Date: 2 Feb 2005 15:17:52 GMT From: Dave Hinz <DaveHinznospamcop.net> Subject: Re: Saab newbie
On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 04:01:27 GMT, James Sweet <jamessweetnospamail.com> wrote: (I wrote:) >> Nothing better in the winter than a 2-stroke Saab 96. Not even my c900. > > What makes it better in the winter? Combination of handling, traction, hand-brake steering, and probably not a little bit of a "This is my car for fun" rather than "This is my daily driver that I have to be careful with". > My experience with 2 stroke engines in general (never driven a car with one) > has been very mixed. Some, such as outboard motors on boats seem very robust > and reliable, others like those little ones on yard equipment and the > occasional but quite rare lawnmower to have one have been very finicky and > touchy, perhaps owing more to the physics involved with shrinking down an > engine than the operating principal. Well, as long as you keep it in tune, oil fouling isn't an issue. You're not going to get a half million miles out of one without a rebuild, but for the limited horsepower (38 to 60-ish BHP, depending), they are amazingly quick. The car isn't all that heavy, and of course it's a Saab so the aerodynamics are great. Dave Hinz