Hey folks. I haven't been a frequent poster but I'm still a March '05 alum. Nice pics everyone and congrats to fellow MINI of Murrayer Johnny on your new addition!

I'm knocking on the door to 10K miles already and last week I got a speeding ticket! :mad: I was clocked at 40 in a 25 coming out of a 90 degree left hander going uphill! I almost pulled a "Johnny" ;) by eluding him as he took his sweet ole time getting on his bike. Unfortunately a red light and cross traffic prevented me from jumping on the freeway. He started talking to me about the car and how he likes the MINIs. I thought if I kept talking, he'd let me go but that wasn't the case. I probably wasn't showing enough leg. LOL Oh well, at least he gave me hints on lessening the impact of the ticket by requesting a mitigated hearing and explaining my story to the magistrate. My record is clean and hopefully I can get a deferral so it will stay that way, provided that I don't get another ticket. At least I'm saving gas now that I'm sticking close to the speed limit. :p

April, if the t-shirt project ever comes back from the dead, I'm in!

Take care fellow March '05ers and drive safe!

10,000 miles! Wow, you're doing what you're supposed to do. What are paying for gas up there? Here, I'm routinely paying b/n $3.12 and 3.25--not a whole heck of a lot more than I'm used to, but I do think twice about going out on a drive . . . Then I just go on the drive ;)

So, what are others paying for premium these days?

Hey folks. I haven't been a frequent poster but I'm still a March '05 alum. Nice pics everyone and congrats to fellow MINI of Murrayer Johnny on your new addition!

I'm knocking on the door to 10K miles already and last week I got a speeding ticket! :mad: I was clocked at 40 in a 25 coming out of a 90 degree left hander going uphill! I almost pulled a "Johnny" ;) by eluding him as he took his sweet ole time getting on his bike. Unfortunately a red light and cross traffic prevented me from jumping on the freeway. He started talking to me about the car and how he likes the MINIs. I thought if I kept talking, he'd let me go but that wasn't the case. I probably wasn't showing enough leg. LOL Oh well, at least he gave me hints on lessening the impact of the ticket by requesting a mitigated hearing and explaining my story to the magistrate. My record is clean and hopefully I can get a deferral so it will stay that way, provided that I don't get another ticket. At least I'm saving gas now that I'm sticking close to the speed limit. :p

April, if the t-shirt project ever comes back from the dead, I'm in!

Take care fellow March '05ers and drive safe!

I paid $2.79 last week.

$2.89 for premium at the Shell near town. I've seen most other stations in the 2.99-3.09 range.

I paid $3.14 this morning :mad:

I'm buying gas all too frequently lately.

Maybe it would help a little if I kept my size 13's outta the motor so much, but where's the fun in that? :cool:

6400 miles, ~20 MPG (Hardly ever get on the freeway these days, so I rarely get past third gear)
Gas prices are dropping nicely 'round here... Only $3.16/gallon for 91 octane this week. :eek:

Right now, I'm looking into replacing my 17" 5-spoke bullet rims and runflats with 16" wheels and non-runflat 3-season tires. I'm leaning toward Toyo Proxes T1-Rs or Kumho SPTs. Using the various tire-size calculators online, I determined that my ideal size would be 215/45R-16, but I can't find this size in either of those tires. So, I'm looking at 205/50R-16 or 225/45R-16.

Anyone got any suggestions? Horror stories? Testimony?

Congrats on the new "mini L", Johnny!

Here's a recent pic of Murray, and an unretouched candid that could only be from LA :D

http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/Murray/Cumbre1-800.jpg


http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/Murray/84olds.jpg

_Dave_

Gorgeous!

Gorgeous!
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that your response is slightly biased?;)
(I have to agree though..you guys' yellow converts DO look cool as all get-out!)

Note to all midwestern drivers (MINI and non MINI alike)...this is the time of year that the deer start getting flushed out of their habitat by farmers cutting down the corn and hunters invading the fields. Be extra careful when out on highways and country roads, particularly at sunrise and sunset. The deer are beautiful to look at but not at point-blank range!
Taz:cool:

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that your response is slightly biased?;)
(I have to agree though..you guys' yellow converts DO look cool as all get-out!)


...snip...

Taz:cool:

I thought April was referring to the '84 Olds! :cool:

_Dave_

Dave - great view of your Mini - and the Socal Smog:p I do miss that brown haze. Hopefully that toxic stuff hasn't impacted your beautiful paint job:rolleyes:

Ressurect the March '05 buildres T-shirt....plz

Yes, I admit to being partial to LY MCSCs. :D

Hey, check out the Flame MINI thread in Exterior. :D It's the hubby's car, April build. He is making it unique.

Yes, I admit to being partial to LY MCSCs. :D

Hey, check out the Flame MINI thread in Exterior. :D It's the hubby's car, April build. He is making it unique.
Wow, I'd say that qualifies as "unique"! :eek:
I bet it would be hard for him to try and sneak up on someone in that, huh?:D

I love it because it goes to something I have been talking about in another thread, and that's individuality of the cars. It should be what the owner enjoys and not fear opinions of others. A high 5 to Hubby, April!

Taz, uniquely

Thanks Taz, I'll pass the word to him, he doesn't read this thread. :)

Next step is to add flames... :D

Next step is to add flames... :D
Ooooohhh, GOOD call!

Just checking in between hectic scheduling... may not be around for a couple of weeks...

Here's Murray on the Santa Barbara Pier last Saturday, sporting his new wheels and tires:

http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/Murray/R34M800.jpg

I went from the stock 17" Dunlop SP 9000 performance runflats to Kumho Ecsta SPTs in 205/50ZR16 mounted on 16"x7" Konig Holes in graphite.

The ride quality is improved beyond belief! Judy doesn't mind co-driving on the old concrete slab freeways now! :D

I've got about 500 miles on them so far, but only a tiny portion of those are on my favorite twisties... So far, I can definitely say that I haven't given up any grip to the runflats... Turn-in is definitely less sharp, but doesn't seem to be a problem.

Will report further when possible...

_Dave_

Looks great Am0eba! I like the color of the wheels.

Thought I would check in. Just about to hit 5k miles, so I will be rotating tires this weekend. I installed a front strut bar, and I can feel a difference. Today I ordered the Invidia exhaust, and hope to buy a rear sway bar soon. There are so many things I would like to do to the MINI.

Glad to see the Marcher's are still keeping in touch. Boy, has the forum changed since the last time I was on.

Just checking in from a hotel room... I'm having withdrawal symptoms.

Here's another pic of Murray with new shoes:

http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/Murray/F34M800.jpg

This thread is almost at 2500 posts! :eek:

Good to get a MINI fix! feel better now.

_Dave_

Nice shoes!

Looking good, Dave! How have the performance characteristics changed? Quicker off the line? Tighter turning circle? Nice choices . . .

Just checking in from a hotel room... I'm having withdrawal symptoms.

Here's another pic of Murray with new shoes:

http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/Murray/F34M800.jpg

This thread is almost at 2500 posts! :eek:

Good to get a MINI fix! feel better now.

_Dave_

That car needs the stripes down the rest of the nose. :smile:

Zip

So now I'm SICK in a hotel room! :frown: Still a few days before I see home...

Johnny, the only charactersitic change I've noticed from the new wheels/tires, is that the ride is substantially more comfortable than the 17 performance runflats. Turn-in seems to be a little less crisp, but that may just be my expectation overriding what I'm really feeling. I should be able to provide some better info after our club's overnight run to Laughlin and the London Bridge on Veteran's Day Weekend. I guess one benefit of being ill on the road is that it's not taking away any driving time :D

Zip, I thought long and hard about the dimensions and placement of the stripe, and it was a conscious decision (also challenged by my graphics guy) to end it at the scoop seam. I thought it would be too busy with all the other stuff up front if it were extended. I think ending it at the scoop is reminiscent of old AC Cobras, especially with the dark grill slats. (Maybe that's the fever talking...)

I'll check back on this thread when I can - maybe end of the week. Take care March '05 Build-ers!

_Dave_

Zip, I thought long and hard about the dimensions and placement of the stripe, and it was a conscious decision (also challenged by my graphics guy) to end it at the scoop seam. I thought it would be too busy with all the other stuff up front if it were extended. I think ending it at the scoop is reminiscent of old AC Cobras, especially with the dark grill slats. (Maybe that's the fever talking...)

_Dave_

We've had this conversation before, but I've found some new pictures. The stripes on the noses of these Cobras go all the down, as I remember them. The Mustang GT350's (I love that car!) hood stripes do the same.

So last weekend, I go to pick up a pizza at a local place (pepperoni and garlic) and the next morning, I notice a spot on my passenger seat. Yep, the pizza box leaked, and it left a nice oil stain on the cloth seats. (a sniff test revealed that it was indeed the garlic laden pizza). My dear spouse suggested that I try to blot it up with Zout. It seems to be working, but there's still a faint spot.

So let this be a cautionary example of what NOT to put on your passenger seat!:mad: :o :rolleyes:

the pizza box leaked, and it left a nice oil stain on the cloth seats. (a sniff test revealed that it was indeed the garlic laden pizza). My dear spouse suggested that I try to blot it up with Zout. It seems to be working, but there's still a faint spot. :

We use Febreze or Resolve or something like that to take stains (like dog-barf) out of our light colored carpeting and it works really well. If you go to the supermarket and look for one of those products or whatever other one that says it takes stains out of carpeting, you might want to try one.

Zip

Zip, you're right! We did have this discussion before. (Hey, I said I was sick!) Anyway, even though the real Cobras had the stripe run right to the grill, I like mine the way it is.

For what it's worth, I did lately see an image of an MCS with a Viper stripe that ran to the grill that looked pretty good - It's just that from certain angles, it looks "wrong" to me.

Anyway, I'm back home for a bit, and starting to feel like a human again. Took Murray out for a little spin this morning, and the new wheels and tires are definitely an improvement for casual driving. Looking forward to some spirited runs soon!

_Dave_

Hi March 05ers. Sorry I've been gone for so long - but my GF has had family issues we've both been dealing with. Things are better now:rolleyes:

In the meantime - Coolcab has been to the dealer for some warranty repairs. She now has a new top, new rear windows after some roof wear issues. So far I have not seen roof marks or scraches in the new windows - so I hope all is okay:rolleyes:

Dealer is currently trying to figure out why central locking button does not lower top like the manual says.

Coolcab has 6300 miles now. Went in for the second "early oil change - also rotated and balanced tires. She's very happy:biggrin:

Will post new pix of recent travels soon...

Hey again!

Judy and I just got back from a wonderful three-day interstate run put on by out local club, SCMM (http://scmm.org).

Judy took lots of pics and put together a huge slideshow with almost 200 images!

Here's a preview:

http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/SCMM/111105Laughlin/ToOatmanAZ1519-1080.jpg (http://twistedmotoring.org/MyStuff/SCMM/111105Laughlin/111105.html)

(click on the pic to get to the slideshow page.)

How's everybody else doin'? Anyone planning to attend Phil Wicks' Golden Jubilee event at Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) in Monterey, California on December 14? Looks to be quite an event.

How 'bout AMVIV 3 (A Miini Vacation in Vegas) next March? We're planning on both of these, and would love to see some March 05 Builders there!

_Dave_

Dave, have you signed up for the CA Dreamin tour yet? :D

Re: Cali Dreamin' Tour: I'm still trying to figure it out! The schedule I saw posted recently seems outrageously ambitious! Judy and I have been thinking about it, and may try to hook up with the group for a smaller portion of the tour. Unfortunately, it's happening during what has historically been a busy work period for us, and we can't yet commit to it.

From what I can tell, our international visitors will be renting cars for the run. I don't think they'll legally be able to take them over the border into Tiajuana.

Anyway, I'm peripherally keeping tabs on that event, and will try to participate in some way if possible.

_Dave_

yes, it is an ambitious schedule. :) But the Brits were the driving force on that, there was so much that they wanted to see.

You can buy Mex insurance in San Diego, so I think there is no problem with legalities. But I would recommend parking and walking across the border anyway.