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	1,750 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	11 months
18 badges		location	Cambridge, MA		seen	16 hours ago

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Feb 1	comment	'00 Civic Brake Imbalance @BrianKnoblauch right side is the "gutter side" in the US. IMO everything seems to fail faster on the "gutter side" of the car. I wonder if the left hand side components fail faster in the UK?
Feb 1	comment	'00 Civic Brake Imbalance Not really an on-topic comment but wow, MOT is so thorough! Here in the US, safety inspections are largely a joke. I don't even know where one could go if one wanted to quantify brake balance--I don't know of anyone with the equipment!
Feb 1	comment	Motorcycle engine running a bit hot? Not sure where you're headed with this brief answer. Perhaps you could elaborate?
Feb 1	comment	Does switching to neutral on an automatic transmission improve braking for immediate stopping? good answer. Whenever these "when braking for an emergency, should I..." questions come up, the safe answer is always: Use. The. Brakes. To. Stop. The. Car. Also, know ahead of time whether or not your car has ABS. If it does, simply mash the pedal as hard as you can, then push it a little harder. Find the safest exit and point the car there.
Feb 1	comment	Does switching to neutral on an automatic transmission improve braking for immediate stopping? this will depend on the transmission and whether or not it is in "lockup" mode when coasting. Also, just because it's in lockup while coasting doesn't mean it's in lockup while braking (or vice versa).
Feb 1	comment	Why don't FWD cars have rear differentials? I wouldn't go so far as to say FWD cars don't have a rear axle. They could certainly have a rear axle--but the rear wheels would ride on independent bearings, so you're right about the key point. From wikipedia: "An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle."
Feb 1	comment	Why don't FWD cars have rear differentials? I'm with @Dan. There are plenty of mechanisms that "change the rotational axis" without allowing a rotational speed differential (notice the similar terminology--no coincidence) between the two output shafts. The purpose of an automotive differential is to allow such a speed differential.
Jan 28	comment	Volvo 940 Dashboard Flashing winter Driving arrow I believe this may also be the wheelspin indicator on that vehicle. If it is flashing only intermittently (e.g. under acceleration on slippery surfaces) this may be normal. If it is flashing constantly, then I'd head to a mechanic.
Jan 18	comment	Repairing a motorcycle tire puncture. With heat or without heat? If you ride a lot of distance, it's good to learn how to patch or plug a motorcycle tire on the roadside, but I think that's the only proper application of a motorcycle tire repair---to get you to the shop.
Jan 17	comment	Engine revs up when braking Regarding fuel efficiency: when a modern fuel injected car is going down a reasonably steep hill and the accelerator is released, the car goes into "overrun" mode, and the flow of fuel to the engine is essentially shut off. So even though your RPMS have gone up, you're getting phenominal gas mileage (it's theoretically infinite at that moment!).
Jan 14	comment	Why should the fuel petcock valve be turned to “Off” position when not using the vehicle? welcome! good answer!
Jan 11	comment	Wheel stuck or fused to drum A shop i used to work at had a 4 foot length of pressure treated 6"x6" post that worked GREAT for this. We used it like a battering ram, one good horizontal blow on the inside of the rim near the bottom was generally all it took. Very small chance of damaging the wheel with the soft wood, and plenty of weight to the tool. The best!
Jan 11	comment	Can my tire blowout be attributed to a lower speed rating? Agreed. Speed rating is not a problem in this specific case. Your H rated takeoff tire is good to 130MPH. The thing about the suspension tuning is BS in my opinion. The blowout was almost certainly caused by an underinflated tire, which caused overheating of the tire due to all the flexing.
Jan 9	comment	If I can feel the difference between two-wheel and four-wheel drive, am I imagining it? I do not agree that transferring torque from the front to the rear wheels will change the weight transfer of the vehicle under acceleration. Equal acceleration gives equal weight transfer, regardless of where the tractive force is being put to the road (weight transfer under acceleration is primarily a function of wheelbase length, CG height, spring rates, and the amount of acceleration). Of course, you may have increased potential for acceleration when the rear wheels are driven, due to increased drive traction, but that's a bit of a different story.
Dec 20	comment	How to prevent body damage and rust from salted roadways? In Rochester many people bought unlimited monthly passes to the car wash places. It's good insurance. I'm a proponent of a careful hand wash over a mechanized wash (gentler on the paint), but either one will keep your car in one piece.
Dec 20	comment	How to prevent body damage and rust from salted roadways? ya beat me by a few minutes. good answer. +1 for repairing paint damage.
Dec 18	comment	2003 Yukon XL 1500 5.3L Very rough, unstable idle on cold starts Checking for DTCs (error codes) may provide some useful information. Temperature sensors may be something to look at as well.
Dec 18	comment	Wet battery durability based on how we start a motorbike engine +1 for reducing current draw. This is why some motorcycles (and all cars I've ever seen) use load-shedding relays to turn off accessories when the starter is engaged. The corollary to this, of course, is that if the bike in question uses such a load-shedding relay, it doesn't matter whether you switch the headlight on (immediately) before pressing the starter button or after.
Dec 14	comment	Honda Accord bubbling / gurgling sound when braking first few times I'm having a hard time coming up with a scenario where there's a liquid gurgling sound associated directly with the brake system. Is there a chance you're mistaking a kind of low rumbly growl for this gurgling? If so, it could be surface rust on the rotors. Otherwise if it is in fact a liquid sound, I'm thinking the likely candidates are the coolant overflow tank or the A/C system. When you say "car sits idle for a while" do you mean idle but running, or parked, not running, for a while? how long is a while?
Dec 14	comment	Honda Accord bubbling / gurgling sound when braking first few times I very much doubt that one could hear trapped air in the brake system.