FAPTurbo

Or maybe it is coming out first to drum up positive press and publicity. Nobody is being forced into anything; if someone doesn't like it, they can wait a couple months or buy a different car. GM wouldn't release the ECO model first if they knew it would cost them sales in the long run... maybe there are actually people who WANT this sort of vehicle.

I find it even more interesting that based on the comments on other websites about this article, all the people who were nuclear engineers three weeks ago are all electrical engineers now.

An SRX-V would be would just about as successful as the R63 AMG. It's not the drivetrain or what wheels are driven that is the problem, it is that nobody in the market craves a powerful crossover. Look to the 2.8T's low sales and discontinuation. People who want a performance family hauler would be better suited to a CTS-V wagon.

Well at least all trims get Bluetooth now. I'm surprised it wasn't standard before. This is likely the next vehicle that'll be added to the family stable, and I'm pleased that it'll have the 3.6. The 3.0 was not befitting of the vehicle.

People are too busy basking in my sheer gorgeousness to even notice my vehicles or bikes.

That probably wouldn't meet the 'decent fuel economy' requirement, as good a car as it is.

http://lexington.craigslist.org/mcy/2302138880.html http://lexington.craigslist.org/mcy/2317959022.html http://lexington.craigslist.org/mcy/2289471500.html http://lexington.craigslist.org/mcy/2317542854.html I'm serious. The bikes I posted all have common traits: easy to handle, good for beginners, cheap on fuel, and relatively low insurance. Get an old W-Body to beat around in, and a bike for the spring - fall. It's not a coupe, nor does it have 300HP, but that is of no consequence as a coupe is quite useless at hauling stuff anyways.

Ok, finally you decided to buy something that was not a piece of $h!. That only took three years to figure out. But that is terrific news! PICTURES ARE REQUIRED!!

You might want to put a bit of effort into getting your facts straight...the '11 body is not the '05-10 body. Similar shape, but no panels in common. And it's probably only 4500lbs or so. Yes it is new panels, but it is basically the same. They made some improvements, but to me all they did was a mid cycle refresh of a 6 year old car. Which is pretty much par for the course for every auto manufacturer on Earth.

Cadillac catches hell for not being like the Germans. So they bring the Catera, and that was bad. Haters say Cadillac should find its own direction. So Cadillac creates the CTS and pursues A&S, a wholly original styling direction. But Haters say it is not like the Germans. Haters, will not cease to hate, and will continue to hate, indefinitely. Cadillac should not care about Europe. It's a declining continent, full of Haters. So F&*# Europe, and go after markets that are actually growing.

Just because you can...

What? No stacks?!

Four wheels are for wussies.

So there's been quite a bit of interesting news about Socket AM3+. Seems like certain BD CPU's will be able to plug into 890 chipsets. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Enthusiasts do continue to get a nice upgrade path from AMD, but now I'm worried that BD CPU's may not be as earth shattering as AMD has claimed. Can a totally new architecture really just plug into an existing chipset (that is really a rehash of one that debuted in 2007) and still be able to perform perfectly? This also means that the 990 chipset isn't too different either. I'm worried.

Dead Man Shoes - Saints of the Underground

The Optima is by far, the better looking vehicle. I think people are drawn less to the Sonata's looks, and more to the fuel economy, and features/price ratio. It is much nicer than the Camry and Accord, though neither are hard acts to beat.

I'm thinking a bit of a 'Bobber' style for my Blast, like this guy's: http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showpost.php?p=374656&postcount=1 Perhaps with a V&H or Kerker exhaust, and a bigger air intake. Both are supposed to really wake the bike up.

Know what you need? A motorcycle.

I was considering putting a new exhaust on the bike. But that costs money, so I'll just punch holes in the stock muffler instead.

Happy Birthday, Sir!

I managed to bend the footpeg portion of my shift lever when I fell off the bike. Fortunately, the rubber sleeve came off in boiling water, and the metal (aluminum) was able to be heated with some MAPP gas. I just had to have one end of the lever in a vice, and ply the footpeg bit with a ball peen to make it relatively straight again. I wish I had taken some pictures of that process, because Harley charges an arm and a leg for those sorts of parts, not to mention they're increasingly harder to find given Buell's demise.

Update: April 2, 2011. Operating the Blast had been a treat up until a couple days ago, when I had geared down to first abruptly. Essentially, I kicked the shift lever down, and instead of popping back to its location, I had caused the lever to slip, and point towards the ground. After hobbling home in first gear, I looked at the mechanism and was surprised at how it was put together. On the left is where the lever attaches to the clutch. Note the machined finish around the drum. Now, here is a closeup of the lever. The inside diameter finish is perfectly machined. The problem with this design is that it relies solely on friction fit. The bolt has to be tightened very well in order to prevent slippage. A more conventional design is to incorporate splines on the outside and inside diameters so they lock into each other, and also employ a friction fit. Apparently, this ability to 'slip' is to prevent shifter shaft damage in the case of a spill. For a beginner bike, this is appropriate enough, and it works as intended. However, this design was compromised by the bolt that held both parts together as it was too long, and bottomed out before making appropriate contact. In order to correct this, I had to add washers. Also, I found the gap that closes up as the bolt is tightened being too narrow, and had to file it down. The bolt is a hex-socket design, and can be tightened with a 3/16" Allen Key. But in most cases, the bolt will be facing the ground and that will make for some awkward adjustments. I found a better approach was to use a ratchet, extension, and a hex-head as it helped me to keep the lever steady while adjusting, and apply maximum torque. Applying force with the Allen will likely cause stripping. I am not rendering judgement at this point as to whether the bolt was intended for this application or not. Harley utilizes this "H-D GRD8" bolt in all its bikes, and in many applications. My Blast uses the bolt on its crankcase, the suspension, and on the frame. There is a chance the previous owner may have lost the proper bolt, and substituted it with a 'GRD8.' Either way, this caught me off guard, as it betrays the Blast's relatively care-free nature. Bikes like the Blast and Suzuki's S40 are built with newbies in mind, so even if you're a bit jittery, they'll help build confidence real fast. You may actually find yourself quite relaxed once things get rolling, and you've gotten a bit better with the throttle/clutch. I know I have.