The simulated gears don’t negate the CVT advantage. If properly implemented, it hides the droning engine noise and “rubber band” feeling that a CVT gives, while not sacrificing any meaningful fuel economy. And several dual-clutch implementations have been absolutely terrible — it’s not just that they’re different,…

Mostly psychological hp. But they can make a big difference in sound, which to many people, is worth it.

I can get a set of 4 Direzza ZII Star Specs for a little over $400 for my e30. Nice tires on bigger wheels, I’ll give you that. My e30 is still running the stock 14” bottlecaps with a cam and a turbo and a megasquirt ;)

A significant factor in trans fluid heating is an unlocked torque converter. Shifting does add a tiny bit of heat through the clutches, but not enough that you should need a supplemental cooler. So the benefit you stand to gain from a trans cooler depends heavily on your transmission’s lock-up operation. In general,…

This joint mostly negates any minimal benefit you’d stand from installing a strut brace. A proper design would be rigid, and connect to the firewall. Oftentimes the latter criteria is impossible without serious modifications, so it should at least be rigid.

For those wondering if this is conditioned on your waiving a right to sue or participate in a class-action lawsuit, the official program rules can be found here: https://www.vwdieselinfo.com/program_rules/

Lol I believe the industrial revolution would like to have a word with you.

1st Gear: Huge lesson to be learned here. Corporate ethics, and putting your customers’ safety and pleasure at the forefront of every decision, matters. While it is not a direct impact to the bottom line, this type of thinking and workplace atmosphere ultimately leads to enormous success. If you put your company’s…

Coolest/craziest/most needlessly complicated door hinges ever.

HOW DID NO ONE GET THIS REFERENCE

Just looked up MSRP on e30s. ~$25k, 30 years ago.

According to C&D, M235i weighed 3490lb, and according to this article, M2 will weigh 78lb less... so 3412lb. But according to the original article, 1495kg/3296lb. Who knows? What I do know is that 3300+lb is heavy for a car with such a tiny interior.

Ummm... if it can’t get through accounting, management, production, and manufacturing reviews... it’s not good engineering.

Very good advice, and here’s my own, that works for me in Michigan (and will work in some other states). If the cop doesn’t show up to the first court appearance, case dismissed! I’ve used this a few times. Unfortunately, I got a couple tickets out of state (Tennessee and southern Ohio), and had to hire a lawyer to…

I feel bad about it, ya know? Hopefully the other guy didn’t have any consequences... I mean the ticket had his license number, his name, his address (I’m guessing they were all for the same guy). It would have been a nasty ticket for me too, 50 in a 25mph school zone, at 9pm at night?!?! Normally it’s 35 there, but…

Actual, serious, but slightly off-topic question. What do you do if your ticket was written with someone else’s name, DL#, address, etc.? The only correct info was the make, model, and tag of my car. This was some time ago, and I’ve been pulled over since then with no mention of it. When I noticed the error (as I was…

Oh gosh can’t star this enough times. Thank you. Also diesels have terrible turbo lag. My fiancee has a Passat TDI and lives at around 6000ft elevation. From a stop, you have to hit the gas about 2 seconds before you actually intend to start moving — an effect bolstered by the dual-clutch transmission. That said...…

Civil engineers still use moving joints... Also, sure, the wrench is stiffer oriented the other way, but it’s still held on by hose clamps, and good luck holding it in that orientation with hose clamps.

I appreciate all the M20 pictures!

Are you sure about that last part?