Cars have wheels (My cars and stuff thread). Kiwi!

[SkylineObsession]

Now that i have your undivided atten.....

Wow, really - you didn't even read the first sentence before clicking the back button?

Okay, for those of you still with me.

I drive cars. I get drives in cars. I see cars/trucks. I video cars/trucks/cats. Etc.

I'll chuck vids on here occasionally. None of the road vids involve breaking speed limits, cutting corners or doing anything illegal, as don't want to Police to come knocking at my door. I could just move the door i suppose, but then they'd probably still find it if they walk around the house. :/

Anyways, here's a few vids i prepared earlier;

Okay, this one i didn't film, but it's taken in 2003 in a 1973 C110 Skyline while following me and Dad in the GTS-4 (he was driving, as it was his back then) and two R32 GTS-t's. Filmed with a cellphone, but remember back in the day this was good quality. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRLzk9vX1Y



Next, my first ever grasskhana/motorsport of any type was on this day (back in 2008) i think, and first time i've purposely thrown a car around in an open space with the intention of going fast/getting the back out. Quite noobish, but still not bad car control considering i'd only ever really got my car control experience from GT2/GT3 and possibly Gran Turismo 4 too at the time. Doesn't make it any easier with the fact that i was driving my GTS-4, which is automatic and features luxury items such as turbo lag, and a 4WD system that engages the front wheels only when the rear ones lose tration. And a clicky CV joint. And a while after this vid, a 95% blocked radiator. :o


https://youtu.be/iFCNC7ScgAY?t=232 (can't embed while starting the vid part way through?)

Later in the day i got a little faster: https://youtu.be/CLh6CUC4pzI?t=47



Fast forward a bit, and you get the time when the 4 broke the straps on the dyno and came off. It's 119kw (should be 134kw or something?) of raw power which was running rich, and occasionally switching to five cylinders or 'missing', was too much for them. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOHYK4kEIz0

[SkylineObsession]

How can we forget the time i raced an 800hp R32 GT-R on an airport runway, with my 144hp R32 Skyline GTS.
In all seriousness though, there were a lot of other fast cars there, but this GT-R was the fastest on the day, and no-one else would race him. He kept racing himself every time, so since i knew him i went to have a chat and decided i'd race him, to give people something to talk about. :D
By the time i passed the halfway mark, he'd already finished. And i wasn't messing around, both of us did our best times on that run, he got 10.6 seconds, i got 17.3 seconds. :hard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DQcsY2o8QM



A while later i dynoed my GT-R beaten GTS. Its' nickname is Screamin (from the previous owner), with good reason...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-y-Vj5oxTk
Still trying to find a tunnel long enough to scare the sh1t out of anything that lives in there, sounds Ferrari-ish under motorway overbridges. :D



I drove a Ferrari in Australia once, first time ever driving in a new country and it was in a very expensive car. Then there was the Gallardo drive back half an hour later. Sadly the vid for that didn't really turn out. :( :down: It is on my page, but yeah. Horrible quality. Now that i have Sony Movie Maker 13, i might try edit it again to see if i can improve it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fGm9_TCDa8

[SkylineObsession]

Finally here's a more recent collection of basically nice driving roads near or in my city limits.

This vid was taken about an hour south of here, which contradicts my statement above i suppose. Taken with our drivecam in my wife's R32 Skyline GTS during a Southern Skylines car cruise. I was at the front leaving everyone behind. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wPLrDW-uA0


Another drivecam vid, in my wifes GTS again. This road is only 20 minutes away on on the city limits. Used to be a gravel road, which it was when my brother crashed and wrote off his R32 Skyline GTS-25 around a corner. He slid out and smashed into a bank. Skylines are not good on gravel when combined with the HICAS four wheel steering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2171wZTrc4


And a video from a couple of days ago in my red Skyline, on a newly sealed road filmed with our GoPro Hero 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC8Odb5xn6E


Got 258 videos on my page all up, if you're bored you could watch them to become more bored. ;) Will hopefully be entering more motorsporty things at some stage, but depends on funds.
https://www.youtube.com/skylineobsession

[SkylineObsession]

Basically i've got two non GT-R Skylines,

A 1991 GTS;
1956
- 107kw (144hp) confirmed on dyno run
- non turbo
- rear wheel drive
- 5 speed manual transmission
- had a few handling modifications, as the previous owner used to take it around Manfield and Taupo racetracks until he deemed it too tidy to risk going much faster and potentially losing control
- received a full respray in the factory red pearl metallic (?) a few years before i bought it off him in 2009, with more colour added than from factory so it looks really deep
- 16.4? second 1/4 mile time on a closed road (only a few weeks after i bought it)
- factory LSD (yay!)
- no HICAS (four wheel steering) from factory, which makes it much easier to tell what the car is doing around the corners and when the back is going to slide out (which it has 'accidently' done a few times ;) ). I'm not the greatest fan of HICAS to be honest, but haven't yet tried it out around a track to see if it makes it easier or harder. The fact that some people who race Skylines remove the HICAS probably doesn't say much for it.

And a 1990 GTS-4;
1957
- 212hp (engine) factory, last dyno run it did 119kw... should have been in the 130's or so? Was running rich and on intermittently on five cylinders. :(
- single ceramic turbo
- four wheel drive (rear wheel drive 100% of the time until they lose traction, then the fronts kick in - so can still get it sideways :hard: er... *cough* apparently *cough*)
- 4 speed automatic transmission
- completely bone stock (other than the exhaust which Dad made when working with an exhaust company - was put on to test it, but it never came off :D. Still have the original one. Also has the factory Sony cd player, factory cassette player - neither of which work -, factory radio which only gets old fogey stations and so on and so forth).
- 16.3? second 1/4 mile time on the same closed road, on the same day as the GTS. Turbo lag made their times very close, but the 4 got a 160km/h trap speed while the GTS got to about 140km/h. Tried building up boost on the brakes as i'd done successfully once before (with a nice g-force kick to the back of the seat), but there wasn't enough grip on the road so it just pushed the car along.
- HICAS. Which feels really weird. You turn into a corner and suddenly it turns even sharper like you're going sideways, but there is no tyre squeal and you're still under control. Really need to try this out in a safe (for the car) environment.

That's a brief rundown of them anywho.
At the moment only the GTS is drivable, as the turbo is on it's way out on the GTS-4, so it's been taken out to be replaced (eventually...). :(

[novicius]

Even tho' they're both slower than the Bananastang, they're both much nicer. :up: :up:

[SkylineObsession]

Thanks. :) Although that shape Mustang is far and away my favourite (the newest one would be my second fave), and i'm a little jealous. ;)

Finally found a recent pic (December 29 2015...) of the 4. Wifey wanted to go for a ride on her ZX-6RR one day but no-one else from the bike club was available, so (since i don't have a bike) i took my quick car (when it was running) and we went for a half hour or more hoon around some nice roads. And by quick, i mean slow compared to the bike. Quick flick of the wrist and she'd fly past me i'd assume.

Oh well. :)
1961

Have to have a wee match with the 4 and my brothers Mk.IV Supra SZ one day. He keeps up with my red car no problem, so need to see what difference a turbo would make (essentially both Skylines share the exact same engine - RB20, just the GTS-4 has a hairdryer attached).
Dad and my other brother had a wee race one day, Dad in the 4 and my brother in his S4 RX-7 turbo. Apparently they were neck and neck - until the 4 blew a head gasket (mmmm, $2,000).

[SkylineObsession]

Turbo is back in the car, and now it's time to run it in. A mate who has a 600hp+ R33 GT-R, plus a crashed one (his old one, which he took me up to 280km/h in one day before rolling it in a hillclimb event a couple weeks later), three or four Stageas (including a Autech 260RS, which he's putting an RB30 in and is planning on getting 900hp out of eventually), and a couple of R33 GTS-4's (may have sold one, or both by now) suggested i plant it through 1st, 2nd, 3rd (which will easily take me over the speed limit, hmm no thanks) once or twice, then drive slowly for a number of km's and rinse/repeat etc to get the oil or whatever through the turbo and so on.

So done that once already - up a hill though so it felt slow. :(

The rebuilt turbo cost me $1400 or so. They dumped the breakable ceramic turbo and "machined the housings out to take a Garrett core assembly so it remained a 100% bolt in turbo" (wasn't that simple naturally, but we found a way around it to get it back together). Said; "In stock form the turbo will give you more mid range/top end. They come on boost slightly later but not by much. With a good tune these turbos will support 320hp."

Last bit doesn't affect me, as i intend on keeping the car as standard as possible. Ceramic turbo dumping aside.

I have noticed it comes on boost a wee bit later (which was already lateish when you're foot-flatting to try cross an intersection quickly before an approaching car), possibly a louder hissing sound and it kinda sounds like the wastegate/bov sounds different too, but maybe i'm just used to the one in the van (Hiace SuperCustom).

Have barely driven it since another GT-R (R32 this time) owning mate put it back in, and haven't even started it since getting back from the USA. Need a longer waste (?) oil pipe from the turbo to the hip bone or something, because it isn't quite long enough to fit around the slightly fatter turbo (mid housing is bigger and stronger). My mechanic said i won't hear/notice anything if that pipe comes off when driving, until the engine suddenly seizes due to lack of oil and i'm left with a rather large brick in the engine bay. :|

And me being mega paranoid keeps picking up on new, strange sounds from the engine bay etc - and naturally think something is going to fail and cost me thousands. Or worse.

An annoying one at the mo is when cruising at 50-100km/h+ and i let off the accelerator just enough for the car to not accelerate, but not decelerate either - and a grinding type noise starts up? No idea what the heck it can be. :(

Anyway. Hopefully a new car vid coming before the end of this month, if all goes well. From a racetrack...

[SkylineObsession]

Video from last years charity cruise (i started/came up with the idea back in 2010, after Mum passed away from cancer). I'm still involved in an organising level, but another organiser does most of the work now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNSw1exWP1s

Taken me nearly a year to edit it and put it online. Even though i only spent about an hour editing it this morning... Ahhh, procrastination. :smh:

And the $750,000 Lambo at the start of the vid is the only one in Dunedin, other than a couple of replica Countach's. The Lambo guy also owns three Ferraris, a C6 ZR-1, a C7 something (ZR-1?), a Merc SLS Convertible, a Lexus daily and a Model T. Been in his house a couple times before. Want it.

[SkylineObsession]

Incase anyone is watching this topic, here is video one (of two, incar footage at bottom - can hear the car a bit better instead of just engine and wind) of my trip up to Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell (NZ's best racetrack IMO), two and a half hours west of me, yesterday morning. Was meant to be going last month with an R32 GT-R and '73 Porsche 911 RS replica owning mates, but i had the flu. :(

The concept is simple, two laps around the track behind a pace car (so you don't need helmets, cage, extinguisher, race suits etc) with speeds around 120km/h or so (if we even got to that with this bunch - car/s near the front were holding everyone up :( ). Then into the museum/cafe for breakfast. Tracklaps Breakfast is the name of the once a month event.

Filmed with our GoPro Hero 2, and edited with Sony Movie Studio Platinum.

Using my R32 GTS, and BTW it's the first time i've EVER driven on a racetrack.

Keep an eye on the carpark cars at the end of the vid, some there you peeps may like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwEw_KaHa4k


And the much better quality in car video, filmed with our Sony A77 DSLR. It's pretty much identical to what Screamin actually sounds like (turn your speakers up?).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxTbhnha4uY

Guy with the black muscle car in front of me came up to me later and said that he couldn't see any body roll in my car. :D Which is true, there isn't much, which helps a lot on twisty roads as you're fighting with the road, not the car. If anyone wants to know what my car has suspension/handling wise, PM me as not putting the mods on a public forum.

[novicius]

Sharp stuff!! :up: :up:

That's a real nice... Roush Mustang? I wonder what those blackout patches next to the license plates are? Actual vents?

[SkylineObsession]

Good question, i've never thought to look closer at them before for some reason. Seem to be aligned with the exhaust tips as well.

[SkylineObsession]

Well that was a waste of $$$. Bought smoked indicators for my red car, tried to fit them and no dice. In the later years of the R32's life, they changed things around a little with indicators, and a metal shield or something is protruding where it wasn't in earlier models, and unfortunately the new indicator didn't account for that. No amount of forcing/breaking bits off would result in it fitting (not that we did that, because it was obvious it wasn't going to work).

Kinda sucks, as they matched the tinted front headlights. :( Refund time.:smh:

[SkylineObsession]

To the two of you that read that last post, ignore it.

The guy who sold me the indicators was the one who said about the metal protruding bit in later model R32's. They were all in the box ready to be sent back, then he'd give us a refund.

But something was nagging me, and it wasn't the wife. We've got 1990, 1991 and 1992 Skylines (wife's is a '92, facelift model) so i took an indicator off of the other two and they both had that same protruding bar. And it kinda looked structural, not something that would be added later on. So i had another crack at installing them on the red car. I held my tongue a different way, and waited for the wind in the garage to change direction, wigged the indicators around a bit, flew to the USA and back to get more Caramel M&M's (after all that i left them at the airport in the US), turned the smaller indicator light plug thingy so it was vertical instead of horizontal (which could mean it may come loose in future, hopefully not though) and then they clicked into place...

Well i'll be dammed. They aren't as flush as the previous clear (faded yellow) ones, but they seem cheaperly made, so what can you do.

Pics tomorrow after work hopefully, and it's also due for a Warrant Of Fitness, so will see if they approve of them...

[CudaMan]

Don't ya hate that. After much fiddling in every way imaginable, "there's no way this f$@%er is going to fi... oh, there it goes." :lol:

[Dicknose]

I hate forcing things, so I’m terrible at fitting things that don’t just slide in!
Glad it came together. Need a pic or it never happened.

[CudaMan]

I hate forcing things, so I’m terrible at fitting things that don’t just slide in!
Must resist sullying SO's thread.

[Leon]

Pics tomorrow after work hopefully, and it's also due for a Warrant Of Fitness, so will see if they approve of them...

If you're getting a WOF with headlights that have been tinted, then they're unlikely to kick off about indicators.

[SkylineObsession]

Everyone says they are tinted, especially looking at the same headlights on other R32's, but either they've done a bloody tidy job of it, or maybe it was a factory option to have them tinted? Surely not though. Anyway, WoF was no problem. Even pointed them out, he checked and said they are fine. :)

Pix! From the beginning, to now.

Way back in 2009 or 2008, with orange/clear indicators when still owned by the previous owner up in the central North Island. He bought the white car to replace the red one for motorsport duties, then sold the red one to me. Here you can also see the two different indicator shades Nissan provided, full orange and clear orange.
https://s26.postimg.cc/51cvn36dl/screaminrallyzoe1gn4.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

Before he sold it he put the clear indicators on, and it looked like this when i first got it in 2009. This is up on the Otago Peninsula, a few mins away from Dunedin city. Maybe in the first few weeks of owning it?
https://s26.postimg.cc/iwb65k0sp/DSC00469.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

Fast forward to 2012, the lights are fading a bit.
https://s26.postimg.cc/kcmonp3pl/DSC00078_4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/41mkrdr7p/)

[SkylineObsession]

And in May this year at a Nissan meet up beside a mates R32 GT-R (he has the exact same indicators as my new ones, below this pic).
https://s26.postimg.cc/kybnjsyrt/17632090_1420272664691611_6224558299193165512_o.jp g (https://postimg.cc/image/cstllnait/)

Smoked indicators in now. This was taken today on one of the many bush drives in this city (like, barely a minute away from the 'edge' of the city).
https://s26.postimg.cc/4kn2mwt8p/DSC5550_1920x1280_edit.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/t158hdtz9/)

And on the other side of the city, looking towards the USA. ;)
https://s26.postimg.cc/bci33i7m1/DSC5564_1920x1280_edit.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/azqoxbpc5/)

Still getting used to them obviously, but i actually think it was a good choice.
https://s26.postimg.cc/etfjsqhah/DSC5567_1920x1280_edit.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/jfbo132th/)

The pattern you see on them is in the background, the front of it is clear plastic.

One of the warrant of fitness inspectors said it's a very tidy old girl etc etc. I did a lap through the CBD and more people than usual seemed to be looking at it (not to mention other people in cars on the road).

Bloody glad i gave it a second attempt at putting them on, as it would have always bugged me wondering if they maybe woulda fit. That, and we found no other aftermarket indicators for sale anywhere, even Ebay. :/

[novicius]

Looks damn sharp! :up: :up:

[SkylineObsession]

Cheers. :)

At my car meet last Sunday i parked up beside a mates R32 GT-R (one of the 3-4 R32 GT-R's i've driven), since both cars have the same colour and smoked indicators. For sale for only $39,000NZD if you want to buy it. ;)

Let's play spot the difference!

R32 GT-R v R32 GTS
https://s26.postimg.cc/qtl72ex49/DSC6122_1920x1280.jpg

You can see how much more flared the GT-R's guards are compared to the non GT-R
https://s26.postimg.cc/ymbuuf5o9/DSC6121_1920x1280.jpg

Pretty sure my lights were supposed to be white. :(
https://s26.postimg.cc/mkgh091kp/DSC6124_1920x1280.jpg

Nice backsides
https://s26.postimg.cc/li6ahpqh5/DSC6130_1920x1280.jpg

Moar flare
https://s26.postimg.cc/fh8lknyq1/DSC6128_1920x1280.jpg

[dodint]

Neat.

Totally random, but I don't recall ever seeing a rear wiper on a window so steep. Here they only really show up on wagons/hatches.

[novicius]

Sharp! :up: :up:

Also, the slightly yellow tinge can't possibly be noticeable in real life, no?

[SkylineObsession]

Oh, random indeed - to me it seems normal but i can't say it's something i've thought about before. Some people actually remove the rear wiper - not sure why though.

And no novi, it's nice and white normally. :)

Here's a pic from today at a Wings & Wheels show i put a club display in (even though half the cars have never been to one of our meets before, but too many club members are selling their cars lately!).
https://s26.postimg.cc/540umnkl5/DSC6197_1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/lrscp5fcl/)
2x R32 Skyline GTS coupes
3x R32 Skyline GTS-t coupes (unless one was a GTS?)
1x R32 Skyline GTS-t sedan
2x R32 Skyline GT-R coupes
1x R33 Skyline GT-R coupe
1x R35 GT-R coupe
1x Z32 300ZX coupe
1x S13 Silvia coupe
1x S15 Silvia coupe
1x P11 Primera wagon

Wifey's car is the gunmetal one to the right of my one (in the middle).

Seen a heap of R33 GT-R's before, but today was the first time i've ever seen a red one. Looks damn nice in that colour. :hard:

There was also a black R32 GT-R and white R34 GT-R V-Spec II at the show, but the guy was using them to attract people to his car yard's display.

[SkylineObsession]

So, anyone in the know about extractor/header wrapping?

My wife has hers wrapped on her R32 GTS, and i do on mine too. Noticed on her car the other week that underneath the wrapping they are rusted to *&%@. Can probably poke right through the metal with your finger, it's that bad. :/

So a bit worried about my car now. It's got an electric fan instead of the viscous one, so a little concerned that it may not cool the car as much, especially with the extra heat of unwrapped extractors? But then again, i don't really race it, just drive it every now and then to keep everything running smooth.

Google generally says don't wrap unless you're a racer. Both our cars came to us wrapped already, we didn't do it ourselves.

And also, in removing it do you have to wear gloves? Think i read somewhere that it has fibres in it that aren't good for hands etc?

[Leon]

An electric fan is likely to be more effective than a viscous one.

Also, unwrapped extractors are unlikely to be causing you daily driving difficulties, unless they run very close to wiring, brake master cylinder etc.

[SkylineObsession]

Hmm, should get onto that then. I keep forgetting about taking the wrapping off.

Well, today i took the GTS-4 out and went for a cruise with a mate in his RT/10. Still a bit of frost/ice around early on but most of the roads we went on were surprisingly grit free (yay, as we both cleaned the cars prior).

It's not that much wider than the Skyline, but it is wider.
https://s26.postimg.cc/4g6j1e0kp/DSC6397_1920x1280.jpg


Following him along the peninsula to climb up a hill (which also goes to NZ's only/oldest castle - even though there's a run down one on the other side of the city, and a recently built one an hour north)
https://s26.postimg.cc/7a9oes5ax/DSC6401_1920x1280.jpg


Mmmm, uphill hairpins
https://s26.postimg.cc/8pb93j8yx/DSC6403_1920x1280.jpg

And parked up near the castle (not close enough to see)
https://s26.postimg.cc/pd2r60oax/DSC6407_1920x1280.jpg

Mmm, shiney
https://s26.postimg.cc/55pbdpyjd/DSC6413_1920x1280.jpg


The difference between 205 wide tyres, and 335 wide tyres...
https://s26.postimg.cc/mizlslopl/DSC6414_1920x1280.jpg


Another pic for good measure. He had to bend the struts of the spoiler to fit it on the boot, and to lower the height of it. :lol:
https://s26.postimg.cc/l3y13udbt/DSC6416_1920x1280.jpg

He said i can drive it one day, but then kinda put me off it when he said you only need to pretty much touch the accellerator pedal to get the stupidly fat rear wheels spinning. Even in the dry on a hot day he says it has no traction. :twitch: And they are good top range tyres too.

This Viper used to be yellow, and was originally based in Japan (from new i think?). He's thinking of painting it black, as they did a rush job on this white and there's some nasty runs in places. :(

And finally, this was Dunedin today, just after we left the spot in the pics above. If you squint you can see our massive skyscrapers (nothing over nine stories high) near the harbour. ;)
https://s26.postimg.cc/xxw2xfbeh/DSC6405_1920x1280.jpg

[CudaMan]

Beautiful scenery and driving roads there. :up:

[speedpimp]

Very nice, Skys.

[SkylineObsession]

Cheers guys, and agreed. In a matter of minutes (less than half an hour) you can drive from the city centre to dense native bush scenery (also goes right through the city, in a 'town belt', at least three beaches, the harbour and peninsula (as above with the Viper), farmland, forests and 'bare' land with grasses/tussocks and rocks etc. Not many cities in the world can boast that. I've been to plenty of places around NZ and there's nowhere else i'd rather live.

After spending ages (10:30am to about 3:30pm) today cleaning the 4 (don't usually clean the cars in Winter, but it was a nice warm day), then scratch removing the whole car (made a little bit of a difference, but still plenty of scratches left) and then cleaning with a special cleaning wax (Meguiars Deep Crystal Cleaner Wax) i took off for a wee drive up to one of the city lookouts and nicked a few pics before the sun buggered off.

In this photo you can see our massive skyscrapers (better than you can in my last pic).
https://s26.postimg.cc/bpbbx3ynt/DSC6594_1920x1280.jpg

(i) Can kinda tell the difference as to what it was like before, scratch wise
https://s26.postimg.cc/aa9r8dpux/DSC6600_1920x1280.jpg

And looking towards Central Otago ways (over those hills)
https://s26.postimg.cc/t2lmbyejd/DSC6604_1920x1280.jpg

Not bad for a 28 year old car with factory paintwork i suppose?

[SkylineObsession]

Right, you Americans and American car lovers. Here's a few hundred local (or mostly lower South Island perhaps) American muscle cars for you to gawk over. Forgot i had this footage, so edited it all together this morning.

The red Mustang in the background of the video cover pic below is a former SEMA show car which lives just down the road from me (he's also got a Shelby Cobra replica and Ferrari F430, plus a few BMW's), and it's a turbo/twin turbo pushing around 600hp or so. Near the end of the vid you can hear him boot it a little down the road.

Cars heading to the right are heading up along a popular dead end beachside drive, if you were wondering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnnv6N9KN7E

And the guy with the Viper also lives near me (same as my mate with the RT/10 in my post above) and apparently has over 40 cars? Including a silver R35 GT-R, a Skyline GT-R being built, a Ford GT40 replica (louder than the Viper) and so on.

Crapload of nice cars in my area. :D

[SkylineObsession]

Pink was playing here last night, so places like our railway station (apparently one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand) used pink lighting to welcome her.

Camera was on AUTO+ mode, as i was in the middle of the street while parked in a cycle lane and didn't bring my tripod and didn't want to get run over and too lazy and forgot how to take night pics already and didn't want someone to jump out of the bush and take my car and still too lazy and running out of excuses as to why these pics could have been better.

https://s26.postimg.cc/54vvggh9l/DSC0063_1920x1280.jpg


https://s26.postimg.cc/xuird3djt/DSC0052_1920x1280.jpg


https://s26.postimg.cc/kdlsu8int/DSC0062_1920x1280.jpg

Had actually planned to take pics of the reflections on the car, closer to the station, but there were too many people parked in that area, and when i went back after midnight the lights were off. :(

[21Kid]

She is awesome!

[SkylineObsession]

Another day, another cruise with mates
https://i.postimg.cc/mr0TLNGL/DSC0697-1920x1280.jpg

Was just us three at first, went for a drive out to the albatross colony (only mainland one in the word)
https://i.postimg.cc/N0ygvCSC/DSC0703-1920x1280.jpg

Then an R34 GT-T and S14 joined us
https://i.postimg.cc/Sx1y5bTz/DSC0706-1920x1280.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/kggJfgcm/DSC0711-1920x1280.jpg

Later on the Viper and GTS-t had a drag race...
https://i.postimg.cc/HsHs828j/DSC0720-1920x1280.jpg

But since my wee GTS could keep up with a turbo Skyline, it clearly wasn't an actual race.
https://i.postimg.cc/5N39BC8g/DSC0723-1920x1280.jpg

[Godson]

Never thought I would say this, but the rt10 in white is solid.

[SkylineObsession]

Ahh, yeah. About that. It's now black. He painted it in his garage. Not really sure why, but yeah. It does look nice in black though.

Welp peeps, i've added another car to the fleet, and before you say it I KNOW IT'S NOT PINK, but they had no pink ones for the right price.

To relive my Gran Turismo days, i bought a Vitz RS/Yaris RS/Echo RS etc today.


https://i.postimg.cc/jjgGgRrW/1050241472.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/GtYVmYTY/1050241474.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/LXJGGGHx/1050241490.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4djjGwys/1050241471.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/6p0sZdjf/1050241493.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rpFBNK7X/1050241511.jpg

Paid $1,800NZD...

It's been sitting at the dealership for the past 10,000 km's, possibly because it has 300,000 km's on the odo (305 to be exact). It has clear coat coming off the bonnet, broken front bumper near the front right spotlight, paint missing from a side skirt, a glasses holder in the dash that's missing a latch and a couple other minor things.
I suspect all that is why it's been sitting there so long, the guy even said they almost sold it recently till the girl came in with her dad to see it then she got put off by the paint condition on the bonnet.

Due for a service shortly so wil take it to my mechanic and see what he thinks of it.

It's a really peppy wee car though (110 hp), fourth gear from 50km/h to 100km/h seemed to be over in a couple of seconds. Engine sounds nice and smooth running. No noises from the suspension (and it handles great with the tighter RS suspension). Gear changes are nice and easy/smooth. Etc etc.

Main thing i'd be concerned about is the engine with it's km's. But in saying that the dealer said his brother has one that's done 400,000 km's and still going strong, so...

It was sold in a 'as is where is' condition (for that price its understandable) so fingers crossed Toyota reliability doesn't let me down.

[Leon]

They're shitloads of fun, I've had a couple of those 1500 RS's

[Godson]

It needs a pink wrap.


STAT

[SkylineObsession]

Actually quite surprised at the grunt of it, it got up one of our local hills in 5th gear tonight without needing to change down, unlike wifeys Skyline GTS where you have to go down to 4th or 3rd.

It does seem like a really fun car, bit reluctant to go too mental driving it though as only bought it for an around town car. But maybe one day i'll enter a local 1/4 mile event in it if one ever gets held again. :P

Even though it's my car, wifey would kill me if i put a pink wrap on it as she likes purple. ;)

[Leon]

They're low geared, and bags of torque (but no top end). Makes them good on hills. The main downfall is open diff, as you'll be a one wheeler peeler out of corners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz9UpnuZvr8 <--- that's me doing a hillclimb in the one I owned. You'll note complete lack of revving enthusiasm, and that one had been tinkered with a bit.

[SkylineObsession]

Damn, that seemed quite quick. :eek:

Do you happen to know what to do to it/keep an eye on the keep the engine in running condition? My mechanic said it may not be a good idea going too mental with fuel/injector etc cleaning products as the car may not like being that clean again (if it hadn't had it done for a while).
Bought some new spark plugs, oil, filter and a couple other things from Toyota the other day, even though most of that may have already been done recently.

[Leon]

Damn, that seemed quite quick. :eek:

Do you happen to know what to do to it/keep an eye on the keep the engine in running condition? My mechanic said it may not be a good idea going too mental with fuel/injector etc cleaning products as the car may not like being that clean again (if it hadn't had it done for a while).
Bought some new spark plugs, oil, filter and a couple other things from Toyota the other day, even though most of that may have already been done recently.

honestly, it's an old Toyota. Everything might be knackered, or if it has been well serviced, it might still be all good. It's a rolling of the dice. Just do normal servicing, and then if something plays up, look more deeply.

[SkylineObsession]

Yeah true, it came with no service history which doesn't help. But so far seems all good.

Anyways, a couple weeks ago i organised a wee winter meet, small turnout because it's the first one i've done in a long time so the regulars have mostly moved on to other things. Oh well. Still got some nice cars. Including my mates newly blacked Viper.

https://i.postimg.cc/zXdkt0y2/DSC1731-1920x1280.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/8zjmqMWp/DSC1727-1920x1280.jpg

Not long after this it started raining lightly, then got quite heavy, and with no windows in the Viper he got a bit wet going home. :(
https://i.postimg.cc/7ZdnDhMg/DSC1743-1920x1280.jpg

[Godson]

Getting the fuel injectors professionally cleaned usually won't cause an issue, unless an issue was already present and in which case, should still be done.

Jmo

[Yobbo NZ]

They also seem to have a close ratio gearbox, at least the ones I've test driven years ago at work seemed to.

Wouldn't worry too much about higher kms, my lovely ACV36 camry has 450,xxx kms on it now, top end is a bit noisy, but I give it a hard time most days getting onto the highway.
Change the oil, change the fuel filter and you'll be right. Although the filter on those can be fun...

[SkylineObsession]

Whoops, musta missed those posts. But yeah, Vitz (aka 'baby car', since it's the smallest in our fleet) is still going well but haven't done the fuel filter yet. Hopefully it'll fix the slight dead spots non-smooth acceleration that it has when putting my foot down harder. Can get around 500km's around town out of a tank, and i think close to or maybe above 600km's on the open road? I was sure i'd taken a photo or something of the k's it did on a road trip once, but musta been another car. :(

Anywho. For the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown came into effect i've taken out one of my cars for a winter drive, since it was a nice sunny and warm day (after the morning frost thawed out). Was also the first time i met up with a mate instead of a coworker or family member since lockdown. And also the first time in 3-4 months i've taken the car out of the garage. :o
https://i.postimg.cc/gJTXj7TS/DSC2663k-1920x1280.jpg

And in other news, my turbo Skyline has been having more problems (never ending...), it just seems to lose power sometimes? Like it could go like the clappers for a short while then next time i floor it its like the turbo has fallen off or only going at half strength. And (not confirmed, as can't remember) later on it could be fine again. Kind of annoying not knowing what the cause is. When the turbo got rebuilt it should have come with either a new wastegate or a fixed one, if there was any problem with it, since it's attached to the turbo housing. It runs on 98 octane fuel, and has done so for a good decade or more.

Any ideas?

[SkylineObsession]

Another Sunday, another cruise.

A short drive over the hills you see in the background of my photo in the post above bought us to a very photogenic location (of which i don't have much pictures of ironically)
https://i.postimg.cc/FzSqQXrL/DSC2740-1920x1280.jpg

Wifey, the formerly black and originally yellow Viper, turbo Jaguar
https://i.postimg.cc/HW8FMXwk/DSC2742-1920x1280.jpg

This town we finished the cruise in was extremely busy, like it would be on a Summer day with no covid19 lockdown in effect.
https://i.postimg.cc/9MKSSQh2/DSC2755-1920x1280.jpg

So many nice cars out yesterday, US muscle everywhere, a nice tan/brown Porsche 911 930 (love that shape), a number of nice Japanese cars (Skylines, EVO's etc), Alfa 4C, a few other Porsches etc. Not too bad for the last day of Autumn.

[SkylineObsession]

The Vitz is a great wee gravel basher car. Doesn't like big rocks or built up gravel in the middle of the 'lane' on gravel roads as it bellies quite a bit, but if i drive on top of the high points its fine. Still got occasional power probs, so gonna try replace the fuel regulator next. Recently replaced all four speakers with new ones (nothing too fancy though). Old ones were so old that you could poke a finger through the cardboardness of the shell with little/no effort.
https://i.postimg.cc/tJq171Rt/DSC6473-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/vgK8NZVc)


This was after taking a gravel/mud road from a blip on the map called Beaumont to a small village called Millers Flat (the state highway route on the other side of the river is MUCH quicker, but not as fun). Only wide enough for one car in many places. Lots of big rocks/stones to avoid. Many, many big water filled potholes, and right near the end of it was a shaded area (from a hill) with thick mud, which i got a wee runoff going to get through it, just incase. Hence the mud on the wing mirror. Lots of wheelspinning and sliding around, plus somehow finding enough room to let an oncoming 4WD get by me. It was great fun, but really slow going cos of the depth of the potholes and the many bloody rocks.
Also, as you may be able to see, 95% of the clearcoat has come off the bonnet now. :(
https://i.postimg.cc/85Hc81dF/DSC5619-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hzXcTR5g)

One of the narrow rickety old bridges we had to cross
https://i.postimg.cc/vm7H9QNP/DSC5604-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Tyw6vXGm)

One of the local residents
https://i.postimg.cc/x1zdfGyV/DSC5600-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/3k3h9vct)

Was worth the trip down that road, for views like this
https://i.postimg.cc/KYh8RKJk/DSC5602-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/3k9TqwMY)



Moar recent pics. Hows that suspension travel, huh? Does it remind you of your 1:64 scale Matchbox/Hotwheels car with a stuffed wheel? ;)
https://i.postimg.cc/wx2yZkFW/DSC6962-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/14g3Nwk6)


Nice wee picnic area at Gabriels Gully (historic gold mining place from the 1800's).
https://i.postimg.cc/d35hCqLM/DSC6988-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bS2YcfxL)


As for the Skylines, one of them hasn't been road legal in nearly i year i think, and the other one prolly six months or more. Just got too lazy, plus lockdowns, plus being too busy, plus a friendship possibly no more due to a towing incident.
Wifey was towing my (former?) mates Viper (he'd taken off many body panels to help the car painters out, so wasn't legal to drive on the road) and right near the end of the tow to the paint shop there was a miscommunication or something, the car got jerked by the rope (he was using a rigid rope, rather than our stretchy/bungy rope like i'd offered) unpleasant words were exchanged, and many parts of the Viper needed fixing or replacing (water reservoir split open, some metal bits got bent or snapped etc).
We offered to pay for repairs, but he never really took it up. We got the water tank plastic welded for him, but since then haven't really heard peep from him, so we assume he's still not in a good mood about it. He hasn't responded to my last few messages, so who knows what's going on.

Mistakes happen. We offered hundreds of dollars to fix the broken bits. We apologised many times. We fixed his water reservoir (hopefully it stayed fixed?). And yeah. Oh well, was a good friendship while it lasted, if he's not keen on keeping it going. :(

Finally, this was the last time i took Screamin out for a drive, taken near Middlemarch (with wifey in her R32) which is an hourish from Dunedin city but still part of Dunedin city. This is how we announced on social media the pending arrival of our son (of which we didn't know his gender until the day he was born). Some people 'got it' straight away, others were a bit slower to get the meaning behind it. :lol: The small Skyline at front is actually on location and is a plastic build yourself R32 GT-R that's not quite finished, and it was sitting on a box which i badly photoshopped out. ;)
3909

[SkylineObsession]

Hello Hilux, goodbye Hiace.

https://i.postimg.cc/ZqHc2mv0/Hello-Goodbye.jpg (https://postimg.cc/LqqLgrTM)

Going from an awesome 1994 8 seater, 3l, 128hp rear wheel drive diesel van to a angry looking 2016 5 seater, 2.8l, 170hp rear wheel drive diesel ute/truck.

Going to miss the ice box/ice maker/food warmer device, front and rear sunroofs, a moon roof, powered curtain rails, coffee flask heater, seats in the back that can rotate 180 degrees and be laid flat to sleep on, really nice sounding engine when compared to other diesels, comfy seating etc that all come in the van. And i think it's the best looking van out there. We really don't want to get rid of it, but our current fleet of six vehicles is a bit much.

Sadly though it is also coming up to 300,000km's (which means cambelt change etc, and we were thinking of doing the head/head gasket as a pre-emptive measure - aka thousands of dollars worth) and only has a 1-star safety rating, and we've been reading more and more stories about van drivers/front seat passengers getting their legs crushed in head on collisions, so decided that maybe we need to look at something a bit safer.

Wifey has been wanting a ute for a while now, and we saw this online (with its 5-star safety rating), went to the yard on a Sunday to test drive it, and on Tuesday we picked it up for $26k. It has 158,000km's on it, and used to be a fleet car, so has a good service history (and good chunks of mud still lingering underneath :lol: ).

Never expected to ever own a vehicle this new, so it's a bit of a weird feeling. It's not really got too many bells and whistles, the normal nav screen with reverse camera, auto headlights and so on. No parking sensors, no automatic folding mirrors and yadda yadda. But the amount of things we put in the back of the van, messing the carpet up, means a ute was a better choice of vehicle.

It also gets sideways very easily (so i've heard), even with traction/stability control turned on. I tried it around an abandoned roundabout the other night and it stepped out as easily as my red Skyline (aka, foot down and then handful of countersteer). Mind you, it has all terrain tyres on it, the roundabout was slightly wet and also notorious for traction probs.

But yeah. Anyone want to buy a van? :P Dealership only offered 7k for it (cos needs a bit of paintwork), and our bottom dollar for them was 8k.

As for plans for the ute;
An alarm/immobiliser (manly the latter, but they come as a package).
Tints on all windows (except front obviously) to try keep the heat out of it and for a bit of privacy, plus for window breakage security.
Possibly going to get the front grill and badge, and maybe other badges, wrapped and or plasti-dipped in a mattesque colour.
New 17 inch alloy rims (nothing fancy though) with tyres that provide good wet and dry grip on sealed and metalled surfaces, as we did with the van.
Monsoon shield for the windows maybe.
And possibly a couple other things.

Will do a road test soon to see how it does on a tank of diesel compared to the van. Will be interesting. :popcorn:

[Cam]

Sad to see the van go (300K km!) but good to see you got a nice replacement.

[Yobbo NZ]

Just watch for timing chain rattle and the Dpf issues.
Chain was a recall if you complained about it and it met the criteria. Quite a large job.
Also the 160 or 180k major service requires the engine out to replace the vacuum pump blades, another massive job.
Prados can get away with removing one engine mount and tilting the engine over to gain access.
But, they seemed to be more reliable than the previous model, so you should be well sorted.

[SkylineObsession]

Yeah we'd really love to keep the van, it'll be like saying bye to a family member, but got no choice really. :( If i win Lotto before it sells, then we'll keep it and restore it.

Cheers for the checklist Yobbo, we'll try keep some savings tucked away for all that when it comes time. It's booked in to get the DPF recall issue fixed this month, no other outstanding recalls due though so hopefully the chain has been done, but will try find out.

Did a road trip earlier this week, 400km's in a day and it only used half a tank of diesel. Kept it in Eco mode the whole way and didn't have to change out of 5th gear for any hills, which was great. Also handles quite flat, like the Skylines, so that's a welcome surprise too. Currently it's still in Eco mode and has about 640km's on the same tank of diesel, and is sitting just below the quarter mark. Prolly doesn't help that we live in a hilly city though.

[Leon]

Those Hiace vans are such a great work horse :)

Enjoy the new to you ute!

[SkylineObsession]

Ute is going great, we've done a few cosmetic changes to it to make it look a bit meaner and for a bit of privacy and security. Nudge bar, monsoon shields, doorhandle covers, new rims, security/privacy/heat reducing window tints etc.
Will get a pic soon, it's a bit dirty at the mo.

In other, not so good news, my Vitz (known by us as 'Baby car' cos its so small) may be written off due to a road rage incident last week. :(

Wifey was being tailgated (she was doing speed limit according to GPS in dashcam) coming home, the 'Karen' behind her saw a chance to pass, wifey moved over to stop her doing so but she carried on and damaged the right back fender, back passenger door, drivers door, wing mirror, front right wheel, front right fender and possibly some mechanical damage.

Wife sped up to chase the biarch and eventually got her to stop a few mins later, Karen jumped out and they had a shouting match. Then Karen drove off (aka, hit and run...) and wife came home.

Long story short, it is ALL on dashcam, including the argument, and insurance and Police have been tracking her down. Police got to her first, and told her she will be going on a driver attitude course or something. Not sure about any fines yet, Police want more of the footage.

Panelbeaters checked the car out yesterday (or the day before) and now insurance is waiting on their quote to see whether they write it off or not (likely, since it was only insured for $3,300 - which is NOT enough for a decent new car).

Baby car (there's a big dint to the top left of the front wheel, and an indent along drivers door)
3986

Because it wasn't insured for much (possibly cos it's done over 340,000 km's, and also cos i kept forgetting to up the value of it annually when they constantly reduce it) and the repairs will be $1k-$2k or so, the panelbeater said they'll likely write it off. I can buy back the car, but i'd rather not buy something i already own... Plus i'd likely have to reregister it, buy new plates and so on.

Real pain in the arse, as it's got such a tidy interior. The outside is the complete opposite though, which sucks. I've been umming and ahhing about tiding up the outside for a year or two now, but there's just too much to do, previous owners didn't look after outside of it much. It just seems like a waste to scrap cars that are great in some ways but not so much in others. :(

[Cam]

Dang. :(

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow... :(

Sorry about that... road rage not worth it. While I was younger, I had my share of road rage incidents... luckily I did not get into any accidents! In retrospect, I can't believe how stupid I was! :p

I'm glad I'm now older and wiser because I think there are now a LOT more crazy drivers on the road. If a tailgater comes up to me, I'd try to speed up as much as I reasonably can or move over and let him pass as soon as I can. I think the Covid lockdowns have caused considerable damage to people's mental health. If somebody is truly crazy and insane, it's really best to avoid and ignore him. ;)

[Phil_SS]

Some of that might buff right out!

[21Kid]

That shit is scary in the US. You never know who's packing.

[Dicknose]

Wifey was being tailgated (she was doing speed limit according to GPS in dashcam) coming home, the 'Karen' behind her saw a chance to pass, wifey moved over to stop her doing so
I dont understand that... if someone is harassing you, let them go. Trying to block them just escalates and will often end badly - seems in this case it did.
Not sure about NZ, but here its a serious offence to not yield to someone trying to overtake. This obviously includes moving out of you lane, but also includes speeding up.
Im sure your wife was stressed by all this and that can affect our choices, but it could be seen that the road rage bit was started by your wife if she tried to block someone overtaking.

[SkylineObsession]

Well the repair bills came in - $5,300 - for a car insured for $3,300 (there was hub and suspension damage too). So yeah, it got picked up last week, destined for the scrapyard. *cries*
Oh well, it was a seriously fun car while we had it.

I'm very likely not going to replace it, with anything. Mainly because i don't want to buy another car that spends so much of my money at mechanics for its various problems. And cars from car dealerships are way too expensive now.

Plus i figure we can save a bit of money in rego, warrant of fitness, fuel and other such costs by going back to one daily driver.

And DN, i think she moved over to try stop the crazy lady from speeding in a residential area (notwithstanding the fact that it's generally not 'a thing' to overtake in residential streets), but it ended up happening anyway (wifey chased her down going well over the speed limit and was barely catching her until traffic up ahead slowed Karen down - Police overlooked this because there were no pedestrians around and not much traffic).
The road was also only one lane in either direction too. Not designed for overtaking.

Yes she could have pulled over, but red mist and stress makes you do silly things sometimes. :( No word on charges yet, but to avoid a fine wifey will be going to some sort of meeting and may have to write an apology letter (bit silly, but if it avoids a fine, then...). Other lady could get done for reckless driving, get a fine of $1k or so, lose her licence for six months, have to do community work, write an apology letter, and possibly more. Watch this space.

Here's where it happened (travelling in the direction of the arrows).
4006

Street view
4007

[SkylineObsession]

Still haven't heard back from the police or anyone about whether 'karen' has done her course yet/had her meetings, so no idea if they will be chasing up further compensation from her.

Still miss the cool wee car and get a bit envious seeing so many others around town, but it was sucking a lot of money in repairs due to it's mistreatment/lack of maintenance by former owners, so financially i'm a little better off without it.
I'd like to get another one one day, for nostalgia, but if i were to realistically replace it i'd look at the brand new Yaris or maybe the brand new Suzuki Swift.

So anyway, finally got some ute pics! From a Skyline club meet i organised in February. After years of no meets, and only advertising it via the (very much dead/inactive) forum email system and texts, we ended up with 18 cars which blew me away (i was expecting maybe five or six).
1x R31 Nissan Skyline Ti sedan
2x R32 Nissan Skyline GTS coupes
1x R32 Nissan Skyline GTS-25 (with a turbo motor, not sure what type)
1x R32 Nissan Skyline GTS-t sedan
1x R33 Nissan Skyline GTS-25t coupe
1x R34 Nissan Skyline GT-T coupe
1x R35 Nissan GT-R coupe (the car the owner is looking at breaking the NZ Land speed record with, currently about 364km/h from a motorbike)
1x Z33 Nissan 300ZX coupe
1x Z34 Nissan 350Z coupe
1x Mk.IV Toyota Supra SZ
1x Toyota Hilux S TD DC 2.8D truck
1x BMW i8 coupe
1x 1974 Mercedes 280 sedan
1x 1971 Ford Ranchero ute
1x Holden Commodore Acclaim wagon
1x Holden Commodore SS-V sedan
1x HSV Clubsport coupe (the latter two Holdens were having a rev-off for a while, both were very loud V8's)

Spot the truck. ;)
https://i.postimg.cc/Vv2c7bkW/DSC9152a-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/RJ18hhfW)

Looks so much better than when we got it
https://i.postimg.cc/rmnTrH6b/DSC9174-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/BLKRWMnc)

New taillight covers (cheap, so they don't fit/stick well)
https://i.postimg.cc/SRnh7GkK/DSC9175-1920x1280.jpg (https://postimg.cc/N2vSQmyh)

Had the truck ceramic coated a month or so ago now, water just flies off it with mega water beading - quite cool to watch. :D Kinda had to do something like that, as i was having a hell of a time trying to clean dirt and tar off it, since it'd probably never been waxed before due to it being a fleet truck. Either way, it sucked, and i sometimes couldn't get tar/mud off at all no matter how long i spent trying to clean it. With the ceramic coating, everything wipes off with a swipe of a finger. :eek:

No other plans for it now other than maybe get black licence plates for it.

[CudaMan]

Super clean! And what a cool looking meet. I'm torn between the red R32 and the black R34. :) And a couple of classy Zs in there for good measure.

[SkylineObsession]

Cheers. :) Still a bit weird owning something so new (2016 model) as previously the newest car we owned was my 2001 Vitz.

That R32 is just a GTS like wifeys car, but has an aftermarket front bumper on it. Owned/driven by a 73 (?) year old lady. :)
https://i.postimg.cc/X7SkDX3v/SSE-meet-12-Feb-2023-30.jpg (https://postimg.cc/0rnSzkzg)


And the R34 has a green undertone/metallic flake or something in the paint, which looks bloody cool close up. The black GTS-t beside it used to run 11.8 in the quarter mile i think, but these days i think he's put a more reliable less powerful engine in it. Think he was up to 520hp with the RB30DET at one point.
https://i.postimg.cc/fW0vKmGF/SSE-meet-12-Feb-2023-17.jpg (https://postimg.cc/14s6Rn5c)

Bought black slim (100mm high instead of the normal 130mm or so) licence plates for both my cars the other day too, with silver writing. Hopefully will make them stand out less on the cars (hate licence plates on cars, i think they look messy - so i often remove them in car shows and on photos).