GX460 & GXOR B.S. thread (29 Viewers)

[ZIOI]

I have a set of Nokians on my commuter car-- the "all-weather" WRG3. It looks like they will be used up in about 20k miles because the IS250 is heavy (awd) and I drive corner aggressively to minimize braking and assist MPG. They have been superb in bad weather, and in the summer they are quiet and have boosted mpg by FOUR mpg. Granted I went to narrower 205s on lighter 16" wheels vs the stock 225s on 17" wheels (8# less unsprung mass per wheel). But I'm pleased.

There are only two gripes I'd levy against the WRGs. First, they squirm and wander on grooved pavement owing to the softer compound and deeper tread. Second, they do seem to wear a bit fast. I'm a bit unconventional in that I don't really want a 50k or 80k mile tire. I'd rather a 30k miles tire that performed very well and cost proportionally a bit less.

Rock-hard tires that wear like iron while delivering poor ride, poor traction, and poor MPG are imo counterproductive. Tires are consumable and as such, the cost per mile is very important-- but what you get in return for it is also important.

(do the math sometime and you'll be surprised to see that, of the variable costs per mile to operate your vehicle, only fuel is more costly than keeping rubber on it). Tires are hugely consequential to the cost and performance of your vehicle.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Great Western (sugar) locomotive pulling a (Chicago) Great Western Pullman car.

 

[Cold Iron]

I have a set of Nokians on my commuter car-- the "all-weather" WRG3. It looks like they will be used up in about 20k miles because the IS250 is heavy (awd) and I drive corner aggressively to minimize braking and assist MPG. They have been superb in bad weather, and in the summer they are quiet and have boosted mpg by FOUR mpg. Granted I went to narrower 205s on lighter 16" wheels vs the stock 225s on 17" wheels (8# less unsprung mass per wheel). But I'm pleased.

There are only two gripes I'd levy against the WRGs. First, they squirm and wander on grooved pavement owing to the softer compound and deeper tread. Second, they do seem to wear a bit fast. I'm a bit unconventional in that I don't really want a 50k or 80k mile tire. I'd rather a 30k miles tire that performed very well and cost proportionally a bit less.

Rock-hard tires that wear like iron while delivering poor ride, poor traction, and poor MPG are imo counterproductive. Tires are consumable and as such, the cost per mile is very important-- but what you get in return for it is also important.

(do the math sometime and you'll be surprised to see that, of the variable costs per mile to operate your vehicle, only fuel is more costly than keeping rubber on it). Tires are hugely consequential to the cost and performance of your vehicle.

I'm with you I'll take less miles out of a tire for winter traction any day of the week. The Wildpeak AT3W are a good example great in the snow and ice at least outside of a dedicated winter tire. Teh AT4W have a longer warranty but are harder and by most reports not so good in the snow and ice. With the exception of Michelin don't think anyone warranties a winter tire based on mileage because they are so soft. Which is a good thing and how they get that traction.

Once it gets below zero many tires that do well above that suck. The rubber compound gets stiffer on most tires. Snow plow just went by here and it is 9 above was surprised to see blade up and spreading salt. Salt doesn't work at below zero so they just leave the roads alone and it is headed to below zero by the end of the day. At best they take the plow blades off and put scrapers on to dig groves in the compacted snow on the roads. Throw in a tire that gets hard at those temps and it becomes bumper cars. And as always in the winter when you can't see the road whose damn lane is it?

Once the AT3W's are shot I will be looking into the various flavors of the Nokians. Would love to have a do it all tire and gladly willing to deal with less miles out of them for winter traction. Going through a stop sign or stop light even when you apply the brakes 100 yards in advance and already slowed down is more excitment than I need at my age. Or any age for that matter it is the other guy I am always watching out for.

 

[Hiluxforever]

I'm with you I'll take less miles out of a tire for winter traction any day of the week. The Wildpeak AT3W are a good example great in the snow and ice at least outside of a dedicated winter tire. Teh AT4W have a longer warranty but are harder and by most reports not so good in the snow and ice. With the exception of Michelin don't think anyone warranties a winter tire based on mileage because they are so soft. Which is a good thing and how they get that traction.

Once it gets below zero many tires that do well above that suck. The rubber compound gets stiffer on most tires. Snow plow just went by here and it is 9 above was surprised to see blade up and spreading salt. Salt doesn't work at below zero so they just leave the roads alone and it is headed to below zero by the end of the day. At best they take the plow blades off and put scrapers on to dig groves in the compacted snow on the roads. Throw in a tire that gets hard at those temps and it becomes bumper cars. And as always in the winter when you can't see the road whose damn lane is it?

Once the AT3W's are shot I will be looking into the various flavors of the Nokians. Would love to have a do it all tire and gladly willing to deal with less miles out of them for winter traction. Going through a stop sign or stop light even when you apply the brakes 100 yards in advance and already slowed down is more excitment than I need at my age. Or any age for that matter it is the other guy I am always watching out for.

The Yokohama AT4 might be worth looking at as well as the Bridgestone Dueler Ascent. It's the replacement for the Revos. Only place i ever had issues with revos was Wyoming where they don't do anything at all.

 

[r2m]

Great Western (sugar) locomotive pulling a (Chicago) Great Western Pullman car.

View attachment 3790590

You caught me there for a moment. I had to look twice seeing if it was a model train or life size. The cars in the driveway on the right was the giveaway.
I also dabble with model trains, N-scale and vintage Lionel post war (late 1940's - 1950's) O-scale. (... and Scalextric digital slotcars. too..)
As much as I love my out door hobbies I also love my desk top ones too. I guess being a medical device R&D engineer, I need wee little things to work on also. Not everything has to be done in the garage with hammers, wrenches and power tools.

 

[Hiluxforever]

You caught me there for a moment. I had to look twice seeing if it was a model train or life size. The cars in the driveway on the right was the giveaway.
I also dabble with model trains, N-scale and vintage Lionel post war (late 1940's - 1950's) O-scale. (... and Scalextric digital slotcars. too..)
As much as I love my out door hobbies I also love my desk top ones too. I guess being a medical device R&D engineer, I need wee little things to work on also. Not everything has to be done in the garage with hammers, wrenches and power tools.

We have an HO and N scale Christmas train stuff. Kato stuff is really nice.

My neediness and knowledge of RF wave dynamics has also drawn me back to music. Once a few more things are off my to do list I want to take up piano lessons. Because it will be hard and I will regret not trying.

 

[Banandalorian]

I have a set of Nokians on my commuter car-- the "all-weather" WRG3. It looks like they will be used up in about 20k miles because the IS250 is heavy (awd) and I drive corner aggressively to minimize braking and assist MPG.

Yea I did the same in my Fiesta ST. I would do my best to absolutely huck it into every corner and lift the inside rear wheel off the ground because it saves on wear and tear items like brakes and helps protect the environment!

 

[Hiluxforever]

Yea I did the same in my Fiesta ST. I would do my best to absolutely huck it into every corner and lift the inside rear wheel off the ground because it saves on wear and tear items like brakes and helps protect the environment!

That's how I drove my VT, and i modified it to be enjoyable doing so.

It may have also had a BOV. I can neither confirm nor deny anything.

I dedicated the build to Group B rally cars. And it was a blast ripping through snow with blizzaks on, and all sort of obnoxious turbo, waste gate and Bov sounds

 

[Cold Iron]

Great Western (sugar) locomotive pulling a (Chicago) Great Western Pullman car.

View attachment 3790590

Filson Pullman bag in a (modern) Pullman car.

With an extended stop at Union Station in Chicago. Might as well get a real Chicago Dog as long as have to be there for a couple of hours.

 

[r2m]

We have an HO and N scale Christmas train stuff. Kato stuff is really nice.

My neediness and knowledge of RF wave dynamics has also drawn me back to music. Once a few more things are off my to do list I want to take up piano lessons. Because it will be hard and I will regret not trying.

Note to other members, this post is a rabbit hole I've fallen into!
The vintage Lionel goes under the Christmas tree and then set up again a couple times throughout the year when we (my granddaughter and I) will spread it out all over the living room with a bunch of vintage Lionel accessories. It's a good physical size for handling for my granddaughter since she's 7 years old now and her baby sister is 19 mo's. She also really loves the slot cars too that gets set up between train setups!
For N scale, I just have Atlas track (code 80) from when my daughter was little, back in the early 90's. I'll set it up on my desk (for me...) a couple times a year when I'm not playing with the granddaughter and other hobbies. Although I've been diving a little more into N scale and just recently purchased a DCC system (Digitrax210+ and DT602D) moving out of the 20th century. Been doing some micro soldering adding decoders to my existing N scale locomotives and purchased a couple of new ones.
I've also created some .STL files for 3D printing a person wants to print out a layout. The files are modular so they can be printed on an average size FDM printer and then just connect them all together and you'll have a nice little 4' x 2' N Scale layout!
They are on CGTrader: View All 3D Models by r2m | CGTrader - https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models?author=r2m

Okay, back to our normally programed show (er... post).

 

[ZIOI]

The Yokohama AT4 might be worth looking at as well as the Bridgestone Dueler Ascent. It's the replacement for the Revos. Only place i ever had issues with revos was Wyoming where they don't do anything at all.

That's why they have those little gates the block off I-80 access (and I think also I-25). I loved living in Cheyenne and if I could move my home and friends there tomorrow, I would.

 

[K Dub]

That's why they have those little gates the block off I-80 access (and I think also I-25). I loved living in Cheyenne and if I could move my home and friends there tomorrow, I would.

I've snagged the last available room in Rawlins, WY during one of those blizzards where they close the gates on I-80. My college roommate, my girlfriend, and I were making the journey home for Christmas in a Nissan Hardbody pickup back in 2001 or so. When we left the next morning, we saw folks sleeping in the hotel lobby.

Look at me, getting all nostalgic for blizzards. It's been in the 60s-70s here all week.

 

[llm]

That's how I drove my VT, and i modified it to be enjoyable doing so.

It may have also had a BOV. I can neither confirm nor deny anything.

I dedicated the build to Group B rally cars. And it was a blast ripping through snow with blizzaks on, and all sort of obnoxious turbo, waste gate and Bov sounds

I had a rwd bmw with blizzaks when I was living in Illinois. that thing was a beast in snow. my work at the time required me to be on call 24/7, and I may have had too much fun driving through blizzards to get to work.

 

[r2m]

I've snagged the last available room in Rawlins, WY during one of those blizzards where they close the gates on I-80. My college roommate, my girlfriend, and I were making the journey home for Christmas in a Nissan Hardbody pickup back in 2001 or so. When we left the next morning, we saw folks sleeping in the hotel lobby.

Look at me, getting all nostalgic for blizzards. It's been in the 60s-70s here all week.

WHAT!!! Did you just say we're getting into the 60°'s down here in So. Cal????
Gotta pull out all my flannel shirts, sweaters, wool socks, down coats, long underwear!

 

[K Dub]

WHAT!!! Did you just say we're getting into the 60°'s down here in So. Cal????
Gotta pull out all my flannel shirts, sweaters, wool socks, down coats, long underwear!

I'm wearing my puffy vest and heavy flannel today.

In my office.

My toes are cold.

 

[Cold Iron]

That's why they have those little gates the block off I-80 access (and I think also I-25). I loved living in Cheyenne and if I could move my home and friends there tomorrow, I would.

Highway control gates at the top of on ramps, AKA snow gates. Wut you mean they have them all the way down South on I-80?! Just kidding, South of I-80 in Pa. you can shoot only roosters North of 80 in Pa. both hen and rooster phesants because they are planted birds by the State. And 80 and 90 merge together for a ways down around South Chicago. Always a traffic adventure getting through there.

I-90 is South of me and hard to go East or West without hitting snow gates. From the East they start in Western Wi. at La Crosse and go across all the way to Wa. State. If 90 is open.

I'm wearing my puffy vest and heavy flannel today.

In my office.

My toes are cold.

Show off! When I took the dogs out this morning at 4:30 it was -6° and thought about putting gloves on. Last 24 hours it got up to 2° ABOVE zero. But climbing fast and tonight they say hit 33 and sleet, rain and snow. Winter Weather Advisory for 24 hours starting at midnight. Like everyone else I should make a grocery store run this evening before it starts. Scotch, bread and eggs.

 

[K Dub]

Highway control gates at the top of on ramps, AKA snow gates. Wut you mean they have them all the way down South on I-80?! Just kidding, South of I-80 in Pa. you can shoot only roosters North of 80 in Pa. both hen and rooster phesants because they are planted birds by the State. And 80 and 90 merge together for a ways down around South Chicago. Always a traffic adventure getting through there.

I-90 is South of me and hard to go East or West without hitting snow gates. From the East they start in Western Wi. at La Crosse and go across all the way to Wa. State. If 90 is open.



Show off! When I took the dogs out this morning at 4:30 it was -6° and thought about putting gloves on. Last 24 hours it got up to 2° ABOVE zero. But climbing fast and tonight they say hit 33 and sleet, rain and snow. Winter Weather Advisory for 24 hours starting at midnight. Like everyone else I should make a grocery store run this evening before it starts. Scotch, bread and eggs.

I'm sure the dogs enjoy it, but I've gotten pretty soft in my older years. Here I am looking like Kenny from South Park about 40 years ago at a sled-dog race in Colorado.

I don't mush myself, but I'll occasionally yell "gee" and "haw" when driving through the canyons.

 

[Cold Iron]

I'm sure the dogs enjoy it, but I've gotten pretty soft in my older years. Here I am looking like Kenny from South Park about 40 years ago at a sled-dog race in Colorado.

I don't mush myself, but I'll occasionally yell "gee" and "haw" when driving through the canyons.

Too many heat strokes and passing out of heat exhaustion in some damn sandbox, couldn't wait to get back and pee my name in the snow. Now that I am getting closer to 70 not so much the cold actually hurts. Hell I am happy at my age to be able to pee in the woods without pissing on my boots LOL.

Extra points for gee and haw I bet you even say hike instead of mush like those that don't know any better.

-32° when I took this from the sled 10 years ago a bit shy of 60, now not so much

 

[BigSwede]

Show off! When I took the dogs out this morning at 4:30 it was -6° and thought about putting gloves on. Last 24 hours it got up to 2° ABOVE zero. But climbing fast and tonight they say hit 33 and sleet, rain and snow. Winter Weather Advisory for 24 hours starting at midnight. Like everyone else I should make a grocery store run this evening before it starts. Scotch, bread and eggs.

Took the dog for a long walk seeing as the temp soared to a balmy 16F this afternoon. Last couple of days the walks have been considerably shorter.

Got some gas for the snowblower too, which should mean it won't accumulate much.

 

[Cold Iron]

Took the dog for a long walk seeing as the temp soared to a balmy 16F this afternoon. Last couple of days the walks have been considerably shorter.

Got some gas for the snowblower too, which should mean it won't accumulate much.

Last week a new Ariens 28" Deluxe found itself in my garage which means no real snow for at least another month, you're welcome. After 22 years got tired of fighting with the 30" Troy Bilt but I got my money's worth out of it. Tomorrow will start the mods on the new orange machine, 10 pound front end weight and heated handle grips. Need to run it through snow first to see if I want to do the impeller blades mod but I'm in no hurry to have to use it