A Day in the Life of a Car Forum

[kilgojr]

Turn the boost all the way up and gap your spark plugs at .50. This should ensure that you get maximum HP and the largest possible spark you can get. More spark equals more power!

I am thinking about buying a civic in the future, probably an Si. How much power can I expect to get with a cold air intake, cat back exhaust, cams, header(s), NOS, and a custom supercharger / turbo setup?

probably 100hp to the wheels. civics are stupid.

so my brakes started making this squealing noise the other day. its really high pitched. i was told that i could get some stuff to stop the squealing at the auto parts store. the guy there told me to put it behind the brake pads, but that seems dumb, its squealing when the pad hits to roto. shouldn't i put the grease stuff on the roto?

[TouringBubble]

The stock Civic block is proven to handle 700+ hp, and you'll be near that with your setup. I suggest upgrading the rings and the VTEC bushings to make sure it's safe.

I was texting on my phone and rear ended a cop today. =/ He didn't read me my rights and he had a tail light out (not sure if it was out before I hit him), so I think I can get it thrown out of court. Advice?

[ExplosEvo]

Last time that happened to me, I just told him that I didnt hit him cause I was texting, it was cause I was drunk. They threw the texting case right out!

Sometimes when I park my car in my trailer park, the mexicans around keep stealing my street glow knock off autozone neons....what should i do?!

[TouringBubble]

Ummmm ... stop putting neons on your car, obviously. Curb feelers are better anyway. Or, you could shoot them. This is America.

I bought my car used and ended up with a flat tire today, only to find that there is no spare! I had to leave it on the side of the highway about 3 miles from my apartment. What should I do?!?

[ExplosEvo]

Go back and take the tire off and find the leak. Take a nail and wrap it in duct tape to make it thicker. Then insert the nail in the hole and it should be air tight. Then just blow it back up with air and you are good to go. Its the same as the plugs they sell at the store.

I raced a honda CBR 1000RR from a dig last night and when i launched the car off the line, i heard metal breaking, the car wouldnt move and the check engine light came on. I got out and checked, the engine was still there. Does anyone else have any ideas?

[TouringBubble]

Sounds like a fuse blew or something from the launch. Could be a relay too. The fuse for my stereo blew once and caused the exact same issue, but I was lapping the Nurburgring in my GT3 at the time, so it was much worse than your situation and cost a lot more to fix. But I can afford it because I'm rich, so it was no big deal. But it did scare my hot blonde model wife a bit.

On an unrelated note, the blonde wig I glued to my anatomically correct, air-filled companion came off while on the interstate in my Geo Tracker with the top off. I ran off the road when I looked back to see where it went and damaged a couple of my wheels when I hit a drainage culvert. I got the wheels replaced but the car still pulls to the right a lot. What's wrong?

[OverDrive418]

You hit a hobo, and he's still there wrapped around the hub!

Synthetic oil is the same as regular oil right?

[TouringBubble]

Synthetic oil is the same as regular oil right?

Of course it is! Synthetic is just one of the "catch phrases" like "low fat," "guaranteed" or "non-lethal." Don't pay more for it. If you need to top of you so-called synthetic oil, it's best to just get a standard oil and save the money. Or, if you want better performance, top it off with that Lucas oil treatment stuff ... the more the better.

My wife brought me a brochure for this new Toyota she wants. It says it's a "hybrid." What's that mean? Is that like a cross between 2 different cars?

[ExplosEvo]

Hybrid means you have to fill it with half gasoline, half diesel. That makes them go longer between oil changes.

Speaking of oil changes, I was changing mine and it took me like 4 gallons of oil to get it full to where the cap is. Is that normal?

[zukitek]

I guess you can get by with that much oil but i usually try and run a quart over full so you might wanna put some more in it .Maybe put it in the aircleaner as a reserve .

So I put an engine in a 02 Suburban today from a salvage yard and apparently it had a cylinder full of oil ,so when I tried to start it there was a loud crack sound and then the engine stopped turning .I took the plugs out and it still wont turn . What could be the problem ?

[Erv]

Hybrid means you have to fill it with half gasoline, half diesel. That makes them go longer between oil changes.

Speaking of oil changes, I was changing mine and it took me like 4 gallons of oil to get it full to where the cap is. Is that normal?

OMG, I sooooooo had a friend call me about this once

as for the motor, clearly you wired it up wrong, it shouldn't have any issues having oil in the cylinder it really should make more power that way.

I was looking at installing a roll cage in my cccar so i could race, but rollcages are expensive, so since its just tubes I can use PVC right? its round and def lighter than steel but I can't break it so its sturdy enough right?

[Focus]

You really swapped the engine yourself?! You probably just put it in upside-down. Turn it over and let the oil drain back where it should be. Then it'll start right up. If it doesn't, then take it to your dealership and take out a second mortgage.

Can I really change my own oil and not hurt the car? The dealer says they don't recommend it.

[Focus]

PVC won't pass tech, duh Try to buy a retired Speed World Challenge car. Those are cheap and came from the factory with roll cages and stuff.

Do you change your own oil? Has it affected your performance or the life of the vehicle?

[Erv]

yah I do my buddy has a ssop with a lift, its the best, I also use a powerbleeder to make sure i get all the oil out.

I rotated my tires and then went for a drive in the rain and now the car has no traction in the rain. halp

[OverDrive418]

You need to rotate the spare in the trunk too, I usually put it on the passenger rear and move all the wheels around until the drivers rear is now the spare.
If that doesn't work you may have to dismount all the tires and turn them around and re-mount them so they spin opposite of what you had before. Sometimes the belts wear weird if they've been spinning in a constant direction too long.

My carbon fiber hood is getting all faded and milky white areas are appearing on the clearcoat, what can I do to fix it? I want it to be all JDM Bling Blingin' newlooking again so I can score some chicks at the mall this weekend.