2008 Challenger

words don't matter they don't suit my kind

Not much getting done at work this week, as I have more training. In fact this morning I have two overlapping trainings, so I have to pick one. I'm going to finish my implant training so I understand something about tachycardia. The other training is how to use the reporting software and I already had more experience than most of the others so I ended up skipping ahead and now I've already got a chapter further than the others, so I really don't think I need to be there this morning.

Saw a 2008 Challenger over the weekend!

Apparently the Brembo brakes on the Genesis Coupe will be so big they can only be fitted under 19" wheels. I'm not a fan of huge rims so I may stick with the 18" - the standard brakes shouldn't exactly be slackers. In addition the 19" wheels will only come with summer performance tires, so the Brembo car should stop better when it's dry but probably won't work as well in the wet.

I am still fighting with myself over the '86 Firebird, but I will force myself to go look at it and decide based on what's really there. Is it fear of commitment or brake failure?

under a sky of dust

The Camaro SS's Nurburgring time has been posted, and it is a whole 2 seconds faster than a Cobalt SS...that comes out to 0.4% faster. This is partly down to the Camaro having poor aerodynamics and partly to the Cobalt apparently being incredibly well sorted. I think I am officially switching my sights to the Genesis Coupe.

The '86 Firebird with the dodgy brakes is back on Craigslist. Giving it a second thought, my only issue with it is the color. It's got a V8, t-tops, and a new clutch, all good things.

I also ordered a '98 Malibu grille off of eBay out of curiousity to see if it would go in my 2000...after some fiddling with the pins, I got it to work. The only problem is the emblem in the picture on the auction is different from what I actually got, so I'll have to see if I can get the guy to send me the right one. I like the first Malibu grille better. I don't like it when the manufacturer changes things to make a car look fresh - same goes for the '91 Firebird or '98 Camaro.

camaro revealed

GM officially revealed the production Camaro today. Among the details was that it has 37.4" of headroom, making it almost two inches less than the Malibu, which only has just enough.

The Genesis Coupe, on the other hand, is supposed to have 39" of headroom, and about three inches more legroom than the Malibu. And it looks like it has a hood you can see over, and a rear quarter window you can see out of.

this part of the hustle was a plea to the gods for a favor, usually a trans am

I just remembered I have a Firebird t-shirt. Maybe wearing it will help appease the muscle car gods on my quest. It's not the right generation but I need the help.

with my freeze ray i will stop the world

I should have expected it, but the internet has leaked information about the production Camaro. It sounds pretty good, but honestly I don't know if I still want one.

I'm not following up on the '86 Firebird with the dodgy brakes - I don't want a red one. Or a white one, for that matter. Unfortunately most of what I find is one or the other, and automatic to boot.

I was hoping to get the Malibu in for a tune-up but I put off making an appointment so now I have to wait until next week. I don't think the iridium spark plug thing is going to fly with them.

city lights come back in june

Updates on the car fronts:

1. Production Camaro information coming out next week.

2. Been watching Craigslist for Firebirds for a couple days, but haven't seen anything better than the '86 with dodgy brakes for $750. It does have a V8 and new clutch though. If it's still there this weekend I might check it out.

3. Found a forum for Malibu tuners. Mostly idiots putting neon lights on, although they do have a photo guide to the disc brake conversion.

as if the words knew i'd need them again

Today is one year since I defended for my Master's degree. I am still glad to be out of school.

I discovered a previously untapped resource in my Firebird search, which had been overlooked because of my loathing for it - Craigslist. It seems to be turning up a lot more hits than Autotrader, but the results may be more suited to a Top Gear challenge than actual driving.

as our good city lays still

In Seattle. No Firebirds up here either. I am not real good at the touristy stuff because I hate big cities and mobs of people and stupid one way system roads in a tight grid. Fortunately I am not listed as a driver on the rental so I am barred from driving the stupid SUV. GPS navigator is a fun change.

Got a book about car modifications - kind of interesting because they have to explain how everything works before they start talking about how to screw it all up. Wish I could get a disc brake conversion done on the Malibu's rear wheels but probably doesn't even exist. Might look into doing something with the air intake though - that looks like the easiest thing to do.

Didn't get internet set up before we were out and about for the day, so still pulling down the latest Top Gear. No cables with me so I will probably just watch it myself...the laptop should be able to convert it for iPod though.

car maths

I'm doing car math again. According to my current formula the Malibu may be capable of 139 MPH, although the only thing I can find online suggests more along the lines of 105 MPH. Maybe it's electronically limited...obviously I need to conduct more research in this region.

The objective of my car math is to look at the balance between fuel economy and speed to work out the furthest you can possibly get in a given period of time. Obviously if you drive faster you run out of fuel quicker. However, if you drive really slow you get excellent mileage but you don't actually get anywhere. I am trying to investigate where the breakeven point is. Among other things this involves working out the power required to overcome wind resistance, which is where the first paragraph came from.

Also, even though the Malibu has independent rear suspension it has drum brakes on the rear wheels, which is rubbish. Next car might have four-wheel Brembos...