Cars We Drive!

[HRoi]

Maybe this is a good time to show you how the new stance came out, since we be talking bout wheels...

 

[clee1982]

Bigger wheels and thin sidewalls look good on modern cars, and do improve handling on some cars, but are unfortunately a great recipe for bent rims and blow outs unless you live in an area that never has potholes.

or drive really really slowly when you're on those street...

 

[Dino944]

or drive really really slowly when you're on those street...

That works in town. However, the problem is when the plows are out during a snow storm and the blade catches some of those stupid reflectors or the recessed areas around them and creates a pothole on the highway. People don't always see them in a bad rain storm, or until the last minute at night and then BOOM! Low tire pressure warning and that rim is f*cked! An acquaintence with a Maserati QP has bent 3 rims. On Mrs. Dino's previous MB she bent 4 rims. Ugh! The joys of living in New England.

 

[Jmm722]

That works in town. However, the problem is when the plows are out during a snow storm and the blade catches some of those stupid reflectors or the recessed areas around them and creates a pothole on the highway. People don't always see them in a bad rain storm, or until the last minute at night and then BOOM! Low tire pressure warning and that rim is f*cked! An acquaintence with a Maserati QP has bent 3 rims. On Mrs. Dino's previous MB she bent 4 rims. Ugh! The joys of living in New England.

That's because Maserati and MB put stupid low-profile tires on every car. You can typically order a smaller rim when you purchase/order the car and gain 1" of sidewall, which reduces the risk of blowouts/bent rims.

Most people I know with MBs have had blowouts from potholes. One coworker had 4 in the past year on his E-class

 

[Jmm722]

Maybe this is a good time to show you how the new stance came out, since we be talking bout wheels...

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Did you modify the exhaust? I recall talks of a downpipe, correct?

 

[HRoi]

Did you modify the exhaust? I recall talks of a downpipe, correct?

Yes sir, replaced stock with free flow (but still catted) downpipes and new exhaust. Both parts from Larini. I have some sound clips but they really suck. The car sounds like a proper exotic from the outside now, although it’s now a little drony from the inside.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Did you drive a Huracan before you opted for the 570s? Curious on your thoughts on the difference.

 

[Dino944]

That's because Maserati and MB put stupid low-profile tires on every car. You can typically order a smaller rim when you purchase/order the car and gain 1" of sidewall, which reduces the risk of blowouts/bent rims.

Most people I know with MBs have had blowouts from potholes. One coworker had 4 in the past year on his E-class

Well, Mrs. Dino's MB is a performance oriented car, a C43 sedan. It comes with 18"s and there are optional 19" available. We stuck with the 18" alloys on that as it already had a firm enough ride...so we do have a little extra sidewall. So far knock on wood, not blow outs with this car. However, the OEM tires MB and some other German companies are putting on a lot of their cars are Continentals, which are garbage! Lots of blow outs on the Contis according to an MB forum and the most problematic tires I've ever dealt with in the past were Contis.

 

[brokencycle]

Yes, tires on sports cars today are all lower profile with much larger and wider wheels. Obviously, the wheels and tires of today reflect both the buyers taste (or sometimes lack thereof ) and greater performance capabilities of today's vehicles. Cars like that 246GT Dino I posted are sitting on 14"alloys, while my 328 is on 16" alloys and today most sports cars are on at least 19" if not 20" alloys. 16" alloys look small by today's standards, but that was the largest diameter OEM alloy one could get when buying a Porsche or Ferrari. The 1989 Lotus Esprits used 15s in front and 16s in back and even the incredibly wide wheels and tires on Lamborghini's Countach were only 15s. I actually think some of the wheel designs of the past, look better than today's wheels.

Maybe in my old age, I've become more practical when it comes to wheels ...but I want designs that look good and don't take a lot of effort to clean. Some designs are so intricate that they take forever to clean. I had one set wheels on a Porsche years ago which had so many spokes and crevices, that it would take me much longer to clean the wheels than to clean the exterior of the entire car. The only thing that gave me some solace was that the guy who works on my 328 used to have a Ferrari 330GTC on Boranni wire wheels, which have 72 spokes per wheel. He said he would take the wheels off after every third drive to clean them or they looked terrible, and it would take him several hours to clean all four.

Yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. I think the wheel size growth over time also mirrors the overall growth of cars. A 2020 M3 with 14" or 15" wheels wouldn't look right vs a 1986 version which would look wrong with 19" larger wheels.

 

[Jmm722]

Well, Mrs. Dino's MB is a performance oriented car, a C43 sedan. It comes with 18"s and there are optional 19" available. We stuck with the 18" alloys on that as it already had a firm enough ride...so we do have a little extra sidewall. So far knock on wood, not blow outs with this car. However, the OEM tires MB and some other German companies are putting on a lot of their cars are Continentals, which are garbage! Lots of blow outs on the Contis according to an MB forum and the most problematic tires I've ever dealt with in the past were Contis.

I had contis on my M2, no blowouts, but they did indeed suck. A piece of metal punctured one tire. They don't make them anymore for my car, so I put 4 new Michelin PS4s on it. Way better overall now.

You're right about the C43 being stiff. It does sound nice with the performance exhaust though. I test drove it a few times when I was car shopping last year. It was my favorite of the 340, C43, S4 lineup. The next C63 is supposedly going to be AWD, which will be more fun IMO because MB knows how to make an exhaust note.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

I just found those modular wheels too overdone. The stock 430 wheels were fine, but my favorites on that car were the Scud wheels.

The best part of that video for me was the F40LM. The FXX/Enzo and 599 were never dream cars for me. Great performers, but I never thought they were particularly attractive.

My favorite video of F1 cars on the street, is the old Shell Commercial. Its probably been posted here before, but here it is in case someone hasn't seen it.

I’ve seen that commercial, it’s nice but the staged aspect of it kinda ruined it for me.

It’s even louder in person. I love the FXX as it was a descendant of Ferrari’s last great SuperCar made. The LaFerrari doesn’t even come close in my book. Got to see one up close & personal in my day. It was at a driver event and was terrorizing the streets of a small town center.

This thing eats Porsche’s for lunch:

 

[HRoi]

Did you drive a Huracan before you opted for the 570s? Curious on your thoughts on the difference.

I did. I really like the Huracan but it’s different from the McLaren. It sounds a lot better, and has better throttle response/no turbo lag. On the other hand, the handling is not as sharp on turn in and side-to-side transitions as the 570S.

I didn’t pit the two against each other but they appear to be comparable in straight line acceleration, although the Mac is scarier because it punches you in the back once the turbos spool. I actually got lightheaded as a passenger. Huracan is more linear and fun in a different way (mainly because of the crescendo of exhaust noise). I suspect i would be faster around a track in the McLaren though.

Aesthetically i prefer the exterior of the McLaren but the interior of the Huracan. The Huracan looks super mean from the front, but the profile and rear are kinda plain. And the Mac has Lamborghini doors while the Lamborghini does not Interior is harder to judge because both have so many customization options, but tbh i’m a sucker for how they made the Huracan look like a fighter jet inside. the full Alcantara interior and CF panels (nicer/unique on the Evo and Performante) with diamond stitched interior would be my choice - that combo would be better than anything i could spec on a McLaren.

The Lambo is more expensive than the 570s, although i could have bought a nice one used for what i paid new for the 570s spider. It has a better reputation for reliability as well. Ultimately i went McLaren because i wanted a full new car warranty, i felt it offered more value for money, and my wife felt extremely claustrophobic in the Huracan. But i still like the latter a lot

 

[Dino944]

I had contis on my M2, no blowouts, but they did indeed suck. A piece of metal punctured one tire. They don't make them anymore for my car, so I put 4 new Michelin PS4s on it. Way better overall now.

You're right about the C43 being stiff. It does sound nice with the performance exhaust though. I test drove it a few times when I was car shopping last year. It was my favorite of the 340, C43, S4 lineup. The next C63 is supposedly going to be AWD, which will be more fun IMO because MB knows how to make an exhaust note.

As mentioned, there are lots of blowouts reported on one of the MB forums with Contis on C43s. I have or have had Michelins, Pirelli, Bridgestone, and Goodyears on cars, and never had any problems with tires from them Contis, I've had all sorts of issues.

We also did multiple test drives of the 340ix, 440ix, the S4/S5 and greatly preferred the C43. Yes, we ordered it with the AMG performance exhaust .Yes, I heard that the new C63 will be AWD and the new M3 will have AWD available as an option.

I’ve seen that commercial, it’s nice but the staged aspect of it kinda ruined it for me.

It’s even louder in person. I love the FXX as it was a descendant of Ferrari’s last great SuperCar made. The LaFerrari doesn’t even come close in my book. Got to see one up close & personal in my day. It was at a driver event and was terrorizing the streets of a small town center.

This thing eats Porsche’s for lunch:

Well it is a commercial, so yes its staged.

Racing Ferraris always sound great. However, I was never really a fan of the Enzo (in terms of its appearance) so for me the FXX was just even less attractive track version. Maybe its a generational thing...as I know lots of people who are in awe of the Enzo. It may provide a great driving experience, but it doesn't even make the list of dream cars I would buy if money was no object.

 

[otc]

And the Mac has Lamborghini doors while the Lamborghini does not

At the end of the day, that's pretty important

 

[otc]

So...is the convertible crossover going to become a thing?

We've already established that most crossover buyers aren't actually buying them for any sort of utility (they often don't have any more storage space or off-road capability than a similar price/platform car). Why wouldn't someone want to combine the feeling of the wind in your hair with the increased ride height and perceived safety of a CUV?

I see the convertible Murano every once and a while...and it sure is stupid looking, but I don't think Sebring convertible buyers really cared that much about how stupid their cars looked.

Jeep has proven that there's a market for open air in that form factor.

The Murano didn't make it...but there has been rumors of BMW making a drop-top X2, and VW making a convertible T-Roc CUV.

With the american public basically abandoning coupes and sedans...it seems inevitable.

edit: oh, and I forgot about the Evoque. Looks like a PowerWheels toy, but is at least a little less stupid than the Murano