There won't even be screens to prod at whilst trying to pay attention to the road in the future.

It will all be voice activated - a bit like Alexa or Siri - and the real big problem will be what to call your in-car digital voice driven assistant - Delilah, Delores, Doris, Debbie, .............

Using GF's old iPhone at present. I call Siri by the initials for the Foreign Office when it pops up unbidden.. It "wont respond to that", which is fine by me.

Foot operated function...hm...maybe a brake cooling water spray for mountain descents, driven from my multi-function enema syringe, also use for brake bleeding, radiator pressure testing, and I assume potentially also for enemas, though not all at the same time.

I've heard of a switch that temporarily cuts the ignition and energises a spark plug at the tail pipe, producing an impressive flame on a presumably non-cat system.

Might get tailgaters to back off a bit.

I suppose you'd have to shift into neutral first on a manual car (so maybe foot-operation doesn't fit there) but an auto might be OK

Edited by edlithgow on 11/02/2020 at 11:43

I've heard of a switch that temporarily cuts the ignition and energises a spark plug at the tail pipe, producing an impressive flame on a presumably non-cat system.

Don't need an additional spark plug on a car with a carb. Just cut the ignition and on switching it back on again the fuel in the exhaust will ignite with a healthy bang. May be a little muffled at first until all the carbon's loosened up. May also destroy an older exhaust.

Tends not to work on fuel injected cars as modern ones have an accelerator switch that cuts fuelling when the pedal's released (also cuts fuelling on full throttle when the starter's operated to clear flooding). Some 'performance' cars with a 'sports' button can tend to pop and bang on the overrun. I guess this is done more for show than any other reason.

Well, that sounds like the difference between an internal exhaust explosion and an external flame. Latter sound potentially less destructive and more impressive.

I'd think this was on a carbed car, (which is what I have) but I'd also think it could be achieved with a fuel injected system, but not so sure it could easily be achieved without damaging a catalyst.

I'd think this was on a carbed car, (which is what I have) but I'd also think it could be achieved with a fuel injected system, but not so sure it could easily be achieved without damaging a catalyst.

I've seen propane gas injected into the back end of an exhaust system which is then ignited with a spark plug. Wouldn't have thought there's enough oxygen around for it to burn.

Well, if you've seen it, there must be.

There'll be effectively unlimited atmospheric oxygen when the petrol vapour or propane exits the pipe, so that should work OK.

If you cut the ignition the engine is effectively pumping air, so there will be a slug of combustible stuff travelling down the pipe.

Its suggested above that that will be ignited without a spark plug (presumably by contact with hot exhaust gases) when the engine restarts. Dunno, doesn't sound reliable or desirablle, and I'd expect it to get snuffed out as the low oxygen gases move down the pipe.

IIRC free oxygen is about 5% in petrol engine exhaust. Its a lot higher in diesel exhaust, but it would be difficult to cut ignition while maintaining fuel unless you had an alternative/supplementary fuel supply.

Perhaps an enhancement to dpf regeneration?

My MK3 Cortina had a foot operated ring surrounding a bulb for the wiper/washer. I guess the dip-switch had moved to the column. Wouldn't like to say which was more useful down there.

Best answer yet, Concrete!

I don't think that feet are as good at multi-tasking as hands. What your feet do in a car is governed largely by instinct, so the fewer different things that they have to do the better.

I learned to drive on my mum's Morris 1100 in the 1960s and my first cars were an Austin A50 and an MG 1100, all with a foot dipswitch - capable of being mistaken for the clutch by learners so generally I was glad to see the back of it.