It must finally be spring

When I drove commercial, I always used to tell it was spring by the amount of car fires on i95. It just seemed that first hot week of the year, I would see a bunch of them.

Today, heading back from having breakfast, I watched the car infront of me at the light blow steam from under the hood.

I can only assume that all these cars have very marginal cooling to begin with (from age and a lack of maintance) and the higher temps just pushes what cooling they have over the edge?

Here in MI, I'm not sure what season it is. Today was darn near 90, 8 days ago it was snowing. Michigan has 78 seasons; 4 different seasons mind you, but 78 season changes.

…isn’t it also the switch to summer blend that eats through fuel lines and starts fires.

Around here, the sure sign of spring is mulch fires. Businesses put down fresh mulch and then people at traffic lights toss their cigarette butts out the window.

last week in I witnessed a late model Porsche 911 smoking like crazy. the owner kept driving like he didn't even know it was happening. He even was stopped at a light for a couple minutes, I dont know how he DIDN'T notice.

$$$

Woody wrote: Around here, the sure sign of spring is mulch fires. Businesses put down fresh mulch and then people at traffic lights toss their cigarette butts out the window.

THIS.

I could probably put another post in the minor rant thread about this, but it always annoys me how some smokers feel that its fine to flick their E36 M3 anywhere instead of in their own ashtray.

Racer1ab wrote:

Woody wrote: Around here, the sure sign of spring is mulch fires. Businesses put down fresh mulch and then people at traffic lights toss their cigarette butts out the window.

THIS. I could probably put another post in the minor rant thread about this, but it always annoys me how some smokers feel that its fine to flick their E36 M3 anywhere instead of in their own ashtray.

That is the only thing about smokers that pisses me off. You want to smoke? Fine. That doesn't give you a license to be a littering asshat. Doubly so when your litter is actively burning.

Two weeks ago, we were going to about five mulch fires per day.

last fall I was at Ikea and came out to firetrucks in the parking lot. I -always- try to park next to islands in a parking lot so I can snug the car close to the kerb and keep the asshats from putting more dents in my cars.

the mulch next to the car was onfire. I had to drive home with a nice smokey flavour, but there was no damage to the car itself.

My late grandmother's home was 1 mile from a major interection. Just far enough away that anybody who lit up while sitting at the light, would be done and toss their butts out. The first 10 feet of her yard was full of used butts that were almost impossible to get out of the grass

No overheating cars but it does look like spring

Worst yet are the people who throw their cigarettes on the ground. A few weeks ago I was walking through a park and there was an elderly (65-70) African-American woman sitting on a bench. As I approach, she throws her cigarette on the ground stomps on it and proceeds to dispense another one from her pack. When I reach her, I procede to pick the cigarette up, and put it in the sand (for cigarettes) on top of the trash cam approximately two feet to her right. Ultimately, I think there is a certain mentality that some smokers fall into.

RX Reven' wrote: …isn’t it also the switch to summer blend that eats through fuel lines and starts fires.

I always get better gas mileage on summer fuel. Just set a new record on a highway trip, 2 tanks of high test at 27mpg for my '12 challenger manual trans. Never better than 25mpg in the winter. My jeep always did better on the summer fuel too, that was a '98.

I worked as a parts slinger for years, hated the hottest week of summer as that was the most time you spent in the parking lot swapping batterys. That and the first cold week of fall. Never had to change one on a sunny and 70^ day.....

I don't think we have a spring here in SoFla, but we sure do have a rainy season. It seems to have started. 2" of rain yesterday and a lightning display that looked like a rock concert gone bad last night. Lot's of distant thunder right now.

Around here, you can tell its spring by the return of the shorty-shorts and a disproportionate amount of vehicular asshattery.

I have been waiting for the opportunity to throw a smoking butt back into the thrower's car. "Sir, I believe that you dropped this!"

cwh wrote: I don't think we have a spring here in SoFla, but we sure do have a rainy season. It seems to have started. 2" of rain yesterday and a lightning display that looked like a rock concert gone bad last night. Lot's of distant thunder right now.

Yup...rained cats and dogs last night here in central FL

keethrax wrote:

Racer1ab wrote:

Woody wrote: Around here, the sure sign of spring is mulch fires. Businesses put down fresh mulch and then people at traffic lights toss their cigarette butts out the window.

THIS. I could probably put another post in the minor rant thread about this, but it always annoys me how some smokers feel that its fine to flick their E36 M3 anywhere instead of in their own ashtray.

That is the only thing about smokers that pisses me off. You want to smoke? Fine. That doesn't give you a license to be a littering asshat. Doubly so when your litter is actively burning.

Haven't they taken ash trays out of car now?

We didn't get any cats or dogs, but a guy in south Dade got a nice python. 18' 8". Yay, Florida!

That infuriates me about smokers. Squeeze the remaining tobacco out onto the pavement and keep the butt in the cigarette box/pocket/cupholder/whatever.

Around here spring is evident by the appearance of the skull cap crested Harley rider from there winter slumber.

The irony of course is that many of them ride Harleys to look all hard core, and yet they won't leave the garage with them unless it's 80 deg.

If you look carefully you will also see the annual gathering of the broken Harleys at the side of the highways. In the past this was a year round behavior. Now days it more likely the result of letting a bike sit for 4 months.