Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

APR makes an engine tune (because the engine is shared with the Golf/Jetta) for the original New Beetle, but no trans tune or pretty much anything else significant. They don't even offer a short shifter kit for manual New Beetles, even though they do for the contemporary Golf - kinda tells you everything you need to know.
APR didn't bother with a trans tune for the VAG autos because they all suck.
 
APR didn't bother with a trans tune for the VAG autos because they all suck.

Keep in mind that back in the era of the New Beetle (90s) more than a couple automatics, regardless of maker, were still more hydromechanical than electronic controls. "Reprogramming" a hydromechanical trans involves these things:

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For those that were fully electronic control, the foreign marques often had a separate, non-reprogrammable transmission control module to control it. This was before widespread CANBUS adoption in the industry got to the point where all your control modules were networked and addressable that way. Even the ones that had integrated transmission control in the ECU casing often didn't have field-reprogrammable modules. You could get some piggyback modules for the most common electronically controlled transmissions but only for ones that appeared in this market in huge numbers (some GM RWD transmission) and didn't have constant control changes (pretty much everyone else).

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Those often weren't programmable for user preference either.
 
I know that people could reprogram the TCM on my gen Audi and I have heard of it being done but it wasn't an off the shelf solution it was usually actual tuners doing it. However it was mostly done for stuff like C3 RS6 as it never came with a manual in the first place, for the A/S/RS4 the manual was available on every engine option so it made little sense to create a reflash like one would for ECU, since ECUs were the same in both manual and auto.
 
Edit: in true bullshit fashion it seems I have sublaxed my right hip from afforementioned physical strain of traffic jam while barely tall enough to reach pedals....
Would it be possible to put some kind of block on the floor to rest your left foot on? You can often adjust the pedals as well.
 
I know that people could reprogram the TCM on my gen Audi and I have heard of it being done but it wasn't an off the shelf solution it was usually actual tuners doing it. However it was mostly done for stuff like C3 RS6 as it never came with a manual in the first place, for the A/S/RS4 the manual was available on every engine option so it made little sense to create a reflash like one would for ECU, since ECUs were the same in both manual and auto.

Yeah, if it was even possible in that decade, often reprogramming required desoldering and resoldering chips to begin. Or swapping socketed chips on boards. And bit by bit binary editing, come to think of it. Not many people were able to do that sort of stuff in their garages back then. :D
 
Yeah, if it was even possible in that decade, often reprogramming required desoldering and resoldering chips to begin. Or swapping socketed chips on boards. And bit by bit binary editing, come to think of it. Not many people were able to do that sort of stuff in their garages back then. :D
I'm about 83.5% sure it was all software for my generation of A4s (B4) but it's been a while since I needed to care as you can imagine.
 
Would it be possible to put some kind of block on the floor to rest your left foot on? You can often adjust the pedals as well.

These are a thing: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Brake-Pedal-Extender-Cars/dp/B0198VE4YO

Dead pedal extenders are usually pretty easy for someone to fab up, too.

I'm about 83.5% sure it was all software for my generation of A4s (B4) but it's been a while since I needed to care as you can imagine.

And they're mostly dead now so it's kind of irrelevant at this point in time. :p
 
There used to be a New Beetle enthusiast scene - but like the cars themselves, it died an early death. :p
Yeah it was actually a pretty common mod. Like if you google for it there are dozens of vwvortex/newbeetle.org results. I think the year might matter though because I didn't specify which year and the search results are almost all MK4 vws.

It seems like you need to replace a bunch of other parts too but since the automatic is so terrible/expensive/bad for fuel economy a bunch of people did do swaps.

Is it a good idea? Of course not. But for whatever reason I always seem to have better success in life when i make the objectively stupider irresponsible choice then the correct one so fuck it.
Would it be possible to put some kind of block on the floor to rest your left foot on? You can often adjust the pedals as well.
I've tried a bunch of things but the problem is less I cannot reach (I can technically sit a click or two back in both cars) then the fact I literally buy my shoes from the children's section because my feet are too small. Like if I rest my heel on the floor it will thankfully reach the pedal on the fiat but it will go right under the brake in the bug, so I have to keep my leg hovering like 2" off the floor.

So I need bigger feet. Or maybe like, clown shoes. I don't need the pedals closer I need them to be longer. Wider would also be nice because if I DO switch the beetle to manual I will have a dilema of the fact I usually left foot brake because I cannot heel-toe with my tiny baby feet. I can almost do it in the fiat because clearly it was made for tiny baby footed short people like me.
 
Yeah it was actually a pretty common mod. Like if you google for it there are dozens of vwvortex/newbeetle.org results. I think the year might matter though because I didn't specify which year and the search results are almost all MK4 vws.

It seems like you need to replace a bunch of other parts too but since the automatic is so terrible/expensive/bad for fuel economy a bunch of people did do swaps.

Is it a good idea? Of course not. But for whatever reason I always seem to have better success in life when i make the objectively stupider irresponsible choice then the correct one so fuck it.

I've tried a bunch of things but the problem is less I cannot reach (I can technically sit a click or two back in both cars) then the fact I literally buy my shoes from the children's section because my feet are too small. Like if I rest my heel on the floor it will thankfully reach the pedal on the fiat but it will go right under the brake in the bug, so I have to keep my leg hovering like 2" off the floor.

So I need bigger feet. Or maybe like, clown shoes. I don't need the pedals closer I need them to be longer. Wider would also be nice because if I DO switch the beetle to manual I will have a dilema of the fact I usually left foot brake because I cannot heel-toe with my tiny baby feet. I can almost do it in the fiat because clearly it was made for tiny baby footed short people like me.

FinalGear, fueling crazy ideas since 2004. ?

A manual swap is insane, I love it.
 
So I need bigger feet. Or maybe like, clown shoes. I don't need the pedals closer I need them to be longer. Wider would also be nice because if I DO switch the beetle to manual I will have a dilema of the fact I usually left foot brake because I cannot heel-toe with my tiny baby feet. I can almost do it in the fiat because clearly it was made for tiny baby footed short people like me.


You can get larger pedal overlays easily.
 
Went playing with some crazy newfangled electric thing yesterday. Great fun but terrible range.

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Further meditation on specialist safety dog transport crate suppliers:
Found a third credible supplier. Yet again, their appropriately sized crate doesn't fit in anything carlike. In fact, it doesn't even fit in full bore SUVs. It's got a doable footprint, but it's just too damned tall to fit in anything but a full size cargo van or pickup truck.

HEY DICKHEADS. THE DOG DOESN'T NEED TO STAND UP AND RUN AROUND. IT NEEDS ENOUGH HEADROOM TO GET IN THE DAMN CRATE AND LAY THE HELL DOWN.

Also just for funsies looked at a supplier of police K9 back seat inserts. Brief summary: Unsafe for the people in the car, unsafe for the dogs, renders the vehicle utterly unusable, only available in Explorer, Expedition, Tahoe, Suburban. Taurus, Caprice and Charger forces can GTFO. Naturally requires drilling random holes in sheet metal to put crappy cheese grade mounting bolts through. Typical of all police hardware I've ever seen.

Found some actual independent crash testing of the crate we have been looking at for the Ascent. The tie down straps on the rear shear off the cage, but that looks intentional to my eye, to allow the rear of the cage to deform in what is clearly an energy absorbing manner. It's clearly intended to be and performs better when mounted tight against a load bearing partition (seatback or rear gate, both of which we intend to be the case)
 
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Clearly the solution is to bolt a honking great turbo to it. What? oh sod the gearbox, get a stick and screw everyt
HEY DICKHEADS. THE DOG DOESN'T NEED TO STAND UP AND RUN AROUND. IT NEEDS ENOUGH HEADROOM TO GET IN THE DAMN CRATE AND LAY THE HELL DOWN.

Try telling that to the dog owners, let me know how well it goes :p
 
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