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Comments
Imagine 30 GBs worth of songs at your fingertips!
http://www.phatnoise.com/products/componentfeatures/index.php
-nobee
Anyways, silly americans are driving around and causing havoc on the roads. I sometimes feel embarassed driving around her with military plates. Happy holidays!
-nobee
So much can depend on the specific compounds you're dealing with: a cheap set of tires is going to be a cheap set of tires. And it confounds me to no end why someone would spend $30K+ on a car and then go cheap on the critical interface between it and the road.
For good quality tires, I'd probably put the transition somewhere around 40F, if you're comparing snows to good (Z rated) summer tires. I had a set of Toyo's that became slick hardballs at 30F, which nearly took me off a dry straight road one morning just due to road camber (well, a little shot of gas contributed :-). I've found Dunlops and Michelins to be better, although I can tell a distinct loss in traction at 40-45F as opposed to warmer, although once the tires get warmed up, they're okay.
For all-season tires, they are, by definition, a design compromise. They can be very good at cold temperatures, or they can be pretty darn bad. My general rule of thumb is that the shorter their wear life, the better they're going to be at cold. For an all-season with a tread wear warranty of 75+K miles, expect it to become a slick hardball at 0F. For a more performance-oriented tire that's only going last only 30K miles, they will be better, but it really comes down to what specialty additives are present, such as what Shipo mentioned.
And even some of these additives have unintended trade-offs: for example, the ~1995 Michelin "MXV-Greens" had a nasty static electricicity problem that was zapping drivers at tollbooths. I believe they corrected it with a pinch of carbon to help electrically ground the tire better.
If there's any good rule of thumb, I'd say that as soon as its cold enough that you can detect flatspotting from the car sitting for the weekend, its too cold for that compound of tire.
dave330i:
I'm trying to understand the reason for smaller diameter wheels, and skinnier tires for winter. Doesn't bigger and wider tires give you more contact surface, which in turn give you better traction. Don't you want that in winter as well, or is it the opposite in winter?
You have multiple sources of potential traction. The one is the snow (poor) and the other is the road surface (better). The idea of having a smaller footprint is that it will result in a higher contact patch pressure, which improves your ability to push past the snow to get to the road and use this to gain traction. Of course, this assumes that you're driving on a road :-)
Shipo:
The Michelins use of Silica makes all the difference in temperature transition point. But not all All-Seasons feature this.
While I agree that there are a few little hills in Bergen County, I'm "up" in Morris/Sussex where there's more lousy roads and we get a bit more slippery pooge.
It also comes down to design philosophy. I'm personally willing to trade-off a little bit of daily cold/dry performance for better traction during the storms. IMO, the lousy weather is frequent enough, and the percentage change in traction is what I'm trying to minimize. Of course, it doesn't help that I live up a hill that I've gotten stuck on several times while driving cars equipped with merely All-Seasons.
The good news is that the quality of highway clearing, time now available to take off from work (and avoid storms) and winter tire technology has improved such that I no longer feel its necessary to carry a full set of chains with me anymore ... knock on wood.
-hh
I have that adapter for my pioneer changer, so all i did was get an RCA-> stereo mini adapter and a long stereo mini cable to run from the trunk to the front. wired a switch into the ground wire on the adapter so i can flip between the RCA input and the cd changer. (hid the switch in the boot for the parking brake. Its under the leather, so i can flip the switch through the boot, plus its invisible)
the url for the adapter i use in my 2001 330i is:
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-8EWzgsZ6An1/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=2&g=42300&I=541BMWPILA&o=P&a=1
works well, now all i have to do is figure out how to mount the iPod so it doesnt get launched every time i corner hard
Happy Holidays!
Regards,
Parump
For $400, the iPod gives you a great portable system you can use anywhere:
-Ours is playing a Christmas mix on our home stereo right now.
-Put an FM modulator or auxiliary input adapter in your cars and you have a system you can use in all your vehicles, not just one. As for messy wires, put them in the glove box or cubby below the in dash. You may need a cigarette adapter if 10 hours of battery life isn't enough.
-Take it jogging.
-Play it at work with some little speakers.
-Take it on the airplane.
Sure, the Phatnoise holds 30GB, but it will take 4 to 5 hours to upload 5GB through a USB port. The iPod takes 10 minutes through the firewire port. So after you get bored of the 2 1/2 days of music on the iPod, you can upload a fresh 60 hours while you read your Town Hall messages.
For half the cost and 10 times the functionality, I think I'll keep the iPod and the "messy" 8mm plug in the glove box.
-Murray
Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three "R's": Respect for self, respect for others, responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the Earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
And here's one more rule from someone else that I respect very much:
Concern yourself only with the things you can change, and remember that you can always change how you perceive any difficulties.
check the link for detailed new pricing:
http://cuttermotors.com/bimmerfest/bmw_pricing/
I do not live in IL but remember some guys spoke highly of a salesman named Ken at a Chicago dealer. Maybe you can search local dealers' websites or call up to find him. Sorry can not be more helpful on this.
Good luck.
Thank you for responding to my question. I had purchased the extended service agreement with the expectation of 15,000 mile service intervals. Recently, the indicated service interval has increased to almost 17,000 with mostly highway driving. At this rate, I will pass 50,000 miles before the Inspection II is due, and the extended service agreement would be worthless.
Interestingly, when the auxiliary fan was replaced, I noticed that the indicated service interval had decreased to below 15,000 miles. Since then, it has increased to over 16,000 miles.
In my opinion, the extended service agreement should be valid until 51,000 miles, or the calculation of the service interval explained to perspective buyers.
Merry Christmas to everyone and be safe!
Don't tell anyone I told you !!!!!
Question for all: Has anyone done an after-market upgrade of their stock stereo system in regards to the E46 or know of any person or homepage you could direct me to?
Thanks in advance,
-nobee
You can find some more info in the "Accessories / Aftermarket" section of the FAQ at: http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/faqs.php#accessories
The hard drive cartridges used by the Phatnoise are apparently quite easy to disassemble, requiring only a screw or two to pop out the standard 2.5" laptop hard drive within. If the purchaser has a laptop (which is quite likely given the high geek factor of the Phatnoise) into which the bare drive could be plugged, they could dump 30GB of files on there in an hour or so. A desktop cable with one of these $8 items would also work for those without a laptop. Moving music onto the iPod isn't necessarily faster than this method because its hard drive is still EIDE like the Phatnoise--it just contains a controller that does Firewire-to-IDE conversion.
It seems that the strengths of the iPod are no disassembly required, convenience (although at the moment I don't believe it works with any computer other than a Mac) and portability. As someone mentioned, use it in the car, jog with it, listen to it at your desk, etc. An awesome jack-of-all-trades with that amazing Apple design. What you get with the Phatnoise is full compatibility with your head unit and steering wheel controls as well as a text-to-speech menu system that sounds pretty cool.
Here's my $0.02: I've had a CD-based Rio Volt MP3 player in my car for about a year now. Back in the fall I purchased an MStation portable player with a 20GB hard drive in it. The Mstation has about 30 times the storage, but the Rio stays in the car. Why? Ease of use. The Rio holds a single CD full of MP3 files. That's probably about 100 songs or 6 hours of music. It takes about 20 minutes at home in front of my desktop to pick out 100 songs that I want and burn them to CD. Once I'm in the car, I don't even have to take my eyes off the wheel to look at the LCD display because the Rio has a small remote on a wire which handles play, pause, and skip--this gets clipped near the steering wheel. With only 100 songs on tap and a remote control at my fingertips, it just takes a second to click the skip button until I get to something I want to hear. BTW, the Rio cost me $110 and the blank CDs I use are about a quarter each. The way I see it, it's like having a 6-CD changer worth of music for just over $100 bucks.
Compare that with the 20GB beast at just over $350. With that much space, I tended to just dump over entire MP3 directories from my desktop. I didn't stop to weed out the bad songs because it would take me an entire weekend to pick through the thousands that can fit on there. Once in the car, it's no longer easy to skip around that much music at random. Let's say the 80's spirit moves me, as it often does
I have a feeling that the navigation issue I have with the MStation is the same one I would have with an iPod. I don't want to take my eyes off the road to focus them on a little LCD display and push buttons, and that's why the Phatnoise seems worth the extra $. It integrates into the steering wheel and radio controls, and apparently will read artist names and song titles to me as I blindly mash buttons to navigate around.
One problem shared by both iPod and PhatNoise is the "early adopter fee". If anyone is considering one, I'd wait a few months before doing so. Apple will likely start producing a 12 or 20GB version of the iPod which will drive prices down on the 6GB one, and the PhatNoise price will probably be lowered as well because $800 (+$60 for a BMW adapter) is simply too high a price, even for early adopter geeks.
Taking a step back on this topic, let me just say that coming from our cassette-only '01 SLK, even the single "Business CD" in our new 330i seems like a huge step up the food chain
I heard that it was Castrol Syntec 10W30 through a service tech at the dealer. But I thought that I had read otherwise at this board.
Thanks
Best Regards,
Shipo
btw, why is it called "business cd?"
Well, two more weeks until I get my hands on my new 325i. Can't wait...but the wx over here is killing me! I should of bought the xi!
-nobee
Hmmm, are you a pilot???
Best Regards,
Shipo
However, 0W 30 is for "providing exceptional pumpability in cold weather and allows for unaided engine starts down to -40°F" according to Castro USA. So thats a no-no for me in VA.
The assistant Service manager at my BMW dealer that I spoke to told me that they use Castrol Syntec 10W30 and that is what is put in at the factory.
So which do we use??
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
Nobee, how much do you pay in Germany for 0W-40 Mobil 1?
Re: the PhatNoise and in-car MP3, for now I'm holding out and making do with the single-CD in our 330i. I'm confident that in the next year or so someone will put out the next generation of DIN-sized units with built-in CD-DVD player, monitor, WinCE, MP3, GPS, etc. etc. Kinda like this on steroids.
PS, Happy Boxing Day everyone!
What kind of Business CD is that - suit and tie or business casual? I want to make sure I am dressed appropriately
I just picked up my Kia Rio hatchback GT from the dealer last week. For those who haven’t hears, it’s a specially prepared limited edition put out by the factory to commemorate its competition in the European Cup racing series. My dealer says he’s one of the very few dealerships worldwide that qualifies to receive them.
It’s really a beauty, special from the normal Rio in some really great ways. It has GT racing stripes (white over the red color), special GT emblems and a cool-looking GT shift handle and lever. The wheel covers are brighter than the normal Rio and the electrical equipment is all high output, along with some special engine hop-ups like GT fuel injection. And a whole bunch of other stuff I haven’t even found yet.
Not surprisingly, like all GT models it costs more than the regular Rio by about 20% and although I had to pay full list I was told there was a long waiting list if I didn’t want it, so I did.
So far, it runs really good. At first I was not used to how it would swerve to the left under braking but the dealer explained that this is part of the racing suspension design that does obstacle avoidance, but the driver can take manual control if you want and steer the other way too.
I’m really delighted with my GT and so far haven’t seen another one on the road. A lot of people are waiting to get one. I can’t wait – I blew by a BMW 3 series this morning! I’m going to take pictures later today of everything.
So far I haven’t had any troubles with it like were said on this board and I’m really happy with it. I think it’s the best value for a GT car you can get, and having all the best of a Kia and a sports sedan too is more than you can ask for.
Have the time of your life, all of us BMW drivers are simply green with envy.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
If it can only make left turns, I think it belongs in NASCAR :-) Your brakes are defective; take it back to the dealer and ask for one that brakes in a straight line.
But, hey, good luck with the Rio - - now if only BMW would bring back the 3-Series hatchback to the USA (it just got a pretty good write-up in AutoWeek).
-hh
Also you talk about a 10 second 0-60 time, well you should know Car and Driver in June 2001 said a basic Kia Rio did it in 10.3 seconds – so no doubt a GT would be well into the NINEs. A 6 cylinder BMW 320 (its sold in Europe and Canada – see www.bmw.ca ) does it between 8.7 and 9.8 seconds depending on options. Huh.
Then we have Mr. Huntzinger who talks about the 318. Well, go to www.bmw.co.uk to see about that car, as its vended in Britain, and we find BMW itself says a 318 manual does 0-60 in 10.9 seconds – SLOWER than a non-GT Rio! Ha.
(Also Mr. Huntzinger I never said it only breaks going left, it’s the drivers choice instead, but if you do nothing it will still avoid the obstacle. A BMW will hit it instead.)
And then there is the question of how long the car might last. The Rio GT has a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty. What’s the BMW warranty, 3 years? Maybe that’s why its called the 3 series.
I've been speaking with a dealer who guaranteed me 1100 off MSRP on a nicely equipped 2002 330. I was wondering what you thought of this offer. The dealer is checking to make sure its still available at the dealer he's getting it from in the morning. thanks, josh
However, this discussion is dedicated to the BMW 3-Series. If you want to start a conversation comparing your vehicle to a 3-Series, our Comparisons - Sedans vs. Sedans board is the appropriate place. I think some folks would be surprised at the comparison, but if it interests you, feel free to start a new discussion on that board by following that link - this discussion is not the place for it.
I'm also glad you've found our Kia Rio discussion - I'm surprised that you have only posted there once, though. Come on back to where you'll find other Rio enthusiasts.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
Thanks for the suggestions.
I find it fully respectable that this page is all about the BMW 3 series cars and so about 85% of my writing here has been about that motor sedan group.
As you have noted, in passing (pun) I have made talk about the Kia Rio GT I have, much as others here have made talk about cars they have, to compare. So do I. The Kia Rio GT is after all maybe the new benchmark and every car group needs a benchmark. After all, how come everyone here at our 3-series club page can also talk about Mercedes or Lexus sedans (not even GTs) here too, or maybe cars they already own, just like my new friend Mr. Huntzinger who has a 1995 Saab 900 and is shopping for a 2002 C230 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Sounds like he needs to know about a new benchmark too.
But I know what you mean. A little while back here, personages of alias were becoming involved in a confusing exchange about "Phatniose" that had nothing to do with any car, it seemed. I won't do that!
I've already made some very good friends here in this place, which I have settled at as my new car club. You can be added to that list too. So let's talk 3 seires and BMW and how we think about them and cars pretty close to them.
Next?
Does anyone have any real knowledge on this point?
Stereo - I will try to (finally!) post pics and info on my stereo upgrade. It is the best stereo I've done in any of my cars and was also, by far, the cheapest too. Stay tuned.....
Thanks.
Happy Holidays everyone!
P.S. No snow yet in NYC, but I can't wait to try out the XI in some powder.