What vehicle do you drive?

Fuck yeah man. My car looks terrible with 18's, and it drives like shit. I'm not sure if I can go on.

Cad_sl said:

How do guys hit stuff hard enough to crack rims? I've had 30-35 series tires on cars since like 1997 and I've never cracked a rim.

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The roads here are fucking atrocious in general, and the one he was driving on is especially bad. I don't really blame him, shit happens. I haven't cracked any rims, but I've certainly bent a couple rims and/or "egged" a few tires. We have a shit ton of freeze/thaw cycles in a given winter here, roads just don't last.

This is the road he was on where it happened. Look at that shit. And that was two years ago. They haven't paved that fucking road in 30+ years I don't think.

Google Maps

Eomer_sl said:

...On the upside, he loaned me his 2011 911 4S...

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PDK? Chrono? Hammer some nice pulls on it for sure!

Sucks about your car. Double check your suspension. I had a control arm bent when I slammed an unmarked construction hole in the road. My rim was only bent, not cracked, but that could be the "cheap" aftermarket wheels you said were put on it vs indication of a harder impact.

Rangoth_sl said:

A real diesel will not produce any smoke. Black smoke is unburnt fuel. Unless you are flooring it or tune out your car/truck to do it on purpose. I have the cummins 6.7 with EFI Live. I have tow tunes, economy tune, performance tune, and douchebag tune. Other than douchebage tune none will smoke except performance and that's only if I instantly floor it from an idle. I get about 24-26mpg when not towing. Diesel is far more efficient and it's not as flammable.

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Shame diesels pollute up to 800 times the given standard specifications when cold. Particle filters needs to be warm to function properly. Last I read is the EU is working on new standards for including this in the given specs. Diesel is a terrible fuel for public health.

Izo_sl said:

Shame diesels pollute up to 800 times the given standard specifications when cold. Particle filters needs to be warm to function properly. Last I read is the EU is working on new standards for including this in the given specs. Diesel is a terrible fuel for public health.

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Clean diesel in a car is different than diesel engines in 18 wheelers or commercial equipment and when you factor in getting 2 or 3 times the mileage versus the alternative, it's better long run. Cost to process diesel is less than gas and the engines are less complicated. Fossil fuels would last longer so we have more time to come up with real (IE, not electric, lul) alternatives, like hydrogen or something else.

Unfortunately we don't have the perfect solution right now and likely won't for the near future. But, diesel can be a good alternative for now and the next generation or two, while that's being worked on. America needs to adopt more diesel tech for the short term and continue working on actual alternative fuels at the same time.

I'm not concerned with mpg. It's health were talking about. Diesel particles, particulate matter <PM2,5. They cause lung cancer f.inst. as well as trans boundary air pollution. Why anyone would think this is a good idea is beyond me. As for your 'clean' diesel, you might want to check WHO and IARC, as well as understanding the filters on cars don't work till they're hot. This takes time. Think about it when your kid runs around your diesel car in the winter.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerc...diesel-exhaust

Jysin_sl said:

PDK? Chrono? Hammer some nice pulls on it for sure!

Sucks about your car. Double check your suspension. I had a control arm bent when I slammed an unmarked construction hole in the road. My rim was only bent, not cracked, but that could be the "cheap" aftermarket wheels you said were put on it vs indication of a harder impact.

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PDK. Only drove it a few times before he got the 18's put back on my car, but yeah, it was a pretty fun car to drive.

The biggest thing I noted was the turn-in when cornering. I guess that has a lot to do with the rear engine and stance of the car, but it was pretty impressive. But yeah, it didn't feel crazy fast in a straight line. Whether it was or not, my souped up 335xi felt faster off the line. I actually drove that and my dad's (now sold) 2008 GT2 at a track 5 years ago, and on a track the GT2 was scary fast compared to my 335, which felt super heavy in the corners despite being pretty fast on the straights. I came in after 5 laps and he was like "why'd you come in so soon?" and my response was "because that car scares the shit out of me."

Cad_sl said:

You should try a cayman rather than that piggy 4wd 911.

Cayman is significantly lighter and much less moment of inertia compared to the 911.

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That's correct; the Cayman is the better handling between the two because of the mid-engine layout. However, the GT2 is not a 4WD car and it IS a handful.

Cad_sl said:

I know, I was referring to the 2011 4S he just drove, not the GT2.

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Uhh...I must have missed that bit, my bad.

Eomer, taking car mod cues from Tuco I see.

So some of my various life events have brought together the possibility of trading in my WRX for a new plug in hybrid. I've always liked the idea but hated the Insight/Prius so I tabled the idea. I don't need the AWD of my Subaru anymore and the commute traffic with a stick is starting to wear on me. So I was looking at a new Aston Martin (joke) Fusion Titanium Energi models. It seems like a nicely equipped car. The 20 miles/charge of electric-only range doesn't bother me (my commute is about that much).

Anyone have any experience with these? I know it's got a bit less hybrid-only MPG than the regular Fusion Hybrid, but this is offset by the fact that I'd be using almost no gas for commuting, all electric. It's still not bad if I hump it up to Vegas or something at 36-40 MPG either. The AFV plate eligibility of the PHEVs is super sweet for HOV use as well. Overall I'd be saving probably 200-300/mo on payments/gas/insurance to trade in and get a 4800 tax credit/VLT incentives as well. Trunk space will suck but... I'm used to that I suppose.

I'll miss the WRX performance, but I'm OK with waiting until a factory turbo comes out on a BRZ/FRS to get another fun car on the side. That said, I HATED the original release of Ford MyTouch (it's the reason Iboughtthe WRX instead of a loaded Focus Ti at the time, I just didn't feel the electronics were worth more than the performance and AWD), though I've read the new 2015 version is much improved. I can't yet convince myself to go full electric, maybe by time the Tesla 3 hits the infrastructure will be there... but I just don't trust it quite yet. I still have some trepidations about the idea despite wanting to go this route for quite some time. My apt complex has rapid chargers if I need, but I asked and they said they would work with me and put a tiny little meter in the garage I rent to let me charge it where I park each night, so that is pretty sweet as well.

Any thoughts? Most of the negatives online seem to be the cost over the normal Hybrid model - but I'm OK with that due to the tax rebate basically being the difference (and said rebates are no longer available on 'regular' hybrids only plug in models). The reduced hybrid-only MPG sucks to a degree, but I figure my over-20 mile trips are fairly limited anyway. The flexibility to run it on EV most the time but also have a gas tank to have a 550mi range is more enticing.