Automotive Compendium

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ev0
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Would you use the Automotive Compendium if created?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 100.0%

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    8
Ev0

Ev0

Messages
4,680
Me and fellow forum member Suigi are right now considering making an automotive compendium, which would be a barebones database catalouging any interesting cars (no minivans, and limited trucks and SUVs) and their vital statistics, starting with the 2004/2005 model year, and working backwards. We will include all major race cars, and many classic road models as the compendium progresses towards some state of completion.

We realize that this will be a huge undertaking, and before we begin, we want to know whether you would use the compendium, and if anyone would be interested in helping. Suigi is gracious enough to offer hosting if there is sufficient interest, and we stress that this will be a barebones site for reference purposes, so little or no pictures will be used (this will help those on a 56k modem).

God Save Our Souls...
 
interesting...
what do u plan on using as your source of technical information? how indepth do u plan on goin? just performance specs..like 0-60 1/4 mile times top speed HP/TQ OR full technical specs like Demensions, Weight, price,engine details etc..

are u attempting something like www.supercars.net?
 
Well, one advantage to most other sites is that Automotive Compendium will have NO ADVERTISING.
Another is that it'll be a hub for more information and pictures, allowing for further research.
As for what will be on the site, expect at LEAST horsepower, torque, engine type and displacement, curb weight, 0-60, 1/4 mile, top speed, braking, skidpad, slalom, and maybe price.
 
Whose 0-60mph/quarter-mile time and top speeds? Manufacturer or one of many magazines? Magazine tests put the MX-5 1.8i at anywhere over a 1.5s span. The manufacturer claims a 4.2s 0-60mph time for the Impreza WR1, but magazines say it's nearer 5.0.

Whose horsepower/torque figures will you use? Many Japanese manufacturers claim 276hp (280PS), but test at much higher (330hp for an R34 Skyline GT-R). Are you taking peak power/torque figures? If so, you'll have to include the rpm at which this is acheived.

What about regionalisation? Some cars have different power levels depending on which country they're in (a notable example being the MkIV Supra Twin Turbo, which is more powerful in Europe, due to a larger intercooler, than in Japan)...

Where will you draw the line between a car and a minivan or SUV? Is a Toyota Corolla Verso a minivan because it's got 6 seats and is tall, or a car because it's based on a Corolla? How about a Subaru Forester? That's an SUV but with a low roofline and Impreza running gear/engine - most people would class it as a car.
 
Famine
Whose 0-60mph/quarter-mile time and top speeds? Manufacturer or one of many magazines? Magazine tests put the MX-5 1.8i at anywhere over a 1.5s span. The manufacturer claims a 4.2s 0-60mph time for the Impreza WR1, but magazines say it's nearer 5.0.

Whose horsepower/torque figures will you use? Many Japanese manufacturers claim 276hp (280PS), but test at much higher (330hp for an R34 Skyline GT-R). Are you taking peak power/torque figures? If so, you'll have to include the rpm at which this is acheived.

What about regionalisation? Some cars have different power levels depending on which country they're in (a notable example being the MkIV Supra Twin Turbo, which is more powerful in Europe, due to a larger intercooler, than in Japan)...

Where will you draw the line between a car and a minivan or SUV? Is a Toyota Corolla Verso a minivan because it's got 6 seats and is tall, or a car because it's based on a Corolla? How about a Subaru Forester? That's an SUV but with a low roofline and Impreza running gear/engine - most people would class it as a car.
Click to expand...

Good questions Famine

Concerning the accuracy of some of the stats (ex. 0-60) we'd go to numerous sources to ensure accuracy, and use a median figure if a certain number didn't come up constantly.

As for horsepower, we'd normally go with manufacturer figures, but in some cases like for the Skyline (and many other Japanese cars due to the horsepower law) we would include a side note stating that figure is not entirely reliable, and that the car is known to test at higher hp. Research on specific models will probably reveal many peculiarities such as varying hp. And as for hp, we will include the rpm at which peak hp was achieved (same for torque).

If a model's specs differ from region to region, it would be stated which region the car was built for.

As for the whole Minivan/SUV/Truck thing, the point I was trying to make was that we wouldn't be wasting time with vehicles that wouldn't interest most automotive enthusiasts. Who among us wants to know the specs of a '95 Ford Windstar? But if anyone submits specs of any car to either me or Suigi, we'd put it on the compendium (providing accurate sources of course).

I'd like to take this chance to say it bluntly, that accuracy of the specs provided will be the most important aspect of the compendium, I want a good, reliable source of info to be created.
 
Will it have specs on sedans? I would like to find a site that had specs on the Acura TL and Impala SS. I would definately use it if I could find specs on regular non-sports sedans! There are more than enough supercar site out there (fast-autos.net). You should have sedans to seperate yourselves from the pack. Don't skimp on the supercars, though!
 
Exactly what we were thinking!
We would include ANY car that could be considered fast, sporty, or tunable.
The SS and TL fit into these categories snugly.
 
I put together vital specs of nearly all Mazdas in the world, some 70 or so models/engines, etc. for a project for school...I don't know if I still have the file or not...
 
If you could find that file MazKid, it would be greatly appreciated.

We're most likely going to go ahead and make the Compendium, but more feedback on the idea would still be greatly appreciated.
 

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