B3NN3TT

Those look to be the same kind of Continentals I have on my Focus ST for winter duty. Pretty happy with those so far; this is the 3rd winter on them.

That's pretty sweet; the lady and I have been pumped about seeing this.

I just put some AS-3s on my Cooper S. Discount tire had a bunch of stacking rebates on them, so they ended up the same price as the DWSs in the end.

Clean and ceramic on the ST, so it might be clean for a minute... Finally ditched the OEM brake pads today at 66,000 miles. They were much thinner than I expected, but I guess I've cleaned a good half-inch of friction material off the wheels, one dusty layer at a time. PowerStop ceramics on there now, so HOPEFULLY I will no longer have to be cleaning off the wheels twice a week or more...

I mostly had Tracker trucks back in my sponsorship days, but on Independents now, with an Element deck. A little older model, as I don't go through hardware anywhere NEAR as quickly as I used to. There is so little variation between decks these days. Really if you get anything made by a major brand, you can't go wrong. A double-kick street board is a double-kick street board. Once you really get a feel for things you can start getting nit-picky about fractions of an inch in width or wheelbase, but it takes a lot of wheel time before you could ever perceive that.

Nah, it wasn't in town here.

Zumies is gonna be expensive because they pay mall rent. I'll second the small local shop route. I rode on a shop sponsorship in college for a while. Also you have to come to grips with the fact that anything that's remotely good is going to be kind of more costly that you would think. It's pretty specialized and robust components. So if you go low-cost, the stuff won't perform. Like anything, I guess. Pick up a Thrasher magazine or comparable publication. Plenty of vendor ads in the back of those things, too, might be worth a look. Basically the industry is niche enough that any company who pays to advertise in an industry magazine is serious, so you can't really go wrong.

I don't think I would use 71R's for a daily driver unless it was just a weekend car. They just wear too fast. Love them on my autocross car though. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on the Bullitt, which are terrific, but pricey. Have Derek's aforementioned Sumitomos on the Focus ST in the summers.

I just switched over to JustEnergy; they were offering a $70 Sam's Club gift card just for signing on, and they have a rewards program, and competitive rates. http://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx?Category=Electric&TerritoryId=9&RateCode=1

I remember several test cars breaking. But the reviewers loved them while they were working. I'd totally Rock one - while the warranty was good.

Is it just me or does every 4.0 Jeep have a cracked exhaust manifold? Is that as common as it seems? My dad has a low-miles TJ, and that was the only real issue he ever had with it. I prefer the TJ with the coil springs over the leaf-spring YJ. But I'm not an off-road guy, so what do I know.

Carlyle out in Dublin/Plain City has one.

Low miles + boost... shame about the questionable painted interior parts. No engine bay photos, though.

So what was the final analysis on the RX-8? Did I miss that?

They usually open up registration on motorsportreg.com a couple of weeks in advance. I'm surprised it's not up yet; should be there very soon.

They are all Solo points events. Solo is the SCCA's term for autocross competition, as there is only one driver on course at a time. Solo. All of these events are open to all. The next open SCCA event is April 20th at Trails. Come and witness my hairdresser car.

Are Historical tags for 20+ years old, or 25?

The 2010 had the Bullitt-spec 4.6 with a little more go than the regular 05-09 GT, so if you are relegated to a 4.6, the 2010 is the one to have, if you can't get into an 08-09 Bullitt.

Seriously. If you're considering a FWD, you owe it to yourself to test-drive a Focus ST. Weird spread - why no 2014? I would limit a search to 2011-2014, because you really want a Coyote. The 4.6 is fine, but given the choice, I'll take another 100+ horsepowers...

If you don't need "practical", there's a really nice S2000 for sale on the OVR-SCCA forum...

I'll gladly pay an extra buck a tank if it fixes potholes and gets one more Suburban or Yukon off the road.

Gotta represent the wrong-wheel-drive contingent. Test-drive a Focus ST.

SCCA test & tune kick-off event is March 30 at National Trail. I got some work to do on the hairdresser car in the next 3 weeks...

Read closer - the $110 was for 2 vehicles.