Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Having ridden with him and seen how other Gxx drivers around here behave, I can see why. The guy treats the throttle like it is a switch (on or off), corners like a madman, and late-brakes at every light. Even with abnormal brake wear, a set of rotors each year is insane.

The insurance rates on those models tell the real story, the drivers who tend to be attracted to them are more prone to risk so the insurance companies raise the rates accordingly.

Here it?s mostly russian women around 30-40 unless they?re modded but those are somewhat rare
 
Recently I did a road trip spanning across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. One thing I noticed was the huge number of broken down cars on interstates. Sometimes there was a car with a flat tire every single mile, and not just "normal flat" but "complete tire missing from the rim" or "entire wheel blown off the car". Also the interstates were littered with tire debries. How is all this considered "safe"?
 
Let me rephrase: how is "driving until your tire blows out" considered safe?

Maybe this state of affairs seems "normal", but for reference: When I visit my parents I have to drive 100 miles of Swiss and German Autobahn, and maybe in 1 in 10 occasions there might be a single broken down car along the whole track (which is pretty busy because it connects Zurich and Basel, as well as Basel and the southern parts of Germany). Therefore I can only assume that broken down cars are taken care of immediately, or cars don't break down.

Seeing interstates littered with debries and cars with flat/missing tires was... interesting, and my assumption would be that either the cars are not being taken care of (as in: maintenance), or nobody cares to remove the broken down cars.
 
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Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Speaking from experience, many of those shredded tires you see were caused by actual road debris or road surface defects and the aftermath thereof. The long 'road alligators' and big chunks come off semi tires, some retreads and some new.

Check out Der Stig's Genesis thread for what happened to his tire when thomas was driving it on a Florida street. Then extrapolate that to what happens if you get the same scenario at prevailing highway speeds.
 
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In some cases, driving on worn tires is the cause. Often the tire gets a slow leak and people either don't have TPMS due to the age of the car, or they ignore it because it comes on whenever it gets chilly out. They drive as the tire slowly drops in pressure until the heat buildup causes a blowout.

I had it happen on my last car, which did not have TPMS. A rear tire developed a slow leak and finally blew at 80 mph while passing a large truck. Because it was a rear tire, I never felt the car start to pull or wander. The only thing I could do was put my foot down to straighten out the sudden weave, pass the truck and pull over. By the time I did, the tire was shredded.

When I was in the South (shudder) I noticed a lot of unsafe cars on the road. I live in one of the few states that still does safety inspections (like MOT) for vehicle registrations; unfortunately, we are doing away with our program for 2018. Now all enforcement for unsafe vehicles will be on Highway Patrol and they will have to see the problem and pull over the offending vehicle. There is no way for them to keep up.

When I lived in California, a state with no inspection, the number of unsafe vehicles was insane. Roads were coated in a thick layer of dripped fluids because of all the leaks; it is one of the reasons California drivers can't drive in the rain, there is so much shit on the road it is like driving on ice.

Another problem is that, at least around here, Highway Patrol does not enforce load laws. People drop cargo on the roads all the time. My current windshield has two large cracks and three chips in it from debris kicked up from passing cars or gravel dropped by dump trucks. I get new glass in next week, which will be the third windshield I've had in this car. Kiki's Taurus is on the second windshield.

Debris is a big problem here. A few years ago a motorcyclist was killed when he hit a queen sized mattress in the middle of the freeway one night. Ladders are pretty common, as are construction materials like plywood sheets and 2x4 timbers for framing. I've obliterated a few things with the Xterra's armor when I just had no where to go and didn't want to drop anchor in the middle of the highway to get rear-ended.

Debris is often the cause of the blowouts you see, tire debris rarely causes a flat, but will leave a nice black mark on your body work and make a hell of a thump when it hits the undercarriage. My heavy off road tires have saved me from many flats just driving to and from work.
 
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A lot of it also is the fact that many people are pretty oblivious to issues with their cars. A little bit of extra vibration is ignored until there is a catastrophic failure. Its stems from a complete ignorance of how cars work and lack of proper driver's education. That or not wanting to pay for a repair (either due to stinginess or lack of funds). The number of cars I see around on the side of the road with one of the wheels completely off is insane. Saw a Dodge Magnum just this morning with the rear wheel sitting at a 45 degree angle to the rest of the car (will pull a still off my dashcam when I get home). Yesterday I saw a Honda Element with one of the rear wheels at about -20 degrees camber - that's just a disaster waiting to happen.

Actually, while on the topic of driving with flat tires and driver's ed, I saw this in Utah last weekend

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Driver was a teenage girl going about 75 in an 80 zone. A 2nd teenage girl and a teenage boy in the backseat both on phones. The instructor in the front passenger seat looked like he first learned to drive on a Wells Fargo Stagecoach. I tried flashing my highbeams at them but eventually gave up and sped off. Tried calling the office of that driver's school to let them know one of their cars was running on a semi-flat tire, but no one picked up. What a great learning opportunity it would've been to replace a tire, but nah. I don't know how you wouldn't feel something being wrong with one tire being that low, but what do I know.

Another problem is that, at least around here, Highway Patrol does not enforce load laws. People drop cargo on the roads all the time. My current windshield has two large cracks and three chips in it from debris kicked up from passing cars or gravel dropped by dump trucks. I get new glass in next week, which will be the third windshield I've had in this car. Kiki's Taurus is on the second windshield.

Don't get me started on that. We have huge 11 axle gravel trains here in Michigan that seem to constantly be raining dust and gravel behind them. And our grooved highways are really good at trapping sand on the road surface so sometimes it sounds like you're driving through a sand storm in the Sahara rather than a metro-urban freeway. I always try to keep 4+ car lengths back, and yet my windshield is so pitted from all the sand hitting it that theres no avoiding it. And the rock chips on my poor front bumper :(
 
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That car is owned by the state of Utah and associated with the public school system. The "EX" on the plate and lack of year and month renewal stickers indicates it is tax-exempt; the logo is the same one used by many districts as that fleet of cars is shifted from school to school for practice.

EDIT: I recognize that spot, I-15 down near Cedar City. I pass it all the time on my way to Southern California. I love the 80 mph limit we have on most our interstates now, it makes that trip so much easier. Not so much faster, but I worry less about cops.
 
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That car is owned by the state of Utah and associated with the public school system. The "EX" on the plate and lack of year and month renewal stickers indicates it is tax-exempt; the logo is the same one used by many districts as that fleet of cars is shifted from school to school for practice.

Figured it was something like that. My fianc?e was the one Googling the door logo and finding a phone number to call mentioned something like that.


EDIT: I recognize that spot, I-15 down near Cedar City. I pass it all the time on my way to Southern California. I love the 80 mph limit we have on most our interstates now, it makes that trip so much easier. Not so much faster, but I worry less about cops.

Yeah those 80mph limits were amazing. We drove down from Salt Lake to Springdale and back over the weekend.
 
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And you didn't let me know you were in town? I feel jilted.
 
And you didn't let me know you were in town? I feel jilted.

Was a very quick in/out trip. My fianc?e was working at one of the clinics outside of Provo, so I figured if shes already there, I'd come in, spend a day hiking Zion with her and we'd leave together. Didn't really turn out as planned because she got food poisoning on the way down to the park, so we ended up spending a bunch of time together at the lodge and driving through the park several times, but we'll for sure be back for a more extended stay in the near future - ideally for a Zion-Capitol Reef-Canyonlands-Arches week. I am envious of you living in such a gorgeous part of the world.
 
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EDIT: I recognize that spot, I-15 down near Cedar City. I pass it all the time on my way to Southern California. I love the 80 mph limit we have on most our interstates now, it makes that trip so much easier. Not so much faster, but I worry less about cops.

Yeah those 80mph limits were amazing. We drove down from Salt Lake to Springdale and back over the weekend.



Yup, that exit's only about 15 minutes north of me. I'm pretty sure I recognize that exact driver's ed car too. I think sure that instructor occasionally uses it as his personal car, since I've not only seen it driving around with only him in it, but I've seen it in the local Smith's parking lot a time or 3 too.

CrzRsn, if/when you do come back, you should add Kolob canyon, which is just south of Cedar City and part of Zion's, as well as Bryce, UT 12, and the top part of Burr Trail to the list of places to see. UT 12 through the Grand Staircase and over BOulder mountain is pretty much the best way to get from Zion's to Capitol Reef, but both Bryce and Burr trail (which is technically part of Capitol Reef) are worthwhile detours. Kodachrome basin too actually...

Additionally, UT95 from Hanksville through to Blanding is a fantastic driving road, and almost always empty. You can also detour off of 95 to drive Moki Dugway, and maybe even see Monument Valley. 95 also has Natural Bridges National Monument too
 
I notice a lot more broken down cars in the south vs the north, even on similarly long stretches of road, no idea why
 
I notice a lot more broken down cars in the south vs the north, even on similarly long stretches of road, no idea why

Probably because cars live long enough to die from mechanical failure instead of rust damage.
 
It is definitely not a major issue around here. But our state has inspections, our highways are narrower, and there are far less of them.
 
I notice a lot more broken down cars in the south vs the north, even on similarly long stretches of road, no idea why

It seems like where there is inclement weather, people might tend to take their cars more seriously in terms of maintenance. The people i grew up around (and also local TV ads), people make a point of taking their cars in before winter for all-over checks, tires, coolant levels, batteries, hoses and belts etc. Where it's summer all the time, maybe people don't pay that much attention until something fails.
 
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