Minor Confession Thread

I believe I escaped getting pulled over early this morning because I was in a white cargo van.

Doing some data logging using Forscan on my Transit Connect at like 4am, I blew past 2 parked police cars. They were sitting just off the side of the road with their park lights on. I was watching my phone to determine shift points and I didn't notice them until I was right in front of where they were hiding.

I was doing 60mph in a 45. This stretch of road goes from 55 to 45. Everyone always does 55-60.

I was driving a test loop; surface streets and about 3 miles of interstate. Once I got off the interstate on the return stretch, I tried turning my fog lights on. They wouldn't turn on. Then I realized I never turned my lights on (stupid DRLs got me!).

When I got back to the intersection where the 2 cops were hiding, they had nailed some sucker in a Civic.

*Insert Nelson's HAHA*

TLDR: I was speeding with no lights and flew right past 2 cops at very early in the morning and they didn't even bother. White vans are invisible 

I realized that despite all my ability to nerd out over weird old obscure garbage cars. I can't identify most >5 year old "an cars" on first glass. This is why using Uber might be a problem for me.

Got a ride in my buddy's ~550whp 2017 STI yesterday. The turbo sounds are glorious. He told me about his launch control setup, but being that we were on lunch break, there was not an appropriate opportunity to experience it. He said the limiter for launch control was set at 5500rpm and he was thinking about moving it to 6000... I confess, I saw what was coming next.

Got a video later last night of him doing a launch. (Sounded amazing on phone audio, I can only imagine in person.) The second video was of him trying to move in 1st or reverse, it was just grinding. 

Related:

stanger_missle said:

I believe I escaped getting pulled over early this morning because I was in a white cargo van.

Doing some data logging using Forscan on my Transit Connect at like 4am, I blew past 2 parked police cars. They were sitting just off the side of the road with their park lights on. I was watching my phone to determine shift points and I didn't notice them until I was right in front of where they were hiding.

I was doing 60mph in a 45. This stretch of road goes from 55 to 45. Everyone always does 55-60.

I was driving a test loop; surface streets and about 3 miles of interstate. Once I got off the interstate on the return stretch, I tried turning my fog lights on. They wouldn't turn on. Then I realized I never turned my lights on (stupid DRLs got me!).

When I got back to the intersection where the 2 cops were hiding, they had nailed some sucker in a Civic.

*Insert Nelson's HAHA*

TLDR: I was speeding with no lights and flew right past 2 cops at very early in the morning and they didn't even bother. White vans are invisible 

Lucky!  Around here, at that time of night anything that looks like it is driven by a contractor might as well have a target painted on it. Cops always on the lookout for DUIs.  A friend got pulled over multiple times for fishing expeditions on his way to a bakery job early in the morning, since he was driving a pickup with a utility bed.

stanger_missle said:LDR: I was speeding with no lights and flew right past 2 cops at very early in the morning and they didn't even bother. White vans are invisible 

Picture it:  Cleveland, 2000, maybe 2001.  Young Knurled is staying nights at his girlfriend's place downtown (giggity) and working in one of the exurbs.  Has to drive I-71S every morning, usually late because of reasons (giggity), and 71S is ripped up and under construction with a speed limit of 45mph.  Young Knurled is driving an '88 Subaru with an exhaust that consists of a resonator pipe liberated from a Caravan that exits under the left rear door.  Young Knurled has found that the top speed of said Subaru is 87mph, so he uses the carpet under the accelerator pedal as the cruise control.

Never pulled over once, despite driving right past patrol cars while at WFO.

Near as I can figure, they saw a beat to E36 M3 wagon making all the loud noises blow by at 40 over the limit on a torn up roadbed and didn't believe that it actually happened.

(I take roughly the same path to work now, incidentally,  Less giggity in my life, but OTOH I also am driving an AWD car that has a problem with accidentally hitting 87, not eventually hitting it)

On the way to look at an S60R a friend of work is probably buying. We've decided there's a good chance we're gonna have to stop at the IKEA for the Volvo in front of the IKEA picture on the way back.

Flipped on NASCAR qualifying from Road America while I was eating lunch.  For some reason it bothers me more that the "Toyota" cars are marked as a "Supra" than it does that the "Fords" say "Mustang" and the "Chevys" say "Camaro".  I have no logical explanation for this. 

In reply to AWSX1686 :

Insert Nelson Muntz  " HA HA!"

Ok a flavor of swedish turbo koolaid has been sipped and now I'm curious.

OK so I've only been driving manual transmission cars for less than a year, but I'm still not used to how they feel in 1st and 2nd gear trying to maintain a steady slow speed in a parking lot. They feel all herky-jerky and whatnot. Maybe it's just because they're both crappy Fords with worn-out clutches, I don't know.

In reply to slowbird :

It's entirely possible I don't use 1st gear in my Saturn almost ever for this reason. I did move my friend's 6MT Sonic RS into his shop once and was like "holy E36 M3 this clutch is way easier than my car"

Appleseed said:

In reply to AWSX1686 :

Insert Nelson Muntz  " HA HA!"

Lisa: “Nelson, I think he’s really hurt!”

Nelson(confused): “What? I said haha!”

I don’t think I’ve ever removed a piece of automotive interior trim without at least damaging it, if not breaking it outright. 

I wasted $7 taking the Saturn through an automatic car wash because I didn't feel like cleaning the windshield by hand and it was getting bad.

I'm considering a 430k mile truck. 

(2000 F250 7.3)

In reply to slowbird :

Less likely the clutch than it’s shot motor mounts.  Tough to be smooth when the engine won’t stay put.

When I was a devious youth I used to take pictures of my #2s and send them to my sister. Now I am grown up and have kids of my own I don't do that anymore.

I send her pictures of the kiddo's #2s instead.

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) :

Noted. Mounts are definitely trashed on the Saturn. I knew that but hadn't considered the possibility that it was adding to my issues with smooth starts.

Yeah, motor mounts make sense actually. I hadn't thought of that.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Honestly, that is what I think the cops were looking for. I never have good luck but sometimes I think there is a glitch in the Matrix and some good luck slips through somehow.

I put a Focus ST intake on my minivan.

Before:

After:

It's got to be worth at least 0.0001HP

In reply to stanger_missle :

And it enables you to put ST badges on the grill and bumper, which will unleash even more horsepower! 

In reply to slowbird :

The thought has crossed my mind .

I have a set (well 3) of these:

And the van is getting these after the wheels get put on:

And possibly ST stripes:

But it will still be a 3900lb minivan with 170 screaming hp.

This hobby makes less sense than a drug habit.

In reply to stanger_missle :

Now that you’ve had it on the road for a bit, what are your thoughts on it?  I keep thinking a Transit Connect would be nice to have, and there’s a passenger model a little north of me for sale that looks like it has potential.

AWSX1686 said:

I'm considering a 430k mile truck. 

 

(2000 F250 7.3)

And now I'm supposed to pick it up tonight.