Bullwings
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Posts posted by Bullwings
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nice work there. i need to work on some sliding too. I'll probably pick up some Retro freeride wheels. I figure the rounded corners will be more predictable. I'll probably get them in 80 or 83a.
I can't really slide with all my wheels being more of slalom wheels and duros of 75a to 78a... Not exactly sliding friendly. Last set of 85mm 75a speedvents chattered so badly that i high sided and got bucked off of the board.
Nice to see your progression thorugh videos.
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real world estimates done by Edmunds and Motor Trend have put their average driving MPG at 19 and 20.9 respectively. My daily commute is 30 miles of Los Angeles traffic one way, i don't plan to race up to everyone's bumpers only to slam on my brakes - don't do it with my truck, and didn't do it with my Porsche, this won't be any different. I expect turbo spool to be somewhere around 3500rpm and up (since it doesn't have that variable vane geometry turbo that the new 911 turbo has, which has full spool at something like 1800rpm). I'm accustomed to driving a turbo vehicle and it's characteristics, and don't expect to be seeing much bang bang in traffic, nor will i atempt to.
My truck takes Plus (not quite premium) due to modifications, otherwise i get detonation - it does get better milage though (if 14-15 is considered better, hehe).
As i said, the vehicle isn't purely for practical reasons, but I'd like to incorporate as much practicality as possible into an impractical vehicle if that makes any sense. And it can't be THAT bad to maintain compared to my 944 turbo. I had that thing for 4 years and put 13K miles on it over the 4 years - maintenance over those 4 years was something like $11K-$12K and that doesn't include changing the tires or brake pads. This car was in good shape too, an '86 with 59K miles when i bought it, sold at 72K miles about a month ago.
This is all good info though, thanks. I'm mainly concerned with unexpected maintenance costs such as radiators going bad, turbos dying, oil coolers dying, engines blowing, trannies ground to metal shavings, etc. etc.
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any specifics on how that tranny was destroyed? and the lack of power was due to being a non-turbo i'm assuming?
Anyway, seems like there is more satisfaction than dis-satisfaction with people and their Subies.
Looks like some early '09 WRXs have been having problems, and a few '08 STis. All within the first 3k-4k miles, i'm seeing. SOA has most them all covered under warranty according to the car forums.
Except for one incedent i've dug up at some STi forums, it appears as though the '09 STis are safe so far. Overall, though, even with the problems, SOA (subaru of america) seems to be covering the vast majority of claims, even for people that have obviously modded their vehicles.
Seems like for most of you, and over at the car forums too, that they naturally aspirated Subies definitely win out in the reliability department, although non-ultra modded turbo Subies tend to be doing ok.
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good luck with Bruce in time for the 09/10 season. you can always try though.
I got into contact with him around end of march to the middle of april, and i'm set for a December delivery of my board - details to be worked out later. It'll be my first metal board.
However, if prior sold the ATV in 161 with an 11.5M SCR in metal, that seems like it would work out for me. But, everyone here seems to give Bruce rave reviews, and at a fraction of all the other builder's prices - you just gotta be patient.
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how'd the surgery go albert?
thanks, time to dive into forums....
That freezing your wheels thread turning into a pissing match...very quickly...
Relatively ok. It was scheduled for 40min, but ended up taking about 2 and a half hours. The doctor had a really hard time extracting the rod from the middle of my tibia. Apparently bone had grown into all the un-used screw holes at both the top and bottom ends of the rod, thereby making extraction very difficult.
On the drive home after surgery, i started bleeding all over the place, and kept bleeding for about the next 4-5 hours. My brother noticed that a 3cm cut had been left unsutured... So, he had to rig up some other way to stop the bleeding (good thing he's a doctor). Anyway, when i went to my post-op appointment, doc took a look at it and said that the suture came loose because of all the pressure.
Everything is all good now, not as much pain anymore. knee is still swollen and super stiff, and the sutures are getting in the way, i can't bend my knee much or it feels like the sutures are tearing. overall, things are good.
Freezing wheels thread? is that at the fish? haven't been there for a while. I just ride now, i have most of the info i need as far as tweaking my board and general riding. I'll probably go back there when i try to learn how to slide.
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http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/
check out their forums, lots of info to be had there, but lots of junk to sift through too. Lots of kids post there that don't know what they're talking about, but lots of people that do know what they're talking about also post there.
gotta sift through the chaft. overall, a good site and pretty decent forums too. I still frequent the place, i just hardly ever post. most of the info i need i get at pavedwave, but that's more due to the style of riding that i do.
I've gotten pretty rusty though, i had no idea just HOW squirrely LDP decks are. I took a pretty decent long break from skating and went to ride my LDP deck (before surgery) down a hill that i normally do, and i got some speed wobs and got freaked out (yeah, all in my head i know).
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Cool, thanks for the insite corey, much Obliged. The R20 is pretty much the same power train that sits in the Audi S3 and the Audi TTS (2009 for both models). That pretty much means avoid for me, although I do know of aftermarket mods that let you split torque 40/60 such as in the older 2001 S4 that was a V6TT (my favorite model, lightest one, and a turbo).
The STi has nice torque splitter that allows adjustment from 50/50 to 35//65 F/R and also an auto mode that'll adjust it for road conditions etc. etc.
I've pretty much been settled on the newer STi, but I'm just looking at overall reliability.
As much as an older WRX wagon appeals to me and has the potential for mods to EASILY get power at 300HP, brembos in league with the STi, and suspension to boot there's something that cannot be modded - that's chassis dynamics, engineering, and overall stiffness (i'm not welding a roll cage into my car). The older STi's are a no go also, because they're not hatchback. As it stands this car is definitely seeing track use (Buttonwillow, Willowsprings, Infield at Fontana raceway etc. etc. lots of local tracks here in CA), and winding canyon road use (lots of that here too). As i said, i'm all about the turns and teh curves, i could care less about straightline speed (just like carving vs. straightliners up on the hill) - if i wanted that, i'd get, well I'd get an STi and mod it up, because it beats the crap out of super heavy american muscle cars that also can't turn haha...
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I doubt i'll being seeing much of the higher RPMs to even get the turbo spooling for my daily commute in Los Angeles traffic. When i drove my old 944 turbo, i was usually in the 2500-3300 rpm range while driving in traffic - not much turbo spool there.
I'm not planning on doing much as far as power mods are concerned - ECU probably, but i don't plan on voiding my waranty anytime soon.
I'm more concerned with braking and suspension, and really only suspension, since the STi already has huge brembos on it.
I'm not a drag racer, i don't plan on beating anyone to the next traffic light. Give me a nice empty twisty canyon road though, and i'm loving it. Handling/braking/weight trumps power/acceleration/straight-line speed for me as far as fun factor and true driving skill is concerned. But that's why I still want it to have decent power stock though (250 to 300), because i don't want to mod the crap out of it.
Still i realize i'll probably be only getting around 21 mpg average, which is about a 6-7 mpg improvement over my current ride. Ease of city driving and parking should be nice too.
Keep in mind, it's not purely a practicality kind of purchase. It's more of good buying market, sort of practical (not entirely), and i want/it's gonna be fun.
There really isn't much out there as far as hatchback, awd, light weight. GTI is front wheel drive (not ok in my books). R32 has more power and is awd, but also weighs more than 3500 lbs, no thanks to the hippo. R20 should be nice though, since it essnetially takes the S3 power train and drops it into the GTI (light weight 4 with a turbo - V6s and V8s are heavy).
But above all, the car needs to be reliable. That's why i got rid of my 944 turbo - not reliable and not a daily driver. I don't have rows and rows of money trees (marajuna plants) growing in my backyard to continue supporting that car (kept it for 4 years).
I've been reading up at car forums, but i also just wanted to get a feel from people here on their subarus.
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I just made a wish list.
Sliding gloves
Pair of khiro conical bushings (soft 83a)
Bigzigs 75mm Lime
$107
this is becoming an expensive hobby
Same situation for me and bruce. X2 for me, hbu?
171 x 21 13.2m 6mm (I think?)
I actually prefer Venom bushings to Khiros, but use both. The Khiro bushing pack is nice, but you probably won't be using the black, and purple ones, so they kind of get wasted.
Slide gloves you can actually make for much cheaper with:
-pair of good fitting gardening or bicycle gloves
-velcro
-plastic cutting board material and a saw
Board is going to be a full custom make for Bruce, not really going with any templates out there.
It'll be a shorter board around 160-165cm for use with moguls. It'll also be wider at 23.5cm since i prefer the wider boards, and it'll have a tighter SCR at something around 11.5-12m
so 162 X 23.5 and 11.5m (maybe even variable scr if Bruce tells me he has a good blend for something that length).
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Could you but a cone on top and a barrel on bottom? or reversed?
OT!
Oh yeah, Albert.
I just watched some raw footage from a carving day that i never posted on youtube.
Ditch the tanker, it chatters at too high speeds and doesn't have the edge hold you need.
I saw it right away in the video.
Yeah, you can mix it up and put cone/cone, barrel/cone, cone/barrel, barrel/barrel. And even throw in different duros in there for each one - whatever combination you can think of. that's why the Khiro bushing kit is so useful, you can make also sorts of bushings combinations. you can even do things like cone-barrel/cone, or cone-cone/barrel. it all depends on how long your kingpin is and what you can fit in there w/o smashing the bushings.
As for the Tanker, i think that chatter is more a lack of my skills than the board's limitations. In any case, i'm keeping it around for powder days and days when i want a longboard, but i'm still in line for Bruce to make me my ultimate carver/mogul killer. I'm set for a December delivery. haven't talke to him since April though. We'll get into contact when my build date nears.
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Gecko definitely knows more about skateboards than i do, i've only been skating for about 2 years.
i've only been on a few types of trucks too. As far as "carvy" trucks go, my Bennett 5.0 and 6.0s are way carvier than any randal trucks i've been on. The stock bushings suck, but replace them with some Khiro or Venom bushings, or custom bushings from Sk8kings and you're good to go. Another truck option is one that people either love or hate, no in between are Seismic trucks. Instead of bushings/grommets they use springs that can be swapped out for lighter or heavier compression rates and can be pre-loaded or unloaded by turning some screws. i personally, love them. They're super stable while still being able to turn tight - they're just not that good for pumping as far as front trucks are concerned. For a rear traction stable truck, though, they're awesome - they'll blow tracker RTS trucks out of the water any day. Some people say they even rival some of the precision trucks out there at a fraction of the price. Setup for carving, they can be quite nice too - stable while still turny. They can get squeaky though, and don't ride them through water if you can. We're in SoCal, but if you live in really cold areas, they beat bushings because they're consistent. Bushings change stiffness with the temperature, and if you're in a cold area and go out riding, they'll be stiff at first and will start warming up and get squishier.
Reverse king pin trucks are the in thing right now. As far as stability, i've never been on Indy's but i can tell you that the new Bennetts (not the super old ones from the 70s) are super divey and can make things a big sketchy if you're not used to that kind of thing, but at the same time, that's what makes them so awesome for carving super tight turns.
I only own slalom type wheels, and have hardly ever broken the wheels loose while carving. I did go carving on a day when it was sprinkling outside - hehe, that was fun and scary at the same time. I do however, want to get some freeride/longboard wheels that are a bit more predictable. Last time i ate $hit was when i tried sliding some 85mm speedvents - major major major uncontrolable chatter. I highsided and go bucked off of the board at about 15-20mph - luckily i had gloves and kneepads. Only my elbow and hip got messed up - should have worn the elbow pads.
In generally, while not as grippy, round lip wheels are more predictable and easier to control when you do break them loose, which you'll eventually want to do to control your speed. It's one of the things i plan to take up and get better at when i get back to boarding. I'm thinking some 76mm Flywheels, or i might look at something with a solid core. Any recomendations Gecko? I'm 145 lbs.
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wheels are probably last on the list of importance, but if you're getting some wheels, you can't go wrong with bigzigs.
as for softer bushings. I'd say get a set of Venom blue bushings with 1 cone and 1 barrel or double cone if you want it to be even turnier. You could even probably go with the orange ones - they're a little stiffer than the blues, but will offer more stability at the expense of pumping ease.
Anyway, pavedwave.org for all your pumping needs. In the end though, you'll just have to experiment and play around with stuff.
I've tried out a lot of different trucks, wedging, and bushing combos. The best trucks for me have been in the 125mm - 130mm range (Bennet 5.0s and Randal 125s). Randal 180s and Bennet 6.0s were more stable but required too much effort to pump for miles on end. Bennett 4.3s were to tippy for me, i didn't have any confidence being risered up so high on super tippy trucks.
Just keep in mind what you want to do, you can't have everything in one package. There is no such thing as a downhill, LDP, carving board...
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I'm pretty much looking at the new '09 STi since i'm planning on doing DE events and enjoying the multitude of twisty canyon roads we have out here in SoCal. that's also why the weight needs to be less than 3400 lbs. Yes, i know that Nissan's GTR is like 3800 lbs and kills everything out there, but i still don't like heavy cars - i have a truck, i don't want another one.
As far as taking it to the mountains, only on relatively dry days - which is the majority of the days out here. Cal trans is pretty good about cleaning stuff up. If there's expected snow on the road, it's back to my '99 sierra with 4wd and 140k miles on it.
I'm just looking for something to replace my truck as a daily driver. At around 14-15mpg, it's not exactly economical. It's still reliable, and i plan to keep it - the family always needs a "working" vehicle for getting things done. It's just a pain in the ass to park, especially parallel and parking garages - oooh how i hate parking garages. Made the mistake of parking next to the wall --- see Austin Powers and about 20 minutes of manuevering to get out. Also a few years back at a school, i had another truck park directly behind me, i couldn't get out. Had to wait 1 hour till the next rotation of classes to get out. U-turns aren't - more like 3 point turn for everything. Overall, I need a more commuter friendly vehicle. After 10 years of driving "the truck" i've saved up more than enough money to buy a car, and i think i want "a car."
Seems generally positive so far, with one negative. I have till October to decide - that's when my leg will be in working order again.
Thanks all, keep it coming.
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I'm making a replica of a vanguard, would that be better than my swallow for LDP?
Probably a little bit better.
ideally what you're looking for in an LDP board as far as shape is concerned is room to move your feet around. A board that is around 9 to 9.25 inches wide is good, with room to put your foot directly over the front truck so you can really manipulate it and get that tic-tac back and forth motion.
take a look at these boards/shapes:
Check out the Pulse 40 at subsonicskateboards.com
http://www.longboardlarry.com/boards/walkabout.php
http://www.stokedskateboards.com/roroemeldp.html or http://www.roeslalom.com/performance.html and check out the mermaid at the bottom.
Those are overall general shapes of LDP boards. If you can afford one, a decently good off the shelf (so the guys at pavedwave say) board to turn into an LDP board is the sector9 trylam http://www.daddiesboardshop.com/Sector9-carbontrylamlongboard-skateboard-deck-blue.aspx
good shape with the right amount of pop/flex. just keep in mind what you want to do. The vanguard that i have does NOT make a good LDP board. It's pumpable, but it just doesn't work out so well with 180mm wide trucks, you want something around 130mm or narrower for really easy pumping. They're just not as stable though.
Oh yeah, and as i've said, bushings and wedging makes all the difference in the world. I'd say as far as importance for pumping the order goes something like this:
-Bushings/wedging
-Trucks
-Board
-Wheels
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KC - lots and lots of swelling. I went into surgery to have them fix the broken leg, and came out with extra hardware, fasciotomy, and a wound vac.
WC, Gecko, and Arclite - I agree that you're better off with the Khiro wedge kit, especially if you're serious about getting into LDP - much more options to tinker around with the perfect setting. It's what i use, along with some 1/8" shock pad risers. However, they're not completely necessary.
The angled shock pad riser is a nice compromise for a fraction of the cost. The 7 or so degrees that you get from it is usually just what you need. Also the shock absorption is really nice.
As for extra fine controls - you don't really need that on an LDP deck. You're not racing through cones and trying to beat the guy next to you at 0.01 of a second. Also, you come across some crappy surfaces on a 10 mile ride - or 40 to 50+ miles like some of the pavedwave guys. You're looking for whatever is kindest to your body. Durability is also more of an issue, which is why Radikals suck for LDP. They're great for pumping and all the extra precision stuff that they give you for slalom, but they don't hold up to LDP - axles snap, bearings bind to the axles, stuff comes loose etc. etc. just ask James Peters.
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Hey all,
Quick question(s) for you Subie owners out there.
How's reliability?
What kind of mechanical problems have you have? Minor? Major?
Cost of repairs?
Opinions vs. previous vehicles you've owned as far as reliability?
D-Sub (if you're reading this) - i know you recently had a problem with your Subie. How many miles? Serious problem? Quick easy fix? Over all impressions/satisfaction with the vehicle?
Thanks all. I'm shopping for a car and i don't really have very many options as far as what's out there and what i'm looking for:
-Hatchback
-AWD
-Under 3400 lbs. curb weight
-250HP or more
I have three choices, but really only one... Subaru, VW R20 (scheduled first quarter 2010 release), Audi S3 not available in U.S. yet, which leaves me with Subaru...
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Kiteboarding vs. Windsurfing
Hardboots vs. Softboots
Road bike vs. Mt. Bike
Longboard vs. Streetboard
Traditional bow/arrow vs. compound bows
All of these "mines better arguements" sound a lot like "mines bigger..."
Anyway, this reads a lot like the general, "I'm bored and there's no snow but i'm still at BOL anyway" type of threads. Very entertaining
Oh yeah, and uhhh, i'm not contributing anything useful at this point, but neither is anyone else. hhuuuhuuh
This had a good start, but it doesn't seem like it's gonna turn into the 5+ page summer flame war thread unfortunately. ah well, i'll just sit around and wait
And thread drift, well, it's not a summer thread w/o it.
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subsonic skateboards. they'll make you a full custom board at the price of a landyachtz evo or less.
i know a reflex without the carbon fiber and fiber glass will only run you about $100.
check them out here http://www.subsonicskateboards.com/
i've had two of Scott's boards (both of the LDP models) and have been extremely pleased with the quality and price.
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arclite - hopefully you got the soft wedge riser and not the hard wedge risers which have very little angle on them and riser you up more than actually changing the angle of your trucks. get lots of screws, most of my screws are 1.5" to 3.0" long.
KC - ask away. and yes, the injury resulted in compartment syndrome. had to have a fasciotomy to save the leg.
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i'm pretty far from LA. i won't be doing much driving, let alone walking for a while... :(
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wish i could. unfortunately, this is my last week boarding for at least another 3 months or so. surgery is next thursday. I even have a loaded vanguard flex 4 that you could try out.
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I just went on a two mile LDP ride today. It took about 15 minutes or so.
Anyway, if you're serious about doing LDP, these are two piece of equipment you HAVE to get.
Khiro wedge kit.
And Khiro bushing kit. You'll have to do A LOT of experimentation with wedging your front truck, and a little bit with de-wedging your rear truck. You'll also need a number of bushing to go along with your experimenting.
Keep in mind that an LDP setup isn't so great for the down hill stuff. The super quick turning front truck that's nice and great for LDP makes your board squirrelly at speeds of 15mph or greater. If you want to carve on your LDP setup, make sure you keep the speeds down. Once you get some higher speeds going, good luck trying to foot brake with a super squirrely front truck. Good luck trying to carve it out too since your trucks will probably be super divey and turny.
Just something to keep in mind. It's fun and i like doing it, but i try to keep it to the flat lands. Once your balance gets better, you can bump up the speed a bit, and foot braking isn't as sketchy, but it's a big difference being on an LDP setup vs. a carving setup vs. a downhill setup.
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I couldn't find the LDP part....or im just blind.
You are most definitely blind
Click on the "How to Pump" tab at the very top. Watch some of the videos too. They're cool and silly looking at the same time.
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It's always best to buy stuff so that you get free shipping. I like ordering from daddiesboard shop because they don't tax you (store is located in oregon - none in CA) and they offer free shipping on all orders over $25.
As for LDP...
LDP = long distance pumping
essentially you dry hump the air and use that motion to propel yourself forward instead of putting your feet down to push off (kind of like how on a swing you can get yourself to swing faster and higher without ever pushing off of the ground). I've gone about a mile or two on flat land without ever putting my foot down to push off.
Skating accidents?
in Summer Carving
Posted
slalom boards are awesome, but that squirreliness is probably a super turny front truck (i'm assuming) which makes pumping super easy (an absolute necessity for slalom).
I've had a few spills, but i wear pads and usually walk away unscathed. I may look like a dork, but i know that i fall, and when i do, it doesn't hurt as much.
I've only gotten hurt a few times. One was when i tried sliding with some super sticky 75a speedvents and got major wheel chatter and got bucked off of the board. My hip and elbow got some decent road rash and bruising. Luckily i had slide gloves on or my hand woulda had a really bad time too.