Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Michaell · September 2021

dad23 said:
Congrats @Michaell!! Hope everyone is doing well. Is this the first grandbaby?

It is - my DIL has a daughter from a prior relationship, but this the first child for her and my son.

stickguy · September 2021

Very cute! I haven’t been gifted any grandkids yet. Looks like fun!

benjaminh · September 2021

Congrats!

explorerx4 · September 2021

@Michaell,
Congrats on the birth of your granddaughter.
My grandson just turned 2 yesterday.
Driving to Ohio tomorrow to go to his birthday party on Saturday.

stickguy · September 2021

Buy a house while you are out there!

Michaell · September 2021

stickguy said:
Very cute! I haven’t been gifted any grandkids yet. Looks like fun!

Hoping to go out to CA before the end of the year to meet her.

Michaell · September 2021

explorerx4 said:
@Michaell,
Congrats on the birth of your granddaughter.
My grandson just turned 2 yesterday.
Driving to Ohio tomorrow to go to his birthday party on Saturday.

Any excuse for a road trip, eh?

I could use a road trip, myself, TBH.

bwia · September 2021

Michaell said:
While I don't think this was deliberate, my granddaughter arrived early this morning and was named after a car.

Meet Adalynn Nova Marie, who came into the world at 4:47am Pacific time at 6 lbs, 2 oz and 19.5" long.

I guess I should be glad they didn't name her XT6. Or MDX.

Michaell said:
While I don't think this was deliberate, my granddaughter arrived early this morning and was named after a car.

Meet Adalynn Nova Marie, who came into the world at 4:47am Pacific time at 6 lbs, 2 oz and 19.5" long.

I guess I should be glad they didn't name her XT6. Or MDX.

Congrats. What a Blessed moment. I must say the new baby smell is even more intoxicating than the smell of a new car with leather upholstering.

imidazol97 · September 2021

Quietness: Here the Goodyear has a small edge, but it was an exceptionally quiet tire. The Michelin CrossClimate2 is still a quiet tire that's good for a luxury car.

Comfort: About equal I think, but I need to drive the new tires longer to be sure. Both very comfortable.

MPG: As expected, the Goodyear Eagles seem to have an edge, with the new CrossClimate tires getting maybe 1-2 mpg lower on the highway. But I need to do another drive with a route I'm familiar with to really see about mpg.

Lateral grip: Wow. Big difference. Where the Goodyear tires were quite melodramatic, squealing for mercy at moderate speeds around corners, and seeming like they might lose grip, the Michelin tires are great in comparison. No drama. Excellent road grip in corners. More fun to drive. Major upgrade. Safer. Took some twisting 2-lane country roads I'm quite familiar with, as well as a steeply banked cloverleaf onramp that's a favorite, and it's clear the Michelin tires are on a whole different level.

Stopping distance: Didn't try a panic stop, but going downhill on a country road with no one behind me I did a rapid stop from a good speed up to a stop sign, and the CC tires seemed to stop significantly faster and with greater confidence.

On center feel: This was a surprise, but perhaps because of the directional V pattern of the tread it seems like the on-center feel for the new tires is much better. I like the road feel. I feel more connected to the car and to the road with the Michelin tires.

Dry day today in Louisville, and so not sure when I'll get to try out the two strongest areas for the CC tires—wet traction and snow traction, but right now I'm feeling confident the tires will live up to expectations.

Overall well worth it to me for $750 and the small (I hope) mpg hit for the performance upgrade.

I'm sure you'll be happy with them. The Michelins likely have aa slightly higher noise level. My Goodyear LS2's were really quiet on MOST pavements. Now at 45 K they're a little noisier. But I think the tread rubber and the design of the Michelin may give a little more noise.

The tires will soften as they flex over a few hundred miles.

I'm glad you feel the on-center feel is good. That would be my worry about those tires
because most tires have a solid ridge down the center to maintain stability for highway driving as a touring tire. Sounds like they are passing on everything so far.

28firefighter · September 2021

Congrats @michaell!

Michaell · September 2021

I'm pretty sure I know which one I'd want!

stickguy · September 2021

My favorite style of the Nova. The gold one.

bwia · September 2021

August 2021 Auto Sales Data.

Sales for August 2021 are expected to be around 1.1 million cars and trucks combined, down 13.7% vs. August 2020, and down 25.3% vs. pre-COVID August 2019, according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Percent comparisons are based on the daily average selling rate.

That translates to a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of just 13.1 million units, down from 15.2 million a year ago, or 17.1 million, in August 2019. The SAAR is an estimate of what sales would be for the entire year, based on the selling rate for a given month.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2021/08/29/august-auto-sales-fall-lots-of-customers-not-enough-computer-chips/?sh=3765781c3006

driver100 · September 2021

@Michaell Congrats on the new granddaughter...great news!
@benjaminh Congrats on the new Michelins....great tires.

benjaminh · September 2021

Wow, that chip shortage is really hurting sales....

Changing topics, I did a more thorough mpg test on my new tires, and the results were above what I thought they'd be. I was originally going to drive down to Bernheim Arboretum and take a bike ride, but the entrance to I-65 S was already jammed up for a couple of miles, and so instead I just I drove a loop around Louisville, taking I-264 W to the I-64 E along the river, then over to I-264 again, and then back home. Did this once with the Goodyear tires and iirc I got about 39 mpg. This is with ac on both times, going with the flow of traffic from around 50 mph to around 70, but most of the time close to 65. With the new tires I got 38.6. And so maybe I've only lost .5-1 mpg with the new tires. Seems like the time, effort, and money that Michelin put in has been worth it. Hope I don't eat my words at some point, but right now these seem like the best tires I've ever had.

oldfarmer50 · September 2021

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
I don’t like to give me date to anybody. Including at restaurants. Gas stations were always reported to be hotbeds for skimming.
I’m with you, cash only. I don’t need the CIA knowing my business.🤫🤫🤫
Is that why you live off the grid?

No, I need the grid to power my tin foil hat.😵‍💫

driver100 · September 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
I don’t like to give me date to anybody. Including at restaurants. Gas stations were always reported to be hotbeds for skimming.
I’m with you, cash only. I don’t need the CIA knowing my business.🤫🤫🤫

Actually I gave this some more thought...if I was the CIA, I would spend more time following the guy spending cash. than using CCs. He is the one trying to cover a paper trail and probably laundering money.

tjc78 · September 2021

Congrats!!

driver100 · September 2021

benjaminh said:

Changing topics, I did a more thorough mpg test on my new tires, and the results were above what I thought they'd be.

/>

Maybe tires are like getting a new car...it takes a few thousand miles before you reach maximum mpg.

oldfarmer50 · September 2021

stickguy said:
Tire basics 101. Higher MPG = lower rolling resistance = less cornering grip. Almost always.

That makes some logical sense but I beat my all time best mileage after switching to Michelins from the original Perellis. No comparison, the Michelins are much better handling.

oldfarmer50 · September 2021

Michaell said:
While I don't think this was deliberate, my granddaughter arrived early this morning and was named after a car.

Meet Adalynn Nova Marie, who came into the world at 4:47am Pacific time at 6 lbs, 2 oz and 19.5" long.

I guess I should be glad they didn't name her XT6. Or MDX.

Congratulations. Nice looking kid.

jmonroe1 · September 2021

@Michaell said:
It is - my DIL has a daughter from a prior relationship, but this the first child for her and my son.

Congrats and may there be more to come. Buying birthday and Christmas gifts are just part of the deal.

jmonroe

laurasdada · September 2021

Congrats, Michaell!

My newphew is expecting child #1 in January. My naming suggestion, first/middle, for pure elegance: Aston Martin

It shall be a girl, so I modified the suggestion to Astonia Martina. Surprisingly, that was met with thundering silence.

laurasdada · September 2021

And, worry not for Bob of Bob's Discount. Last I knew, he was living in one of the wealthiest locations in one of the wealthiest towns in the world...

snakeweasel · September 2021

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:
I hate having to buy gas out of state. Unless I am at a station where I have the branded CC (Sunoco, Shell or Exxon/Mobil, all of which are rare in my area now) I always use cash. But that is just handing it to the attendant that does the pumping. Having to do all that nonsense of going inside to prepay, then getting change, is for the birds.

so when travelling I make sure to find one of those brand stations. Thankfully they are more common elsewhere. If desperate I use a regular CC.
I don't think that I have seen an attendant pump gas since the 80's.
one of the few benefits to living in NJ!
isn't it really odd that NJ manages to have competitive gas prices yet manage to pay attendants? Huh. Makes you wonder why all the stations in all the other states need to make so much more money.

Not to sure about that, checking gas buddy it looks like NJ gas is cheap next to what is by me near Chicago but go further downstate IL and it's a different story.

snakeweasel · September 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
I don’t like to give me date to anybody. Including at restaurants. Gas stations were always reported to be hotbeds for skimming.
I’m with you, cash only. I don’t need the CIA knowing my business.🤫🤫🤫

Why in the world would the Culinary Institute of America want to know your business? Do you have a hot new way to cook chicken?

snakeweasel · September 2021

bwia said:
I wonder who came up with that neutral ground parking idea, an insurance company perhaps? I like that.

How about this?

snakeweasel · September 2021

Michaell said:
While I don't think this was deliberate, my granddaughter arrived early this morning and was named after a car.

Meet Adalynn Nova Marie, who came into the world at 4:47am Pacific time at 6 lbs, 2 oz and 19.5" long.

I guess I should be glad they didn't name her XT6. Or MDX.

Or Edsel.

snakeweasel · September 2021

stickguy said:
My favorite style of the Nova. The gold one.

I have always wondered why they named a car after a very large explosion.

roadburner · September 2021

@Michaell Congrats. My wife and I don't expect to be grandparents anytime soon; my son has no consumer debt except for a 0% interest BB account for a laptop and the payment on his 330i. He's happily playing the field and shows no inclination to enter into a serious relationship.
More power to him.

snakeweasel · September 2021

benjaminh said:
Wow, that chip shortage is really hurting sales....

Changing topics, I did a more thorough mpg test on my new tires, and the results were above what I thought they'd be. I was originally going to drive down to Bernheim Arboretum and take a bike ride, but the entrance to I-65 S was already jammed up for a couple of miles, and so instead I just I drove a loop around Louisville, taking I-264 W to the I-64 E along the river, then over to I-264 again, and then back home. Did this once with the Goodyear tires and iirc I got about 39 mpg. This is with ac on both times, going with the flow of traffic from around 50 mph to around 70, but most of the time close to 65. With the new tires I got 38.6. And so maybe I've only lost .5-1 mpg with the new tires. Seems like the time, effort, and money that Michelin put in has been worth it. Hope I don't eat my words at some point, but right now these seem like the best tires I've ever had.

There are so many factors that will slightly change what mileage you will get that it would be hard to exactly duplicate all the factors between two different rides. I would say that the small difference could be things other than the tires.

explorerx4 · September 2021

@stickguy,
Hopefully, I'll get to look at a house or two while out there.

snakeweasel · September 2021

BTW Michaell, congrats on the new grandchild. Remember that the Grandpa's Union forbids it's members from changing diapers.

roadburner · September 2021

In the past two days we've had three trees fall on the driveway. I spent about an hour cutting and moving two out of the way; the third one was small and easily moved. The fallen trees were all dead ash trees that became waterlogged when the remnants of Ida passed by; on the bright side, my cistern collected over 3,000 gallons of water.
In other news, I drove my wife's X1 on some errands yesterday. I had forgotten how pleasant and entertaining it is to drive. Credit the M Sport suspension for much of that. The N20 four is no paragon of smoothness, but with a sub 15 second quarter mile time it's at least tolerable. If it was mine I'd be adding a Dinan tune, but aside from that, no complaints.

benjaminh · September 2021

Yes, it's difficult to really know exactly about the mpg at this point. I'll get a better sense as I drive them more. In any case, the tires are now mine forever—or as long as they last, anyway. And it happens that Mine Forever is the title of my current favorite song by a group called Lord Huron. During my long car rides to and from Ohio I listen to audio books and XM radio hour after hour, and this was one of the songs that I heard on XMU 35 on my last drive. They have quite a retro vibe going on with this almost brand new 2021 song Mine Forever, as well as with the surreal video that goes along with it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOz3VJD4L0o

Michaell · September 2021

Thanks, everyone, for the congrats on the new grandchild. Since I am 1000 miles away, I doubt I will have much in the way of diaper duty. I did, however, jump on Amazon and pick a few things that I know they needed and that they didn’t get at the baby shower a few weeks ago.

I doubt this will be the last one they have - I’m pretty sure they will be trying for a boy at some point.

stickguy · September 2021

My son was showing no indications that he would be settling down but over the summer his GF moved in with him. And he turned 30. So there is actually a chance that this progresses to that step before too long.

if I needed something to get my wife fully engaged in purging all our junk so we could move, having her first grandchild where we plan to go should do it.

abacomike · September 2021

@Michaell:

Beautiful! Congratulations Gramps! Enjoy every minute you can!

28firefighter · September 2021

I got married on the younger side for my generation (at age 25). Playing the field was great in theory, but required a lot of talking and socializing (who knew). Marriage and parenthood is much more my speed.

roadburner · September 2021

I got married at 29 and never regretted not marrying sooner. If I had married any of the girls I dated before I met my wife I can guarantee I would be divorced now- or one of us would be dead.

bwia · September 2021

Rubber tires — a dirty business

Don't intend to put a damper on your tire discussions and the merits of which tire is best, but this short German documentary on the tire industry is sobering.

The booming global tire market is worth billions - but this comes at a high price, both to humans and the environment. Over 50 million car tires are sold each year in Germany alone. But where does the natural rubber for them come from? South East Asia, or Thailand to be specific.

The biggest producer of natural rubber for tires is Thailand. More than four million tons of rubber are harvested annually in plantations there. And demand for rubber is ever growing - because ever more tires are needed. But the labor conditions in Southeast Asia are harsh - with working days of up to 12 hours and very low wages.

In addition, toxic herbicides banned in Europe are used to fight weeds on the plantations. After the harvest, the ‘white gold’ rubber is sold to brokers, who, in turn, sell it on. German tire manufacturers, like Continental, for example, are keen to stress that they use "natural commodities conscientiously.” But many car drivers don’t give a second thought about where the rubber in their tires comes from - and why we don’t recycle used tires more effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fusUxEPwsw

benjaminh · September 2021

Grim stuff. Yeah.

stickguy · September 2021

Kinda surprised they haven't made a good replacement for natural rubber. Maybe just not cost effective.

but better recycling, given how many used tires there are, seems like a natural thing. Though I obviously have zero clue about how hard it is to do, and if the recycled material is actually usable to make new tires.

oldfarmer50 · September 2021

“ with working days of up to 12 hours and very low wages. ”

You called?

snakeweasel · September 2021

roadburner said:
I got married at 29 and never regretted not marrying sooner. If I had married any of the girls I dated before I met my wife I can guarantee I would be divorced now- or one of us would be dead.

I got married at 36 and like you I don't regret marrying sooner. I had a few chances earlier in life. One was a lady 12 years my senior (didn't look like it though) who wanted to marry her but I would have been husband #4 and I wasn't getting any assurances that she was truly committed to marriage this time. One was a Chinses family that wanted to arraign a marriage between me and one of their family members in China, I thought about that for about 0.000001 seconds before deciding against it.

andres3 · September 2021

Sensible speed limits have come under fire in CA with AB 43; they are attacking many vehicle codes, including the speed trap law (changing the vehicle code as shown is proposed):

(2) A “speed trap” is either of the following:
(A) A particular section of a highway measured as to distance and with boundaries marked, designated, or otherwise determined in order that the speed of a vehicle may be calculated by securing the time it takes the vehicle to travel the known distance.
(B) (i) A particular section of a highway or state highway with a prima facie speed limit that is provided by this code or by local ordinance under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 22352, or established under Section 22354, 22357, 22358, or 22358.3, if that prima facie speed limit is not justified by an engineering and traffic survey conducted within one of the following time periods, prior to the date of the alleged violation, and enforcement of the speed limit involves the use of radar or any other electronic device that measures the speed of moving objects:
(I) Except as specified in subclause (II), seven years.
(II) If an engineering and traffic survey was conducted more than seven years prior to the date of the alleged violation, and a registered engineer evaluates the section of the highway and determines that no significant changes in roadway or traffic conditions have occurred, including, but not limited to, changes in adjoining property or land use, roadway width, or traffic volume, 10 14 years.
(ii) This subparagraph does not apply to a local street, road, or school ~~zone.~~ zone, senior zone, or business activity district.

So a bad corrupt Traffic & Engineering Survey being used for 10 years with no accountability wasn't good enough, they want to make it 14. Why stop there? Why not just ban Traffic Engineering all together?

Also, they are adding a lot more loop holes for "zones" that are exempt.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, the main purpose of AB 43 is to gut the use of the objective 85th percentile in favor of arbitrary and subjective lower speed limits for various loophole reasons now included, which will of course maximize traffic tickets and revenue generation.

boomchek · September 2021

laurasdada said:
Congrats, Michaell!

My newphew is expecting child #1 in January. My naming suggestion, first/middle, for pure elegance: Aston Martin

It shall be a girl, so I modified the suggestion to Astonia Martina. Surprisingly, that was met with thundering silence.

Haha, our son's middle name is Aston. He's growing to be quite a car guy so it suits him. His first name is Dominic, and our daughter's name is Mia. Our friends pointed out that in the Fast & Furious franchise Vin Diesel's character was also Dom, and his sister's name Mia. Our kids names were totally coincidental and had nothing to do with the movie, but we get called the Torettos from time to time

@Michaell congrats on your grand daughter!

Michaell · September 2021

boomchek said:

laurasdada said:
Congrats, Michaell!

My newphew is expecting child #1 in January. My naming suggestion, first/middle, for pure elegance: Aston Martin

It shall be a girl, so I modified the suggestion to Astonia Martina. Surprisingly, that was met with thundering silence.
Haha, our son's middle name is Aston. He's growing to be quite a car guy so it suits him. His first name is Dominic, and our daughter's name is Mia. Our friends pointed out that in the Fast & Furious franchise Vin Diesel's character was also Dom, and his sister's name Mia. Our kids names were totally coincidental and had nothing to do with the movie, but we get called the Torettos from time to time

@Michaell congrats on your grand daughter!

Is there another brother we won't know anything about for a few years?

boomchek · September 2021

Michaell said:

boomchek said:

laurasdada said:
Congrats, Michaell!

My newphew is expecting child #1 in January. My naming suggestion, first/middle, for pure elegance: Aston Martin

It shall be a girl, so I modified the suggestion to Astonia Martina. Surprisingly, that was met with thundering silence.
Haha, our son's middle name is Aston. He's growing to be quite a car guy so it suits him. His first name is Dominic, and our daughter's name is Mia. Our friends pointed out that in the Fast & Furious franchise Vin Diesel's character was also Dom, and his sister's name Mia. Our kids names were totally coincidental and had nothing to do with the movie, but we get called the Torettos from time to time

@Michaell congrats on your grand daughter!
Is there another brother we won't know anything about for a few years?

Lol no. I lost track of the franchise after the first 5 movies, is that where the story line went now?

andres3 · September 2021

Wow, I must have ruffled somebodies snowflakes pretty bad here, as almost every post has an "abuse" rating added the last 2 months.

In the words of Connor McGregor, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely no one!

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