Upgraded my blown door speakers.

 

Installed already? Or weekend thing to do?

I'd be curious to hear impressions on going up in unsprung weight specifically via heavier rotors... is my untrained eye correct in saying these are either Autozone or Nissan VA replacements for Brembos? What were your previous ones?

Z1 makes cheap one piece and ~expensive 2 piece rotors for Brembos... that's where I was looking anyway, the stealership had my jaw drop when they said how much OEMs were.

 

Reducing unsprung weight makes a bit of a difference lol I had stoptech slotted rotors on my car for a time and the steering I noticed was a bit quicker than the OE Brembo blank rotors that were on there when I bought the car. This was a nice change, However, The problem with a light rotor is that they heat up far more than a rotor that's heavier which means they'll warp pretty easily. I wanted to do track days this summer with my Z so I switched my stoptech rotors with DBA slotted rotors.

 

^ Are the DBA's on already? What do you think? I need new Rotors and Tires this spring as well.

 

They are AutoZone replacement rotors for brembo brakes. They do feel like boat anchors. I probably won't put them on for a few months.. They are super cheap like $40 each. I didn't really feel like spending $100 each +

The ones in my car now are base brakes with the sector 27 drilled and slotted rotors.

 

I just got my new license tabs for my 350Z (there goes $265 I could have put to better use.)

The line at the Department of Licensing went around a long hallway before turning a corner into the DOL licensing room. I noticed that everyone in line had a clipboard and was writing stuff down. I also noticed that everyone in line appeared to be from the Middle East, with the exception of the super-hot brunette girl standing in front of me who was wearing Uggs and had a thick French-Canadian accent. After 5 minutes this Middle Eastern looking dude with DOL identification walks up to me and asks if I need to fill out a document. I told him I was just there to renew my vehicle license tabs and had everything I needed. He then said, "okay" and walked off.

I kept seeing people cut in line and was thinking WTF?? Then the girl in front of me said, "I think there's another line for cars." So the DOL guy shows up again and I ask him if there's a separate line for car tabs, to which he replies, "No. Only one line." I shrugged, the girl shrugged. People kept cutting in line and I was reaching my boiling point. I finally said to a couple who were cutting through, "Hey, the back of the line is that way." and pointed behind me. They replied to me in Chinese.

I'm now in this line for 25 minutes and the DOL guy shows up again. I said, you guys need to handle the line traffic better. People keep cutting through. His response was, "They probably go to bathroom." I'm thinking "WTF???"

40 minutes later, I finally come around the bend and I'm looking into the licensing room. There's a long line full of Middle Easterners holding clipboards and a second empty line next to it that says "Car Tab Renewal Line --->" I (loudly) called over the DOL guy, "Hey dude, is that what I think it is???" He replies, "Only for car license plate." I replied, "Holy Jesus F-king WTF dude!? I told you three times I was here for car tabs. The line is EMPTY!." He says, "Oh. Sorry. Yes, you go that line."

The lady behind the counter is rolling her eyes. She asked if I was told to wait in the long line, which was apparently for foreign passport visa renewal. I told her, "You guys have put a complete idiot in charge of that line." She said, "I know." It took me 30 seconds to pay the tabs.

As I'm leaving, I yell down the line, "If you're here for car tabs, the car tab line is empty." 6 people get out of line saying that the DOL guy said there was only ONE LINE. I replied. "Yeah, he's a dumbf-ck. There's a separate line. Cut to the front."

The DOL guy just smiled. I gave him the finger.

Oh, I am SEETHING right now.

 

But no pictures of the hot chick... Wtf you had 40 min

 

Yeah, my mind is my camera. She was gorgeous and probably half my age and she smelled good, like Vicki Vallencourt and that should have been enough, but my only true comfort was my boiling Type-A rage.

 

Jeesh, Zak, guess I'll stop ranting about the 12.61 minutes it takes me to do vehicle reg (23.22 mins if an out-of-state car that needs VIN inspection).

With an APPOINTMENT. (Best thing the CA DMV has ever put into place.)

But now that I've signed up for AAA - given I drive old beat-up Datsuns - the line and reg process is about half that at the local office. That is, if I can't, for whatever reason, just do it online. (9 out of 10 occasions... even smog cert is sent to DMV electronically from the smog station.)

 

Yeah Mic, the problem was my tabs expire on the 6th, so I had to do the payment in person if I didn't want an expired plate on my car. Bad on me for procrastinating, I know. Lesson learned.

 

Washington has online renewal. Even without the sticker on the plate, at least it's in the system if you got pulled over.

Ummmm, that's how I reconciled my procrastination anyways. Fortunately, didn't get pulled over for lack of tag.

How could I have been? I drove another car until the sticker arrived. Laff...

 

Yep my DBA rotors are on my Z now and even though I paid a lot for them they're really good. after I scrubbed in my pads in I did a lot of ABS stops from 60-0, and 80-0 No fade or warping issues plus the pedal bites a lot sooner than the stoptechs and the OE Brembo rotors I had before.

 

I feel on not spending alot on rotors its wayyy too much and the pads matter a bit more tbh but thats a really good deal for new rotors lol can't really say no.

 

Haha, sounds familiar. Here we can renew online and every year I get a letter (2 months in advance) reminding me my renewals are coming and how I can do it online. me - Yep going to do it this year. Fast forward 2 months and I'm standing in line shaking my head I'm not a procrastinator normally, I think I just don't like parting with the coin until I absolutely have to. Logic ?

This year when I get the letter I'm going to remember this post and do it immediately...maybe

 

Had some fun with this install today.

 

Last Saturday, picked this up from the body shop (F&R bumpers rebuilt and re-sprayed thanks to the guy who rear ended the guy behind my wife, pushing him into her.)...



...and dropped my Z off at the same time to fix what some dumbf**k did without leaving a note...


Today:


And while I didn't have the entire car sprayed, they did me a favor and dropped these in for me after their sitting in my garage fully built (55w ballasts, lens upgrades, etc) because I was too lazy to get off my a$$ to install 'em.

 

It looks like they did a nice job on both cars!

 

They are true coilovers in the back which iirc make the 4k spring on the strut more akin to an 8k off strut (oem)

 

Yup, thanks Blue! Considering what a bad year it was for all my cars - Benz hit 3x, Z assaulted 3x (F, R, door), Shiro totaled just after it was completed, wife's Toyota hit by my Shiro - and not a single one my fault, the shining light in all of it is my body shop... great shop, quality work, speedy, reasonably priced.

The sad realization: I am a "regular" at a body shop.