Roger Nelson wrote to Roy Witt:   
      
    RN>> I think one of the factors is the Mark VIII lowers itelf slightly at   
    RN>> high speeds to reduce drag (the body is a sleek design) and the   
    RN>> transmission is in overdrive, reducing the strain on the V-8.   
      
    RW>> Since that isn't a torque motor, I don't get the impression that it   
    RW>> would be anything but a strain on it.   
      
    RN> Mot sure what you mean by that, but it isn't important.   
      
   Torque moves objects...HP is derived from a torque reading.   
      
    RN>> Because anyone going north to south is going downhill.  (-:0   
      
    RW>> Not exactly. If your north starting place was on a plateau and you   
    RW>> were going south, that might be down hill.   
      
    RN> There are no plateaus in Louisiana.  (-:  West Texas, maybe.   
      
   Central Texas...where I live is the very eastern edge of what is known   
   here as the 'Hill Country'. I live in an area also known as South Central   
   Texas...Driving south out of Dallas/FW area at first you go up hill, then   
   it's down hill from there. D/FW is farther east than San Antonio. Houston   
   is farther north and east of SA. San Antonio is farther south than NO...   
      
   But, you're never going to be at or near sea level until you get to   
   Corpus...   
      
    RN>   Through no fault of mine, I haven't been that far west.  Had I been   
    RN> single at the time, I would have gone to the California coast just to   
    RN> experience the lack of humidity.   
      
   You don't have to go that far. SC Texas has no humidity, unless there is   
   an offshore flow from the Gulf. You can be outside in the afternoon here   
   and the temps may be 95F, but you won't feel it until the humidty reaches   
   over 90% or more. That's pretty rare, as usually there is a breeze out of   
   the north blowing off shore.   
      
    RW>> But just heading south from north isn't going down hill.   
      
    RN> Yes, it is.  Think about the differences in sea level.   
      
   There is no difference here. There isn't any difference until you get to   
   the tip of South America, where the Atlantic and Pacific meet. Of course   
   this isn't the only place you can experience different ocean levels. This   
   is why there are locks in the Panama Canal, so that ships can meet the   
   levels of both oceans as they head west or east.   
      
    RN>> An example is when we visit relatives every other week in north   
    RN>> Louisiana. The time to get there, since we're traveling south to   
    RN>> north, is greater than the return home time.  Try it yourself.  I'll   
    RN>> bet you notice the difference.   
      
    RW>> I've driven from here to Illinois and back. There is no   
    RW>> difference...   
      
    RN> Did you average the same speed going and coming and not notice the   
    RN> difference?   
      
   Same speed, same roads...I've tried several different routes and they all   
   work out the same.   
      
      
            R\%/itt   
      
      
   --- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012   
    * Origin: Texas Lone-Star - Texan, American, USAian  (1:387/22)