Comments on: Episode 22: Boom-Lift Catapult, AC vs. Windows down

By: zachary gonzales

zachary gonzales — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:07:35 +0000

cool ma idid not know that man

By: zach Chapman

zach Chapman — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:06:06 +0000

I rely lkiked this episode

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:02:57 +0000

Power is proportional to the cube of wind velocity. At 25% more speed the power almost doubles. Hence the 50 per hour transition point for their model of vehical.

By: Brent

Brent — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:37:30 +0000

Why didn’t they install an external fuel cell so that they knew exactly how much fuel was in the vehicle? Instead they just pumped out the fuel and then added fuel back to a tank in which there wasn’t any way to determine how much fuel was left when they stopped pumping. try it again with different type vehicles and try it with exact amounts of fuel.

By: The Vyrys

The Vyrys — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:27:16 +0000

I think the A/C conclusion is that if you got an a/c and want to use it, by all means don’t let the fuel efficiency difference scare you.
You paid for it, and the difference is pretty much negligible over the long term.

Paul Harvey had a story of a preacher who refused A/C on a car stating it was a waste of money at $300.
On the drive home in his new car, he was warm, so he rolled the windows down, a truck passed stirring up dust, causing him to sneeze and shoot his new dentures out the window. Another truck ran over them costing him $700.

G’day mates!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:51:14 +0000

Appreciate the info guys, thanks

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:03:01 +0000

I think Zane makes a very good point and I wish this had been addressed by the mythbusters. I believe the vehicles they were using were fairly large both in physical size and engine. The AC unit in a car and SUV would be roughly the same size but the SUV has much more power. Therefore it would effect a small car much more then a vehicle with a larger engine. Also I don’t remember but were the windows all the way down? I don’t think many people drive 55 mph with all the windows wide open.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:58:52 +0000

Thanks for revisiting this. Wind resistance increases with the square of speed, so it makes a huge difference whether you drive at city or highway speeds (the original test really simulated city speeds). On the opposite side, the air conditioner is going to cycle at more or less the same rate no matter what your speed so if you are going slower you increase the number of cycles.

By: neil

neil — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:56:44 +0000

On your Boomlift,you have been making the whole machine move,where it is the boom that makes it catuplot. so to do this bolt the body of the boom lift down and then fully extend boom and set at 40-45deg or higher. then whinch basket down,with Quick release. You may find myth comfirmed

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:50:32 +0000

you made one big time flow on the boom lift myth when the boom lift spun around you made it keep swinging not letting the dummy leave till hit hit ground if the boom woulg have been trieng to pick something up and lifted of the ground and tipped backwords then have the chain cut or snap the boom would swing just like a catupolt then come to an abrupt stop causing the dummy to shoot out

just like a swing when some stops it or grabs on to hit you fly out