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pikaporeon
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:09 am

Get a WRX or a Focus ST ; ) 
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TibeR
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 12:15 pm

'84 Jeep Scrambler for getting around San Diego  ;)

Image
 
Usacomp2k3
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 12:43 pm

pikaporeon wrote:
Get a WRX or a Focus ST ; ) 


Do either of those come in convertible?
 
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 1:49 pm

After three Pickups and four SUVs I finally got a car last night. 2016 Ford Fusion. I like it but it is different.
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notfred
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 2:10 pm

MastaVR6 wrote:
pikaporeon wrote:
So I've been driving stick for like four years across two cars and I'm still not sure how to engine brake 'properly' - like should i immediately go down to lowest gear possible to slow myself (rev matching) or what? 
Next gear down for stronger speed reduction, with enough proactive slowing, you can coast or foot off the pedal very early to feel the drag,
Yes. General rule of thumb is that you should descend a hill in the same gear that you would use to ascend it. This will give you the proper amount of engine braking, keep your brakes cool ready for any trouble, and save fuel.

MastaVR6 wrote:
Upgrade your brakes (vented only is typical for stock, upgrading to slotted/drilled will improve stopping and reduce brake fade- upgrade from stock whenever possible, e.g. 2000 GTI GLX VR6, fitted with drilled and slotted rotors, mintex redbox pads.
No! Any modern car has a brake system capable of locking the wheels. Upgrading the brakes will not improve the stopping distance - that's determined by tyre traction, so always buy decent tyres. Tyre grip is the one thing that will help you avoid accidents!

What upgrading the brakes does is help prevent pad fade. Unless you are on a race track, or you are descending in hilly country riding the brakes all the way down rather than using engine braking (even in automatics - modern ones will gear down anyway, others may need a quick click on a D3 switch or similar), you are almost certainly not getting pad fade. I've been driving for nearly 30 years in the UK and Canada and I've only ever had one vehicle suffer pad fade. That was an Rx-7 that was modified to produce approximately 50% more power while still with the stock front vented disk and rear drums :o Even then it took a good thrashing down country lanes before the pads would begin to fade.

Pad fade is when the brake pedal stays firm but the car just doesn't slow down. It's caused by getting the pads hot enough that they aren't working properly, often outgassing. The slots and drill holes let the gasses out so that the pad can contact the rotor. The disadvantage is that the drilling of holes in the rotors weakens them and can cause stress fractures. It's worth the risk to counter pad fade but if you don't have pad fade you are adding risk for no benefit.

You can also boil the brake fluid, particularly if it is old and has absorbed water from the atmosphere. In that case the pedal feels spongy, going further down as you press harder.
 
Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 2:25 pm

Usacomp2k3 wrote:
pikaporeon wrote:
Get a WRX or a Focus ST ; ) 
Do either of those come in convertible?

Do you own a plasma cutter?
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:23 pm

bthylafh wrote:
Waco wrote:
Total departure, but yesterday I officially placed my order for an Exocet through Flyin' Miata.

Here's to 10+ weeks of painful waiting to get started! :oops:


Are you expecting to fight off the Royal Navy in the near future? :wink:

Yes. :P I think naming it after a missile makes sense given the prodigious power to weight ratio...

This is my Miata currently:
Image

And this is where the drivetrain will end up:
Image


And when it's done, it will look similar to this (minus wing, add white fenders):
Image
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Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:40 pm

OK, it's a poor man's Ariel Atom, slapping a Miata drivetrain into a tube-frame chassis.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Fri Sep 23, 2016 6:10 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
OK, it's a poor man's Ariel Atom, slapping a Miata drivetrain into a tube-frame chassis.

Yup. Just a bit heavier, but infinitely easier to drive (50/50 balance is maintained). 1500 pounds or so, 220 HP or so at the wheels. :)

That, and parts are Miata cheap. :lol:
Victory requires no explanation. Defeat allows none.
 
Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:28 am

Waco wrote:
1500 pounds or so, 220 HP or so at the wheels.
Clearly not a stock Miata motor.

I did enough Googling to find that that frame will also take a Chevy LS motor, which is fitting in that I think the first small-block Chevy Miata conversion came out roughly 2 months after the first Miata.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Acidicheartburn
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:47 am

Dear god, I am insanely jealous.
 
Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:27 am

It's turbocharged at 12 PSI (16 PSI at my altitude). Megasquirt ECU. Stupid fun and fast, hopefully more so when it's drivable and 800 pounds lighter. :D
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Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:34 am

Waco wrote:
It's turbocharged at 12 PSI (16 PSI at my altitude). Megasquirt ECU. Stupid fun and fast, hopefully more so when it's drivable and 800 pounds lighter. :D

Vids with good sound are mandatory.
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Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:48 am

Once it's complete again, of course!
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jihadjoe
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:52 am

just brew it! wrote:
Roundabouts were bad because you need to operate both the gear shift and turn signal with your left hand. "I need to signal... wait, I also really need to get out of 1st gear... SH*T!"


Ah, the good old United Kingdom! Not only did they make horrible electrics, they somehow insisted on having the indicator stalk on the wrong side of the wheel even when everyone else realized it would be sensible to position it opposite of the gear lever.

IIRC even today manufacturers still build RHD cars with LHD switches, just for the UK market.
 
Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 8:46 am

jihadjoe wrote:
Not only did they make horrible electrics

Why do the English drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes the refrigerators.

EDIT: When Bob lets me win Powerball, I shall purchase this (and a P-51 Mustang).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewQaikxTUJs
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Acidicheartburn
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Sep 25, 2016 4:20 pm

Waco wrote:
It's turbocharged at 12 PSI (16 PSI at my altitude).  Megasquirt ECU.  Stupid fun and fast, hopefully more so when it's drivable and 800 pounds lighter. :D

 
saam albert
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Sun Oct 02, 2016 11:06 pm

TibeR wrote:
'84 Jeep Scrambler for getting around San Diego  ;)


I wish i could drive it at least once in my whole life. This is amazing jeep i ever seen in my life!
 
cheesyking
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Mon Oct 03, 2016 6:17 am

jihadjoe wrote:
just brew it! wrote:
Roundabouts were bad because you need to operate both the gear shift and turn signal with your left hand. "I need to signal... wait, I also really need to get out of 1st gear... SH*T!"


Ah, the good old United Kingdom! Not only did they make horrible electrics, they somehow insisted on having the indicator stalk on the wrong side of the wheel even when everyone else realized it would be sensible to position it opposite of the gear lever.

IIRC even today manufacturers still build RHD cars with LHD switches, just for the UK market.

Which UK cars have the indicator on the left? I can't remember driving one that was like that. My Rover has it on the right (technically this is the trafficator switch), so did all the Skodas I've ever owned, a Peugeot and a Wartburg . I think some older Citroens were like that but what do you expect from Citroen.

Plus, roundabouts FTW (most of the time). If you're turning left or right you start indicating before you reach them. Once you're on one you indicate as you approach your exit so you never need to do gears and indicators at the same time. So long as the traffic is free flowing you almost never need to slow down enough to use first gear anyway, you just pick a gap and drive into the traffic at 10-20MPH.  The problems come when the traffic is very heavy and people have to stop on the roundabout or if some of the entry/exits are much busier than the others (which can make it very hard to pull out at all).

That's not to say that sometimes the road planners don't get high and do something crazy like this:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Magic+Roundabout,+Swindon+SN1+2EA/@51.5627866,-1.7717775,102m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4871444acffa3da5:0x586d14ab6c0548c1!8m2!3d51.5628864!4d-1.7714842
I understand people have died of old age trying to figure out what to do at monsters like that.
Last edited by cheesyking on Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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notfred
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:44 am

cheesyking wrote:
technically this is the trafficator switch
How many internets do I win for knowing what a trafficator is without having to look it up? My browser doesn't, it thinks it is a spelling mistake. :)
 
cheesyking
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:33 am

notfred wrote:
cheesyking wrote:
technically this is the trafficator switch

How many internets do I win for knowing what a trafficator is without having to look it up? My browser doesn't, it thinks it is a spelling mistake.  :)

You win the whole 1936 internet  :lol:
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Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 3:18 pm

FINALLY got the windows tinted on the fleet. I don't know how we survived in SC and NM without this.

Image

Best part? 20% all around is legal in NM. :D
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ludi
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:41 pm

Waco wrote:
Best part?  20% all around is legal in NM. :D

I recently checked with a local tint shop and apparently CO allows 30% but I think that's too dark.  I want to get one of our vehicles done to keep the sun off the baby's face, but I'm thinking more like 10-15%.
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Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:53 pm

ludi wrote:
Waco wrote:
Best part?  20% all around is legal in NM. :D

I recently checked with a local tint shop and apparently CO allows 30% but I think that's too dark.  I want to get one of our vehicles done to keep the sun off the baby's face, but I'm thinking more like 10-15%.

?

10-15% is super dark and illegal (at least, on front windows). 30% is pretty light IMO.
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Captain Ned
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:10 pm

Ah, here in the East it's the percentage of light blocked, not transmitted.

Besides, here in VT tint is illegal on windshields and front row windows unless one can get a doctor to sign off.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Waco
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:35 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
Ah, here in the East it's the percentage of light blocked, not transmitted.

Besides, here in VT tint is illegal on windshields and front row windows unless one can get a doctor to sign off.

Odd, in SC it was the same way (% of light allowed through).

If you're looking at 30% (70% in my terms) and thinking it's dark though, you have a low tolerance for tint. :) I had 17% (73% blocked) on my old car in SC and it was excellent even at night.
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GeForce6200
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:49 pm

Still have my E36 compact posted many years ago. Held up through high school and college. Now I've complicated things by swapping in a larger motor with supporting drivetrain and suspension mods. It's all paid off so no payment  so I can pay loans off quicker. Once this is done (winter) I will pick up a more reliable daily. 
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seankay
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Wed Oct 05, 2016 5:27 am

Not driving it myself but I'm in a Honda Civic 2016
 
cheesyking
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:15 am

Image
Problems with my normal car have led me to this tent on wheels.

And after having said that I've seen a car with the indicator stalk on the gearstick side of the steering wheel, guess what this has. 

There are some good points though. It has a "racing gearbox" with a dogleg first gear so it's sporty :wink:
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Jigar
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Re: What are you driving RIGHT NOW?

Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:39 am

I drive a 5 Speed Manual Turbo Diesel 1.5L VW Polo - Nice vehicle, was sad to learn she was part of emission cheating group.

Anyway, car was recalled for 1 day, ECU was re-calibrated with some changes in exhaust. I didn't notice performance lose but got her chip mod anyway, now she makes 30HP more than stock.
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