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Flappy Paddle is the one true shifter. [Car] Thread.
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Wheels I have no issue taking off and putting on by hand, but something like the upper bolt on a starter in the explorer is just crazy to do without one. You can get a socket on there with a wrench, but there is no room to turn it at all. We tried every permutation of my extenders and u-joints and couldn't get enough torque on that bolt to get it loose.
The air ratchet takes up about as much space as a normal ratchet, but the difference is once you work it onto the bolt all you do it push the button and let it do all the work.
It tends to depend on the car for me. In a low end car? It's silly because we know it's fake. On a super car it's silly because it is. On a Rolls or a Maybach, it's just right.
I used to Drift out at Oran Park with the crew from Initial Drift Australia before they flattened it and turned it into a bloody housing project (
Seriously, you could go from your street wheels to bald-as-a-baby's-arse slicks in less than a minute if you had all your ducks in a row. I miss having a compressor.
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Guild Wars 2 | RisenPhoenix.2159
Government subsidies + tax credits means you can get it for WAY cheaper.
Edit: I just looked it up and it looks like the few grand in savings is only in states like Colorado (where I live) and Oklahoma. As for federal savings you could shave about 10% off the price.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Yeah, I guess. I still think its an odd material to still be using in cars in the 21st century. I can see why it was around in early cars, as a reference back to pre automobile forms of transportation.
On an unrelated note, trying to get license plates off of a vehicle that hasn't had them removed in 15 years is a total pain in the ass.
PB Blaster it is one of the greatest inventions for car work.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
This post at TheCarElectric has a list of all subsidies by state for EV's. (edit: Unsure how updated the list is.)
Here in GA I could get a tax credit of 20%, plus unrestricted use of the HOV lanes. This makes it rather appealing, I must say. =O
(rassa frassa Colorado and their 85% credit)
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Guild Wars 2 | RisenPhoenix.2159
Unfortunately for the front plates, its not a rust issue, but an issue of the nut's being held in place by little plastic ridges on the inside of the bumper, which have worn away over time. So the damn things just spin.
Now imagine how much you would have to make to get the whole Tesla tax credit.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
: o
This is one of the things that has always bothered me about cars like miatas.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Same reasons people climb mountains. Because they can. You're talking about the point of car design where the engineers are more then a bit mad.
And on that note, I got a request from a fellow who wishes to become a car guy. And he's looking for primers and places to start learning things. And on this I am stumped. Can anyone make any suggestions?
Unfortunately, that's about as far as my practical knowledge goes.
Everyone should actually do this.
1- start doing your own maintenance (as much as you are comfortable with). If you don't own a car yet, buy one that has a reputation for being easy and cheap to work on (plenty of sports cars fit this, I'm more of a big sedan guy and wound up with a 1997 Lincoln Town Car).
2- read about cars on the internet. If you like cars (pre-req for being a car guy) you probably do this naturally. Most of my wasted time is spent on autoblog. if I hear about a car that I don't know about that piques my interest I hit google / wikipedia and find out about it.
3- go to car shows / races. Car guys love to talk about cars. Car shows or motor races have only one kind of person at them - car guys - and they will talk your ear off about interesting things if you stand still for more than a few seconds.
Really, if you are interested in cars, just start wasting time reading about them and you'll eventually turn into a car guy.
gamertag: Canadianllama
Really its pretty much 1 and 2. Also you should watch top gear. What really helped me was getting a secondary car that was my race/project car. Then I could do all my own mods without having to worry if the car would be running by Monday to get me to work. I had no fucking clue what I was doing when I did the roll bar, springs/shocks, or turbo on that car. I just grabbed the miata shop manual from a dealership (which was better than the haynes manual IMO) and some instructions I printed off from the webbernets. On a less hard-core scale you can do basic things like maintenance with fluids, belts(not the timing belt), and spark plugs. On some cars it is relatively easy to replace things like the power steering pump and water pump.
As for this part it is pretty much just a numbers game with hp, torque, weight, # of cylinders, and engine size for raw numbers and 0-60, skid pad Gs, 60-0 for application of power, cornering, and braking. Then you can go a little more obscure to lap times on places like Nürburgring to see overall performance of a vehicle. Then you should realize that if you bought a car you will rarely if ever use any of these numbers in practice unless you take it out racing. I love to ogle the super cars and even cars over 30-40k but I doubt I would ever buy one because I'm too frugal/practical. I've taken a 5k used miata and thrown another 5k in mods to make it the theoretical equivalent of mid 90s bmw m3s. However I'm just alright at racing in SCCA events and usually end up in the middle of my class. I do however take great joy when I would beat a viper* in my barely modified slushbox 165hp Subaru 2.5 rs (my daily driver).
*yes I know a viper is not made for AutoX but I still find it amusing anyway. DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE!
Edit #12: If you do take an interest in racing realize that driver skill is way way waaayyyy more important than the car you are driving. Thus money would be better spent on driving schools than car parts.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/BaronofBank/
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Portfolio: www.cargocollective.com/bsdesigns
VTEC was a cool technology back in the day but is becoming slightly more common. My friend had one and it was pretty nice but not a ton of room in the back seat. *shrug*
Edit: It is a ok car. Nothing spectacular I can think of and nothing horrible. What are you looking for in a car? Price range?
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Hrrrgh. So tempting - I miss my S13 from back home and this'd be a fun project, but I don't have a garage at the moment. Stupid apartment building.
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No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Drives with the wrong set of wheels. Occasionally people realize this and fix them.
Wha?
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
I currently drive a piece of shit 2002 Ford Escort. Not saying the car is bad but mine was a lemon. As a student I don't really have the stable income to get an auto loan so I'm looking for something that is cheap but a good platform to have some fun tinkering with. I liked the look of the prelude and it seemed like a better starting point than a civic or something from around the same time.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/BaronofBank/
Blog: www.blakesmisko.com
Portfolio: www.cargocollective.com/bsdesigns
Define cheap and how old you would be fine buying. Is RWD fine in your area (ie no snow)?
Other possible tinker toys
Subaru 2.5rs ~2800lbs 165hp decent torque AWD*,
Integra ~140-170hp and ~2600lbs FWD,
miata ~130hp and 2,300lbs RWD,
late 90s nissan 240sx 155hp and ~2800-2900lbs RWD,
mid to late 90s bmw 3 series (will cost more with upkeep) RWD,
etc
*Not a great platform for turbo if you want to do that later on. The engine apparently doesn't like boost and likes to detonate. On the other hand it handles pretty damn well with just the addition of a larger sway bar which can usually be yoinked from wrx owners who get rid of theirs. (Stock 13mm. WRX 17mm). Also the auto version has weird torque split from front/rear but the manual version is 50/50 all the time.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
I currently drive a 2007 Scion TC.
Same color but mine has lowered springs.
But for the 2011 model, they completely redesigned it.
Yeah concept picture but that's exactly what the production model came out looking like.
They also upped the horsepower and torque from 161/162 to 180/174 and it has a 6 speed automatic transmission.
I'm not sure how I feel about the looks and I wonder if the curb weight went up at all. It's currently 2970.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/BaronofBank/
Blog: www.blakesmisko.com
Portfolio: www.cargocollective.com/bsdesigns
It should be running with a new-ish JDM engine and T3/T4-46 trim turbo by Thursday.
I don't believe in FWD or AT and don't like most domestics, so I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to replace it.
Edit: oops the 3rd one is supposed to be for the integra not the rsx but it looks about the same with more half red circles and some minor issues with rough shifting.
Edit 2: I suck that first one is supposed to be the subaru sedan not the wagon which has less blakc half circles and more average ratings with only two issues on the '00 year being minor tranny and exhaust.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae115/glorprell/
http://steamcommunity.com/id/BaronofBank/
Blog: www.blakesmisko.com
Portfolio: www.cargocollective.com/bsdesigns
A friend had one and I quite liked it, I thought it was an entertaining car to drive.
Of course, it has about zero practicality aside from being fairly easy to park (but everything that's not a full size truck is easy to park when your driver is a town car).
Tinkering with your primary transportation is a great way to end up riding the bus to work. If you really want to learn engines, buy a cheap old motorcycle (and the appropriate manuals and tools). Old Yamahas and Suzukis are still reasonably common on Craigslist in the $1000-$1500 range.
Something like this would be perfect. I might buy it if it's still on the market after my house closes...
Two frontrunners right now seem to be a 02-08 model Mazda 6 (Atenza) Diesel Wagon 6sp Manual OR some variety of Subaru Outback or Liberty (Legacy) wagon. Manual, mid 00's again.
Anyone have any experience / advice on either of these cars? Or can recommended another wagon that comes in manual and is decent on fuel? She's looking at getting something a little unique as well though, not a commodore / falcon kinda lady.
Anyone had experience with 02-08 model Saabs? The 9-3 wagon looks interesting.
There are lots of outbacks and legacys around here and they seem to pretty decent cars but at least the gasoline version doesn't get spectacular gas mileage. 19-23 city and 25-29 mpg highway.
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
What a pretty little 500hp engine. Why mister 500hp engine, what car do you go in?
OH SHIT!