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>Why do boomers think turbochargers are some kind of conspiracy? Boomers grew up seeing Japan besting US cars and the subsequent job losses, etc. All followin

by tyingq 5y ago

>Why do boomers think turbochargers are some kind of conspiracy? Boomers grew up seeing Japan besting US cars and the subsequent job losses, etc. All following the 70's gas shortages, and so on. It probably felt like a conspiracy.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Tell me you've got no experience with 70s and 80s compact cars without telling me you've got no experience with 70s and 80s compact cars. There's a reason imports had a tin can reputation to overcome. The fuel crisis gave the Japanese brands a foot in the door. Detroit had to take languishing compact car platforms that were only available with poverty spec trims feature sets (because the target buyer was someone who's #1 priority was low cost) and bring them up to snuff with the features and comfort the average buyer wanted. Japan had those products ready to go. They weren't "beating" anything until the mid to late 80s. The boomers didn't grow up seeing Japanese cars out-compete. That didn't happen until they themselves were well into adulthood and bought a bunch of Japanese commuter cars in the late 80s and 90s. The 80s decline of Detroit was just the collective bargaining and corporate management hens coming home to roost right at the same time that environmental law was really hitting US industry hard.
- tyingq 5y ago
  I could argue statistics, but what matters if we're talking about why people think it's a conspiracy is the perception. I was there, and that was the perception. I'm also not sure why Japan having what consumers wanted and the US car makers not having it doesn't count as "besting". GM's market share dropped faster after 1980, but it had already dropped 10% between 1964 and the early 70's. That's not nothing.
mulmen 5y ago
Domestic manufacturers did a really bad job rolling out turbos. Oldsmobile tried it in like 1962 with the Jetfire. Was a pretty sophisticated setup, an adaptation of aircraft technology from the previous decade, on brand for the makers of the "Rocket". Unfortunately ethanol injection was too much for US consumers to keep up with and meltdowns of the aluminum blocks was common. Most of the fleet had the turbos removed.

by tyingq 5y ago

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

Tell me you've got no experience with 70s and 80s compact cars without telling me you've got no experience with 70s and 80s compact cars. There's a reason imports had a tin can reputation to overcome. The fuel crisis gave the Japanese brands a foot in the door. Detroit had to take languishing compact car platforms that were only available with poverty spec trims feature sets (because the target buyer was someone who's #1 priority was low cost) and bring them up to snuff with the features and comfort the average buyer wanted. Japan had those products ready to go. They weren't "beating" anything until the mid to late 80s. The boomers didn't grow up seeing Japanese cars out-compete. That didn't happen until they themselves were well into adulthood and bought a bunch of Japanese commuter cars in the late 80s and 90s. The 80s decline of Detroit was just the collective bargaining and corporate management hens coming home to roost right at the same time that environmental law was really hitting US industry hard.

tyingq 5y ago
I could argue statistics, but what matters if we're talking about why people think it's a conspiracy is the perception. I was there, and that was the perception. I'm also not sure why Japan having what consumers wanted and the US car makers not having it doesn't count as "besting". GM's market share dropped faster after 1980, but it had already dropped 10% between 1964 and the early 70's. That's not nothing.

mulmen 5y ago

Domestic manufacturers did a really bad job rolling out turbos. Oldsmobile tried it in like 1962 with the Jetfire. Was a pretty sophisticated setup, an adaptation of aircraft technology from the previous decade, on brand for the makers of the "Rocket". Unfortunately ethanol injection was too much for US consumers to keep up with and meltdowns of the aluminum blocks was common. Most of the fleet had the turbos removed.