thewheelman Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 So, tonight is the second night of this semester's class and I walk in wearing my red/black GT 500 shirt. I drove it last week......to make a good impression on the students, of course, but tonight I had the F-150. Since this is the second night of class, we haven't had too much time for student-instructor conversation, but I've already mentioned in my opening night remarks and welcome that I'm handicapped--I suffer from gear head syndrome. Anyway, this kid (19-21) comes in and sits down and with no how do you do or what's up doc, says, Y"ou know GT 500's don't actually have 500 horsepower". I took a quick breath and said, "no, they actually have more. Ford is notorious for under-advertising their horsepower. Where did you get your info?" He said "Top Gear says they only have about 460." I smiled and said, "depending on if you measure at the rear wheels or at the flywheel, they might be correct. If you consider 12 to 15% powertrain loss and calculate backwards, you'll come up with slightly more than 500. Besides, they think Lucas electrics are normal and expensive sports cars are supposed to smoke after 10000 miles." He sort of chuckled and said, "Yeah they're kind of down on American cars, but I like it anyway." Ok, how better can you shoot yourself in the foot when the class depends on your instructor's subjective evaluation (it's a speech class) of your performance? There may not be any stupid questions, but that was a really stupid comment! I think I'll do my GT 500 vs Camaro SS speech next week for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Gotta love today's youth. Too much Fast & Furious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Take him on a 70mph drift and see what he thinks....my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
force recon Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Where does the white go when the snow melts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SicShelby Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Where does the white go when the snow melts?? ^ Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumplime Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 You should have lectured him on the consequences of believing what he sees and hears on the television. I say he is due for a 15 minute educated and informed speech to the class on the Gt500. Years of availability, hp rating for each year, design flaws, model year changes etc. Let's see just how this young man handles pressure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewheelman Posted August 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 I had one a couple of semesters ago that did his 3 point comparison speech on the GT 500 vs the Corvette. It's lighter, faster and cheaper. My comment on his speech was "good points, poor comparison" and in my next lecture extolled the virtues of making sure your comparisons were valid.......say, not comparing grilled salmon from Bonefish Grill to fish and chips from Capt'n D's......he got the point....and so did the rest of the class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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