Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

NooDle said:
Yup, me too, winters are "only" rated to 190, summers are 240
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Mine are rated for 210 (the car does 206, officially), so I don't care about that. But yeah, they felt a little "swimmy" in high speed curves (I refuse to call anything on an Autobahn a "corner"). I had a similar feeling in the BMW 7 series MacGuffin let me drive a couple of weeks ago.
Well, hopefully it get's better when the weather gets colder. At least I don't remember anything negative about the tyres from last winter, so I' feel positive.
 
public said:
That Corolla doesn't look too hopeless.
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Indeed, IIRC those come with a 3K engine. Another "Run until the sun cools down" engine from them
 
Random thought: Traction Control is the opposite of a safety feature.

I traded vehicles with my parents the other day so they could use the truck for truck-stuff. After gassing up their '09 Saturn Aura, I found myself trying to merge onto a relatively busy street. A sizable enough gap formed in the traffic, and I took my opportunity. This required a quick burst of acceleration--nothing racy, just faster than required if I were turning onto an empty street. To make the gap, I chirped the tires to get a good start and then...

(!)... suddenly the throttle was cut and the car ceased to accelerate, leaving me rolling into traffic at ~15mph when the poor drivers behind me were doing ~35. By the time the computer let me accelerate again, I'd already forced them to slow down unreasonably.

I wasn't spinning the tires or attempting a burn out (neither would have resulted in the brisk(er) acceleration I needed). Traction Control, it seems, just hampers driving. Since all it does is stop even minimal wheel spin, it can't help in a skid or under-steer situation... it can only screw you when you need the power.

Dumbest. Thing. Ever.


And the Aura doesn't seem to have an off-switch.
 
Not all traction control systems are the same.
 
Runs_And_Drives said:
Random thought: Traction Control is the opposite of a safety feature.

I traded vehicles with my parents the other day so they could use the truck for truck-stuff. After gassing up their '09 Saturn Aura, I found myself trying to merge onto a relatively busy street. A sizable enough gap formed in the traffic, and I took my opportunity. This required a quick burst of acceleration--nothing racy, just faster than required if I were turning onto an empty street. To make the gap, I chirped the tires to get a good start and then...

(!)... suddenly the throttle was cut and the car ceased to accelerate, leaving me rolling into traffic at ~15mph when the poor drivers behind me were doing ~35. By the time the computer let me accelerate again, I'd already forced them to slow down unreasonably.

I wasn't spinning the tires or attempting a burn out (neither would have resulted in the brisk(er) acceleration I needed). Traction Control, it seems, just hampers driving. Since all it does is stop even minimal wheel spin, it can't help in a skid or under-steer situation... it can only screw you when you need the power.

Dumbest. Thing. Ever.


And the Aura doesn't seem to have an off-switch.
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I think I found your problem.

Much like GM's horrible early implementation of ABS on their mainstreamers turned many people off of ABS (some perhaps permanently), GM's mainstreamer traction control is abysmal. My Jaguar had better traction control back in 1995.
 
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I'll have to take your word(s) for it that (all) traction control isn't evil, then. I've had enough poor experiences with GM products to blame them.

It really is too bad, though. The Aura seemed to be a pretty competent handler for a FF mid-size sedan. Then again, the only other FF mid-size sedan I've driven lately was a Dodge Stratus, lol.
 
Runs_And_Drives said:
I'll have to take your word(s) for it that (all) traction control isn't evil, then. I've had enough poor experiences with GM products to blame them.

It really is too bad, though. The Aura seemed to be a pretty competent handler for a FF mid-size sedan. Then again, the only other FF mid-size sedan I've driven lately was a Dodge Stratus, lol.
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The other name for that car: The 2004-2008 Chevy Malibu.

So, no.
 
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Der Stig said:
All I can think of is him going into the garage and doing a smoky burnout in a red with white stripes Cobra convertible with some fake-boob'd stripper in the passenger seat :lol:
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Amusingly, from another forum, when someone asked for opinions of the Freestyle:

I am a former 2005 Freestyle owner. It has good power and is surprisingly quick due to the efficient transmission and lighter weight (about 500lbs lighter curb weight than other 7 passengers.)

I sold it due to divorce with 20,000 miles and I actually miss that vehicle.
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Apparently truth in advertising. :lol: :lmao:
 
Spectre said:
The other name for that car: The 2004-2008 Chevy Malibu.

So, no.
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Actually, the Aura is based on the upgraded long wheelbase Epsilon platform that the 2008+ Malibu uses, instead of the previous generation. Not that that is much of an improvement.

And the other name for the car is actually the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra. Jeremy likes the Vectra, doesn't he? :tease:
 
phoenixsac said:
Actually, the Aura is based on the upgraded long wheelbase Epsilon platform that the 2008+ Malibu uses, instead of the previous generation. Not that that is much of an improvement.

And the other name for the car is actually the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra. Jeremy likes the Vectra, doesn't he? :tease:
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I drove an Aura and the 05 Malibu Maxx back to back at a client's once and they were pretty much indistinguishable in how they drove. They're both Epsilon cars, and if they upgraded the Aura from the Malibu in anything but wheelbase, you couldn't tell.

Again - pretty much the same car. :p

Also, wasn't the Vectra the car he was pointing out had catastrophic understeer? Yes, yes, it was.

His opinion: "This has to be one of the worst chassis I've ever ever come across. Only one word to describe this car - begins in 's,' ends in 't' and it isn't 'soot.'

I don't think he liked it. :p
 
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Runs_And_Drives said:
And the Aura doesn't seem to have an off-switch.
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To turn off Traction Control, there's a switch on the face of the center console, right below the lid latch. Very odd placement IMO, most models have it to the drivers left below the air vent, or around the shifter/climate controls.

While the Aura was styled to resemble the Vectra, it wasn't literally a Vectra ported over. The L-Series was closer to a ported over Vectra than anything: Even the door panels were the same as it's Vectra counterpart.

Out of the 3 mainstream Epsilon cars (G6, Aura, Malibu) I liked the Aura the most. It's still a very sharp looking car inside and out, especally compared to the dowdy (at the time) Malibu and somewhat chintzy interior of the G6.

I will say that rear seat knee room is a bitch due to the overly large seatbacks: Although hollowed out for comfort there's still a edge of non hollowed out plastic that one's knees must duck past while entering and exiting.
 
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Runs_And_Drives said:
I'll have to take your word(s) for it that (all) traction control isn't evil, then. I've had enough poor experiences with GM products to blame them.

It really is too bad, though. The Aura seemed to be a pretty competent handler for a FF mid-size sedan. Then again, the only other FF mid-size sedan I've driven lately was a Dodge Stratus, lol.
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Yes that TC is clearly retarded. Audi let you chirp tires all day long w/o interference and my friend's Z while won't let you chirp it doesn't cut the throttle so much that you can't accelerate at all just enough to stop from spinning wheels.
 
Is there a way to disable the TC system for good, or would that require some reprogramming of the computer?
 
So, the rear suspension of my Mazda crapped itself. Time to send it away and find something drivable...
 
The only T/C I ever experienced was while driving a Kia Magentis (2008)

Foot on the floor over glaze ice and the car just shuts down for 4 or 5 seconds.

I'm sure other systems are better but I'll never use it. Besides ABS it's gonna be the first electronic thing going on the Acura.
 
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