re: "Google Wallet may be making a return" (and "Why is it so complex

I realize you're using industry terminology and I'm not, so I appreciate that you clarified what you had meant by the "tighter slip angle".

"Slip angle is the angle between a rolling wheel's actual direction of travel and the direction towards which it is pointing."

I like that this guy eliminates the other three tires when explaining it. *Explained: Tire Slip Angle*

Ability to fit larger brake discs and calipers is one. Better fuel efficiency is another.

That's countered by the rough ride, faster tyre wear and increased potential for tyre and rim damage.

It never fails that the iKooks (e.g., Alan Baker, nospam, Jolly Roger, Lewis, et. al) have nothing of value to add - so - just to be able to say something (anything) - they endlessly & childishly argue about nothing.

Every _adult_ knew exactly what was being said in the polite conversation.

I had no issue with what you wrote no with how you wrote it.

When someone consistently uses terms inaccurately, it's a fairly safe bet that they don't know the subject matter very well.

I had no issue understanding what he MEANT...

...but his continuing inaccurate use of automotive terminology shows he is (as usual) pretending to know more about a subject than he actually does.

"OBDII sensor" for instance.

:-)

If you're talking about vehicle handling, then a discussion of slip angles is an imperative.

Yep, start with the concept at one wheel and then, once understood, move onto all wheels at once to get the concept of handling. Handling is a very misunderstood concept.

For the record, I have been in the automotive industry in a professional capacity for *decades* and I still refer to 14" tyres. It isn't a big deal, really it isn't, so don't make it so.

Don't I know it!

It's certainly key on the track...

:-D

Very.

I don't, aside from rough furniture repair and refinishing (to sell at the antique mall). Lots of old furniture in the garage. Although, for some reason, I'm subscribed to rec.woodworking

Tempting for the dirt floor side; I'll have to consider that.

I don't foresee owning a vehicle with larger than 15" rims in the near future, so good to know that I'd only need the balancer and manual tire changer.

I'm still confused on how the dots come into play. The only tire I've ever changed myself, was the little 12" Geo Metro tire (by hand).

I rarely wear out brakes, even cheep steel fiber pads, because I'm just light on them. I'm used to a spongey petal and some-what unreliable brakes. The upside, I don't panic if the brakes go out (it's happened a couple of times). The older 2 and 3 speed automatics are geared in a way where you rarely have to brake on hills or otherwise; just let off of the accelerator. Same as many manual cars.

In my '83 F150 with the three on the tree, that thing kept a steady 45 MPH on my whole 2-lane highway commute into work. I didn't have to touch the brake on the 40 minute commute except for one red light and pulling into the parking lot. Of course, that transmission (especially with the rear end gearing) really didn't like the highway. Forget about much over 60 MPH.

I've only done a clutch in a Geo Metro. Still, not a fun job, but it was nice to drive the car afterward. Even though the friction pad was worn to nothing, the flywheel looked fine, so I just threw the clutch kit on and mounted the transmission back up. Been working good as new since (except for the failed headlight wiring that has the car parked).

The stealer? You lost me.

I'm assuming that you are talking about riding the brakes. I have a tendency to drive cars without very good braking systems, and especially older 4-wheel drum systems; I know to always pulse the brake. Also, take it easy in general. No need to speed up a hill just to ride your brakes down.

Actually, that's a pretty regular thing for me. I've still got the '89 Olds up on jacks because the lower ball joints both need done. Those little buggers aren't cheap. I did the outer tie rod ends when I bought it a couple of years ago (I don't keep many cars this long), but the inner ends are also shot.

One of the Geo Metros is also parked for _really_ bad ball joints and tie rod ends. Of course, I'm a special case, since some of my cars have north of 300K miles. There's a good chance that no one else has replaced these parts before. When the steering gets sketchy, it's not worth it to me to push my luck.

Oh, that's still a thing here on my old beaters also. Upside to these systems, while they are more maintenance, they are less prone to failure. I've cleaned and gaped breaker points before (with a matchbook), and back on the road you go. It took me a while to figure out why I didn't have spark on one car... finally, oops, it was that post-1975 or so spark control box (computer?) that went bad.

They don't have 145/80/R12 for the Geo Metros (1989 - 1993 base model), but they seem to have 155/80/R12 for anywhere from $57.96 to $64.96

235/75/R15 for my F150 are anywhere from $88.96 up

I don't know if these are any good, but they have a neat, classic look:

The truck also calls for 215/75/R15, but probably not as good of an idea, because I've been know to haul a _lot_ of scrap metal in the poor old thing (I've had it packed 4 feet up over the top of the ladder rack!)

215's as cheap as $81.96

It's sitting there with a blown head gasket (straight 6 300 engine)... boy do I miss driving that thing around. Must'a been one of the last with the wing windows.

True, for the most part. The reason that I'm so addicted to early 90's Geo Metros is because the 3 cylinder 5 speed variety hatchback get an honest-to-God 50 MPG on the highway. How many cars owners can say that and not lie through their teeth? Maybe Prius owners, but my Metro costs less than it costs for a dealer to replace one of their headlights.

I've driven these Geos to Minnesota (annual car meet), Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, etc. Stupid reliable, and stupid good on fuel; not to mention easy to work on.

Ah, I just assumed that they were more durable. I found the '75 Dart parked on a neighborhood street with a $800 sign in the window. I couldn't call the guy fast enough. It barely ran on really old gas. I puttered to a local fuel station, and it ran just well enough to get it home (with basically no brakes).

I've since had the exhaust done, did the brake lines and most components myself with those nifty copper clad brake lines, and did a full tune-up. It ran great until rolling down the road, BANG, passenger side of the car almost dragging on the tires last Autumn (leaf spring no longer shaped like a "U"). I bought two leaf springs, beefy ones with an extra leaf (from a V8 car) from a pull-a-part. I just have to get gutsy enough to mess with those old rusted out bolts to install them.

Ah, yes, rusty old bolts, know them well.

Check out this video testing the penetrating oils for rusty bolts.

Part two

Fun Fact: ATF/Acetone mix came in second.

One advantage of living in California is rusty bolts (almost) don't exist.

If you ever need to choose the best penetrating oil, it's in this document

Luckily, ball joints don't need much by way of tools, other than a pickle fork and a good mallet (and maybe an old-time grease gun for older cars).

Tie rod ends also aren't too bad - just be sure to mark things first. The idler arm and pitman arm may require a gear puller though.

The problem with doing that "stuff" is the alignment needs to be done.

At your young age, all the home alignment tools are well worth buying. a. You need a wheel jig and camber gauge b. It's helpful to have wheel plates (greased linoleum works) c. It's nice to have toe plates too

Always remember you adjust in _this_ order: Caster -> Camber -> Toe

I have a kit still, with a timing light, dwell meter, flat feeler gauges (for cams), wire gauges (for plugs), vacuum gauge, hose plugs, hose clamps, spark plug timing dial gauge, etc.

Haven't opened it in years.

When you have an older motorcycle (which I had at your age), you learn how to set timing by the dial gauge you screw into the spark plug hole (measuring mm BTDC) and the buzzer you set up across the points.

If it's not at Simple Tire, you can try Tire Rack.

Let me give you advice from someone almost twice your age. The price is (almost) meaningless. The price is the _last_ thing you look at. (Then it's very meaningful.)

But the price is meaningless when it comes to buying by the spec. The price is simply one of the specs. An important spec. But not the first spec.

The _reason_ it's not the first spec is that the price tells you nothing. The price is only what you have to part with to get that spec.

The spec is what matters most when starting your selection process. The price is what matters most in the end (after you've rejected tires).

Only in the end, do you weigh in the price.

Wow. That tire appears to be a heavyweight in terms of load range.

The spec on that tire is usually a dozen parts, price always being last:

1. 235 mm wide
2. 75% as tall as it is wide (i.e., 176.25 mm tall)
3. Radial
4. 15 inch
5. Load index 105 (*wow* 2,039 pounds per tire!!!!!!!)
6. Speed S (112mph)
7. Traction: B,
8. Treadwear: 320,
9. Temperature: B
10. Tread pattern (e.g., M&S)
11. Age (within six years)
12. Price... (price is last but still important - see below)

Personally I strive for an A (or AA) in traction, where the rest I just try to match or exceed OEM specs. A treadwear of 320 isn't all that good BTW.

Do you really need two thousand pounds per tire? Anyway, once you decide on the specs, _then_ look at price.

Compare that Simple Tire price to Amazon prices.

Amazon = $107 + shipping (which is often around $15 to $20 per tire) Simple Tire = $89 (includes shipping)

Oh. You haul heavy metal? Well then, the load index does matter then, as two thousand pounds per tire is double what many tires normally handle.

You're paying for stiff sidewalls, but one thing you need to keep in mind that if you're comparing a 235/75 with a 215/75, given they have the same aspect ratio, the 235 mm wide tire will sit 15 mm taller than will the 215 mm wide tire, which will affect your ride, particularly on bumpy roads and with a load.

Ah. Perfect.

So now the price doesn't matter which makes buying by the spec even easier.

I didn't check the 12-part spec for the 215 (which you _should_ do!), but it may boil down to the difference to you of 15 mm of cushion and 20 mm of traction width.

Of the half dozen things all people should do at home, a major engine overhaul is one of those I haven't done yet.

1. Minor repairs (e.g., cooling system overhaul)
2. Alignment (caster, camber, toe)
3. Transmission (e.g., replace clutch)
4. Painting (e.g., change color)
5. Mounting & balancing wheels/tires
6. Major engine overhaul

MOST vehicle *never* travel on gravel roads, SMS is full of shit, as usual.