Sunday, June 02, 2013

Overheard in the Kitchen...

Roomie is cooking...
RX: "♫♪ Everybody in Nappanee knows... ♫♪"

Me: "Everybody in Nappanino's? What's Nappanino's? Sounds like an Italian-Japanese Fusion restaurant."

RX: "Actually, the young of the residents of Nappanee are Nappaniños. At least, the little boys are; the little girls are Nappaniñas."
According to Wikipedia, by the way, "Nappanee holds the distinction of having the longest city name in the United States containing each letter in its name twice."

Also according to Wikipedia, and completely unrelated to the above but I wanted to footnote this somehow so I could come back to it, toroidal CVTs are absolutely fascinating. The linked animation is funky to the Nth.

23 comments:

Bob said...

*sings*

Down in Napanee
Where the nappies are so crappy
that the Napaniña y Napaniños
All has to hold their widdle noses.

Darrell said...

Try the new Japanese/Jewish restaurant in town--Sosumi.

Scott J said...

CVTs are interesting in concept and probably make sense for an electric car.

But for IC engines they just feel odd. My only experience with one was a CVT A4 loaner we had when my wife's A4 was in for warranty work.

I guess technically the hydrostatic drive in my Cub lawn tractor is a CVT. It makes sense because the Cub's 18 horse V-twin buzzes at WOT the whole time (sort of like an electric motor).

Plus when it comes to driving nothing is quite as satisfying as running up through the gears of a fine sports car with a proper clutch and shifter (none of that automated nonsense). Auto enthusiasts like me seem to be a dying breed though.

skidmark said...

Wiki says "Nappanee is a city in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana."

How do you get a place to be in two counties - even if they are next to each other? It must create some amazingly complex tax issues.

stay safe.

Old NFO said...

The 'nice' thing about CVTs is that you're not burning clutches out... Other than that, give me a good old Amercian V8 with a four speed... sigh

Anonymous said...

Those CVT chain assemblies with the slats and radial grooved sheaves were made right here in Indy, down at Link-Belt(Rexnord) on S. Belmont, at least until the plant was moved to Milwaukee around 2000. Pretty intricate as they were all painstakingly hand fitted/assembled and function tested. Likely went to Ag and machine aps. After the 'automotive fiasco' with Borg-Warner in the late 80's, the dolts in Marketing saw it as a dying product and couldn't think beyond the latest flash and sizzle so it never got developed beyond existing aps. Not sure if it's still made in MKWE or not.

CVT's are cool, but they are torque/horsepower limited for their size and thus aren't well suited to automobiles of any size/HP. Try to put too much through them and they will attempt to return to their original part count plus a few. Like other posters here, I prefer the sheer pleasure of rowing gears and a singing V-8. ;-D

Ricardo the Engineer

Anonymous said...

>a proper clutch and shifter (none of that automated nonsense).

Yea! Only pansies use those newfangled synchromesh transmission. It's double-clutch or get off the highway ;-)

-sm

mostly cajun said...

Wrong discipline!

"CVT" is a constant-voltage transformer, a neat bit of kit that supplies a constant voltage to a load even when fed with a varying voltage input. Mostly.

MC

Anonymous said...

OT.

man-eating, flying dinosaurs (with feathers) that only went extinct 500 years ago.

perlhaqr said...

Funky, but still less funky that trying to push a chain.

Old NFO: I'm not so sure about that. CVTs are basically all clutch. Well, in the same sense of the friction disks in a regular automatic transmission.

Scott J said...

Anon @11:36 it doesn't have to be a V8.

I had a DOHC 4 with an 8,500 RPM redline in an Integra GS-R that was lots of fun.

A Porsche flat 6 makes an exquisite sound as does any of the Italian V-12s.

Scott J said...

Actually that should be "as do any of the Italian V-12s".

That's what I get for posting without proofreading.

Gewehr98 said...

The Continental-powered go kart I built as a kid used an expanding/contracting pulley CVT to get power to the rear wheels. I got grounded for months when my folks had to do 50 to catch me driving it somewhere I wasn't supposed to be.

A friend has a Nissan Murano with CVT. He's tried to pull a snowmobile trailer, but the Murano runs hot and struggles, especially in hill country. The technology is *almost* there, I guess...

Ian Argent said...

The one in my Rogue works perfectly well for what I use it for (hauling family), though the manual says it's rated for up to 1500 lbs towing, which is more than my old Ranger. I'm given to understand that the person of a Murano is the one they put in the 350Z, so there's that, too.

CGHill said...

And, of course, Nappannee is the spiritual home of the most innovative band of the 90s: the Electric Amish.

Home on the Range said...

They also have a great little gun show. Always interesting the huge line of Amish buggies parked across the street as they attend.

Hot water heater is finally fixed. Hope you all had a good blog meet!

Lazy Bike Commuter said...

CVTs always seem liek a neat idea, but I don't have any direct experience with them.

The Nuvinci hub for bicycles always looks cool, but nothing is more efficient than a direct chain drive, and on a bike efficiency definitely tends to be king.

Tam said...

I love how the fact that I found the mechanical operation of a certain variety of CVT interesting turned into some kind of Rorschach Test about manual transmissions.

For you new readers here like Scott J, I actually enjoy the audience participation aspect of rowing your own and both the Subie and Zed Drei have manuals.

Scott J said...

I may be new-ish, Tam, but I was aware you're a fellow stick shift enabled driver.

Since we're close to the same age I bet you've even had opportunity to run a three on the tree.

We also share a love of roadsters. My Alfa continues to languish as I've been pouring all my spare time and money into reloading lately. I converted the RL1050 from .45 to 9mm last night. Calling the process involved would be quite a bit of understatement.

Tam said...

I really need to set up my press... :(

Scott J said...

Make sure you can find components (unless you have them on hand already) before you go to the trouble of setting up the press.

Component availability has been hit or miss since Newton.

Lawrence said...

Also home of Avril Lavigne.

Justthisguy said...

You two gals are just weird. (as am I)
St. Paul was right. some of us should not marry. Isaac Newton and Wilbur and Orville died as virgins, and they did ok.