're designed to come up to temp as fast as possible in an effort to minimize pollution.

2-5 minutes of idling before driving a mile... I bet it would come up to normal temp by the time she got to school.

(My VW TDI, on the other hand, is a whole different ballgame.... low fuel use = no heat generated, either! I use a block heater not for starting help --it does fine-- but rather for some HEAT on the way to work!)
 
   / Commute too short #17  
Hmmm, sounds like a situation for an electric vehicle of some sort. I'm not suggesting a new Chevy Volt-though once plug-in hybrids are available, it would fit the bill. I know that there are some planned communities that have zoned lanes for little electric vehicles (called GEMcars-made by Chrysler) that are like enclosed golf carts on steroids. Don't know if that would be street legal on this particular road. Also don't know what the Chrysler bankruptcy did to this company. Is this a freeway, major highway, county road with no shoulders? Is the problem heavy traffic, no shoulders, both, something else. Would an electric scooter be a possibility in good weather? Segway?

If you did go with an IC engine, there are some things like (again) golf carts, utility vehicles like Kawasaki Mule, Kubota RTV, JD Gator, or perhaps an ATV.

I know these sound like some pretty wild thoughts, but then again, it sounds like you are looking for something other than a traditional vehicle, so hope this might help.

Links to small electric vehicles:

http://gemcar.com/

Lakewood Ranch, Florida - An Award Winning Master Planned Community

Planned Community Goes Green With GEM Electric-Car Friendly Designation - Science News - redOrbit

This is another "out there" thought: if you put an engine block heater in the engine of a regular car, put it on a timer such that it comes on and pre-warms the block for a couple of hours before she leaves for work, that might decrease the amount of time it takes for the engine to fully heat up on this short drive. Again, I know this is sort of a wild outside the box idea, but just trying to think creatively.
 
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   / Commute too short #18  
Tom, in February, 1990, we spent a month near Sun City, AZ (Phoenix area). And in Sun City, golf carts were legal on the streets, there were designated small "golf cart only" parking places in shopping centers, etc. We saw both gasoline and electric powered golf carts of all descriptions and brands, I think. The eletric ones that looked like a Mercedes front end would supposedly run 25 mph. I don't know what kind of speed the gasoline powered ones that looked like a Rolls Royce front end would do.:D
 
   / Commute too short #20  
Prokop, sounds like a good problem to me. I might think about taking the car out on the weekends for a half hour or so.
I will trade commutes if you like. 4 out of 5 days of the week, my commute is 2.5 hours, each way. The other day I can cut it down to 1.5-2 hours each way. Good thing I have a company vehicle and get paid for a good portion of my travel time. :)
 

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