Please tell Ford that. I plan on holding on to my Raptor until it dies.
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The Car Thread ... !
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I've had two cars with them-my Lincoln LS and my current MKZ.
The FoMoCo system uses a blower under the seat with ducting to the bottom and back, and AFAIK uses Peltier elements. Heating and cooling work off the same element. BTW, at least my LS had a filter that was supposed to be changed every 20K miles or so I think. It was about the size of a CD and twisted and locked under the seat. They were cotton gauze, and I just vacuumed them every once in a while rather than replacing.
I've been told that some makes use air ducted from the air conditioning.
I can tell you that the Ford system is quite cold on its highest setting. It feels great in hot weather.
I will also say that many folks find it a bit off putting initially on the highest setting. My grandfather bought my MKZ new(before my dad bought it from him and I bought it from my dad). He just went to the dealer and told them he wanted a new Lincoln for his 90th birthday, and really didn't pay a lot of attention to the features(heaven forbid you'd tried to show him how to use Sync). In any case, I was driving him around in the car one day and he said that we were going to have to go home because he thought he'd just wet his pants. I looked down and he'd turned the seat cooler on high
. Once we'd straightened that out, he was fine.Domestic HVAC systems are the best. Not even a six figure import's HVAC can touch it. You get fancier controls, but the hot and cold isn't as good. Ben, did you get my PM or did I set my PM up so that people can't respond?
Did some minor touching up on the vehicles. I decided to forgo a complete detail on the account I did most of it this past summer and the weather isn't calling for serious reinforcements. Unfortunately, the poor weather in terms of winter means the summer will be brutal with all the dry brush in the state.
I finally got around to doing some sanding on the Lexus to get rid of some factory orange peel that's been bugging me for years but wasn't easily visible. Did leather cleaning and conditioning on all the cars and applied a UV protector on plastics and soft materials.
Did some minor touching up on the vehicles. I decided to forgo a complete detail on the account I did most of it this past summer and the weather isn't calling for serious reinforcements. Unfortunately, the poor weather in terms of winter means the summer will be brutal with all the dry brush in the state.
I finally got around to doing some sanding on the Lexus to get rid of some factory orange peel that's been bugging me for years but wasn't easily visible. Did leather cleaning and conditioning on all the cars and applied a UV protector on plastics and soft materials.
The side vinyl reminds me of these pinstripes folks used to put on their cars in the 80s and 90s. Usually German cars right on a body crease. It made the car look sharper. M235/M240 is a great little car. Is yours with the N55?
Makes more than that. The Germans sandbag performance. The 2er is the perfect size compact, and it's what the 3er should be, except it's grown into a ginormous vehicle now. There's about an eight inch difference between the E46 and the current F3x.
Your car is in line with the E30s and E36. I want to say they'll be a future classic or rather sought after, but the 1M is currently holding that title. Heavily driven but not tracked 1Ms go for a nice premium, and people buy them up. I've seen maybe two of them since they first came to the states. Both in that copper red color.
I'm sure you know more about different Bimmers (and their performance) than I do
That was my first Bimmer. I just wanted to see what all the hype was about, and I did see It was such a pleasure to drive that car ... no racing or anything ... just everyday drives along the US 101 (Southern California). In fact, I almost always drove it below the highway speed limit, coz that way, I got to drive it for longer And, I got it fully loaded, so it had all the tech goodies ... nav, prem. audio, etc. I loved every second of driving that car. I put about 55,000 mi on it in 1 year of driving ... yes ... not a typo
Not really, no. I've been more of a three pointed star guy most of my life.I'm sure you know more about different Bimmers (and their performance) than I do
And, I got it fully loaded, so it had all the tech goodies ... nav, prem. audio, etc. I loved every second of driving that car. I put about 55,000 mi on it in 1 year of driving ... yes ... not a typo
Edit: I am a fan of the sharknose BMWs though.
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From my experience I have noticed this as well. My Ford Raptor has better HVAC than my wife's Subaru WRX and my parents' multiple German luxury vehicles.
my gt was sort of a disappointment in the hvac area, but the tiguan is abysmal...i keep the front passenger and rear vents closed and have it on max to get barely acceptable amounts of air on myself. "max ac" is just a setting for air routing and reducing the temp to the lowest, not an actual extra burst of fan speed like in every other car ive ever had which was definitely a disappointment to learn that first hot day. id actually say the tiguan has the worst hvac (or at least ac) of any car ive owned.
In the past I had an Audi and the HVAC was as you said a disappointment. In my Ford Raptor I have no issues with it. My wife's WRX has a better HVAC system than my Audi but it still isn't as good as the system in my Raptor.
I tried that but given the design of parking lots ESPECIALLY at shopping centers, you can't see the front of the vehicles. As such, with my 2015 Honda Fit's short length, whenever I park my car next to a longer car the person looking for a parking space didn't realize my car is parked there until too late. Why I haven't been yelled at by other drivers in the parking lot is beyond me.
I'm not exactly following.
Your Fit is 13' or a bit longer depending on the exact configuration.
My MG is 12 1/2 ft. long, and the top of the windshield is about even with your door handles. Your Fit is a giant.
I pull even with the adjacent bumpers and I don't have problems.
Yep. I'm a huge fan of the Suburban and Tahoe systems, which I think is Chevy's strongest setup and has been for a very long time. The AC in my GL is surprisingly good, though. I had a W211 when they first came out and its AC was a joke.
Most of my Suburban experience has been with the eight generation. Big, blocky, gas guzzling and ice cold air. Being able to check one out at the time was a blessing and a curse at the same time. You were comfortable, dry and cool in warm and humid climate, but navigating roads designed for cars a fourth or a fifth of the size was a pain in the ass.
I think a reason why my Honda Fit is more possibly visible in parking lots than people think is the height of the vehicle. At circa 60 inches (5 feet) in height, it's taller than most compact sedans, so people can at least see the top of my vehicle in the parking lot. But the length of the car is still an issue, especially if I'm parked next to even a relatively small "crossover" SUV.
Black 1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT AWD
Not mine:
I'm assuming this isn't a VR4? Or just a 3000 GT? I believe these vehicles were plagued with transmission issues from past discussions.
I have a 10th generation Tahoe as well but it I didn't bring it to England with me. The AC was great and if I had to say it is better than the AC in my Raptor. I agree that it isn't fun to navigate certain roads even in the smaller Tahoe. Whenever I drive my Raptor somewhere other than between my house and work I feel like I am playing a video game because it gets interesting at times. My wife absolutely refuses to drive it which is funny because she is the one who talked me into getting it. However she did drive it to work 2 days ago while I took her WRX to London to pick my parents up at the airport. I prefer larger vehicles myself because I feel safer in them.
Which GL do you have? I love driving my parents whenever I go visit them and I am considering a GL as my next vehicle.
Neat, wow, that seems totally out of the blue based on your posts here (i.e., I had no idea you were shopping Mustangs / additional cars).
For suspension, I can't say enough good things about BMR - loads of options (springs, bracing, shocks, bushings, complete packages), beautifully engineered with top quality fab and materials, really nice guys too if you need to chat them up to clarify anything from pre-sales to install.
https://www.bmrsuspension.com
So here is the backstory:
I Mentioned a few weeks back I test drove the 2018 Mustang GT's, which are very nice car and I think Ford did some great improvements with the premium version with a 12 inch digital display, active exhaust, and the tweak the front end with the sloped hood, etc.
In the process of driving the 2018 mustang GT's, I had some intention of buying a GT at a later date, but I have had my eye on a 5.0 coyote for while. I previously owned a 2004 Mustang GT and I absolutely loved it when I sold it years bacK.
When I was on the Car lot, I noticed the California Special sitting in the back and I asked about it. The car salesman mentioned it had been traded from a realtor who wanted an SUV, which the Mustang was his summer car. Before I knew it, he went to get the keys to let me test drive it and I really like that body style, which has the blackout package which I found attractive being a black car.
When I drove it, I was immediately hooked, it's performance was more than I could ask for . Plus, it has plenty of modifications with the exhaust, tune, air intake, it has extremely low mileage for a 2014 at 12,000 miles.
It's wrapped in Pirelli tires, the wheels are nice, but I would like to have 19's versus 18's. So that will be a future investment.
But I have to say, this car sounds absolute killer with with the Roush. Something else I found out, all the exhaust piping has been changed to 3 inch versus 2.25, which helps it sound louder.
So the goal is the spring, is hopefully supercharge it, and a few more body modifications, and the suspension.
Sadly, it's garage kept due to the weather conditions until Spring. So it's like I bought a Christmas present that I can't unwrap.
Excellent. Thank you for the recommendation. I don't have a lot experience with suspensions and the one thing about the Mustang GT, is that it constantly wants to nose dive and for cornering, it needs a tighter suspension.
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Am I the only person who finds titanium exhaust systems to be awful sound wise compared to SS?
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MBZ dropped the ball when it comes to useful features this generation. The upcoming A8's feature set impresses me a hell of a lot more than what the S and the 7 can do.
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550. Want my honest opinion? Don't get it. They're good vehicles. They're decent off road. However, the current 2nd generation is outdated compared to the rest of the MBZ lineup. Your money would be better spent getting something like an SQ7 TDI, which is available in Europe, and I suspect you'll be stationed in the UK for a few more years. I recommend the SQ7 TDI on the account of the base GL/GLS available in Europe being pricey for what you get. The Audi is just better equipped and more modern. It looks plain like any Audi, but it blends in nicely. OTOH, you can also get the upcoming X7. OTOH, you can get the upcoming X7.
MBZ dropped the ball when it comes to useful features this generation. The upcoming A8's feature set impresses me a hell of a lot more than what the S and the 7 can do.
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I wonder how much the material actually contributes to the sound vs. the other parts of the design, i.e., the mufflers, baffles, mid-pipes, diameter, etc. You know, if you had the chance to listen to the exact same exhaust design, but Ti vs. SS. I had a C5 Z06 that had a factory Ti system, but it didn't sound much different vs. the OEM Coupe/Vert exhaust (as I recall ...)
That's a good question. I'd go further and say it may also be different depending on the vehicle's engine setup. Though, to be fair, Corvettes sound the same to me regardless of having an aftermarket exhaust system or not, or as you pointed out, materials differences. You can't mistake a Corvette's sound with another car.
Or maybe all the years of loud music when I was younger has made me hard of hearing when it comes to exhaust noise.
Is there a car you haven't owned?
Specifically, what cars are you aware that uses a titanium exhaust that sound awful?
One thing when it comes to exhaust set ups, is that hollow chambered designs are much more efficient in producing aggressive tones long term. Other exhaust systems use too much internal packing, which can blowout or disintegrate overtime, resulting in decreased sound and volume.
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