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:damnmate: Resistance if futile :damnmate: I guess I should stop:playingball: with the rest of the :stupid: emoticon people because it seems all I do is :banghead: about it... So, let the emoticons rock!:rock: Alan, you've got your man card back!:congrats:

What? The address at the top of the page wasn't enough?

We'll miss seeing you Audrey but that's a pretty good trade! One Luxor for one Scoopie! Congrats Steve, look forward to seeing you in Fontana!

Who?

Enrique, Is there an inexpensive and effective way to recalibrate the odometer? Not that I know of right now. That answer may change in the near future. Don't you hate the suspense already?

That would be kind of funny. "Wow, I'm doing 75mph and everyone is FLYING by me...." or "Hmmm, I'm driving 65, why does it take so long to get there?"... +1 for the Miata tire size calculator, it's been a great help visualizing the difference between tire sizes. Since I didn't know the tire size that Enrique was changing from, I hesitated to post the potential difference but you are correct. Going to a 40 from a 45 on the same wheel size will give you a "shorter" tire which will require more rotations per mile, throws off the speedo calibration and, it would probably hurt your fuel efficiency as it will require a higher RPM to maintain the same speed.

If you want to add some real excitement, Take a ride with Ali DRIVING! Of course, you won't get the full effect of the adventure since there's no cell phone coverage down there so she won't be on the phone and since there's a passenger, she won't be singing and playing air guitar:rock:. You will however enjoy the "pucker factor" of having her waving at all of the oncoming cars as she hits the entry, apex, and/or exit of the turns...:hello: I seem to remember my comments as the passenger being something like "TWO HANDS ALI, TWO HANDS!" and "NO, NO, NO, I'LL WAVE, YOU DRIVE!" and my my most repeated plea "I'LL WATCH THE FLOWERS!, YOU WATCH THE ROAD!". Of course, I had to filter my actual comments to keep this thread rated PG... I fully agree with your comment Dale, it's more about the line you take and how you take it (considering the vehicle and how it's set up) than your physical driving style (which is important). I've said this part before but it bears repeating over and over and over... Everyone is encouraged to participate in the educational parts of performance driving training. Lots of local car clubs have training/skills courses for autocross, track/road racing and they all teach the driving techniques and the "science" behind that "best line"... There's nothing like walking through the concepts and then, getting out and actually applying them in a controlled environment. I still say you should get the full Ali & TGGRR experience!:motor: Haemish - Is there a sign up list for rides?

Enrique, What size did you change from? There's no no "adjusting" the speedo unless you've got the NCS Expert software and all.

For those heading to the Dragon later this month, you can use this opportunity to prepare for the brew swap and the wine tasting events! The Whole Foods store (in the same parking lot as Tara Thai) has a great selection of craft beers and a good wine selection. I won't be drinking but I'll still attend the events and I'll contribute to the "festivities" so I'm looking forward to stocking up on supplies!

From what I have read and been told, you'll be good to go on the TPMS sensors for '07-'10 models but for '11, the they were changed and the new sensors don't play well with the "pre-refresh" 2nd gen TPMS system. I know what you mean about searching for a more comfortable ride. In 2009, I lowered Archi with springs and because I failed to cut down the height of the front/rear bumpstops on the OEM struts, I ended up with about 1" of suspension travel on the OEM 205/50R-16 runflats. The ride of the car took a serious hit, as did my spleen, kidneys and spinal column.... I went to a 215/45-17 non-runflat all-season (Kumho Ecsta ASX) and the ride did improve a little but I had an issue with the rear tires rubbing at the rear edge of the wheel wells. In January, 2010 an unidentified miscreant left Archi on Cinder blocks (they stole all 4 wheels and tires) and I replaced them with a set of 235/40R-17's (also non-runflat Kumho Ecsta ASX's) and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wider tires on the 7.5" rim really improved the the ride and the lower profile improved the handling (I drove them through all of the January/February 2010 snow, a summer of autocross and all of the club events). This spring, I replaced those tires with the same size Dunlop Star Spec Direzza tires just to try something new. This past Sunday, I did a significant modification to the suspension of Archi: I replaced the OEM struts with Bilstein HD's all the way around and I swapped out the Mach V Technic springs for a set of NM Engineering springs Alpha springs. The net change in the ride height was that the car is now 7/8's of an inch higher in front and the same height in the rear (still about 1" lower than OEM all around) so it has less rake and my front airdam now clears most speedbumps in parking lots. This time I DID cut down the rear bumpstops about 1". The front struts have internal bumpstops and I have a pictures of the difference in the hydraulic piston up front, it's easily twice the diameter of the OEM strut. Now, I don't get the bone jarring, internal organ bruising jolt on expansion joints and pot holes, I get a subdued "thud" and the dips that used to cram my skull into the sunroof now give me a little jostle to let me know they were there. I've also run the car through my "test course" a couple of times and I can say that the improved compression and rebound dampening in the struts and the incredible grip of the Star Specs give a whole new meaning to the expression "drives like it's on rails". Ripples/bumps in turns used to be a what I would call "exciting" at best and, at times, just plain scary. No more. The suspension just eats up the bumps and the tires seem to stay planted. Costco has great prices and a pretty wide selection of tires if that's where you choose to shop. A great website to shop and compare and even read user reviews is www.tirerack.com. Tire Rack will also drop ship to your home, a garage (such as one of our vendors, Mach V) where you can get the install done. Good luck with the decision making process and I can tell you that a comfortable ride can be had without any (or maybe just a little) compromise in the handling that we love in our cars!

Last week, Scavenger asked about radio channels and I promised that the information would be posted as soon as we could get it. Well, it's that time. With many thanks to Marty Bongers for downloading the file, I'm posting it here for all to see if you haven't gotten the update yet. To answer the question about radios though, the MOTD channel is Channel 7, Sub-channel 21 (what we usually run on here at DCMM). The channel assignment for DCMM while at the Dragon is channel 22, Sub-channel 22. Beyond that, there's lots of good information in the event guide. Enjoy, Craig

Hawkeye, I ran the two sizes through the tire size calculator and the 55R16 will be approximately .8" larger in diameter and I think that will make it pretty close to being too much tire for the wheelwell. With that kind of profile, you'll be likely to find the front tires rub inside of the fenderwell when you make a turn at the steering locks. The rear tires may end up rubbing at about the 2 o'clock position of the rear fender wells when you hit road surfaces that compress the suspension. The increased diameter will also be about 3% more than OEM and that'll change your speedo reading - which is another discussion all by itself. My other concern with going to a 55 profile tire is the increased amount of sidewall. It's certainly going to give you a Wayyyyy more comfortable ride down the road but you are very likely to find that you are unhappy with the way the car reacts when you get out into the twisties or you need that snappy response that we all love in our cars. The additional sidewall is going to "squirm" and roll when cornering and with the extra rubber between the wheel and the road, it's going to take more steering effort to get the same amount of deflection. Another DCMM member who shall remain unnamed recently made a very similar change and the first time they took the car through a familiar turn at a familiar speed, they were very surprised at the amount of understeer and the reaction of the car (or perhaps, that was a lack of reaction). I won't repeat the expletive they quoted themselves as saying but if you heard it, you'd know they were surprised... I'm one of those guys running tires at the extreme edge of what'll fit (I'm running 235/40R-17 Star Specs which are wider than most for that size) and I'm not sure I'd be willing to plunk down the cash for tires in that size unless they had some mounted up to trial fit/drive. Anyone have any experience with 55's?

Hey everyone, I just thought about this today and I thought I'd share it. If you are headed to the Dragon in a couple of weeks, don't forget to put a hold with the post office and your new paper delivery or make some kind of alternate plan for having your mail and/or paper picked up. The post office will hold your mail and deliver it in bulk at your request and you can do that via their website (www.usps.com). Just search for "Mail Hold" and fill follow the directions. Your news paper will have their own way of doing holds. When bad people are looking for "crimes of opportunity", a stack of mail or newspapers is a primary indicator of occupants not being at home. Just a thought to share. 16 Days until 500+ MINIs/Minis and over 700 friends of the MINI/Mini converge on the Dragon!

Come out and join us for another great club dinner! Tara Thai is an official DCMM Vendor so we enjoy a discount when eating there so it's a great excuse to have a club event with them! Here are the details: When: Sunday, April 17th. Time: 5:30 p.m. Where: Tara Thai 7501-E Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22043 703-506-9788

A quick video clip from my iPhone as I didn't have a GoPro running yesterday. Just before the end of the morning route, Katie interrupted what I can only describe as an poorly scripted replay of the GEICO Squirrel commercial.... link to video file:

I'm pretty sure you'll like the look of the LED side marker lights. The first time I blacked out my grill, I used plasti-dip and that worked really well. Then, I wrapped the chrome surrounds in matte black vinyl and did the headlight rings too. If you need help (email, phone or in person), don't hesitate to get in touch.

Ryan, Lona worked 6-6, got a couple of hours this morning and actually lasted until almost lunch before she took a "nap". We bailed and came home after lunch and she slept almost all the way from the Griffin Tavern to Mach V! Hard to do that if you are driving though!.

Ryan, Give me a shout via PM if the steps below give you problems, I've done both - a few times. To pull the grill, pop the bonnet open and across the top of it are 3 or 4 plastic fasteners. The center pin pulls out and the rest of it will stay with the grill but it'll come out of the bracket. Along the bottom of the grill (the side towards the engine, there are 4 or so plastic "tabs". Because I've got thick hands, I have a hard time reaching into the small gap so I use a long pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze the two side of the tab together and it backs out of the slot. To pull the chrome strip from the bottom of the grill, it's got a series of little tabs that go through the grill to hold it in place. To replace the chrome across the top of the grill, there are 4 screws that hold it in place. For the side markers, keep the bonnet open. Each of the side markers slides towards the front of the car. Use two hands with firm but controlled pressure. They'll slide forward about a 1/2 inch and you'll scare the heck out of yourself on the first time you pull one off 'cause you'll think you broke the car! Once they slide forward, they come straight out from the B panel. If it's the LED side marker lights from OutMotoring, the OEM light fixtures are held in by little metal clips on the back side of the marker light assembly. Squeeze 'em, pop 'em out and pop in the new lights. The plug from the new lights plugs into the socket that the OEM bulb was using. Align the locking tabs with the slots in the fender, put them in and push it back. You'll get a good "clunk" as it goes back into place. Once you've got them installed, have someone get in your car and start it up. With the LED's, you can actually see the body control module to a bulb check as they'll flash 3-4 times. The OEM bulbs don't react to the small voltage signal but the LED's will. Good luck with it!

Haemish, Hey, that was an awesome event this morning! Thanks for putting it on for the club. It was great to see everyone again, it's been a long winter.

You'll be okay on that decision.

Agree that it's not the place to try new things but take a look at the original post... Ali has been working at this for a while, she's not waiting until Deal's Gap to try it out.

Ali, why are you worried about a government shutdown? You've obviously got a career with Halmark!

Haemish's comment is on the money with regards to overheating your brakes. Compression/engine braking aren't harmful to the engine, transmission, clutch - any more so than normal driving. Mechanical breaking (excessive) on the other hand will overheat your brakes and they will start to fade and ultimately (ever noticed the emergency stoping areas for big trucks?). Fry your brakes and you better be a damn good driver because they don't recover quickly and you'll just keep accelerating down hill until you can unload that kinetic energy... The science behind all of this is why I encourage everyone to go to the autocross school or one of the other driving classes! You'll learn more than just driving around orange cones in a parking lot! You learn what changes in throttle and brakes do to understeer/oversteer and all kinds of great stuff like that. Essentially, you are exposed to knowledge and skills that CAN make you a better driver. Between the defensive driving course I did with the Sheriff's department, an executive's DD course and autocross school, I can say that the 3 & 9 position is heavily emphasized along with not crossing over (automatic failure of that event with the Sheriff's course). Yes, some of it is in recognition of airbag safety but mostly, it's because we don't need such a "powerful" position at the top of the wheel. Good luck on taking your mind off of the furlough.... Looks like it's gonna happen anyway. Come over on Sunday and we can make signs! "Furloughed worker", "Will detail for $$$$"

And the majority vote say excessive use of emoticons (4 or more in any given email exchange) is enough to revoke the man card.