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GammaRadiation

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Everything posted by GammaRadiation

  1. GammaRadiation
    Oh and a few notes: Stock lug nuts fit, don't let the tire shop tell you special lug nuts are needed. 73.1 to 56.6mm centering rings needed. The little bit of extra offset is not a problem but hard turns near lock will give some resistance in the steering wheel. Next mods will be rubberized undercoating in the wheel wells and sound deadening on the hatch and in the spare tire area. Maybe the doors too but I am starting there.
  2. GammaRadiation
    There is already a picture of a titanium '16+ with black heliums but here's my wife's car. 15x6.5 +40 BFgoodrich sport comp 2 195/50 15 Handles like a kart. It won't brake traction at all off the line with dry pavement and on wet the light might flash once. Turn in is amazing, grip is really good in comparison. Nothing like a set of 200TWs though. Tire hum is gone but these tires are still not perfectly quiet. I need to find some puddles to test hydroplane resistance.
  3. GammaRadiation
    Just want to give a Bravo for the work and documentation you're putting in. Thank you and keep it up. It's certainly appreciated.
  4. GammaRadiation
    Our 2016 CVT gets around 30 average according to the computer, mostly city driving. I floor it everywhere, my wife drives it normally. I CAN get 40-45 highway...but who wants to hang out among semi trucks in a 2300lb car? Practically racing between Tampa and Jacksonville I got upper 20s. Normal highway driving with the flow of traffic is mid 30s. Check your tire pressures. There is a notable difference between 28-30 (just above where the TPMS alarms) and 35 cold (where the door sticker recommends). Lucky for us the spark has one of the best TPMS systems I've used as you
  5. GammaRadiation
    I have disdain for modern crossovers That are basically high riding, heavy hatches. I like the size of the spark. It fits everywhere, carrys 4 adults comfortably, and has plenty of cargo room with the seats folded. It's a perfect city car. All it needs is more power.
  6. GammaRadiation
    The spark does handle for what it is, it's also quite neutral. At its first autocross my '16 went into a 4 wheel drift when I finally got it to break loose. It's a shame GM didn't do a turbo version to compete with the Fiesta ST. That would be a blast. On Saturday in the rain we went through an empty round about an extra time and I got the front to break traction. It just clawed its way around the circle like a classic mini rally car.
  7. GammaRadiation
    How hard was that badge swap? I've got a titanium 16 LS with black windows. The first thing I did was throw away the hubcaps exposing the black steelies. The gold badges stick out like a sore thumb. I think it's about time for a freshen up. Black badges and painting the rims gloss black would look awesome.
  8. GammaRadiation
    You may need to look into a standalone ECU like a megasquirt.
  9. GammaRadiation
    Nice build. What kind of power numbers are you hoping for?
  10. GammaRadiation
    I like the CVT for the efficiency and acceleration advantages. It's so possible to drive the car very smoothly. It's a different driving style as it has no go off the line. I have to anticipate gaps with roll out. This is non ideal as it often can cause hesitation in other drivers. I try to avoid it wherever possible. However, if I've been attempting to make a left hand turn for 5min and cars are stacking up behind me ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
  11. GammaRadiation
    No, dealerships recommend shorter intervals to 1.) Charge you money more often and 2.) Get you in the door to offer you "while we're in there" services. Follow the manual.
  12. GammaRadiation
    These cars are gutless, particularly at high speed. Referencing motor trend figures: just under 11sec 0-60, 18sec quarter mile at 77mph. That's over 7 seconds to gain 17mph at highway speeds. A stock 90s civic is significantly faster. Both the Fiesta and Mazda 2 are significantly faster. If you've got a couple passengers or a few hundred pounds of cargo in the spark it's even worse. I wish Chevy had figured a way to cram the 150hp turbo in the spark, that would have been a hoot, but still not as fast as a Fiesta ST. Edit: Oh and the Honda fit is also faster. Basically the spark is
  13. GammaRadiation
    This car will exceed any speed limit for an entire tank and just ask for another quick fill up. It's surprisingly stable at high speed. The low front air dam and well designed undercarriage really helps, I think. However, it takes a long time to accelerate above 60 so don't expect to be passing. Also your mileage suffers considerably. Sub 30mpg for sure. Maybe 250 mi per tank. If you're really road tripping in a hurry consider time lost for fuel stops.
  14. GammaRadiation
    My LS has rear door speakers. Why doesn't yours? If you have fade on your stereo you should be good to go. Just install the correct impedance and try to get a higher sensitivity speaker. The spark's stereo is OK for the car that it is, but I can tell without looking it's a low power system relying on sensitivity to be loud. Don't expect more than a few watts RMS.
  15. GammaRadiation
    You guys are racking the miles. I have just under 19,000 in just over two years. Its always good to see someone else putting as many miles on a car as I have planned before I sell it. I plan to never have to replace the spark plugs, that'll be a good diy job for the teenager that will probably buy it as their first car.lol
  16. GammaRadiation
    I have a 2016 LS with 19,000 miles on it driven primarily in the city with the A.C. on most of the year. I'm hoping something actually breaks to make a warranty claim easier for me to prove as this problem is intermittent. I plan on taking it in for service, recall, and to address this issue at the next oil change interval (2-3,000 mi). On hot days often while sitting idle at a stop light or in a parking lot the blower will reduce speed without user input. It's almost like a 4-3 or 3-2 reduction. This is new behavior and the third summer for the car (purchased June 20
  17. GammaRadiation
    The CVT in these cars is a regular 2 speed auto coupled to a CVT. How do you know it is not going into low? Here are a few quirks I have with mine. We have put approximately 9,000 miles on it and are fairly satisfied with the performance of the CVT overall. It takes some getting used to. 1.) It occasionally hesitates from a stop. This is not a throttle response issue (or doesn't seem to be, even though it is fly by wire). This typically happens after coming from a stop from cruising at a very high gear ratio and then "punching" it. I hypothesize that the 2spd is in low
  18. GammaRadiation
    The car has been to the dealer twice now (since June 2016). The first time they claimed there was no issue (oil light came on several times). Just now we took it int for an oil change and to have them look at two things: the drivers side rear brake makes a "wob wob wob wob" noise, almost like a bad bearing, and the front passenger control arm has developed a squeak with high articulation. They discovered the oil pan is leaking and their only fix for the rear brake is to add more sound dampening (Garbage!). They didn't even mention the front control arm articulation noise. So far we
  19. GammaRadiation
    Sales guy said its a parts bin car, other GM korea cars have a rear s seat port. Take that as you may.
  20. GammaRadiation
    Good tip. I am familiar with the heliums because my other car is an NA miata. They are some of the lightest low budget 15's and 6.5" is all you need for a spark. The spark is her DD (I drive when we are together and plan to autocross it regularly) so if she doesn't like them I would gladly put them on my car. It's a shame the center bore isn't smaller, I have an extra set of NA alloy 14's that weigh 11-12lb and I read 14's can fit the brakes.
  21. GammaRadiation
    GM is crazy. At that price there is a whole slew of lighter, better looking aftermarket flow formed options. Thanks though.
  22. GammaRadiation
    Wow that looks really good and we have the same color! I may be doing it sooner than I had anticipated.
  23. GammaRadiation
    Thanks guys. 6lb per corner is definitely worth $450 to me. The heliums are flow formed so they are strong. RPFs are great rims too. It will be a while before I upgrade but I cant wait to surprise some people at the autoX. On stock rubber I still ran mid pack.
  24. GammaRadiation
    Does a steering wheel swap give cruise control like with the sonic? How much are OEM alloys and how much do they weigh? '16 LS CVT
  25. GammaRadiation
    Some of these huge rims are HEAVY. Unsprung mass and rolling diameter make or brake this car's ride quality, acceleration, and handling. What's the stock wheel weight? I am looking for either a set of OEMs (currently on steel) to wrap with S drives like you, or if the weight saving over OEM is significant I will drop a little more coin on some Konig Helium 15x6.5s and wrap them in 195/50s in the 300TW area.
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