jimrankin

I don't notice that the Porsche or BMW drivers are less likely to look over or thumbs up but the one thing I do notice is that it only seems like the clowns driving beater Rice Rockets with what looks like a 5 pound coffee can stuck on the end of the exhaust all want to show you how "fast' their cars are. LOL.

You have probably already checked onto this by now but does your state have a weight classification? California has one good thing going for "hot rod and kit car" owners, besides SB100, and that is the 1500 pounds rule. Stay under 1500 and you get to skip things like fenders and other bothersome items. Some past legislator must have either been from SoCal or decided that we don't drive our "hot rods" in the rain. LOL.

That Miata's have become known as "chick" and "gay" cars just might show us that chicks and gays know how to pick a good, fun car for less money than the majority of us "straights". Enjoy the Miata (but take the rainbow off the bumper). LOL.

"No, it's a real Westfield'

It's a bit clunky to use but you can usually pick your own way to get somewher by using the "alternate route" option. You can also pick way points along the line that will get you to the end point using the route you want by picking stops along the way. I'm sure there are easier ways to do it by using my PC tp preprogram the TomTom but I never think about it in time, usually just turn it on when I don't know where I am anymore. LOL.

I have previous experience with an older garmin and it was great, except that it was always telling me I missed a turn if I was really moving quickly and there were a lot of streets intersecting. It was old so the newer ones probably are much faster.It got replaced with a Tom-Tom that works well also except that the speaker is no match for the noise in the 7. Since they are all using the same basic technology it comes down to ease of use so for a 7 go for the biggest, brightest screen, cause unless you run it through your bluetooth you aren't going to hear it, and easy to use/understand control buttons/touch screens. T Don't get what you don't need because there are so many apps available to pack on the various units that you can get lost while your trying to get back to the "where the hell am I" screen. LOL.

...and were not going to hold it against him any more than I think most people hold our clones against us S2K owners. I've had several "original" numbers matching type classic cars and it really isn't important when your driving them unless you have "that" mindset. As for embarrased, why should I be when the people asking me what it is are usually drooling on it! LOL.

Having spent some time in the Lake Wales area over the years I can only advise you on one thing when picking a 7 for Florida, get the one with the best windscreen! LOL. No matter how hot or humid it got, a full face helmet was the only way to ride, the bugs were a bigger problem than the rain.

Since were getting down to the basics don't forget to pack the wheel bearings every couple of years. Trailers sit a lot and the grease gets a lot of moisture in it or hardens up depending on where you live and where you store your trailer. You can change a flat and move on but if you seize a race the whole axle is usually toast. Even though our car trailers don't get backed down into water a set of "bearing buddy" pressurizing grease fittings like you see on boat trailer is cheap insurance.

On line for almost any MINI site. I have the "new" MINI not an original so thats the one. for some reason every tiime I try to post a picture on this site it either says it's too big or "upload failed" so if you want a picture of how well it fits PM me your email and I'll send you one.

West Texas has it right on the head. Don't make the strap too vertical and your car springs still work without hardly any strap length change. Crossing them keeps the longer strap length from letting the car work "sideways". I've towed the S2K 600 miles without the straps working out of tension and the car was still sitting on my tape marks. And yes, out of gear will keep the wear down. Hate to think of the wear spot on one small section of a gear from a long trip with no oil moving in the transmission. There is a great way to measure tongue weight with a bathroom scale. By using a 6' long piece of 4" X 4" and supporting on end on a block and the other on the scale you can lower the tongue "off set" towards the block end and measure heavy trailer tongue loads (like 500-600Lbs) on a light weight scale. Formula for length is on the web, don't remember the link but found it without much problem when I needed it.

cover?

The light weight Tyvex cover for my MINI fits the 7 like a glove. Goes all the way to the ground and snugs up at all four tire contact patches.

...whats energy..?

Was #15 back at the trailer being retuned because you dusted him on track...? LOL.

The old saying still stands true, "the only substitute for cubic inches is cubic dollars". If you want to go fast, go big. The realy nice thing is with all of the money put into aluminum component research the "go big" doesn't really mean "go heavy" anymore and "big" is getting cheaper and lighter all the time. That said, I'm happy with my "4 banger" in the S2K because I can get past my personal limits with it. But, I've been a "small block" Chevy fan since they were still 265/283/327 CI and will love seeing the new, light weight V8 "7's" eating up eveything at our local tracks as they become more common.

You might as well sell those seats, waiting to get skinny just doesn't seem to work. LOL. I'm not overweight, just 4"-5" too short for it.

I have the Kirkey pro-street/drag seats 18" driver and 16" passenger and find they hold you in pretty well. you can glue high density foam under the cover at the side bolsters to make the fit as tight as you want. With the 16" seat you don't need added foam, maybe a shoe horn. check out some past uploads by RNR as he did a lot of research and his seat is about as nice as you can get and I think it's set up for his Hanns device

I love all of this go-round about what a "7" is. The whole idea that the owners of 7"s are passionate about their rides is wonderful. That's something that only about .005% of all the cars produced can claim. Nobody is concerned about what a "Camry" is. LOL. The best "7" to you is the one you own (unless you happen to covet someone elses) so enjoy it and they will enjoy theirs. That does not mean you have to agree with them, just realize that they don't agree with you either and in the end, your both right. As for too much power. I helped a friend do a restoration on a Sunbeam Tiger years back. He changed out the 260CI for a radically pumped 351CI. It was totally un-driveable and also so damm much fun you couldn't stop grinning. One false move with the thin pedal and you were facing oncoming traffic. He still has it and still thinks the 200+ HP gain is what made the car for him. Other Sunbeam owners might think he "ruined' it. If it the disagreement bothers you all that much, just go take a drive, I know you'll come back feeling much better. LOL.

The advantage of having "more power than you can use" is that eventually you will find a way to use it. Just like you find ways around having "not enough power", only more fun. I agree that as long as the cars stay somewhat within the relm of a "7", spirited and agile, there is no reason for limiting the horsepower. That has been the argument with Cobra owners since the first big block got installed. Anybody here going to turn down a "427" Cobra because it's a bit much to handle? LOL.

I heard the "NEW" date is October 21st so just go out and drive all crazy and such because when "the rapture" comes all "7" drivers will be transported into heaven (no tickets served there) because God told me he just loves fast cars. Well, maybe that was my surgeon who likes fast cars, but he thinks he's God so maybe that counts.LOL

It's pretty "doom and gloom" if you don't have much to offer or if your particular skill is not in demand but if you are steadily employed it's just a bit "tighter" and keep an eye on the future. You might also notice that several of the members are past the point of paying for our kids first 20 or so years and have decided to become kids ourselves now, just with better toys than we gave them.

Wasn't realy that serious about the lift part as it may be "wing" shaped but it's not consistant enough in the curvature to really work well as a "lifting body". I was serious about the drag though. If you can't keep the air flowing smoothly down the back you end up with turbulence, what is esentially a vaccume pulling you backwards. On a trailer this small and at speed of 75 or less it probably isn't going to translate into any real fuel consumption issue worth dealing with. If you were pulling it with something smaller and less powerful, may be an issue with extra drag really counting. I really like the look of the trailer over all and especially the fact you can get to just about anything inside without climbing over/through the car. The recess for tires down the center, under the car, really sounded like a great idea if your serious enough to want to carry a set for rain.

manufacturers certificate of origin