Flappy Paddle is the one true shifter. [Car] Thread.

CommunistCow · April 2012

DaemonSadi wrote: »

Beltaine wrote: »

DaemonSadi wrote: »

The Deliverator wrote: »

It really depends on the engine whether it's going to eat oil or not. Some, like the 1.9L in older Saturn SL1s, are notorious for it. My '00 needs to be checked once a month, and is usually down a quart. It's been like that since my dad bought the car years ago with like 60k miles on it. The ancient escort I used to have never needed a top-off ever. My 1.8T Jetta I checked religiously because of having a turbo, but it was always fine. It's just a quirk some small engines have. If you're worried about it check various forums for the specific car or maker and ask.

Well my engine is a farrrrrrrrrr way from stock so I can't really compare it to other cars of the same type. So that's why I was just curious if it was possible for a small engine making lots of power and revving extra high to be using oil in some non-catastrophic fashion.

Heavy modification does sometimes take a good swipe at reliability. Using oil can be a good indication of something that may fail eventually. Then again, I knew a guy that drove a beat-up old Ford truck that would stop by the service station every two weeks to fill it with used oil until it was running out of the dipstick holder. He did that for years and the thing still ran.

It's probably just a small leak somewhere. Depends on how badly you want to go chasing down the problem.

Go run it up to operating temp then get out and open the hood and take a good whiff. Smell burning oil?

I haven't noticed any burning oil smells and I haven't been able to find any leaks which is has left me baffled!

Was the car eating this much oil during your last emissions test? Were any of the numbers from the emissions test rather high?

If the car is taking that much oil then there is a problem somewhere. You could certainly keep adding oil to it and have it keep running. If you don't smell the oil and there is no burning oil smell from the engine bay it could be that one of your O-rings is bad and the oil is leaking into the cylinder and being combusted. If you really want to figure out if that is the problem you could get someone to do a leak down test on the cylinders to see if they are holding compression like they should.

DaemonSadi · April 2012

CommunistCow wrote: »

DaemonSadi wrote: »

Beltaine wrote: »

DaemonSadi wrote: »

The Deliverator wrote: »

It really depends on the engine whether it's going to eat oil or not. Some, like the 1.9L in older Saturn SL1s, are notorious for it. My '00 needs to be checked once a month, and is usually down a quart. It's been like that since my dad bought the car years ago with like 60k miles on it. The ancient escort I used to have never needed a top-off ever. My 1.8T Jetta I checked religiously because of having a turbo, but it was always fine. It's just a quirk some small engines have. If you're worried about it check various forums for the specific car or maker and ask.

Well my engine is a farrrrrrrrrr way from stock so I can't really compare it to other cars of the same type. So that's why I was just curious if it was possible for a small engine making lots of power and revving extra high to be using oil in some non-catastrophic fashion.

Heavy modification does sometimes take a good swipe at reliability. Using oil can be a good indication of something that may fail eventually. Then again, I knew a guy that drove a beat-up old Ford truck that would stop by the service station every two weeks to fill it with used oil until it was running out of the dipstick holder. He did that for years and the thing still ran.

It's probably just a small leak somewhere. Depends on how badly you want to go chasing down the problem.

Go run it up to operating temp then get out and open the hood and take a good whiff. Smell burning oil?

I haven't noticed any burning oil smells and I haven't been able to find any leaks which is has left me baffled!

Was the car eating this much oil during your last emissions test? Were any of the numbers from the emissions test rather high?

If the car is taking that much oil then there is a problem somewhere. You could certainly keep adding oil to it and have it keep running. If you don't smell the oil and there is no burning oil smell from the engine bay it could be that one of your O-rings is bad and the oil is leaking into the cylinder and being combusted. If you really want to figure out if that is the problem you could get someone to do a leak down test on the cylinders to see if they are holding compression like they should.

Errr... my car doesn't exactly... pass... emissions tests....

Thanks for the advice though. I could get a compression test done.

I just changed my oil so I'm going to see if somehow... anything changes...

Beltaine · April 2012

Yeah, if there's no oil on the garage floor, and the engine doesn't smell like oil when it's warm (indicating a leak), then it's being burned and going out the exhaust. Compression test will at least narrow it down hopefully.

Still means a pretty laborious teardown, though.

Another quick thought: Have you looked at the PCV valve? Depending on the vehicle, and if it's worn out, oil could be getting out there, and it would only be at high RPM's, and could be routed away from the heat of the engine so there is no smell.

L Ron Howard · April 2012

Check your exhaust pipe. There will be some residue in there, if it's not leaking it.
My Subaru turbo has blow-by if I get on the turbo before it's properly warmed up in the winter. That is how I know.

CommunistCow · April 2012

At least in my case a compression test didn't show a problem with any of my cylinders but a leak down test did. A compression test you could easily do yourself. A leak down test ...not so much.

DaemonSadi · April 2012

L Ron Howard wrote: »

Check your exhaust pipe. There will be some residue in there, if it's not leaking it.
My Subaru turbo has blow-by if I get on the turbo before it's properly warmed up in the winter. That is how I know.

There is lots of black residue in my tail pipes. Much of that is due to not having a Cat though. But maybe there is some oil going through? If the oil is in the tail pipes what would that entail?

L Ron Howard · April 2012

You would see the oil if there is oil. My car has an turbo back exhaust kit, and I have the black soot too. However, the oil is unmistakable. It would be oil, black and liquid. You would know it if you saw it.
Does that help you?

DaemonSadi · April 2012

L Ron Howard wrote: »

You would see the oil if there is oil. My car has an turbo back exhaust kit, and I have the black soot too. However, the oil is unmistakable. It would be oil, black and liquid. You would know it if you saw it.
Does that help you?

I will take a look tonight. I never looked close enough before

matt has a problem · April 2012

Saw a terrible wreck today, a Porsche Boxster must've slammed into the back of a new BMW Z4 so hard it's like they turned into one car.

Oh wait.

I was wrong.

It's just a terrible BMW design.

tinwhiskers · April 2012

The color of the Porsche in that pic...what the fuck. I mean I understand people wanting to get away from Red/Silver/Black, but Hairball Metallic...

Slider · April 2012

I just went to a car show.

I'll try to post some pics at a later date.

Krieghund · April 2012

George Carlin: I'd like to see something in a dog crap, please.
Clerk: Well, what did you want to spend on that?
Carlin: Money's no object. It's for a very good friend. I rather fancy that beige number in the window.
Clerk: Oh, that's not beige, that's champagne gold!

Slider · April 2012

I like the 2010 Camaro at the bottom....

Nova_C · April 2012

Yeah, if the new Camaro wasn't a Chevy, I'd be all over it. It is one of the most amazing car designs in years.

L Ron Howard · April 2012

I don't really care much for the new Cameros. There's pretty much nothing I like about it. They sit awkward, it's hard to see out of them, the mirrors on the outside are too tiny, all the buttons on the inside are positioned weirdly, there's no trunk space, they're too heavy to have any performance unless you get the twin-turbo V-8, they handle like shit and have absolutely terrible suspension, and they're built by GM, to name a few.

saltiness · April 2012

Ughh. When is Subaru going to reveal the next WRX/STI? I hope they show it before the end of the year when I'll have my Fit paid off because I'm dropping that thing like a bad habit as soon as I own it free and clear. I want to know if it'll be worth waiting for the next WRX.

emp123 · April 2012

Im still hoping theyll announce an AWD BRZ STi, but I doubt they will. 200hp just seems anemic for a modern "sports" car.

Decius · April 2012

It would be nice if they did. Subaru needs a AWD 2-door sports coupé to replace the long forgotten SVX

emp123 · April 2012

I doubt Toyota will allow it.

The Deliverator · April 2012

L Ron Howard wrote: »

I don't really care much for the new Cameros. There's pretty much nothing I like about it. They sit awkward, it's hard to see out of them, the mirrors on the outside are too tiny, all the buttons on the inside are positioned weirdly, there's no trunk space, they're too heavy to have any performance unless you get the twin-turbo V-8, they handle like shit and have absolutely terrible suspension, and they're built by GM, to name a few.

The thing that always strikes me when I see one on the street is just how big they are. They really seem like they're half a size too large for some reason. I'm kinda saddened as well by all the little things wrong I seem to hear, because I think the body styling itself is really sharp.

Beltaine · April 2012

Yeah the new Camaro is bigger than the original by about 3-5 inches in any direction. I got to drive a manual SS and it was so huge and heavy that it really didn't feel any quicker than my Beetle.

Was driving around town this weekend and saw one of those jacked up 4x4 trucks we were talking about earlier. Yeah, just about the time I pointed it out to my wife, the truck started moving into the lane to his right, only there was some poor lady in a Carolla already there. It pretty much smooshed the entire side of her car from the rear door forward.

Hope the kid in the truck got a big fat ticket as there was no way his bumpers were legal height.

Krieghund · April 2012

emp123 wrote: »

Im still hoping theyll announce an AWD BRZ STi, but I doubt they will. 200hp just seems anemic for a modern "sports" car.

200 should be enough for what the BRZ is designed for. Once it's up to speed, getting around corners is it's real forte. Of course, getting up to speed might leave it in the dust, heh. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for more power in pretty much everything, but we have to look at what Toyota/Subaru were looking to get. Very light, fairly small. Rear wheel drive, do they even have a back seat? I can't remember. These things have track days written all over them. I'm willing to bet any STi model will have more suspension mods than engine mods.

Beltaine · April 2012

200hp from the manufacturer is ok. They gotta leave room for the chip tuners to make money.

Jealous Deva · April 2012

Guys, im not a fan of the camaro and so I hate to say this but if 400+ hp isn't enough for you in a sub-2 ton car and you feel like you need 550hp to get decent performance, you just might have a bit unreasonable expectations.

Ed: And the same goes for the 200hp engine in the BRZ.

L Ron Howard · April 2012

Why do I need to have more than 400 HP to make my 3950 lb car move?

Jealous Deva · April 2012

L Ron Howard wrote: »

Why do I need to have more than 400 HP to make my 3950 lb car move?

Good question, why do you? What possible applications are you using the car for for which a 5.0 sec 0-60 time and 13 second quarter mile are inadequate?

Beltaine · April 2012

I think that was the point?

They give us an overweight car, so now they have to have 400+ hp to meet the same specs they were getting in the previous generation with only 350 hp. All the while gas prices are rising, something that really helps sell a high horsepower, overweight chunky-butt "sports" car.

emp123 · April 2012

Well its roughly the same weight as my 240sx and it does have an extra 50hp on it, and the 240 was fun, but I just wanted to see something above 200.

But according to Subaru the BRZ is rated for 35MPG highway, which probably puts it somewhere around 30-32 combined depending on driving which isnt bad for a sporty car. And it does have a 6speed transmission....

But it has a wonky ass.

L Ron Howard · April 2012

Beltaine wrote: »

I think that was the point?

They give us an overweight car, so now they have to have 400+ hp to meet the same specs they were getting in the previous generation with only 350 hp. All the while gas prices are rising, something that really helps sell a high horsepower, overweight chunky-butt "sports" car.

That was the point. You're dead-on, @Beltaine.

belligerent · April 2012

Hello car thread.

So I'm looking at the new 2012 kia souls. I've never negotiated myself before so I'm a little worried, but I've read a bunch of stuff about these things.

Someone mentioned something about a website showing a dealer's true cost on cars. Are those things legit? I don't want to overpay, but I want to keep my price down as much as possible. I already have financing, just have the find the right model and a price that fits my budget.

I picked the soul because price range, fun factor, and I can slide in and out. I'm 6'6" 420, and I can't believe how well I fit in this vehicle.

CommunistCow · April 2012

L Ron Howard wrote: »

Beltaine wrote: »

I think that was the point?

They give us an overweight car, so now they have to have 400+ hp to meet the same specs they were getting in the previous generation with only 350 hp. All the while gas prices are rising, something that really helps sell a high horsepower, overweight chunky-butt "sports" car.

That was the point. You're dead-on, @Beltaine.

I also really love the looks of the new Camero, but I would never buy one for this very reason. If they knocked 1,000lbs off the car they could also cut out 100hp and I think that would be much more reasonable. I'm betting it would handle better.

Krieghund · April 2012

belligerent wrote: »

Hello car thread.

So I'm looking at the new 2012 kia souls. I've never negotiated myself before so I'm a little worried, but I've read a bunch of stuff about these things.

Someone mentioned something about a website showing a dealer's true cost on cars. Are those things legit? I don't want to overpay, but I want to keep my price down as much as possible. I already have financing, just have the find the right model and a price that fits my budget.

I picked the soul because price range, fun factor, and I can slide in and out. I'm 6'6" 420, and I can't believe how well I fit in this vehicle.

The best way to find info on your specific car you like is to find a fan site for that car. I go to www.themustangsource.com since I have an 07 GT. There are dealers that will tell you the invoice, holdback whatever. I see the same for Camaro, Challenger, pretty much every light weight japanese car and probably most cars I wouldn't give a second look to.

CommunistCow · April 2012

emp123 wrote: »

Well its roughly the same weight as my 240sx and it does have an extra 50hp on it, and the 240 was fun, but I just wanted to see something above 200.

But according to Subaru the BRZ is rated for 35MPG highway, which probably puts it somewhere around 30-32 combined depending on driving which isnt bad for a sporty car. And it does have a 6speed transmission....

But it has a wonky ass.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-subaru-brz-sports-car-first-drive-review

It also weights 2750 which is about the same as my 2001 2.5RS while having 45 more hp and .5 less liters. ~~I'm guessing it won't be very torquey just like the old 2.0 wrxes felt anemic below the boost.~~ After reading Car and Driver's review it sounds like the 2.0 in this is completely new.

A few snippets from that article:

The company claims that 54 percent of this car’s mass rides on the front wheels and 46 over the rear, and says that its center of gravity is right around 18 inches high. That latter figure rivals or beats the measurements for the Porsche Cayman and Mazda RX-8, among others.
...
Amazingly, the engine is mounted 9.4 inches farther back in the chassis than an Impreza’s four. A Subaru spokesman says the two engines share “maybe a few screws,” but are otherwise completely separate pieces.
...
200hp and 151tq—Subaru’s stated output—while the A’s 7400-rpm redline is 800 higher. Thank Toyota’s fuel-injection setup, which squirts both via intake ports and directly into the cylinder—the system is Big T’s lone contribution to the engine—and allows a crushing compression ratio of 12.5:1. “Crushing” is not a descriptor we’d employ for the acceleration, although we estimate a 0-to-60-mph time of around six seconds flat with the six-speed manual; [For reference the NA 2.5L and 2.0L versions of the impreza for the last decade have mostly done low 8s on the 0-60.]

Also, all the automatics are flappy paddles. So that is nice.

Beltaine · April 2012

CommunistCow wrote: »

L Ron Howard wrote: »

Beltaine wrote: »

I think that was the point?

They give us an overweight car, so now they have to have 400+ hp to meet the same specs they were getting in the previous generation with only 350 hp. All the while gas prices are rising, something that really helps sell a high horsepower, overweight chunky-butt "sports" car.

That was the point. You're dead-on, @Beltaine.

I also really love the looks of the new Camero, but I would never buy one for this very reason. If they knocked 1,000lbs off the car they could also cut out 100hp and I think that would be much more reasonable. I'm betting it would handle better.

Drop 1000-1500 lbs, use the new 300hp V-6 they put in the RS, and make it about the size of an FD RX-7 and you'd have one hell of a car.

emp123 · April 2012

Thanks CommunistCow, I spend all this time convincing myself I dont want one and there you go posting an article about how its quick, fun to drive, and gets decent gas milage all while Im missing my 240sx. I am graduating soon...maybe they'll have turboed it by the time I can afford one (I just want the noise

).

Ugh, and its like 10k cheaper than an Evo. God damn it. God damn it.

schuss · April 2012

belligerent wrote: »

Hello car thread.

So I'm looking at the new 2012 kia souls. I've never negotiated myself before so I'm a little worried, but I've read a bunch of stuff about these things.

Someone mentioned something about a website showing a dealer's true cost on cars. Are those things legit? I don't want to overpay, but I want to keep my price down as much as possible. I already have financing, just have the find the right model and a price that fits my budget.

I picked the soul because price range, fun factor, and I can slide in and out. I'm 6'6" 420, and I can't believe how well I fit in this vehicle.

Here's my advice:
Email all the kia dealers in a 50-100 mile radius. Say "I want a kia soul with x and I want to pay y". Y you find out from Edmunds and other car sites. Any place that says "Come in to talk about it" you just strike off the list. The ones willing to work with you go on the list. Get financing through your credit union if they don't have a .9% or something deal going on. Walk in with credit union check. Walk out with car.

iguanacus · April 2012

schuss wrote: »

belligerent wrote: »

Hello car thread.

So I'm looking at the new 2012 kia souls. I've never negotiated myself before so I'm a little worried, but I've read a bunch of stuff about these things.

Someone mentioned something about a website showing a dealer's true cost on cars. Are those things legit? I don't want to overpay, but I want to keep my price down as much as possible. I already have financing, just have the find the right model and a price that fits my budget.

I picked the soul because price range, fun factor, and I can slide in and out. I'm 6'6" 420, and I can't believe how well I fit in this vehicle.

Here's my advice:
Email all the kia dealers in a 50-100 mile radius. Say "I want a kia soul with x and I want to pay y". Y you find out from Edmunds and other car sites. Any place that says "Come in to talk about it" you just strike off the list. The ones willing to work with you go on the list. Get financing through your credit union if they don't have a .9% or something deal going on. Walk in with credit union check. Walk out with car.

This is good advice. Securing financing before you go takes a of the power out of the dealers hands. Hit up the [url="http:// http://www.edmunds.com/kia/soul/2012/options.html?sub=wagon&style=101351639&trim=base"] edmunds[/url] for the invoice price with options and make sure you go to the manufacturers website to see what rebates are going on.

CommunistCow · April 2012

emp123 wrote: »

Thanks CommunistCow, I spend all this time convincing myself I dont want one and there you go posting an article about how its quick, fun to drive, and gets decent gas milage all while Im missing my 240sx. I am graduating soon...maybe they'll have turboed it by the time I can afford one (I just want the noise ).

Ugh, and its like 10k cheaper than an Evo. God damn it. God damn it.

Don't blame me, blame Subaru for making a non-shitty 2.0L car.

Then again I wish the price was a little bit lower. You can get a WRX with 265hp for ~$25k, and I think the only downside is the MPG.

emp123 · April 2012

CommunistCow wrote: »

emp123 wrote: »

Thanks CommunistCow, I spend all this time convincing myself I dont want one and there you go posting an article about how its quick, fun to drive, and gets decent gas milage all while Im missing my 240sx. I am graduating soon...maybe they'll have turboed it by the time I can afford one (I just want the noise ).

Ugh, and its like 10k cheaper than an Evo. God damn it. God damn it.

Don't blame me, blame Subaru for making a non-shitty 2.0L car.

Then again I wish the price was a little bit lower. You can get a WRX with 265hp for ~$25k, and I think the only downside is the MPG.

Well, the base WRX is $100 more and it gets 10 less MPG. I assume insurance is probably around the same, maybe a little cheaper on the WRX. You'll also lose a gear with the WRX, but you'll gain AWD. And really, most of the STi stuff isnt worth the added total if youre just going to drive it on the street.

God damn it Subaru, what have you done to me!

Hmm... the Scion is $900 cheaper than the Subaru...I wonder what it loses.

EDIT: Oh god, you only "get" 35mpg freeway with the BRZ if you grab the automatic, so I guess youre only getting 5MPG more with the BRZ. At the cost of a functional backseat. Although if the backseat is anything like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe its probably okay. Anything is better than the backseat of the 240sx (S13 anyway), I had maybe a quarter inch between the driver seat and the backseat.

EDIT 2: And looking at the base WRX, it comes with more features standard than the base BRZ...

CommunistCow · April 2012

emp123 wrote: »

...maybe they'll have turboed it by the time I can afford one (I just want the noise ).

Problem solved:
http://www.amazon.com/Fake-Turbo-Sound-Blowoff-Valve/dp/B000YKZE4S

Penny Arcade

Flappy Paddle is the one true shifter. [Car] Thread.

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