Two winter questions...

Funny, but as I get older I find I like the change of seasons enough that I'm glad I didn't move to warmer climes :nixweiss Especially weird as cold weather wreaks havoc with me physically.



Hey, Moe- Didn't realize you were a middle-school (or is it high school frosh?)teacher :bow It takes a special kind of person to do that job, especially these days.
 
Yeah, this is my 31st year of teaching Spanish, mostly to freshmen. I also coach the tennis teams here. I taught/coached both my daughter and son, and we still get along. It was fun to be able to present my children their letterman's jackets.



I don't mind teaching, though it is getting tougher. Some parents are pushing off some of their duties on us, figuring that it is completely our job to turn their kids into adults. Moreover, the federal and state powers that be have little understanding of education. The best people in education tend to be the ones still teaching.



I will retire in a few years. I just have some things I want to do, and the time to enjoy them. I play tennis well, but I can't hit a golf ball straight to save my butt.



BTW, I took my son for his learner's permit test today. He passed. Now I get to teach him to drive a stick! And, turn him into an Autopian!



Again, thanks to everyone here. If the rest of society were as considerate and helpful as Autopians, that would really be something.
 
Hey said:
Yeah, this is my 31st year of teaching Spanish, mostly to freshmen...
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31 years! :eek You've seen some societal changes.



.. I taught/coached both my daughter and son, and we still get along...
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Heh heh :xyxthumbs on the still getting along ;)



Oh, and congrats on your son't passing and good luck on teaching him the stickshift. Shouldn't be too hard at his age; coordinated kids in their mid-teens seem to pick things up pretty well.
 
White95Max said:
I'm not looking to move to CA. I want to move to Oregon. Somewhere between Portland and Corvallis. Too expensive right near the coast, and too dry east of the Cascades. I want to be in the middle, where there's enough rain to make for some awesome kayaking opportunities! :xyxthumbs
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Sounds perfect for you enough water to grab some waves. :drool: my brother lives in Seattle he loves it, great fishing and beautiful landscape. for me Ca. has my detailing weather, snowboarding and hmm hmm hmm a few golf courses lol! guess I compare golf to detailing, lots of patience required ,technique is key and you are always seeking perfection even though it never happens. glad to see we still have some teachers

who care. most of my kid's teachers are too easy on them IMHO. my kids think my wife and I are tough on them but we want to prepare them for the real world and it is not always a easy place. trying to instill a good work ehthic in them as they grow up.
 
kempie said:
I read someplace that the proper way to store tires is to stand them up as opposed to laying them dowm as you propose. I have no ides why.

Something you can google if interested.
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I believe that you DO NOT want them standing up, because that will cause flat spots. Lay then on their sides, one on top of the other, w/ a piece of cardboard or something between them to keep the wheels from scratching each other. I also read on The Tire Rack site that tires should NOT be dressed and stored. I keep my seasonal tires/wheels in Tire Totes all year long.



Good luck w/ the cold garage. Mine is uninsulated too, but it stays in the 40s, even when temps drop into the teens. My house must be "leaking."
 
ramp said:
I believe that you DO NOT want them standing up, because that will cause flat spots.
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I've heard that too, but I really don't think there's enough weight on the tire to cause flat spotting if the tire pressure is at proper level. Mine are filled to 40PSI and stored standing in my storage closet, and I rotate them every weekend. I have to see those beautiful wheels once in a while! :)
 
White95Max said:
I've heard that too, but I really don't think there's enough weight on the tire to cause flat spotting if the tire pressure is at proper level. Mine are filled to 40PSI and stored standing in my storage closet, and I rotate them every weekend. I have to see those beautiful wheels once in a while! :)
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You are probably right. Another reason I keep mine on their side is that they take up a lot less space in my garage. Can't see the beautiful wheels, but just think how much I look forward to the next season--Voilá!
 
A note about kero heaters.



I have used them alot, like 175- 250,000 BTU ones.



If you have a smoke detector that also has a carbon monoxide alarm on it, set it in the garage with the heater on. I could set mine off in 30 seconds, when i was using the 175,000 BTU heater.



I never did get sleepy or light headed from breathing the fumes, but be aware, that just because you can easily buy something at Home Depot, or Sams, doesnt mean it is safe.



Another caution should be taken when refilling any type of heater. Never add more kero when it is running.



Sounds silly to say, but people burn down their houses or worse, every year from filling them when they are running.



The propane ones are very good at producing clean heat, but it is an open flame, and the top of those heaters will melt a piece of lead, they get hot.



Autopians and car freaks generally have alot of chemicals in the garage, spills and accidents happen, and for what, to be able to wash the car?
 
Thanks, JBM.



I do understand your concern. I tend to be on the very cautious side in those sorts of things. I used to use a kerosene heater occasionally at a previous residence during really cold spells. I was extremely cautious, and never had a problem. I just want to use a heater of the same size (20K BTU), to take the garage up to a tolerable level for a few hours.



There will be ventilation, because one of the garage doors will not shut completely.



Still haven't made up my mind, but I will definitely walk on the side of caution. I have cousins who are firefighters, and they have drilled safety into my noodle.
 
I fill my tires with Helium, makes moving them around really easy.





Seriously, flat with a towel in between each one to prevent scratches is fine. I admit last year I delayed and left my summer tires/rims standing and no worries, no weight on them so no flat spots.



Its always advised to store tires away from electric motors, the Ozone shortens tire life.... For what its worth this is in the aircraft maintenance manual for the jet I teach
 
White95Max said:
I've heard that too, but I really don't think there's enough weight on the tire to cause flat spotting if the tire pressure is at proper level. Mine are filled to 40PSI and stored standing in my storage closet...
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I overinflate my tires if they're gonna be sitting for a long time, maybe 50psi or so. No problems, not even any permanent flatspots on the ones that're on the Jag.
 
I had to revisit this thread after today's weather





I have Dunlop Winter Sport MII's on a BMW 3 series. Yesterday I was washing the car in 38F weather. This morning I awoke to 2.5 inches of snow, what a change in 24 hours.



I drove my usual route to the gym early am, I could not believe how many wrecks I wittnessed



Without a doubt more than I have ever seen in one day in my life, keep in mind my commute is 12 miles, I must have seen 20+ wrecks. One Corvette passed me in the only unplowed lane on a 4 lane stretch of the NJ turnpike doing 75-80, I guess im getting old all I could say was these kids today.



Snow tires, even wide sport tires like the ones I got are worth their weight in gold. I felt more safe in my RWD car with snows than I ever did in my Pathfinder 4X4 with all seasons.



Be careful out there, people are idiots..........
 
FalconGuy said:
Snow tires, even wide sport tires like the ones I got are worth their weight in gold.

Be careful out there, people are idiots..........
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That's for sure. I can't believe how many spinning tires and sliding vehicles I've seen already this winter...all while I just maintain my traction with ease. :)
 
Accumulator said:
I overinflate my tires if they're gonna be sitting for a long time, maybe 50psi or so. No problems, not even any permanent flatspots on the ones that're on the Jag.
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You rarely drive the Jag, correct? Do you have it on jackstands when it's not in use, or is it sitting on the tires the whole time?
 
White95Max- Correct, I hardly ever drive it; it sometimes sits for a year or more. It just sits on the tires. Putting it on jackstands while keeping the suspension properly loaded is a pain, so I don't bother. Both sets of tires (the '85 originals and the ones I drive on these days) have been subjected to this and both are fine.



I've noticed that the S8's low profile tires flatspot as much from a few weeks' inactivity as the Jag's 70-series tires do in a year of sitting. And both work the flatspots out in a few miles of driving.



But then I've read of people with low profile tires on heavy cars (Benzes, IIRC) who had to replace their tires over flatspots from sitting so YMMV (literally ;) ).
 
Kerosene does put out some nasty fumes.I found that propane heaters heat vety well and are not that bad with the fumes. You still need crack a door or window though. ( carbon monoxide is very dangerous!!) You find that you can fire it up full blast mayeb a 20 minutes before you start your work and then shuut it down for a little while. Then fire it up again when it starts to get cool again. This will make it both safer and you wont burn as much fuel.
 
Accumulator said:
White95Max- Correct, I hardly ever drive it; it sometimes sits for a year or more. It just sits on the tires. Putting it on jackstands while keeping the suspension properly loaded is a pain, so I don't bother. Both sets of tires (the '85 originals and the ones I drive on these days) have been subjected to this and both are fine.
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Yeah that's why I don't think flatspots are a concern when the only weight on my tires is the weight of the tires and wheels. I hardly think that's enough to even make the belts flex.
 
Electric heat doesn't produce any fumes. My apartment has electric radiant heating. I'm still alive, so it must be safe.

I'm probably going to look into an electric space heater soon for my garage. We've got highs in the low-teens coming up this week, with lows below 0*F. :(
 
White95Max said:
Electric heat doesn't produce any fumes. My apartment has electric radiant heating. I'm still alive, so it must be safe.

I'm probably going to look into an electric space heater soon for my garage. We've got highs in the low-teens coming up this week, with lows below 0*F. :(
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I am in the process of installing this: http://mrheater.com/productdetail.asp?id=787&cid=166



It's a 45,000 BTU forced air unit that runs off of natural gas and vents to the outside. I'm having a difficult time getting a contractor to call me back to come install it, but it's ready to go.



I have a 3-car garage with insulated garage doors, and side walls; the ceiling is not insulated...yet;>)



I had the "torpedo" heater that ran on Kero. Not bad as long as you had a window cracked open, but they do stink and make you smell like it, too. I ran that for about 30min. to take the chill off and then had a 20K BTU wall mounted natural gas unit that maintained the heat acceptably.



Cheers!
 
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