Huck BB62
01-18-2006, 12:46 AM
It's "Hummer H3" by Larry Edsall. If you like to argue the finer points about how an H3 is NOT a Colorado or Canyon, it's all about the knowledge. I did come away with a few questions after reading the book though, maybe some of you know.
1. I feel cheated that they rushed the H3 into production without the supercharger, the built in winch, and the inclinomter/altimeter in the dash like the concept. The camera on the hood thing is pretty danged cool too.
2. The book touts the traction control system helping even in low range. I'd like to be able to have that be true. I can tell you on MY H3, it's not. You select 4lo, it turns off the traction control and the owners manual says this is true.
3. The Hummer weighs a lot for a reason. Unlike the H2's fiberglass hood, the H3's all steel. The rocker panel has more steel in it than the Brooklyn Bridge. The rear door is built like a tank to take that tire, on and on.
4. Everyone thank Ahhhhhnold for your Hummers. Read the book, you'll understand why.
5. For Pete's sake, I now understand why new vehicles cost so much. Foose can scratch the design for a hot rod on a sheet of paper and build it in a week. GM and Hummer have about a zillion engineers and designers having meeting after meeting, clay models, foam models, glitzy intercompany sales pitches, you name it before anything ever gets done. I'm bettin' that you could take any five Hummer enthusiasts and kick out the next Hummer! (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, and yes, they have a ton of considerations such as all the LAWYER driven kerap, but their process IS an incredibly burdensome and complicated behemoth)
6. After reading the book and Larry bragging how they broke all sorts of things on the trail then upgraded them, I wonder what has been upgraded. For instance, are the front axle shafts beefier? The rear? The tranny? The t-case?
7. I've had to speed down the mountain, really fast, and was really pleased with the road handling of the H3 (one of the big reasons I'm not driving a Rubicon Unlimited) After reading the book, much of that is explained.
It's a great read. I highly recommend that you click one up from amazon.com
1. I feel cheated that they rushed the H3 into production without the supercharger, the built in winch, and the inclinomter/altimeter in the dash like the concept. The camera on the hood thing is pretty danged cool too.
2. The book touts the traction control system helping even in low range. I'd like to be able to have that be true. I can tell you on MY H3, it's not. You select 4lo, it turns off the traction control and the owners manual says this is true.
3. The Hummer weighs a lot for a reason. Unlike the H2's fiberglass hood, the H3's all steel. The rocker panel has more steel in it than the Brooklyn Bridge. The rear door is built like a tank to take that tire, on and on.
4. Everyone thank Ahhhhhnold for your Hummers. Read the book, you'll understand why.
5. For Pete's sake, I now understand why new vehicles cost so much. Foose can scratch the design for a hot rod on a sheet of paper and build it in a week. GM and Hummer have about a zillion engineers and designers having meeting after meeting, clay models, foam models, glitzy intercompany sales pitches, you name it before anything ever gets done. I'm bettin' that you could take any five Hummer enthusiasts and kick out the next Hummer! (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, and yes, they have a ton of considerations such as all the LAWYER driven kerap, but their process IS an incredibly burdensome and complicated behemoth)
6. After reading the book and Larry bragging how they broke all sorts of things on the trail then upgraded them, I wonder what has been upgraded. For instance, are the front axle shafts beefier? The rear? The tranny? The t-case?
7. I've had to speed down the mountain, really fast, and was really pleased with the road handling of the H3 (one of the big reasons I'm not driving a Rubicon Unlimited) After reading the book, much of that is explained.
It's a great read. I highly recommend that you click one up from amazon.com