wildfire

[BEEF]

first of all, I am not a dealer and don't even own one of these cars (thinking about it really hard).

I have heard that they are VERY inexpensive and they are legal to drive at least in North Carolna. I have sent an email inquiring about pricing. I will let everyone know when I get a response.

www.wildfirevehicles.com

also, it says that the top speed is 50 but a guy that owns one around here said that he has had his up to 65 but he said "it wasn't a pleasant experience"



side note: I did check the forums before posting this and found none with "wildfire" in the title

[Jay2TheRescue]

Looks interesting, but from their website it does not appear that a/c is an option...

-Jay

[ihatemybike]

I've seen one cruising around in Chicagoland's NW burbs. Seems decent if you don't ever need to go on the highway.

[BEEF]

also notice that the hp rating is 17, I don't think it is able to have a/c.

I didn't say it was perfect, just something I found.

depending on the price (which I am still waiting for) it still may be worth it.

[101mpg]

I'd love to see pricing with & without wrap. Needs an A/C though.

[BEEF]

not sure how much power it takes to turn the compressor for most a/c units but I would think that 17hp doesn't leave any room for accessories.

still waiting on pricing. I am very curious myself about pricing. the wraps, I guess if you have a business or just want to be different. I think the car itself (or truck) is different enough as it is.

[BEEF]

I just talked to the guy on the phone and he said that the two models on the web are no longer being imported. they do have two models with larger engines.

http://www.wildfirevehicles.com/What...ew_models.html

he said the pricing depends on the dealer but the car's MSRP is set around 7K to 7,100. it does not come with air but he said that there may be some after market options there. he also said that the speedometer goes up to 60 MPH which was a big concern for me.

I am still thinking about this for myself. I am a little concerned about stability. his recommendation was not to ever hit a freeway or interstate which limits the car but for the price and size, it still isn't that bad.

it also has a larger load capacity. 1000lbs vs 550lbs. I think it may be a viable alternative.

*edit* he said that pricing doesn't include delivery or the logo wrapping and what not either.

[RoadWarrior]

Hmmm I wonder if I can buy the tooling for the Reliant Robin, might get that in on motorcycle regs here, but it's much closer to a "real" car and will do 90mph and 60-90mpg imperial some have been reported @ 100 imperial.

(BTW those Reliant chassis/bodies would make awesome electric or hybrid conversions also.... prolly get 150mpg out of one with a 20HP diesel series hybrid setup)

[theholycow]

$7000 sounds like far too much for that car, to me.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Hmmm I wonder if I can buy the tooling for the Reliant Robin, might get that in on motorcycle regs here, but it's much closer to a "real" car and will do 90mph and 60-90mpg imperial some have been reported @ 100 imperial.

(BTW those Reliant chassis/bodies would make awesome electric or hybrid conversions also.... prolly get 150mpg out of one with a 20HP diesel series hybrid setup)

I googled reliant robin, just to see what car you are speaking of, and I found this...



I don't think it can outrun a mid 70's Plymouth Fury, and I think it might fall apart on the landings if you tried to jump it, if you could even catch some air with it.

-Jay

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I don't think it can outrun a mid 70's Plymouth Fury, and I think it might fall apart on the landings if you tried to jump it, if you could even catch some air with it.

More importantly, can it outrun a 1958 Plymouth Fury?

[RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

and I think it might fall apart on the landings if you tried to jump it, if you could even catch some air with it.

Oh, you wanna see one catch some air? Well then...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_b4WzWFKQ20

[JoeBob]

Looks like they've reinvented the King Midget! (Then, I've always kinda liked the King Midget...)...however the King Midget was four wheels...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Oh, you wanna see one catch some air? Well then...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_b4WzWFKQ20

Yeah, I saw the Top Gear episode where they sent it a car into the air. I didn't know what model car it was at the time I watched it though.

-Jay

[Mike T]

Wow, a Plastic Pig! They do tend to trip and fall over......

[JoeBob]

The fascinating thing is...it gets the same mileage as my old Honda 90 did back in the day, engine is almost 3 times the displacement, it goes as fast, carries more people/stuff and has a heater!

[R.I.D.E.]

I have accumulated some stuff for a car. Karmann Ghia front body, 25 HP 1 liter diesel engine. Was thinking about two wheels in front and one in the rear. Thats seems like a much more stable setup.

regards
gary

[RoadWarrior]

I always wanted to build something along these lines....


Wonder if that fits motorcycle definition though, I can see getting away with the single front wheel as a trike.

[1993CivicVX]

India comes to America, woohoo!

The original rickshaw


Major technological advancement


The modern rickshaw

[R.I.D.E.]

3 wheels is a motorcycle in Virginia.

regards
gary

[ihatemybike]

I think one of these would be fun.
Tri-Magnum

[Ford Man]

I see they are imported from China. If I were you I'd check the price on some of the replacement parts and how readily available they are. If you need an alternator or starter for it are you going to be able to get it within a reasonable amount of time? The mileage is good, but I would be most concerned about reliability and replacement parts. Excellent gas mileage wouldn't do you much good if you were having to pay ridiculous prices for replacement parts and it was sitting around waiting on them. I didn't see anything on the web site stating warranty information. Do you know what the warranty period is and what all is covered? I just remember back several years ago when they introduced the Yugo's in this country. From everyone I ever talked to that owned one said it was a piece of crap and it was about as safe as beer can. Then there was the Chevy Vega the engines would usually give up in them at about 50-60K. They might be good little cars/cycles, but I was just throwing out some food for thought. I own a motorcycle, it will get about 37-39 mpg, but parts prices are ridiculous and a set of tires usually last 7-9,000 miles and they are more expensive than some automotive tires. I didn't buy it for fuel economy though I just enjoy riding on a nice day.

[JohnNeiferd]

My father has one of the older models with the 250cc water-cooled single cylinder engine Truck Model. The speedometer on it is rediculously inaccurate, it says your going 60 when in reality your going around 44 MPH (I've checked this with my TomTom GPS). 44 MPH Seems to be the top speed. The aerodynamics on it are horrible. Extremely cramped too, hardly any room to work the pedals (I'm 5'11" 169lbs.) It likes to vibrate a lot and the brake doesn't seem to be strong enough, you have to jam it to the floor and it still doesn't provide reliable stopping power.

My dad always downshifted to use the engine as a brake for safety reasons. The 250cc models were also rated for 70mpg, but my dad has only gotten 24mpg out of it. Then again, he never drives anything easily. He basically floors it in each gear. I'm sure I could get more out of it but I doubt it'll get 70mpg. Its design is too inefficient.

The 650cc models look much much nicer on the inside (I'll probably post pics of my 250cc model soon) and they should have much more power but I doubt they'll get 70mpg. My 1982 Honda CB650SC Nighthawk, (I just got my permit so I haven't had a chance to mileage test it yet) supposedly gets aroudn 45mpg from what I've seen on internet. Thats reving around 4250RPMs at 55 MPH. I doubt this thing, probably worse aerodynamics than a motorcycle and heavier, will achieve 70mpg. I'd guess in the 40's range in reality. I don't think these things are worth it. Maybe if you bought one, put trailer tires on it (much taller, but only a little wider), put a straight-pipe exhaust, high flow filter, and added a water/meth injection system to make up for the carb possibly running too lean due to small jets then maybe you could get some decent mileage numbers but thats just too much work for a vehicle that is cramped and is almost certain death in a wreck. I think I'd stick with a Geo Metro XFI and just put on some of the upgrades from 3 ech Performance to get about 70MPG. It'd have a lot more power than this thing, more comfortable, parts are easy to come by, fit more people in it, you could actually tow something small if needed.

Summary: Underpowered, seems unstable, cramped, instuments inaccurate, and doesn't achieve anywhere near its MPG claims. Disappointment. Oh, and in Ohio as well as some other states you have to have your motorcycle license for it, 3-Wheels = Motorcycle.

[Mr. Pig]

Here is another three wheel vehicle I thought was interesting, although a little pricey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyder_%28roadster%29