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Kevin Lang

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Around the local cement parking garages I've been seeing a fair number of donuts left behind by drivers with more tire money than I, but they are only leaving a single trail behind.



I assume that one needs a sort of LSDifferential to leave 2 (I know I leave 2), but I'd like to confirm that. Only watching one tire smoke is anticlimatic--I'm sure we've all seen the honda odyssey "respect the van" commercial (Why were all the vans in that commercial American and not mini?, and why didn't they just use the A-Team song?)



Also, there are a plethora of donuts around town, and I find it extremely hard to believe that there are that many RWD (read: manly) cars around. Seems to me that you'd have to do a fwd donut in reverse? And then there'd be no way to leave 2 trails, right?



The last time I had a FWD vehicle I was doing more, ahem, "responsible" things with it so I don't know about donuts. I suppose I could try out the 2001 pontiac sunfire (assuming the 4cyl could do anything) and see, but I'd rather ask the experts.
 
It is very hard to do donuts in a FWD car in reverse on pavement. FWD trannys are not designed for that stress.



A Mustang will do donuts very easy. On solid ground, it is not difficult to get both wheels spinning on solid groung, even with an open differential.



You can try to do reverse donuts with that Sunfire in reverse. I do suggest you have extra money laying around or a credit card handy. It will help pay for the tow home and the repairs needed.





Tom
 
The Sunfire is silver. Off the top of my head, I don't know how many miles it has, but it doesn't have very many.



I didn't see the Sunfire thread when it was still active, or I would have posted. On that, besides the stock paper speaker cones disintegrating and the stock head unit liking to eat cds (not always ejecting), there were no problems with the car.



The vehicle does have spiffy, sort of superfluous features as all respectable gm products I've driven have had, the sunfire having the windshield washer fluid sprayer nozzles built into the wiper arms, rather than being mounted to the hood.



EDIT: the LeSabre had dual visors (one could go forward and one could go sideways) and the Malibu (God have mercy on all malibu drivers' for that POS won't) has a cool "Low Washer Fluid" light which I've never seen before. Even the chevy in the S&S has 2 brake indicators, one for parking and one for "your brakes have failed". ;)



As for selling it, while it's "all in the family", it's not in my name, and there's a bit of sentimental attachment towards it by the actual owner, so I report that as a negative.
 
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So a FWD donut is as dumb as I thought; an action where the R on the gearshift stands for "retarded".



Caymen, if I had a FWD car to screw around with (which wouldn't be le sunfire), I'd go back to the "hand"-brake turns. Not only are they fun, but they're ridiculously useful. Windy backroads beg for them; the K turn is too slow (which is a shame as it is the best letter in the alphabet :D )



Who needs rear tires on a FWD car? lol.



I thought about picking up a used mustang, but I consistantly hear that they handle like bricks (that they plow enough to work a field) and they have too many perjorative sayings about them. It's a shame, cause they're Ford products, and they do look appealing, and the really cheap ones run the same engine as the trac.

 
I had a rental Aries K car once, my chassis builder buddy got into it and started doing hand brake donuts in it. Another buddy worked at a tire shop that serviced the rental car company, he called me up and asked, "Wasn't your rental car silver?" "Yup." "Thought so, we're replacing the squared off rear tires on it..." :cool: :banana:
 
I thought about picking up a used mustang, but I consistantly hear that they handle like bricks (that they plow enough to work a field) and they have too many perjorative sayings about them.
Click to expand...



Have you driven one?



Mustangs are pony cars. They are NOT sports cars. They are NOT designed go go fast around corners (will go around corners faster than that Sunfire does, but I digress). They are designed to go quick in a straight line and look good doing it.



Like a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. Crotch rockets are faster than a Harley, but a Harley has something crotch rockets don't have.



It is class. There is something about a Harley that get your heart beating.



The same with a Mustang. The Mustang will continue to sell no matter how much more power the competition has, how much better the competition looks, or anything else. A Mustang is a Mustang.



Drive one. Feel the power. Enjoy the car for what it is. Decide from there.



I am fighting the urge to buy a Mustang.



If you are concered about the handling performance, they sell parts out there that bring it beyond Corvette handling. (Except Gary S.'s Corvette. His is the most perfect, most sought after, fastest, quickest, best handling Corvettes ever made. GM has been trying to buy it back using stimulas money. He highest offer has been $20 billion, but he isn't ready to sell. He knows it is worth more than that)





Tom
 
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No Caymen, sadly I have not driven one.



The little runabout FWD cars I would bet cannot corner like a RWD ride.



There's a little S turn (the 2 turns are spaced out by 3-4 trac lengths tho) near my job, and the signs rate it for 10 mph. That's laughable, since I do it at 50 mph regularly..Though 50 is pretty much the Trac's limit. I'd convinced myself of the Trac's awesome handling, since I hadn't found anyone I couldn't pace or who'd pace me through the turn, until some loser in a convertible Miata-esque (but ricier) car was able to essentially pace me whilst babbling on his bluetooth and smoking.



The trac can get paced/smoked by the textbook definition of a yuppie. :( That's a blow to my driving pride lol.



I'm fighting the urge to get a new ride as well. The ST isn't just my daily driver, she's my only driver, and having no other options sucks, especially since she keeps having problems :( My options are limited to hitching rides from my buddies in rice (shudder) or borrow the rice off of my family to drive; there are only 3 non asian cars in the entirety of my family.

(Why one would buy a 4 cylinder highlander I know not).



It is class. There is something about a Harley that get your heart beating
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I get your point, Caymen, but I'm just not a harley guy. The loud pipes and harley culture annoy me; all I see are fat old guys trying to live out Sons of Anarchy. Though the rice motorcycles annoy me more. There needs to be an American bike that isn't a harley...and most importantly, it has to cost less than a harley. An entry level harley costs like 30K, which is ridiculous.



EDIT: In the thread about Gary S' corvette, it was mentioned that "most people think its something you'd see in a trailer park", and before all the local trailer parks were turned into yuppie & off-base military relocation (failed venture) townhouses, I saw rides which looked just like it in there ;)
 
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I agree Tom. My second favorite car was an 85 Ford Mustang, and I finally had to give it up when it cleared over 100,000 miles with only a few clutches replaced and one timing belt. Best dang car I have ever had. Yea, I couldn't go around a corner at 50 without fishing, but I tended to beat everyone to that corner so I could take it slow. And my first favorite car is now my trac. Don't knock the Stang!
 
I didn't put much stock in the perjoratives about the Mustang anyhow ;)



(The most famous one isn't that true since I clearly every "denigration" doesn't have one; I only saw one in the parking lot this morning. Lots and lots of civcs tho)



I'm concerned that I'm driving my Trac to death. I make lots of long trips, drive her hard, take as many backroads as I can and consider their speed limit a minimum, haul all sorts of stuff, and go offroad often (though ya'll wouldn't call it real offroading)...all things that the trac can do.



But I also make long trips without hauling anything besides my friends, and I have to commute a lot, and all the stop & go nonsense really feels as though it kills my trac. Why drive an empty bed around. You know what I mean, verne?



Driving is fun, but driving my Trac to death is not.
 
Caymen said:
Except Gary S.'s Corvette. His is the most perfect, most sought after, fastest, quickest, best handling Corvettes ever made. GM has been trying to buy it back using stimulas money. He highest offer has been $20 billion, but he isn't ready to sell. He knows it is worth more than that
Click to expand...



Why not just hump Gary's leg and get it over with! :eek:



TJR
 
Kevin,

I used my trac for work, easily driving 100 miles a day, fully loaded, and sometime overly loaded. But it kept truckin! I think they are very tough, and can put up with a lot without complaining, like a good dog!



Even the big F350's that some of the co-workers drove were surprised by its ability to haul long and hard, without needing as much as thier rigs did.



I don't blame ya for wanting to avoid killing your trac, but I think it likes to be worked, and worked hard!:banana:
 
You can get a brand spankin new Sportster for $6999
Click to expand...



"When did this happen?"



An American motorcycle is on my "to get" list. A motorcycle is like an adult version of riding bikes around as kids, just more practical and more fun. (though less exercise).



Huh--the sportster is small, kinda reminds me of the BMW motorcycles I see, but it still has that classic American bike look, without being the size of a small car, like many harleys I see. I've never heard of it before.



(And I bet it doesn't make the "squeal like a piggy" noise on accleration like the katana/ninja do either)
 
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Caymen

Do you realize that a Roush stage 3 ( like mine) will pull one G on a skid pad.

They make terrific trac cars. with not alot of mods.
 
You can easily do donuts with a FWD vehicle - just do the following:



1 - Proceed to your nearest McDonalds, dine in and get yourself a burger.



2 - On your way out, keep your tray + grab a 2nd tray off the top of the trash can and tuck them both under your arm and proceed back to your car, very incognito-like.



3 - find yourself an open parking lot off the beaten path



4 - place one McDonalds tray behind each rear tire



5 - back onto the trays and lock the e-brake



6 - go wild sliding all over that parking lot until the trays wear through!!



7 - Proceed back to McDonalds to get more trays!!
 
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I wouldn't call that illegal..I can't see what would be illegal about it.



I can see what would be fun about it though.



It is a cool idea.
 

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