re: the brakes- i was surprised too. but this was a 1999 model, so maybe
they had just put new pads on something? i never said it was bad, i just
cant figure out how "giant" and "sporty" are supposed to go together.
we were really comparing it to the car it is replacing, the 92 legend. ive
never had any problems with the brakes, er well now i think of it i have
smelled them after coming down those big hills near yosemite. :) but
certainly not on a little flat-road sprint.
-james c
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael R. Clements" <mrclem@telocity.com>
> James, looks like you got those BMW guys riled up!
>
> I must say that it shouldn't be that easy to stink up the brakes even on
> a lux boat. My wife's lux boat (110" wheelbase, 4,000 lb., V8 powered
> Lexus GS-430) doesn't have that problem. Under continual hard braking
> and acceleration back and forth from high speeds on the straights down
> to slow turns, non stop for about an hour on Hwy 128, the engine purred
> smoothly the entire time and the brakes never faded or raised the
> slightest odor. Is it too much to expect the same from a $70k BMW?
>
> I know all BMWs aren't as bad as the 740 that James drove. At the school
> I thought Frank Crow's 540i drove great with better handling & brakes
> than the GS430.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > [mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Thana,
> > Peter {High~Palo Alto}
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 15:17
> > To: 'james creasy'; Alan Gruner; Adam Steffes
> > Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > Subject: RE: bmw != POS , was Re: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> >
> >
> > >sunday we test drove a 1999 740i sport package BMW... i toasted the
> > >brakes just test driving it on the street! smelled up the
> > whole place
> > >when we
> > took
> > >it back. a nice car and certainly not a POS, but so numb you would
> > >learn every bad habit in the book trying to drive that in a 'sporty'
> > >manner. by 'numb' i mean you can give it ridiculously
> > violent inputs
> > >and the car responds very smoothly. difficult to get the rear out.
> > >(ps this behemoth is for the babe, not me!)
> >
> > Not sure what you're trying to prove, James. That BMWs are
> > lily-livered pansy cars not capable of living up to your
> > considerable machismo? If so it sounds like scored a mighty
> > victory over this poor car. Go test drive a bunch of other
> > cars with 115 inch wheelbases and 4250lbs of weight to carry
> > around and then tell us which one is "numb". I've personally
> > tried out a 740iL w/o sport package, and was amazed by how
> > small it feels relative to its actual size. I pushed the car
> > harder than its target market ever would and was impressed,
> > but obviously I didn't give it enough "ridiculously violent
> > inputs". Saying that a two ton luxury sedan doesn't respond
> > like a shifter kart is like driving your FFR and complaining
> > that it's too loud and doesn't have cupholders.
> > Extrapolating your experience with a 740 and one person's
> > broken part on an M3 to show that BMWs are not capable of
> > surviving track use is just plain stupid.
> >
> > Peter
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: james creasy [mailto:Black94PGT@pacbell.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 1:35 PM
> > To: Alan Gruner; Adam Steffes
> > Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > Subject: bmw != POS , was Re: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> >
> >
> > my friend's E36 M3 busted the frame where the front sway bar mounts.
> >
> > to be fair, you gotta remember that these are mass produced
> > as street cars, not race cars. they arent designed to take
> > the abuse of autocross or track driving. as people abuse the
> > new cars they discover the weak spots and can beef them up.
> >
> > sunday we test drove a 1999 740i sport package BMW... i
> > toasted the brakes just test driving it on the street!
> > smelled up the whole place when we took it back. a nice car
> > and certainly not a POS, but so numb you would learn every
> > bad habit in the book trying to drive that in a 'sporty'
> > manner. by 'numb' i mean you can give it ridiculously
> > violent inputs and the car responds very smoothly. difficult
> > to get the rear out. (ps this behemoth is for the babe, not me!)
> >
> > -james c
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Alan Gruner" <algruner@yahoo.com>
> > > What kind of POS was it? :)
> > >
> > > --- Adam Steffes <asteffes@asteffes.com> wrote:
> > > > A load induced by the 285-width Potenzas, I might
> > > > add. It's not like the
> > > > car was just a cheap POS.
> > > > -Adam
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, 21 May 2002, Navid Kahangi wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 11:59:55 -0700
> > > > > From: Navid Kahangi <navid@interwoven.com>
> > > > > To: 'Carl Merritt' <CMerritt@luminous.com>,
> > > > > 'Pat Kelly' <lollipop487@attbi.com>,
> > > > > 'Donald R McKenna'
> > > > <donbarbmckenna@earthlink.net>,
> > > > > Barry Spencer <bspencer@tsoft.com>, Peter
> > > > Mottaz <mph_16@hotmail.com>,
> > > > > bchafin@attglobal.net,
> > > > ellenrosenbluth@hotmail.com, ellamt@sbc.com
> > > > > Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > > > > Subject: RE: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> > > > >
> > > > > My power steering problem was not caused by German
> > > > Engineering, it was good
> > > > > ol' American handy work. The hose that I busted
> > > > at Stockton a couple of
> > > > > weeks ago was on back order, so I had a hose
> > > > fabricated to get me going.
> > > > > They did a great job on the hose, but they either
> > > > didn't tighten the bolts
> > > > > hard enough, or they came loose under load.
> > > > >
> > > > > Carl did an excellent job of driving his underdog
> > > > NA car in T3, especially
> > > > > in the twisty technical tracks!
> > > > >
> > > > > --Navid
> > > > >
> > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > From: Carl Merritt
> > > > [mailto:CMerritt@luminous.com]
> > > > > > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 11:44 AM
> > > > > > To: 'Pat Kelly'; Navid Kahangi; 'Donald R
> > > > McKenna'; Barry
> > > > > > Spencer; Peter
> > > > > > Mottaz; bchafin@attglobal.net;
> > > > ellenrosenbluth@hotmail.com;
> > > > > > ellamt@sbc.com
> > > > > > Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > > > > > Subject: RE: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Speaking of German Engineering, at one point all
> > > > three
> > > > > > generations of M3s
> > > > > > had power steering systems failing, Navid's E46,
> > > > Lewis's
> > > > > > turbo E36, and
> > > > > > Tammy Hull's E30. Oh, and let's not forget the
> > > > Mini-S
> > > > > > (essentially a BMW)
> > > > > > having it's electric PS cooling fan break too.
> > > > Most amusing...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ;-)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I just got videos up online from the OTC for
> > > > those with
> > > > > > bandwidth to spare:
> > > > > >
> > > >
> > > http://www.binaryvista.com/ZCars/Z32/2002/OTC/index.html
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -Carl
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > > From: Pat Kelly [mailto:lollipop487@attbi.com]
> > > > > > > Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 10:49 AM
> > > > > > > To: Navid Kahangi; 'Donald R McKenna'; Barry
> > > > Spencer; Peter Mottaz;
> > > > > > > bchafin@attglobal.net;
> > > > ellenrosenbluth@hotmail.com; ellamt@sbc.com
> > > > > > > Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > > > > > > Subject: Re: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Typical. The old saying, 'first you have to
> > > > finish...' Glad
> > > > > > > the new models
> > > > > > > are holding up the true Lotus tradition. :)
> > > > > > > --Pat K
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ----------
> > > > > > > >From: Navid Kahangi <navid@interwoven.com>
> > > > > > > >To: "'Donald R McKenna'"
> > > > <donbarbmckenna@earthlink.net>,
> > > > > > > Barry Spencer
> > > > > > > <bspencer@tsoft.com>, Peter Mottaz
> > > > <mph_16@hotmail.com>,
> > > > > > > bchafin@attglobal.net,
> > > > ellenrosenbluth@hotmail.com, ellamt@sbc.com
> > > > > > > >Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > > > > > > >Subject: RE: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> > > > > > > >Date: Tue, May 21, 2002, 10:39 AM
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Speaking of British reliability, both
> > > > Lotuses (Motorsport
> > > > > > > Elise and 340R) at
> > > > > > > > the OTC were kicking major butts right up to
> > > > the moment
> > > > > > > they broke down.
> > > > > > > > Something about the harmonic balancer coming
> > > > apart and
> > > > > > > destroying the timing
> > > > > > > > belt and the valve train.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --Navid
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >> -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > > >> From: Donald R McKenna
> > > > [mailto:donbarbmckenna@earthlink.net]
> > > > > > > >> Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 10:06 AM
> > > > > > > >> To: Barry Spencer; Peter Mottaz;
> > > > bchafin@attglobal.net;
> > > > > > > >> ellenrosenbluth@hotmail.com;
> > > > ellamt@sbc.com; Navid Kahangi
> > > > > > > >> Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
> > > > > > > >> Subject: Re: Jr. Cart Entrants Round 9?
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >> Barry,
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >> >If Christopher and I can fix the clutch
> > > > this weekend on his
> > > > > > > >> KT100 he'll be
> > > > > > > >> >there too. It's leaking oil and it's not
> > > > British :>)
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >> Now that's some "British" humor I can
> > > > understand, having
> > > > > > > "hung-around"
> > > > > > > >> Trimuph motorcycles in my youth. But you
> > > > know what? The Brits
> > > > > > > >> must have
> > > > > > > >> switched from Lucas refrigerators as, the
> > > > last time I was
> > > > > > > >> there the beer was
> > > > > > > >> cold :-)
> > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > >> Don
> > > LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience
> > > http://launch.yahoo.com
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