Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

@Robert Hall Love the color of your Charger, but since they are a tight fit for me compared to the Durango, will take it in a Durango R/T package.

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[trinacriabob]

5 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I only buy from Costco anymore because they only stock excellent quality tires as prices better than any competition. 

Narrowing it down a bit further... I'm pretty much only ever buying Michelin Defenders. 

I am currently about 55,000 miles into a set of Michelin Defenders bought at Costco.  They are taken in for their rotation and balancing every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.  They told me they are wearing right on schedule.  At the time I bought them, they were given a 90,000 mile warranty.

What I generally do is drive on the OEMs, then buy Costco Michelins, and then buy Costco Bridgestones (to save a little bit of coin).  However, Bridgestone has put out a substantial new tire called the Turanza/Quiet Track that is right up there with the Defender in ratings and treadwear.  The price gap has gone away, though.  It's priced very similarly to the Michelin. ( I'm not at this fork in the road yet.)

But, yes, the Michelin Defender is a great tire that lasts, is quiet, and might even help deliver slightly better fuel economy.

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I am currently about 55,000 miles into a set of Michelin Defenders bought at Costco.  They are taken in for their rotation and balancing every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.  They told me they are wearing right on schedule.  At the time I bought them, they were given a 90,000 mile warranty.

What I generally do is drive on the OEMs, then buy Costco Michelins, and then buy Costco Bridgestones (to save a little bit of coin).  However, Bridgestone has put out a substantial new tire called the Turanza/Quiet Track that is right up there with the Defender in ratings and treadwear.  The price gap has gone away, though.  It's priced very similarly to the Michelin. ( I'm not at this fork in the road yet.)

But, yes, the Michelin Defender is a great tire that lasts, is quiet, and might even help deliver slightly better fuel economy.

I would be interested in learning if those Bridgestone tires are sipped down to the 10% mark. That is where Michelin has a superiority over Bridgestone is how far down they sipe the tire. If it is still only to the 50% tread life area, then the price is not worth it over the Michelin's.

Update: Looking at the pictures, they look good but they do not show the 10% mark so you cannot tell how deep the actual sipes go. Be interesting to see in person. Will have to see if Costco has them.

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tire/turanza-quiettrack/

[balthazar]

12 hours ago, ocnblu said:

An idear for Balthy: 

I do have that intake, those valve covers, that timing cover. I have those heads, but mine are Stage 2, and I suspect highly that those are Stage 4.

 

- - - - -
Last time I tired my truck, Costco didn't carry those general sizes at all. I usually go to a local tire shop.
Recently shopping online for tires for the GP (engine is soaking right now), and a site called simpletire.com had the best price for a Cooper Cobra I was looking at (better than Costco, tirerack, couple of others).

Edited September 1, 2020 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

[trinacriabob]

@David  Costco still has them.  I saw the tire on some ranking where it used to be called the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity or something like that and the asymmetrical tread design was weird, considering they'd be rotated going forward.  I then saw the old design at Costco when in for service.  Later, Costco informed me it's carrying the Bridgestone Quiet Track as an update to that tire.  The guys who work there do their best to seem impartial and the impression I got is that the Michelin Defender and this new Bridgestone are neck at neck, and they mentioned that the Quiet Track rides very well.  I see what you mean about the siping and I don't have an answer for that.  However, the Defender's current warranty goes to 80,000 miles, so their warranties are equal now.  

You can always drop in for "Cafe 1.50" and check out the new tires.  I do that 2 or 3 times a year.

[balthazar]

'56 Ford has the hood off, maybe showcasing a '57 T-bird F-Code 350 TRQ supercharged mill?
Note the lil 4-banger mercedes in the background. Surprising it's anywhere near the Ford, what with having a brawny 114 TRQ, but that's artistic license for ya.

[G. David Felt]

Sweet!

[balthazar]

For 'blu (and anyone else who likes) :

[daves87rs]

13 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I buy the Defenders because they drive well, ride well, and I get good fuel economy with them.  A big However, is that I never get full treadlife out of them. I rely on that long warranty because I kill them in about 35k miles, but I get more than 50% off the next set of tires.  Michelin has to be losing money on me when I buy tires.

The Goodyear Triple treads on the Encore have lasted 55k miles and technically still have treadlife left before needing to be replaced. But they are dryrotted and hard. The car rides rough and we noticed an immediate hit to our fuel economy when we first put them on. It came with Continental ContiTracks and we were able to cruise at 34mpg in it. These days with the Goodyears, we barely manage 30mpg highway. 

The new Costco ad is offering $110 off a set of for Michelins, so I think it will be going in for them before the end of the month. 

I usually try not not to get too crazy about tires....

I do love the set of Michelins on my Equinox though. So much so I will throw on another set if I do keep the car. Really makes the drive smooth on these cars. If not, maybe a set of BFGs, which is still in the Michelin family...

Also impressed with the Goodyears on the Cobalt. Let’s be honest, almost anything would be better than the stock tires... ? .  I’ve had Sumitomos, Coopers, and now the Goodyears. The Sumis were so so, but the Cooper CS5s handled and wore well. The Goodyears take bumps really well, and they handle nice too. We will see on wear though...

I’ve had good luck with Cooper, Michelin, Goodyear and General. Some good choices out there.....

[Drew Dowdell]

16 hours ago, USA-1 said:

Install CAI and buy a Hypertech MaxEnergy handheld tuner. It really helps throttle response and you can disable the AFM V-4 crap that eventually destroys the engine, run a reg. or premium fuel tune, adjust for tire size etc...  I can attest to the fact that it's totally worth it and it works well. I've also found over the years that Magnaflow has some of the best sound and build quality for AM exhaust with their flow through design it lets her breath, but it doesn't have that obnoxious drone sound that develops in the cab like some other brands.

This is the CAI I like.  I like it because the box has insulation in it and the tube is plastic so it doesn't absorb heat like metal would.

https://www.coldairinductions.com/shop/cold-air-inductions-products/cold-air-intakes/chevrolet/avalanche/2009-2013-gm-v8-fullsize-truck-and-suv-cold-air-intake-black/

[A Horse With No Name]

17 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I do, and the thing that saved me from costly tickets was the fact that none of my 3 vehicles had over 160hp.

Now I have a vehicle with 326 horsepower (and probably a CAI coming soon). 

I gotta watch myself in the new wheels.

Give it an "Italian Tuneup" for me, Drew....love the blue on it. 

6 hours ago, balthazar said:

For 'blu (and anyone else who likes) :

I have a fetish for them, I used to own a 69, back when I ahd the 66 Fastback. Good stuff!

12 hours ago, ocnblu said:

A ranger for our new (me!) ranger owner....cool. My sons friend les had one of these, was a great little truck. Love how it morrored the boxy full size ford styling of the era. My sister and ehr hsuband ahd a very clean 96 F250 with 44 inch tires, was a california truck and immaculate. 

[A Horse With No Name]

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Give it an "Italian Tuneup" for me, Drew....love the blue on it. 

A what now? 

[USA-1]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

This is the CAI I like.  I like it because the box has insulation in it and the tube is plastic so it doesn't absorb heat like metal would.

https://www.coldairinductions.com/shop/cold-air-inductions-products/cold-air-intakes/chevrolet/avalanche/2009-2013-gm-v8-fullsize-truck-and-suv-cold-air-intake-black/

Yep, similar to my Airaid CAI system on my truck, thick ABS plastic tube as well, that's what you want ??Wait until you stand on it the first time after install, sounds pretty good, like an old 4 barrel Quadrajet carb when the huge secondaries open ???????

[ccap41]

27 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

A what now? 

You've never heard of an "Italian tune up"? 

"If you've never heard the phrase "Italian tune up" before, basically, it means driving your car hard and bringing it to redline with the goal of flushing out any deposits or gunk. Depending on what you believe, it works... or it doesn't. Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to settle the debate once and for all."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a23778262/italian-tune-up-explained/

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

You've never heard of an "Italian tune up"? 

"If you've never heard the phrase "Italian tune up" before, basically, it means driving your car hard and bringing it to redline with the goal of flushing out any deposits or gunk. Depending on what you believe, it works... or it doesn't. Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to settle the debate once and for all."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a23778262/italian-tune-up-explained/

Oh, well it gets an Italian Tune Up every day then... sometimes multiple times a day.

Plus I'm also running E85 through it every 3rd tank or so which should really clean out the engine good. 

[ccap41]

12 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Oh, well it gets an Italian Tune Up every day then... sometimes multiple times a day.

Plus I'm also running E85 through it every 3rd tank or so which should really clean out the engine good. 

I thought E85 was known to clog stuff up... I'm probably wrong though. 

[USA-1]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Oh, well it gets an Italian Tune Up every day then... sometimes multiple times a day.

Plus I'm also running E85 through it every 3rd tank or so which should really clean out the engine good. 

AKA cleaning out the carbon! Haha

E85 gives her a few more ponies too, but watch the mpg's drop a few. I used to do the same with my '09 Silvy CC that was a Flexfuel. Runs richer on E85 bcus it's not as volatile as gasoline, but does burn much cleaner. 

[USA-1]

4 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I thought E85 was known to clog stuff up... I'm probably wrong though. 

It's known to corrode the aluminum internals, but that's only with long term use when it's all you're running. Better to mix or switch off like Drew is doing. Interesting fact, on cold start up the fumes smell a lot like rubbing alcohol ?

[ccap41]

1 minute ago, USA-1 said:

It's known to corrode the aluminum internals, but that's only with long term use when it's all you're running. Better to mix or switch off like Drew is doing. Interesting fact, on cold start up the fumes smell a lot like rubbing alcohol ?

Ahhh, thank you! 

[Drew Dowdell]

13 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I thought E85 was known to clog stuff up... I'm probably wrong though. 

The opposite.  However, it can cause problems if you've run crap fuel for 100k miles and then suddenly run E85 and the E85 starts to break up the deposits and let them loose into your engine.

E85 is a solvent and really good at cleaning engine deposits, but you can't run it unless all of your fuel system is set up for it because it can dissolve rubberized parts. 

The Avalanche was built to run E85 and gets 326hp and 348 lb-ft of torque on E85 while getting 320hp and 335 lb-ft of torque on regular 87.

My mileage on E85 is around 11-12 and on gasoline is 15-16.  E85 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper here than the cheapest regular (costco) and 55 cents cheaper than everyone else.

[USA-1]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The opposite.  However, it can cause problems if you've run crap fuel for 100k miles and then suddenly run E85 and the E85 starts to break up the deposits and let them loose into your engine.

E85 is a solvent and really good at cleaning engine deposits, but you can't run it unless all of your fuel system is set up for it because it can dissolve rubberized parts. 

The Avalanche was built to run E85 and gets 326hp and 348 lb-ft of torque on E85 while getting 320hp and 335 lb-ft of torque on regular 87.

My mileage on E85 is around 11-12 and on gasoline is 15-16.  E85 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper here than the cheapest regular (costco) and 55 cents cheaper than everyone else.

Yep. Hmmm, I got like 11 mpg running E in mine too. I know what you've been doing because I know how I drove mine! ?? Actually, my avg. would drop into single digits because I lived up a steep hill and the loud pedal would be smashed for about 20 sec straight on the daily, had to try to improve my avg. time of course ?

[A Horse With No Name]

4 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

A what now? 

 

An italian tuneup.....drive it hard to "clean the carbon" out of her as they say...

[trinacriabob]

11 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

An italian tuneup.....drive it hard to "clean the carbon" out of her as they say...

Learn something new everyday.  And, here, I would have assumed that an Italian tune-up is what happens to a person when they get the wrong folks, who tend to live inside lavish walled compounds in New Jersey, mad at them.

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Learn something new everyday.  And, here, I would have assumed that an Italian tune-up is what happens to a person when they get the wrong folks, who tend to live inside lavish walled compounds in New Jersey, mad at them.

Yeah, like running afoul of goombas out of the Sopranos and they vandalize your car...

 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Yeah, like running afoul of goombas out of the Sopranos and they vandalize your car...

Never heard that term before, but then I never have watched the Sopranos either.

I am assuming we are not talking about the Mario Games but the definition of a Goomba?

The name Goomba is derived from " Goombah " (from Sicilian cumpà which translates in "mate") which refers to a member of a usually Italian American secretive criminal organization. Also, in Hungarian gomba means "mushroom". In Japan, Goombas are called "Kuribō", which loosely translates as "chestnut person".

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, David said:

Never heard that term before, but then I never have watched the Sopranos either.

I am assuming we are not talking about the Mario Games but the definition of a Goomba?

The name Goomba is derived from " Goombah " (from Sicilian cumpà which translates in "mate") which refers to a member of a usually Italian American secretive criminal organization. Also, in Hungarian gomba means "mushroom". In Japan, Goombas are called "Kuribō", which loosely translates as "chestnut person".

Yes, Italian-Americans working in a business of a likely illegal nature..

[Robert Hall]

Saw this colorized pic on the FB...looks like a '39ish Ford COE with a custom cab..thought @balthazar would get a kick out of it.  Neat looking truck.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

I have seen that one. The chrome script above the headlight pinpoints it as a ‘40. But the ‘38-40s all have the oval grille.

I hate colorized B& W pics.

Truck is an interesting restyle. But the forward-leaning greenhouse totally fights the rest of the rounded cab.

[oldshurst442]

3 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Yes, Italian-Americans working in a business of a likely illegal nature..

ay oh!

 

 Its only illegal if you get caught!   Capisce???!!!

 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

I have plenty of trunk now for an italian job

[balthazar]

^ That's open. No good. You need a '68 Grand Prix if you wanna be a gangster.

Edited September 3, 2020 by balthazar

[balthazar]

[oldshurst442]

Cue in Tony Bennett

 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

? Do we call this Mad Max Asia? ?

[Robert Hall]

8 hours ago, David said:

? Do we call this Mad Max Asia? ?

Exhaust coming out the door..that's...different.  Someone went crazy at Pep Boys.   

[A Horse With No Name]

17 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Learn something new everyday.  And, here, I would have assumed that an Italian tune-up is what happens to a person when they get the wrong folks, who tend to live inside lavish walled compounds in New Jersey, mad at them.

See, Drew, our deal illustrious leader has an Italian gentleman as a life partner. I am sure "Italian tuneup" has an entirely different meaning when Drew and Albert are in private...just sayin...if he can give it liberally to the Avalanche...he can give it liberally to Albert...

 

Backing out of sarcasm and fun  mode for a second...

 

What would life be without good friends, good food, good books, movies we life, cars/Trucks we love to drive and bullship about....hmm....would not be so full. 

9 hours ago, David said:

? Do we call this Mad Max Asia? ?

Makes me really glad I didn't buy that Tacoma I was looking at before I bought the Ranger. 

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

This is enough to make me a domestic buyer for the rest of my life, repuslive...

11 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I have plenty of trunk now for an italian job

Sadly I sold my Mini Cooper S a few years ago, so no Italian Job for me...

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

^ That's open. No good. You need a '68 Grand Prix if you wanna be a gangster.

More like a black Mercedees, although I think the 68 Grand Prix would be easier to repair and more reliable. 

[Robert Hall]

23 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

More like a black Mercedees, although I think the 68 Grand Prix would be easier to repair and more reliable. 

Heh-heh...Henry Hill and the '68 GP.   I wonder what the ride of choice for East Coast gangsters is today....seems the Ukranian gangsters around here favor 10-yr old S-class Mercs. 

Edited September 3, 2020 by Robert Hall

[A Horse With No Name]

11 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Heh-heh...Henry Hill and the '68 GP.   I wonder what the ride of choice for East Coast gangsters is today....seems the Ukranian gangsters around here favor 10-yr old S-class Mercs. 

I work with a Macedonian guy who wants a black Mercedees, we always joke about the Macedonian Mafia....

[Robert Hall]

14 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I work with a Macedonian guy who wants a black Mercedees, we always joke about the Macedonian Mafia....

I had a friend in college from Macedonia the country and one from Macedonia, Ohio..  Macedonia, Ohio is nearby, I like the area...

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

See, Drew, our deal illustrious leader has an Italian gentleman as a life partner. I am sure "Italian tuneup" has an entirely different meaning when Drew and Albert are in private...just sayin...if he can give it liberally to the Avalanche...he can give it liberally to Albert... 

.... in the back of the Avalanche....

Full size air mattresses fit perfectly in the bed... ask me how I know. 

[Robert Hall]

Saw pics of the GW....looks fancy, Escalade sized, needs woodgrain side trim..

 

https://www.autoweek.com/news/future-cars/a33901878/look-inside-the-new-jeep-grand-wagoneer-concept-vehicle/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_aut&utm_medium=email&date=090320&utm_campaign=nl21400259&utm_term=AAA -- High Minus Dormant and 90 Day Non Openers

[A Horse With No Name]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

.... in the back of the Avalanche....

Full size air mattresses fit perfectly in the bed... ask me how I know. 

I will put the inner middle schooler in me back in the box in a minute...but nothing better than sex out under the stars. 

Of course, even the worst sex I ever had was pretty darned awesome. 

 

In all seriousness, so happy you found the Avalanche. Loving the Ranger. Happier with it than I was with the Jetta TDI, Miata, Mini Cooper S, Beetle, or any of my other recent rides. 

Edited September 3, 2020 by A Horse With No Name

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I will put the inner middle schooler in me back in the box in a minute...but nothing better than sex out under the stars. 

Of course, even the worst sex I ever had was pretty darned awesome. 

 

In all seriousness, so happy you found the Avalanche. Loving the Ranger. Happier with it than I was with the Jetta TDI, Miata, Mini Cooper S, Beetle, or any of my other recent rides. 

At some point, not this season but maybe next April or May, I plan to buy the tent attachment for it. 

[trinacriabob]

On 9/2/2020 at 4:41 PM, David said:

Never heard that term before, but then I never have watched the Sopranos either.

The name Goomba is derived from " Goombah " (from Sicilian cumpà which translates in "mate") which refers to a member of a usually Italian American secretive criminal organization. Also, in Hungarian gomba means "mushroom". In Japan, Goombas are called "Kuribō", which loosely translates as "chestnut person".

I, too, could not sit through an episode of "The Sopranos."  I have an acquaintance who can probably recite all the lines from the three Godfathers, Goodfellas, etc. owing to how many times he has watched these shows and it can be irritating.  Working class (no judgment here) Italian-Americans who think this is cool stuff need a paradigm shift something fierce.

@David  Your observation is very West Coast!  Probably more Pac NW.  You probably didn't know that in the early 1920s or so, Seattle's Rainier Valley section was nicknamed Garlic Gulch, probably when Seattle was a rougher logging town without all the genteel PC-ness of today.

You are right.  "Goombah" is a bad bastardization of "cumpari." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eh,_Cumpari!

Some truncate it to cumpa', but most don't.  It means "mate," "friend," or "buddy" but it also rarely used to imply someone's Godfather in Sicilian or someone in the Godfather's extended family who is now a "friend" or a "buddy" by annexation. 

There is no "g" at the beginning this word.  That's a North American thing.  It sounds dumb. 

Another awful Americanization goes like this:

Your background is Italian?

Yeah, my grandparents came from Italy.

Where in Italy did your grandparents come from?

I'm tinkin' they were "Nah-boo-lee-dahn."  

This means Neapolitan.  Correct Italian would be Napoletano.  (Not quite the same as Janet Napolitano.) Southerners with more guttural pronunciation might say "Napulitan," but in no 'effin way is there either a "b" or a "d" in the pronunciation.  

But, since Jersey Shore type dudes are fairly idiotic, a bastardization of the term such as "goombah" would suit THEM just fine.

* end of rant *

 

 

[trinacriabob]

 

6 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Minor clarification:  by Southerners, I wasn't referring to people living in the American South.  I meant Southern Italians, those living in regions south of Rome (the mezzogiorno, or midday), who speak coarser and more guttural dialects.  Someone told me that about 3/4 of the comedians in Italy spoof and flip crap at Neapolitans and Sicilians.  The good thing is that the Neapolitans and Sicilians know they're goofy on so many levels, love to watch these comedians (who might even be northerners), and roll with this dynamic quite well.

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

On 9/2/2020 at 5:31 PM, Robert Hall said:

Saw this colorized pic on the FB...looks like a '39ish Ford COE with a custom cab..thought @balthazar would get a kick out of it.  Neat looking truck.

Seeing the name LaSalle brings one thing to mind.  Cadillac's significant new downsized car of the mid-'70s was displayed in sketches and where write-ups indicated it might be released as the Cadillac LaSalle.  I guess the down to the wire marketing research decided on Seville.

Oldsmobile's successful (but sadly too late) Intrigue sports sedan was moving through development as the Antares, though that name was not assigned to the final production vehicle.

[riviera74]

8 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Seeing the name LaSalle brings one thing to mind.  Cadillac's significant new downsized car of the mid-'70s was displayed in sketches and where write-ups indicated it might be released as the Cadillac LaSalle.  I guess the down to the wire marketing research decided on Seville.

Oldsmobile's successful (but sadly too late) Intrigue sports sedan was moving through development as the Antares, though that name was not assigned to the final production vehicle.

The sad part is that Olds needed the Intrigue back in 1995, along with the first-gen Aurora.

[trinacriabob]

* can't put this in spotting since it's a "lot" behind the 8 ball *

Here I am, walking through Savannah's historical district, minding my business, and a toad decides to cross the road in front of me ...

and then turn at the corner ...

I might add that it was a "healthy" looking toad.