Cars & Bikes, Driving & Riding

[dodint]

Is is a BMW? I'll give you a set w/Conti DWS's already mounted on them.

[robbiestoupe]

no thanks, don't need all the brake dust

[offsides]

Craigslist is probably your best bet for cheap wheels, with eBay close behind, IMO. As for the tires themselves, I've been running General Altimax Arctic's for 6 years now and highly recommend them. They're an outstanding bang for your buck, IMO.

I also have used the Altimax for a couple years and agree with you. Nice tire.

[NTP66]

It’s bad enough that I had to swap the winter wheels on, but I checked my summer tires and they’re all at 1/8” tread depth, so they need to be replaced. I swear I didn’t buy them all that long ago, and they’re only on the car for like 4K miles/year.

[NTP66]

Hmm, they were installed in the spring of 2015, so I guess they're not as young as I thought.

[faftorial]

Had my 20th anniversary with my Jetta in August. Two more years and it will have outlived my marriage...

Need to replace the window regulator, install new speakers and OEM radio (from China where versions of the MK4 were still being made until a few years ago), and get seat covers to finish the rehab.

Nice rotted out speaker.

[NTP66]

I haven't owned a set in over a decade, but I think I'm going to pull the trigger on some Kumho Ecsta PS31's.

[faftorial]

The 2021 Kia Optima:

[NTP66]

I want to like that, but the headlight design looks weird to me, and the rear end looks too much like a Dodge.

[faftorial]

I think the lights (and LED light on cars in general) looks cheap and cheesy.

[NTP66]

I'm on the record as not really being a fan of LED headlights at all.

[offsides]

I'm on the record as not really being a fan of LED headlights at all.

It is heck to get old.My night eyes just ain't what they used to be. I installed some HID lights on my 2014 Accord a few years ago and can see at night again. They are really bright white but also flat on top so they don't blind anybody coming at me. I also put LED headlights on my 61 Vette. They look original but are much brighter. I can go to car cruises, stay late and drive home after dark.

[Shyster]

I mostly like the Kia, but the front end looks like the grille has been knocked out and is missing. Honda's cars sort of have the same look to me. I'm not very fond of the directions that many companies are taking their grille designs. Don't even get me started on those giant monstrosities that Lexus is using.

I have't looked into LED replacement headlights, but on my last car I tried pretty much all of the "premium" headlight bulbs on the market, such as the Sylvania SilverStar, Philips CrystalVision, etc. I found that they had a vastly shorter lifespan and didn't really put out any more light than standard halogen bulbs; the light is just "whiter" than regular halogens. Totally not worth it, especially at double or even triple the price of regular bulbs.

My understanding is that the lumen output of headlight bulbs is limited by law. So I don't think fancy halogen bulbs or even afteermarket LED bulbs can actually be any brighter in terms of actual light output (unless one installs bulbs that aren't street legal, of course). I believe the only difference is really the color of the light.

[NTP66]

Give me bi-Xenon projectors any day of the week.

[NTP66]

Shyster: Were your Silverstars actually the German models or USA models? The German ones are the real deal; the American ones are trash.

[Shyster]

Shyster: Were your Silverstars actually the German models or USA models? The German ones are the real deal; the American ones are trash.

Probably the US models. I honestly don't recall looking to see where they were made. I know I tried pretty much every premium bulb brand, and all of them had noticeably shorter bulb life. Some burned out in less than a year. Admittedly, for that car I used to drive with my lights on pretty much all of the time, but when I went back to regular OEM-style halogen bulbs, they'd last for multiple years. I didn't think the much higher price was worth the slight perceived brightness from the whiter light.

[NTP66]

I’ll see if I can find the pics, but I’m a supporter of the German (Osram) Silverstars. I replaced my wife’s OEM bulbs with them and never looked back. Better light quality overall, and markedly better coverage. I compared them to the cheap USA bulbs, too.

[mac5155]

Great day for my washer fluid pump to poop the bed.

[mac5155]

Oh goody, my car was pumping out power steering fluid this morning.

[Kane]

Is that the damn Honda beater or whatever it is you have? Take it out back and shoot it, lol.

[mac5155]

It's the Honda yes, it's not a beater! She's been loved for 369k miles and counting. Lol.

My presumption is its leaking from the rack. A junkyard replacement is about 60 bucks, and my guys usually pretty good on labor. I'd be happy with sub$300.

[Shyster]

I had a hose fail and dump all of the power-steering fluid on my old Hyundai (after about 10 years of ownership). Let's hope it's something simple like that.

[mac5155]

I had a hose fail and dump all of the power-steering fluid on my old Hyundai (after about 10 years of ownership). Let's hope it's something simple like that.

Ditto. The reservoir was kind of just hanging there. Luckily I have a friend who is a mechanic. I'll probably know tomorrow. The fluid was all over the driveway but also on the cross member right below the reservoir. It was 12 degrees this morning so I wasn't pissing around looking for the leak. Not to mention the fluid was about completely empty

[NTP66]

[faftorial]

Trying to raise the spirit of dodint?