mickeyfickey

I have a '02 TL-S. Just hit the 40K mark a couple days ago. Having moved to the city last year, I noticed gas mileage decreasing. Got a K&N replacement filter at 36K, and noticed the gas mileage was getting worse. Never really filled up tires w/ air regularly, so yesterday I decided to fill the tires. Noticed that front driver side tire had a bubble. Replaced those tires w/ the same Michelin MXM4s (2 for $450; I know a bit more than Costco, but was in a hurry). I take care of my TL-S regularly; I'm not that hard-core, but I give it reg. oil changes, washes and the bit.


Here are my questions I was wondering anyone could help me out with:

1. Are Costco's prices prob. the best out there for the michelin's stocks? Website said they go for about $190 (each). how long can one expect to ride on the stock tires? 30-35k? I felt like if not for the bubble, I coulda had 10K more on those tires.

2. Other than typical city-driving effects, and trying not to have heavy foot, other suggestions as to why I'm getting bad gas mileage? I feel like when I'm in SS mode, I get worse mileage than automatic mode.

3. Driver's side heated seats - the high seems to be scorching, while the low function seems to be so mild, that I can't feel it warm my butt. This didn't seem to be the case a year, year and half ago. I don't normally use the heated function, but nowadays, it gets too hot, or doesn't seem to warm at all. Anyone else notice this? is this a "take to the dealer to get fixed" problem?

4. I've only re-surfaced the rotors since I bought this car (in 5/01, now with 40k miles). I want to change brakes, so that they are a lil' more responsive. What do I need to change; just the pads? Or the rotors as well? My friend went to Midas when he had a Vigor; they had lifetime replacement on brake pads. Is that good, or should I go w/ Brembo, or some of the others mentioned? And how much am I looking at, and long can i expect to ride on these pads?


I know this is a long post, but just wanted to get it out there. Any suggestions welcomed. Thanks so much!

medic

It all depends on your driving habbits and how well you take care of the tires (you mentioned not checking them for air regularly), but around 40-50K sounds good.
Probably becasue you're not shifting at the right point. You use SS to stay in the lower gear for longer which means you will be at higher revs which wastes gas. make sense...

other then that, make sure your air filter is clean, tires are properly inflated, you drive at a constant speed

you get what you pay for. midas lifetime pads will work, but they dust a lot and they keep you going back to them for replacement which costs $. if you want great brake performance, you need to change the rotors as well to drilled/sloted rotors for better cooling. you can also get steel braided brake lines. this isn't worth it for regular, non aggressive, city driving. just get some ceramic pads and good rotors and save your $$, but it's your call

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Holy problems batman!

1. Costco does have some good prices, but make sure you compare it with www.TireRack.com or www.DiscountTireDirect.com

You can expect, depending on your driving habits, anywhere from 30k to 50k miles on stock tires.

2. SS mode will definitely net you worse gas mileage. Use D5 or D4 in the city. Try switching brands of gas. By the way, what MPG are you getting in the city? If it's around 18-20, then it's normal.

3. The HIGH setting has a cycling program built-in. It's only supposed to be used when you first heat up the seats, then switch over to LOW once it gets warm. In other words, the high setting cycles between low and high setting, varying the temperature. Owner's Manual recommends that you switch to LOW once the seat's warmed up. Read it. There's quite a bit of information in it. And in all reality, the LOW setting probably does warm it up, you just can't feel it because you got used to the HIGH setting.

4. If you want more braking power, then switch rotors and pads. Wilwood, Rotora, Brembo, Stillen, there's a lot of options out there. The question just comes down to how much you're willing to spend. As for Midas, I would stay away from those lifetime replacement pads, because I just don't trust it. God knows what they had to do in order to make those pads last a lifetime. Besides, pads aren't that expensive. Don't be cheap. Get the good stuff. As for life expectancy, again it comes down to your driving habits.

Good luck.


P.S. I am in SHOCK that you paid 450 dollars for TWO MXM4's. I honestly don't know anyone on the forums that replaced the tires with stockers again. For 450 dollars, you could've gotten a set of aftermarket tires better than the MXM4's.