LAUTLOS

> Im curious to see how an exhaust/turbo and tune netted 600hp ...or how a repaint netted a better paint job than Bugatti's.

Seattle to Fresno is only 925 miles. Just take the 14 hour drive. Twice. You know you want to. Your Murcielago does, anyway. :-D

> every reputable intelligence agency in the world believed he still had WMD's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curveball_(informant)

> the front looks too much like a F355 and tacked on. rear resembles Diablo? sides resemble MP4-12C?

> sniff since smog shop doesn't have awd dynometer. Assuming that you pass OBDII/sniff, you still face visual inspection (during which they are supposed to look for specific components) and functional inspection (i.e. computer tells car via OBDII to do X, and watches for proper responses, which depend on the presence of a compliant exhaust system).

Removing the wheel is easy -- disconnect battery, 2 screws, unplug airbag and remove it, remove big bolt, done. Reverse for re-install. Removing the whole unit with the shifter paddles and stalks is a bit more work -- some people will be okay with it... but most probably won't be. Extending the paddles below is difficult, due to the stalks. Trust me, I went over this with MaCarbon in great detail.

> I actually asked John at macarbon if he could make this piece for me a few years ago > and he said he didn't think it could be done to look right cause the honeycomb parts. I asked him late last year, when the Tecnocraft part became available, and he declined. I don't like the Tecnocraft part's holes. Yes, they are needed for airflow, and placement is somewhat dictated by the mounting screws. But their choice of six holes looks quite a bit unbalanced. And six... well... isn't the right number for the Gallardo to begin with. I suggested to John to try for something like the Sesto Elemento. Five holes. Placed at the thick (front) end of the strip, where the engine is located, and no holes at the thin (rear) end of the strip (where the factory mesh is very narrow too). Possibly with hexagonal shape for the holes. Even sized... or with a bit of big-to-smaller holes theme. CF oriented to match CF hoods (mine = SL). And maybe toss in some red. Alas... he declined. Maybe he'll reconsider if there is more interest?

https://www.sglgroup.com/cms/international/...isks/index.html

> [how to avoid fuel dripping on the car] Where I live, gas stations have paper towel dispensers. I have made it a habit to grab one right after getting out of the car...

> My 2008 SL is on its original factory clutch, which has seen 49k miles now. > The snapshots show 50% spent in 6th gear, and suggest that I'll see >60k. > I plan to get the next snapshot at 50k in December. I can post details then. Alright, the numbers are in! 49,616 miles @ 3.5 mm worn, with virtually no change in deterioration index coupling count = 19822 23506 21855 18549 13313 9245 4091 3282 (N 1 2 3 4 5 6 R) space covered = 63 328 4258 11590 11443 8764 37804 0 coupling % = 17.44% 20.68% 19.23% 16.32% 11.71% 8.13% 3.60% 2.89% space c. % = 0.08% 0.44% 5.73% 15.61% 15.41% 11.80% 50.91% 0.00% miles/gear = 42.10 219.18 2845.32 7744.77 7646.54 5856.36 25261.73 0.00 Assuming no change in driving style or wear rate, the clutch would be see ~80,000 miles @ ~5.4 mm. Wear rate is known to increase towards the end of the life span, but I still should make it past 60-70k. Yay factory clutch! I also got a detailed engine readout -- no surprises there either. ~1,200 hours on the engine -- which matches my ~1,200 days of ownership, while averaging ~1h/day 90% of engine time was spent below 5,500 rpm and with less than 12.5% throttle 50% of engine time was spent around 3,000 rpm and with less than 12.5% throttle -- highway driving The fun moments throughout the rpm range and throttle position range do show up all over though. As for engine starts: -10C 10C 30C 50C 70C 90C 110C 130C = engine temp 0 105 1438 460 318 634 378 0 = 3333 bank 1 attempts 0 104 1441 459 316 631 382 0 = 3333 bank 2 attempts 0 0 9 2 5 9 8 0 = 34 bank 1 failures 0 0 10 2 4 9 9 0 = 34 bank1 failures Those minute bank-to-bank differences are a result of the wide 20C buckets. The start counts do match my climate/weather, and my driving style, as expected. The high rpm data was uneventful -- it only showed my two most recent 8k-auto-upshifts from this week. The low battery voltage data was uneventful -- I get a drop of a few seconds to ~5V once or twice a week. The high coolant temp data was uneventful -- I don't make it above ~108C -- the fans kick in as expected. The high cat temp data was uneventful too -- it only showed two 1 second each events of 920C, i.e. below what would warn. Yay engine longevity! Alright, looks like I won't need that Gallardo successor until 2014 anyway... :-)

> Wheels look incredible. IMO the factory wheels look better. But hey... to each their own.

> How would BOE find out that your vehicle is in CA? Someone could report you to the BOE. http://www.boe.ca.gov/invest/salestax.htm Someone could report you to the DMV. http://dmv.ca.gov/consumer/invest/inv172.htm Someone could look at CarFax or AutoCheck, to see records from CA service shops that suggest a CA car rather than a merely-CA-serviced car.

> I would be willing to possibly purchase a twin turbo one [...] I am in California. [...] I have yet to see a TT setup that is CARB-certified, i.e. will pass CA smog inspection, and allow for proper DMV registration.

Two little horns, hollowed out, so that they slide onto the E-gear paddles. Mine fit perfectly i.e. no sticky tape or glue was required to keep them on. With that the paddles become thicker (which to me feels better), about 2x as tall (which does not exert too much force on the micro switches even if I pull them at their top tips), and the blinker/lights/wiper stalks remain fully usable (since the paddles do not extend downwards). Perfect! Thank you MAcarbon!

Most OBDII readers can clear codes. I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3030-Diagnost...s/dp/B000EVYGQY Fits in the glove compartment too!

You're wasting time. Get an OBDII reader. Without codes you're just poking in the dark.

> Add 300lbs. You mean 150+150 for driver+passenger? Because... you know... 200+100 for driver+passenger would throw off that oh-so-perfect balance. Speaking of perfect balance -- if you have CCB brake rotors, then check out their engraved weights!

> I was looking at a Murci on Flea-bay and the ad lists it as a 09. When I was going through > the pics the door tag states its build as May/08. > > I e-mailed the dealership and they told me this:" In the U.S. the vin determines the model > year and not necessarily the production date." > > My question is are they correct and how do vins affect model year? The 10th digit of the VIN tells you the MY. http://www.gday.com/lambo/misc/vins.htm And yes, model years run ~6 months ahead of build dates. For example, all original Gallardo SLs were of 2008 MY, but the actual build ran from ~May 2007 to ~March 2008.

FFS, get yourself a damn blog or Twitter stream.

silver cars, with black accents... all 4 of them

> I know everybody has different taste, but to me, there is a clear aesthetic winner in this shot.... And I own it. You own that hillside? I'm jealous!

Put yourself before others. Drive your car, to enjoy it. Let others watch by chance. There... problem solved.

> What about a dog? Pfft, make that a 30 ft pet anaconda.

> my newly acquired 2009 GTR Not my kind of car. But... nice house. More pics of that please.

> Commute is roughly 80 miles (40 each way) to and from work Mine is ~2/3 of that, and I use the G for it every other day or so. Whenever time permits I prolong it i.e. visit the hills or the coast. That said, I recommend a G. If that's not what you're looking for, then... well... wrong forum?