I have a ’90 Talon Tsi AWD and I’ve burned-up plenty of tires.

     I like to drive my Talon skiing in the winter, so I go
for real SNOW tires in the winter, performance tires in the
summer.  Here’s what I’ve had, and my evaluation:

Since you have two sets of tires, the best snow tires are the
Bridgestone Blizzak.  The top layer of the tire is a special compound
than provides excellent traction on snow and ice.  Once this compound
wears off, they are as good as any other tire.  Sell the tires to a
sucker after the special compound wears off.

_________________________________________________________________________
"Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines" – Enzo Ferrari

Steve Elliot —- s5ell…@sms.business.uwo.ca
_________________________________________________________________________

     I like to drive my Talon skiing in the winter, so I go
for real SNOW tires in the winter, performance tires in the
summer.  Here’s what I’ve had, and my evaluation:

     (All of these were 205/55 16)

     Original Eagle GT+4:  Lasted about 14,000 miles.  Ok tires,
                           but not good snow/ice tires or great
                           for performance.

     Michelen XGT-V:  These tires accelerate and corner great,
                      but are work for going straight.  They tend
                      to have a habit of grabbing and darting when
                      you just want to cruise straight.  These tires
                      went pretty fast too – about 15,000 miles.

     Eagle GT M+S:  These are the best snow/ice tire that I ever
                    had on my Talon, and actually were pretty good
                    for performance too.  Unfortunately they quit
                    making a 205/55 16 a couple years ago.  I should
                    have bought 2 sets when I had the chance.  They
                    were kind-of noisy though.

     Gisleved Nord-Frost:  My current snow tire.  They are ok tires,
                           but not as good as the GT M+Ss.  This is
                           about the only snow tire available in 205/55 16
                           now.

     Yokohama A509:  Just bought these.  They were about $137.00 ea.
                     at Discount Tire – cheaper than an Eagle GT V rated,
                     much cheaper than the Mich. XGT-Vs or a Eagle GS(?
                     the new Goodyear performance tire).  These seem
                     to be a great tire overall.  They corner and accelerate
                     well without the annoying problems seen with the
                     XGT-Vs in the straight.  I would recommend these if
                     you want don’t need snow/ice performance.  These
                     are a Traction A, Temperature A, Treadwear 170 tire.
                     I would expect mileage similar to the Michs.  

     These are MY impressions on MY Talon.  Standard YMMV stuff…

     Don Schott

;>It’s time for me to replace the tires on my 1993 Talon Tsi AWD.  I’d like
;>to try a different tire than the Eagle GT+4′s that are on it now.  I live
;>in Tucson, Arizona and don’t really need a M+S tire.  I was looking at the
;>Eagle VRs, but they don’t make them in my size (205/55VR-16).  I’d like a
;>tire with these qualitites:
;>   1. About the same price as the GT+4s (~$170 discounted a little)
;>   2. Last at least as long as the Eagles (treadwear rating of 200)
;>   3. Handle as good as or better than the GT+4s
;>
;>I’m not very familiar with which tires are good from the different
;>companies out there.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Why don’t
;>the car mags review tires more often?  It seems that readers of C&D or R&T
;>probably spend as much money on tires as anything else for their cars.
;>

I had a ’91 AWD, and I replaced the GT+4′s with OEM size Dunlop SP8000′s and
they stuck like glue with nice transition response.  Of course, all that
experimentation probably led to their 15,000 mi life…but oh those miles
.

 - Mitch Loescher
———————————————————–
’88 Hawk GT (grey)           | "…but my true unrefined
’87 Audi 5000S Quattro       | hatred is reserved for
—————————–| guidance counselors." – C.
Dept of Chemical Engineering | Slater from Pump Up The
Texas A & M University       | Volume

: >>>>> "T" == Todd Mullins <t…@nrlssc.navy.mil> writes:

: T> Matthew T. Russotto (russo…@eng.umd.edu) wrote:
: T> : [ ... ]  Driving with the
: T> : marker lights (only) on is illegal.

: T> Goddammit, SO WHAT if it’s illegal?  If any among you deem it a
: T> reasonable compromise between no lights and all lights, then USE THEM!

: What’s the point in not turning your lights on?

Glare.  With the crappy lens pattern mandated by our DOT, this is a real
problem.  With the number of cars on the road with grossly maladjusted
headlights, this is doubled.

: T> I do use them at dusk, and I’ve never been pulled over.  If I am pulled
: T> over, it gives me an opportunity to argue my case to the officer,
: T> possibly a judge, and maybe – just maybe – the law will be changed.  It
: T> _is_ possible to change laws, you know.

: T> ’74 MGB              100K mi
: T> ’84 VW Rabbit Diesel 176K mi (broken timing belt; immobile)
: T> ’84 Volvo 245GL      173K mi

: Oh, I see, these heaps probably can’t sustain enough power to run the
: full lights .

Your assignment is to learn the meanings of the following terms, within
the context of Formal Logic, and provide an example of each.

Argumentum ad hominem
Non sequitur
Red herring

Due by Friday.

–

-todd
t…@mudbug.nrlssc.navy.mil

’74 MGB              100K mi
’84 VW Rabbit Diesel 176K mi (broken timing belt; immobile)
’84 Volvo 245GL      173K mi
’85 Nishiki Prestige custom  (not ridden these days; make an offer)

"People said it because other people said it.  They did not know why it
was being said and heard everywhere.  They did not give or ask for
reasons."
                      – Ayn Rand, from _Atlas Shrugged_

$The only problem I have with people using just their ‘marker lights’
$is that they forget to turn on their headlights as it gets darker.
$Maybe if the ‘marker lights’ didn’t also turn on the dash lights.
$That might help that.

   It might help but it wouldn’t cure the problem entirely.  After all,
there are plenty of idiots who will drive around in the middle of the
night with _no_ lights on at all.
—
 ______________________________________________
/  Hi Ho Silver, who likes the idea of having  \  __________________________
\  SNTF and large h00ters in the same package   \/   sil…@bokonon.UUCP    \
 \______________________________________________/ …{!uunet}!bokonon!silver \

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

In article <Ct3nvI….@nucleus.com>, nhatv…@nucleus.com (Nhat-Viet Phi) wrote:
> EXCELLENT!! You and I tend to agree on many, very important driving
> details. I just wish I OWNED a car in which to exercise my skills!

> (Side note: ever notice that the better scorers on Sega’s Virtua
> Racing arcade game have their hands on the wheel at 9 and 3?)

> : What’s the solution?  I don’t know for sure, but I would like to see
> : police ticketing someone that does a three lane sweep at 70 in a rusted
> : old car with bald tires, no suspension, no seatbelts, and with one hand on
> : the wheel in rush hour traffic instead of ticketing an experienced driver
> : who knows the limits of his/her car and is driving within them (albeit at
> : a rate greater than the national speed limit).

> Would it not be logical to assume that police revenues would INCREASE, if
> the ticketing trend were focused on "bad-at-any-speed" drivers?? Seems to
> me that there are far more of THOSE than there are of just fast drivers.
> I guess the police and/or governments like to point fingers at
> readily-identifiable culprits, and if it means covering up the truth in
> the hysteria of a witch-hunt, so be it…

> While I’m here, I might as well state my contempt of the cliche-ed
> "Speed Kills" slogan. Speed by itself does not kill. Lack of skill, lack
> of training, and lack of common sense kill! (And of course, any of these
> COMBINED with speed also kill, but people tend to incorrectly blame speed.)

> : No flames, please, but reasonably well thought out
> : comments/replies/criticisms welcome.  Sorry this is so long.

> How’s MY reply for a non-flame?? <grin>

> Nhat-Viet Phi
> Calgary, Alberta, Canada
> nhatv…@nucleus.com

Wow, great reply!  I’m always hesitant to read, let alone post, to
newsgroups because I when I first was exposed to them a few years ago, all
I saw was one flame after another, which, for obvious reasons, was not
enjoyable.  I guess things have changed (or I was just exposed to a nasty
incident).

It’s heartening to know that there’s at least a few other people out there
that agree with me.  If it wasn’t for for two replies I’ve seen so far
(come on, there must be a *few* more of us out there who enjoy/support
driving fast BUT safely), I wouldn’t have much hope.

Coming to work this morning I passed yet another Z-28.  The young male
driver got all flustered and speed away from me, only to slow down again
once he had "proved" his point.  (What point? That if he floors it and I
don’t he can accelerate faster than I can?  Wow, I’m sure envious…)

James McElroy
jmcel…@wpi.edu

P.S.  I share your disdain for "speed kills."  Being in college, I’ve always had
      this strange urge to get myself at least one road sign for a decoration.
      My favorite one: the 4X 8 signs seen on NH highways saying "Speed kills a
      and costs.  Loss of license and fines of up to whatever insane amount
      the courts have come up with.  The best part of the sign is a sihoulette
       of a NH state trooper.

–
James McElroy Jr.
jmcel…@wpi.wpi.edu

Could be.  On the other hand, DRLs could cause accidents, too, by
making drivers less likely to look in their mirrors and more likely to
maladjust them to avoid the light.  This wouldn’t show up in a small,
short-term study like those performed to show benefits to DRLs.

–
Matthew T. Russotto     russo…@eng.umd.edu
Some news readers expect "Disclaimer:" here.
Just say NO to police searches and seizures.  Make them use force.
(not responsible for bodily harm resulting from following above advice)

: I still love the sensation of speed; I just have found better ways to
: experience it.  

:    1. I autocross my 92 GTI 16V in SCCA Solo II.
:    2. I still drive fast, but ONLY when conditions permit (traffic,
:       weather, visibility, and, uh, cops…).  

: And whether or not I’m speeding:
:    o My car is in excellent condition (good tires – properly inflated, good
:      brakes, clean windows, etc).
:    o I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt.
:    o I use TWO hands on the steering wheel (at 9 and 3 o clock)
:    o I always signal for turns, keep right unless I’m passing, don’t
:      drive in people’s blind spots, etc.

EXCELLENT!! You and I tend to agree on many, very important driving
details. I just wish I OWNED a car in which to exercise my skills!

(Side note: ever notice that the better scorers on Sega’s Virtua
Racing arcade game have their hands on the wheel at 9 and 3?)

: What’s the solution?  I don’t know for sure, but I would like to see
: police ticketing someone that does a three lane sweep at 70 in a rusted
: old car with bald tires, no suspension, no seatbelts, and with one hand on
: the wheel in rush hour traffic instead of ticketing an experienced driver
: who knows the limits of his/her car and is driving within them (albeit at
: a rate greater than the national speed limit).

Would it not be logical to assume that police revenues would INCREASE, if
the ticketing trend were focused on "bad-at-any-speed" drivers?? Seems to
me that there are far more of THOSE than there are of just fast drivers.
I guess the police and/or governments like to point fingers at
readily-identifiable culprits, and if it means covering up the truth in
the hysteria of a witch-hunt, so be it…

While I’m here, I might as well state my contempt of the cliche-ed
"Speed Kills" slogan. Speed by itself does not kill. Lack of skill, lack
of training, and lack of common sense kill! (And of course, any of these
COMBINED with speed also kill, but people tend to incorrectly blame speed.)

: No flames, please, but reasonably well thought out
: comments/replies/criticisms welcome.  Sorry this is so long.

How’s MY reply for a non-flame?? <grin>

Nhat-Viet Phi
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
nhatv…@nucleus.com

Actually, I don’t care that it is illegal, but I find it disturbing
when I see other cars lit like that on the highway at dusk(I’m not sure why),
so I don’t do it myself.

}I do use them at dusk, and I’ve never been pulled over.  If I am pulled
}over, it gives me an opportunity to argue my case to the officer,
}possibly a judge, and maybe – just maybe – the law will be changed.  It
}_is_ possible to change laws, you know.

I don’t believe that, myself.  And I know you can’t change them by
complaining to a traffic court judge.

–
Matthew T. Russotto     russo…@eng.umd.edu
Some news readers expect "Disclaimer:" here.
Just say NO to police searches and seizures.  Make them use force.
(not responsible for bodily harm resulting from following above advice)

: I’m NOT flipping up the headlights in my Miata just because the aging
: of America has caused many drivers to be too blind to see a car
: without two 50 watt lights blazing in their mirror.  Driving with the
: marker lights (only) on is illegal.

: Save power– turn those lights OFF!

Has it ever occurred to you that this blind, self-righteous attitude
(multiplied by thousands of drivers) might be partially responsible for
accidents still happening?

Side note:

If I could afford it, I would buy either a Nissan 300ZX Turbo or a Toyota
Supra Turbo; BOTH of these highly-rated sports/GT cars have non-flip-up
headlights that do not incur drag when lit (compared to, say, those of the
Mazda RX-7 or Chevy Corvette).

Nhat-Viet Phi
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
nhatv…@nucleus.com