u/nitrion

I just made it home after sitting for an hour in a random parking lot somewhere waiting on my car to cool off…

It’s a 94°F day today, high humidity, and of course when I get off work, traffic is HORRIBLE.

I got about 10 minutes away from home, just so happened to glance down at my gauges (I don’t usually pay too much attention to them, other than speed and tacho of course) and saw that my temp gauge was almost pegged at maximum heat.

So, I pulled into a turn lane, and found that my steering wheel felt oddly loose? I’ve had a steering shaft not bolted down properly on this car before, and this felt exactly like when my steering shaft was loose. I’d turn the wheel and it’d have no resistance at all, and the car wouldn’t really turn… until I turned it further and it “caught” or something. Anyway… pulled into this little empty parking lot and immediately shut the car off to let it cool down. Waited about 45 minutes to an hour, and took off my coolant reservoir cap very carefully… and found it full of coolant. Huh. So, since the gauge was indicating just below operating temp, I fired it up and began to drive again. And she made it home without further incident. Steering feel returned to normal as well.

So, is this a normal thing? Did I just get the perfect shitstorm of high traffic, high ambient temps, and using my A/C too much during all of that? Or is this not normal for a new edge GT in these conditions? I’ve seen my temp gauge start climbing before on a similar kind of day, but it never almost pegged out. It just sat a bit higher than operating temp and kinda settled in there, with A/C on full blast. Wanna know if I should just keep a close eye on the car in conditions like that or if there’s something wrong with my cooling system and causing it to overheat in more extreme scenarios. Last week, when temps were only in the low 80s for the high, never had any issues with overheating or temp climbing past normal at all.

Hello! I’ve got a 2010 Toyota Avalon with 208k miles and the trans is starting to shit the bed. So, I’ve recently been looking into buying a replacement car. I landed on a Mazda6 because it can essentially do everything the Avalon can do, but better, and it has more features.

I test drove a 2019 Mazda6 Signature, a 2021 Honda Accord 2.0T, and a 2021 Mazda6 Carbon. I wasn’t too sure which to pick between the Accord and the 6, until I drove the Carbon. The Carbon definitely confirmed for me that I want a 6 Turbo.

So, with that being said… I’ve got a lot of saving to do. I’m 20, have 3 cars (2 are project/fun cars, one is the Avalon which is gonna be replaced ASAP) and this would be my first ever car payment. I’m planning on saving up anywhere from $15,000 to $17,000, which should be attainable within about 6 months, give or take, if I save most of the money I get from working. And that’s on the assumption of no overtime, and lately I’ve been working 12 hour shifts 5 days a week.

So… the market right now doesn’t have a ton of Mazda6 Turbos out there nearby, but I’m hoping that by the time I’ve saved up my down payment goal, there will be more options. I’ve decided that I’m either going for a Carbon, or a Signature if I can find one that’s reasonably priced and relatively low miles. I’m looking for below 50k miles, preferably. I’m well aware that that means I’m looking at a $30,000 car. Turbo engine is not negotiable, I’m not getting a naturally aspirated 6.

So, with the financials out of the way… do you guys have any advice for a buyer? What should I look for? What places should I look for good condition Mazda6 cars? I live in central Ohio if that changes anything. I’m willing to drive a good distance for a good condition 6. Any advice is greatly appreciated! After having driven 2 Mazda6 cars, I’m in love to be honest. I’m really excited to get into a newer car, cause right now, the youngest car I have is 16 years old 😂

I put on SR Performance Touring springs and Koni STR.T shocks on my 2004 GT, and it rides like absolute hot garbage. Constantly bouncing around, any little bump upsets the suspension, sends my head into the roof, and it’s especially bad in the rear of the car where my rear axle likes to hop over any tiny little bump. The Konis are MASSIVELY underdamped for the stiffer lowering springs, so every time I come to a stop, the car will rock back and forth several times from weight shifting back and forth. The springs are almost free to rebound and compress as much as they want. Hitting bridges on the freeway is usually a neck snapping “boing, boing, boing, boing” experience where the car just WILL NOT settle and bounces up and down repeatedly.

I want some comfort back while maintaining my 1.5” drop… my thoughts were Eibach Pro Kit springs and Bilstein B8 shocks. Do we think this would be a comfortable setup for a daily? My car is like a half daily… I like driving it whenever weather is nice, and if the mood is right. I’ve got two other cars to drive but I love my Mustang a lot. But this suspension setup is killing me… it’s genuinely embarrassing when someone rides along with me, because of how terrible my suspension is. If not Eibach Pro Kit paired with Bilstein B8 shocks… what else should I be looking at? Frankly, I’m more concerned with looks and comfort than I am with actual performance.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Title. I have 17x9 rims up front and 17x10.5 rims in the rear. Currently running 245/45R17 on the front and 275/40R17 in the rear. Ideally I’d like to keep these tire sizes. Tires all around are Nitto NT555 G2 tires, and I’m just not happy at all with the grip. They’re fine around corners, but if I even breathe on the throttle at all in 1st gear, I’m instantly spinning. It’s sketchy as fuck in the rain, too.

I wanted Continental DWS06 tires, but they don’t make those in a 275/40R17 for my rear tires. I’d only be able to get the fronts. Thinking about Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4s, but not sure.

I want to be able to handle well enough around corners, handle Ohio weather no matter what it’s doing, and I wanna be able to floor it in 1st gear and get very little wheel spin. Obviously not trying to drive the car in snow, it’s still mostly gonna see nice weather and occasional rain, I usually like to store the car over the winter and drive something else. But still, Ohio is Ohio, and our weather can absolutely never make up its damn mind.

So, I come asking for tire recommendations. Don’t really mind price all too much, but my car is completely stock engine wise minus the exhaust, so it’s not like I’m pushing crazy power. I “daily” this car whenever the weather is nice, so I just need a streetable all season tire that won’t lose grip instantly whenever I try having a little fun. Thanks!

Location: Central Ohio

So, I just “bought” a car that a coworker of mine, S, is selling. A 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The car belonged to his father, who passed away about a year ago or so I’ve been told.

S’s Uncle is the executor of S’s father’s estate. So, when I paid in cash for the car, I was given a signed title, signed by the uncle as the executor of the estate. Problem is, the Ohio BMV will not transfer the title into my name until I can provide a letter of authority from the court stating that the uncle is allowed to sell the vehicle. So I asked for a copy of the letter of authority… and was met with radio silence for like two weeks. Until today, they’re saying that they’re gonna need the title and the car back, because it’s being valued at $3200 instead of the $2500 that I paid for it.

My question is, why is it being evaluated? It’s a private sale, shouldn’t the price be completely up to the person selling it?

From the uncle himself:

“So we’re having a problem with the Miata because they’re valuing the Miata at $3200 not 2000 so they’re gonna have to do some extra paperwork and put it into the trust and then the trust would have to sell it to your friend so I pray to God, he’s not driving that around right nowso we might need the title back and I can give him his money back because I haven’t put it in the account yet and we’ll go from there”

I’m not sure why he keeps saying $2000… I paid $2500 for it. S acknowledges that I paid $2500.

The next text afterwards (received from S, from the uncle) was:

“Just tell him we’re gonna need the car and the title back and I can give him his money back. He’ll still be able to buy it at 2000 but we’ll have to do it through the trust and this will take a little time”

So honestly, I’m completely lost here. I’m not sure what’s going on and I’d like clarification on what needs to happen. I’ve already gotten a temporary tag for the car using its title… expires sometime in late June. I’ve been driving it around a good bit. I’m so confused.

Can anyone help me understand what’s happening, and what we need to do moving forward so I can finally just get this damn car put in my name? I’ll try to answer any questions as best as I can, but I’m lost. I’m 20 years old and this is the first time I’ve purchased a car from a dead guy. I have two other vehicles but neither were from a deceased owner.

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a 1992 Miata, and I’m having trouble switching between my 2004 Mustang GT and this tiny fucking thing. My Mustang has an Exedy Mach 500 clutch with ford racing throwout bearing, clutch quadrant, and firewall adjuster. The Miata is bone stock.

The Mustang’s clutch has a VERY narrow engagement window, and it bites really low to the floor. The Miata has a HUGE engagement window and it bites almost at the very top of the pedal travel. The Mustang’s clutch is also a fucking leg press, meanwhile the Miata requires very little effort to use the clutch.

That being said… every time I drive the Miata, even if just for a few hours, it absolutely fucking ruins my ability to drive my Mustang. I’ve driven the Mustang for almost 3 years at this point no issue. I got pretty smooth with it, just by getting used to how AWFUL it is to drive compared to normal stick shift cars. But now that’s gone out the damn window cause my brain is now learning another car that drives completely differently. I stalled my Mustang twice today, once at a stoplight. It’s really, really fucking annoying.

So, with that said, I know hydraulic conversion kits exist for these cars, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them. Is it worth it? I plan on keeping both the Mustang and the Miata for as long as possible, and this game of relearning the Mustang every fucking time I drive it is getting ridiculous. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone,

So I just bought a 1992 Miata, and I’ve owned my 2004 Mustang GT for about 3 years now. Both cars have a 5 speed manual transmission.

Here’s the thing though, the Mustang uses a cable driven clutch, and I have a pretty heavy pressure plate installed on it, so my clutch in that car is super heavy, and with the way I have it adjusted, it’s bite point is really close to the floor. It’s adjusted this way so that my throwout bearing doesn’t contact the pressure plate when I’m not using the clutch, as these Mustang’s are known to chew through throwout bearings.

Anyway, the Miata on the other hand, is a normal hydraulic clutch, and it’s completely stock. So to me anyway, it’s light as a feather. And its bite point is really high, almost at the very end of the pedal travel.

So I have two cars with a similar gearbox layout, but two polar opposite clutches. And this means that when I switch between the two cars, my brain and my leg absolutely cannot fucking coordinate for the life of me to drive either car. I either roast the Miata’s clutch trying to drive it like the Mustang, or I stall the Mustang immediately and drive like shit because my brain and my leg are trying to drive it like the Miata. It’s honestly quite frustrating.

Is there anything I can do to mitigate this a bit? Does anyone else experience this? Ideally I wanna be able to use either car on any given day and not spend 15 minutes letting my leg readjust to whatever car I’m driving.

Hello! I wanna put new rims on my 92 NA, and I desperately need new tires as well. I just bought the car and the tires are from 2004. Yikes.

Anyway… I’m looking at the Rota Shakotan wheels, specifically a 15x7 with 10mm offset, and I want to keep as close as possible to the stock overall wheel diameter so that my speedometer stays accurate. I’m under the assumption that 195/50R15 tires will achieve this. Firstly, am I wrong? Secondly, does anyone have any good tire recommendations in that size? (Or whatever size I would need to maintain the same tire diameter)

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!