Official Gramps' Memorial Eternal OT Thread

[marcusluvsvols]

Don't forget Boxster, Cayman, 911, BMW 2 Series, BMW 4 Series, Genesis G70, Fiat 124 Spider, Lotus Evora, Aston Martin Vantage AMR, and Nissan 370Z for manual trans and RWD.

Wow. The article i read about the Supras etc only listed those 5. Must have been $50k and under i guess? Was Car and Driver if memory serves

 

[Orangeburst]

Great car choice. Probably the sneakiest "sleeper" on the market. Looks like a grocery getter sedan...with that turbo flat 4 and a stick shift AWD...will snap your neck stoplight to stoplight. AWD is great...and Audi Quattro is the only thing on the road with as much experience with AWD as Subaru. Great cars all around . A friend of mine has a red convertible Audi A4 with tan leather and AWD. Such a pretty car, and it has a turbo 4cyl like your Subaru. Those flat 4s in the Subaru models make more torque than a typical inline 4 cylinder engine does, and Subaru has perfected them.

Audi's are Hitler cars...You may be too young but they would accelerate even when brake is pressed....j/k
It was a big deal many years ago when apparently people were pressing the accelerator and thought they pressing the brakes as they engaged Drive. Why we have the switch on the tranny when engaging from Park to Drive the brake pedal must be pressed. My Mom had an Audi 5000 which was retrofitted when all this occurred and it made its way onto all production vehicles. Come to think of it, who designs a 5 cylinder motor. Weird.

 

[AM64]

Great car choice. Probably the sneakiest "sleeper" on the market. Looks like a grocery getter sedan...with that turbo flat 4 and a stick shift AWD...will snap your neck stoplight to stoplight. AWD is great...and Audi Quattro is the only thing on the road with as much experience with AWD as Subaru. Great cars all around . A friend of mine has a red convertible Audi A4 with tan leather and AWD. Such a pretty car, and it has a turbo 4cyl like your Subaru. Those flat 4s in the Subaru models make more torque than a typical inline 4 cylinder engine does, and Subaru has perfected them.

I've only found one nasty surprise since owning my Subaru. If you have over a few thousand miles on a set of tires and you have to replace one - you have to replace all four. Optionally, I suppose you could buy a new one and have it ground down to the same diameter as the worn tires. I hit something on the interstate when changing lanes and ruined one tire. It didn't blow but the warning light came on immediately and it went down faster than I could get across three lanes to the shoulder; the car never flinched - I swear you could drive it on three wheels. Z rated low profile tires are expensive - I like my Cooper replacements almost as well as the exorbitantly priced Bridgestones that came on the car. I've gotten two warning tickets. The last one was when I passed a couple of cars on a two lane highway in the middle of nowhere SC. They were going about the speed limit - sometimes just at and sometimes under when I saw a nice opening and went. The front car turned out to be a completely unmarked black Charger with the blue lights in the grill; I think in a WRX it wouldn't have been a warning.

 

[RavinDave]

Almost ten years ago, I went into a Subaru dealership with every intention of driving out in a WRX. I wound up without any real effort from the sales guy in a Legacy GT instead - same engine as the WRX but with a six speed manual. The WRX was smaller and lighter and bit "sportier", but I got more room for road trips etc in the Legacy - plus it's lower profile where cops are concerned. The one thing I walked away with after testing the WRX and driving the Legacy for almost ten years is that the best way to put power to the ground is with all four wheels. The Taurus SHO I had before was pretty much devoid of torque steer but was pretty twitchy at full throttle in 1st. My Merkur XR4Ti accelerated well, but on a road even the least bit wet was a handful. Sometimes when the turbo boost really came in, the back end which had been hanging on very well broke loose - not a nice surprise on an entrance ramp. I'm simply a proponent of AWD when the car has lots of power, and the way Subaru does AWD is amazing - my wife's Honda could learn a lot about AWD from my Subaru. I've also spent a fraction in maintenance over what she has. I'm really gonna miss manual transmissions when they are gone.

The Tiguan used to be my wife’s until I bought an Outback and then I let her have it. Maybe it will be mine again when I buy her something else. When I went to Alaska 3 years ago I saw more Outbacks than you could shake a stick at. They are quite popular in Colorado too.

 

[1972 Grad]

Wow. The article i read about the Supras etc only listed those 5. Must have been $50k and under i guess? Was Car and Driver if memory serves

Even under 50K, you still have the BMW 2, the Genesis, the 370Z, and the Fiat. Not sure how expensive the Lotus is, or even a 4 cylinder BMW 4 series.

 

[hog88]

The Tiguan used to be my wife’s until I bought an Outback and then I let her have it. Maybe it will be mine again when I buy her something else. When I went to Alaska 3 years ago I saw more Outbacks than you could shake a stick at. They are quite popular in Colorado too.

Women wearing flannel driving them?

 

[Orangeburst]

I've only found one nasty surprise since owning my Subaru. If you have over a few thousand miles on a set of tires and you have to replace one - you have to replace all four. Optionally, I suppose you could buy a new one and have it ground down to the same diameter as the worn tires. I hit something on the interstate when changing lanes and ruined one tire. It didn't blow but the warning light came on immediately and it went down faster than I could get across three lanes to the shoulder; the car never flinched - I swear you could drive it on three wheels. Z rated low profile tires are expensive - I like my Cooper replacements almost as well as the exorbitantly priced Bridgestones that came on the car. I've gotten two warning tickets. The last one was when I passed a couple of cars on a two lane highway in the middle of nowhere SC. They were going about the speed limit - sometimes just at and sometimes under when I saw a nice opening and went. The front car turned out to be a completely unmarked black Charger with the blue lights in the grill; I think in a WRX it wouldn't have been a warning.

Had a friend with a WRX...It was fast and on rails. Rather amazing. I have 19" Continentals on my current vehicle and they are great, but make a weird sound on what I hear in the driver seat on the front left tire. Sounds like a bearing is going out or even tire separation, but had them rotated and the sound is still there and even had dealership look at and they said they have had complaints. More noticeable on cold days, but what gets me is it seems rotational at a spot.

 

[RavinDave]

Women wearing flannel driving them?

Lol

Probably a good number of them.

 

[1972 Grad]

Wow. The article i read about the Supras etc only listed those 5. Must have been $50k and under i guess? Was Car and Driver if memory serves

I just went back and looked it up, and the 911 and the 2 BMW's no longer offer a manual. They did last time I looked, but not today, so we are both partially correct. The Germans dropped the manuals for the 2021 models.

 

[AM64]

Had a friend with a WRX...It was fast and on rails. Rather amazing. I have 19" Continentals on my current vehicle and they are great, but make a weird sound on what I hear in the driver seat on the front left tire. Sounds like a bearing is going out or even tire separation, but had them rotated and the sound is still there and even had dealership look at and they said they have had complaints. More noticeable on cold days, but what gets me is it seems rotational at a spot.

My brother and I used to talk about that - seems like some brands are bad about wear related noise. We both turned against Bridgestone at one point for that reason. I notice some of it in my current tires, but then I've got one tire with a bulge after hitting a pothole at night on an interstate - I keep a close eye on it, but there's a lot of mileage left on the tires and I'm not doing a lot of cross country driving. Look at the tread blocks and see if the front and rear look different - one edge rounded and the the sharp or feathered. I think that kind of wear pattern accentuates road noise. Some tire manufacturers also vary the tire compound, so you get essentially a different compound on the road as the tire wears - or some of grooves (sipes) change with wear.

 

[AM64]

I just went back and looked it up, and the 911 and the 2 BMW's no longer offer a manual. They did last time I looked, but not today, so we are both partially correct. The Germans dropped the manuals for the 2021 models.

Kids don't know how to drive manuals. My definition for a manual transmission - millennial anti theft device.

 

[hog88]

Kids don't know how to drive manuals. My definition for a manual transmission - millennial anti theft device.

If I still had my first truck with a 3 on the tree I'd never need to lock the doors.

 

[Orangeburst]

My brother and I used to talk about that - seems like some brands are bad about wear related noise. We both turned against Bridgestone at one point for that reason. I notice some of it in my current tires, but then I've got one tire with a bulge after hitting a pothole at night on an interstate - I keep a close eye on it, but there's a lot of mileage left on the tires and I'm not doing a lot of cross country driving. Look at the tread blocks and see if the front and rear look different - one edge rounded and the the sharp or feathered. I think that kind of wear pattern accentuates road noise. Some tire manufacturers also vary the tire compound, so you get essentially a different compound on the road as the tire wears - or some of grooves (sipes) change with wear.

It is not related to wear as I heard it at 10K when I purchased vehicle last year. It is an issue apparently as each of the wheel spokes (five) bear the load and causes issues with the tire bead. It sounds like the dadgum tire belts are separating at low spped. No vibrations or such, just discomforting and really noticeable at a drive thru.
2017 Honda Accord Wheels Problems

 

[AM64]

It is not related to wear as I heard it at 10K when I purchased vehicle last year. It is an issue apparently as each of the wheel spokes (five) bear the load and causes issues with the tire bead. It sounds like the dadgum tire belts are separating at low spped. No vibrations or such, just discomforting and really noticeable at a drive thru.
2017 Honda Accord Wheels Problems

That's really interesting; I've never heard of that kind of problem before; but, yeah, entirely possible. We tend to look at components as individual things without considering what happens in combination. I've always wondered some about the fact that the spokes aren't attached symmetrically to the rim - toward the front rather than more in the middle, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. After reading, it makes you wonder if this kind of phenomena is more common than we know, but the combination of the particular wheel and tire is just an unbelievably bad mix. That's the kind of thing that needs research - a first step would be different tires on that wheel - the engineer in me - if it happens here, can it happen more frequently, but we don't notice or attribute it to something else. Have you heard any more about what Honda is doing?

 

[Orangeburst]

That's really interesting; I've never heard of that kind of problem before; but, yeah, entirely possible. We tend to look at components as individual things without considering what happens in combination. I've always wondered some about the fact that the spokes aren't attached symmetrically to the rim - toward the front rather than more in the middle, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. After reading, it makes you wonder if this kind of phenomena is more common than we know, but the combination of the particular wheel and tire is just an unbelievably bad mix. That's the kind of thing that needs research - a first step would be different tires on that wheel - the engineer in me - if it happens here, can it happen more frequently, but we don't notice or attribute it to something else. Have you heard any more about what Honda is doing?

No, but noticed it more now that the weather is cooler last year and this year. It matches up with the "rotational" aspect as each "spoke" bears the load, but no pressure issues that I have seen. Maybe a couple of psi bump every 6 months. and not even sure if that is more temp related. Not really even concerned about noise, just safety. They are nice wheels and low profile tires and I guess that if no Blow outs are happening then I have no problem. It is loud though and rather disconcerting. They are great handling tires and even good in rain.

 

[AM64]

No, but noticed it more now that the weather is cooler last year and this year. It matches up with the "rotational" aspect as each "spoke" bears the load, but no pressure issues that I have seen. Maybe a couple of psi bump every 6 months. and not even sure if that is more temp related. Not really even concerned about noise, just safety. They are nice wheels and low profile tires and I guess that if no Blow outs are happening then I have no problem. It is loud though and rather disconcerting. They are great handling tires and even good in rain.

I've had Continental tires in the past and thought they were pretty good. What people were saying in the link you posted is disturbing though - the noise is one thing, but what's behind it would bother me as an engineer even if it were so minor people didn't notice. It may be completely benign, but I'd want to fully understand the mechanism.

 

[Orangeburst]

I've had Continental tires in the past and thought they were pretty good. What people were saying in the link you posted is disturbing though - the noise is one thing, but what's behind it would bother me as an engineer even if it were so minor people didn't notice. It may be completely benign, but I'd want to fully understand the mechanism.

Thanks AM64! I feel better now when I take that high speed turn!....lol

 

[AM64]

Thanks AM64! I feel better now when I take that high speed turn!....lol

Anything I can do to help. EFG

Actually I was just looking at a paper that discusses cavity induced resonant noise in rolling tires - different from the tread blocks interacting with a road surface. I don't see any reason why noise generated in that manner would have to be transmitted through the suspension - it can be, but it can be noise that you hear directly under the right conditions. I didn't mean that this was a failure type mechanism - just more that as an engineer reading about something new it has my interest. There has to be enough testing done by auto, tire, and wheel manufacturers that it it were a safety issue it would have turned up. Vibration and noise analysis in nuclear plants was my thing years ago - still interesting in other places, too.

 

[Orangeburst]

Anything I can do to help. EFG

Actually I was just looking at a paper that discusses cavity induced resonant noise in rolling tires - different from the tread blocks interacting with a road surface. I don't see any reason why noise generated in that manner would have to be transmitted through the suspension - it can be, but it can be noise that you hear directly under the right conditions. I didn't mean that this was a failure type mechanism - just more that as an engineer reading about something new it has my interest. There has to be enough testing done by auto, tire, and wheel manufacturers that it it were a safety issue it would have turned up. Vibration and noise analysis in nuclear plants was my thing years ago - still interesting in other places, too.

I was just being flippant in my remarks. You my VN bud.

 

[Orangeburst]

Anything I can do to help. EFG

Actually I was just looking at a paper that discusses cavity induced resonant noise in rolling tires - different from the tread blocks interacting with a road surface. I don't see any reason why noise generated in that manner would have to be transmitted through the suspension - it can be, but it can be noise that you hear directly under the right conditions. I didn't mean that this was a failure type mechanism - just more that as an engineer reading about something new it has my interest. There has to be enough testing done by auto, tire, and wheel manufacturers that it it were a safety issue it would have turned up. Vibration and noise analysis in nuclear plants was my thing years ago - still interesting in other places, too.

I still have not figured out "EFG". Is that a coffee predecessor to JFG?

 

[RavinDave]

I still have not figured out "EFG". Is that a coffee predecessor to JFG?

Or a variation on BFG tires? full disclosure - I worked for BFGoodrich Chemical as a co-op for 3 years.

EFG

(I will let AM64 explain it, since he originated it...)

 

[Orangeburst]

Anything I can do to help. EFG

Actually I was just looking at a paper that discusses cavity induced resonant noise in rolling tires - different from the tread blocks interacting with a road surface. I don't see any reason why noise generated in that manner would have to be transmitted through the suspension - it can be, but it can be noise that you hear directly under the right conditions. I didn't mean that this was a failure type mechanism - just more that as an engineer reading about something new it has my interest. There has to be enough testing done by auto, tire, and wheel manufacturers that it it were a safety issue it would have turned up. Vibration and noise analysis in nuclear plants was my thing years ago - still interesting in other places, too.

Vibration in a nuke ya say?

 

[Carl Pickens]

Video won’t play for me but you assessment is correct. There are guys that teach a less lethal style and still call it Krag Maga.

In the video two guys started in on another guy. He ended up beating the tar out of both of them with very direct punches..... a few well placed kicks when they were down and in the early going he used a head throw to perfection. He was definitely skilled

 

[Carl Pickens]

No video on linky. But Krav Maga isn’t really a general public self defense skill. It’s a purposefully born combat skill by its very nature it is designed to be lethal. So even without video I’d guess it’s not Krav Maga but maybe @Orangeslice13 has a more informed opinion on the style.

I think he could have killed them if he wanted to. He was incredibly effective and I don’t think he even caught a punch.... he left them both searching for tomorrow

 

[RavinDave]

Speaking of engineering quirks regarding cars. My first car was a 1968 Triumph GT6 that had wire wheels, like a lot of the old British Leyland cars of that era did. Unlike steel or alloy rims which are bolted to the brake drum or axle with a number of studs that transfer the torque, these wire wheels are mounted on a short splined hub about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, which in turn is bolted to the brake drum or axle. This hub has about 50 or 60 shallow grooves that mate with grooves inside the wire wheel, on which the wheel is held in place with a little spinner cap.

Ok, so at the end of the summer a year after I bought this car, a buddy and I set out from Knoxville for a 3-week trip to Montana. Leaving late on a Sunday we decided to drive through the night. Got onto a small back road in Indiana by mistake and almost hit a cow crossing the road, just about dawn on Monday. Braked so hard, one of the front wheels' splined joint gave way and it stripped out the splines and with the car going forward that one wheel unscrewed it's spinner cap and the wheel nearly came off. We soon figured out we were screwed if that wheel wanted to come off every time we used the brakes. At about that time along comes a farmer and offered to help. Rummaging through some spare parts in his truck, we found a machine bolt with the same size and pitch as the threaded tubing connection between the brake master cylinder and the wheel, so we managed to plug the line to that one front brake, and we were back on the road!

We actually drove all the way out to Glacier Park and back, on one front brake.