Learned'd VIII: Less Bewbs, Same Nonsense

[numbnuts240]

well after sitting in it (that clutch is heavy, but the gearbox feels awesome), i wondered aloud to my group if i could fit into the frunk. as we made our way towards the front of the car, i caught the glaring eye of one of the reps. i had to do it. i reached into the compartment, talked very audibly about the logistics of getting in there and making sure you position yourself in such a way that you can reach the release latch. the same rep was now closer, and side glancing me to see if i would make a move. i did. he reacted very quickly, i barely got a foot over the bumper before he barraged me with countless "excuse me, sir". i said something about needed to know certain pertinent information before making a purchase. he wasn't amused so we headed over to audi to bash the brand in front of their reps.

btw, the focus rs is so pretty. as is the alfa 4c. i like the la ferrari better in person, but i wish they brought an f40 instead of the f50 they parked next to the la ferrari. man, i hate that name.

[numbnuts240]

The parking brakes on the Exploders suck.It's a f***ed up setup.

i did some diagnosing on friday night. it's the lever assembly that the cable attaches to at the axle that is seized. i'm working on finding replacements. i could take the frozen ones out and free them up, but they're frozen in a position that stops them from sliding out. the only way i could get them out without cutting them with an angle grinder would be to pull the axles. i'm not going that deep to save myself maybe 50 bucks.

i checked the dead exploder to see if i could scavenge the levers off of it, but those were frozen as well. time to call some dealers.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I just finished a nasty drive back from Idaho over the Malad pass through heavy snow. As usual, the guy in the RWD sport sedan was passing all the terrified AWD crossover and Subaru drivers and still not driving out of my comfort zone. I had no issues myself, but I did watch a Civic spin off the road and down the hill off the highway right in front of me. Stopped to help, recognized two people who work at my company. Such a strange coincidence (we only employ about 250 people). The Civic was fine, and we got them driving again. iPikes did a masterful job, but the LS8's TCS lost its damn mind even though it was disabled, and kept cutting power and braking the rears at random times. I think an ABS sensor might have gotten gunked up with snow or something. The fuse is getting pulled and stepped on first thing tomorrow. Damn, I hate electronannies.

[frapjap]

Do most of those people not use snow tires?

[float_6969]

Probably not. I've decided it's an increasing trend in the midwest to not run snow tires. Everyone I talk to looks at me like I'm crazy for using snow tires. The response I always get is, "But why don't you just use all seasons?". Somehow along the way, fathers stopped teaching their children how to properly maintain automobiles, and putting weather appropriate tires on your car was one of the things that went with it. I'm actually in that category. My dad NEVER ran snow tires. I had to figure out on my own the difference that a good set of snow tires makes. I've been preaching it relentlessly since. I think everyone who knows me is sick of hearing my stories about how great snow tires are and how bad all-seasons suck.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm sure most of them did not have snow tires. More wintery all-seasons at best, maybe. Thanks to the perpetuation of bad "facts," most FWD and AWD owners think they don't need snow tires. My snow tires are what allowed me to pull WAY off on the shoulder (the same inclined shoulder that swallowed the Civic) so I wouldn't get hit, park, help the Civic, and then drive away again drama-free.

What scared me the most about that drive was the people who kept using their brakes to cautiously slow for conditions. BAD. BAD BAD BAD. Brakes are forward-biased and steering happens up there. DO NOT brake. Don't accelerate, either, if you can help it. If you have to slow, let off the throttle and let the rolling resistance of the snowy road bleed the speed off. Braking is a recipe for disaster, especially in traffic where you're causing other drivers to choose between braking or hitting you. Drive well within your comfort level, let people pass you, don't pass unless you absolutely need to, and DO NOT play leapfrog with other cars. If you find yourself driving out of your comfort zone, don't panic, because your panic will cost everyone else. Slow gradually and move out of the way, then be patient. You just exceeded your comfort level; there's no need to suddenly be in a hurry again.

I kept getting passed or almost-passed by some moron in a Ford Edge. He'd FLY up next to me, realize there's a damn good reason I wasn't going faster than I was, panic, hang RIGHT NEXT TO ME or with me in his blindspot, and then force his way in front of me. Then I'd pass him moments later as his terror left him driving excessively slowly. Minutes later, the whole game would repeat. Every single time, I could see the moment of realization when terror hit and he helplessly groped for a solution to the moronic situation he had created for himself. In a huge hurry but with no conception of his own level of comfort behind the wheel.

[numbnuts240]

halfway down page 2? that hasn't happened in quite some time. i figured i'd bump this up with a report of my first official mod to the f*** (i'm not counting my little rock guards). well it's not done yet, hell, i don't even have the parts yet, although they should be arriving today, tomorrow if ups decides to be lazy. if they don't go out for delivery today, i may pick them up since it's literally on my way home. anyway, i'm changing out all the components for my shifter. short throw shifter lever, aluminum shifter bushings, shifter plate at the transmission, and aluminum bushings there as well. at the most extreme settings, i can achieve something like 62% reduction in throw. i'm not going that crazy, a little shorter throw, but what i'm really after is a more mechanical feel to the shifter.

[Bubba1]

I woulda guessed your first mod would be a beer tap shifter knob....

[numbnuts240]

lol, no. but i do have a chrome cobra shift knob on the exploder

[numbnuts240]

sadly it doesn't go any faster

also, don't let me and my buddy have rental cars. we managed to get a new malibu to leave these in front of my house




the smoke show was surprisingly impressive. the e-brake turns were quite comical as well.

[frapjap]

Nice job!

How did you keep the engine revving while standing on the brakes and gas at the same time?
Most newer cars don't let you do both and get over 2k rpm.

[numbnuts240]

it was drizzling. it wasn't easy to get them to break loose. we were surprised the ecu allowed us to rev it up for a neutral drop.

[numbnuts240]

well my short shifter, transmission plate, and bushings are installed. wow, much better. i've only put about 15 miles on the car since the install, but i like it so much more already. i'll get some more seat time before i decide whether a weighted knob will be another improvement or not. in the meantime, i'm happy with the more crisp, precise, and shorter throws.

[szh]

whether a weighted knob will be another improvement or not.

Weighted knobs may feel better perhaps, but have side effects - depending on how heavy they are!

First, it will actually be a tad slower (but probably imperceptible) for your shifting - this ain't going to matter much in most cases. So feel free to ignore this point.

Second, for the same reason that it is best not to drive with your hand resting on the gear shift lever, a heavy knob could make the lever not sit "naturally" without extra sideways pressure. Meaning some pressure on the transmission synchros, etc, etc., and could cause the car to pop out of gear during hard braking, etc.

So, looks are one thing ... heavy weighted knobs something entirely different!

Z

[MinisterofDOOM]

also, don't let me and my buddy have rental cars. we managed to get a new malibu to leave these in front of my house
the smoke show was surprisingly impressive. the e-brake turns were quite comical as well.

It's not particularly hard to get wrong wheel drive rental cars to break loose--they're on rock hard budget economy tires and weight immediately shifts off the drive wheels upon launch. Can be fun but, to be honest, I generally find it irritating. I rented a Focus that had overaggressive throttle tip-in, an aggressive electronic "simulated lsd" that used braking to apportion power, and terrible tires. It squawked and squealed at every launch, ESPECIALLY uphill launches or right-turn launches. Don't really want attention drawn to myself just for trying to drive normally.

Also, since this thread's back alive, I will brag about how awesome my employees are. One of my night supervisors hand-assembled this sampler pack as a Christmas present because she's cool as hell:



The Quadruple Black Ale was incredible. SUPER thick, malty, and smooth, but it was also 13.2% abv so it had a fair bit of bite to it as well--enhanced a bit by the faintest hint of the black licorice it was brewed with.

The Barley Wine was meh. Really grainy and light. Not my speed at all, but probably actually quite decent for what it is. Very light in color and texture, though--again, not my style.

The Schneider Weisse is okay. Again, lighter than I like but a very good beer.

The Altbairisch Dunkel is my all-time super-favorite most amazing bestest beer of all time. If it had a few hundred more calories per bottle I could live on it and never need anything else.

[WDRacing]

Happy Tuesday peoples of the Learned'd community.

[sx moneypit]

Mornin' folks!

[numbnuts240]

whether a weighted knob will be another improvement or not.

Weighted knobs may feel better perhaps, but have side effects - depending on how heavy they are!

First, it will actually be a tad slower (but probably imperceptible) for your shifting - this ain't going to matter much in most cases. So feel free to ignore this point.

Second, for the same reason that it is best not to drive with your hand resting on the gear shift lever, a heavy knob could make the lever not sit "naturally" without extra sideways pressure. Meaning some pressure on the transmission synchros, etc, etc., and could cause the car to pop out of gear during hard braking, etc.

So, looks are one thing ... heavy weighted knobs something entirely different!

Z

well being a fwd car with the shifter assembly connected to the transmission with cables, i can't imagine a heavier knob creating additional stress on the transmission itself. i may be entirely wrong, though. also, i changed the rubber mounting bushings bushings to solid metal pieces to eliminate any "flex" or "torsion".

[frapjap]

The Quadruple Black Ale was incredible. SUPER thick, malty, and smooth, but it was also 13.2% abv so it had a fair bit of bite to it as well--enhanced a bit by the faintest hint of the black licorice it was brewed with.

The Barley Wine was meh. Really grainy and light. Not my speed at all, but probably actually quite decent for what it is. Very light in color and texture, though--again, not my style.

The Schneider Weisse is okay. Again, lighter than I like but a very good beer.

The Altbairisch Dunkel is my all-time super-favorite most amazing bestest beer of all time. If it had a few hundred more calories per bottle I could live on it and never need anything else.

The Ayinger is a damned good beer. I had 4 of those on New Years and didn't want anything more.

[szh]

well being a fwd car with the shifter assembly connected to the transmission with cables, i can't imagine a heavier knob creating additional stress on the transmission itself. i may be entirely wrong, though. also, i changed the rubber mounting bushings bushings to solid metal pieces to eliminate any "flex" or "torsion".

Ah, yes, I forgot it was a fwd car ... it may have less trouble with a heavy hand/knob on the shifter perhaps. But I don't know for sure.

I'd definitely be careful with an older rwd car, specifically without electronic or cable connections to the transmissions.

Z

[MinisterofDOOM]

Man, I am so disappointed in the showing at the Utah International Auto Expo. It's something I used to LOVE going to 5+ years ago. There were always some interesting concepts and tech demos (Mazda had an AWD MS3 concept up on a lift that you could walk beneath one year, the ME-412 has been there more than once.

This time, it was NOTHING. The most exotic concept at the whole show was the effing Lincoln Continental. A production-ready fwd 4-banger.

Not only was there nothing interesting that was exotic, there was nothing interesting you can actually buy.
Chevy's booth had no SS.
The Jags were all locked up and there was no XE. And the best part is people kept tripping the alarm on the convertible F-type. Total fail. Whoever was running that booth should be fired.
Cadillac had no CT6 but they sure found a spot for The Abomination (aka XTS).
Kia had no K900
Hyundai didn't have either new Genesis model (Genesis is its own brand now, with two models ready to go and more to come).
I didn't even notice any Scions to check out an FR-S (though Subie had a BRZ).
Ford's booth was okay: new 2017 Raptor and some Mustangs and regular F150s.
Infiniti had two QX80s, a Q70 (V8 LWB!) and a smegging QX50.
BMW did have an i3. The dash in the i3 looks like it was built from do-it-yourself educational electronics kits from a high school class.
Oh, Nissan had a Cummins Titan XD. Was neat to look at it. The interior's pretty okay. They're a LITTLE less horrid looking in person, but they still look like a Chinese copy of every other full size pickup.

Huge disappointment. NOTHING I am interested in ever buying was there except a C7 'vette and a CTS-V. SO MUCH FAIL.

EDIT:
I forgot the best thing at the show:
I DISCOVERED I FIT IN THE NEW MIATA WITH THE TOP UP!

[themadscientist]

So, yeah, that happened a few months ago.

[numbnuts240]

fj? please say fj.

[skydragoness]

I'm sure most of them did not have snow tires. More wintery all-seasons at best, maybe. Thanks to the perpetuation of bad "facts," most FWD and AWD owners think they don't need snow tires. My snow tires are what allowed me to pull WAY off on the shoulder (the same inclined shoulder that swallowed the Civic) so I wouldn't get hit, park, help the Civic, and then drive away again drama-free.

What scared me the most about that drive was the people who kept using their brakes to cautiously slow for conditions. BAD. BAD BAD BAD. Brakes are forward-biased and steering happens up there. DO NOT brake. Don't accelerate, either, if you can help it. If you have to slow, let off the throttle and let the rolling resistance of the snowy road bleed the speed off. Braking is a recipe for disaster, especially in traffic where you're causing other drivers to choose between braking or hitting you. Drive well within your comfort level, let people pass you, don't pass unless you absolutely need to, and DO NOT play leapfrog with other cars. If you find yourself driving out of your comfort zone, don't panic, because your panic will cost everyone else. Slow gradually and move out of the way, then be patient. You just exceeded your comfort level; there's no need to suddenly be in a hurry again.

I kept getting passed or almost-passed by some moron in a Ford Edge. He'd FLY up next to me, realize there's a damn good reason I wasn't going faster than I was, panic, hang RIGHT NEXT TO ME or with me in his blindspot, and then force his way in front of me. Then I'd pass him moments later as his terror left him driving excessively slowly. Minutes later, the whole game would repeat. Every single time, I could see the moment of realization when terror hit and he helplessly groped for a solution to the moronic situation he had created for himself. In a huge hurry but with no conception of his own level of comfort behind the wheel.

I almost got into it with someone about tire compounds and temperatures. He told me how he recommended a particular Bridgestone summer tire to someone with a BMW 1 series because " the tread design is like an all season" ...to which I said "doesn't matter what the tread looks like when it's under 40 degrees out, they won't have the same traction characteristics" and I just got a blank look. I pretty much just got the "you're a Yankee so it makes sense you would have two sets of tires for your car."

I think people in north Texas feel as though you may as well run summer or bald tires all year because the one or two ice storms they get isn't worth investing in tires and "you're going to crash anyway" mindset. I'm running Pilot Sport A/S 3s on the Z because the weather here is really wacky. Probably one of the few states where all seasons make sense in the winter. It was 25 degrees Monday morning, but then 55 in the afternoon. Personally, I would not like to be driving to work in the morning on summer compounds when it's 25 deg out.

[themadscientist]

fj? please say fj.

Of course. It promptly stopped running. Hoping it's a jacked up air flow meter. 32 year old engine wiring is the fail. Wiring up a Haltech right now,

[WDRacing]

fj? please say fj.

Of course. It promptly stopped running. Hoping it's a jacked up air flow meter. 32 year old engine wiring is the fail. Wiring up a Haltech right now,

Haltech aye? Not f*** around! She looks really clean bro. Well done!

[frapjap]

Personally, I would not like to be driving to work in the morning on summer compounds when it's 25 deg out.

They become rubber pucks around 40-45*F. I could drive my Miata with the Star Specs towards the end of the season, but I'd have to be really careful around turns and the rightmost pedal. It was quick to slide around.

What the hell is an FJ?

[numbnuts240]

What the hell is an FJ?

you shut your whore mouth. go to your room and think about what you just said.

[float_6969]

Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus. He asked what an FJ was. Only the holy grail of old Nissan engine technology. Behold!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_FJ_engine

[Bubba1]

I hate to break it to you guys, but not all enthusiasts know Nissan engines by their codes, especially ones never sold in the US. Heck, if you asked me what FJ was, my first answer would be a Toyota Land Cruiser (FJ40).