Sometimes if I need a close following vehicle to back off and rather than tapping the brakes I hit the slow moving vehicle warning light button to get all of the emergency lights to flash a few times...usually backs them off fairly quick. If one could tie in a couple of rear facing police blue colored lights into that relay it would probably make those tailgaters back way off, but you might have to support or join a local volunteer fire department
to be allowed those. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbdR7...eature=related

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_vehicle_lighting

.

My car is not (yet) very aerodynamic. I have found that tailgaters improve my MPG slightly, so I put up with it :) (if the car is the same size, and I can see that things are 'safe' ahead of me).

Something I did in my old car once by chance, and am tempted to set up in my current car, would be a special switch to cut off the fuel to TWO of the four cylinders, while making the AFM run richer than it should.

Then, drive along. Flip the switch, then press the accelerator fully down (WOT) for half a second. The exhaust will fill with very hot, ENRICHED, burnt mixture, from the two working cylinders which are running rich. It will also be filled with pure air from the two cylinders which have no fuel... :)

Then, when you let go of the accelerator, this mixture will stop flowing in the exhaust, and some of it will be 'stuck' next to hot exhaust valves. There will be a loud bang as the mixture burns from the exhaust valves. The explosion pushes the mixture out of the exhaust as it goes, giving a 6-12 inch flame together with a nice bang from the end of the exhaust :)

I discovered this when experimenting with 2-cylinder running, on my old car (using an LPG switch to disable two of the fuel injectors). The only proviso, is that you shouldn't do this to cars that have a catalytic convertor!

I had just discovered the 'popping' noise when someone tailgated me, I tried it, and they backed off :) Then, later on that day, when it was dark, I tried it out again (with no-one behind me), and I could see huge flashes of light behind the car :D If you hide the switch somewhere, and splice into the injector wiring under the dashboard so no-one can see the modification, then even if someone reports you for it, and the police stop you or something, they will just find your car running smoothly, and there will be no sign of how the flames could have happened :)

I will just go and update my avatar I think to show the effect :)

JC Whitney has LED flashers but they are $79 and not very aerodynamic...

https://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jc...9909G_CL_1.jpg

Just drift over closer to the shoulder of the road, or even put two wheels on the shoulder. The road debris will start rattling off their windshield and most sane people will back off.

Sometimes it's unavoidable here, bumper to bumper at 3 to 5 car lengths for 40+ miles, in which case I don't do anything to PO the other driver.

regards
gary

That's actually a good idea. It had never occured to me.

:thumbup: :cool:

$10 at Harbor Freight, more aerodynamic, but not a nice modern LED or strobe...
https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96279
https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho...6299/96279.gif

Clean you windshield
Ooops, I forgot to re-aim that squirter last week and it still sprays over the top of the glass...

If you have tailgaters, it's because you have created them. If they are a problem, they are your problem. You figure out how to get rid of your problem that you created.
I wait for a passing zone, put on my right directional, pull closer to the shoulder, slow a bit more, and wave them past. The wave is key. It maintains your assertion of control (passive agression) over the situation. They can't take control of the outcome of this situation by blowing past you, because you have given them permission to pass you.

Thanks for the link! Much cheaper. Now I wonder if they make a clear lens magnetic teardrop housing to hide a rear view mirror in so that I can experiment with placement as a fender mount...

...I would remove the light and rotator motor b4 installing a mirror. Would not want to get dizzy!! :eek:

Relates to mirror discussion thread
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=1492


Been trying to engineer a faired bullet mirror without too much optical distortion.

Cameras are fine, but I had an electrical failure once and lost dash lights and power at night but was able to drive with a flashlight trained on the analog speedo. Real mirrors seem pretty foolproof if small, well faired and properly placed.

I'm not too familiar with the optics involved, but what is the nature of the distortion? Can you accept the distortion from the fairing and correct it with an oppositely-distorted mirror?

This is AWESOME! I can't do this on my CRX and don't want to but I sure want to figure out a bolt-on that will do the same thing safely!

My best friend and I are always swearing we want gun turrets for the fronts of our vehicles - this is even better!

Had a 59 Vette, gas pedal stuck to the floor, figured it out at 105 in second. Stomped the pedal three times then cut off the ignition. That old 750 Holly poured a couple of ounces of fuel in the exhaust.

I bent the key 90% when I shut it off. Straightened the key popped the hood and grabbed the linkage and it dropped to idle.

When I cranked it back up it blew a couple of pounds of fiberglass out of the mufflers!

I hope you own a muffler shop ;).

regards
gary