The Automobile Thread

Runs with Scissors said:
SDG&E convinced you (or snookered you??) into going TOU (Time of Use rate, insanely high when you need the power the most)? I pay 12 cents per KWh for baseline, 19.74 cents for everthing over baseline. I will not go TOU because 3-9 pm is when the AC runs....
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Nope. No TOU for me :) I battled it until the day I left. Note that when I say our "average" bill was $150, we were net generators in the summer (and didn't have any bill at all). However in the winter, with the reduced hours of sun, and the lower solar intensity, our bill was much higher.

As of today, SDGE charges $.393 per kWh base, and $.495 per kWh for anything over 130% of base. This is before taxes and other fees.

Rumpled said:
How much can you thank big coal for your low rates?
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I can thank big Natural Gas and big Nuclear :) The entire reason why I live on a lake is that Duke Energy created the lake for their power plants:

The McGuire Nuclear Station is a nuclear power plant located about 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, on the state's largest lake, Lake Norman. It is a 32,500-acre (13,200 ha) lake created in 1963 by Duke Power for the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station. The McGuire units use the lake's water for cooling. This plant has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors and has a capability to produce 2,250 megawatts of net power, with a net generation of 17,514 GW·h in 2005. This represents 44% of the total nuclear power generation for the state of North Carolina.

In 2021, NC got 32.8% of its electricity from nuclear (compared to California's 8.4%)
We even got 7.6% from solar (compared to California's 17.4%)
However you're right that we still got 15.5% from coal... though the state is in the process of eliminating all coal plants by 2035.
 
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Rumpled said:
Damn!
That is a lot of nuke.
How hot is the lake?
Do the fish glow?
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"First dirt"

Driving an aid station volunteer and drop bags up to Motorway. Then back down.
Then driving an EMT to Motorway with supplies, then returning with a full load of DNF runners.

60 miles in the dirt, only 2wd. 7 hours of driving time. But I did scratch the paint in the narrow spots, so that's out of the way :Roflmao

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UPSed said:
I delivered these wheels a few weeks ago. Not sure I like them on this car.

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They do match the wheels on their Q7 though.

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Fitment on the e-tron GT is whack. Needs to be an inch larger wheel, and slightly less aggressive offset. I like that mesh style on the GT, but the fitment makes the wheel look cheap. Q7 is a decent wheel with poor execution again. Weird fitment.
 
buggravy said:
Fitment on the e-tron GT is whack. Needs to be an inch larger wheel, and slightly less aggressive offset. I like that mesh style on the GT, but the fitment makes the wheel look cheap. Q7 is a decent wheel with poor execution again. Weird fitment.
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Agreed on both counts. They actually have a two-door Lexus, not sure which model, that's lowered with nice tires and wheels and is properly done.
 
buggravy said:
Fitment on the e-tron GT is whack. Needs to be an inch larger wheel, and slightly less aggressive offset. I like that mesh style on the GT, but the fitment makes the wheel look cheap. Q7 is a decent wheel with poor execution again. Weird fitment.
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I’m more concerned with their landscaping maintenance, terrible! Mini lawn in the driveway crack, lawn in general is just a mess. Should’ve spared spending that cash on the hideous wheels and put it into their yard. But looking cool to strangers on the freeway is a priority so I give them that. :laugh:
 
Cornholio said:
I’m more concerned with their landscaping maintenance, terrible! Mini lawn in the driveway crack, lawn in general is just a mess. Should’ve spared spending that cash on the hideous wheels and put it into their yard. But looking cool to strangers on the freeway is a priority so I give them that. :laugh:
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Along the lines of my first thought as well. But, it looks like it might by an HOA-controlled 'hood.
 
herzalot said:
Lawns suck! Cars are cool. :cool:
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Totally agree, planning to reduce our lawn a lot in the near future. Already letting the backyard go and going to rip it out to replace with decomposed granite. But a sloppy dying lawn is an eyesore and I worked in landscape construction years ago so just badgering.

Could be the HOA is one of those that says xx% of the yard must be grass which is so backwards here in So Cal.

I actually love cars too, just not into blingy aftermarket wheels. Years ago I got picked up by a coworker in a BMW 7 series that he put bling wheels on and it was like riding in a wooden wheeled wagon.
 
Cornholio said:
I actually love cars too, just not into blingy aftermarket wheels. Years ago I got picked up by a coworker in a BMW 7 series that he put bling wheels on and it was like riding in a wooden wheeled wagon.
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Couldn’t agree more. When I bought my first Q5 I had them replace the low profile 20” wheels with a more practical 19” with a workable all season tire. More air =better ride. Plus winter driving.

When I moved to SoCal from Colorado, I could not believe the ridiculously huge rims and thin tires people would pay thousands for to ruin the ride of their vehicles - especially SUV and trucks.

I moved from the land of the practical to the land of the superficial. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go show mount my Maxxis on my pretty bike.
 
herzalot said:
Couldn’t agree more. When I bought my first Q5 I had them replace the low profile 20” wheels with a more practical 19” with a workable all season tire. More air =better ride. Plus winter driving.

When I moved to SoCal from Colorado, I could not believe the ridiculously huge rims and thin tires people would pay thousands for to ruin the ride of their vehicles - especially SUV and trucks.

I moved from the land of the practical to the land of the superficial. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go show mount my Maxxis on my pretty bike.
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I haven’t seen anything like what your describing…
 
herzalot said:
Couldn’t agree more. When I bought my first Q5 I had them replace the low profile 20” wheels with a more practical 19” with a workable all season tire. More air =better ride. Plus winter driving.

When I moved to SoCal from Colorado, I could not believe the ridiculously huge rims and thin tires people would pay thousands for to ruin the ride of their vehicles - especially SUV and trucks.

I moved from the land of the practical to the land of the superficial. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go show mount my Maxxis on my pretty bike.
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Our '07 GL450 came w/ chrome 20" rims... looked nice, but I was always scared I'd dent them/blow a sidewall in the dirt. I downgraded to 18" and put some mixed used tires on. Handling does suffer a bit as it's a touch floaty on the highway at speed, but the idea was to get something that could go up a dirt road once in a while. I need a full-sized spare at some point. It is pretty much our travel vehicle now.

20s that didn't limit me here in Big Bear:

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18s somewhere in the Sierras:

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Orange County auto show today. It was pretty bad. I guess I should have researched it, but they only had 15-16 manufacturers at most, only one floor (normally two) and it was freakin' jammed.

I have been at least five times before and those were really good. I think this was the first one since Covid and they might have underestimated how popular it would be. :bang: I did not get to see a lot of cars I was interested in because they manufacturers were not even there, LOL.

Either way, save your money for the L.A. Auto Show. That one is always good, except for, you know L.A. :Roflmao

I thought the Z looked much better in person than it does in pictures, although I still don't like the front grill. A pre-production version (gunmetal) was there and I thought that one looked better than the final version (matte gray).

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Obsidian said:
Orange County auto show today. It was pretty bad. I guess I should have researched it, but they only had 15-16 manufacturers at most, only one floor (normally two) and it was freakin' jammed.

I have been at least five times before and those were really good. I think this was the first one since Covid and they might have underestimated how popular it would be. :bang: I did not get to see a lot of cars I was interested in because they manufacturers were not even there, LOL.

Either way, save your money for the L.A. Auto Show. That one is always good, except for, you know L.A. :Roflmao

I thought the Z looked much better in person than it does in pictures, although I still don't like the front grill. A pre-production version (gunmetal) was there and I thought that one looked better than the final version (matte gray).

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The L.A. Auto show has really downsized the last few years also. Last year I think I saw everything in a few hours. Usually it’s a better part of a day.
 
Obsidian said:
Orange County auto show today. It was pretty bad. I guess I should have researched it, but they only had 15-16 manufacturers at most, only one floor (normally two) and it was freakin' jammed.

I have been at least five times before and those were really good. I think this was the first one since Covid and they might have underestimated how popular it would be. :bang: I did not get to see a lot of cars I was interested in because they manufacturers were not even there, LOL.

Either way, save your money for the L.A. Auto Show. That one is always good, except for, you know L.A. :Roflmao

I thought the Z looked much better in person than it does in pictures, although I still don't like the front grill. A pre-production version (gunmetal) was there and I thought that one looked better than the final version (matte gray).

View attachment 84773 View attachment 84774 View attachment 84775 View attachment 84776 View attachment 84777 View attachment 84778 View attachment 84779
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The OC show was never great but it kept going downhill. I turned down free tickets.

The LA show has become the place to introduce EVs, so last year Subaru, Vinfast, and Kia all went big with their displays. Other than that, pretty weak. Ford just had a local dealer bring some cars over.
 
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