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Because in the old days they'd take a 10w and throw in Viscosity improvers (STP stuff) to thicken up oil. That type additive tends to make hard carbon, shear down, etc. Now they just build synthetic from Natural gas in such a way that it's specs are great like 0w40. I was a fuel distributor...

I used to sell tires to shops, and I can see the discipline they try to instill in workers. I ordered Michelin PSS set on an RX8 with Enkei wheels, and waited in room for about an hour or so. I went out in front of bay doors to watch some, and I could see they were wire brushing light rust off...

I went 5k miles on BMW oil, did a Blackstone UOA on it, and it looked like car was fresh filled at 20k miles. Good FF oil, and almost no iron. Even on other cars that tend to have more metal, I'd still run car at least to 5k, since FF has lots of Moly, and car is wearing in not wearing out...

Originally Posted By: Chewie Theoretically, negative camber provides more cornering stability, but that's really only applicable on the track. Having that on a street car will cause premature wear. Modern cars have about -2deg in back and -1 in front which makes good driving safe car for the...

I had to get 2 alignments to minimize the factory -2deg in rear down to -1.65 deg. on my Mazda RX8 These cars at least won't spin out very easy which is reason for rear neg camber from factory. Those cocked 45 degs might actually spin easy since only a little inside tread is on road. I never...

If you air up tires on cold morning, or just reset TPMS, it will be ready for what it sees, and then, go off only if the tire rolls different from what set. I don't know of any car that USES GPS to know smaller tires were put on. I just put 215/40r18 instead of 225/45r18 on my RX8 for 4.6%...

I ran my RX8 Mazda with 225/40r18 new front and 225/45r18 half worn in back. I was maybe 2% higher rolling speed for the front because lower tire. I drove 300 miles to track without trouble, but when I skidded slightly at 30 mph the traction control went nuts, and not only spun me out, but...

Oh dear! I had a 73 RX3 Mazda, and bought a 07RX8 with 6 speed auto. The 2nd gear in 73 RX3 didn't work for me either. I and you maybe made it worse by fixing it with wrong gear oil. I was fuel distributor selling oils all the time, but got mine own wrong. I put in normal great gear oil GL-5...

I still think you have something in drive line somewhere going off. Car is front wheel drive? CV joints on front axle need to be checked. If rear wheel drive, then, drive shaft.

2 weird situations I've had. First, I had a 80 VW Scirroco which started vibrating the steering wheel and dash so bad the guages were blurry. It started while 350 miles away, and quit , then, started again on way home. I turned out to be a fist sized rock had bounced off tire, and up onto the...

We had an old Chevy with powerglide 2 speed, and got stuck out at the farm with only motor oil. We topped it off with about a quart or so to get the torque converter to pull. Sometimes MO can be the ATF, so don't sweat it. Watch for foaming, color change, and funny shifts. I don't see how a...

I was getting water spots on Mazda, and it seemed even Stoner glass cleaner wouldn't get them off. I found some 35 year old Amway Glass and Metal cleaner under sink that is a hard to apply powder which made them gleam! The container will last another 35 years at rate it is used. Me not so much.

The cost is minimal if you go through a few tolls. They look up your license plate address. No bill no worry. It might be about 50% more without toll tag if paid within like 30 days. I live in West Texas and have the DFW toll tags on both cars in case I go to DFW, Austin, or Houston. I...

Neodymiun magnets on side of filter where they should end up anyway.

I had a 2002 Dodge Dakota with heavy duty electrics, and boy were they. Battery went 8 years, and 80k miles in everyday use, and hot weather of Texas. I was in WalMart parking lot for final slow start, and bought one there. Worst was a 1990 Ford F150 which had a large battery. It'd start...

yeah, they have to test it so if it's undercharged they have to try to charge before test. I used to sell and adjust batteries, and I don't know any test to tell if customers car ruined battery or battery is just bad. Now if you take a BMW or similar car into dealer, he can go through the PCM...

No, except that it's like a circus when the new guy doesn't know how to make the deal. I've bought a Everstart Walmart for 10 years, since I have an RX8 that eats batteries from the heat, and Wally is next door. I've gotten at least one free where the warranty is free in 36 months, and I just...

My Mazda RX8 has Enkei GF-1 7.5 x18 wheels with 38 offset making aprrox 1 inch wider track. Wheels weight about 19#, and I put the smallest size of PSS on them (215/40r18) which fit perfect, and have plenty of grip. Weight is around 42#, and speedo-odometer runs 5% more so I correct to real...

I always look for maximum stick in wet and dry, too. I just put 215/40r18 Michelin PSS on my Mazda RX8 that has 7.5 x18 Enkei GF-1 wheels. These tires are beefy enough that they still look big enough in that smaller size, and they fit wheel exactly for no slop on rim. I had alignment set to...

I use Mobil 1 0w40 in my BMW X1 s28i and Mazda RX8 which is approx 12 Cst + vis. There's all kinds of great UOA's here with it. It's much more stout than Mobil 5w30 although the vis might be equal to Castrol 0w30. That 0w throws everyone off, but think of it as the same weight of Mobil 1...