Stories from the Sales Frontlines

abacomike

The tire J and I are referring to is the SP Sport5000. They wear and perform like summer tires, but somehow get an all season declaration. They aren't suitable for winter driving on any vehicle IMO

I think it was the Sport 5000's that were on my Lexus GS350. They tried everything they could to get the vibration out of the steering wheel, but the tires were to spec, according to Dunlop. And Lexus refused to do anything about the vibration. They had other GS350's in stock with the same problems, but Lexus and Dunlop washed their hands of the problem. I think it was the tread.

Anyway, I couldn't get out of that car fast enough - I think I had it 3 months before I "ran" back to my Mercedes Dealership and got another E350 Sport Sedan.

Now, I have Continental Contacs on the car - and most of the E350's I've had, and they seem quieter and more stable than any other tire I've had on my cars. The best tires I ever had were Michelins, but for some strange reason, they don't produce a replacement tire for the E350s. Only Bridgestone, Dunlop and Continental, to the best of my knowledge. I've never had any problems with Continentals, but to be quite honest with you, I've never had a car for a long enough time to really break them in.

abacomike

"I've tried to research this question meticulously, with the utmost logic, searching the statutes dealing with automobiles in the state in which I reside, but alas, *jmonroe, I could not find a thing on the books about snow tires. I should have recognized there would be a problem when I used their search engine (Florida State Statutes) with the word snow and the response was "select another word for your search!"

*jmonroe, I didn't even get a chuckle out of you for this post, and I worked so hard to get a response from you - I just don't have it anymore, I guess!

jmonroe

*jmonroe, I didn't even get a chuckle out of you for this post, and I worked so hard to get a response from you - I just don't have it anymore, I guess!

OK dammit, I’m chuckling. You Florida dwellers really do get a kick out of reminding those of us who don’t live in the Sunshine State that we deserve what we get when it comes to dealing with northern winters and having to consder what type of snow tires we should use.

I’ll bet you guys even ban all Christmas cards from stores that have snow scenes, huh? :confuse:

jmonroe

abacomike

I’ll bet you guys even ban all Christmas cards from stores that have snow scenes, huh?

Absolutely not!!! Where do you think Santa Claus spends his January's and February's? If we banned snow scene Christmas cards, he'd winter in Hawaii instead - and you know how much the Sunshine State needs its tourists in order to pay for the new stadiums!

Besides, what do you think drives the tourists down here? Yep SNOW! Why would we bite the hand that feeds us?

abacomike

Well, I guess Florida was listening to me. The legislature is about to pass a law that prohibits texting while driving. Unfortunately, it isn't stringent enough.

1st offense - $30.00 fine
2nd offense - $60.00 fine

If you are involved in an accident, the police will have the authority to subpoena your cell phone records to determine if you were texting at the time of the accident. If you were texting at the time of the accident, contributory negligence will be the result. Nothing about talking on your cellphone, though, just texting.

At least it's a start!

driver100

I'll venture a guess and say that you attach a roof rack support posts there.

I think you are right. I just asked the question on Google. Seems sometimes in a car wash the little doors get blown open.

Good guess!

driver100

1st offense - $30.00 fine
2nd offense - $60.00 fine

Fine for driving in Ontario using any entertainment device, including cellphone or texting is minimum $155 to $500. Honestly, it should be a lot more. Cellphone records will be used in court.

Not too long ago a guy was talking to his wife on his cellphone. She heard his voice and then nothing after that. He was killed in an accident while talking to her. It happens a lot.

$30 for texting is a start, not much of one, but it is a start. I see them yaking and driving when we are in Florida and it is scarry.

abacomike

Ft. Lauderdale broke a 100+ year record for rainfall today - 3.88" of rain, and in just 5 hours. Here in the Pompano Beach area, we had 5.14" of rain in about the same amount of time. It was like the heavens opened up and deluged us. I guess rainy season has finally started.

Over the past 3 days, we've had over 10" of rain down here. Lots of surface flooding on streets and the Turnpike and I-95, cars were traveling at 30 mph because of all the hydro planing.

Enough already! Tomorrow, they are predicting another deluge. Good grief!

robr2

According to the NY Times, G.M's first quarter North American operations pretax profit fell by 14% to $1.4 billion...or is it the stigma of the bailout that is hurting GM?

And on that news, GM stock was up 3.25%.

I don't get it either..... :confuse:

explorerx4

I'm no expert, but I'd say the results were expected to be worse or changes are on the way. Closed @31.16 but was 30.84 two days ago.

jmonroe

Besides, what do you think drives the tourists down here? Yep SNOW! Why would we bite the hand that feeds us?

That is exactly how my dearly departed Delray Beach brother felt. I remember him commenting several times about how the people who lived there year round felt about the snow birds causing long lines at the restaurants during snow bird season and how glad they’d be come April when things returned to normal. His feelings were not that many people down there over 55 were born in Southern Florida so they really had no complaints. Especially the people in his over 55 gated community. He liked the idea of the snow birds and tourists helping to maintain Florida as a no income tax state.

jmonroe

abacomike

He liked the idea of the snow birds and tourists helping to maintain Florida as a no income tax state.

No question about it! Your brother must have been a practical and pragmatic man - not many people like that left in the world. I would have loved to meet him.

driver100

He liked the idea of the snow birds and tourists helping to maintain Florida as a no income tax state.

Exactly! The permanent residents in our community say they like it when the snowbirds are around....they said it is like a ghost town when they aren't there.

The restaurants are pretty quiet, and other businesses just try to make it through until the snowbirds return.

****No income tax is amazing, what a great concept!

Sandman6472

Yes, and I worked in it all day long. By the airport it was crazy and the roads we were using all were flooded! It was a tough day to be sure but luckily I had a Jeep and a few SUV's which have higher clearance. I also had the chance to drive a new Nissan Pathfinder with under 3k on the clock...what an outstanding vehicle to, plenty of power for it's heavy weight and a comfortable interior...very impressive SUV! Hopefully the rain will taper off the next few days but no work is scheduled for tomorrow at this point. Probably will work on Saturday I hope! I'm still digging it so much...the 2nd best job I've ever had!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

roadburner

verdugo is correct; the hatches are for BMW's roof rack system. My 1995 318ti even has them...

roadburner

My son and I give two BIG thumbs up for Iron Man 3! As an aside, we saw it in IMAX 3D and the theater's audio system sounded almost as good as my main home setup. Both of us were pleasantly surprised...

driver100

verdugo is correct; the hatches are for BMW's roof rack system. My 1995 318ti even has them..

Thanks for the info....a few people have asked me and I didn't have any idea.

I guess it is a clever idea, if you want a roof rack you have to buy one from BMW.

driver100

My son and I give two BIG thumbs up for Iron Man 3!

You're not alone...I heard 3 reviews this morning and they said about the same. One complained that if you go to see Ironman you want to see him dressed as Ironman, and they could have shown more of him in his outfit. But, just a minor complaint...overall he liked it a lot.

graphicguy

Boy.....talk about a person who really turned his life around....Robert Downey went from an unemployable, out-of-control druggy, to the principle in 3 movie franchises (Ironman, Sherlock Holmes, Avengers). Kudos to him.

houdini1

Snow tires are quite topical here is the KC area. It snowed very heavily here yesterday and last night. The good news is it never got below freezing so it is mostly gone this morning. Officially 2-1/2 inches but much more than that actually fell, it just melted quickly. After all, it was 83 degrees the day before. Crazy weather.

roadburner

I guess it is a clever idea, if you want a roof rack you have to buy one from BMW.

Thule sells roof racks that attach to the BMW mounting points.

driver100

Thule sells roof racks that attach to the BMW mounting points.

Cool! I checked it out...that Thrule company is a good one to know about.

roadburner

Yes, Downey is a lucky man; not too many guys get a second chance...

We already have tickets to Star Trek: Into Darkness; it will be a great movie going summer for my son and I- we can't wait for:

Fast and Furious 6(any movie featuring an Escort RS and a Jensen Interceptor can't be all bad...)
Man of Steel
Pacific Rim(best line of the summer: WE ARE CANCELLING THE APOCALYPSE!!!)
Rush(9/20/13- James Hunt. Niki Lauda. 1976 F1 season. Cannot wait!!!)

Still, I have to admit I'm more than a little sad; going to all the summer blockbusters has been a father-son tradition since he was 5- and this summer is the last one before he goes off to college. Where did the time go?

roadburner

Cool! I checked it out...that Thrule company is a good one to know about.

I have a Thule bike rack that I bought in 1984. It originally went on my 1973 Bavaria- but change the mounting feet and it will fit my wife's 2009 328i.

houdini1

Hey, don't be sad, that tradition will probably last a lifetime. I played golf all the time with my boys when they were little. They are now 38 and 45 and have their own families... but we still play golf together every chance we get...which is quite often.

Plus we are breaking a couple of the grand kids in.

roadburner

Hey, don't be sad, that tradition will probably last a lifetime.

I know, I'm just blessed that my son and I shared so many of the same interests- which wasn't the case with my father and I. Da liked working in the yard and gardening, which I consider to be a form of punishment equivalent to-or below-the sixth level of Hell. I never pushed my son into liking sports/cars/science fiction, etc., and it has worked out really well.

Kirstie_H

We were just talking about him a few nights ago; oddly, when we were watching Rob Lowe in Parks & Recreation. He's another one who got too famous, too young, too fast and got himself into trouble. There were quite a few of those young stars from the 80's who took a nosedive, and most have recovered miraculously well (save Charlie Sheen).

jmonroe

Cool! I checked it out...that Thrule company is a good one to know about.

Son #1 has a car/van top carrier that is made by Thule but carries the Sears badge. Without that gizmo we could never have gone to Myrtle Beach together in his van. Seven of us total. His family of 5 and Mrs. j and I.

Just for grins, since we were talking about snow tires a while back, I went in and looked at the Snow Tire Chains that Thule sells. First you select your type of vehicle (car or van), next selection was rim size (18 inches for the Genny), next selection was for tread width size (235) next selection was for tire profile (50) then clicked continue. Man, I shouldn’t have done that because up pops the price for this contraption called “Thule K-Summit K45, the smallest external chain for passenger cars”. MSRP $549.95, they don’t say that’s for a pair but its gotta be.

Needless to say I won’t be getting that (pair or not).

jmonroe

abacomike

verdugo is correct; the hatches are for BMW's roof rack system. My 1995 318ti even has them...

Mercedes E Class vehicles have them as well - they are for roof racks!

abacomike

Just for grins, since we were talking about snow tires a while back...

Speaking of ...tires, I was on my way up to Boca Raton this morning on the Turnpike, when I noticed a slight shimmy in the ride of the new Mercedes. Even my Dad noticed it - not acute, but noticeable. I called my dealer and the service manager said to bring the car right on. So I got to Delray at 9:15 AM and they immediately took the car into the service department.

After road-testing the car, the mechanic I always use (David) asked me if the shimmy was in the steering wheel and I responded that it was more a vibration in the car. He said that's what he felt, so he tested and balanced each tire/wheel. He found that under a "road pressure test" that the left rear tire was out of round caused by the tread. They replaced the tire and now the car runs as smooth as silk.

I asked what caused that and he said that sometimes, if they don't put at least 50 lbs. of pressure in them for the ocean crossing on the ship (the cars are on the boat for two weeks at times) with varying temperatures, they can develop a flat spot from the weight and/or the tire just might be defective.

He told me that if I don't use the car for weeks at a time, to put 40+ pounds of air in the tires to keep them from developing flat spots.

Has anyone ever experienced what I experienced or heard of that happening? Just interested in your take on this!

tjc78

I've heard of it Mike. From what I understand it's pretty common. I would also think the lower the profile tire the chances of it happening go up.

I remember reading on some forum that someone had their car delivered with 50lbs of pressure in the tires. When the dealer was questioned he was given the same explanation you were. Naturally, that doesn't excuse the dealer for not setting the tires to spec before delivery.

houdini1

Don't forget, you would need 4 of those tire chains...and...was it very crowded for you riding in that roof top carrier??

verdugo

I traded it in with the snow tires (they had lots of tread left).

I did the same when I traded in my 08 Grand Cherokee. It had the snow tires (also plenty of tread left.)

verdugo

Don't forget, you would need 4 of those tire chains...

No he doesn't. Tire chains only go on the drive wheels.

driver100

Without that gizmo we could never have gone to Myrtle Beach together in his van. Seven of us total. His family of 5 and Mrs. j and I.

If you don't mind me asking, how was that journey...especially in a mini-van. I have sat in the back seat and middle seat in an Odyssey and it was ok since they seem to make the seats fairly high...so you can see. Plus, the Odyssey is pretty car like.

But, a van is a van, good for hauling kids around, good for taking stuff to a hockey game or something, but, for a trip....I think I would really prefer a car or an SUV.

Also, I give you a lot of credit.....I wouldn't have lasted on a vacation with 3 kids these days, that's why nature makes you have them when you are younger.

driver100

if I don't use the car for weeks at a time, to put 40+ pounds of air in the tires to keep them from developing flat spots.

That reminds me, I was supposed to fill the Passats tires with air before leaving it for 3 months...going back for 1 week in June.

Most instructions for storing a car say it is something you should do. Seems most snowbirds don't do it and they are usually fine.

My BIL didn't do it the first year he got his Impala (2008) and the cheap original equipment tires were useless after that, flat spots that wouldn't come out. He got some good Michelin tires and they are fine.

I don't think 2 weeks is a long time to leave tires without pumping them up (I sound like Arnold). Lots of people go away for a month or two and don't touch their tires. Just a layman's opinion, but, I think it is more likely the tire was a little bit off, as in had a flat spot.

driver100

.and...was it very crowded for you riding in that roof top carrier??

LOL

driver100

No he doesn't. Tire chains only go on the drive wheels.

What if he has AWD?

houdini1

In an earlier discussion today, a few people unsuccessfully tried to convince jmonroe that he needed 4 snow tires instead of just the 2 he had for the drive wheels...so I was just funning him a little bit about the chains.

Also, in case you are thinking of correcting me a second time, I really didn't think he rode in the roof top carrier either.

explorerx4

In the discussion of 2 or 4 snow tires it was mentioned that now there are things like ABS, Traction Control and Stability Control, which should help out.
Last week or so, the Honda Fit was recalled because after switching the brand of tire that come on the car, the Stability Control had to be reprogrammed.
I've got an 18 cf Thule cargo box. It pretty nice. It opens from either side and has adjustable clamps that you just turn from inside the box to tighten or loosen on the cross bars.

houdini1

The Genny does not have awd or 4wd as an option, but you asked a fair question.

If a vehicle does have 4 drive wheels or even just front wheel drive would you need chains on all 4 tires? Stands to reason some would think so, per the opinions on snow tires in the earlier discussion.

jmonroe

If you don't mind me asking, how was that journey...especially in a mini-van.

I don't have time right now to answer this properly, so I'll have to get back to you latter on this.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

Where did the time go?

A few years ago I had the same thoughts very early in the morning as I sat overlooking the pool at a Tucson hotel while waiting for the rest of the family to get up. Later in the day we celebrated my #3 (youngest) son's graduation from the U of A, along with his future wife. That was the day he was truly on his own, and it hit me harder than I was expecting it to.

cdnpinhead

No he doesn't. Tire chains only go on the drive wheels.

Generally true, but some think it's as important to stop (and steer, in the case of RWD cars) as it is to go.

robr2

If a vehicle does have 4 drive wheels or even just front wheel drive would you need chains on all 4 tires? Stands to reason some would think so, per the opinions on snow tires in the earlier discussion.

I checked CalTrans who has pretty tough restrictions on winter driving in the California mountains. All vehicles must have chains if they will be entering areas where they may be needed. The say chains are only needed on the drive wheels and vehicles with 4WD/AWD or snow tires have to carry chains.

abacomike

That was the day he was truly on his own, and it hit me harder than I was expecting it to.

That's exactly how I responded when my son got married. I was running a school in the desert of California. His fiancé was from Redding, a small community near Mount Shasta in Northern California. So I found myself on a commuter plane to LA, a jet to San Francisco, and another commuter to Redding. This was about 4 years after my wife's death. Throughout my 3 hours in the air, I kept reminiscing about how we used to play golf together, his baseball games, his stint with a Dodger farm team, his college years, his times playing on his high school basketball team, and it hit me - he's gone! He has his own life. Five years later, I was blessed with two grandsons. We are separated by 2700 miles, and that's the toughest part. My daughter is in the Chicago area but never married.

But good old dad is the first one they call when either have problems - money or otherwise. I Am so grateful to be there for them when I am needed. But it's not the same - they have their own lives. Often I long for the days when they were kids.

driver100

If you don't mind me asking, how was that journey...especially in a mini-van.
I don't have time right now to answer this properly, so I'll have to get back to you latter on this.

OK....but don't forget!

driver100

. The say chains are only needed on the drive wheels

Does that mean an AWD vehicle would need chains on all 4 wheels?

That's the big question.

bwia

We already have tickets to Star Trek: Into Darkness; it will be a great movie going summer for my son and I- we can't wait for:

Speaking of movies, and since this a car forum after all, what are some the best car movies? The following come to mind.
--Bullitt
--The French Connection
--Fast and the Furious
--Smokey and the Bandit

I know Paul Newman was a real race car driver but can't remember him in any car movies. Was Steve McQueen a real race car driver too?

robr2

Does that mean an AWD vehicle would need chains on all 4 wheels?

No. CalTrans requires one set of chains for a drive axle. It looks like they don't care which axle they go on.

I would presume if the vehicle if FWD bias, then they go on front and conversely for RWD vehicles.