Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

On 9/22/2017 at 8:12 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

^ Looking to get new tires for my Jeep before winter..the original Goodyear Forteras are pretty worn at 30k (pretty soft tires I've read).  I want something that will be good in NE Ohio winters...  will have to look into the Michelins..was thinking about Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs also.

 In 170k on my old GC  IIRC I had 3 sets of Goodyear tires--one set of Forteras and 2 sets of Wranglers ( got about 50k out of the original factory set), and a set of BF Goodrich Long Trail (the last set, bought in AZ and never in snow).  Got the BFs at Discount Tire in Phoenix, had great service and prices. 

I loved the Duellers I had on the TB, a 40K tire that I got 67K out of due to the AWD wearing so evenly. One think I learned is the Michellin's are the only ones that actually sip all the way down to 10% mark, so for a 70K miles tire that is Mud / Snow rated, you get maximum traction for the whole life. Such a quiet tire too. I highly recommend spending the extra money on these tires.

[ykX]

@Cubical-aka-Moltar  I put Michelin Premier LTX on my wife's MDX last fall, because it was the best rated all-season crossover/SUV tire. I thought even though it is expensive it was very well rated for winter conditions also so worth the extra expense.

After a year with it I can tell you that it is excellent on dry road, quiet and handling is great, it is excellent in the rain, the wear after 16k miles seems to be pretty low.  However, snow and ice performance was disappointing (we live in NJ).

I think the bottom line is if you have a lot of snow or ice, you really need to use winter tires. 

[Frisky Dingo]

On 9/22/2017 at 10:12 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

^ Looking to get new tires for my Jeep before winter..the original Goodyear Forteras are pretty worn at 30k (pretty soft tires I've read).  I want something that will be good in NE Ohio winters...  will have to look into the Michelins..was thinking about Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs also.

 In 170k on my old GC  IIRC I had 3 sets of Goodyear tires--one set of Forteras and 2 sets of Wranglers ( got about 50k out of the original factory set), and a set of BF Goodrich Long Trail (the last set, bought in AZ and never in snow).  Got the BFs at Discount Tire in Phoenix, had great service and prices. 

 

If you want a more aggressive tire, the Wrangler Duratracs beat about every other AT on the market in winter/snow/ice/rain. That's the main reason I put them on my 2014 4Runner Trail Edition.

285/70/17- 33"s- on stock wheels with a 3" Bilstein lift and that thing was just a monster. Sand, mud, rocks, snow, gravel, didn't matter. I drove that thing UP rivers/creeks on a few occasions.

[Robert Hall]

Probably won't be doing much off roading (other than occasionally driving on the muddy gravel lane down at the farm), but lake effect snow and ice is a real NE Ohio likelyhood.    This winter probably won't need to go out much in the ick since I'm working from home.  265/50r 20s for the GC.

[daves87rs]

Reminds me I'll need to be looking for tires for our cars soon....

 

Also need to figure out what struts (quick struts) I should put on a 14 year old cavalier that we might have for another year or too. I am throwing some KYBs on my Chevy, but not sure I want to spend that much for the Cav.

Don't want the China specials either, and Monroe seems to really suck in our pothole filled state. Debating about maybe going middle of the road with some moog struts......

[ccap41]

If I only planned on keeping the car for a year or two and the shocks are bad to the point of needing to be replaced I'd go slightly above the cheapest. I wouldn't want junk, but anything would be better than the worn out ones.

[daves87rs]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

If I only planned on keeping the car for a year or two and the shocks are bad to the point of needing to be replaced I'd go slightly above the cheapest. I wouldn't want junk, but anything would be better than the worn out ones.

Yeah, had me considering the Monroe blues, even though they might make it to 40k.....

Sad part is this Cavalier is a beast. 135k, motor and trans are solid (synthetics helped, for sure) But no matter how much I keep it clean, rust id going to claim it sooner or later......

Like my Cobalt, same issue.....no matter how much I clean it....

Owning a car long term here means having a winter beater for sure....

[G. David Felt]

Gotta Love Crazy trucks that do cool things.

Tunnel Washing, who knew!

 

[ccap41]

^ WOW, that's awesome, impressive, super cool, etc. etc. etc.! 

[ccap41]

Sh!t cup holders, right, @Cmicasa the Great?!?

[oldshurst442]

7 hours ago, dfelt said:

Gotta Love Crazy trucks that do cool things.

Tunnel Washing, who knew!

 

C'est en Français. C'est génial!

Ici au Québec, on laisse tomber les tuiles!!!

Translation..in Québec, we just let the tiles fall off and NEVER replace them!!!

Ville-Marie tunnel

 

Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine Tunnel

 

Although the Ville-Marie tunnel has gone through a major renovation and is still on going...that video was from 2011...the tunnel aint as bad now.

The Lafontaine tunnel is still this shyte but will go under a great renovation soon. But it wont be for another 20-30 years before both will undergo some sort of repairs...

OK...I am being bullish...they do do repair work often...but it really takes for the tunnels to be that dangerous before being repaired.

That would be Switzerland, Belgium? Wow! Impeccable tunnel!

[Drew Dowdell]

I have finally unloaded a gigantic financial burden. The years of stress it has caused me ...it will take a while to feel normal again.

But, here's to a substantially improved future!

[ocnblu]

On 9/30/2017 at 2:55 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

I have finally unloaded a gigantic financial burden. The years of stress it has caused me ...it will take a while to feel normal again.

But, here's to a substantially improved future!

WHAT!?  I thought he was your soulmate?

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, ocnblu said:

WHAT!?  I thought he was your soulmate?

I dumped a rental property that I swear was cursed. 

[ocnblu]

Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

I dumped a rental property that I swear was cursed. 

  Oh, well good.

[balthazar]

Book I'm writing is up to 81,600 words. I'm kind of amazed at that.
Still going well, but no longer sure I can finish it in 2017.

[Drew Dowdell]

How are you going to publish it?

[balthazar]

Haven't delved too deeply into that aspect yet, but conventionally. There's more than enough related (and utter crap) books out there that have been.

[G. David Felt]

Very cool Ford GT delivery and overview of the car. Awesome

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/exclusive-see-what-it’s-like-to-get-your-ford-gt-delivered/ar-AAsMbtz?li=BBnb4R5#image=AAsMiYD|1

Surprised at the Manual adjustment on the steering column and the manual adjustment for the pedals up or down. Kinda cheap when you think of a half million dollar car.

[G. David Felt]

11 hours ago, balthazar said:

Book I'm writing is up to 81,600 words. I'm kind of amazed at that.
Still going well, but no longer sure I can finish it in 2017.

Cool, what is the book about? My gut tells me old auto iron?

[balthazar]

No; a true crime case from about 60 years ago.

[Drew Dowdell]

The *worst* "invention" ever inflicted on office workers is the open office concept. I have no less than 7 loud conversations going on around me right now. Every. Single. Person. is on a different conference call, yet each call seems to be covering roughly the same subjects.

 

[Robert Hall]

Agreed..I've hated working in open office environments.  The most recent one I had was a few years when I was at a small consulting firm, when not a client site and in the office, I'd be working in a large room with 6-10 other consultants--some of us doing work for the same client, some not...with all sorts of conference calls, conversations, noise from the 3d printer, etc. going on around...

My current gig in Scottsdale was in a quiet cube environment with a team distributed across several countries and time zones, and now working remotely from home since June even quieter....with the 3 hr time difference, I've got several productive hours in the morning before my first daily conference call.  

[balthazar]

I got out of the office gig in 2000, but I had my own private offices (with doors) there.

[balthazar]

Sounds like Tom Petty is checking out after being found in his home post 'full cardiac arrest'. Reports at this time are varied, but some are saying he has no brain activity and has been taken off life support.
For a guy who was told he'd never make it in the industry because of his voice, he sure told them 'Fuck you'.

[oldshurst442]

^^^ I shed a tear!

(For Tom Petty)

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

5 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Agreed..I've hated working in open office environments.  The most recent one I had was a few years when I was at a small consulting firm, when not a client site and in the office, I'd be working in a large room with 6-10 other consultants--some of us doing work for the same client, some not...with all sorts of conference calls, conversations, noise from the 3d printer, etc. going on around...

My current gig in Scottsdale was in a quiet cube environment with a team distributed across several countries and time zones, and now working remotely from home since June even quieter....with the 3 hr time difference, I've got several productive hours in the morning before my first daily conference call.  

I'm only going into the office once a week anymore... it is so bad where I was moved to "to be closer to my team".  They aren't my team, we just have the same titles. My teams are in the UK, Houston, Toronto, NJ.... I have no team in Pittsburgh.  My boss is in London, his boss is in Houston, his boss' boss is in London.

[ccap41]

I find it "funny"/ironic/comical/interesting when every single new car comes out everybody screams that it isn't original, it's derivative, copy cat, and that nobody is original anymore.. 

I honestly just think there are too many brands out there. Somebody harps on one new car saying it's a copy of X brand.. Almost everything has cues of another car somewhere in it. The only cars that genuinely seem unique are the muscle cars(Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger). And even those are stealing cues from their original siblings... 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

I find it "funny"/ironic/comical/interesting when every single new car comes out everybody screams that it isn't original, it's derivative, copy cat, and that nobody is original anymore.. 

I honestly just think there are too many brands out there. Somebody harps on one new car saying it's a copy of X brand.. Almost everything has cues of another car somewhere in it. The only cars that genuinely seem unique are the muscle cars(Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger). And even those are stealing cues from their original siblings... 

Some of that has to do with designers and executives moving around from brand to brand.  Hyundai and Kia have picked off more than one German designer.... and I swear that everything JDN touches starts to feel vaguely similar. 

The pony cars you mention trade heavily on their classic heritage and almost have to pick design cues up from their predecessors in order to succeed.  Some day, in about 15 years, we'll be talking about the new Mustang or Camaro which looks like it came from the early 80s.  The pony cars and muscle cars that didn't pull from their heritage have all failed. (GTO, Magnum, SS, SHO).

[daves87rs]

On 10/2/2017 at 2:54 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The *worst* "invention" ever inflicted on office workers is the open office concept. I have no less than 7 loud conversations going on around me right now. Every. Single. Person. is on a different conference call, yet each call seems to be covering roughly the same subjects.

 

 

So true.....and I always get the one "body noises" guy too....

[daves87rs]

On 10/2/2017 at 8:28 PM, oldshurst442 said:

^^^ I shed a tear!

(For Tom Petty)

 

One of my faves.....so many great songs......

[ocnblu]

A Cruze Diesel manual hatch is a very tempting little bruiser... in all black.  Seems the diesel model comes with the 18" wheels of the Premiere trim, and I think they redeem the whole car's looks.  Plus... 48 MPG on the sticker likely means 50+ in the real world, if it performs as admirably as other diesels I've had. 

[G. David Felt]

On 10/2/2017 at 11:54 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

The *worst* "invention" ever inflicted on office workers is the open office concept. I have no less than 7 loud conversations going on around me right now. Every. Single. Person. is on a different conference call, yet each call seems to be covering roughly the same subjects.

 

Totally agree, Amazon and Google are finally moving away from this out dated thinking of the 60's that DOES NOT improve productivity and yet some companies think it is the brand new idea of cool work space. DellEMC joined the IDIOTS of the work world in this and I truly believe the President of who is doing this is only doing it because he is the lone minority at the austin based company with the rest of the executives being all white and trying to show Mr. Dell he can cut costs. Yet the campuses that have done this at all have shown a decline in people productivity and people willing to work in the office. 

Noise and Distraction is a FAILURE to productive profit making work groups.

[ccap41]

On 9/29/2017 at 5:34 PM, ccap41 said:

Sh!t cup holders, right, @Cmicasa the Great?!?

But seriously, this is such a poor design in a 15k car let alone a Mercedes priced at 110k(at least when this was new. I think they're like 115k or 120k now). 

21 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Some of that has to do with designers and executives moving around from brand to brand.  Hyundai and Kia have picked off more than one German designer.... and I swear that everything JDN touches starts to feel vaguely similar. 

The pony cars you mention trade heavily on their classic heritage and almost have to pick design cues up from their predecessors in order to succeed.  Some day, in about 15 years, we'll be talking about the new Mustang or Camaro which looks like it came from the early 80s.  The pony cars and muscle cars that didn't pull from their heritage have all failed. (GTO, Magnum, SS, SHO).

Yeah I'm fine with the evolution of the muscle cars. I like that they're taking cues of their elder siblings. I'd be very intrigued with a modern New Edge mustang in the future. It's hard to believe they'd go small again but if they did i'd be throwing money at them. i loved that gen because they were the last before going overly electrified and larger. They were still a smaller car and I loved that. 

I hadn't thought about the designers moving from one company to the other. It makes sense. i just find it funny that no matter what the vehicle looks like people seem to find the smallest things and say they stole it from XYZ manufacturer. 

[ccap41]

3 hours ago, ocnblu said:

A Cruze Diesel manual hatch is a very tempting little bruiser... in all black.  Seems the diesel model comes with the 18" wheels of the Premiere trim, and I think they redeem the whole car's looks.  Plus... 48 MPG on the sticker likely means 50+ in the real world, if it performs as admirably as other diesels I've had. 

If you do some serious commuting it would be one hell of a car. I'm not sure if the diesel engine is worth the premium if not trying to extract a long term savings or not but I do know the low end tq of a diesel does suit my passive driving style. 

Which is why I find it ironic that I'm a Mustang guy yet the LS/LT engines in the Camaro produce all of the low end grunt that I really like. 

[G. David Felt]

8 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Which is why I find it ironic that I'm a Mustang guy yet the LS/LT engines in the Camaro produce all of the low end grunt that I really like. 

I can see a surge of pony car sales when we have an EV version. The Torque will blow people away and as the batteries get better and more XFC or level 4 charging becomes available people will enjoy the quick recharge with the low end torque of moving fast.

[ccap41]

As long as they don't drop the gas engines in one year I could see that. If they all of a sudden dropped gas engines their sales would absolutely not surge going 100% EV over night. That would be a terrible move. 

[Robert Hall]

I can't imagine the ICE to EV transition will happen overnight...will be a long, slow process over many years...followed by the driver-owned to autonomous transition in the future...of course, none of this may come to pass, may have more of a post-apocalyptic 'Mad Max' style reality instead...

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

As long as they don't drop the gas engines in one year I could see that. If they all of a sudden dropped gas engines their sales would absolutely not surge going 100% EV over night. That would be a terrible move. 

Like the Horse n Buggy change over to auto's in the early 1900's which for most of america took 25 to 50 years to achieve. I expect a more likely 15 to 25 year change over from ICE to EV especially once XFC chargers are everywhere at the Charging Stations of America.

[balthazar]

^ You STILL see signs 'Horses prohibited on the highway' on select on ramps!

[Robert Hall]

5 minutes ago, balthazar said:

^ You STILL see signs 'Horses prohibited on the highway' on select on ramps!

Ya, I've seen those around Ohio's Amish country...

[G. David Felt]

26 minutes ago, balthazar said:

^ You STILL see signs 'Horses prohibited on the highway' on select on ramps!

True especially in Amish Country I bet.

[ocnblu]

I've never seen that and I live in the Amish World Capital... Lancaster County, PA.

[balthazar]

I've seen it in Jersey...

[G. David Felt]

13 hours ago, ocnblu said:

I've never seen that and I live in the Amish World Capital... Lancaster County, PA.

Really cause the news always shows PA and signs like that all the time. Maybe you live in a time bubble that does not have a mix of modern with pre modern life.  

[ccap41]

On 10/4/2017 at 8:14 AM, ccap41 said:

If you do some serious commuting it would be one hell of a car. I'm not sure if the diesel engine is worth the premium if not trying to extract a long term savings or not but I do know the low end tq of a diesel does suit my passive driving style. 

Which is why I find it ironic that I'm a Mustang guy yet the LS/LT engines in the Camaro produce all of the low end grunt that I really like. 

@ocnblu, what kind of commute do you have? Or what kind of miles per year do you put on your vehicles? 

[Drew Dowdell]

14 hours ago, ocnblu said:

I've never seen that and I live in the Amish World Capital... Lancaster County, PA.

That'd be cause they're not prohibited.  I think only the TPK prohibits them through side regulations...

601.15 Vehicles excluded from the Turnpike

(a) During adverse weather conditions, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, vehicles towing trailers, tandem trailers, buses and Class 9 vehicles may be excluded from parts or all of the Turnpike System. Vehicles may be excluded from the Turnpike System to effect proper snow removal or to remedy hazardous situations. Unsafe vehicles may be excluded at any time.

(b) Class 9 vehicles are prohibited from using the Turnpike System except by special permit from the Commission, as indicated in § 601.1 and § 601.14 (Class 9 Vehicles).

(c) Vehicles which are not capable of maintaining a speed of at least 15 miles per hour below the posted speed limit on level roadway are prohibited from using the Turnpike system.

(d) No non-motorized vehicles are permitted to be operated on the Turnpike System.

[G. David Felt]

Latest AAA Report out on the auto's that are the most distracting and by no surprise it is auto's that have touch screen everything.

The study goes on to say that a major reason for fatal crashes increasing is distracted driving. Here is their top list of auto's:

The most distracting infotainment systems, ranked as "very high," were in the following vehicles:

• Audi Q7 QPP
• Chrysler 300 C
• Dodge Durango GT
• Ford Mustang GT
• GMC Yukon SLT
• Honda Civic Touring
• Honda Ridgeline RTL-E
• Mazda3 Touring
• Nissan Armada SV
• Subaru Crosstrek Premium
• Tesla Model S
• Volvo XC60 T5 Inscription

The second most distracting systems, ranked in the "high" category, were in the following vehicles:

 

• Cadillac XT5 Luxury
• Chevrolet Traverse LT
• Dodge Ram 1500
• Ford Fusion Titanium
• Hyundai Sonata Base
• Infiniti Q50 Premium
• Jeep Compass Sport
• Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
• Kia Sorento LX
• Nissan Maxima SV
• Toyota Rav 4 XLE

The third most distracting systems, ranked in the "moderate" category," were in the following models:

• Chevrolet Equinox  LT
• Ford F250 XLT
• Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
• Lincoln MKC Premiere
• Toyota Camry SE
• Toyota Corolla SE
• Toyota Sienna XLE

http://www.king5.com/ext/news/nation-now/which-cars-are-most-distracting-aaa-study-reveals-offenders/281/nationnow/5jCkWnFIROUiQgKOe2c6qE

 

In reviewing this I have to wonder how much of the auto's on these lists are here because they are the top sellers and not just because of their touch screens?

[ccap41]

The thing that makes me disagree with that is that, for instance, every Ford has the Sync 3 system but only the Fusion ranked as "high" and the F250 as "moderate" when the same system is in everything from my Focus to GT350's and F350's with every CUV in the middle including every Lincoln but only the Fusion and F250 made the list? 

Not knowing other companies systems, I still have to believe that every Audi and Mercedes is run similarly along with every Chevy/Buick/GMC run the same infotainment systems. 

Edit: Oops, I missed the Mustang GT in the "very high" list. ..and the MKC

Edited October 5, 2017 by ccap41

[Drew Dowdell]

12 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

The thing that makes me disagree with that is that, for instance, every Ford has the Sync 3 system but only the Fusion ranked as "high" and the F250 as "moderate" when the same system is in everything from my Focus to GT350's and F350's with every CUV in the middle including every Lincoln but only the Fusion and F250 made the list? 

Not knowing other companies systems, I still have to believe that every Audi and Mercedes is run similarly along with every Chevy/Buick/GMC run the same infotainment systems. 

Edit: Oops, I missed the Mustang GT in the "very high" list. ..and the MKC

+1.... how are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango on different lists when they both use the same uConnect system?