RAD Garage

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I always thought of my cars as being kept clean.


Until now.


You *******.


Nice work and great videos. Very informative!

Thanks. It's been four days since that wash and it needs it again.

 

[ajohno]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

G'day Rick,
Great work on your blog.
The rims look great on your car.
The rims look similar to the Black Audi you worked on in your garage before.
Your videos and car detail tips are great thanks for sharing those tips and details.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

G'day Rick,
Great work on your blog.
The rims look great on your car.
The rims look similar to the Black Audi you worked on in your garage before.
Your videos and car detail tips are great thanks for sharing those tips and details.

Aha! I knew I had a reader! Thanks for the compliment. I am in the process of detailing the stock 21"ers. Taking me way too long! Thanks again. I need to take some nice photos with the new Spring/Summer setup.

 

[ajohno]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Yes Rick my cars look much better now using some of your tips.

 

[ajohno]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Rick,
Your new rims look great.
Your car still looks brand new.
I bet when you get your car serviced they don't want to test drive it. They might dirty it.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Rick,
Your new rims look great.
Your car still looks brand new.
I bet when you get your car serviced they don't want to test drive it. They might dirty it.

Thanks. Having dedicated summer and winter-only setups was stressing me out, so I pulled the trigger on a Spring/Fall all-season setup.

IMG_3111 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3112 by Rick, on Flickr

Now, if I get stuck in a snowy situation, it won't spell certain death. When winter hits hard, I will swap to my winter setup:

IMG_0913 by Rick, on Flickr

The Pirelli summer performance tires it came with are toast. Only two summer 21" tires exist in the stock size, so I'm contemplating moving from the stock 255/40 to a 265/40 all-season next year. Many more options for 265's. I do love the look of the summer 21's:

IMG1989 by Rick, on Flickr

 

[CodeRedZ]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

so 3 sets of wheel/tires now?

 

[dubber]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I'm a long time fan of those wheels. Glad to hear you pulled the trigger for the third set. With Calgary's weather and it being your sole vehicle the argument is an easy one.

 

[pumpmaster]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

While I know this is just a great excuse to buy another set of wheels, you'd be better off running your winters for a few extra weeks on each end of the season than running no-seasons. Quality snow tires don't melt away in moderately warmer temperatures as the retailers would like you to believe.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

so 3 sets of wheel/tires now?

Yes, I now have 3 sets of wheels and tires.
- Winter 20" with Blizzaks for November - March (ish)
- Summer 21" for July & August (but I'd like to move away from summer rubber as I haven't had a great experience with the Pirelli P-Zero's my car came equipped with. I would like to move towards a high performance all season in a 265/40 size)
- Spring/Fall 20" all seasons for April-June & September/October

I'm a long time fan of those wheels. Glad to hear you pulled the trigger for the third set. With Calgary's weather and it being your sole vehicle the argument is an easy one.

Kind of easy, but also kind of ridiculous, I guess. But, as you said, the weather here can be so unpredictable as we see every Spring and Fall. Performing an emergency wheel swap at 5:00 am last September (2015) at 5:00 am left an indelible mark on me. I never want to be in that situation again.

While I know this is just a great excuse to buy another set of wheels, you'd be better off running your winters for a few extra weeks on each end of the season than running no-seasons. Quality snow tires don't melt away in moderately warmer temperatures as the retailers would like you to believe.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

There's a tinge of truth to your assessment of my motives, but there is actually some practicality behind this purchase of an A/S setup. The OEM summers are shot and I don't want to shell out the $$$ for another set that wear out in a matter of months. In fact, I have been back and forth with my service guy about a crack I found in the tread of one of the Pirelli's and he's telling me it happens when summer tires are exposed to cold temps, which can happen pretty much in any month. Here's a pic:

image001 by Rick, on Flickr

If it were a matter of running my winters for a few extra weeks, that would be one thing, but it's more like a couple of months where I live. I know A/S's are no match to winters in winter conditions, but when the temps are hot in the day and sub-zero in the evenings, I see more sense in running an A/S. Plus, the handling of a winter tire is far inferior imho. If I could have found a high performance all season in the stock size, I would have just purchased those, but they don't exist. I look at it like I have winter boots, and crappy flip flops. I needed that intermediate set in order to cover all my bases.

I found this infographic quite interesting, for anyone wondering what the performance capabilities are between summer, winter and all-seasons:

Screen Shot 2015-10-26 at 3.38.53 PM by Rick, on Flickr

 

[pumpmaster]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

We'll have to agree to disagree on the "tinge of truth" I posted, but I'd recommend looking at what Nokian Hakkapelittas fit your vehicle. The R2s are very nice and can be run October to April.
BTW...is that info graphic actually suggesting all 3 tire types will perform equally at 7 degrees??? Tinge of truth indeed.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

If you read my response, I said there was a tinge of truth to your assertion that I used the unpredictable weather as an excuse to purchase the new wheels. There is a tinge of truth to that statement. As for Nokians, not an option at this point, but thanks for posting. Take the infographic for whatever it's worth to you. Personally, I think you are misinterpreting it, but I'm not in the mood for an argument and I get the sense you are.

 

[pumpmaster]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

If you read my response, I said there was a tinge of truth to your assertion that I used the unpredictable weather as an excuse to purchase the new wheels. There is a tinge of truth to that statement. As for Nokians, not an option at this point, but thanks for posting. Take the infographic for whatever it's worth to you. Personally, I think you are misinterpreting it, but I'm not in the mood for an argument and I get the sense you are.

I see your edit and it does clarify what you meant.
Im not looking for an argument, just discussing the information as its been presented. How do you interpret that info graphic? I'm genuinely curious how it doesn't somehow express that at the intersection of the 3 lines the tires are all performing the same???


Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[CombatNinja]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

FWIW, I have run many summers in very, very cold temps and have never seen any cracks like that.

 

[TiFJ]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

FWIW, I have run many summers in very, very cold temps and have never seen any cracks like that.

X2 I would say that "cold weather" line the service guy gave you is big ol' heap of BS. No tire should crack like that... We haven't even had cold weather yet!

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I see your edit and it does clarify what you meant.
Im not looking for an argument, just discussing the information as its been presented. How do you interpret that info graphic? I'm genuinely curious how it doesn't somehow express that at the intersection of the 3 lines the tires are all performing the same???


Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

To me, that infographic is making the point that once the temp dips below 7 degrees celcius, the performance potential of all season and summer rubber doesn't match the performance you will get from a winter tire. I see where you are coming from, but the tires aren't designed with the same performance targets in mind, so I don't believe the graphic is suggesting they perform the same at 7 degrees. Obviously, I didn't create the graphic, but I did find many many sources that use 7 as the magic number.

All of this tire talk has resulted in me working my way through this research review on winter tire effectiveness by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation. http://audidowntownvancouver.ca/ima...15/Winter_Tires/2012_Winter_Tire_Report_7.pdf

Gripping stuff!

FWIW, I have run many summers in very, very cold temps and have never seen any cracks like that.

X2 I would say that "cold weather" line the service guy gave you is big ol' heap of BS. No tire should crack like that... We haven't even had cold weather yet!

Oh, trust me, I have my doubts too. It's what I was told by the service manager so I don't know where to go with my concerns, or if I even have the leverage since tires are a wear item. The crack was a shock to see and, combined with the outrageous MSRP, is one reason I will not be purchasing a second set of P-Zeros.

Here's the response I got from the dealer:

Hi Rick

I would definitely not advise using that tire. I have seen it on higher performance tires (all manufactures). They use a different compound that can crack during colder temperatures. So far I have not had anyone experience any issues with the cracking, however we usually notice it on a tire change and will not install any tire with cracking.

With Calgary’s climate I am not sure there is any way around it.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[mr. h]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I see your edit and it does clarify what you meant.
Im not looking for an argument, just discussing the information as its been presented. How do you interpret that info graphic? I'm genuinely curious how it doesn't somehow express that at the intersection of the 3 lines the tires are all performing the same???


Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

All the intersection means is that they are performing at the same percentage of their individual max performance, 50% of the max for the summer tire and 50% of the max of the winter tire does not mean they have the same performance. Or at least that is how I read it. The 'Y' axis is a percentage not a performance rating, if that makes sense

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

All the intersection means is that they are performing at the same percentage of their individual max performance, 50% of the max for the summer tire and 50% of the max of the winter tire does not mean they have the same performance. Or at least that is how I read it. The 'Y' axis is a percentage not a performance rating, if that makes sense

That's how I took it as well. Thanks for the clarification. Today, we got hit with snow, but the temps aren't bad. So much for the "shoulder season" setup, winters go on tonight. I actually like winter driving, especially with the Blizzak set up I have on.

 

[hilld]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

You need a lift to make all those tire changes easier. A scissor lift would do the trick, I use mine to pickup my SQ5 and other cars all the time. Best part is that it doesn't have any posts to get in the way.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

You need a lift to make all those tire changes easier. A scissor lift would do the trick, I use mine to pickup my SQ5 and other cars all the time. Best part is that it doesn't have any posts to get in the way.

I have knocked that idea around in my head a little bit. As convenient as it would make my wheel swaps, I think it would be in the way too much of the time, and given the fact I have to clean my floor so much during the winter, I see it being more of a pain than a convenience. Plus, there's the fact that the ones I looked at are well north of $2k. Two grand could finance a 4th wheel/tire setup!

 

[TahitianGreen]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

The guy that did PPI on an S2000 I was going to buy had these:

http://www.bendpak.com/Shop-Equipment/QuickJack/BL-5000.aspx

He had a glowing review of them...and from the looks of it, it was well earned.

 

[Matias]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I get your point on not having to change the tires when you have not planned to do so. I'm currently looking out of the window with snow falling, and thinking I should be getting my winter tyres from my other garage I have done the same thing, when having to leave to a work trip and suddenly needing to change tyres in the early morning...

I also bought a third set of wheels during the summer, as I just happened to see OEM wheels being sold second hand for 1/8th of the price of new (and 1/4 of the price of equally used ones). Now I have been in search of those winter tyres without studs, which I could put on in October, and then put the studded ones on in december/january. Same thing in the spring, I could remove the studded ones much earlier. Sometimes we get "winter" in beginning of october, I put the studded ones on, and then after a week no more snow/ice until end of december. So two months running on plain asphalt with studded tyres was awful.

Especially as the winter tyres are a lot more expensive. The fact is that I pay 2-3 times more for good winter tyres than basic summer tyres (17" both). Winter tyres are the ones where you need to buy the best (and most expensive). The difference in performance in the snow between a good and bad winter tyres is a million times bigger than between a good and bad summer tyre.

Long story short, good call!

 

[Matias]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Haha, I was thinking it would still be driveable outside... wrong! So this was 30 minutes ago, and had to do it in a hurry during lunchbreak as I had a meeting startig.

I really understand your point

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

The guy that did PPI on an S2000 I was going to buy had these:

http://www.bendpak.com/Shop-Equipment/QuickJack/BL-5000.aspx

He had a glowing review of them...and from the looks of it, it was well earned.

Yeah, I'm thinking that would look mighty nice sitting under this year's Christmas tree.

Haha, I was thinking it would still be driveable outside... wrong! So this was 30 minutes ago, and had to do it in a hurry during lunchbreak as I had a meeting startig.

I really understand your point

Looks like you will really appreciate your garage when everything is complete and you aren't forced to work outside like that!

Yup, I just can't take the risk in the Spring and Fall of being caught off guard by the weather and trying to make my way home in a sudden snow fall. In late-September we took a trip through the mountains, and while we were at the cabin (friends of ours), a snowfall occurred in the mountain pass.

IMG_0577 by Rick, on Flickr

^ Looks like a beautiful late-summer day, eh? Next day it was snow and ice all the way home. Thankfully, we were able to stay an extra day and everything melted and life returned to normal. Well, except for the paranoia it left me with.

 

[joallen001]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Loving your garage. I took a lot of screenshots! I have a four bay garage and wish I could afford the race deck right now. Thinking I could do a little at a time. It just wouldn't look complete though. I do quite a bit of detailing as well. My new favorite is the pinnacle black label products. I applied there coating when I got a new tacoma. Still beads water like the day I coated the truck.
I need to get me some of those ikea shelves and rods. I have several gladiator cabinets. How high did you mount your cabinets. I'm thinking about painting some of my gear track gray or black. I like the way your metal pegboard looks. I defiantly need to add some color on the walls. Maybe even a tacoma emblem.
I need to get some more pics. To many hobbies rc, detailing, mower racing, detailing ,woodworking....

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Loving your garage. I took a lot of screenshots! I have a four bay garage and wish I could afford the race deck right now. Thinking I could do a little at a time. It just wouldn't look complete though. I do quite a bit of detailing as well. My new favorite is the pinnacle black label products. I applied there coating when I got a new tacoma. Still beads water like the day I coated the truck.

I need to get me some of those ikea shelves and rods. I have several gladiator cabinets. How high did you mount your cabinets. I'm thinking about painting some of my gear track gray or black. I like the way your metal pegboard looks. I defiantly need to add some color on the walls. Maybe even a tacoma emblem.
I need to get some more pics. To many hobbies rc, detailing, mower racing, detailing ,woodworking....

Outfitting a 4-bay in RaceDeck would be pricey, but I couldn't live without it, especially as a foundation for performing detail work. It's just brilliant in all regards. The pegboard is from Sears, and it has been awesome. It will outlast me, for sure. I'm glad you like what you see, do you have a thread for your space, yet?

 

[joallen001]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I kept debating on starting a thread for my space, got lazy and never made it happen..

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Been a while since I updated. Winter has been a messy affair. Today, I finally had the time to perform a thorough clean of the floor. It was bad...

IMG_3458 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3457 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3481 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3483 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3482 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3492 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3495 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3509 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3514 by Rick, on Flickr

How are the rest of my "RaceDeck Brothers" dealing with winter (if you have winter, that is)?

 

[Lyndon]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Been a while since I updated. Winter has been a messy affair. Today, I finally had the time to perform a thorough clean of the floor. It was bad...

IMG_3458 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3483 by Rick, on Flickr


IMG_3492 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3495 by Rick, on Flickr

IMG_3514 by Rick, on Flickr

How are the rest of my "RaceDeck Brothers" dealing with winter (if you have winter, that is)?

Rick

Jiminy Cricket you are a little powerhouse of energy aren't you - just looking at all the work you did made me tired.

Go get 'em while you can sunshine!

I've been following your thread here, and your web site for a while, because while I want to do some of the finer polishing things that you do, to my cars - I haven't yet got all the equipment. Just recently bought a small K'Archer foaming gun, but am finding it about as useful as top pockets in a singlet, as it uses all the detergent before I've foamed half the car....

Anyway - keep up the good work, and hope you're not too deep in the white stuff.

Lyndon
Sipping on a beer on a Sydney summer's day that isn't living up to spec.

 

[dubber]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Looks great as always. I usually just do surface cleans during the winter and one session at the end of the season where the nasty section gets pulled out. Kudos!

 

[RennSporter]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

I just love this thread! And as a sucker for Audi, niice car!

 

[sd171]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

How are the rest of my "RaceDeck Brothers" dealing with winter (if you have winter, that is)?

Your floor looks great!

Here in South Dakota, we've had about three big snow storms this season. My floor looked almost as bad as yours from tracking in all the slop, but since I have a floor drain I've been hosing the RaceDeck down with a regular garden nozzle after each big melt . The tiles and concrete will still need a high pressure wash and scrub in the spring, but I can live with this result until the snow stops falling:

View media item 72215
One thing I learned recently is that I will never again attempt to use a power washer indoors in the winter. I tried that once - it immediately filled the air with mist, and I was dealing with ice on the inside of the garage windows for a few days until I remembered that I had a portable dehumidifier in the basement. I moved it to the garage and let the output hose drain directly onto the RaceDeck. It sent a steady trickle of water down the drain for a few days and eventually my windows cleared up. Now I use it for a couple of days after each car wash to keep the air dry. I have a foam gun on order that attaches to a hose, so I'm hoping that will improve my car washing without introducing too much mist into the air.

 

[Ecko_3420]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I put up a shelf:


IMG_8052 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr


How it the bike rack hung?

 

[ajohno]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Howdy Rick,
Just caught up on your blog.
Everything is looking great as always.
Have you any new projects in the pipe line?

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Rick

Jiminy Cricket you are a little powerhouse of energy aren't you - just looking at all the work you did made me tired.

Go get 'em while you can sunshine!

I've been following your thread here, and your web site for a while, because while I want to do some of the finer polishing things that you do, to my cars - I haven't yet got all the equipment. Just recently bought a small K'Archer foaming gun, but am finding it about as useful as top pockets in a singlet, as it uses all the detergent before I've foamed half the car....

Anyway - keep up the good work, and hope you're not too deep in the white stuff.

Lyndon
Sipping on a beer on a Sydney summer's day that isn't living up to spec.

Thanks, Lyndon. Hopefully, in a few months, I will be sipping on a brewski too! Good luck in your detailing tool pursuit.

Looks great as always. I usually just do surface cleans during the winter and one session at the end of the season where the nasty section gets pulled out. Kudos!

You guys are getting some pretty nasty weather. I hope you are finding refuge in the garage!

I just love this thread! And as a sucker for Audi, niice car!

Thanks. I love it.

Your floor looks great!

Here in South Dakota, we've had about three big snow storms this season. My floor looked almost as bad as yours from tracking in all the slop, but since I have a floor drain I've been hosing the RaceDeck down with a regular garden nozzle after each big melt . The tiles and concrete will still need a high pressure wash and scrub in the spring, but I can live with this result until the snow stops falling:

One thing I learned recently is that I will never again attempt to use a power washer indoors in the winter. I tried that once - it immediately filled the air with mist, and I was dealing with ice on the inside of the garage windows for a few days until I remembered that I had a portable dehumidifier in the basement. I moved it to the garage and let the output hose drain directly onto the RaceDeck. It sent a steady trickle of water down the drain for a few days and eventually my windows cleared up. Now I use it for a couple of days after each car wash to keep the air dry. I have a foam gun on order that attaches to a hose, so I'm hoping that will improve my car washing without introducing too much mist into the air.

Man, having a floor drain would be perfection! Not many days go by where I don't regret not having one installed when we built this place. On a positive note, it is soon dry up here, I have never ran into any humidity issues.

I put up a shelf:


IMG_8052 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

How it the bike rack hung?

I anchored two of these into studs:

Untitled by Rick, on Flickr

Howdy Rick,
Just caught up on your blog.
Everything is looking great as always.
Have you any new projects in the pipe line?

Apart from my recent purchase of Husky liners to replace the frustrating WeatherTech mats, not much is going on. Played a little hockey in there today, with the little guy. Maybe I will get some things cooking in the next little while.

 

[Matias]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Man, having a floor drain would be perfection! Not many days go by where I don't regret not having one installed when we built this place. On a positive note, it is soon dry up here, I have never ran into any humidity issues.
[...]
Played a little hockey in there today, with the little guy. Maybe I will get some things cooking in the next little while.

Looking good and it's always in place to clean a little bit! I am still looking into getting those RD...

Out of curiosity, do you check the humidity% ?. At least in my garage, which is just vents low and up to get the air circulating, the humidity % is the same(?) as the air, so currently at 50-60% as we have near 0C and wet snow. I tried using the dehumidifier in the garage, but with that kind of ventilation, it seems of no use. It does get the water out and in the collector, but it doesn't seem to be efficient enough because of all the air arriving in.

I'm only concerned as one of the things to ruin the car/body, is to have the car in the snow, and then dried up daily in the garage, as that will make the garage a very humid place, and will just transform the snow into water on the car...

Need to find some cheap hockey sticks for my girls, my own are too big and of the wrong side. They seem to enjoy it anyway, so need to push in the right direction. The winter in Finland has been awful. Too warm, then -30C for a week, now rain again. I nearly went out with the motorcycle two days ago, as the streets were clear and it was +3C...

 

[69bigblok]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Always love checking in on your thread Rick! Looking great and I love the eye for details you always have. Shelf looks really nice.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Looking good and it's always in place to clean a little bit! I am still looking into getting those RD...

Out of curiosity, do you check the humidity% ?. At least in my garage, which is just vents low and up to get the air circulating, the humidity % is the same(?) as the air, so currently at 50-60% as we have near 0C and wet snow. I tried using the dehumidifier in the garage, but with that kind of ventilation, it seems of no use. It does get the water out and in the collector, but it doesn't seem to be efficient enough because of all the air arriving in.

I'm only concerned as one of the things to ruin the car/body, is to have the car in the snow, and then dried up daily in the garage, as that will make the garage a very humid place, and will just transform the snow into water on the car...

Need to find some cheap hockey sticks for my girls, my own are too big and of the wrong side. They seem to enjoy it anyway, so need to push in the right direction. The winter in Finland has been awful. Too warm, then -30C for a week, now rain again. I nearly went out with the motorcycle two days ago, as the streets were clear and it was +3C...

I don't actually take a humidity measurement, but I have yet to encounter any sign of high humidity in the garage. Our winter air is so incredibly dry that your skin will literally crack from about November to March. I am not worried about corrosion on my vehicle, but I totally know what you are saying about the freeze/thaw cycle.

Sounds like you are having a very up-and-down winter over there. We have been experiencing a very mild winter this year, but the Eastern part of Canada is getting hammered. I can't complain. We are looking at +10's all week!

As for hockey sticks, forget it. You Finn's are getting too good, so quit.

Always love checking in on your thread Rick! Looking great and I love the eye for details you always have. Shelf looks really nice.

Thanks, Chad. That photo featuring the shelf is a few years old now. But, the shelf is still doing its job!

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Any Canadian GJ'ers know of a Kranzle dealer up here? I've put out a few feelers, but can't seem to find anyone who carries these high-quality pressure washers. I'm considering picking up a K1122TST. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[aps63]

Re: Rick's Audi Double

Garage is looking great as always Rick.
Getting ready to pull my floor out and power wash it too.