Definatley do it. But get an aluminum battery box. The plastic ones are kinda poorly designed, at least they are here.
With the battery mount. I ended up putting the mounting rods in upside down and I threaded the nuts onto the rods from underneath the car. It was easier this way because the rods kept on falling out through the holes and falling on the ground whenever I would try and keep everything, the box the battery and the rods, all in one place and upright. So I just turned them upside down and put the nuts on the bottom underneath the car. Simple fix.
First thing I noticed was how level the car felt, before it felt like the front left tyre had a lead weight sitting over it, and it did. But now it feels more like the weight has disappered and I cannot any longer feel it on the front wheels or anywhere up near the front of the car. It makes the steering lighter but it also makes the steering quicker because there is no longer that inertial mass there to fling around and tugging at your steering wheel when you take a corner.
The suspension in my car is so incredibly soft that I can literally move it with a finger by lifting the car up or down, with my finger or hand. So these kinds of adjustments in weight distribution probably have a far greater singificance than say an ordinary car would with ordinarily stiffer suspension. What I'm trying to say here is results may vary, if your battery is up near where the strut towers are on your Corolla it might not be such a massive improvement as what I got, as my battery is far far forward and right behind the front left headlight.
I doubt however that the gains in handling will disappear once I replace the struts and springs, it will remain I'm sure.
In other news, I'm not entirely sure that I will be keeping the Projecta BB285 battery box in the car, I might end up removing it and making my own battery box out of wood, to enclose two batteries of the same size as the starter all in the one box, with a door that hinges down so that I can gain access to it from the rear boot. The reason why I'm thinking of doing this is because the plastic battery box has so many holes in it from factory that it feels like swiss cheese and enclosing any sort of hydrogen fumes would be a pointless exercise at this point. Its just badly designed imho.
Wish I could make one out of say a metal tool box, there are a few down at Bunnings. But I will need to take measurements and make sure that I don't hit the rear parcel shelf on my car, That is where it would go. And it needs a side door, not one on top. I will need to make careful consideration.
Also... A few weeks ago I think I broke my foot somehow, or fractured a bone, I'm just playing video games and burning time until next payday right now so nothing will be happening on my car until the 8th at the earliest and even then I'm not sure what I can do with a cast around my foot, assuming I need a cast, haven't gone to the doctors just yet. Gotta go get that looked at first and see whats up.
With the battery mount. I ended up putting the mounting rods in upside down and I threaded the nuts onto the rods from underneath the car. It was easier this way because the rods kept on falling out through the holes and falling on the ground whenever I would try and keep everything, the box the battery and the rods, all in one place and upright. So I just turned them upside down and put the nuts on the bottom underneath the car. Simple fix.
First thing I noticed was how level the car felt, before it felt like the front left tyre had a lead weight sitting over it, and it did. But now it feels more like the weight has disappered and I cannot any longer feel it on the front wheels or anywhere up near the front of the car. It makes the steering lighter but it also makes the steering quicker because there is no longer that inertial mass there to fling around and tugging at your steering wheel when you take a corner.
The suspension in my car is so incredibly soft that I can literally move it with a finger by lifting the car up or down, with my finger or hand. So these kinds of adjustments in weight distribution probably have a far greater singificance than say an ordinary car would with ordinarily stiffer suspension. What I'm trying to say here is results may vary, if your battery is up near where the strut towers are on your Corolla it might not be such a massive improvement as what I got, as my battery is far far forward and right behind the front left headlight.
I doubt however that the gains in handling will disappear once I replace the struts and springs, it will remain I'm sure.
In other news, I'm not entirely sure that I will be keeping the Projecta BB285 battery box in the car, I might end up removing it and making my own battery box out of wood, to enclose two batteries of the same size as the starter all in the one box, with a door that hinges down so that I can gain access to it from the rear boot. The reason why I'm thinking of doing this is because the plastic battery box has so many holes in it from factory that it feels like swiss cheese and enclosing any sort of hydrogen fumes would be a pointless exercise at this point. Its just badly designed imho.
Wish I could make one out of say a metal tool box, there are a few down at Bunnings. But I will need to take measurements and make sure that I don't hit the rear parcel shelf on my car, That is where it would go. And it needs a side door, not one on top. I will need to make careful consideration.
Also... A few weeks ago I think I broke my foot somehow, or fractured a bone, I'm just playing video games and burning time until next payday right now so nothing will be happening on my car until the 8th at the earliest and even then I'm not sure what I can do with a cast around my foot, assuming I need a cast, haven't gone to the doctors just yet. Gotta go get that looked at first and see whats up.
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Looking back, it was probably for the best. I managed to sail all over the waters around Florida for 20+ years in boats from 12 feet to 42, scuba dive in the keys several dozen times without formal training or certification, street raced several cars that were too fast for the conditions, also raced on several tracks, and nothing bad ever happened. A friend who raced far more seriously than me got his wake up call when his best friend was killed in a freak accident on the track where we both had raced. Neither of us ever went back. Getting whacked by the board at age 17 just told me not to go there. I never got on a surfboard again.
I remember those from a sailing class that I took in community college, around 1972. They had some lasers and some sunfish. The sunfish was a bit bigger and I think it had a drop down centerboard, almost like a real keel.
I had to take a "physical education" class so I took sailing. There were three or four classroom settings where they taught the basics from a lecture and a book. I said nothing, just played along. When we got to the real water session I also played along. We were on the back side of a small island in Biscayne Bay near Miami. Somewhere near the end of the class I got bored and zipped the Sunfish around the whole island before the teacher knew I was gone. I was spotted on the return trip, and questioned. I pointed to the marina about a half mile away and explained that there was a 34 foot Islander in that marina and I and some friends had sailed it all over the Florida keys and to Bimini once. The Hobie Cat would come several years later after spending over a year with a 15 foot Venture that my brother left behind when he graduated college. I bought the Hobie when he took it back.
Yeah I was never one for the classroom either and as an adult I know far more than anyone else who has gone to school about a far more wide variety of topics.
In school you have to learn from a single source weather or not its relevant to your desires or needs or career that you've chosen at the time. You got lucky in that sailing was a course that you could take, many others never get that chance because sailing simply isn't a course thats available.
I simply skipped school starting from year 7, I hated school to the point that I was willing to off myself, I was treated very badly, criminal charges were never laid, by another student, I was also treated very badly by a paticular year 6 teacher. Then I was severely bullied starting in my first year of high school. I almost died from that bullying, so my survival instincts kicked in.
So I just said, stuff it, and started skipping classes by staying outdoors in the wind and rain and sun all day sitting on one of the lunch tables and refusing to go to classes, then I started trying to walk home but it was too far, I was then met with the school counsellor but I was too afraid to tell him what had happened to me. My parents also covered it up when I told them. I got a hitchhike from the counsellor at the end of the day.
I then started to simply wait around at school and started taking the bus home when It arrived in the afternoon, I kept on doing this repeatedly for 3 months until my parents finally said enough was enough and kept me at home permanently until they could decide what to do.
I ended up getting into distance education and then spent the next 5 years doing zero work at home (until I was old enough to legally stop being educated).
It all turned out for the best. my mum was helpful in coercing me into learning at least the basics and I had a set of books that I picked up off the side of the road called "The Book of Popular Science", Volumes 1-10. I read those repeatedly for those 5 years that I was stuck at home and that is where I learnt everything that I know.
I only found out recently that I actually have a few mental issues and a few food allergies, I'm highly allergic to gluten and I have dyscalclia.
Then the internet came along and I was able to learn a lot more! I then found diyaudio.com! If you ask me the internet has made schools obsolete. It should be up to the students own desires and merit weather or not he learns about a paticular subject. If you ask me Schools are a product of corporate controls, they need obedient little workers and so therefore make robots in the classroom.
In school you have to learn from a single source weather or not its relevant to your desires or needs or career that you've chosen at the time. You got lucky in that sailing was a course that you could take, many others never get that chance because sailing simply isn't a course thats available.
I simply skipped school starting from year 7, I hated school to the point that I was willing to off myself, I was treated very badly, criminal charges were never laid, by another student, I was also treated very badly by a paticular year 6 teacher. Then I was severely bullied starting in my first year of high school. I almost died from that bullying, so my survival instincts kicked in.
So I just said, stuff it, and started skipping classes by staying outdoors in the wind and rain and sun all day sitting on one of the lunch tables and refusing to go to classes, then I started trying to walk home but it was too far, I was then met with the school counsellor but I was too afraid to tell him what had happened to me. My parents also covered it up when I told them. I got a hitchhike from the counsellor at the end of the day.
I then started to simply wait around at school and started taking the bus home when It arrived in the afternoon, I kept on doing this repeatedly for 3 months until my parents finally said enough was enough and kept me at home permanently until they could decide what to do.
I ended up getting into distance education and then spent the next 5 years doing zero work at home (until I was old enough to legally stop being educated).
It all turned out for the best. my mum was helpful in coercing me into learning at least the basics and I had a set of books that I picked up off the side of the road called "The Book of Popular Science", Volumes 1-10. I read those repeatedly for those 5 years that I was stuck at home and that is where I learnt everything that I know.
I only found out recently that I actually have a few mental issues and a few food allergies, I'm highly allergic to gluten and I have dyscalclia.
Then the internet came along and I was able to learn a lot more! I then found diyaudio.com! If you ask me the internet has made schools obsolete. It should be up to the students own desires and merit weather or not he learns about a paticular subject. If you ask me Schools are a product of corporate controls, they need obedient little workers and so therefore make robots in the classroom.
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I've wanted to add an early warning system to my car for quite some time now, one that modulates the brakes and slows the car down. But I fear that the legality of adding one to an older car will prevent me from actually doing so. I'm certain that a red led pointed towards the dash will allow me to stop in time or give me an early warning so that I can hit the brakes. So that is effectivley what I want to do.
All this talk about safety makes me want to add an early warning system sooner to my car than planned. With an audible tone and a visual reminder. The question is how do you determine if a car in front of you is slowing down? I will need to research radar and ultrasound systems.
All this talk about safety makes me want to add an early warning system sooner to my car than planned. With an audible tone and a visual reminder. The question is how do you determine if a car in front of you is slowing down? I will need to research radar and ultrasound systems.
Anytime someone stands out or is in fact a bit different, there seems to be more of an issue with that sort of thing, sorry to hear you had a rough time back then.
I remember having to carry all of my books in a huge athletic bag, since my locker was in an area where I would get hassled at one particular school. The school nurse told me to switch hands, because it was causing my spine to curve in one direction.
I’m sure many of my early peers would be surprised to see what I have done with my life, I probably would not be as surprised about theirs.
I have many friends who have kids who struggle here and there, I just tell them to try and find out what interests them, and support it as much as you can.
My ecu is adjusting itself (mixture) after the reset, is working well, I am glad to report, hope it continues in the same direction over the next few days until it’s all settled.
There is a proximity warning system that’s pretty common in the industrial sector now, is programmable as far as the area. It would take some work to have such a system capable of locking on to another vehicle and then be adaptable to the varying speeds and distances.
Would be nice if such a device already existed.
I remember having to carry all of my books in a huge athletic bag, since my locker was in an area where I would get hassled at one particular school. The school nurse told me to switch hands, because it was causing my spine to curve in one direction.
I’m sure many of my early peers would be surprised to see what I have done with my life, I probably would not be as surprised about theirs.
I have many friends who have kids who struggle here and there, I just tell them to try and find out what interests them, and support it as much as you can.
My ecu is adjusting itself (mixture) after the reset, is working well, I am glad to report, hope it continues in the same direction over the next few days until it’s all settled.
There is a proximity warning system that’s pretty common in the industrial sector now, is programmable as far as the area. It would take some work to have such a system capable of locking on to another vehicle and then be adaptable to the varying speeds and distances.
Would be nice if such a device already existed.
Thanks!
That is a very good wise tactic to take.
I gave my neighbors a couple of Haynes manuals on how to raise children as a sort of housewarming gift/joke.
Good news!
Indeed. Motion sensors using CCTV cameras would be too complex and would require extensive reprogramming which I'm not capable of doing. A good basis for it would be the packages for the Zoneminder FOSS security software.
I was thinking of something far more low tech, involving ultrasonic transducers and an arduino with a red LED HUD pointed up towards the front windscreen.
It would beep and flash the red LED when acceleration of the object ahead of the car reaches beyond a certain preset limit. Warning the driver that the object ahead of the car is stationary.
Its that or using a 1mW red laser and painting a grid canvas on the road ahead, whenever a car then interrupts the grid lines it is easily visible to the driver and therefore the driver (me) can hit the brakes.
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CiT MTX-005B Mini ITX Case with 300W Power Supply Unit - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Thought this case would make a nice carpc that I could attatch to the wooden shelf where the factory cd stacker used to be. I could use my old current G4400T LGA1151 CPU to build the carpc. and add a satellite tv decoder card to the case by using a step drill for the F-connector on the CiT MTX-005B case. I already have a 12v DC M4 ATX ITX-sized PSU to use.
I'm going to buy a seasonic 660w Platinum psu next pay, 8th, and finish this AMD Radeon 7 2700 system upgrade. and heal this foot by playing cities skylines.
In other news the doctor said that I need better arch support, I also got a referral for an X-Ray for my foot.
I also spotted a Gold coloured Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 Convertible. and a Dodge with the license plate of "707 HP".
Cheerio.
Thought this case would make a nice carpc that I could attatch to the wooden shelf where the factory cd stacker used to be. I could use my old current G4400T LGA1151 CPU to build the carpc. and add a satellite tv decoder card to the case by using a step drill for the F-connector on the CiT MTX-005B case. I already have a 12v DC M4 ATX ITX-sized PSU to use.
I'm going to buy a seasonic 660w Platinum psu next pay, 8th, and finish this AMD Radeon 7 2700 system upgrade. and heal this foot by playing cities skylines.
In other news the doctor said that I need better arch support, I also got a referral for an X-Ray for my foot.
I also spotted a Gold coloured Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 Convertible. and a Dodge with the license plate of "707 HP".
Cheerio.
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Today I worked on the passengers side door and it dawned on me that car audio fabrication (on youtube) is actually doing their doors wrong. He uses a soundskins product which has a butyl layer and a closed cell foam layer and a foil layer. The closed cell foam layer won't do anything however. I believe instead that acoustic tiles would be best to stop airborne noise, so I'm going to buy some acoustic tiles and place them on the rear outside wall of the door on the inside of the door, over the top of a layer of Dynamat Xtreme.
I'm going to redo both doors so that they are both covered in Dynamat Xtreme and acoustic tiles on the inside of the door. Then where the door mechanisms are on the inside wall, the one closest to the inside of the car, I will add a second layer of Dynamat Xtreme to cut off the sound coming from the outside of the car and the sound coming from the speakers in the front doors.
I believe that the drivers side door can be improved, I did lay down a couple of layers of spray on sound deadener on the drivers side door, some people following this thread may remember that. However I'm thinking about scraping off that layer and replacing it with a layer of Dynamat Xtreme instead, and while I'm in there I will also clean the bottom of the door out with mineral turps and then fish oil the drain on the bottom of the door so that it can never rust.
That is why today after working on the passgengers side door I noticed that after I put down a layer of Dynamat Xtreme on the outside wall, on the inside of the door, it sounded a lot quieter when closing the door than the drivers side door is. So that is what made me conclude that the spray on sound deadener simply isn't heavy enough to create an acoustic barrier for sound coming from the outside and for going outside from inside.
TL;DR
I tried to keep the car lightweight by using spray on sound deadener and closed cell foam on the drivers side door, but after putting Dynamat Xtreme on the passengers side door today I noticed that its a lot quieter than the drivers side door which was done a few months ago with closed cell foam and spray on sound deadener. So I'm going to redo the drivers side door to reflect the quietness of the passengers side door, AND as a bonus also add in some studio acoustic foam tiles ontop of the layer of the Dynamat xtreme inside of the doors.
Moral of the story:
Don't cheapen out on the weight budget, weight = sound deadening performance and its a basic law of physics that you cannot break.
I'm going to redo both doors so that they are both covered in Dynamat Xtreme and acoustic tiles on the inside of the door. Then where the door mechanisms are on the inside wall, the one closest to the inside of the car, I will add a second layer of Dynamat Xtreme to cut off the sound coming from the outside of the car and the sound coming from the speakers in the front doors.
I believe that the drivers side door can be improved, I did lay down a couple of layers of spray on sound deadener on the drivers side door, some people following this thread may remember that. However I'm thinking about scraping off that layer and replacing it with a layer of Dynamat Xtreme instead, and while I'm in there I will also clean the bottom of the door out with mineral turps and then fish oil the drain on the bottom of the door so that it can never rust.
That is why today after working on the passgengers side door I noticed that after I put down a layer of Dynamat Xtreme on the outside wall, on the inside of the door, it sounded a lot quieter when closing the door than the drivers side door is. So that is what made me conclude that the spray on sound deadener simply isn't heavy enough to create an acoustic barrier for sound coming from the outside and for going outside from inside.
TL;DR
I tried to keep the car lightweight by using spray on sound deadener and closed cell foam on the drivers side door, but after putting Dynamat Xtreme on the passengers side door today I noticed that its a lot quieter than the drivers side door which was done a few months ago with closed cell foam and spray on sound deadener. So I'm going to redo the drivers side door to reflect the quietness of the passengers side door, AND as a bonus also add in some studio acoustic foam tiles ontop of the layer of the Dynamat xtreme inside of the doors.
Moral of the story:
Don't cheapen out on the weight budget, weight = sound deadening performance and its a basic law of physics that you cannot break.
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Hang on.
The thinness required for an acoustic foam layer inside of the door is too thin for it to have any effect. Once again I am referred to this webpage as gospel. It makes sense.
Don't Believe the Hype.Sound Deadening Fables
So looks like I won't be buying any acoustic foam panels.
The thinness required for an acoustic foam layer inside of the door is too thin for it to have any effect. Once again I am referred to this webpage as gospel. It makes sense.
Don't Believe the Hype.Sound Deadening Fables
So looks like I won't be buying any acoustic foam panels.
I suspect that some kind of algorithm/artificial intelligence with object recognition is best. Not simple and very easy to get wrong.
I thought the locker thing in US schools was a myth. We always carried our bags with us from class to class. Usually something over the shoulder as hand held luggage was usually a reason to call someone out (until tertiary, that is).
The systems use ranging to determine the distance between you and the car in front of you. If this distance is shrinking faster than the car would normally be able to stop the power is cut, still to fast, apply the brakes.
I read about these systems over 10 years as they were being invented. They use multiple radar beams on at least two different frequencies. The radar system can be fooled by the large plastic content in many of today's cars with minimal flat vertical metal vertical surfaces to reflect the beam. Some systems used lasers (LIDAR), but it's somewhat ineffective in heavy rain. Another system was developed that used stereo cameras to "see" the obstacle. Ultrasound is pretty useless due to limited range. All have some drawbacks.
Today's vehicles use a combination of these techniques along with some serious signal processing and AI to determine if a crash is imminent. Most systems then attempt to warn the driver before the closing distance becomes too small. If the driver takes no action the seat belts are tightened, and brakes are applied. Some systems may even control the steering of the car, but they require additional sensors for side "vision."
DIY of anything beyond a warning system could cause a crash, and subject the builder to legal action if something bad ever happened.
Anti lock brakes and airbags first appeared in the 70's. It didn't take long for the drawbacks to be found. A powerful two way radio transmitter could cause "unintended operation" of both systems. They vanished from the market for a few years before resurfacing.
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Middle and high schools had lockers when I was young. Older schools still had lockers when my daughter was in school. Newer schools had gone "digital" 10 years or so ago when my friend's kids were in school. All work was done on iPAD's or laptops and submitted online.
Lets just say someone I know used to make smoke bombs and stick them in empty lockers to get out of class on test days.
Thanks guys! Seeing as early warning systems are too complex for this car I should probably focus more on tyre/brake pad quality. Specifically focusing on wet weather stopping performance and braking performance/initial bite on the pad and weight ratings.
I am eyeing off a few tyre types and makes but haven't yet decided on a specific tyre.
I bought a graphics card this fortnight (AMD RX 570) hence the reason why nothing has been happening on the car, but things are progressing, I did buy another sheet of composite material and a sheet of wood for a bottom for a battery tray in the boot. Haven't had time to do anything with them though as its been peeing down rain all week.
I am eyeing off a few tyre types and makes but haven't yet decided on a specific tyre.
I bought a graphics card this fortnight (AMD RX 570) hence the reason why nothing has been happening on the car, but things are progressing, I did buy another sheet of composite material and a sheet of wood for a bottom for a battery tray in the boot. Haven't had time to do anything with them though as its been peeing down rain all week.
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I'm eyeing off the Pirelli Cinturato P6 as my first real proper sports tyre:
Fileirelli Cinturato Tire cutaway.jpg - Wikipedia
Pirelli Cinturato - Wikipedia
PIRELLI CINTURATO ™
Its gotta be good (better than the mum and dad tyres sold around here) if it has its own wiki page. All I want really is a slight jump above in budget from the mum and dad tyres, with good handling in corners, I've thought about gettin an asymmetric tread pattern, wondering if these cinturato's will be good enough.
File
irelli Cinturato Tire cutaway.jpg - WikipediaPirelli Cinturato - Wikipedia
PIRELLI CINTURATO ™
Its gotta be good (better than the mum and dad tyres sold around here) if it has its own wiki page. All I want really is a slight jump above in budget from the mum and dad tyres, with good handling in corners, I've thought about gettin an asymmetric tread pattern, wondering if these cinturato's will be good enough.
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Pirelli is one of the brands on my list. I've used them on my bike and it's interesting how tyres have progressed. It is unusual to get as much as 20,000km out of a rear tyre as bike tyres are made to be almost set and forget reliable.
Even a longer lasting compound on a modern design can allow you to scrape the pegs on a cool and damp road without any complaining. It seems almost unnecessary to use a softer compound unless you like changing them regularly.
Even a longer lasting compound on a modern design can allow you to scrape the pegs on a cool and damp road without any complaining. It seems almost unnecessary to use a softer compound unless you like changing them regularly.
I swore I’d never buy Pirelli car tires from what I’d seen working as a mechanic in 1989, every one I’ve owned also had delaminated eventually, providing a large bulge either on the sidewall or the tread.
Hopefully they have stepped up their game by now.
Falken tires were dangerous during those early years, super hard compounds, extra slick in the wet, but they’ve turned around a bit.
My current tires are Goodyear Eagle sport all-season. So far they have lasted a very long time and still have great tread, will probably age out, and become dry, hard before they wear out. I don’t take it easy on them either. They have a pretty stiff sidewall, handle great, but could be a bit better in the wet. I will likely get more if I can find them when that time comes.
Gang violence in my school certainly wasn’t a myth. Locker was beyond worthless in its location.
Hopefully they have stepped up their game by now.
Falken tires were dangerous during those early years, super hard compounds, extra slick in the wet, but they’ve turned around a bit.
My current tires are Goodyear Eagle sport all-season. So far they have lasted a very long time and still have great tread, will probably age out, and become dry, hard before they wear out. I don’t take it easy on them either. They have a pretty stiff sidewall, handle great, but could be a bit better in the wet. I will likely get more if I can find them when that time comes.
Gang violence in my school certainly wasn’t a myth. Locker was beyond worthless in its location.
Agreed. Silica content is important. It allows the tyre to warm up on a cold road. It hangs on in rain and snow. It is ready to use shortly after take off. However it wears easily in hot weather.
The wreckers in the US must be gold mines cause you can't find anything that specific around here. A couple of 20 inch rims sure.
Its best off just buying them off eBay. According to my calculator the factory 15" rims are 6.5" wide, but I think its best if I just go down and take some measurements at various points on the car with a measuring tape and input them into the calculator and be 100% sure that these new wheels will fit with a 7" wide rim.
Its best off just buying them off eBay. According to my calculator the factory 15" rims are 6.5" wide, but I think its best if I just go down and take some measurements at various points on the car with a measuring tape and input them into the calculator and be 100% sure that these new wheels will fit with a 7" wide rim.
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