The Car Thread ... !

[D.T.]

Exhaust on the way

 

[bunnspecial]

I have to say that as CD changers go, I liked the location of the one on my dad's Continentals. They all had front bench seats(or I guess split bench more correctly) and the CD changer was located in the passenger footwell. It had-I think-a 10 disk magazine that you would pop out and load.

For all their convenience, in-dash changers can be a bit of a pain. I've had more than one jam up to the point where there was no going back on it-the changer wouldn't work and you couldn't get the CDs back. A few years back, that happened on my Lincoln. About 6 months later, the whole head unit gave up the ghost, and I ended up popping in a good junkyard pull from Ebay. After I had the old one out(and of course had written it off completely) it took me an hour or two of work to get it apart to the point where I could get the CDs out of it.

I know CD players are rapidly disappearing, and if car makers are going to include one these days I'd be just as happy with a single one rather than a changer.

 

[iLog.Genius]

If the CD player disappears, I wouldn't be mad. I don't think I've ever used my CD player in my old-ass E90 more than a handful of times, it's always been via iPod/iPhone.

 

[Suture]

My 2001 Jetta GLX had a 6-disc changer in the trunk. I consider myself a car guy, having done my own engine swaps and work. I had that VW for like 2 or 3 years before I even found it hidden behind a sliding trim piece. I was embarrassed. I wouldn't have used it anyway because I was already onto MP3s by then, but still, embarrassing nonetheless.

Why in the world did manufacturers put them in the trunk in the first place? Because of space?

 

[D.T.]

I have an as yet - going on 9 months - untried slot loading CD player in my center stack.

 

[Alphazoid]

Why in the world did manufacturers put them in the trunk in the first place? Because of space?

My guess would be earlier changer units were too big to fit in centre consoles (even more so if the console supported cassette tapes) so they dumped them in the trunk. But as tech moved forward units became slimmed down and could fit in-dash. That and people were moving on to MP3s which could hold more.

I haven't used the slot in my IS either. I exclusively use BT.

Think the last time i used a changer was on my sisters old E46, and brother's aftermarket Sony head-unit in his Honda which had impressive Pioneer speakers.

 

[Suture]

Exhaust on the way

What did you get? Were you the one that picked up the black Mustang GT?

I considered going full turbo back when I got my downpipe for my VW, but stock the car sounds fine, and the downpipe added some nice growl as it is.

 

[0388631]

I know CD players are rapidly disappearing, and if car makers are going to include one these days I'd be just as happy with a single one rather than a changer.

If the CD player disappears, I wouldn't be mad. I don't think I've ever used my CD player in my old-ass E90 more than a handful of times, it's always been via iPod/iPhone.

Logically, there was a move towards hard drives. This came after multi CD changers in-dash fell out of favor. With the advent of phone connectors, the hard drive is useless as well. Flash memory will become the new norm in the near future. Though the industry could always adopt BluRay reading, 25 GB of MP3s or more.

Why in the world did manufacturers put them in the trunk in the first place? Because of space?

Safety reasons and space. It was also because people didn't listen to hundreds of songs a day like they do now. There was a common theme in those days for people to take time off their weekend and figure out what CDs they were going to listen to that week in the car.

But now with services such as TMO who will offer unlimited data, more or less, you'd going to see people use services like Spotify through bluetooth connect more and rely even less on the songs on their phone.

The technological progress we've made in the last six years is impressive let alone since 2006. If you had told me I could stream videos and music on my phone prior to the iPhone shaking up the market then, I'd have laughed in your face and called you a lunatic. The same with Youtube. I was amazed when I first found Youtube, way before Google bought them out.

 

[D.T.]

What did you get? Were you the one that picked up the black Mustang GT?

I considered going full turbo back when I got my downpipe for my VW, but stock the car sounds fine, and the downpipe added some nice growl as it is.

Hey, yeah, GT convertible (Perf Pack, etc.) Having a blast with it, I don't drive it that much, so it's always a treat to take it out - honestly, it's a little hot and humid in July/Aug, but the fall, most of the "winter" (quotes by design, it was high 70s and low 80s last December ), and spring are pretty spectacular around here, that's the real convertible time.

It's a Solo Performance product, cross shopped/researched all the options like Magnaflow, Borla, had a mishap with a Steeda product (fitment issue, love the sound, it was just an AB). As you may know, full catback systems can introduce drone, and usually that's due to replacing the factory resonator, with an X/H pipe, and not tuning the whole system. Drone is just terrible, it's that low frequency 'hummmmmm' that you get usually when lugging along on the highway.

So this system is a very slick piece of engineering for several reasons, the first is, it's drone free (or 99%), is uses an X-pipe, but it's enclosed in a resonator. The second part of the design (that's engineered to work with the resonator): there aren't mufflers in the traditional sense, it uses a J-pipe off the rear section, right at the exit to bounce the sounds back, creating a noise cancelling effect, specifically tuned to the drone frequency (the J-pipe is even adjustable).

The other couple of neat design choices: the tips are modular, so easily swapped, the rear section uses a ball type joint so you can really adjust the tips (nothing is worse than mismatching tips). The center resonator section is the same length in the two quieter designs, so this being the slightly louder, I can easily swap out from the 11" resonator to the 18" model (or trade with someone wanting to go the other way).

It's got a nice, deep, rumbling tone, no rasp, really tuned sounding when the 5.0L really wakes up at 5K (up through 6900RPMs).

 

[Alphazoid]

Funny you can shut off the passenger airbag in the B7?

You can do it in the IS too.

 

[Suture]

Yeah, drone is terrible. There's only one manufacturer I've come across for my car that makes a good exhaust that wont drone. However, it's pricey. That will be one of the last things I do, and there isn't much benefit past the downpipe for me. The stock setup, even before I added the aftermarket downpipe, was pretty boomy in my neighborhood. Even my cat will greet me at the door because he knows when I'm coming home before he can even see the car...

 

[0388631]

I personally prefer to be shielded from the noise elements apart from the engine and some exhaust. I also enjoy a smooth ride, not to feel much while driving, but a firm/stiff suspension that also provides a smooth ride like Porsche is also welcomed. Stiff unsmooth rides take a toll day in and day out over time.

You can do it in the IS too.

View attachment 645952

Definitely not on ours. I did some research earlier and it seems to be a European option and it model and year dependent. I want to say that North America bound Lexus cars work through sensors in the seat that rely on force pushing down, but I can't be sure. Though I recall the LS400 having a non-descript key slot switch somewhere on the car for something. I may be thinking of the rear seat and being able to lock or unlock the entire back, or I'm thinking of old Mercedes cars. The only external switch commonly found on cars here, which I'm sure is the same there as I've never bothered to check on rentals or taxis or whatever, was a switch on the door in the rear that prevents children from opening the door. Someone has to open it for them from the outside. Auto locking doors became standard sometime in the mid 2000s, the reason being to prevent small children from opening the door but also to protect occupants from people wishing to illegally get into the car.

 

[D.T.]

Steeda clutch assist spring. Basically there's a super heavy duty clutch assist spring (185lbs), i.e., a spring that helps to push the clutch in - well, it provides a little too much assist, making the clutch way too light, so a quick mod (I did this on Day 2), is to pull it out, takes under a minute. The result clutch is heavier, but way more linear, far easier to modulate, but it's a _touch_ heavy. They also claim potential slave cylinder issues due to the pedal not completely returning to the topmost position. This spring is much lighter (35lbs), but designed to be linear, has enough force to fully retract the pedal, it's supposed to be pretty fantastic, and for ~$20 delivered, there's no reason not to give it a shot.

Yep, hydraulic. The factory clutch spring makes the S550 clutch so light, the weight of your foot literally presses it down without any effort, it's so light, there's no feedback on engagement, and the design makes it progressive, so the effort isn't consistent. Removing that spring makes a HUGE difference in feel, but it gets a little heavy - I mean, it's not super heavy like a beefy aftermarket setup, I've been driving like this for a ~9 months, and it's been fine - this new spring option is kind of a recent development.

Holy hell, it's amazingly perfect. Just the right amount of assist/effort, still very linear with a clear takeup point (like without).

If anything, I'm a little peeved I didn't do this sooner, the install was ~30 seconds once I got under the dash with a flash light, and had the wife provide some clutch push assistance (though her legs were _very_ distracting ... )

 

[0388631]

Now imagine picking up a lightly used GT350 a few years from now and pissing off the neighbors.

 

[Alphazoid]

I personally prefer to be shielded from the noise elements apart from the engine and some exhaust. I also enjoy a smooth ride, not to feel much while driving, but a firm/stiff suspension that also provides a smooth ride like Porsche is also welcomed. Stiff unsmooth rides take a toll day in and day out over time.


Definitely not on ours. I did some research earlier and it seems to be a European option and it model and year dependent. I want to say that North America bound Lexus cars work through sensors in the seat that rely on force pushing down, but I can't be sure. Though I recall the LS400 having a non-descript key slot switch somewhere on the car for something. I may be thinking of the rear seat and being able to lock or unlock the entire back, or I'm thinking of old Mercedes cars. The only external switch commonly found on cars here, which I'm sure is the same there as I've never bothered to check on rentals or taxis or whatever, was a switch on the door in the rear that prevents children from opening the door. Someone has to open it for them from the outside. Auto locking doors became standard sometime in the mid 2000s, the reason being to prevent small children from opening the door but also to protect occupants from people wishing to illegally get into the car.

It most likely is regional. I know American cars uses sensors too having been in a Toyota Venza recently. Speaking of Venza, i'm surprised Toyota killed it. Seemed like a decent car to me but oh well.

There are subtle variations between the US and Europe IS. The main one being the engines. Other stuff too like the immobiliser system not beeping when you either lock or unlock the car. And headlights/DRLs do not come on or stay on either, only interior lighting and puddle lights. Paddle shifters are also optional here.

 

[0388631]

Toyota's Venza was what you'd call a flop here. The American market is barely warming up to wagons now that the majority of crossovers are hideous and SUVs are a dime a dozen but often not good. Car people would buy something like an RS6 or S6 Avant, or even the 4 version. Or if BMW made an M3 wagon or M5 wagon. It would sell, but not enough to justify production in the long run.

 

[2298754]

It most likely is regional. I know American cars uses sensors too having been in a Toyota Venza recently. Speaking of Venza, i'm surprised Toyota killed it. Seemed like a decent car to me but oh well.

There are subtle variations between the US and Europe IS. The main one being the engines. Other stuff too like the immobiliser system not beeping when you either lock or unlock the car. And headlights/DRLs do not come on or stay on either, only interior lighting and puddle lights. Paddle shifters are also optional here.

I don't think the Venza could've been called decent. It was ugly and quite frankly, marketed wrong. They should've jacked it up a little and added some plastic cladding like on an Outback. Those are dime a dozen around here.

 

[Alphazoid]

I don't think the Venza could've been called decent. It was ugly and quite frankly, marketed wrong. They should've jacked it up a little and added take cladding like on an Outback. Those are dime a dozen around here.

I enjoyed my time in it. It wasn't spectacular or class leading. But big trunk, 5 seater and decent ride.

 

[2298754]

I enjoyed my time in it. It wasn't spectacular or class leading. But big trunk, 5 seater and decent ride.

Toyota has always done a decent job with power trains. Their 3.5 V6 is a great engine and if they had made a hybrid AWD one, I bet they would've sold more.

It came out right as everyone was dumping their SUVs for smaller cars.

 

[mscriv]

My family just picked up a new 2016 Toyota Camry SE. Our previous family car kicked the bucket and it was time to get something new. We were planning to purchase either a Honda, Toyota, or a Nissan. We don't buy new cars and so we were not expecting to come home with a 2016, but my friend, who we have made all of our recent automobile purchases through, had a 2016 with just under 5,000 miles on it. It's been a great purchase for us so far and I'm really enjoying the new car perks like having a back up camera and Bluetooth connectivity for telephone calls or listening to music. Planning to keep this one around for as long as possible, hopefully 250,000 miles.

 

[iLog.Genius]

In general, I think the entire auto industry has taken a huge step forward in terms of offering more value than ever before. Over the past couple of years, having driven loaners, I was pretty impressed in what was provided whether it was from Kia, Hyundai and even more household brands like Toyota. I'm not saying these were amazing cars but you see how someone looking for a vehicle to drive from Point A to Point B could not really go wrong with the choices out there. The last loaner, a Kia Sportage, it was well-equipped, decent fuel economy, very quiet and easy to drive. For $25k it's not a point A/point B vehicle if you didn't care about image.

 

[determined09]

My family just picked up a new 2016 Toyota Camry SE. Our previous family car kicked the bucket and it was time to get something new. We were planning to purchase either a Honda, Toyota, or a Nissan. We don't buy new cars and so we were not expecting to come home with a 2016, but my friend, who we have made all of our recent automobile purchases through, had a 2016 with just under 5,000 miles on it. It's been a great purchase for us so far and I'm really enjoying the new car perks like having a back up camera and Bluetooth connectivity for telephone calls or listening to music. Planning to keep this one around for as long as possible, hopefully 250,000 miles.

Congrats! Great car. I really like the grill on the SE version.

 

[AustinIllini]

My family just picked up a new 2016 Toyota Camry SE. Our previous family car kicked the bucket and it was time to get something new. We were planning to purchase either a Honda, Toyota, or a Nissan. We don't buy new cars and so we were not expecting to come home with a 2016, but my friend, who we have made all of our recent automobile purchases through, had a 2016 with just under 5,000 miles on it. It's been a great purchase for us so far and I'm really enjoying the new car perks like having a back up camera and Bluetooth connectivity for telephone calls or listening to music. Planning to keep this one around for as long as possible, hopefully 250,000 miles.

Cheers on the new car! Enjoy it in good health!

 

[2298754]

My family just picked up a new 2016 Toyota Camry SE. Our previous family car kicked the bucket and it was time to get something new. We were planning to purchase either a Honda, Toyota, or a Nissan. We don't buy new cars and so we were not expecting to come home with a 2016, but my friend, who we have made all of our recent automobile purchases through, had a 2016 with just under 5,000 miles on it. It's been a great purchase for us so far and I'm really enjoying the new car perks like having a back up camera and Bluetooth connectivity for telephone calls or listening to music. Planning to keep this one around for as long as possible, hopefully 250,000 miles.

Sweet Camry! The SE Looks great!

 

[2298754]

In general, I think the entire auto industry has taken a huge step forward in terms of offering more value than ever before. Over the past couple of years, having driven loaners, I was pretty impressed in what was provided whether it was from Kia, Hyundai and even more household brands like Toyota. I'm not saying these were amazing cars but you see how someone looking for a vehicle to drive from Point A to Point B could not really go wrong with the choices out there. The last loaner, a Kia Sportage, it was well-equipped, decent fuel economy, very quiet and easy to drive. For $25k it's not a point A/point B vehicle if you didn't care about image.

Yeah, all of this is so true. Even a loaded Civic has stuff like heated rear seats. Those were only luxury car features a few years ago.

The Mazda 6 looks like a much more expensive car.