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The tie rod end adjustment that I made a few days ago was not quite perfect. The steering wheel is still very slightly CCW when the car is pointing straight. As the rain is coming I decided to spend a few minutes to get it perfect, but without bothering to go for a test drive. I would know the result in the next shopping trip anyway.
I was just going to make the adjustment without removing the wheel, but doing so is hard as there isn't enough space to swing a long 22mm wrench to loosen the lock nut. I decide to use a single jack and no backup support of a jack stand. A risky business but I did not plan on exposing any body part under Desire's miniskirt.
peeking up Desire's miniskirt can be a risky business as you might just lose your head
I made a mark with a not so permanent market as a starting reference
only these two wrenches are needed
as the steering wheel is slightly too CCW I extend the length of the right side tie rod; it is a bit of a mind bender to figure which direction to make the minute adjustment
I increased the length by about 30-degree turn of the tie rod adjustment thread.
While October is the beginning of the rainy seasons for the city here West of the Cascades, there is still some life left for good track events East of the Cascades, and that including ORP. The weather forecast for the upcoming three days event is marginal and the bunch of us diehards are biting our nails. Our club has very generous policy for advance commit, up to 3 or even 2 days before the scheduled event. The other surprise is, for scheduled club day they will proceed even if there is only one member signs up. Obviously it is a money losing event for the organization when this happens.
Additionally, members can request for additional unscheduled club day if enough members sign up, so the season is not over until it is over.
Desire would not be in this last event of the season as she trashed the new tires and front rotors. Her sidekick Porsche will. I have never driven the GT4 on wet track before so temperance would be the keyword.
The cracked rotors are unsafe at any speed, as Mr. Nader famously said. For Desire's well being I ordered a set of replacements as her consumables. She consumes them alright, like potato chips, so we go low budget. There are just $37 apiece. The previous set lasted one whole season which were the longest lasting rotors on Desire ever. The irony is these straight vane rotors are packaged much better than the directional rotors that cost three times as much.
Desire eats these like potato chips so we go low budget
Because of your rigorous attention to things and documenting them, I thought of you when watching the IMSA Peti Le Mans at Road Atlanta last weekend. A car during qualifying went off the track. It turned out that both front rotors exploded when braking for a turn. Pieces damaged the fenders and rotor pieces had to be picked up from the track. And with less than 15 minutes to go in the 10 hr race, the race leading car lost a rotor.
Because of your rigorous attention to things and documenting them, I thought of you when watching the IMSA Peti Le Mans at Road Atlanta last weekend. A car during qualifying went off the track. It turned out that both front rotors exploded when braking for a turn. Pieces damaged the fenders and rotor pieces had to be picked up from the track. And with less than 15 minutes to go in the 10 hr race, the race leading car lost a rotor.
As you said, they can be unsafe at any speed.
I've heard so many horror stories of folks losing the brake. The last place you want that to happen is at the end of a long straight, which often means totaling the car. The other petrifying incident is losing (or loosing ) a front wheel. Mine came loose in no less than four occasions but fortunately I caught it before the lug bolts backed out many turns. Most often on track the tires pickup the free rubber and the car rides like crap. It has the same symptoms when a wheel is about to come off. I had pulled off to the side of the track to wait for help to arrive just to be sure.
Here are some photos from the last club days of the season. The weather forecast for the three days was most pessimistic in the entire season.
as most often one can count on the west side of the Cascades to be the wettest
the rain sharply stopped as we approach Hood River which is on the lee side of the Cascades
just slight east of Hood River you can see the gradual improvement
the farther east we drove the higher the rain clouds
once we started pulling the hills towards ORP we knew it would be a dry day when we arrive
our crack team were the first to arrive; we have plenty of time so we estimated to move the Porsche 1 foot farther back on the trailer to optimize the weight distribution which affects the handling of the motorhome greatly
such a shame that we were not driving on this fine day while Portland was rain soaked
Dungeness crab meat ravioli for brunch - all home made from scratch
at noon time of the first day the track was still damp from the drizzles, but have many sun breaks so it was a good day and mostly dry track
Desire's sidekick needs a lot of work to be more track oriented
I haven't vanished from the face of the earth. Just stuck in the land of scooters. Land is such a premium that nearly everyone commutes with one, and it is not uncommon to see an entire family on one.
Even the rubber duckies wears scooter helmets.
this is one of my rentals
when you have a had time finding a place to park even a scooter you appreciate how good we have it in the USA; I received 3 parking notices in just one evening parked by the hotel and the parking patrols are diligent and efficient
Not Japan; the cars are driving on the right side of the road. But clearly over in that side of the World again. Looks like warm weather too. The NE here is headed back into the freezer,,,,
Perhaps Ho Chi Minh City, District 1, Saigon, Vietnam? Though not many if any call it by its full name, at least that is what our guide called it when we were there. Ho Chi Minh Cit was made up of many districts, and District 1, the downtown area, was downtown Saigon. Most still call it Saigon but according to our guide, its official name is Ho Chi Minh City.
The reason I say that is because of this - "Just stuck in the land of scooters ... and it is not uncommon to see an entire family on one."
Definitely on the other side of the globe . As for Ho Chi Ming City I prefer the old name Saigon, as I like Far East over Asia. When watching the foodies' show I noticed the locals all call it Saigon. Far East conveys the old world immense distance and a sense of mystery and exotic. To be fair the two photos gave little hints unless you know a few Asian writings. Here are a few more.
a better photo of the duckie with helmet out and about
this small gorge is magnificent
it is a marble canyon
I really want to bring one of these back but the shopkeeper is no where to be found
this Yamaha is my best rental and it has ABS, and all LED lightings
this excellent bowl of shaved noodle soup costs under $4 USD and is made with care and very clean
the hint of where in the Far East is front and center
I did not notice the writing on the buildings in that first shot. NOT Vietnam. Buuuuuuuut......
To from 1990's band The Refreshments from their song Mekong -
"well I came all the way from Taipei today"
I did not notice the writing on the buildings in that first shot. NOT Vietnam. Buuuuuuuut......
To from 1990's band The Refreshments from their song Mekong -
"well I came all the way from Taipei today"
I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag as I figured some will soon spot one of the country's most famous landmark, the Taipei 101, which is dead center in the distance of the last photo.
Well, it is also true that, "well I came all the way from Taipei today". Just landed in Vancouver, BC.
Home sweet home and Desire is glad to see me. I have countless number of photos from the trip. Here are just a few from the last couple of days in Taiwan. I visited every major cities which basically mean I went around the island nation one complete circle. I like the quaint name Formosa but Taiwan also rather than ROC. This is my first extensive tour of the country. I have been in Taipei before but for business. I am extremely impressed with the self-determining country and its people. They are industrious, polite, considerate, and warm mostly. It is one of the safest countries to visit. If you like street food rest assured that you are most unlikely to be a victim of sanitation illness as they are extremely clean, even street food. The same cannot be said with most other countries, especially in SE Asia and PRC.
sunset of country's capital viewed from Taipei 101
one of the many wind dampers of Taipei 101
no matter how cheap the hotel is, I didn't experience any bad ones in my trip
most often than not the helmets from the scooter rental are not what I want to wear so I bought one myself for use during the stay
in my visit to Jiufen Old Street with the rental scooter it was incessant rain and foggy. I bought this $1 USD raincoat
a B&B that I stayed in Taitung
as a self-proclaimed foodie I tried even the instant soup noodle which you cannot get in North America
it includes a pack of shaojiu (grain liquor), beef stock and real chunks of beef, fermented bean paste, and seasoning
do these fit the definition of what US Department of Defense calls MRE? I bought 9 different dishes each in tiny portions and assembled this plate in the hotel's lounge; they were bought in a market that sells some of the best cooked and uncooked food in Taipei
the postal vehicle in Taipei
the day that I left Taiwan was the wettest and thankfully my trip to the airport entails hopping onto the metro city train and subway from the station right by the hotel
I only buy souvenirs that I I can use and cookware is one of my frequent hauls from a trip; all these fit inside my suitcase which I carried on outbound
I saw many late model MINIs, a handful of R56s but only two R53s in the entire stay in the country. Most cars are beige cars, and luxury cars are extremely rare, except in central Taipei.
Thanks for the link to another foodie. Hope yours is Thanksgiving was swell too.
Today I have been hedging a plan to meet up with my family in NOLA for a foodies' binge around Mardi Gras. We want to dine at the Commander's Palace and hit many other famed establishments. The challenge is their schedule constraints, and I don't want to miss any track days also if schedule post Mardi Gras season.
Not from the trip but from home, sweet home. You can't be a foodie and not like most things swine. It is just the lowly jamon Serrano from Spain (jamón Serrano Español).
) a front wheel. Mine came loose in no less than four occasions but fortunately I caught it before the lug bolts backed out many turns. Most often on track the tires pickup the free rubber and the car rides like crap. It has the same symptoms when a wheel is about to come off. I had pulled off to the side of the track to wait for help to arrive just to be sure.
and the parking patrols are diligent and efficient
