- 5,768
- Anoka, MN
Okay, just so we're on the same page. 
Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions
- Thread starter nd 4 holden spd
- 1,479 comments
- 84,046 views
- 4,213
- Puerto Rico
- motortrend
what do you people think are the most reliable? japanese cars or german in general?
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Rotary Junkie
Premium
- 9,810
- Canton, MI
- RJs_RX-7
The Japanese grenade stuff whilst the Germans don't, however German cars will drive you up the wall with electrical problems.
- 4,213
- Puerto Rico
- motortrend
Thank you, My aunt's honda has had some computer problems, however, the engine is perfect, and my Parent have always have toyotas with 0 problems, the people I know with BMWs have had some computer problems too but much more costly than the japanese cars
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
That's just about the most generalised question possible
It depends on the individual marque, the class of car, when it was built, where they were built, how many electrical toys it has... so many different factors. Some German and Japanese cars are over-engineered and under-stressed so last for ages without any problems, but others from each country can be badly built, or have dodgy electrics, or rust easily etc. Some can be perfectly reliable in general, but have odd problems that always crop up on that particular model.In general, both German and Japanese cars are fairly reliable and fairly well built. To say one is better in general than the other has to take too many different factors into consideration. If I were to personally pick an example of a German car and a Japanese car for the sole purpose of having something that would never go wrong, I'd pick a well looked-after 80s/90s Volkswagen (probably a Golf) with a non-turbo diesel engine for the German car, and an 80s/90s Toyota Hilux as the Japanese choice. Both have enviable reputations for longevity and build quality.
- 8,480
- P_Balance
I say Shelby.
Rotary Junkie
Premium
- 9,810
- Canton, MI
- RJs_RX-7
Cali-forn-ya... Knows how to partay...
- 23,800
- Philippines
+1, on a coupe, where you don't have a crudload of sheetmetal back there to balance out the wider tail-lights, stock is best.
Most reliable?
American, obviously.
How many 1967 Mustangs do you still see on the road?
Now how many 1970 Datsun 240Zs do you still see on the road and not rotting on the side of it in a pile of rust?
Exactly.
*(no offense to other Nissan owners... I absolutely love the 240Z)
-
Like HFS says... there's a whole lot of factors involved in reliability... nationality of the brand name notwithstanding.
Note: Mitsubishi is Japanese... and there aren't a whole lot of people singing Hosannas about its reliability.
Whenever somebody has the cheek to call my Mazda/Ford unreliable, I tell them: only the electronics have given me (non-abuse-related) problems... and that's because they're made by Mitsubishi.
ROAD_DOGG33J
Premium
- 14,261
- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
Speaking of electrics, I had a bit of a problem getting my driver's side window up. The switch felt a bit stiff in the up position, so I pressed it in until it was a bit more normal. Then I couldn't get the window to move up. But after some hard pressing at different points, it came back up a bit erratically.
I would guess this is just a switch problem or could it be something else?
I would guess this is just a switch problem or could it be something else?
ROAD_DOGG33J
Premium
- 14,261
- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
98 Chevy Malibu
I looked online and it seems like there are window problems for every car out there. Oh yeah and it goes down smoothly, just not up.
I looked online and it seems like there are window problems for every car out there. Oh yeah and it goes down smoothly, just not up.
- 9,646
- Minus955
Why do you keep saying grenaded? Lubricants degrade over time. Replacing them can help solve problems with "stiff" shifters and some grinding issues.
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
More questions. Related to my car, but not related to what I'm doing at the moment.
At some point, maybe in the near future, maybe not, I'll be changing the wheels on the Mazda. Much as I like the look of them (from a distance... up close they aren't so hot...) they neither do much for the handling (IMO) nor suit the style that I'll be aiming for with the car.
On the handling front, as I've mentioned elsewhere, they knacker the ride. I've driven an MX5 on the regular 14" wheels and whilst not exactly a magic carpet, it's a whole lot smoother than it is on 15"s and rubber band-esque tyres. Not to mention, on narrower tyres there's supposedly an improvement in steering feel, which is more my bag than outright grip. Plus of course, narrower tyres = moar sideways.
At the moment, I'm running 15 x 6.5J wheels with 195/55 R15 tyres. This is a pretty good rolling radius match for the standard 14 x 5.5JJ wheels and 185/60 R14s (something like a 0.35% reduction, which is well within the 2.5% difference they recommend you don't stray beyond). Mazda presumably spent a lot of time making the car work on 14"s so even as small a step as fitting 15"s to it is a compromise in the wrong direction, unless you're building something with a track focus (I'm not).
I'm looking at my options. Currently heading the field is the option to get some proper British Minilite wheels, in the same 14 x 5.5 as the original "daisies". They've a massive competition pedigree, they're very well made and don't fall apart at the first sign of a pothole. They're also pretty light. They also look fantastic on the MX5.
However, I can't get the idea out of my head that I could even try 13"s. As far as I'm aware they still fit around the standard brakes with no problems. And again, they look awesome:
These are 13s as far as I can make out...
What I'd like to know from you good GTP chaps, is whether 13"s would be equally as bad an idea as 15"s are. Would it turn my car into a bouncy mess with the big balloon tyres acting as undamped springs? Would it ruin my steering somehow? Is there even much point on the road? I'm aware that it apparently increases the chance of brake fade as you're getting less air to the discs, but then I'm looking for a country road car, which in the UK is all about something that can cope with bad surfaces and maintain momentum - I don't use my brakes much
So, 13s or 14s?
Any advice, as always, will be much appreciated.
N.B. What I will be doing, regardless, is getting my hands on a cheap set of daisies or even MX5 steelies from the 90bhp car to see how I like the way it drives on 14s. It'll help my decision a bit more before I splash out bigger bucks on fancy wheels. I'd still like to hear about 13s though 👍
At some point, maybe in the near future, maybe not, I'll be changing the wheels on the Mazda. Much as I like the look of them (from a distance... up close they aren't so hot...) they neither do much for the handling (IMO) nor suit the style that I'll be aiming for with the car.
On the handling front, as I've mentioned elsewhere, they knacker the ride. I've driven an MX5 on the regular 14" wheels and whilst not exactly a magic carpet, it's a whole lot smoother than it is on 15"s and rubber band-esque tyres. Not to mention, on narrower tyres there's supposedly an improvement in steering feel, which is more my bag than outright grip. Plus of course, narrower tyres = moar sideways.
At the moment, I'm running 15 x 6.5J wheels with 195/55 R15 tyres. This is a pretty good rolling radius match for the standard 14 x 5.5JJ wheels and 185/60 R14s (something like a 0.35% reduction, which is well within the 2.5% difference they recommend you don't stray beyond). Mazda presumably spent a lot of time making the car work on 14"s so even as small a step as fitting 15"s to it is a compromise in the wrong direction, unless you're building something with a track focus (I'm not).
I'm looking at my options. Currently heading the field is the option to get some proper British Minilite wheels, in the same 14 x 5.5 as the original "daisies". They've a massive competition pedigree, they're very well made and don't fall apart at the first sign of a pothole. They're also pretty light. They also look fantastic on the MX5.
However, I can't get the idea out of my head that I could even try 13"s. As far as I'm aware they still fit around the standard brakes with no problems. And again, they look awesome:
These are 13s as far as I can make out...
What I'd like to know from you good GTP chaps, is whether 13"s would be equally as bad an idea as 15"s are. Would it turn my car into a bouncy mess with the big balloon tyres acting as undamped springs? Would it ruin my steering somehow? Is there even much point on the road? I'm aware that it apparently increases the chance of brake fade as you're getting less air to the discs, but then I'm looking for a country road car, which in the UK is all about something that can cope with bad surfaces and maintain momentum - I don't use my brakes much
So, 13s or 14s?
Any advice, as always, will be much appreciated.
N.B. What I will be doing, regardless, is getting my hands on a cheap set of daisies or even MX5 steelies from the 90bhp car to see how I like the way it drives on 14s. It'll help my decision a bit more before I splash out bigger bucks on fancy wheels. I'd still like to hear about 13s though 👍
- 8,480
- P_Balance
My buddies Miata with low offset 15s, on stiff Ohlins coilovers with 205 sticky tires has FAR better steering feel than it ever did with 14's, or any other Miata i've driven period.
You bought the wrong car for a "comfortable" ride (which I don't think is uncomfortable even with a 10/8kg spring rate). The only thing I see happening by putting 14s on it is pretty much reducing every single good aspect of the car for a slight increase in comfort. Just get some all seasons with soft sidewalls for the 15's.
You bought the wrong car for a "comfortable" ride (which I don't think is uncomfortable even with a 10/8kg spring rate). The only thing I see happening by putting 14s on it is pretty much reducing every single good aspect of the car for a slight increase in comfort. Just get some all seasons with soft sidewalls for the 15's.
Keef
Premium
- 25,097
- Dayton, OH
- GTP_KeefRacer
- GTP Keef
Yeah, 15s are the right size wheel, you just have the wrong size tire. Speed Junkie's car has 205/50 tires on a 15x7 wheel with a +21mm offset.
But overall it doesn't really matter what size the wheels are. Tires are more important in every aspect.
But overall it doesn't really matter what size the wheels are. Tires are more important in every aspect.
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
Thanks for your input PB 👍 I'd like to clarify a few things though:
I'm not expecting to attain a "comfortable" ride - if I wanted that I would have bought a Civic, or a Cordoba, or one of the other "normal" cars that I test-drove before buying the Mazda - but I regularly drive on roads in a few miles' radius of where I live that are far, far worse than anything I drove on in thousands of miles of driving in the States a few years back, whether they were in town, on the interstate or little backwater roads going nowhere. I know there's room for improvement and it won't be at the expense of handling (note - this is the slightly intangible quality of handling, rather than outright grip, that I'm after).
It's hard to explain, but it's about the initial bite of the steering and the feel when it's all loaded up. On wider tyres you have a quicker response but the steering feels quite numb up to about 5* either side of the straigh ahead. Doesn't sound like much, but it's important. Narrower tyres don't suffer that problem as much in my experience.
Next, the roads. I'm not just talking about pockmarked city streets (of which there are plenty where I live) but these sort of things:
Scarred tarmac, constant undulations, constant bumps, dodgy cambers, a dozen different surface changes, and high probability of bad weather. You can go so much faster in a car with a softer setup than you can with something stiff, low and wide-tyred, simply because you a) don't get beaten to death over the bumps, b) don't spend half your time correcting the car having skipped over a rut and c) enjoy it much more when the car flows rather than skips and darts.
Whether you think I'm making a mistake or not and somehow "reducing every single good aspect of the car" (which doesn't make sense to me), what I'm after here is some sort of advice on whether it's worth going down to 13s, or whether 14s will be more than I could hope for and offer the best of both worlds without too much compromise.
In all likelihood I'll probably keep the 15"s, as they'll make good trackday wheels...
EDIT: Sorry I missed your post Keef, I was typing at the time. I'll just refer you to the above. I don't see how I'll gain anything by going even wider with the tyres.
I'm not expecting to attain a "comfortable" ride - if I wanted that I would have bought a Civic, or a Cordoba, or one of the other "normal" cars that I test-drove before buying the Mazda - but I regularly drive on roads in a few miles' radius of where I live that are far, far worse than anything I drove on in thousands of miles of driving in the States a few years back, whether they were in town, on the interstate or little backwater roads going nowhere. I know there's room for improvement and it won't be at the expense of handling (note - this is the slightly intangible quality of handling, rather than outright grip, that I'm after).
It's hard to explain, but it's about the initial bite of the steering and the feel when it's all loaded up. On wider tyres you have a quicker response but the steering feels quite numb up to about 5* either side of the straigh ahead. Doesn't sound like much, but it's important. Narrower tyres don't suffer that problem as much in my experience.
Next, the roads. I'm not just talking about pockmarked city streets (of which there are plenty where I live) but these sort of things:
Scarred tarmac, constant undulations, constant bumps, dodgy cambers, a dozen different surface changes, and high probability of bad weather. You can go so much faster in a car with a softer setup than you can with something stiff, low and wide-tyred, simply because you a) don't get beaten to death over the bumps, b) don't spend half your time correcting the car having skipped over a rut and c) enjoy it much more when the car flows rather than skips and darts.
Whether you think I'm making a mistake or not and somehow "reducing every single good aspect of the car" (which doesn't make sense to me), what I'm after here is some sort of advice on whether it's worth going down to 13s, or whether 14s will be more than I could hope for and offer the best of both worlds without too much compromise.
In all likelihood I'll probably keep the 15"s, as they'll make good trackday wheels...
EDIT: Sorry I missed your post Keef, I was typing at the time. I'll just refer you to the above. I don't see how I'll gain anything by going even wider with the tyres.
- 8,480
- P_Balance
I'm not suggesting to get wider tires, I'm just saying you aren't going to get better feel with 14's than you would with the same tires in 15 inch, nor better "handling."
It's going to handle exactly the same, except with more flex in the tires. Basically adding sloppiness into the whole mix as a solution to a car that you feel is "too stiff."
Kind of like putting bigger sway bars on a car as a method of stiffening the suspension instead of actually addressing the fact that the springs aren't stiff enough. Or how some Ford trucks only have a camber adjustment on one side, so if it's screwed up on one side, you simply screw the other side up so they are equally screwed up. Basically I don't feel that it's a good way to correct your issue, which, being that your car is already stock, is simply the nature of the car.
It's going to handle exactly the same, except with more flex in the tires. Basically adding sloppiness into the whole mix as a solution to a car that you feel is "too stiff."
Kind of like putting bigger sway bars on a car as a method of stiffening the suspension instead of actually addressing the fact that the springs aren't stiff enough. Or how some Ford trucks only have a camber adjustment on one side, so if it's screwed up on one side, you simply screw the other side up so they are equally screwed up. Basically I don't feel that it's a good way to correct your issue, which, being that your car is already stock, is simply the nature of the car.
- 6,584
- Kent, UK
- GTP_Jondot
These are 13s as far as I can make out...
Technically I know less than nothing on the 15 -> 13 front, but those are horrid. Please don't do that to Danger Mouse. Seriously, keep it 14 or above.
There's a Mk1 MX5 on here with 14 inchers and it looks far more natural IMO.
(Not that I'm a fan of that particular Minilite copy, but you get the idea)
- 2,344
- Bristol UK
- GTP_Chris
Hey everyone,
i have a general question regarding CO2 Emission's.
Im importing a car to Austria from Dubai and i know that in EU the emission regulations are very strict, so therefor i did an emission test here at the local NISSAN dealership.
Now the problem i have is that the technician showed me that i have 18.57% of CO2 Emission.
18.57%of what? In EU its meassured in g/km.
Does anybody know how i can convert this figure to find out how much CO2 grams/km my car produces?
Thanks
Chris
i have a general question regarding CO2 Emission's.
Im importing a car to Austria from Dubai and i know that in EU the emission regulations are very strict, so therefor i did an emission test here at the local NISSAN dealership.
Now the problem i have is that the technician showed me that i have 18.57% of CO2 Emission.
18.57%of what? In EU its meassured in g/km.
Does anybody know how i can convert this figure to find out how much CO2 grams/km my car produces?
Thanks
Chris
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
LOL, homeforsummer is that your idea of a bad road? Looks like a half decent road by my local standards.
No, that's certainly not a bad road, it's just reasonably illustrative of a country (well, moorland) road in the UK. Things like the Hardknott and Wrynose Passes in Cumbria (plenty of vids on youtube) are more illustrative of the roads near me (well, in the next county across) but they're the sort of roads I want the car to work well over.
As for the tyre thing, I think there are a few things to note. One, there's a bit of a culture difference between what's expected to work on the roads in the UK compared to in the States (either that, or I'm explaining it really badly), the second is that I might not be making myself very clear on what I mean when I say the ride is bad, and the third is that I need to make it clear that I actually want less grip and that I'm not after an autocross setup or whatever.
Regarding point two of the above, let me explain the ride thing. The actual ride is perfectly acceptable on most surfaces and damn good through, but there are also a lot of genuinely bad surfaces around here that send a sharp shudder right through the chassis. At some point I'm planning to get a couple of under body chassis braces like the NA 1.8s were fitted with as that's supposed to improve things in that respect, but part of the motivation for going for smaller wheels with taller tyres is to take a little of the sting from those sharp bumps.
I can understand the point about Speed Junkie's car so thanks for bringing it up - but part of my motivation is also to give me the option of cheaper (yet still good) tyres. Going fatter and larger increases the load on my wallet...
Let me rephrase my original question. Will having smaller wheels with taller tyres (and therefore having a bit of extra give in the sidewalls/air to squish through), combined possibly with a wee bit of chassis bracing, do the trick of taking the edge off the particularly bad ruts and bumps?
- 23,800
- Philippines
They may not... unless you lower the pressures to the point you actually get lots of sidewall squirm (Less grip, okay... sidewall squirm, not).
A stiffer chassis allows the suspension to work better (which is why Mazda was able to fit a boat suspension to the NC without sacrificing corner speed), I'd go with that, rather than chasing after much smaller wheels on the slim chance it will fix the problem.
A stiffer chassis allows the suspension to work better (which is why Mazda was able to fit a boat suspension to the NC without sacrificing corner speed), I'd go with that, rather than chasing after much smaller wheels on the slim chance it will fix the problem.
- 8,480
- P_Balance
Chassis flex plays a part in absorbing bumps to some degree. Making the car stiffer will force the suspension, tires and bushings to absorb the bumps even more, making the ride "worse" ( or better imo).
14's will "improve" the ride by your terms if you get soft, baloony tires that make the vehicle unpredictable. Doing anything to the car itself to achieve what you want means literally degrading the car itself. There really isn't anything you can buy for your car itself to make it softer. There just isn't any demand for those kind of parts, as it reduces overall control and safety of the vehicle. Nobody buys a Miata and then looks for parts to turn it into a Buick.
If you get in a brand new vehicle, it feels bumpy and stiff at first, and then softens at the cars shocks and bushings wear. It's not generally something desirable.
14's will "improve" the ride by your terms if you get soft, baloony tires that make the vehicle unpredictable. Doing anything to the car itself to achieve what you want means literally degrading the car itself. There really isn't anything you can buy for your car itself to make it softer. There just isn't any demand for those kind of parts, as it reduces overall control and safety of the vehicle. Nobody buys a Miata and then looks for parts to turn it into a Buick.
If you get in a brand new vehicle, it feels bumpy and stiff at first, and then softens at the cars shocks and bushings wear. It's not generally something desirable.
- 195
- AZ
- RyanstencH
I'm a bit confused on this one and the only place I can go that specializes in Volkswagen is 80 miles away. My girlfriends 1999 Passat shakes really bad in reverse and all of her lights (Park, Drive, N, 1, 2. It is an automatic) are on (not flashing, consistently on). Her coolant has been leaking for a good month now too and I have to fill the coolant reservoir tank up every week.
The shaking in reverse made me think Trans mounts but I have no idea why every light is on. I recently changed the plugs, wires, oil, engine oil filter too. Anyone have an idea?
The shaking in reverse made me think Trans mounts but I have no idea why every light is on. I recently changed the plugs, wires, oil, engine oil filter too. Anyone have an idea?
Keef
Premium
- 25,097
- Dayton, OH
- GTP_KeefRacer
- GTP Keef
The best way is probably to take that metal thing off, strip the old coating, scuff, clean, prime and paint it. Spray paint should be plenty durable. I'm a fan of Sherwin Williams spray-can primer and flat black personally, the stuff is really tough if you do a good prep job. It's still spotless on my Civic's wiper arms after two winters, two summers, and a concrete wall.
If you're clever at scraping the old stuff off you can even clean and paint it while it's on the car. Just have to do a super duper tape job and cover everything on that side with newspaper.
If you're clever at scraping the old stuff off you can even clean and paint it while it's on the car. Just have to do a super duper tape job and cover everything on that side with newspaper.
! Ive done that to my 2 civics and it looks great! Or you can buy some new ones (a bit expensive)!
