That Pinging noise...?

And so the NY Times reports that people with engines recommending premium are putting in regular instead.

Even though the car’s manual says he should use premium, Mr. Alterio, 59, said the occasional pinging from his engine, caused by using the lower-octane gas, is worth the savings.

Yeah that pinging noise? Well let me explain what that is. See your computer AKA ECU, determines when the spark plug ought to ignite the air fuel mixture in your engine for optimal power and lowest emissions. The detonation of this mixture happens somewhere around TDC (top dead center) and usually somewhere after the piston has reached TDC.

That pinging noise is the fuel igniting beforeq the ECU sends the spark. That is called pre-ignition. It is happening before the piston reaches TDC and it puts HUGE pressure on the piston. It is akin to hitting the piston with a hammer while it is trying to travel in an upwards direction.

Fuel economy suffers. Pollutants, especially the deadly NOx gasses, go through the roof and you cna destroy your pistons and piston rings. You don't want to know what that will cost you. So if you have plans on keeping that vehicle for any amount of time, I would strongly, strongly suggest that if your engine is pinging on regular, that you pump it up a notch or you will spend that "savings" either on rebuilding the engine or putting a downpayment on another vehicle.

Automotive experts say that following the manufacturer’s instructions is advisable, and that some high-performance cars can experience knocking and hesitation when accelerating, and possibly some engine damage, if regular gas is used when a higher grade is recommended.

“The only thing I’ve noticed is more money in my wallet,” said Steve Altman, standing alongside a black 2007 Mercedes on Lee Highway in Arlington, across the Potomac River from Washington. He made the switch from premium gas two weeks ago, he said, and his car runs no differently than before. Still, he plans to add a fuel injection cleaner at the end of the month, just in case.

Oh yeah, most of those injector cleaners are shyt. Unless one is popping Chevron Techron (which I recommend) you're guaranteed to be wasting your money. Of course that stuff isn't exactly cheap.

AT&T Must be tickled pink to have the iPhone give free advertising to their rival Verizon Wireless.

Steve Jobs at WWDC2008

Isn't he looking a bit gaunt? Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen him so slim.
And I recall that Mr. Jobs was discussing the security issues with RIM, including a little comment about how RIM's servers were a point of failure, yet now mobile Me uses, well, Apple Servers. Of course Apple is not going to be between a corporation and it's phones, but still, given the numerous times .Mac has gone down....

Edit: Some people are claiming that Steve Jobs looked no less "slim" than he did last year or before. BS. There have been numerous photos of the man around in the last year, and he clearly has less hair now and far less body fat. if he was sick with some "bug" it must be some bug that's been inhabiting his stomach for quite a while. I think a lot of people are plain scared to discuss it, but Steve was not looking all that good Monday. Sounded cool, but did not look right at all.

I don't know if he's been on chemo or on some low calorie diet where you purposely under eat, it's really not my business. But folks who say Steve is looking "normal" are either in denial or need there eyes checked.

Bike To Work Week 2

So week two of the Bike to work program is here. Today's trip went about 5 min faster than the last one. This was due to a couple of things. Firstly since I left 30 min earlier than before, some of the traffic was less than before, so I didn't have to wait at some unlighted intersections as long as I had to last week.

Secondly, I did a better job of pacing myself and recovering from hill climbs. I cannot stress enough the importance of pacing. So fo example, I did not pedal down hills this time. This conserved energy for the final hill. I'm not going faster than 30 MPH so, it make little sense to pedal when I'm already moving at 26 or so MPH.

lastly is proper cadence control. a lot of people, including myself often use too hard a gear for going uphill. They put a lot of stress on their knees and legs pushing a hard gear. Instead i is better to get a good cadence going that allows you to maintain a decent speed with decent turnover where you're not fighting the bike and gravity.

On a closing noteI have to say that there are some really rude people on the road. It's not cool to put the nose of your car into an intersection when a bike is approaching. It's scary and it pisses me off. Also, check your mirrors when pulling out of parking spots. You should assume that the bike is moving faster than you think it it's moving. In most unrban settngs we can hit the posted speed limits.

I think next week I will start doing this twice weekly. I will need to get a portable fridge for my office because sports drinks from vending machines are pricey.

Running on Empty? Repair Bill Soon Come

So we find that some people are allowing their cars to run out of gas in their efforts to not go broke filling up their tanks. However; should the continue to do so, they may soon find themselves at the receiving end of a bill for a fuel pump replacement. Many cars have fuel pumps that reside in the gas tank of the vehicle. These electric pumps are cooled by the fuel in the tank. As you run out of fuel there is less liquid actually splashing the little motor and it can get hot and burn out. Added to the potential problems is that many older vehicles have some sediment at the bottom of the tank. Each time you let the fuel tank go bone dry, you increase the chances of that sediment collecting on the strainer and impeding the fuel flow and increasing the load on the electric motor. Hence, the practice of allowing the tank to go dry may lead to premature fuel pump failure and a decent sized bill. I recently replaced my fuel pump (for other reasons) and the pump alone ran about $150 retail. I did the work myself so I didn't have to pay to have it installed, but such a job would cost you between one half hour to an hour of billing. So it is entirely possible that a consumer, in an attempt to save money, could end up with a $200 fuel pump bill, which at $4.00/gallon works out to 50 gallons of gasoline. Worth it?

Bike To Work

And so today marks day one of my summer bike to work saga.

Last year I wanted to bike to work, but two thinigs stopped that. First and foremost my office was, at the time far away from any lockerroom with a shower. There was no way I was going to stop at the gym, change and shower and hen get back on the bike and bike anther mile or so to my office and get sweaty again. Nor was I going to go to my office and be smelly all day. Now my office is within walking distance of the gym so it's on.

The trip is 12.5 miles (half my usual weekend ride). It is mostly up hill. with the last portion being entirely up hill. That portion is about .5 miles but it is not good for someone who really doesn't do too much hills. I expect that within the next 3 weeks or so I will be able yo get up the hill without a drink break. The problem is that it is about a half mile from another longer but less steep hill. So all that back to back hill climbing is not good riht now.

We had a little incident this morning though. I went off course to attempt not having to cross a road, when I rn outof road. Apparently some overgrown bushes had cut into the shoulder and rigt beside me was a NJ transit bus. Needless to say I will not be going that way again.

Overall it took me abot 1 hour to make the trip. That is slow by my nomal standards, but then again my normal standards do not include these kinds of hills. I expect to drop these times by end of summer.

Anyway, big props to Maemomapper, GPSlim and a Nokia N800 which I used to map out the route. I will ge the elevation changes a-la-Tour de France.

And for those wondering, this is not an attempt to save on gasoline though by calculations I save at least $4.04 (current price of premium unleaded) per day of biking to work. The plan is for twice weekly trips so the savings on gas work out to bout $10 bucks a week. However, the purchasing of energy food and drink serves to offset some of that savings.

the $80 oil change

You know, up until Feb, I had two 20 year old cars. I do most of the maintenance myself. I do the regular oil changes, fuel filter, spark plugs, distributor, etc. I haven't paid for an oil change in many many years. So yesteday I go to Speedly lube No. 99 to change the oil on a recently aquired Z3. The manufacturer apparently specifies synthetic oil. That joint ran my $80 bucks.

On top of being charged for the oil, they tacked on some 10 buck extra for doing a synth change. Oh did I mention that one jackass there broke my interior door handle and didn't even have the decency to say so? Last time Speedy Lube No. 99 get's my car, either one. Oh and then there was the unasked for car wash. I hand wash my car because I don't think putting a convertible through a car wash is a good idea but there it was on it's way down before I could stop them. Oh and the final straw being they reset the service interval light. Did anyone ask to have the service interval light reset? No. Apparently no one at this place has been told about how the service interval light on BMW's are for things other than oil changes. All I wanted was the oil change and I said so.

Now I'm not sure whether the previous owner had done synth changes before, but given that I'm going to need to change out the oil when the temperatures stay above 60 degrees (in the next month). I'm not happy to think I'll be tossing this oil I just paid for, for a heavier mix and I think I'm going to forgo the synth since as stated I have a 20 year old that has never seen synth oil and runs just fine thank you.

$80 oil change indeed.