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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    It was the first Buick to get it. GMC has been using it on the 6.2 powered trucks as apparently they are unpleasant in 4 cylinder mode and some of the Denali line. Most, if not all, of the Cadillacs have it.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Microphones placed throughout the cabin. When it picks up a sound the engineers have deemed undesirable, the audio system puts out an equal but opposite sounds wave to cancel it out. I believe they also use active engine mounts in a similar way in some models. In the Mustang and some Benzes they go a step further and enhance the good engine sounds, using the same tech.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I think he is confusing loudness with harshness. GM (and others) cheats on some of their Turbo-4s in Buick and Cadillac by putting active noise cancellation in. My Encore has it and is very quiet, though the engine isn't as smooth as I'd want it to be. I drove a Trax which doesn't have Active Noise Cancellation and the racket was horrible. I have weird hearing though, it is difficult for me to hear at some frequencies and I have higher sensitivity to higher frequency harsh sounds. Most turbo-4s in cars without active noise cancellation aren't very pleasant for me. It's not the volume though, it's what the sound "sounds" like. With ACN, the engineers can change the interior sound quite a bit, so while a turbo-4 might be at a lower dB than a V6, the sound might be irritating (I'm not saying that is the case in the ATS T4 v. ATS V6, I'm just using it as an example). I think that is what @dfelt is trying to say.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Nothing has been announced yet. Just because this particular tester might have a V6 doesn't mean other options won't be available.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    If only they would build something like that....
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I've been pretty happy with my TripleTreds. I don't know how they are for true performance driving (Encore, 138hp), but they've been a great all-around tire. One of the reasons I picked them was for their superior snow performance. Not quite a snow tire, but better than most other All-Seasons in that regard. The downside to them is that I've never gotten the same MPG out of the car since they went on.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    You can donate your airline miles to the cause.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Lol a slightly larger tire would be the least of this car's mpg concerns, but thanks Those are just the US main offices for Michelin. I work for a UK owned company, but our US headquarters is in Houston and where you would be referred if you had company questions.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Coker tire = $255 per tire The others are all $70 - $80 per tire. .... so no, I won't be going with Cokers. The Uniroyals don't come in a 225/70r15 with ww... ? Any reason I can't do a 215/70r15? They do make those.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Toyota does not "own" Subaru, but they do own a significant amount of shares of the company to insist on some platform and tech sharing.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    The speedo has never been accurate anyway. thanks for the advice.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Okay, but it still sounds like the 225 is the better way to go, both a wider tread and a slightly taller sidewall. Even if the advantages are small, I'll take them. Are there disadvantages to going this route?
  13. Drew Dowdell
    lol, so now I'm getting lost.... which one is the wider tire? The Uniroyals seem to have the best reviews regarding road noise. I'm looking for somewhat more compliant tires though. Modern tires seem so much stiffer than the ones this would have come with. Stiff tires are fine if the suspension is setup to absorb the harder initial hit. Right now, it feels like it slams over more severe road imperfections. Wouldn't a taller sidewall help with that? American has always been fine for me. United is "eh", but Albert gets to fly them for free now, so I imagine that's who we'll use going forward. We don't have Alaska here. Southwest doesn't impress me because I can't get upgraded to first class on them.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    The base seats are 10-way adjustable. The up-level seats are 30-way adjustable. The 30-way are the ones with the independent thigh adjusters. On the 10-way, they have a seam down the center, but are not split.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Those seats are optional. Don't like 'em, don't buy 'em.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    That blue grille would be a fantastic departure from the norm. Small change, big difference on looks. I'd buy one of these just so I could get it painted like....
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Erm... we may need to change the title of the article. This would be the second Subaru hybrid. The Crosstrek Hybrid was in production from 2014 - 2016.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    The ATS is priced to compete with the 1/2 series and CLA. More space in a Cadillac is not a disadvantage. The new Navigator has a much better interior than the current Escalade. The Escalade is more nimble, but in this segment, that is a very relative statement anyway. That said, I'm told the new Escalade will have an Escala looking interior. Much less brash than the Navigator, but no less luxurious.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    I have defenders on the Honda CR-V and while they're a bit loud, they're good otherwise. Plus, with a 90k treadlife warranty backed not only by Michelin but also by Costco, they are a good long term tire. They're actually my second set because the first ones didn't even get close to the treadlife warranty and Costco prorated more than 60% back to me toward the purchase of a new set. I have Goodyear TripleTreds on my Encore, they have been pretty much perfect. We've been putting some mad miles on it in the past year. As for boarding... this is the first year I am not Exec Platinum on American, not even gold this year.... I'm going to be sad having to board with the peasants now. My upgrades to First Class were generally at 80% on flights that had a first class cabin. I get silver with United because I'm Platinum at Marriott, so I may switch all my flying to them.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    I actually really like that. I think it looks slim and sexy. I don't mind the grille either.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    unknown... only that the decisions were made before he joined.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Neither the model renaming nor the move to NY were Johan's doing, but he'll end up taking all the blame for it.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    I know. The last set I bought were no-name chinese tires and they've been nothing but trouble. The only thing they did right was stay round and not lose air. I could never get them to balance properly. That's part of the reason I'm trying to stick with big(ger) name brands like Uniroyal or Toyo. I wish I could get Michelins for it as I've always had great results from them... but no whitewalls.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    No whitewall ? I know whitewalls are no longer popular, but that's what goes on this car.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Stupid Viglink messing up my links. It's for the Toronado.
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