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SPM and Turbo Boost

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:45 pm
by CSPilot
How come both of these features were never used together. Was it a enginerring problem or was it a production problem.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 6:55 pm
by aussieknight
Cause he woulda taken off and flown away

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 7:13 pm
by knightshade
That was probably a budget concern, not a plot or technical concern. I think it's been pointed out here in the past that the reason they included SPM was to cut down on the number of turbo boosts because they were too expensive to shoot. They could just recycle the shots of SPM until the cows came home and save money.

I would expect that the only half plausible way to justify the pop out fins would be to claim they gave Kitt stability and helped to keep him on the ground (cause they sure weren't there to give him better aerodynamics) . So following that reasoning, they might interfere with his ability to get airborn. But they might make nice little wings once he did get into the air.

Just a speculation on my part though. I don't think anything canon addressed the issue one way or another. You could probably argue it either way.
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 8:07 pm
by nivek
Cause he woulda taken off and flown away

I think he might need a little more lift then what he would have.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 8:12 pm
by aussieknight
Get a sense of humour, Kev.
:kittspin:

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 8:48 pm
by Rockatteer
cause they sure weren't there to give him better aerodynamics
You'd better do some reading before you start talking about aerodynamics to make sure you know what you’re talking about...because you sure don't at the moment.

They might have helped keep the car level in the air though, so we wouldn't have had those horrible nose first landings.

:lol:

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 9:15 pm
by aussieknight
What's wrong with those? Bang! Splat! Yeah, Michael will be alright. He's got lasers holding him in. Hah! Molecular bonded shell, eh? Wanna have a bloody strong chassis too!
:spmgo:

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 9:27 pm
by Army_F_Body
"I would expect that the only half plausible way to justify the pop out fins would be to claim they gave Kitt stability and helped to keep him on the ground"

Wouldn't a set of ground effects do the same job and be cheaper :). Pontiac had the aero GFX set, seen more comonly on most 91-92 models, that really stood out and were availble since 83 I believe.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:05 pm
by Rockatteer
but ground effects don't pop out! :lol:

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:11 pm
by Miked
The added handling and downforce of SPM actually DOES make sense. It's just overkill the way they did it. Too much stuff popped out.

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I agree, the turbo-boost and SPM were probably never paired because of the money.

When you think about it, SPM was probably created because jumping wasn't impressing the audience enough anymore.
The whole fourth season was de-emphasizing the stunts.
And, it's known they only had one operational SPM car to use for full-frame driving shots. Wouldn't wanna mess it up filming take-offs and landings, even if the big air is gonna be in miniature.

They certainly could have done it; it wouldn't have been THAT expensive. But then, more "Knight-Boat" footage wouldn't have been that much either.
The cost of jumping a car is usually a couple times more than just the car to be totalled. Paying a stunt guy & safety crew is many thousands of dollars. (And just properly rollcaging the doomed car is often a couple thousand bucks, too.) If they had no trouble paying for wrecked T/As the first three seasons, they could have paid for it in season four.

I guess they just jumped regular-KITT because they had the existing cars and models already.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:16 pm
by KnightAvenger77
what i dont get is that a mexican street gang could fix up kitt in like 2 hours, giving it SPM and EB and C, when the origional super scientists tooka while to fix kitt when he got wasted in Junk Tard Dog

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:26 pm
by Rockatteer
where did you get 2 hours from?

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:29 pm
by knightimmortal
I would sorta like to know where the Mexican street gang comes from, too.

KI

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:33 pm
by KnightAvenger77
you know, that whole group of guys that walked in with RC3

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:39 pm
by Rockatteer
They where RCIII's mates from the bronx? LONG way from Mexico.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:43 pm
by neps
Was it the bronx? thats many states over, perhaps it was just from the local hood?

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:54 pm
by Rockatteer
Yeah your right neps...it was in Chicago.

Oops

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:05 pm
by Army_F_Body
But Kitt wasn't as damaged as he was in "Junk Yard Dog." Bonnie stated that she could repair the massive impact damage to Kitt's systems with what she had in the semi. RC's boys were there just to make Kitt pretty again and repar the damaged chassis and skin panels.

Now I agree with you about SPM, etc. If it takes Jesse James and crew 5 days to trick out a vehicle like that how did RC and his boys manage it so quickly. Especially when even today, convertable tops like that are not possible.

Is'nt TV magic wonderfull :)!

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:10 pm
by Army_F_Body
"but ground effects don't pop out!"

LMAO!!

I seen some "pop out" of some riced out Hondas. But I don't think it was intentional :)

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:02 am
by nivek
Cause he woulda taken off and flown away

I think he might need a little more lift then what he would have.


this was a joke at lest that is how I ment it at lest. sorry if you could not my falt. by the try me on left I think you might be surprized at what i know a bout lift considering my faverit thing to find info on is airplane and lift

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:06 am
by knightshade
Rockatteer wrote:
cause they sure weren't there to give him better aerodynamics
You'd better do some reading before you start talking about aerodynamics to make sure you know what you’re talking about...because you sure don't at the moment.
Well, depends on what you mean. I guess that using the term aerodynamics was too broad. But since I am an electrical engineer and not a mechanical one (and therefore escaped taking too many dynamics courses :D ) I tend to think of the most commonly recognized definition of 'aerodynamic.' I tend to assume it means a shape with a low wind resistence which minimizes your air turbulence and therefore maximizes your potential speed. Obviously a more broad definition of the term is to create a shape that optimizes the aerodynamics to accomplish a vehicle's specific requirements. The most aerodynamic shape in terms of wind resistance is in most cases probably not stable unless it's spinning. Therefore it's usually necessary to increase drag in a specific way to provide that stability. Like using a spoiler to create inverse lift to keep a car's tires more firmly planted on the ground. Hence my comment about the pop out fins interfering with him getting off the ground. In general it comes down to a balancing act between speed (low wind resistance), stabilty (higher focused kinds of wind resistance) and the horse power you have to overcome any increases in drag.

So, I'll try to be more precise next time. :wink:

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:16 am
by Rockatteer
Good! Make sure you do!! :lol:

I've heard a lot of people say things like.... "How can having those things pop out all over the car make it go faster?"

OMG! Makes me wanna bitch-slap them! :mad:

But I calmly and carefully explain that they are essentially air spoilers and its the rockets (or what ever they are) in the back that make it go faster.

:lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:22 am
by knightimmortal
Too bad that they are air spoilers that defeat the general purpose of speed, due to the fact that they are not exactly angled correctly for speed.

KI

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:31 am
by Rockatteer
I guess we're ment to assume that they have been set up for speed.

Ooh ooh ooh...maybe they are self adjusting...so Kitt can fine tune them as needed!? :D

:lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:45 am
by knightimmortal
Well, considering that we are expected to assume that passerbys are going 90 mph as KITT speeds past them, I suppose anything is possible. ;)

KI