Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

That's interesting that you do that. Do you have any concerns about switching wheels back and forth that often (like scratching rims or improperly torquing lugs)? I was thinking of doing the same myself.

What catagory of summer tires do you use? Have you experienced any problems as the temps fell below 32F?

I have more risk of curbing the OE 18" wheels than damaging them at the tire shop. They also store them there for me. I have been using that shop for a while, the same tech now does all my work there, so we have a good relationship.

The OE tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE050 on 18" rims, staggered in rim width (8" wide in front, 9" in back) and size (225/40R18 front, 255/35R18 out back). Buying snow tires for those would have been crazy expensive so I decided to get a set of 17" rims that fit (no easy task) and the Michelin winters.

Here's the official description of the Bridgestones and why you don't want them on there in the winter:

"The Potenza RE050A is a Max Performance Summer tire designed to complement the performance of sports cars, sports coupes and sport sedans. While the Potenza RE050 is used as Original Equipment on the supercharged Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG sedan, a Potenza RE050A Scuderia version is used on the 12-cylinder Enzo Ferrari supercar, and a Run Flat version is used on the BMW Z4 sports cars and 5-Series sedans. The Potenza RE050A was developed to provide good traction along with responsive and predictable dry and wet road handling. It is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

I like driving on the Michelins better most of the time anyway - much quieter, a bit of a softer ride, at a cost of not quite so razor-sharp steering and handling.

That's interesting, I put Potenza all seasons on my Eclipse and noticed a really improvement in handling. I wanted to get summer performance tires for the Mustang but always worried if I drove too late in the year the handling characteristics would degrade at below freezing or worse, the tread might be damaged.

OF, your worried about tread damage? What about sliding off the road?
I have a friend who had an Olds Cutlass (that is really dating me) with high performance tires and he couldn't drive if there was any snow on the ground. I hardly ever bought snow tires, but my 2008 BMW Cabriolet couldn't plow through more than 2 inches of snow on the ground.
Don't risk driving in snow without snow tires on your Stang.

Oh, no, no,dear boy....baby would never see snow and the lousy salt that comes with it. I have a whole fleet of hoopties for that.

I do drive into the fall up to the first snow and the temps could potentially get into the 20s. My concern with summer tires is that the rubber compounds lose some of their handling dynamics below freezing and some of them can't even be driven without losing chunks of tread. I was wondering about ab348's experience from a real world standpoint.

BTW, I grew up driving RWD in the snow and my recent winter car was a RWD Lincoln. No biggie.

I'm not sure you got a real answer then oldfarmer. According to Tire Rack driving on summer high performance tires is a real NO NO:

In anticipation of the next time Mother Nature extends her cold reach, drivers with vehicles equipped with summer performance tires need to know those tires are not designed for near- or below-freezing temperatures on clear roads, nor in slush, snow and ice.

When faced with near- and below-freezing temperatures, drivers should leave their summer performance tire-equipped vehicle at home and drive a vehicle equipped with all-season or winter tires.

Summer performance tires feature tread compounds engineered to provide traction in warm to hot ambient temperatures. They were never intended to experience near- and below-freezing temperatures, nor the wintry driving conditions that often accompany them.

As ambient temperatures get colder, typically in the 40-45° Fahrenheit range, summer performance tires lose a noticeable percentage of traction as their tread compound rubber properties change from a pliable elastic to inflexible plastic

GOOD ARTICLE BUT THEY DO TEND TO EXAGGERATE

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

Here's a fun video from R&T about the Cadillac CTS V-Sport (with a gratuitous shot at the infotainment system that is seemingly required by the Union of Automotive Journalists):

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/a24165276/cadillac-cts-v-sport-video-review/

I actually had one of those a a loaner from Cadillac for an afternoon. Amazing car. I’ve never driven an M5, which they compare it to. But, just coming from a Stinger test drive, I’d say they’re comparable.

MSRP was close to $70K, though. For that money, there are a lot of really good cars. Not to mention you can get a Stinger or G70 for way less, too.

I believe you own the ideal Cadillac.....ATS with the V6.

My friend's CTS-V with the 700 hp Lingenfelter engine package was crazy fun; I did a 200 foot burnout with no trouble at all...

You could hurt your neck in that thing.

BTW, it had to be a nice burgundy color, huh? Couldn't be a plain white job. I'm getting tired of everyone in here rubbing it in. :@

jmonroe

I saw a G70 in burgandy yesterday. I was going to take a picture of it but I didn't want to get you depressed. That's a nice little car for $43k.

Want to test drive one of those, too. But, the closest G70 in stock is in MI. I thought they rolled them out 2-3 months ago.

stickguy

I am going for an oil change Tuesday. Plan to check out a G70 while I am there. They show a couple in stock I think.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

BTW, I grew up driving RWD in the snow and my recent winter car was a RWD Lincoln. No biggie.

I did not grow up in the snowbelt, hence the first time I was exposed, it was a real learning experience. It snows around here maybe once every 10 years, but usually not enough to affect driving. Except for the idiots who act like it's the end of the world.

We do occasionally (every few years) get an ice event. Now that is a whole lot of NOT fun! The drivers have no idea, no one has the right tires, the city and county do not have the equipment and personnel to deal with the bridges and overpasses. Total nightmare.

The worst I can recall (although I didn't have to live through it) was the snow in Atlanta a few years ago. Thousands of people trapped in their cars on the freeways for 24 to 36 hours.

Why would you sit in your car for 36 hours? Unless there was 6 feet of snow or I was barefoot, I'd start hiking to the nearest waffle house.

I finally quit buying Keurig machines as they didn’t seem to last more than about 6 months. Got to love Costco’s return policy.

Replaced it with a Kitchenaid pour over coffee maker. Cost me $135, but it makes better coffee than the K machine, and the coffee for it is a lot cheaper when I grind my own at Costco. No problems with it, either.

stickguy

did something today in honor of JMonroe. After getting my brakes done (2 weeks now?) and tires rotated, I stopped back at the tire store to have them re-torque the lug nuts. Mavis actually has printed on their receipts in big red letters you are supposed to bring it back after 25 miles (well, we missed that by a few!). I am sure it is CYA stuff, and I bet very few other people actually do it even though it is a good idea. No other tire place has ever mentioned it (nor the dealer).

quick and easy. Parked outside, went in and told counter person why I was there, and they sent a tech right out to the car, click click, and on my way. Needless to say, my wife was ecstatic about having such a fun adventure today!

driver100

qbrozen said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

Glad I wasn't in the passenger seat!

stickguy

though I did take her to the movies last night. Have not done that in ages. She really wanted to see A star is born, so we went. It was actually quite well done. I liked it. I do want to go back and see Bohemian Rhapsody next week though.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Well, I spent an hour today repairing the Keurig coffeemaker; a bit of a fiddly job, but it beats buying a new one.

I replace my Mr. Coffee about once a year for$16. Before they started making them in China they cost $25-30 but lasted a lot longer.

I have had coffee makers across a spectrum of $20 to $200. The Ninja I have now is the best I have ever owned. I believe it is going on about 3 years now.

roadburner

We love our Technivorm-Moccamaster; we've had it for years:

Mr_Shiftright

carbon fiber exhaust tips ---saves weight!

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

carbon fiber exhaust tips ---saves weight!

How much? 3 pounds. You can save that much by going on a diet.

driver100

roadburner said:

We love our Technivorm-Moccamaster; we've had it for years:

Looks like a science project I worked on in high school.

stickguy

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

28firefighter

I’m down to 4 12oz cups of coffee a day. Have a cuisinart that I love with a built-in burr grinder. Keurig doesn’t work for me because I make and drink what can only be politely referred to as Jet Fuel. 

My parents have the technivorm and it makes amazing coffee. 

tjc78

We love our Ninja too.  

tjc78

stickguy said:

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

Your a nice guy, we will let that slide 

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Well, I spent an hour today repairing the Keurig coffeemaker; a bit of a fiddly job, but it beats buying a new one.

I replace my Mr. Coffee about once a year for$16. Before they started making them in China they cost $25-30 but lasted a lot longer.

My Mr. Coffee 4-cup Brewer is now 15 years old and still makes a great cup of coffee.  But my next trip to Walmart will result in a new one.  Still use those cheap paper coffee filters.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

Glad I wasn't in the passenger seat!

I would have reached over and turned the key from on to off.

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

We love our Technivorm-Moccamaster; we've had it for years:

I tend to be low tech with this, and since I agree with stickguy about coffee I use it for tea.

stickguy

mike, if it makes a great cup of coffee still, why get a new one?

I drink a lot of iced tea. But I make that in bulk. Boil water, pour it over tea bags in a pitcher, and let it steep. A gallon at a time.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

I assume you're referring to degrees C when you say nights below zero. What's the coldest you've driven the summer tires and did you notice any dramatic differences?

Probably in the 40s Fahrenheit. I wasn’t pushing it so I can’t comment on any differences.

suydam

We use a French Press because it takes up less space in a small kitchen. And makes great coffee. We have a coffee grinder too.

driver100

stickguy said:

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

But, there is nothing else that can replace it. I have known a few people who use Coke to get a caffeine fix in the morning. One was a lady sales rep who had to have a few cases in her car at all times. Tea is only good if you are sick. Stick, do you have wine or beer instead?

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

Glad I wasn't in the passenger seat!

I would have reached over and turned the key from on to off.

I don't know if that is a good idea when dealing with a maniac. Also, it may be a push button start car.

That guy had no idea of how dangerous driving that fast is (wonder if he is related to someone around here), and even if he was the best driver in the world he isn't taking into account what other drivers might inadvertantly do!

driver100

stickguy said:

mike, if it makes a great cup of coffee still, why get a new one?

I drink a lot of iced tea. But I make that in bulk. Boil water, pour it over tea bags in a pitcher, and let it steep. A gallon at a time.

Sounds delicious

sda

28firefighter said:

I’m down to 4 12oz cups of coffee a day. Have a cuisinart that I love with a built-in burr grinder. Keurig doesn’t work for me because I make and drink what can only be politely referred to as Jet Fuel. 

My parents have the technivorm and it makes amazing coffee. 

We also have a Cuisinart with burr grinder. My wife buys different organic beans to grind, we enjoy. One thing, it is important to keep the shute clean or it doesn't work well.

ab348

qbrozen said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

That was both terrifying and infuriating. Was that in Italy? Where were the Carabineri?

ab348

..

stickguy

Driver I drink iced tea during the day. That is our primary drink. Get some caffeine that way, though no clue how much compared to coffee. At one point, I used to take a diet soda (Dr. pepper, or Mt. Dew, but always diet) in the morning and maybe with lunch. Rarely drink soda these days though since it is not good for you.

so pretty much, when you coffee people are downing that, I probably have a glass of homemade iced tea. Unsweetened only. Sweet tea is nasty. I brew it, squeeze in a couple of fresh lemons, and call it done.

fintail

It's in Brazil. That's a place even more than the US or Canada where money will protect you from any real accountability for such actions. Justice isn't blind.

qbrozen said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

But, there is nothing else that can replace it. I have known a few people who use Coke to get a caffeine fix in the morning. One was a lady sales rep who had to have a few cases in her car at all times. Tea is only good if you are sick. Stick, do you have wine or beer instead?

Not everyone needs a caffeine fix in the morning, as a matter of fact people really don't need it. The only reason you "need" it is because you condition your body to need it by using it in the morning, caffeine is a drug and acts like any other drug. 

qbrozen

stickguy said:

mike, if it makes a great cup of coffee still, why get a new one? I drink a lot of iced tea. But I make that in bulk. Boil water, pour it over tea bags in a pitcher, and let it steep. A gallon at a time.

I use a cold brew carafe with loose leaf green tea. Sometimes I add in jasmine pearls or rasberry leaf. Roughly a half-gallon container. I then usually cut it 1:1 with cran juice or lemonade.

andres3

fintail said:

It's in Brazil. That's a place even more than the US or Canada where money will protect you from any real accountability for such actions. Justice isn't blind.

qbrozen said:

Audi driver is an absolute moron. The planet will be better off when he inevitably kills himself or goes to jail.

A 19-year old woman was killed trying to be a good samaritan in San Diego on the 94 East I believe a week or two ago. She witnessed a car crash, decided to help out, crossed the freeway, and ended up getting hit by someone not paying attention, ended up on the oncoming lanes over the center divide, and died before having a chance to be taken to the hospital.

The driver of the Jeep Patriot that probably hit her at 55-75 MPH scares me more than an R8 driver racing some bikes. They said alcohol wasn't involved.

As a side note, I'll teach my daughter that the freeways of CA are much too dangerous to get out on by foot, and you'd be much better off just dialing 911 with the fancy tech of new cars these days.

What are the chances this driver gets off without any charges?

abacomike

stickguy said:

mike, if it makes a great cup of coffee still, why get a new one? I drink a lot of iced tea. But I make that in bulk. Boil water, pour it over tea bags in a pitcher, and let it steep. A gallon at a time.

Always gotta have a back-up.  My current Mr. Coffee is slowly beginning to make coffee less hot than it used to.  So I let it steep a bit longer.  But at $18-$25 for a new Mr. Cofee 4-cup coffee maker, replacing the old one makes sense after all these years.

abacomike

Got my real estate tax bill in the mail yesterday.  $745 if paid in March, but only $685 if paid before November 30th.  So I paid the tax bill online using their Express Check at no charge.  It issues a receipt and reference number immediately which I attach to the tax bill and file it.

It’s basically a universal check using my checking account routing number and account number.  My tax bill is actually 20 dollars less than last year but the assessed valuation increased $20,000.  There is an amendment on Tuesday’s ballot to increase my homeowners homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, IIRC.  That would be nice.!

oldfarmer50

Hey, weren't one of you guys looking for a used Porsche a few days ago? Here's one for you:

ab348

.

abacomike said:

Got my real estate tax bill in the mail yesterday.  $745 if paid in March, but only $685 if paid before November 30th.  So I paid the tax bill online using their Express Check at no charge.  It issues a receipt and reference number immediately which I attach to the tax bill and file it.

It’s basically a universal check using my checking account routing number and account number.  My tax bill is actually 20 dollars less than last year but the assessed valuation increased $20,000.  There is an amendment on Tuesday’s ballot to increase my homeowners homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, IIRC.  That would be nice.!

Is that amount for the whole year?

If so I am disgruntled by my own tax bill which I just paid last week. Just under $2400 for a modest little house in an OK but hardly posh neighborhood. No surprise though, our municipal council spends like drunken sailors (apologies to any actual drunken sailors in the audience) on many hugely wasteful things. Right now they are greasing the skids to approve a $200 million football stadium that will surely be a white elephant. I feel like I need to move but there is no place within reasonable distance that would be acceptable.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

Got my real estate tax bill in the mail yesterday.  $745 if paid in March, but only $685 if paid before November 30th.  So I paid the tax bill online using their Express Check at no charge.  It issues a receipt and reference number immediately which I attach to the tax bill and file it.

It’s basically a universal check using my checking account routing number and account number.  My tax bill is actually 20 dollars less than last year but the assessed valuation increased $20,000.  There is an amendment on Tuesday’s ballot to increase my homeowners homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, IIRC.  That would be nice.!

Do you have a seperate bill for school and property taxes or is that your total for the year? My inlaws recently moved to St. Cloud from NY and were almost giddy when telling me about their new tax bill.

I'm in a relatively low taxed town and my combined school/property tax bill is about 9 times yours.

stickguy

I think that is out of Shify's budget. Maybe GG will jump on it though!

Mike, that is for a full year? I would get about 3 weeks out of that payment. I hate NJ taxes.

tjc78

I’d kill for 2400! I just got the reassessment from my addition and I am now at about $7500 for a 4 bed / 2 bath rancher.

Best part about it is, they back billed for one month last year and all this year. I am gonna have one hell of an escrow shortage next year! I guess I better send an extra $100 a month to offset it.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

But, there is nothing else that can replace it. I have known a few people who use Coke to get a caffeine fix in the morning. One was a lady sales rep who had to have a few cases in her car at all times. Tea is only good if you are sick. Stick, do you have wine or beer instead?

Not everyone needs a caffeine fix in the morning, as a matter of fact people really don't need it. The only reason you "need" it is because you condition your body to need it by using it in the morning, caffeine is a drug and acts like any other drug. 

Ahh but what a drug!

stickguy

I would kill to get down to $7,500.

And the wife wonders why I want to move so bad, and think we should downsize.

driver100

stickguy said:

Driver I drink iced tea during the day. That is our primary drink. Get some caffeine that way, though no clue how much compared to coffee. At one point, I used to take a diet soda (Dr. pepper, or Mt. Dew, but always diet) in the morning and maybe with lunch. Rarely drink soda these days though since it is not good for you.

so pretty much, when you coffee people are downing that, I probably have a glass of homemade iced tea. Unsweetened only. Sweet tea is nasty. I brew it, squeeze in a couple of fresh lemons, and call it done.

Stick, I am just kidding about tea. I like unsweetened iced tea as well. Tea can have 1/3rd to 1/2 the caffeine that coffee has. My wife buys tea decaffeinated tea which is a little harder to find but is available. I think Dr Pepper has no caffeine, but Mountain Due has quite a bit. One reason I like coffee is because it fills you up and has no calories....helps for dieting.

I think part of the joy of coffee is the warmth.......feels good - in this sometimes cold cruel world.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I would kill to get down to $7,500. And the wife wonders why I want to move so bad, and think we should downsize.

Yup! This!

Mine is just under $18k. 

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

Coffee? Yuck. Nasty stuff!

But, there is nothing else that can replace it. I have known a few people who use Coke to get a caffeine fix in the morning. One was a lady sales rep who had to have a few cases in her car at all times. Tea is only good if you are sick. Stick, do you have wine or beer instead?

Not everyone needs a caffeine fix in the morning, as a matter of fact people really don't need it. The only reason you "need" it is because you condition your body to need it by using it in the morning, caffeine is a drug and acts like any other drug.

 

It may be bad to you....but, I count it as one of the 5 fruits you are supposed to eat every day;
Coffee is a drink made from coffee beans, which are the roasted fruit of the Coffea arabica bush.(WebMD)

Also, some benefits of coffee;

People drink coffee to relieve mental and physical fatigue and to increase mental alertness. Coffee is also used to prevent Parkinson's disease, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer. Other uses include treatment of headache, low blood pressure, obesity, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

driver100

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

I would kill to get down to $7,500.

And the wife wonders why I want to move so bad, and think we should downsize.

Yup! This!

Mine is just under $18k. 

Some people don't earn that much in a year!

ab348

I guess the lesson from all the above posts is that whatever you pay in property taxes, you feel it is too much. :@

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I would kill to get down to $7,500.

And the wife wonders why I want to move so bad, and think we should downsize.

NJ is the only state that makes NY look good. Although, there arehigh taxedcrumbling cities near me where the annual taxes equal about 3% of the home value.

imidazol97

Isn't there a big problem when comparing property tax bills? Don't different states find various entities in different ways?

E.g., Ohio finds schools with voted local taxes for building as well as operating funds, BUT there is state money that comes back to local districts from the state--which the state gets from sales tax and income taxes. 

The schools mentioned are vocational schools as well as local public and two year voc/coll prep schools.

To compare state to state, is total tax bill the better comparison?

fintail

What's the value/rate though? That's the key. If your house is worth 100K, you're paying a lot. If it is worth 500K, that's not bad at all.

People in my area often have a 5K++ tax bill, as prices have inflated wildly due to natural and less than clean reasons.

ab348 said:

Is that amount for the whole year?

If so I am disgruntled by my own tax bill which I just paid last week. Just under $2400 for a modest little house in an OK but hardly posh neighborhood. No surprise though, our municipal council spends like drunken sailors (apologies to any actual drunken sailors in the audience) on many hugely wasteful things. Right now they are greasing the skids to approve a $200 million football stadium that will surely be a white elephant. I feel like I need to move but there is no place within reasonable distance that would be acceptable.