69 slowmaro

[Benno von Humpback]

Go figure, just heard from the shop, the wheel bearings are pressed on as far as they can go. So it's either pull the bearings off, and cut the shoulder down to press them on farther, or buy new axle$. Ugh. All this b/c I wanted disc brakes...

Disc vs. rim is currently something of a controversy in road cycling. I now have two bikes with hydro discs. The do increase an old feller's confidence going downhill fast, but what a PIA to service!

[BeauV]

Go figure, just heard from the shop, the wheel bearings are pressed on as far as they can go. So it's either pull the bearings off, and cut the shoulder down to press them on farther, or buy new axle$. Ugh. All this b/c I wanted disc brakes...

Disc vs. rim is currently something of a controversy in road cycling. I now have two bikes with hydro discs. The do increase an old feller's confidence going downhill fast, but what a PIA to service!

I am now a BIG believer in disk brakes on bikes. I almost posted this over on the Organ Donor thread, but when I was 15 my best friend died when going down a hill. There was a deep wet patch and we were going way too fast. He clamped on the rim brakes and they simply didn't work - too much water. He hit the side of a semi. We'd been inseparable since we were 2. I've ridden disk brakes in all sorts of water and mud and they have always been able to lock up the wheel. My brakes didn't work on that fateful day either, they were rim brakes. I intentionally crashed into the ice plant on the side of the road and got bashed up a little, but I walked down the hill to try and help Steve. He never woke up, thank god.

Then there's the time I was coming down Mt. Tamalpias, which is very steep asphalt for a number of miles. It appears that dragging the brake heated the rim enough to cause a blowout. I got bashed up more than a little that time too.

Use disks - they are much much better.

[Benno von Humpback]

Go figure, just heard from the shop, the wheel bearings are pressed on as far as they can go. So it's either pull the bearings off, and cut the shoulder down to press them on farther, or buy new axle$. Ugh. All this b/c I wanted disc brakes...

Disc vs. rim is currently something of a controversy in road cycling. I now have two bikes with hydro discs. The do increase an old feller's confidence going downhill fast, but what a PIA to service!

I am now a BIG believer in disk brakes on bikes. I almost posted this over on the Organ Donor thread, but when I was 15 my best friend died when going down a hill. There was a deep wet patch and we were going way too fast. He clamped on the rim brakes and they simply didn't work - too much water. He hit the side of a semi. We'd been inseparable since we were 2. I've ridden disk brakes in all sorts of water and mud and they have always been able to lock up the wheel. My brakes didn't work on that fateful day either, they were rim brakes. I intentionally crashed into the ice plant on the side of the road and got bashed up a little, but I walked down the hill to try and help Steve. He never woke up, thank god.

Then there's the time I was coming down Mt. Tamalpias, which is very steep asphalt for a number of miles. It appears that dragging the brake heated the rim enough to cause a blowout. I got bashed up more than a little that time too.

Use disks - they are much much better.

Water eliminates any doubt in the matter, especially with carbon wheels. Heat used to be an issue with carbon rims too, until they changed the resins.

[Audrey]

Disc are definitely the way to go. I just hope I can get it to all work out. I'm taking a slight bit of material off the caliper to center them up. Strength and heat shouldn't be an issue, and they're still way better at stopping big tires than drums ever were.

[Slick470]

drums just suck...

[SemiSalt]

Ah, the thrill of the open road!

Lambo.jpg

Note: NJ tag, but picture taken in CT.

[BeauV]

Ah, the thrill of the open road!

Lambo.jpg

Note: NJ tag, but picture taken in CT.

Semi - ever since Audi bought Lambo and replaced all the electronics and re-engineered the drive train, friends I have who own them drive them as everyday cars. I am still amazed. One guy who lives in Woodside and commutes about 25 mile each way in heavy traffic to his office in downtown SF has over 100,000 miles on a Lambo! I thought the shelf life of those cars was about 25,000 miles. The old ones certainly weren't reliable.

Some folks are saying the Lambo is just the Audi R8 with an Italian body

[TheOffice]

When I was in law school there was a guy who used to sit in bumper to bumper DC traffic in his Ferrari. What a waste!

[SemiSalt]

This guy seemed to hold back until there was 50 yds of open space, then there would be a menacing growl and he would catch up.

[BeauV]

This guy seemed to hold back until there was 50 yds of open space, then there would be a menacing growl and he would catch up.

That car should have paddle shifters - a polite way of saying an automatic transmission - so he is doing that to "FEEL THE POWER" and just show off.

Back when I had a Ferrari I'd do that wait and then go stuff because it took 85lbs to press in the clutch and I'd get tired doing 134 left leg presses during one commute home from work

[JoeP]

This guy seemed to hold back until there was 50 yds of open space, then there would be a menacing growl and he would catch up.

That car should have paddle shifters - a polite way of saying an automatic transmission - so he is doing that to "FEEL THE POWER" and just show off.

Back when I had a Ferrari I'd do that wait and then go stuff because it took 85lbs to press in the clutch and I'd get tired doing 134 left leg presses during one commute home from work

27 years of clutch work in worsening stop & go traffic made me choose an auto with paddles for my FR-S. Luckily in manual mode + sport mode it changes the throttle mapping, and shift timing, and adds rev matching on the downshifts so not all the fun is lost. I do miss the heel & toe though.

[LarryHoward]

Joe,

Similarly DC traffic and commuting moved me to automatics. I will tell you that a good dual clutch box with sport mode and paddle shifters is a great way to go. I really enjoy my Macan S with PDK and sticky summer tires. Even my “I’ll never give up the 3rd pedal” son is starting to waiver a little after driving it. Add in that only a pro driver is quicker with a stick than a dual clutch automatic and the market for standard transmissions is shrinking fast, even with the sports car crowd.

I did see a design study for a Tesla Model 3 based Miata type convertible. 200 mile range and blinding acceleration in a sub $50K package. (My guess on price). I might have to give up my S2000 if that went into production.

[Olaf Hart]

Our CRV is the last model with a manual box that Honda sold in Oz...

[Jamie]

Double clutch are way faster and more comfy in traffic. The irony is PDKs wear like normal clutches in traffic, too.

I still love my 86kg, 5 gallons of gear oil drinking, almost a dog box on hard bushings, 6-speed. It's the Kalashnikov of gear boxes. Made for youngsters that don't know how to drive stick well or understand what AWD does to traction and clutches and still avoid warranty work. Not elegant, but gets the job done robustly. Quickly going the way of the dodo.

Subaru has had trouble with the CVTs and slushboxes so if you look at the torque curve, they hobble the engine in lower gears.

[LarryHoward]

Double clutch are way faster and more comfy in traffic. The irony is PDKs wear like normal clutches in traffic, too.

I still love my 86kg, 5 gallons of gear oil drinking, almost a dog box on hard bushings, 6-speed. It's the Kalashnikov of gear boxes. Made for youngsters that don't know how to drive stick well or understand what AWD does to traction and clutches and still avoid warranty work. Not elegant, but gets the job done robustly. Quickly going the way of the dodo.

Subaru has had trouble with the CVTs and slushboxes so if you look at the torque curve, they hobble the engine in lower gears.

Well, I do flip the PDK over to manual mode in stop and go stuff to keep it from shifting all the time. The S2000 has one of the sweetest 6 speeds ever made and I truly enjoy it but avoid the heavy traffic.

[JoeP]

No kidding Larry, that S2000 6 speed is a really sweet gearbox.

[Jamie]

Honda truly makes the best gearboxes.

[Audrey]

This guy seemed to hold back until there was 50 yds of open space, then there would be a menacing growl and he would catch up.

That car should have paddle shifters - a polite way of saying an automatic transmission - so he is doing that to "FEEL THE POWER" and just show off.
Back when I had a Ferrari I'd do that wait and then go stuff because it took 85lbs to press in the clutch and I'd get tired doing 134 left leg presses during one commute home from work

That's when I had to stop driving my last car as a daily driver. Had a T56 with a SPEC stage 5 in it rated to 1,000 ft lbs of tq. and it was stiff. Like lift you off the seat stiff and it was hydraulic. It was almost impossible to slip. It was ON/OFF and made a terrible screech noise when it engaged for the first few months. The friction disc was made out of splintered iron but the thing never slipped, slicks, prepped track, 6k rpm launch on the 2-step..... no problem.

But as fast as I could shift, a racing auto is always faster. So now it's a TH400 and way too much rear gear.

[Audrey]

The disc conversion saga continues. Went to bolt up the tire to check for some clearance on my proportioning valve and the studs are too short. So put those on order today. Did get all 4 corners mounted, new hubs, bearings, rotors, calipers, and master cylinder. Will need to look at the brake pedal rod and adjust properly. The plumbing took longer than expected and I needed two more fittings which will be here in 2 days but almost done with the brakes. Plumbing has to go from the master to a line lock on the fronts, braided ss, then to the calipers. The rears go from the master to a proportioning valve, to hard line, to a rubber hose, to a splitter, then to braided ss lines to the rear calipers. It all ended up taking up more room than I like so I may redo some of it w/ the new motor. Oh well. Progress has been made.

Also finalized the rear deck lid and hood. I gotta be honest, not impressed with the rear deck lid fitment. VFN fiberglass needs to redo their molds, way too much cutting and sanding to get it to fit half assed looking. (the hood fit slightly better, in the pick I haven't installed the fasteners yet).

[Ajax]

Ah, the thrill of the open road!

Lambo.jpg

Note: NJ tag, but picture taken in CT.

One reason why I abandoned performance for utility (and a little bit of history).
52 mph top speed doesn't seem like such a problem when you're bumping along in 35 mph traffic. Plus, it's fun to shine my headlights in the rearview mirror of the guy in the lifted Ford Raptor pickup in front of me.

[BeauV]

Ah, the thrill of the open road!

Lambo.jpg

Note: NJ tag, but picture taken in CT.

One reason why I abandoned performance for utility (and a little bit of history).
52 mph top speed doesn't seem like such a problem when you're bumping along in 35 mph traffic. Plus, it's fun to shine my headlights in the rearview mirror of the guy in the lifted Ford Raptor pickup in front of me.

[kimbottles]

Ah, the thrill of the open road!

Lambo.jpg

Note: NJ tag, but picture taken in CT.

One reason why I abandoned performance for utility (and a little bit of history).
52 mph top speed doesn't seem like such a problem when you're bumping along in 35 mph traffic. Plus, it's fun to shine my headlights in the rearview mirror of the guy in the lifted Ford Raptor pickup in front of me.

I have truck envy every time Rich posts anything about his truck.

[JoeP]

I'm at work in the black hole of telecommunications so I can't post it but there is a neat little YouTube clip I just saw with a Bentley blower towing a Porsche 962 on a trailer.

[kimbottles]

I'm at work in the black hole of telecommunications so I can't post it but there is a neat little YouTube clip I just saw with a Bentley blower towing a Porsche 962 on a trailer.

Yeah, I saw that, love the sound of the Blower Bentley cutting and filling as he tries to make the tight turn out of where he was parked.

https://youtu.be/n3KKSnOJP_c

[LarryHoward]

I'm at work in the black hole of telecommunications so I can't post it but there is a neat little YouTube clip I just saw with a Bentley blower towing a Porsche 962 on a trailer.

Yeah, I saw that, love the sound of the Blower Bentley cutting and filling as he tries to make the tight turn out of where he was parked.

https://youtu.be/n3KKSnOJP_c

I would love to show up at a Cars and Coffee with that rig. Sweet!

[Audrey]

Did some boring stuff last night. Weighed the hood and trunk against the old parts. Including going to race tires, 96.8 lbs have been removed from the car. This doesn't include swapping the radiator, fans, water pump, and brakes from giant F250 drums to drag racing brakes (that was a huge difference). So I expect to be right at or just under 3000 lbs w/ me in it. Need to loose more before the big block goes in next winter but we're getting there. If the car (wet) weighs in at 2850 lbs I'll be happy. That's well under what a Prius weighs. But it's a constant battle, as the nitrous crap will add back at least 50 lbs. Maybe I can upgrade to a single Lithium battery....

Started shopping around for a rear drag wing the other day. Hmmm, need to measure the garage again, or find one easily removable...

wing 1.JPG

[Audrey]

Been busy. Quit the job in Alexandria for a an opportunity closer to home so I've had some free time recently. Went ahead with a wing, still has the sticky back on it but it's very securely mounted. 14" long with an adjustable wicker bill on it. Had to drill a lot of holes in the car, but it finally fits decent. Now the body shop is incognito and apparently doesn't want the $2k+ worth of work during the holidays??? Oh well. A few photos below for your viewing pleasure.

[Audrey]

The next step was too identify where/how the parachute would be mounted. Need a welder for that, which I don't have access too, but that shouldn't stop me from buying parts. I bought a chute and a cable kit. Some aluminium C stock, U bolt clamp, shrink wrap, and bolts, you get something that deploys with the throw of a lever.
Turned out pretty well I think. Still need to reduce some friction in the system, but I have ideas. Total trailing length from the back of the car is 34', so not a good idea to use on I-66.

[LarryHoward]

Could really make a tailgater back right off.

I know a welder but you have to come to St Marys. Have to ask if he's comfortable doing a "safety system."

[Audrey]

Another challenge was to finish up the dedicated fuel system for the nitrous system. Wires have been ran, bus bars installed, relays installed and wired, safety switches, dash switches, bottle brackets (had to fab an adapter), bottle, line (upgraded to a -6AN), fittings, solenoids, carb plate. Waiting on a few more hose fittings for the final testing. Had a bad relay, bad elec. magnet on a solenoid, got those replaced. Had to change the plan on were the regulator will go, but in the end a better layout. Sorry the pics don't show more, too busy keeping the wheels on the bus.

I also plumbed in a return line, which I didn't do in my last car. The systems I'm adding now for the small shot (200hp) should support a larger one. So there's a lot of planning, diagrams, research, that goes into these selections. The small shot will be fun, but the big shot on the big motor will demand a certain amount of talent and respect. A chassis re-certification, an NHRA license, and extensive safety equipment.