So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

Synchros shot? Weird noises while shifting? Not sure what needs to be replaced?
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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watkins wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:58 pm So you're saying that a broken and undermaintained car doesn't operate at peak performance? What a surprise!
No, it's not about peak performance. It may even be capable a a quicker lap time on a certain race course. It's about changing how the handling is balanced. Maybe it was predominantly understeering before, but with the cracked spring coil it's taken to oversteering.
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:23 pm
watkins wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:58 pm So you're saying that a broken and undermaintained car doesn't operate at peak performance? What a surprise!
No, it's not about peak performance. It may even be capable a a quicker lap time on a certain race course. It's about changing how the handling is balanced. Maybe it was predominantly understeering before, but with the cracked spring coil it's taken to oversteering.
So I don't have to replace the broken spring if I just find the right race course, or for practical application, only make left turns, or right turns, as the case may be. :lol:
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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I know a guy whose neighbor's brother-n-law wrenches for a NASCAR team and he said that's called tuning the chassis. Ya see, you can only get so far by tuning the engine. Then ya gotta tune the chassis. You set the car up so it wan't to turn left and then, as the speed increases it will lap the track with no hands on the wheel.
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:09 pm I know a guy whose neighbor's brother-n-law wrenches for a NASCAR team and he said that's called tuning the chassis. Ya see, you can only get so far by tuning the engine. Then ya gotta tune the chassis. You set the car up so it wan't to turn left and then, as the speed increases it will lap the track with no hands on the wheel.
Autonomous race car?
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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So the quote for new rear springs is $385 parts and labor. I am "fixin" to "spring" for it as soon as I can get my wife to "part" with the van for a day. Also there is a rubbing noise in the front so they can check that out, and while the wheels are all pulled off, may as well get a rotation. Only 3000 miles on these new Cooper tires and the fronts are around 7/32 tread while the rears are around 8.5/32. What is the tread depth on a new tire? But you can see if the fronts are already 1.5/32 ahead of the rears, this van is a tire eater, or could the broken spring be part of the problem? I remember the last van was a '99 Plymouth Voyager and I don't recall having excessive tire wear like that. Maybe that old rubber-banded SOHC 4 popper was not as gutsy as the Mazda's 2.3L chained DOHC 16-valve 4-popper, and so I am just tearing them up with my lead foot.

Evidence of lead foot in fuel mileage:

Daughter driving it: 27 mpg
Wife driving it: 25 mpg
Me driving it: 22 mpg :D
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:23 pm
watkins wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:58 pm So you're saying that a broken and undermaintained car doesn't operate at peak performance? What a surprise!
No, it's not about peak performance. It may even be capable a a quicker lap time on a certain race course. It's about changing how the handling is balanced. Maybe it was predominantly understeering before, but with the cracked spring coil it's taken to oversteering.
Peak performance in the category of on-road handling. One way or another, it's operating at less than the levels it was designed for.
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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watkins wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:23 am
Rope-Pusher wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:23 pm
watkins wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:58 pm So you're saying that a broken and undermaintained car doesn't operate at peak performance? What a surprise!
No, it's not about peak performance. It may even be capable a a quicker lap time on a certain race course. It's about changing how the handling is balanced. Maybe it was predominantly understeering before, but with the cracked spring coil it's taken to oversteering.
Peak performance in the category of on-road handling. One way or another, it's operating at less than the levels it was designed for.
Much also depends on whose definition of Peak Performance, else people would not make modifications to their engines and suspension etc. to improve performance as they see it.

Maybe I should cut the other spring so both are the same, maybe even section them and lower the rear for the ghetto cruiser look. :lol:
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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ClutchFork wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:24 pm
watkins wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:23 am
Rope-Pusher wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:23 pm
No, it's not about peak performance. It may even be capable a a quicker lap time on a certain race course. It's about changing how the handling is balanced. Maybe it was predominantly understeering before, but with the cracked spring coil it's taken to oversteering.
Peak performance in the category of on-road handling. One way or another, it's operating at less than the levels it was designed for.
Much also depends on whose definition of Peak Performance, else people would not make modifications to their engines and suspension etc. to improve performance as they see it.

Maybe I should cut the other spring so both are the same, maybe even section them and lower the rear for the ghetto cruiser look. :lol:
picks ore it dint happen. isle bee using ex-ray vision to sea if you've bin cheating. 8) :)
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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ClutchFork wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:21 pm
Rope-Pusher wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:09 pm I know a guy whose neighbor's brother-n-law wrenches for a NASCAR team and he said that's called tuning the chassis. Ya see, you can only get so far by tuning the engine. Then ya gotta tune the chassis. You set the car up so it wan't to turn left and then, as the speed increases it will lap the track with no hands on the wheel.
Autonomous race car?
I've driven on constant radius test tracks with banking. There is a stated speed for each lane where a neutral-handling car will stay in the lane with no drivers input to the steering wheel. As you drive faster, the car starts to move out of the lane and up the banking. As you reduce your speed, the car settles in down the banking at a lesser radius.
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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potownrob wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:33 am
ClutchFork wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:24 pm
watkins wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:23 am
Peak performance in the category of on-road handling. One way or another, it's operating at less than the levels it was designed for.
Much also depends on whose definition of Peak Performance, else people would not make modifications to their engines and suspension etc. to improve performance as they see it.

Maybe I should cut the other spring so both are the same, maybe even section them and lower the rear for the ghetto cruiser look. :lol:
picks ore it dint happen. isle bee using ex-ray vision to sea if you've bin cheating. 8) :)
You won't need x-ray glasses. Just look for the sparks flashing out the back end as I grind the subframe dragging on the pavement.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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ClutchFork wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:53 pm
potownrob wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:33 am
ClutchFork wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:24 pm

Much also depends on whose definition of Peak Performance, else people would not make modifications to their engines and suspension etc. to improve performance as they see it.

Maybe I should cut the other spring so both are the same, maybe even section them and lower the rear for the ghetto cruiser look. :lol:
picks ore it dint happen. isle bee using ex-ray vision to sea if you've bin cheating. 8) :)
You won't need x-ray glasses. Just look for the sparks flashing out the back end as I grind the subframe dragging on the pavement.
Image
I think you need Magnesium or at least high-carbon steel strips to take the abuse and provide plenty of sparks.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/0 ... ut-in-2020
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:16 am
ClutchFork wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:53 pm
potownrob wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:33 am picks ore it dint happen. isle bee using ex-ray vision to sea if you've bin cheating. 8) :)
You won't need x-ray glasses. Just look for the sparks flashing out the back end as I grind the subframe dragging on the pavement.
Image
I think you need Magnesium or at least high-carbon steel strips to take the abuse and provide plenty of sparks.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/0 ... ut-in-2020
Something wrong there. Some practical joker must have filled his front tires with helium.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

Post by Rope-Pusher »

ClutchFork wrote: Thu Sep 09, 2021 1:06 am
Rope-Pusher wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:16 am
ClutchFork wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:53 pm

You won't need x-ray glasses. Just look for the sparks flashing out the back end as I grind the subframe dragging on the pavement.
Image
I think you need Magnesium or at least high-carbon steel strips to take the abuse and provide plenty of sparks.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/0 ... ut-in-2020
Something wrong there. Some practical joker must have filled his front tires with helium.
I spent my lunch-hour one day in the lobby of the building, talking to Driver Bob Riggle about "Hemi Under Glass". It wasn't originally intended to wheelstand all the way down the track, but as it was built that's how it ran and the crowds loved it. Ya see, they knew they wanted to shift the center of gravity rearward in the vehicle to improve traction. The plan was to move the engine and transmission rearward, but they wanted to keep the driver's location as Dog intended, so the engine either had to stay up front, under the hood, or behind the driver. Apparently, with the engine and transmission behind the driver, the center of gravity moved too far rearward and hence the propensity to wheelstand. The car garnered a lot of attention for Hurst products, which is what the original intent was, so they campaigned the car, and a series of replacements, for a number of years.
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Re: So I got two new tires for the Mazda 5 today

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Rope-Pusher wrote: Thu Sep 09, 2021 1:49 pm
I spent my lunch-hour one day in the lobby of the building, talking to Driver Bob Riggle about "Hemi Under Glass". It wasn't originally intended to wheelstand all the way down the track, but as it was built that's how it ran and the crowds loved it. Ya see, they knew they wanted to shift the center of gravity rearward in the vehicle to improve traction. The plan was to move the engine and transmission rearward, but they wanted to keep the driver's location as Dog intended, so the engine either had to stay up front, under the hood, or behind the driver. Apparently, with the engine and transmission behind the driver, the center of gravity moved too far rearward and hence the propensity to wheelstand. The car garnered a lot of attention for Hurst products, which is what the original intent was, so they campaigned the car, and a series of replacements, for a number of years.

Yep, that car did have a propensity to wheel stand. Watch for a few seconds here, he is moving about 2 mph in the parking lot, blips the throttle and the front end comes off the ground. Just what some crazies want for Woodward Avenue in the Dream Cruise! :lol:
https://youtu.be/ibOj1PUJK9Y?t=719

May want to take that video from the beginning as it is a fun talk with the driver in his later years.

What amazes me is that the car never flipped over on it's back. The wind force on the bottom of that standing up car must have been tremendous at the farther end of the track.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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