MotoAmerica ran at Road Atlanta, where the long back straight has been heavily favoring the Ducs and BMWs of late, this past weekend.
The first Superbike race of the weekend was a wet race and expectations were high for Gagne to perform. While he did finish second it was Cam Beaubier with a surprisingly strong wet race who held the lead from start to end for a 1st place finish. Bobby Fong crashed out from a strong points position which left Herrin to take 3rd place. Sean Dylan Kelly had a late charge on the Suzuki to nearly knock Herrin off the podium and has been looking solid on the new to him motorcycle this season.
Race 2 was in the dry and this time Cameron Beaubier wiped the floor with the field. Bobby Fong finished second, Herrin managed third again, and Gagne looked downright weak as Sean Dylan Kelly eased by him to finish 4th and 3 seconds up the road.
Supersport was a bit of a wet race upset with Scholtz typically strong but finishing all the way down in fifth! Conditions were mixed with the track drying out and he claims the bike was set up too much toward a full wet set up. This allowed PJ Jacobsen to take first, Jake Lewis second, and Ty Scott third. Cam Peterson is running in Supersport this year as well and he finished 4th. My complaint from last year about the old-heads demoted from Superbike crushing the youngsters still largely stands though the youth are starting to pull back into it.
Race 2 for SSP saw Scholtz standing at the top spot well ahead of PJ Jacobsen whose poor start saw him fighting from fifth place on the first lap. After PJ comes Blake Davis in his second supersport year finishing third and close behind Pj. Then comes Ty Scott and Cameron Peterson.
KING OF THE BAGGERS, GREATEST SERIES ON EARTH, was in full wet conditions for race 1. Loris Baz, Frenchman who understands that Bagger racing is the future of the sport, eked out a win over Kyle Wyman. Troy Herfoss, last year's champion, finished third. Rispoli and Lewis both retired with mechanicals, of which there are many in this class.
Race 2 Kyle Wyman, on pole, was asleep at the start and forgot to put his bike into gear. Thankfully, no one slammed into him, however in turn one a high side with Kyle Ohnsorg caught Rocco Lander's bike and left both riders to limp off track and the red flags to come out. Troy Herfoss' motor let go of something on lap 2 of the restart and oiled part of the track. Red flags. THE THIRD TIME AROUND Kyle Wyman pulls half a second per lap on second place finisher Loris Baz. Tyler O'Hara lowsided out of the race; Bradley Smith (?!?) a British test rider for WSBK BMW and who has had seat time in MotoGP finished 3rd. Two other racers also retired due to mechanicals.
WorldSBK is interesting, not so much the Superbike class where Bulega has been dominating (when his bike runs), but the Supersport where the riders are incredibly aggressive and there doesn't seem to be nearly as much dominance or skill/machine gap between riders and bikes.
Car audio is about to get bitch-slapped. Most of the gear is made in China. I recently sold a NIB pair of Stereo Integrity 6.5 inch woofers; before listing them on eBay, I checked to see what SI was charging for them - it recently increased its price to $470 from $399. Gotta think another jump is coming.
I'm all for the tariffs if it means the glorious brands of the golden era of car audio that still exist (often in name only) - Rockford-Fosgate, Soundstream, Precision Power - are once again made in the USA.
I'd settle for a genuine Made-in-Arizona reissue of the golden-era Punch series from around 1990-1995. While we're at it, let's bring Soundstream back to California to reprise its absurdly over-engineered Class A and Class AB amplifiers - the ones with the gorgeous blue heatsinks. Oh, and the gorgeous Precision Power Art Series with the graphics by Carolyn Hall Young.
All that old-school gear can be refurbished, which is just one reason it's so much better than modern stuff. I've got an early 90s Soundstream Reference 405 five-channel amplifier that I had overhauled and upgraded to Class A on all but the subwoofer channel. I am not quite crazy enough to find a way of shoehorning it into the Miata.
I was waaaaay late to Soundstream, but I did have an E36 about 25 years ago with an a/d/s amp and a pair of 10s mounted under the rear package tray. as I recall, the OEM cassette deck / CD changer were made by Alpine and pretty good. I never did get around to replacing the door speakers, either.
When I was a senior in high school in the mid-80s the two things I wanted more than anything were Monica (last name redacted) and a 635 CSi with a full A/D/S system.
I've got a near-mint A/D/S PH15 in the basement alongside that reference 405. Alas, neither will (easily) fit in an ND Miata.
True. They're excellent, too - I've used Weber and Fat Jimmy (made by Warehouse Guitar Speakers) speakers in my guitar amps. but they don't make car audio speakers.
I know at least a few companies - JL Audio and Stereo Integrity come to mind - make car audio subwoofers in the USA, but I'm not aware of anyone making tweeters, mids, and woofers here.
Phoenix Gold made some fantastic amps (I had an M25 in an NA Miata) that put out some big numbers for their size, but nothing like Orion gear. The HCCA amps were absolute beasts, yet very musical. Every once in awhile I find myself surfing eBay looking at vintage Orion stuff, but it's all so freaking big!
So much of the best gear was made in Arizona - Phoenix Gold, Rockford-Fosgate, Precision Power, etc. (Orion and JL were in Florida, Soundstream in California.)
And then there were the high-end home audio companies that dabbled in car audio: Nakamichi, Denon and, of course, McIntosh. I discovered about a year ago that Luxman - LUXMAN - made a line car stereo amps. You can find a few of them on eBay, all of them from Japanese audiophiles, and all of them around $2k. They're freaking surfboards in size, so I can't actually use one. But I can dream...
there are a few guys who refurbish vintage car audio gear. the biggest concern is the capacitors, which get old and leak. Soundstreams also tend to have at least one or two faulty switches. the other issue is OEM or NOS parts are getting scarce.
Ellensburg Amplifier Repair & Service in Ellensburg, WA did my Precision Power and A/D/S amps. He's quick and very professional. He's a bit picky about what he works on, so check his site and ping him if you have questions.
Eric's Amplifiers in Douglasville, GA did my Soundstream amps. I _think_ he does other brands, but he is a Soundstream fanatic. He also will convert some Class A/B gear to Class A.
I haven't used them, but Desert Audio Specialists in Phoenix does all the cool old-school made-in-USA gear: Rockford-Fosgate, Orion, Precision Power, etc.
As you can tell, I've gone through a few old-school amps. For car audio applications, modern Class D stuff is far smaller, more efficient, runs a hell of a lot cooler, and, in the environment of a car, sounds just as good. The best of them includes built-in DSP, too. But the old-school stuff is just so much cooler...
I purchased a fairly inexpensive jewelry box for my wife years ago. We have a local guy who makes all sorts of wood crafts and had some nice, but smaller boxes very reasonable. I'm sure you could find someone making them locally. 400 bucks seems alot for a box made in China.
I'm with Maximum Bob on increasing fuel efficiency; raise the gas tax. Then cut the income tax an offsetting amount. Kill CAFE and the rest of the BS. Everyone gets to drive what they want, but gas usage will go way down.
Obviously this is a bit of an oversimplification, because you need to address externalities before everyone is rolling around in coal powered death wagons, but you get the idea.
It is worth noting that during the 1950s and 1960s - a time Trump seems determined to return to, for better or worse - the nation had a truly progressive / fair income tax and the top marginal rate was 91 percent for the highest earners. That dropped to about 28 percent by the end of the 1980s.
I dunno that there's a cause and effect here, but I find it interesting that the time of greatest American prosperity, the greatest expansion of the middle-class, the greatest expansion of American infrastructure, etc. coincided with its fairest tax structure and highest tax rate on its highest earners.
yep... here in California it is 59.6 cents per gallon. it largely funds the construction and maintenance of state highways, roads, and public transit projects.
US production rose to its highest level ever under Biden. the limiting factor is Big Oil doesn't want the price to fall below a certain level or it becomes unprofitable (in their view) to produce it. Trump said he wanted oil at $50 a barrel. the big producers have said that would bankrupt them.
Brent Crude is already below $62/bbl and WTI is at $58/bbl, the lowest since Trump left office. As far as retail fuel prices go, refining capacity is the bottleneck in the US.
I recall there was once a piece about the 2nd or 3rd gen Lexus LS that the engineers had a prototype that could get around 40mpg. But the market (and some reg's) pushed them to bigger and bigger sizes.
And current MPGs are kind of fictional IRL anyway.
I spent a long weekend in a new Land Cruiser last month and its IRL real-case (3 people, dog, camping + outdoors gear) MPG was only 2mpg better than the 4.7L V8 in the GX470 with 180k miles that was also with us.
The GX - which also had a 2" lift and its roof fully-loaded w a ton of drag - got 15.7. The stock LC got 18 even.
Getting to the spot in the Catskills was mostly highway, low traffic, 75mph-ish. There was elevation variation once there, and City traffic we had to slog through on the front and back ends. Both were running on regular, and my friend gets closer to 21-22mpg on premium when commuting. He humored us with regular for comparison sake. So, IRL, it seems your MPD(ollar) might be even when the LC is running premium and the GX is on regular (early GX's don't need prem) and the trucks aren't weighed down, and worse for the LC otherwise.
Both trucks have infant-sized gas tanks though. 250 mile real world range on our trip.
FWIW, I guess I should qualify my "fictional MPG" comment above as specific to vehicles where efficiency runs counter to the vehicle type (trucks, SUVS, crossovers, etc.). Most other cars seem to match the EPA estimates if driven without a lead foot. Hell, even our old T&C beats its 26mpg highway EPA when packed for Xmas going to grandma's if I keep it to 70-75.
I was able to match the EPA city in an old Odyssey by driving painfully slow on all seasons. Took a lot of effort. Normal driving and winter tires don't come close
I always found this funny in my college buddy’s 100-series LC.
He had an unusually low-efficiency example (7-8mpg; tried to take Toyota to lemon law court over it; advised not to by counsel) so his real world range was something like 230 miles. It’s funny in so far as, other than a diesel tow pig, a large SUV is *the vehicle* I would least like to have a small gas tank in
LOL - no, Scott, it's called the "Performance Pack 2A1 with Weight Reduction" where they thoughtfully delete the floor mats, acoustic glass, power windows, A/C, sound deadening, and stereo for $8,700.
A $2K stand alone option? Pshaw! Get back to your Toyota, sir!
Sympathetic gearing, cam design and MISAR computer controlled timing. Really excellent setup for fuel economy. Anyone who owned a 78 Toronado remarks on the mpg.
I think the people most affected by any gas tax are also the people least likely to have the financial flexibility to offset it via income tax. If you buy gas in May of 2025 and can afford to wait until June of 2026 to see that money back, you're doing better than most.
Is the Larry Webster listed a (former?) auto journo (C&D as I recall).
The entire EV scheme is more interesting when you consider who controls the power. At least benzine is a free market product. The government can turn off your power, in many places, at will.
Also the Larry Webster who informed our chief scribe via Zoom or some other such thing that his position with the insurance company had become untenable making the new Reinmaster's victory particularly delicious.
I can no longer resent him for not standing up for me the way I always stood up for my people. Having odd principles like that is why I dont own a Ferrari, I guess.
I really have no idea why anyone would drop $350k on a Celestiq when you can still find proper classic Cadillac land yachts in showroom condition for <$50k. But I'm a flyover-country hick; what do I know.
But he owns an ugly Ferrari, which is missing the point of owning a Ferrari. His Ferrari has Fiat X 1/9 vibes, but the Fiat is much better looking. Hard to believe Gandini designed the 308GT4.
How embarrassing is it for Red Bull that they put Lawson in the car instead of Tsunoda from the start. Coupled with Ferraris strange, longstanding strategery deficiency might go to show why the Euro Corps aren’t exactly setting the world on fire economically right now.
Max is better than everyone, but Tsunoda is much, much more competitive in the same car and actually seems like he would be useful had Red Bull been interested in the Constructors’ standings.
I like Yuki, but I find it hard to believe that the car that Max just finished 4th in is significantly better than the spec that he finished on the podium three times with.
I think Max is this generation’s Senna, minus the religious/mystical stuff. He could probably put a Sauber on the podium. If he was in the McLaren, he’d probably lap the entire grid except for the other McLaren if Oscar was driving it. Lando would probably pull over and let Max by if he were in the other McLaren.
the blue Black Bay Ceramic is just a bit more than $5,500. dunno if the blue gets a premium or if Tudor recently upped the price. I really, really like the new carbon fiber chrono, but not at $7,500.
Despite myself, I do like the pink and turquoise chronos...
Depends on how they're done. Every tie-in is kind of goofy by definition; can you imagine our serious grandfathers buying ANYTHING that was
"Suchandsuch 'x' Soandso"?
There's also the idea that the two entities are never really of equal merit, so an IMSA guitar by Paul Reed Smith has inherently less value than one without the IMSA branding, and so on.
The EV charging restrictions outlined in the first bit testify to what my friends in the power generation business have been saying all along: The grid as it exists here and now is not capable of handling such a dramatic change in the type of energy used to move people and things. It will take years of work and billions in funding to get it from its already precarious state into the kind of condition that would allow for moving the units of energy now burned in oil to be replaced by electrons.
They also note that anytime someone actually wants to do things that improve the grid they are usually immediately hamstrung by various "environmental" concerns that seek to prohibit any attempt to generate more power.
The people proposing these things are not ignorant of either of those factors, leading one to believe that the inEVitable future is really about *control*, and the government rationing out permission to move as yet another way for the wokescolds who infest bureaucracy to have veto power over anything you want to do in life, and all for your own good, you understand.
Not making this up, but this is one of the main reasons that the green communists are against nuclear power. They are fearful of what the poors would do with unlimited energy. You cannot hate them enough.
It snowed a bit here in NC for the first time in 3 years.
I have a bunch of Arctic level Chicago winter clothing still in boxes from my move. I throw a light jacket like a windbreaker in my car, but usually just wear a fleece jacket over here. I almost never wear gloves or a winter hat. I’m totally done with cold weather and snow shoveling.
that was mentioned when i was a kid. in newspapers. the idea was the gov't would pay off power companies' stockholders and run the power stations like another branch of the armed services with ultratight security
Yep, that was the thinking in the late '60s - electricity would be close to free. Lots of people installed electric heating in their homes. Yikes, that did not work so well.
If the USNavy can have a standard nuke powerplant, why can't there be a standard, pre-approved, nuke plant for electricity generation? install one in every county.
we had the candu reactors years ago which worked well enough i think
theres also that new marvel microreactor which looks promising especially for very rural areas given that it produces heat and electricity and does not require fuel or produce waste
You're assuming such an effort would be conducted in good faith for its stated purpose, instead of as yet ANOTHER way to separate normal people from their money.
Don't forget that EVs will now also be pulling from the further limited power infrastructure created by all the new data centers everyone is building to run their "AI" LLMs.
True, though it appears that there is not nearly enough copper to make the transition to full or mostly or even 40 or 50% EV… said insincerity revealing the true purpose: bus riding or outright population reduction.
Did you all see that almost the entire grid in Spain and Portugal went down recently. All I’ve seen re cause is some sort of grid crash that took a bunch of generation off line.
0. I've always been against EV subsidies but something is going to have to give on the charging front. I live in a decent sized city and public chargers and availability is abysmal. Even driving to another city 2 hours away can be difficult because there aren't chargers along the way.
1. I was always told that cars are heavier now due to safety. Much of it could simply be that cars are larger.
2. On renewables: it was quite a train wreck in Spain. No one is really surprised who knows anything about electrical infrastructure.
3. Going back to a few weeks ago and discussing American Made goods, Mike Rowe on his latest podcast has the CEO of MKC and American Giant on. (Spotify. Not on YouTube yet).
"I was always told that cars are heavier now due to safety. Much of it could simply be that cars are larger"
Between modern rear facing car seats and fatter people, cars have undoubtedly grown in terms of leg/hip room (total passenger room as a whole). Our '90 Civic Wagon had less usable rear legroom than our '07 Fit that replaced it. A modern Civic has more rear legroom than a mid 90s Accord I'm pretty sure. And yes they are notably more rigid/safe and weight definitely went there as well. Throw in all the sound deadening modern cars needs to keep up in the race to vanquish all traces of NVH, then throw on a set of 18" wheels and larger brakes to help all this stop.
Gotta ask yourself why EVs were pushed so heavily without a corresponding *real* push for charging stations.
Seems to be a business opportunity that the smart investors avoided, even with all the government money sloshing around.
Even more amazing, now that we see how almost all government spending is a grift for the insider class, it’s highly suspicious that the EV charger money was specifically avoided.
Seems to me that until very recently, the smart money was setting up an NGO that appealed to Democratic party interests. They were shoveling billions to virtually non-existent entities.
When are people going to stop giving "The Experts" any credibility?
They're ALWAYS wrong, which is frankly impressive in its own right, but on top of being perpetually in error they lack all humility, not to mention any sense of shame.
Look, we're ALL just winging it. NOBODY knows what the fuck they're doing, especially me. Everything's just Best Guess, and if THAT'S the standard the world works on, so be it.
But the arrogance of never admitting you're wrong, when you're ALWAYS wrong, it what's so off-putting about "The Experts."
Congratulations to Mini Danger Girl! Watching her patiently passing 13 other cars was a thing of beauty. MDG is great at everything she tries, and certainly appears to have a bright future racing her car before she goes off to help Elon Musk build space ships. MDG's apple didn't fall very far from Danger Girl's tree.
Yes, Jack is Mick's son. The TV coverage has shown grey haired Mick in the paddock. You're right, Mick was a badass during the incredibly difficult 500cc two stroke era, lacking any digital safety nannies: just pure throttle, clutch, and brake control.
Congrats to you and to MDG. What a great mix of patience and courage she showed to win that race going away. Even knowing she won, I kept waiting for someone to punt her off the track every time she passed on the outside. Patience and courage. Bravo.
I'm awfully proud of her. What the video doesnt show is how easy it is to make a mistake despite the relatively low speeds, and how easy it is to get hurt in these conditions.
I like carbon fiber watch cases, but they often seem like one of the largest money grabs in luxury watches. Surely the plastic resin, a few pieces of chopped carbon, and even the manufacturing process are cheaper than machining stainless steel. Yet the watch is nearly 50% more expensive?
I think you're paying for the watch manufacturers to develop the capacity. That's why ceramic Omegas cost so much, and why I paid more for a bronze tudor and a ceramic tudor than I'd have paid for steel or even .925 silver (!!) equivalents.
Why would bronze be more expensive? It's easier to machine bronze than steel and it's not like bronze is a new material. After all, it's been around since the, ahem, Bronze Age.
MotoAmerica ran at Road Atlanta, where the long back straight has been heavily favoring the Ducs and BMWs of late, this past weekend.
The first Superbike race of the weekend was a wet race and expectations were high for Gagne to perform. While he did finish second it was Cam Beaubier with a surprisingly strong wet race who held the lead from start to end for a 1st place finish. Bobby Fong crashed out from a strong points position which left Herrin to take 3rd place. Sean Dylan Kelly had a late charge on the Suzuki to nearly knock Herrin off the podium and has been looking solid on the new to him motorcycle this season.
Race 2 was in the dry and this time Cameron Beaubier wiped the floor with the field. Bobby Fong finished second, Herrin managed third again, and Gagne looked downright weak as Sean Dylan Kelly eased by him to finish 4th and 3 seconds up the road.
Supersport was a bit of a wet race upset with Scholtz typically strong but finishing all the way down in fifth! Conditions were mixed with the track drying out and he claims the bike was set up too much toward a full wet set up. This allowed PJ Jacobsen to take first, Jake Lewis second, and Ty Scott third. Cam Peterson is running in Supersport this year as well and he finished 4th. My complaint from last year about the old-heads demoted from Superbike crushing the youngsters still largely stands though the youth are starting to pull back into it.
Race 2 for SSP saw Scholtz standing at the top spot well ahead of PJ Jacobsen whose poor start saw him fighting from fifth place on the first lap. After PJ comes Blake Davis in his second supersport year finishing third and close behind Pj. Then comes Ty Scott and Cameron Peterson.
KING OF THE BAGGERS, GREATEST SERIES ON EARTH, was in full wet conditions for race 1. Loris Baz, Frenchman who understands that Bagger racing is the future of the sport, eked out a win over Kyle Wyman. Troy Herfoss, last year's champion, finished third. Rispoli and Lewis both retired with mechanicals, of which there are many in this class.
Race 2 Kyle Wyman, on pole, was asleep at the start and forgot to put his bike into gear. Thankfully, no one slammed into him, however in turn one a high side with Kyle Ohnsorg caught Rocco Lander's bike and left both riders to limp off track and the red flags to come out. Troy Herfoss' motor let go of something on lap 2 of the restart and oiled part of the track. Red flags. THE THIRD TIME AROUND Kyle Wyman pulls half a second per lap on second place finisher Loris Baz. Tyler O'Hara lowsided out of the race; Bradley Smith (?!?) a British test rider for WSBK BMW and who has had seat time in MotoGP finished 3rd. Two other racers also retired due to mechanicals.
WorldSBK is interesting, not so much the Superbike class where Bulega has been dominating (when his bike runs), but the Supersport where the riders are incredibly aggressive and there doesn't seem to be nearly as much dominance or skill/machine gap between riders and bikes.
Car audio is about to get bitch-slapped. Most of the gear is made in China. I recently sold a NIB pair of Stereo Integrity 6.5 inch woofers; before listing them on eBay, I checked to see what SI was charging for them - it recently increased its price to $470 from $399. Gotta think another jump is coming.
I'm all for the tariffs if it means the glorious brands of the golden era of car audio that still exist (often in name only) - Rockford-Fosgate, Soundstream, Precision Power - are once again made in the USA.
I would accept a nontrivial number of DEATHS to bring back Fosgate.
I'd settle for a genuine Made-in-Arizona reissue of the golden-era Punch series from around 1990-1995. While we're at it, let's bring Soundstream back to California to reprise its absurdly over-engineered Class A and Class AB amplifiers - the ones with the gorgeous blue heatsinks. Oh, and the gorgeous Precision Power Art Series with the graphics by Carolyn Hall Young.
All that old-school gear can be refurbished, which is just one reason it's so much better than modern stuff. I've got an early 90s Soundstream Reference 405 five-channel amplifier that I had overhauled and upgraded to Class A on all but the subwoofer channel. I am not quite crazy enough to find a way of shoehorning it into the Miata.
Moog is, I think, still doing stuff here in Asheville.
Imagine a Moog car audio offshoot made in the USA by people who hate you and listen to stuff you've "probably never heard of."
one of the guys behind the MoogerFooger and other guitar pedals split to start Asheville Music Tools. His ADG-1 delay is fantastic.
I had a pair of those blue 'sinked SS amps in an E36 M3, 20+yrs ago!
I was waaaaay late to Soundstream, but I did have an E36 about 25 years ago with an a/d/s amp and a pair of 10s mounted under the rear package tray. as I recall, the OEM cassette deck / CD changer were made by Alpine and pretty good. I never did get around to replacing the door speakers, either.
When I was a senior in high school in the mid-80s the two things I wanted more than anything were Monica (last name redacted) and a 635 CSi with a full A/D/S system.
I've got a near-mint A/D/S PH15 in the basement alongside that reference 405. Alas, neither will (easily) fit in an ND Miata.
The sound system on my ND is by Good Win Racing
NHT speakers, anyone?
Martin Logan Acoustics? (The electrostatic speakers.)
My (VERY) old SZ's are still the most neutral speakers I've heard under $1k
Free Mark Levinson!
You mean, sneak him out in a crate from his Lexus/Toyota prison in Japan, à le Ghosn?
Is he still an independent manufacturer? I thought he was part of the Harmon-Kardon empire now
Eminence, Weber, and Warehouse still make speakers in the U.S.
True. They're excellent, too - I've used Weber and Fat Jimmy (made by Warehouse Guitar Speakers) speakers in my guitar amps. but they don't make car audio speakers.
I know at least a few companies - JL Audio and Stereo Integrity come to mind - make car audio subwoofers in the USA, but I'm not aware of anyone making tweeters, mids, and woofers here.
Phoenix gold, Orion HCCA, MTX.
I remember when these meant something. Now everything is from the same Chinese factory. All that lovely brand equity sold off.
Phoenix Gold made some fantastic amps (I had an M25 in an NA Miata) that put out some big numbers for their size, but nothing like Orion gear. The HCCA amps were absolute beasts, yet very musical. Every once in awhile I find myself surfing eBay looking at vintage Orion stuff, but it's all so freaking big!
So much of the best gear was made in Arizona - Phoenix Gold, Rockford-Fosgate, Precision Power, etc. (Orion and JL were in Florida, Soundstream in California.)
And then there were the high-end home audio companies that dabbled in car audio: Nakamichi, Denon and, of course, McIntosh. I discovered about a year ago that Luxman - LUXMAN - made a line car stereo amps. You can find a few of them on eBay, all of them from Japanese audiophiles, and all of them around $2k. They're freaking surfboards in size, so I can't actually use one. But I can dream...
I haven’t had good luck with used amps. I should learn how to repair them or pay someone to do it.
there are a few guys who refurbish vintage car audio gear. the biggest concern is the capacitors, which get old and leak. Soundstreams also tend to have at least one or two faulty switches. the other issue is OEM or NOS parts are getting scarce.
Ellensburg Amplifier Repair & Service in Ellensburg, WA did my Precision Power and A/D/S amps. He's quick and very professional. He's a bit picky about what he works on, so check his site and ping him if you have questions.
Eric's Amplifiers in Douglasville, GA did my Soundstream amps. I _think_ he does other brands, but he is a Soundstream fanatic. He also will convert some Class A/B gear to Class A.
I haven't used them, but Desert Audio Specialists in Phoenix does all the cool old-school made-in-USA gear: Rockford-Fosgate, Orion, Precision Power, etc.
As you can tell, I've gone through a few old-school amps. For car audio applications, modern Class D stuff is far smaller, more efficient, runs a hell of a lot cooler, and, in the environment of a car, sounds just as good. The best of them includes built-in DSP, too. But the old-school stuff is just so much cooler...
I purchased a fairly inexpensive jewelry box for my wife years ago. We have a local guy who makes all sorts of wood crafts and had some nice, but smaller boxes very reasonable. I'm sure you could find someone making them locally. 400 bucks seems alot for a box made in China.
If mama's happy, everyone else is happy .
-Nate
I'm with Maximum Bob on increasing fuel efficiency; raise the gas tax. Then cut the income tax an offsetting amount. Kill CAFE and the rest of the BS. Everyone gets to drive what they want, but gas usage will go way down.
Obviously this is a bit of an oversimplification, because you need to address externalities before everyone is rolling around in coal powered death wagons, but you get the idea.
it is worth noting the federal gas tax has not been increased since 1993, and is now worth 45 percent less than it was at that time.
Ah. got it.
any decrease in the income tax is coming for high-earners. it will be as it always has been.
It is worth noting that during the 1950s and 1960s - a time Trump seems determined to return to, for better or worse - the nation had a truly progressive / fair income tax and the top marginal rate was 91 percent for the highest earners. That dropped to about 28 percent by the end of the 1980s.
I dunno that there's a cause and effect here, but I find it interesting that the time of greatest American prosperity, the greatest expansion of the middle-class, the greatest expansion of American infrastructure, etc. coincided with its fairest tax structure and highest tax rate on its highest earners.
Huh. I never knew it was a flat, fixed number and not a percentage. Peanut butter around the pill to get the dog to eat it.
Here in the People’s Republic of Washington State the gas tax is scheduled to go up to 55.4 cents per gallon in July.
How do they collect the .4 cents...and why is it not a round amount like 55 or 56 cents?
yep... here in California it is 59.6 cents per gallon. it largely funds the construction and maintenance of state highways, roads, and public transit projects.
We’re number 3 behind you and Alaska.
It would have to be the same bill raising fuel/carbon taxes and cutting income taxes, obviously, or exactly what you are stating would happen.
Came here to post exactly this.
The gas tax should be simple- what is the cost to maintain roads. It can float based on the needs of the roads. CAFE needs to die.
No, the answer is Drill Baby Drill.
We're sitting on an ocean of recoverable hydrocarbon fuel that's for all practical purposes inexhaustible, so why not use it?
You produce so much fuel that you get it down to 50 cents a gallon, trust me, NOBODY'S gonna care about fuel economy anymore.
Problem solved.
was that about when the earth was predicted to cool entirely
At least we definitely know that EV batteries will become very efficient.
Yep, any day now!
Yeah, first a new ice age, then a greenhouse effect, CAUSED BY THE SAME THINGS.
The solution is always the same. Only the pretense changes.
“The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.”
We are technically in the warm phase of an ice age. But I didn’t think it was going to rain at my house today, and damned if it did.
What’s with all the wet, cool springs in Ohio?! 🤔🙄
No, that was 1980. There is nothing new under the Sun.
US production rose to its highest level ever under Biden. the limiting factor is Big Oil doesn't want the price to fall below a certain level or it becomes unprofitable (in their view) to produce it. Trump said he wanted oil at $50 a barrel. the big producers have said that would bankrupt them.
Uh huh. Multinationals said the same thing about keeping middle-class jobs in America.
Sounds like a cop-out.
undoubtedly
I can tell you I'm building a nice nest egg for my grandchildren largely in part by oil stocks.....
-Nate
there is certainly some truth to this, but also some basic supply and demand involved and the impact that has on revenue and profits.
Everything i know about oil comes from watching "Landman".
Reuters, May 5, 2025:
Oil ends at four-year lows as OPEC+ accelerates output hikes
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/oil-falls-more-than-2bbl-opec-set-accelerate-output-hikes-2025-05-04/
Brent Crude is already below $62/bbl and WTI is at $58/bbl, the lowest since Trump left office. As far as retail fuel prices go, refining capacity is the bottleneck in the US.
California seems determined to close down their oil refineries. It could cause supply issues for military bases.
They’re all a bunch of pacifists out there anyway. Members of this ‘Stack excluded.
Not hardly .
-Nate
I recall there was once a piece about the 2nd or 3rd gen Lexus LS that the engineers had a prototype that could get around 40mpg. But the market (and some reg's) pushed them to bigger and bigger sizes.
that's nothing. GM has a 100 mpg carburetor on a shelf in deep storage...
(I tease)
And current MPGs are kind of fictional IRL anyway.
I spent a long weekend in a new Land Cruiser last month and its IRL real-case (3 people, dog, camping + outdoors gear) MPG was only 2mpg better than the 4.7L V8 in the GX470 with 180k miles that was also with us.
The GX - which also had a 2" lift and its roof fully-loaded w a ton of drag - got 15.7. The stock LC got 18 even.
Getting to the spot in the Catskills was mostly highway, low traffic, 75mph-ish. There was elevation variation once there, and City traffic we had to slog through on the front and back ends. Both were running on regular, and my friend gets closer to 21-22mpg on premium when commuting. He humored us with regular for comparison sake. So, IRL, it seems your MPD(ollar) might be even when the LC is running premium and the GX is on regular (early GX's don't need prem) and the trucks aren't weighed down, and worse for the LC otherwise.
Both trucks have infant-sized gas tanks though. 250 mile real world range on our trip.
FWIW, I guess I should qualify my "fictional MPG" comment above as specific to vehicles where efficiency runs counter to the vehicle type (trucks, SUVS, crossovers, etc.). Most other cars seem to match the EPA estimates if driven without a lead foot. Hell, even our old T&C beats its 26mpg highway EPA when packed for Xmas going to grandma's if I keep it to 70-75.
I was able to match the EPA city in an old Odyssey by driving painfully slow on all seasons. Took a lot of effort. Normal driving and winter tires don't come close
I always found this funny in my college buddy’s 100-series LC.
He had an unusually low-efficiency example (7-8mpg; tried to take Toyota to lemon law court over it; advised not to by counsel) so his real world range was something like 230 miles. It’s funny in so far as, other than a diesel tow pig, a large SUV is *the vehicle* I would least like to have a small gas tank in
Bullshit.
That carburetor's sitting on top of the Ark of the Covenant in that warehouse, right next to the disc with the actual flyaway cost of an F-22 on it.
40 mpg is easy
just make it 7/8ths the size of a miata
If Porsche was doing it, they'd call it the Miata MX-RS-5 Carrera Sport and charge you $55k.
LOL - no, Scott, it's called the "Performance Pack 2A1 with Weight Reduction" where they thoughtfully delete the floor mats, acoustic glass, power windows, A/C, sound deadening, and stereo for $8,700.
A $2K stand alone option? Pshaw! Get back to your Toyota, sir!
I sat in a 2022 Carrera S with a 4 way seat which meant I had to manually slide them. It felt odd.
My macan loaner also has a manually telescoping wheel. Maybe I do not actually want decontenting.
At least Porsche lets me put the wheel in my lap, unlike BMW.
which is almost what they cost in canadian dollars now
an rs miata would be cool (they did similar things in the past)
Anything at or above 20 mpg on regular I consider good. Shout out to my old '78 Toronado XS. 20 mpg plus from the Olds 403.
What in God’s name would an owner of one of those do today if the back window broke?
I wonder if there are specialized glass places that would take a crack at it, so to speak?
I had a spare one that I stored in the rafters of a friends glass shop. It might still be there?
There are, but - man - it's almost worth buying an extra Toro as a parts car, if you have the room.
An acquaintance spent around $5k replacing the windshield on his W128 cabriolet and that was like 15 years ago.
Fashion a new window out of the CLEAR Gorilla Tape?
The ultimate “Hack”!
And that engine will still be running long after the 2nd turbo on the new LC has Death Star'd.
"20 mpg plus from the Olds 403"
how in the hell
Sympathetic gearing, cam design and MISAR computer controlled timing. Really excellent setup for fuel economy. Anyone who owned a 78 Toronado remarks on the mpg.
I think the people most affected by any gas tax are also the people least likely to have the financial flexibility to offset it via income tax. If you buy gas in May of 2025 and can afford to wait until June of 2026 to see that money back, you're doing better than most.
"Self employment penalty"
fixed it for ya
I'd like to post my dismay that you don't think coal powered death wagons are a good thing .
America was made great by foolish ideas like that as they stirred much effort to come up with better alternatives .
-Nate
Tuder’s over MSRP? What is the world coming to.
Is the Larry Webster listed a (former?) auto journo (C&D as I recall).
The entire EV scheme is more interesting when you consider who controls the power. At least benzine is a free market product. The government can turn off your power, in many places, at will.
(Automotive Lifestyle Brands™ hardest hit)
Upscale ones doubly so!
Also the Larry Webster who informed our chief scribe via Zoom or some other such thing that his position with the insurance company had become untenable making the new Reinmaster's victory particularly delicious.
I can no longer resent him for not standing up for me the way I always stood up for my people. Having odd principles like that is why I dont own a Ferrari, I guess.
I turned down a lot of $28k Testarossas in my thirties. Both the worst and smartest thing I ever did.
That’s the only modern Ferrari I like, just for its outlandishness.
Speaking of outlandish, check out this 17k mile Fleetwood Brougham Talisman! https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-cadillac-fleetwood-brougham-8/
“Mr. Klockau, please pick up the white courtesy phone in the steakhouse lobby!”
I really have no idea why anyone would drop $350k on a Celestiq when you can still find proper classic Cadillac land yachts in showroom condition for <$50k. But I'm a flyover-country hick; what do I know.
I'd only want it in Cocaine White with passenger mirror delete (aka Sonny Crockett Edition)
Obviously
I’m having so much fun Right Now picturing your interactions with the special blend of onanism, egotism, and extortion that is Ferrari-world.
You could at least *try* to buy one, at the dealer. Harambe would laugh his ass off.
Ten points for using "onanism!"
At that price point no way are they jerk-offs, amirite?
"Amirite?"
Is that Japanese?
That would be an awesome story: “My attempts to purchase a Ferrari ….”
There's got to be an "Onan the Barbarian" joke here, but I've got nothing.
aristotle onansis
I knew someone would give you a hand!
I suspect they have a resale value crash brewing that could spell trouble for them.
But he owns an ugly Ferrari, which is missing the point of owning a Ferrari. His Ferrari has Fiat X 1/9 vibes, but the Fiat is much better looking. Hard to believe Gandini designed the 308GT4.
Maximum height? Bro Dozers hardest hit.
Palpatine 'DO IT' meme goes here.
Is a minivan taller than a Phantom?
Paging Sherman for his obligatory "men driving trucks who don't need trucks" post
But, but ;
They're SO _COOL_ ! .
-Nate
Wipe them out. All of them.
My high roof passenger van dreams! NOOO!
[Miata owners dancing like so many Ewoks.]
"The top's down bitch, measure from the door!"
If measured from the door, we'll see the resurgence of the Murano CrossCabrio and the LR Evoq 'vert
the slow and underpowered shall inherit the earth
They have a saying in Texas, I’m told:
“The meek shall inherit the earth -
But not the mineral rights,”
My dad used to tell us “The meek shall inherit the earth— when everyone else is done with it.”
"By that time Justice finally prevails, Injustice has gotten pretty much everything it wanted."
😂😂
In my dreams they will .
-Nate
How embarrassing is it for Red Bull that they put Lawson in the car instead of Tsunoda from the start. Coupled with Ferraris strange, longstanding strategery deficiency might go to show why the Euro Corps aren’t exactly setting the world on fire economically right now.
I thought Lawson was pretty decent last season, while also knowing that he was nowhere near ready to be partnered with Max Verstappen.
Max is better than everyone, but Tsunoda is much, much more competitive in the same car and actually seems like he would be useful had Red Bull been interested in the Constructors’ standings.
Yuki was running the old floor in Miami so the comparison with Max is difficult.
I like Yuki, but I find it hard to believe that the car that Max just finished 4th in is significantly better than the spec that he finished on the podium three times with.
I think Max is this generation’s Senna, minus the religious/mystical stuff. He could probably put a Sauber on the podium. If he was in the McLaren, he’d probably lap the entire grid except for the other McLaren if Oscar was driving it. Lando would probably pull over and let Max by if he were in the other McLaren.
the blue Black Bay Ceramic is just a bit more than $5,500. dunno if the blue gets a premium or if Tudor recently upped the price. I really, really like the new carbon fiber chrono, but not at $7,500.
Despite myself, I do like the pink and turquoise chronos...
What does everyone think of car/event watches? Is it tacky or just a bit of fun for the fans?
Both. I personally think it's tacky, but I like more classic-looking watches. If someone thinks it's cool good for them - have fun and enjoy.
Depends on how they're done. Every tie-in is kind of goofy by definition; can you imagine our serious grandfathers buying ANYTHING that was
"Suchandsuch 'x' Soandso"?
There's also the idea that the two entities are never really of equal merit, so an IMSA guitar by Paul Reed Smith has inherently less value than one without the IMSA branding, and so on.
I suppose the guitar that PRS made for Ron Fellows to match his special edition Corvette might be worth something, but they only made one of those.
I went go-karting with Ron Fellows when I was 15
Who won?
Tacky
The EV charging restrictions outlined in the first bit testify to what my friends in the power generation business have been saying all along: The grid as it exists here and now is not capable of handling such a dramatic change in the type of energy used to move people and things. It will take years of work and billions in funding to get it from its already precarious state into the kind of condition that would allow for moving the units of energy now burned in oil to be replaced by electrons.
They also note that anytime someone actually wants to do things that improve the grid they are usually immediately hamstrung by various "environmental" concerns that seek to prohibit any attempt to generate more power.
The people proposing these things are not ignorant of either of those factors, leading one to believe that the inEVitable future is really about *control*, and the government rationing out permission to move as yet another way for the wokescolds who infest bureaucracy to have veto power over anything you want to do in life, and all for your own good, you understand.
Remember: Orwell was an optimist.
imagine what would happen if we just built so many nuke plants electricity was damned near free
maybe then evs would make sense
Not making this up, but this is one of the main reasons that the green communists are against nuclear power. They are fearful of what the poors would do with unlimited energy. You cannot hate them enough.
Yes!
Chicago could become livable in winter because you could blast the heat outdoors! It would be so warm that the snow would never even reach the ground.
40 is cold
It snowed a bit here in NC for the first time in 3 years.
I have a bunch of Arctic level Chicago winter clothing still in boxes from my move. I throw a light jacket like a windbreaker in my car, but usually just wear a fleece jacket over here. I almost never wear gloves or a winter hat. I’m totally done with cold weather and snow shoveling.
that was mentioned when i was a kid. in newspapers. the idea was the gov't would pay off power companies' stockholders and run the power stations like another branch of the armed services with ultratight security
Yep, that was the thinking in the late '60s - electricity would be close to free. Lots of people installed electric heating in their homes. Yikes, that did not work so well.
If the USNavy can have a standard nuke powerplant, why can't there be a standard, pre-approved, nuke plant for electricity generation? install one in every county.
we had the candu reactors years ago which worked well enough i think
theres also that new marvel microreactor which looks promising especially for very rural areas given that it produces heat and electricity and does not require fuel or produce waste
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/marvel-microreactor-reaches-final-design-step
You're assuming such an effort would be conducted in good faith for its stated purpose, instead of as yet ANOTHER way to separate normal people from their money.
Don't forget that EVs will now also be pulling from the further limited power infrastructure created by all the new data centers everyone is building to run their "AI" LLMs.
we need to dismantle more coal plants to make room
God help us!
True, though it appears that there is not nearly enough copper to make the transition to full or mostly or even 40 or 50% EV… said insincerity revealing the true purpose: bus riding or outright population reduction.
Yeah Jack called this ages ago with “Fiction: The Blockers”
Did you all see that almost the entire grid in Spain and Portugal went down recently. All I’ve seen re cause is some sort of grid crash that took a bunch of generation off line.
"Aubrey “Drake” Graham, whose $20 million bet at the beginning of the season would have been much better placed on the #81 than on the #4"
drake forever btfo and you love to see it lmao
"the govt can decide when an ev can be charged or discharged into the grid"
imagine coming home at 38% battery then plugging it in for the night and the next morning its at 14% and you cant make it in to work
really incredible stuff
"we allow “AI” to work in the present day with data that, in many cases, has already been corrupted by AI token prediction"
so its shitting where it eats and now its making up stuff moreso than it was in the past
invest another trillion into it
Great idea!
I get not wanting to be known as "Aubrey," but why would you instead pick a name like "Drake?"
he is a certifiable dork
I thought he was a certifiable duck.
Always been a big fan of Sir Francis?
Grandma was a Drake. Maybe he's channeling his inner hillbilly.
I assumed it was because of the fruit pies. Are you thinking there’s an even deeper motive?
Um...not now?
0. I've always been against EV subsidies but something is going to have to give on the charging front. I live in a decent sized city and public chargers and availability is abysmal. Even driving to another city 2 hours away can be difficult because there aren't chargers along the way.
1. I was always told that cars are heavier now due to safety. Much of it could simply be that cars are larger.
2. On renewables: it was quite a train wreck in Spain. No one is really surprised who knows anything about electrical infrastructure.
3. Going back to a few weeks ago and discussing American Made goods, Mike Rowe on his latest podcast has the CEO of MKC and American Giant on. (Spotify. Not on YouTube yet).
"I was always told that cars are heavier now due to safety. Much of it could simply be that cars are larger"
Between modern rear facing car seats and fatter people, cars have undoubtedly grown in terms of leg/hip room (total passenger room as a whole). Our '90 Civic Wagon had less usable rear legroom than our '07 Fit that replaced it. A modern Civic has more rear legroom than a mid 90s Accord I'm pretty sure. And yes they are notably more rigid/safe and weight definitely went there as well. Throw in all the sound deadening modern cars needs to keep up in the race to vanquish all traces of NVH, then throw on a set of 18" wheels and larger brakes to help all this stop.
That and all the convenience features like power seats, combined with extra wiring for all the extra tech on board.
Gotta ask yourself why EVs were pushed so heavily without a corresponding *real* push for charging stations.
Seems to be a business opportunity that the smart investors avoided, even with all the government money sloshing around.
Even more amazing, now that we see how almost all government spending is a grift for the insider class, it’s highly suspicious that the EV charger money was specifically avoided.
Seems to me that until very recently, the smart money was setting up an NGO that appealed to Democratic party interests. They were shoveling billions to virtually non-existent entities.
A true shadow government. Pretty funny that most government conspiracy theories seem to have a basis in fact.
the real money is grifting via ai generated chatbots and women on onlyfans
How do we get into this grift??
get some kind of ai image generator and some editing software and you too can upload fake but believable enough content for retarded simps on onlyfans
just leave your decency and respect for your fellow (if theyre on onlyfans theyre not my fellow) man at the door and say hello to free money
It’s already a crowded trade!
OF does NOT allow AI-generated content, but a lot of the messaging is AI-driven.
how do they detect AI content?
They have a variety of proprietary tools.
i bet theres a way to fool it
The investors are only fans of that!
A number of the early charging networks folded. I know someone involved with Blink and he told me that it was all about subsidies and tax incentives.
What are the risks involved in taking government grants without any associated commitment to success?
because a lot of the people pushing EVs are idiots who have no idea of the charging infrastructure complexities and costs.
When are people going to stop giving "The Experts" any credibility?
They're ALWAYS wrong, which is frankly impressive in its own right, but on top of being perpetually in error they lack all humility, not to mention any sense of shame.
Look, we're ALL just winging it. NOBODY knows what the fuck they're doing, especially me. Everything's just Best Guess, and if THAT'S the standard the world works on, so be it.
But the arrogance of never admitting you're wrong, when you're ALWAYS wrong, it what's so off-putting about "The Experts."
Experts say always listen to the experts no matter how wrong they are.
Definition of insanity: keep doing the same thing over and over, thinking you’ll eventually get it right!
Sounds more like the definition of persistence to me!
They’re persistently wrong!
Sounds about right! 😂😂
hey, wait a sec, I'm an "expert". well, in my narrow, specific field, lol
There are plenty of experts who are right. It's just they don't prop up the current MSM narrative.
There is also an issue of laziness. No one wants to get a second opinion on anything anymore.
Congratulations to Mini Danger Girl! Watching her patiently passing 13 other cars was a thing of beauty. MDG is great at everything she tries, and certainly appears to have a bright future racing her car before she goes off to help Elon Musk build space ships. MDG's apple didn't fall very far from Danger Girl's tree.
Here to second this. She makes it look like she's racing in the wrong class!
It’s Jack Dothan getting the exit, not has multi 500 cc gp champion dad Mick. Slip of the pen/mind/tongue, I’m sure.
That's Mick Doohan's kid? I'm not really into F1, but I raced and now follow motorcycle roadracing. Mick was a fucking badass.
Yes, Jack is Mick's son. The TV coverage has shown grey haired Mick in the paddock. You're right, Mick was a badass during the incredibly difficult 500cc two stroke era, lacking any digital safety nannies: just pure throttle, clutch, and brake control.
I miss my real dad. Thank God he was a country boy.
I say the same thing when I am back home:
“Thank God I'm a Country Boy!”
Sorry, old motorcyclist here!
Congrats to you and to MDG. What a great mix of patience and courage she showed to win that race going away. Even knowing she won, I kept waiting for someone to punt her off the track every time she passed on the outside. Patience and courage. Bravo.
F1: can anyone catch the McLarens?
IndyCar: can anyone catch Alex Palou?
I'm awfully proud of her. What the video doesnt show is how easy it is to make a mistake despite the relatively low speeds, and how easy it is to get hurt in these conditions.
I like carbon fiber watch cases, but they often seem like one of the largest money grabs in luxury watches. Surely the plastic resin, a few pieces of chopped carbon, and even the manufacturing process are cheaper than machining stainless steel. Yet the watch is nearly 50% more expensive?
I think you're paying for the watch manufacturers to develop the capacity. That's why ceramic Omegas cost so much, and why I paid more for a bronze tudor and a ceramic tudor than I'd have paid for steel or even .925 silver (!!) equivalents.
Why would bronze be more expensive? It's easier to machine bronze than steel and it's not like bronze is a new material. After all, it's been around since the, ahem, Bronze Age.
Bronze Tudors aren't bronze. They are an aluminum alloy with bronze, which is why they dont wear much heavier than stainless steel watches.
For whatever reason, it's considered more difficult to work with.
That alloy is a self-inflicted decision on their part. CuSn8 looks better, anyways, and I am sure it is softer and easier to work with.
Back in the 1910s, Locomobile cars came with bronze or manganese bronze cast crankcases, gearbox casings, and carburetor bodies.
i bet that would look incredible when polished
They dont want soft, because people will try to warranty the watches for dents.
It's also why gold watches are 18k instead of 24.
My IG feed is pushing a CF Seiko for something like $350. Probably not real CF but it looks the same.