7/28/00
Took delivery tonight, and I love her! I got to the dealership around 7pm, finished the paper work, and
Bob and I got gas as he showed me around the car. I was on the road by about 7:50 and tooling around
town. The shifter is as smooth as I remembered it being on the test drive. The engine is strong and I
am finding myself dropping the window and lowering the radio just to hear the turbo spool. WOW! What
a great noise!
Coming from a 95 Subaru Legacy LS wagon, which was a great car, the quality of this car is higher.
Everything in the interior is smooth, the cup holder slides out, the lighter smoothly flips over, the
windows move fast (Subaru owners may notice this) the locks are quiet. The lighting, while initially
brighter than I like (I drove with them NEARLY all the way off on my previous car) I am thinking I
will get used to them. The red is much nicer on the night vision.
Things that have blown me away (beyond the fact that this is the best looking wagon on the market.
Period) the Xenon headlights and the dimming mirrors. These headlights kept me enthralled all evening.
Wow! Everything lights up! Everything reflects! And that line! The light just stops. That is it. It
is fun to watch it bounce up and down as you drive around. Fun! The mirrors, as you all know, dim
according to the amount of light the rear view mirror perceives and dims all three mirrors
accordingly. Man, how did I ever live without this feature? Makes expressway driving (Chicago) so
much more enjoyable. I do, however, have to pay more attention, as it makes cop identification more
difficult. I always look back at on ramps to make sure there are no cops in the merging traffic and
I nearly missed on due to the darker mirrors. But they are great.
I clocked 250 miles tonight, and I love it. This break in period will be hard, and I have already
pushed her too hard in terms of WOT (wide open throttle) but I only hit redline once. heehee...
Man, this is a fun car.
8/3/00
One week down, I have passed the break in period, as I took a little road trip to eastern Iowa, and
today I did the clear corner mod and the fog light mod, which went well, although I haven't got the
fog light box back on its perch yet, but it is in there and not going anywhere.
I washed the car for the first time, and it really is a pretty machine. Hand washing always gives one
a great upclose look at the details and lines of a car. It has such a subtle look, in that it is not
every other car out there, but at the same time doesn't stick out in any outlandish way, just elegant.
At the same time, it is aggressive enough for my tastes. The tires fill out the wheel wells nicely.
Not quite as full as I would like, but after market rims will happen eventually, and a suspension
change more than likely, but she is great now. I will change later. I am REALLY happy with the silver
as well. I know that everyone else has silver, but I honestly rarely see wagons, so I am unique in
that respect. The black interior complements it well too.
I have received a number of admiring glances too. I have had a couple drivers pointing out the car to
their passengers and cars moving to get better looks. I pulled into the local Dairy Queen and a group
of 50 year old guys were walked around and talked nice about it. I was happy. I am surprised that it
gets looks, being a car that has been on the market for 4 years.
I also bought a Yakima roof rack. I was going to wait a little while for financial reasons, but I
found myself needing bike movement, and no place to put them. Oh well. So I went out to my local REI
and bought a set of Doublecross supports (the ones that attach to the factory rack), 48 inch bars,
and the locks I would need to lock it all down. The info is at the
Roof Rack page. The rack was easy to install, under an hour easy, and I measured everything to
make sure I had it perfectly straight. I mounted the bike rack so the bike would face forward
initially, but found the wind noise was a little annoying. The next day I switched them so both
racks were facing backwards, so the larger part of the bike attachment was over the rear of the car.
I figured this would decrease the amount of noise that I would hear, although I am sure the wind
noise is still there, just farther back. I am thinking of getting a fairing to see how that changes
the noise, but it isn't really that annoying, as I usually have the stereo up or I am talking, and
the noise is only above 65 mph or so. We shall see what I do about it later.
There are lots of mods I want, of course, suspension, wheels, exhaust, chip, etc etc etc... but I
think the clear corner looks really pretty, and I really shouldn't spend any more money on her right
now. I do think, however, that the change holder from the Audi 100 in the center armrest is needed,
even though the tollway is automated, so I haven't a toll change need per se.
Again, the little things are great. The cargo net, while arguably the most complex net I have EVER
used or see, works well. The little outlet in the cargo area is nice, and will make my tradition of
christmas lights on the roof a WHOLE lot easier (You'll see in December). The homelink garage door
repeater is really nice as well, and has better range than the ones that came with the door, which
is nice. (Not that I park in the garage, as it is already spoken for, but...) The speed alarm is
nice, but I don't use it that much. I have it set at 95 mph, just in case I get ahead of myself
accidentally.
The trip computer is really nice, I like the functions, although it is usually in instant MPG, and I
have learned a little about how I use gas. Helpful. I am not sure on my gas mileage, but I willing
to bet about 19-21. Damn lead foot (heehee).
I still love her.
8/10/00
Took 4 people in the car this week, and the back seat is tight. I knew that before I got the car,
and I don't often take passengers far, but they were ok for our little trip up to the store. All
of my passengers like the car (or so they tell me) and nearly every front seat passenger hits the
cupholder. Everyone who opens the ashtray (myself included) pops the button that pushes it out.
heehee.
The first aid kit is neat, but I haven't needed it (good thing) and the rear armrest is nice too.
I sat in the back seat for shits and giggles, and it is a bit tight, especially behind my seat
(I am over 6 feet) but not too bad.
I have been meaning to comment on the sport seats (the whole reason I had to order the car in the
first place). I really like them! The cloth interior is really a nice fabric, and I like the
bolstering. The thigh bolsters get a little annoying, as I carry a wallet and a palm top computer
with me at all times and they get pushed into my leg by the bolsters. I just take them out of my
pockets. Problem solved. I have found myself using the seats to hold me in, unlike the Subaru, where
I used the door, shifter, wheel, dead pedal, etc, a whole lot more. They are very nice. I have
clocked plenty of miles and the lumbar support is great, the position is great, between the seat
adjustments and the tilt/telescope wheel. I would have liked power seats, but they are the best
manual seats I have ever seen. The controls for seat adjustments are outstanding. Although the
recline-on-a-knob feature, while standard VW fare I realize, is sorta annoying. No quick recline
while you sit in a parking lot waiting for someone.
I stay at a friend's house on the north side once in a while. Street parking only, which is a bit
scary. I find myself looking out the window at Audrey every hour or so, just to check on her. I
went out to move to a different spot, and an older gentleman commented on how pretty my car was
("Damn, that is one fine automobile"). He was giving me tips on where to park it. heehee.
My shifting is not perfect, but much improving from day 1. I drove stick for a few years, but I have
driven auto the last 5 years. I can still drive no problem, but my performance driving is not yet
super smooth. I am working on it, but it takes time, and I haven't figured out all the speeds vs.
gear vs. engine speed yet. I'll get it. I am improving though.
I really want a turbo timer, I think that will be the next addition, as I know I drive hard, and I
would feel better about it. I can't always sit there for a minute or so.
Also, I feel like the suspension lets the sidewalls roll on earlier than I remember. I had SP8000's
on the Subaru, and they lasted a bit longer I feel. Or maybe that is the difference between the
SP8000 and the SP8000E, who knows. I am thinking I will run the Dunlops down, then turn the 10 spokes
into winter rims and get 17's for summer time. We shall see. At the same time, the Subaru may have
just felt more dramatic while the Audi does it so much smoother. Whatever. She still handles better
than the Subaru.
I still lover her.
8/24/00
The logs are already getting behind! GREAT! Not too much to report, but I am getting way used to driving
Audrey. My shifting is improving greatly, and she really does haul nicely, although I am thinking of getting an
APR chip, so there is more power in my future?
I drove with 3 people in the backseat a couple times in the last week, and while it is ok for short trips
(which is all I did) it really isn't a great group hauler. Sorry Audi. Again, I knew this would be true, and it is
rare that I haul people so I don't see it being a huge problem. I also got the complaint that the center seat is
very hard, because of the armrest/first aid kit I would imagine.
I also took a long distance trip to Colorado (from Chicago) and it is a great distance car as well. I have not
found my favorite driving position yet, so I fiddled with it every few hours, but I was pretty comfortable for
the one 1100 mile day. 85 is a great cruising speed, and, compared to my Subaru, passing is an easy task. The
gas mileage wasn't too bad, 22 or 23, but I drive hard all the time, and it is much better than the 18-19 I was
used to, so that is a plus.
Points for the turbo out in Colorado as well, as I never really lost much power due to elevation. The Subaru (I
have made the drive a number of times) was slow (like it was a fast 2.2l before?) in the mountains and I was always
excited to get back down to sea level and open her back up. In the Audi, I only was at a loss below 1800 rpm, which
did make launching it even more difficult, but I got through it fine.
I let my friend drive it in the mountains (Canyon Road out of Boulder, for those that know-GREAT drive) and she was
impressed. She drives a Trooper, but she had driven the Subaru and her Dad fixes up Porsches and stuff, so she isn't
THAT out of the loop. It really does handle nicely, and the mountains were gobbled up easily. I took the time to
enjoy being a passenger, and it is not bad being the front seat passenger. Nice car. Funny, I did all the things
normal passengers do, pushed all the buttons, opened everything, etc. Odd, as it is my car, something about that
seat? oh well.
I was also out in Aspen, and had a great time over the mountain passes and the 2 lane highways. We opted on the backroad
(as compared to 70) from Colorado Springs to Aspen, and that is a pretty drive. I have a few pictures, but I really need
a digital camera QUICK. Soon. But the drive was very nice, and the car always seems to have some more power there, which
is nice. On the way back to denver (on 70) we got some speed up, and it really is solid when the speed gets higher too.
Nice and solid. The roofrack, although it does make wind noise, is not intrusive. Perhaps I am just used to it now, but
I don't hear it really. One friend even said she liked the sound. It is sorta nice.
The ESP system is being a bother lately, in that it is coming on, but not when I expect it to. When I bomb an off ramp
or throw it into a corner hard, I am not surprised when it comes on, but it has been coming on in hard, (relatively)
straight line acceleration. I was thinking perhaps it was being provoked by wheel spin, but I thought it only reacted
to a yaw sensor. Either way, it is sorta hard to reproduce consistently, so I will have to work on it, and read some
more on it before I bring it to the dealer. I have just gotten in the habit of turning it off in situations where I
think it would annoy me.
Also noticed, as I collected a giant bug collection on the trip to Colorado and back, that the driver side windshield
sprayer sprays directly into the wiper blade. Great. I'll have the dealer fix it at 5K miles.
The radio is also showing some signs of electrical gremlins. The display flickers every once in a while. For a while,
I thought it was just me and light reflecting in my peripheral vision or something, but no, I have actually seen it
happen a few times. I have also had the radio display in the trip computer disappear a few times. Usually changing
the source or turning the radio off and on again fixes it. It also jumps 1 steps if I leave the radio on when I turn
the car off and leave it for a bit. I initially thought that the radio just had poor bass, but a little fiddling
proved that it is only the passenger woofer that is distorting. It is making a farting type sound with bass hits at
moderate volume levels and moderate bass levels, and changing the balance shows the right side dropping out WAY before
the driver side. I'll mention all these at the dealer stop.
But those are minor. The car is still hitting hard and driving nice. I think the clear corners have been noticed, as
a few import racer style kids have offered to race. Usually they are little civic style kids, and a downshift and a
spurt of power is all I will give (it isn't worth racing) just to show that I have some power, but that is all I will
do. It is fun. I love driving this car.
The future, as finances allow, and they don't right now really, holds a turbo timer, an APR ECMS chip, and an exhaust.
Tires will get replaced when I kill the Dunlops, and if I can, I'll hop up to 17's. We shall see.
I still lover her.
8/31/00
Had the 5K check up today at my dealer. I had them do the service (I don't think they rotated the tires) and check out
the passenger door speaker, the brake light pick up point (I want the light to come on earlier in the pedal travel)
and adjust the windshield sprayers. Although I never spoke to the service dept. after they were done (they paged me
to the cashier and I left) the printout appears that they adjusted the sprayers, said the brake light was as far
adjusted as possible, and ordered a new speaker. Would have been nice if they had talked to me about it, but whatever.
It also took 30 minutes from to wash the car. I timed it from when I watched them drive out to when they came back.
I have no idea why, as they only put 4 miles on the car total. Whatever. I'll just fill out a comment card and be
done with it.
I didn't ask them to check out the ESP as I want more info on the situation before I make a point of it. They
acknowledged that the radio gremlins were normal and they had no way to fix it. That is fine, and I knew that,
but I am happy they acknowledged it. When the part comes in for the door speaker, I will have them rotate the
tires, as I am pretty sure they didn't.
It is also time for a waxing, and I will follow suit with the One Grand Blitz that the Audiworld.com people love so much.
I am sure it will look good.
I still lover her.
11/13/00
What a long time has passed!
First off, I hung out with some of the folks from Audiworld.com and that was a good time.
We met down at Laurel Audi in Westmont one night and it was nice to actually put faces to names. I road in Sameer's A4 with
an APR chip, and found that although I have 20 extra ponies compared to non 2001 models, I still can feel the power difference
with the chip compared to my non-chipped engine. I was pushed back against my seat much harder than I was used to. Nice.
Another thing I need to buy. I also saw the ECMS chip in action, and that is a smart little program, one I will certainly
consider getting myself when the time comes. I also heard a Borla exhaust, and it has a nice sound, not too loud, but a nice
improvement. Another thing I want. Mark Bradford had a new Lexus IS300 there as well, and we went for a spin in that, and I
wasn't regretting my Audi A4 at all. While I think the exterior of the car is nice, the interior is way too busy and unattractive
compared to the A4. The engine is nice, but doesn't feel much faster than the 1.8T, even though it has a higher HP rating. We
worked hard, and really couldn't make it do anything exciting. Oh well. Maybe if it had a stick?
Overall, I had a great time and look forward to meeting again!
I had a screw in my rear right tire repatched for $17. Easy. Then I found another one in the same tire. Different place, same tire.
Great.
I also found a wierd tumor like buldge in the front right tire. Took it to the dealer, hoping to get it under warranty, but I
had to pay. Oh well. I could have saved $30 if I had ordered the tire through the tirerack.com.
While I was there I set up the appointment for my the 10K service. I had them check out the ESP, as it still goes on at odd times,
change the front speaker that they ordered at my 5K service (and never called me about), check my gas mileage because it is
consistently lower than I think it should be, fix the driver's side mirror as it only dims about 15% of the time, and use
Mobil 1 0W30 that I provided. They gave me an Oldsmobile Alero for a loaner (they were out of cars, so I got one from Avis next
door) and took about half the day to fix the car. The ESP system was normal, they said, and it is supposed to kick in when it
detects wheel spin. Oh well, I'll just have to turn it off more often. They replaced the passenger side door speaker and I have
noticed bass response is much improved. It still a 4 inch speaker, so that is not to say I have GREAT bass response, but
considering where it was before, much improved. The were no fault codes in the computer, so evidently my gas mileage is normal.
I knew there were no fault codes, and I am not sure what I was expecting them to do, but I sill am sorta unhappy with the 19 mpg
I get. Oh well. (Go see the fuel log to see if that has improved at all). They replaced the mirror
innards and it works great now. Much thanks for that. The oil was installed, and I can tell because my oil temp gauge returns a
consistent 215 or so all the time, under nearly all conditions thus far. That is a good 20 or so degrees lower than before. Nice.
Lower temps are good.
I haven't been able to put much money into new mods and toys, but I did polish the tips on my exhaust pipe, and while it is
hardly something that I would call dramatic, it is certainly a nice little touch. Not too shabby. There should be some pics of
them in the misc. picture gallery. I also took off the airbag warning stickers. Looks a bit nicer.
I moved into the city in October, and I now live on the north side of Chicago. While driving out here is a bit more annoying,
I still enjoy the car. Of course, it is much harder on the car to be here, with stop and go all the time and poor roads, but
late at night, when there are significantly fewer cars on the road, it is nice to drive. But then, I got a speeding ticket on
Lake Shore Drive a bit ago, 60 in a 45. Great. The officer did complement me on the car, he liked it lots.
I also (finally) got my personalized plates. Those are nice. BRY 127. Nothing too flashy, but I like them. I only put on the rear
one, and I think I may get a matching euro plate for the front. I am still a bit ticked my the fact that I have big holes in
my front bumper, but oh well. I want an S4 bumper anyway.
I think that is everything that has happened lately. Snow is coming, we have already had flurries, and I really should get some
tires better suited to the fluffy white stuff. Having had the Dunlops in the past, I know that they are really not that great
in the snow. Some people have suggested the Dunlop SP 5000, which I have looked into and they aren't that expensive. They are
listed as ultra high performance all seasons, and the Potenza RE92 is considered high performance all season and while I have
had that tire in the past, I didn-t feel they were anything to write home about, so I think I will stay with the ultras.
But those cost money, and I would also like to buy other things, so who knows. Things to get- turbo timer, exhaust, intake...
a digital camera... who knows.
The car is still a blast to drive.
(The heated seats may have been nice though)
11/26/00
The weather has begun to get nasty... and I am finding out a couple of things. One, I don't really need the heated seats
yet. Two, the ESP is a really nice thing. Yes, I complained about it in the past, and it does cut into fun summer driving way
too often, but once it starts to get cold, I am happy with it. I haven't gotten new tires yet, so the cold weather hurts my tire
performance, and the ESP picks up nicely. VERY much worth the 500 or so odd dollars. Get it if you are questioning it.
I took my younger sister, her friend, and my parents out to a movie the other night. Two teens and one adult in the back seat.
They were ok, but not thrilled. My mom, who usually gets car sick, at least when I drive, and hates my driving, was ok. I also
took my cousin and his friend out over thanksgiving and they liked it as well, commenting that it was a much nicer riding car
than the subaru was.
Having moved to the city, the cleaning of the car has become much more difficult. I was the only guy at the spray and wash on
thanksgiving day at 10:30 pm when the trip computer read 22 degrees with a bucket and a wash mitt. At the same time, I had a
very clean car. It wasn't that bad of an experience actually, as the water is quite warm, but it is going to be a long
winter. Oh well.
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I have decided that I really want a new exhaust, intake, turbo timer, and the digital boost gauge that ed on
audiworld.com makes. But time will tell.
Other than that, nothing new to report, except I think I am getting a digital camera for christmas, so I can take more
pictures. Nice.
12/03/00
It is finally beginning to get cold here in Chicago, and I have decided that some sort of winter tire is in order. It is not
that I have actually had any trouble with the Dunlop SP8000s, but having used them in the past, I know that they are not great
winter tires. The temps are low enough that when the road is wet, I know I have little traction. I will be ordering winter
tires tomorrow from Tirerack, as I have used them in the past with great results. I was
debating between a set of Dunlop Winter Sport M2s and a set of Dunlop SP 5000s. The former being a true snow tire, a performance
oriented one, and the latter a high performance all season tire. In the past, I had used a dedicated snow tire, but I was living
in rural Iowa, where the snow removal is significantly different than my current home, downtown Chicago. Hence, I will be going
with the all seasons and we shall see. I love snow tires in the snow, but I hate them in the dry, cleared roads that exist all
the days when it is not snowing. We shall see how they go.
I picked up a christmas tree this weekend on the roof of Audrey. I removed the bike racks and spread the cross bars out to
take on the longer load. As I have had the rack all but three days, I was able to look under the attachments to see how the
factory rails were looking. While I can tell where the Doublecrosses sat on the factory rails when I look at them up close,
I am willing to chuck that up to the fact that they have been sitting there. I washed the car last night, I will check them
during the day tomorrow to see, but I am thinking everything is fine. I took a picture or two, so those should be in the gallery
sometime soon, as it was on my 35mm camera. I am getting a digital camera in the next couple weeks. We tied the tree to the
rack, and I placed some garbage bags down between the tree and the roof in an attempt to save some scratches. Looks fine now.
The rack worked well even though it is really hard to tie a tree down. But it went well, and it was about a 35 mile drive.
My girlfriend said that she noticed I have gotten noticeable better at launching the car lately. Four months and 11,000 miles
will do that, but I started thinking about it and paying more attention, and I have gotten the shifting down much smoother now
and I handle corners much better as well. My sister's friend said she didn't even notice that it was a stick, it was so smooth.
That is good. I still overrun the clutch every once in while, but I am getting better.
I also love this car on the expressway. Compared to my Subaru, this little car pulls like a dream in fourth gear and even well
in fifth, if I am too lazy to downshift. A light to moderately filled expressway is nearly addictive. So nice. I love it. I
could handle a commute of 30 miles each way if it were always that kind of traffic. Unforetunatly. I will more likely be
commuting in much denser traffic, we shall see. But I love it. I was driving today in fact, out to my parents in the burbs, and
a small Nissan Sentra (with stickers pronouncing its great speed parts by Nismo) kept passing me and looking over, as if he were
oh so great. When traffic cleared, I just dropped into fourth, and blew him out of the water with no effort at all. He stopped
bothering me the rest of the drive. I smiled. I love that ability to make cars get small in the rear view mirror so easily and
quickly. (I am not condoning speeding at all). I would like, however, to buy a Valentine 1
radar detector, but that will wait, as I have never had one and been ok (knock on wood).
I have noticed that Audrey has developed a really rattle coming from the engine when the RPMs are around 700-800, so you only
hear it at start up when the RPMs pass that range and after the car has warmed up and it is idling. The gear choice does not
play a role, and the slightest tap on the gas raises the revs so you can't hear it, but it is annoying to be waiting for a light
or in a parking lot or whatnot and sound like an old diesel. I will make an appt. at the dealer soon and have it checked out.
I have, in the past, put christmas lights on the roofrack of my wagon, and this year will be no exception. I haven't put
them up yet, but I will probably do it this week sometime and get some pictures up. It is always fun. Nothing else really to
report. New tires coming, new rattle found, and the love of the engine's sweet spot. Nice.
12/07/00
The first decent now of the season was last night/this morning. I slept at a friend's house and while I had already ordered a set
of Dunlop SP 5000s, they had yet to arrive. On the drive home, which was slow due to traffic, I drove very conservately as I know
that the SP 8000s on the car are poor winter tires. I tested braking a little on the side streets, which weren't nearly as
clear as the main roads, and found them to be sliding quite easily. Just before I got home, I stopped in the big parking lot
next to Lake Michigan to play. It is a very large lot with nothing in the middle. No lights, no blocks, no cars. I drove around
for a while to get the feeling of the car in the snow. I found it not all the dissimilar to the Subaru in the basic motions of
the car, which wasn't all that surprising, as they are close in weight and size and AWD. The Audi directs the power to each
wheel much smoother though. I haven't driven a stick in the snow in a while, and I have never driven a AWD stick. I am learning.
The car is easy to control, and it is a blast to drive in the snow, albeit a bit scary on the SP 8000s. Not long after I arrived
home, the UPS guy dropped off my tires. As I am new to the area, I pulled out the phone book (online really, but you know what I
mean) and chose the closest couple places. I ended up at Ashland Tire & Auto, 3737 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, (773) 549-0084.
They charged $20 a corner for mounting and balancing. The cost could have been cheaper elsewhere, but I really am glad I stopped
there. The guys, both in back and at the desk, seemed very nice and I had no qualms about my baby. I talked with the guy at the
desk most of the time, and they do all kinds of work there, although not too custom work. (I was thinking future parts install).
I was very happy, I didn't even have to mention that the SP 5000s are asimetrico. Nice.
On the drive home from the shop, I still drove nice, as I was carrying the old tires in the back and I didn't want them banging
around. After putting them in the basement, I headed back out to parking lot I had been to earlier. First off, and I knew this
before I bought the tires, these are not snow tires by any means, and hence don#39t perform like them. I have spent the
last 4 winters on Bridgestone Blizzaks, which are outstanding snow tires. They are tremendously poor dry performance tires
as well. I used to spend the winters in rural Iowa, where they plow by about 4 pm. In Chicago, that is not nearly as large an
issue. With that said...
The braking is noticeably improved compared to the 8000s, whose rubber is harder at lower temps and slides WAY too easy for my
tastes on wet roads when you are below about 30 degrees. I can still get the ABS to kick on easily, but much improved, I felt
much safer immediately. Handling in light snow (under 1 inch, common to light snow fall and unplowed roads) they handle
nearly as well as the Blizzaks, as the tread isn't working that hard. Much better than the 8000s. The parking lot had a
few cars chilling around the perimeter, and a few people driving around that perimeter, but no one in the middle. I am not
all that showy, but I felt I needed to test out the tires, so I guess everyone else got a little show. The 5000s grip noticeably
better than the 8000s, but not as good as Blizzaks (surprise!) when spinning through snow. But, they certainly feel up to par
for what I expect my winter tire needs to be.
I continued to drive through the roads near the lake, which are wide enough for angle parking on the sides and plenty of space
for 2 lanes. With very few cars out there, I turned off the ESP and let the rear end slide a bit around all the corners. Again,
the dynamics of an AWD car in snow are not really all that new to me, and the Audi is easy to hold in the slippery stuff. Fun
too! I am sure that dry handling will be good as well, based on others use of the same tire, and that was the main dislike of
Blizzaks. But we are expecting 2-3 more inches tonight, so I may be up early to play in the lot again tomorrow morning, you know,
testing the deeper snow performance. Hee hee.
Overall, I am, thus far, very happy with my tire purchase. I would still like to try out the Dunlop M2 winter tire, but I don't
think it is really necessary for me in my current environment. My other recent experience with all season tires was with the Bridgestone
Potenza RE 92, and I think the snow performance of the SP 5000 is better. The RE 92 was an ok summer tire, but nothing to write
home about and shamed by the SP 8000, as it should be. If you are looking at a high performance all season, check out the Dunlop
SP 5000. So far, they seem great, and I am feeling much better not driving on the SP 8000s!
In other news, I got my APR Snub Engine Mount this week as well, and I ordered a digital camera. The engine mount install is going
to happen soon, but I am going to have to find the time and a set of ramps at the very least. It looks like a 2-3 hour job
for me, as I have never removed those parts on the Audi before. I feel confident about the job, but just need the time and
the space, oh and some ramps. The digicam, a Toshiba PDR M5, should be here tomorrow or monday. That will be fun. More pictures!
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