The BMW UUC Digest Volume 3 : Issue 94 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: E39 Dashboard Goofiness Re: Rare BMW for Sale Re: Tire plug repair Re: Bright Computer lights - e34 Bright Computer Lights - e34 Re: DOT-R tire questions Re: DOT-R tire questions Re: DOT-R tire questions Re: DOT-R tire questions Re: DOT-R tire questions Mintex Red Box
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:47:29 -0600 From: "Robert Blakeney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: E39 Dashboard Goofiness Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The instrumentation on my 2000 528i with 54,000 miles has been acting goofy lately and I'll attempt to explain. Car off all day. Covered parking. Warm outside. Miles-to-empty reading on the computer spins up a few dozen miles, then back down, then back up, and continues. I cycle through the computer and it quits. Within two weeks of the above: Car off all night. Cool morning. Car starts and idles fine. At about two miles into the commute, the lower right idot light panel comes on. All indicators. "Brake" is yellow, auto transmission light is on, seat belt light is lit even though my belt is fastened, airbag light is dimly lit. And all buttons on the steering wheel are dead. At about ten miles in to the commute, the buttons come back on, the seat belt and airbag lights go out, but the yellow brake and transmission lights stay on. On the commute home in the evening, all the lights are off and buttons work as new. The above happened again this morning, in the same sequence. The Check Engine Light has been cycling on and off for about three months, but I'm guessing it's time for a new gas cap. OBC reader on order. Is there a "master" connector somewhere in the harness that might be loose? Perhaps a connector in the steering column? Would it be good to pull the main connector at the computer, clean it up and reseat it? (Sigh) my E34 535 at 15 years and 155,000 miles just runs. Kinda boring, really. Robert Houston ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:50:10 -0500 From: Phil Marx <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Rare BMW for Sale Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> David wrote: >I love the little 700s, and if this were a coupe or a cab (Phil, am I in >your will yet?) I would consider it. Just to clear things up a bit, the 700 >was designed by Michelotti, ...as was its contemporary, the Triumph Herald. And, of course, they both bear a striking similarity to Michelotti's designs for Ferrari, especially in the "hips". More noticeable in the convertible. I've got three 700 convertibles Dave. Plenty for everyone when I take the dirt nap. One of these days I've got three Isetta's, including one S/W convertible, to put up on eBay. -Phil ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:38:42 -0500 From: "Gaudio, Stefano" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Tire plug repair Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Dave, I don't mess with a tire with any sidewall damage but if the plug is not on the sidewall I don't stress too much about it either. I had a flat on my way to a track event - 2 nice thick nails - and after plugging the craters, I did 2 track days on them w/o any issues. I just made sure to check the tire before and after each session and I took it easy for the first 2 sessions. YMMV Stefano In response to... ---------- Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 18:39:38 -0500 From: "David A. Leonard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Tire plug repair Gary, what is your take on repairing tires with string plugs. I have had pretty good luck using them when it is a sheetrock screw or small nail in the tread area. I recently had a 16d nail that obviously went in at enough of an angle to hit the inside of the sidewall, and I dismounted and scrapped that tire. Are they reasonable to use, with a bunch of discretion? or unsafe at any speed? It sure is easier to do on the road than change a tire. Thanks, Dave Leonard 4 car owner with a lot of tires. ----------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:55:55 -0500 From: Phil Marx <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Bright Computer lights - e34 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Curt Ingraham wrote: >New bulbs give more light, and three bulbs give more light than two >or one. Is that what >you're asking about? That's not it at all. BMW is selling the wrong bulb, lower voltage rating (6v vs. 12v). The correct one is actually more common and there are a handful of them on the back of the instrument cluster. -Phil ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 07:35:56 -0800 (PST) From: dinty44 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Bright Computer Lights - e34 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Issue has been solved. Summary: Dealer computer system shows the wrong bulb for the application (high wattage) so it's MUCH brighter. If you install and leave them in, they'll burn bright, potentially melt plastic around the bulbs, and burn out in days/weeks. The wrong bulbs have a light green plastic base and are about $5.00ea. The correct bulbs have a black plastic base and are ~$.80ea. I'm going to try to bring back the wrong bulbs to the dealer today. Wish me luck. Issue solved, David Moore __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:59:56 -0500 From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: DOT-R tire questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tarun wrote: >I have a set of DOT-R tires that are 5 years old. They still have plenty of tread on them. Until 2 winters ago they were stored in my basement. But the last 2 winters they have been kept in a non heated garage. Are these safe to use for a drivers school or should they be tossed? Note they have been used the past 2 years. =========== I'll be the voice of opposition here. Go ahead and use them. They are entirely safe. Will they be as sticky? Nope, you'll have lost some grip. But they will still be way more than safe enough. Perform an inspection, make sure there are no cracks, but assuming that they look good, there's no reason why you can't use them. Jeez, they're still ostensibly street tires. I know lots and lots and lots of DE folks with track cars who just store their cars with the DOT-R tires still mounted over the winter, with zero problems. Vty, --Dennis ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:23:19 -0800 From: "Marco Romani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: DOT-R tire questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> It depends on your definition of safety - will they blow out? probably not. If safety is also a factor of grip then I'd say yes toss em in the trash. one data point - I had a set of never used (scrubbed in only) MPSC that were about slightly over 2 years old. I ran embarrassing 2:10s at Thill on them. I switched to a brand new set that were 30 weeks old and ran 2:04s with out trying. That was the only change I made between sessions. Now if a track shows up older than 1 year old when I buy it I refuse delivery. When I'm on the track I want as much grip as possible, not just to go fast but to also to have the responsiveness I need in extremis situations. IMNSHO - junk em. Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Tarun wrote: >I have a set of DOT-R tires that are 5 years old. They still have plenty of tread on them. Until 2 winters ago they were stored in my basement. But the last 2 winters they have been kept in a non heated garage. Are these safe to use for a drivers school or should they be tossed? Note they have been used the past 2 years. =========== I'll be the voice of opposition here. Go ahead and use them. They are entirely safe. Will they be as sticky? Nope, you'll have lost some grip. But they will still be way more than safe enough. Perform an inspection, make sure there are no cracks, but assuming that they look good, there's no reason why you can't use them. Jeez, they're still ostensibly street tires. I know lots and lots and lots of DE folks with track cars who just store their cars with the DOT-R tires still mounted over the winter, with zero problems. Vty, --Dennis Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:34:52 -0500 From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: DOT-R tire questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ah, but it's not really a "safety" issue now so much as it is a "performance" issue. Old r-compound tires are still stickier than non-r-compound tires. Of course, they won't be as sticky as fresh, new r-compound tires. But then again, they won't be as sticky as race slicks either. It's all about the level of performance for which one is willing to pay. It's the same reason racers throw away tires after a qualifying session - they NEED every split second, and if it costs $2k a pop, well then so be it. If Tarun wants better performance, he can throw out the old tires and buy new. If he wants to save money and still have a lot of fun - safely - he can go ahead and use the old tires. FWIW, I have a garage full of old (and some REALLY OLD) Pirelli P-zero slicks, ex-Ferrari Challenge, that I got for $75 apiece or free. The garage is unheated. I have run events on these tires. They still stick very well, and are no less predictable then new slicks. I'm down 2-8 seconds compared to new tires, but that's also about $1600 I save. Is it worth $1600 to me for a few seconds? Not for DE purposes. In any event, the tires are "safe", in that they won't blow out (or I should say they are not materially more likely to blow out than new tires). If you want to go faster, spend more money. :-) Vty, --Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marco Romani Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions It depends on your definition of safety - will they blow out? probably not. If safety is also a factor of grip then I'd say yes toss em in the trash. one data point - I had a set of never used (scrubbed in only) MPSC that were about slightly over 2 years old. I ran embarrassing 2:10s at Thill on them. I switched to a brand new set that were 30 weeks old and ran 2:04s with out trying. That was the only change I made between sessions. Now if a track shows up older than 1 year old when I buy it I refuse delivery. When I'm on the track I want as much grip as possible, not just to go fast but to also to have the responsiveness I need in extremis situations. IMNSHO - junk em. Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Tarun wrote: >I have a set of DOT-R tires that are 5 years old. They still have >plenty of tread on them. Until 2 winters ago they were stored in my basement. But the last 2 winters they have been kept in a non heated garage. Are these safe to use for a drivers school or should they be tossed? Note they have been used the past 2 years. =========== I'll be the voice of opposition here. Go ahead and use them. They are entirely safe. Will they be as sticky? Nope, you'll have lost some grip. But they will still be way more than safe enough. Perform an inspection, make sure there are no cracks, but assuming that they look good, there's no reason why you can't use them. Jeez, they're still ostensibly street tires. I know lots and lots and lots of DE folks with track cars who just store their cars with the DOT-R tires still mounted over the winter, with zero problems. Vty, --Dennis Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:44:10 -0800 From: "Marco Romani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: DOT-R tire questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> We can agree to disagree. My view point comes from if I need all the grip possible to avoid some bonehead and I don't have that grip becuase I'm running on old tires and therefore I plow into someone I've made a poor financial decision. >From my example those tires were nearly undriveable. They were not safe. The amazing thing was the track event after I had them dismounted by the track tire guy and paid him to "toss them" out I saw the very same tires sitting outside his shop for sale. They looked great..... Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Ah, but it's not really a "safety" issue now so much as it is a "performance" issue. Old r-compound tires are still stickier than non-r-compound tires. Of course, they won't be as sticky as fresh, new r-compound tires. But then again, they won't be as sticky as race slicks either. It's all about the level of performance for which one is willing to pay. It's the same reason racers throw away tires after a qualifying session - they NEED every split second, and if it costs $2k a pop, well then so be it. If Tarun wants better performance, he can throw out the old tires and buy new. If he wants to save money and still have a lot of fun - safely - he can go ahead and use the old tires. FWIW, I have a garage full of old (and some REALLY OLD) Pirelli P-zero slicks, ex-Ferrari Challenge, that I got for $75 apiece or free. The garage is unheated. I have run events on these tires. They still stick very well, and are no less predictable then new slicks. I'm down 2-8 seconds compared to new tires, but that's also about $1600 I save. Is it worth $1600 to me for a few seconds? Not for DE purposes. In any event, the tires are "safe", in that they won't blow out (or I should say they are not materially more likely to blow out than new tires). If you want to go faster, spend more money. :-) Vty, --Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marco Romani Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions It depends on your definition of safety - will they blow out? probably not. If safety is also a factor of grip then I'd say yes toss em in the trash. one data point - I had a set of never used (scrubbed in only) MPSC that were about slightly over 2 years old. I ran embarrassing 2:10s at Thill on them. I switched to a brand new set that were 30 weeks old and ran 2:04s with out trying. That was the only change I made between sessions. Now if a track shows up older than 1 year old when I buy it I refuse delivery. When I'm on the track I want as much grip as possible, not just to go fast but to also to have the responsiveness I need in extremis situations. IMNSHO - junk em. Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Tarun wrote: >I have a set of DOT-R tires that are 5 years old. They still have >plenty of tread on them. Until 2 winters ago they were stored in my basement. But the last 2 winters they have been kept in a non heated garage. Are these safe to use for a drivers school or should they be tossed? Note they have been used the past 2 years. =========== I'll be the voice of opposition here. Go ahead and use them. They are entirely safe. Will they be as sticky? Nope, you'll have lost some grip. But they will still be way more than safe enough. Perform an inspection, make sure there are no cracks, but assuming that they look good, there's no reason why you can't use them. Jeez, they're still ostensibly street tires. I know lots and lots and lots of DE folks with track cars who just store their cars with the DOT-R tires still mounted over the winter, with zero problems. Vty, --Dennis Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:53:16 -0500 From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: DOT-R tire questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> So, if, g_d forbit, you do have an incident and hit some bonehead while you're on your brand new spiffy R-compound tires, do you then kick yourself for not having spent the money (and effort) to have outfitted yourself with new racing slicks? :-) In your shoes, I would have done the same thing - if the old tires were so bad that the car was handling poorly ("undriveable"), I would have tossed them myself, no matter how they look. But I don't think storing tires for two years, even in an unheated garage, would meant they they automatically turn into concrete -- in other words, two years of storage does not ALWAYS = undriveable. I think Tarun's point was to ask whether they would be safe enough to use. I think, given this dialogue, that one can draw the conclusion that these tires won't blow out, but they will offer less grip than what one might have wanted. Lastly, I guess my philosophy on the track is a bit different than yours, Marco. I try to drive within the limits of my equipment, whatever they are. I spend a fair bit of time behind the wheel of lots of different cars (students usually ask me to drive theirs for a few laps), and performance varies a lot. Obviously, I'm only going to drive a student's car at 7/10ths, but even when it's one of my own, if my tires suck that day, or if I'm suffering some other issue that's hindering my ability to go as fast as I think I ought to be able to go, well, I just go slower and enjoy myself. It's not racing (yet!). :-) Vty, --Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marco Romani Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions We can agree to disagree. My view point comes from if I need all the grip possible to avoid some bonehead and I don't have that grip becuase I'm running on old tires and therefore I plow into someone I've made a poor financial decision. >From my example those tires were nearly undriveable. They were not safe. The amazing thing was the track event after I had them dismounted by the track tire guy and paid him to "toss them" out I saw the very same tires sitting outside his shop for sale. They looked great..... Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Ah, but it's not really a "safety" issue now so much as it is a "performance" issue. Old r-compound tires are still stickier than non-r-compound tires. Of course, they won't be as sticky as fresh, new r-compound tires. But then again, they won't be as sticky as race slicks either. It's all about the level of performance for which one is willing to pay. It's the same reason racers throw away tires after a qualifying session - they NEED every split second, and if it costs $2k a pop, well then so be it. If Tarun wants better performance, he can throw out the old tires and buy new. If he wants to save money and still have a lot of fun - safely - he can go ahead and use the old tires. FWIW, I have a garage full of old (and some REALLY OLD) Pirelli P-zero slicks, ex-Ferrari Challenge, that I got for $75 apiece or free. The garage is unheated. I have run events on these tires. They still stick very well, and are no less predictable then new slicks. I'm down 2-8 seconds compared to new tires, but that's also about $1600 I save. Is it worth $1600 to me for a few seconds? Not for DE purposes. In any event, the tires are "safe", in that they won't blow out (or I should say they are not materially more likely to blow out than new tires). If you want to go faster, spend more money. :-) Vty, --Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marco Romani Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions It depends on your definition of safety - will they blow out? probably not. If safety is also a factor of grip then I'd say yes toss em in the trash. one data point - I had a set of never used (scrubbed in only) MPSC that were about slightly over 2 years old. I ran embarrassing 2:10s at Thill on them. I switched to a brand new set that were 30 weeks old and ran 2:04s with out trying. That was the only change I made between sessions. Now if a track shows up older than 1 year old when I buy it I refuse delivery. When I'm on the track I want as much grip as possible, not just to go fast but to also to have the responsiveness I need in extremis situations. IMNSHO - junk em. Marco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dennis Liu Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] DOT-R tire questions Tarun wrote: >I have a set of DOT-R tires that are 5 years old. They still have >plenty of tread on them. Until 2 winters ago they were stored in my basement. But the last 2 winters they have been kept in a non heated garage. Are these safe to use for a drivers school or should they be tossed? Note they have been used the past 2 years. =========== I'll be the voice of opposition here. Go ahead and use them. They are entirely safe. Will they be as sticky? Nope, you'll have lost some grip. But they will still be way more than safe enough. Perform an inspection, make sure there are no cracks, but assuming that they look good, there's no reason why you can't use them. Jeez, they're still ostensibly street tires. I know lots and lots and lots of DE folks with track cars who just store their cars with the DOT-R tires still mounted over the winter, with zero problems. Vty, --Dennis Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:32:41 -0800 (PST) From: kjk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Mintex Red Box Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mark Gold wrote: "I haven't used Mintex, but I am using EBC Greenstuff up front, and they dust pretty bad. It may be partially related to my ATE Powerdiscs which are slotted. I plan on trying a different brand (I also have heard good things about Akebono) when these wear out." I swear I have never read a good review of EBC's and have heard nothing but good things about Akebono. When I had stock front brakes I ran the red box and they were okay and dusted much less than stock. I have them now on my wife's 323iT and have to say that although they dust a bit less I prefer the feel of stock pads. I actually prefer the Mintex Ctech 1144 for daily driving. Squeak a bit but much better bite. Kevin Kelly '00 323iT '91 M5 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(11 messages) **********
