Got a couple of automotve questions...

Coon · November 30, 2011, 02:40:45 AM

First Question... How do I unlock the theftlock system that is tied into my cd player/radio system in my 1998 Chev Lumina car? I had a dead battery a while back and ever since then the system has been locked? I did a google search and they all want money just to give me a neat-o 4 digit code. >:(

Second Question... I just put a set of winter tires and rims all the way around on this same 98 Lumina car. These new winter tires and rims are bigger than the other ones and the price was right. The rims and tires I took off were 205/70R 15's and these new ones are 215/60R 16's. There is plenty of clearance for the tires and everything seems to work fine. My question is how much is my speedo going to to be off? I need to know because I have a couple of trips to make that I will be billing my kilometers. ;)

Thanks in advance for any help that our fellow forestry forum technicians can provide. ;D

beenthere · November 30, 2011, 03:03:37 AM

Coon
Off by about 6% I believe.

albirk · November 30, 2011, 03:40:05 AM

First my GM dealer unlocked mine at no charge i took it in for a oil change and asked if they could unlock the radio told them to use my b day for the 4 diget code

second I run with my GPS in my old truck the speedo is broke I drive around 100 miles a day to and from work no tickets yet so I think it is working for me

SwampDonkey · November 30, 2011, 04:11:30 AM

Your within tolerance Coon, your actually going 0.5% slower than the speedometer will read. Takes 4 extra revolutions to go a mile.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I think 0.5 or 0.6% is what they allow.

isawlogs · November 30, 2011, 09:08:52 AM

I also use a GPS to find out if the car speedometer is right. Used to use my hand held hunting but now that a friend gave me one for the car I use it. Found out that the 2003 Nissan was marking 10% faster then it was actualy going, check online and sure enough there is or was a law suit against Nissan for that. The law suit was for 2004 and up :( Can you imagine the money those ... >:(.... put in there acount, waranty on those cars was shortened by 10% thats a lot of bucks.

DouginUtah · November 30, 2011, 12:01:14 PM

Speaking of tires...

Have you priced new tires lately? >:( Outrageous. I asked about a 195/75/R14. Cheapest was $91.

Den Socling · November 30, 2011, 12:22:25 PM

Look for tires online. Try somebody like Tire Rack.

DouginUtah · November 30, 2011, 02:19:08 PM

Thanks for mentioning that Den. I had been meaning to check them out.

But what I found is that they are even more expensive. :( Tire price (Kumho; $67) + shipping ($18.75) + installation ($17.95).

Den Socling · November 30, 2011, 02:26:41 PM

My son and SIL have been buying online for a couple years. They are finding mounting and balancing getting expensive. I think the local shops are getting tired of lost sales and are trying to make a living for the service end of the deal. Can't blame them. Just yesterday, I recommended to my SIL that he should call Kmart and Walmart to see what their prices are.

Coon · November 30, 2011, 04:02:32 PM

Thanks for the info guys. I managed to find out how to unlock the theftlock free of charge. Simply need the codes from the stereo and then phone a GM number and give them the codes and such and they give me the unlock code. With this unlock code you can also shut off the theftlock so if you have another dead battery or such that you don't have to re-enter the code again.

Yeah good tires..... and winter tires especially are getting expensive. I priced out the tires and rims at Canadian Tire and for the exact same thing I would be looking at $200 per tire/rim. These tires are Good Year Ultra Grip ICE...... and boy do they ever grip nice on our skating rink we have for streets right now. ;) No more sliding sideways when I hit the braikes or spinning around in circles when you stomp on the brakes when someone cuts you off. :D The wife won't have to use the "Holy S!!T" handles so much anymore. :D

SwampDonkey · November 30, 2011, 04:59:46 PM

My RAV4 17" rims take the most expensive tires in Toyota because of the size. SO I dropped down to 16" on the winter tires, got the rims at Walmart for $50. Did this last winter. The GoodYear Assurance radials I have, I bought them for $160 installed each, now they are about $185 each, 17" rims. In that size there are very few options. Those or Yokahoma and maybe a Michelin tire. All about the same price. I won't buy a Walmart tire, they sell a US brand, but they are all made in China. Nexen USA, China stamped on them.

Bobus2003 · November 30, 2011, 09:03:08 PM

I just bought Tires for my 2010 F150..Ouch.. I hate having 18" wheels.. $1200 bucks for tires hurts the pocket book

thecfarm · December 01, 2011, 06:22:30 AM

Marcel,I noticed that on our Subaru too. But is the GPS right? ;D
Same way with tire too and tubes for the tractor.

SwampDonkey · December 01, 2011, 07:21:56 AM

The consumer GPS isn't that accurate for speed, it shows it's speeds based on predictions and averages. There is lag time in the communications and wobble of the earth to deal with.

isawlogs · December 01, 2011, 07:58:07 AM

I thought about the accrucy of the GPS so I took both the car mounted and the hand held and both indicated the same speed , the car was reading out faster. So I concluded that the GPS where ok to trust . :P ;D

Tom the Sawyer · December 01, 2011, 10:31:12 AM

Old school method but accurate:

Head out to a roadway, such as in Interstate, that has mile marker posts. Use your cruise control, or hold your speed constant and then time the distance between mile markers. Use a common point such as when the marker passes your door post.

Divide 3600 by the number of seconds it took you to get your mph. The markers are usually measured but may have been reset so a longer sample (2 or 3 miles) may reduce error...just multiply 3600 by the number of miles and divide by the number of seconds.

SwampDonkey · December 01, 2011, 11:14:29 AM

Marcel. :D

tyb525 · December 01, 2011, 04:46:53 PM

I like 16" or 15" wheels on any truck I drive ;) much cheaper that way, and carrying loads with bigger wheels/lower profile tires makes me nervous.

As for car winter tires, Winterforce (made by Firestone) are very good, that's the main snow tire we put on at the tire store I work at part time. You can even get them studded.

As for truck tires, those Super Swampers are actually worse on ice than street tires. The difference is the siping in the lugs. Mud tires that don't have them get much less traction on ice that those that do, and closer lug spacing is better than widely spaced lugs with big voids.