I am glad I don't have to wait as long a you Canadians. Spring can't come soon enough though, need to data log and get some tuning done.

 

In planning on:

Sparco seats
GT Spec 6 point strut brace and rear u-brace to complete my set.
BHR midpipe or long tube header
Prosport gauges
Switch to Pettit Racing 15w-40 motor oil
Start using Protek R
Install my NGK plugs
Sell my current tires and upgrade to a more aggressive DOT track tire. (RS3, Zii, or BFG Rival)
Some more track time.
And we'll see what else.

 

RS3s are the ****, that's what I run and they stick like glue. Have yet to do a track day on them, but did some hard cornering in some roundabouts.

Otherwise I hear the Dunlop Direzza star specs are great too.

 

Yeah I was leaning towards the RS3's but since the Zii and Rivals are new I'm hoping I can find some good reviews before I order my tires to see how they stack up to the RS3's.

 

TY sir. I will check that out.

 

Oh yes. Left work to get a coffee today and i get pulled over. $110.00 bucks for my tint being too dark. Unreal. I have driven and been followed by so many for the last year and not even pulled over once. Most expensive coffee i have ever ordered.

 

That sucks,my tint is on the darker side also but so far so good no tickets for me!!!!! (knocking on wood)

 

Another reason why I will always hate tint... I mean really?? We don't live in Cali where the sun is always blaring and stays hot all year long. Even then, I wouldn't tint my windows. I like being able to see at nite.

 

That sucks man. I bought my car with tinted windows and they're great. Pretty sure they're 30-35%
I can see perfectly at night??????

Only time I got "pulled over" was driving into work one day when a cop had just caught my co-worker booking it to work and he had tinted windows and bitched him out for them being too dark. I was pulling into work while the cop was pulling out and he stuck his hand out the window at me and told me that my windows were too dark and if he saw me again he'd ticket me.
I told him "sure thing, bought the car this way." And started to roll away as he bitched "I don't care how you bought it".

Still got my tint on. In Wisconsin, they can't JUST pull you over for window tint since its a non-moving violation. So don't drive stupid and you'll be fine.

 

There are many benefits to having tint regardless of where you live or how hot it gets. Although i do agree with your point about visibility to a certain degree. It can be too dark to see at night. I think this only becomes a problem below 35%. Here are the benefits FYI. I see more reason to love than hate in this case.

-Reduces fading (UV related) greatly extending the life of your interior.
-Reduces health risks. Also UV related.
-Can be a major heat reduction in your interior.
-It can substantially reduce glare which can be dangerous.
-Aesthetically pleasing (for you not so much?)
-Increases security to a certain degree. (collision/theft)

Unfortunately in Canada, from what i gather they can pull you over for just a routine check, registration, insurance, valid drivers license etc. Normally you wouldn't be pulled over for tint. I'm sure he thought he had me for expired plates.

The other unfortunate detail is that in Ontario the laws concerning window coatings are a little ambiguous. Although we are somewhat lucky in ON. In other provinces it is illegal to have any coating on any of the front windows. I will be fighting this ticket for sure. For many reasons i feel this is an unreasonable claim in my situation. This is the section i was written up for:

(3) No person shall drive on a highway a motor vehicle on which the surface of the windshield or of any window to the direct left or right of the driver’s seat has been coated with any coloured spray or other coloured or reflective material that substantially obscures the interior of the motor vehicle when viewed from outside the motor vehicle. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 73 (3).

So moving on... Still waiting for AP end links to come in so i can install my coilovers. Anyone wanting to replace cooloant hoses is out of luck for 30-90 days (national backorder according to sparkplugs.com), if you want the Mizu kit, which is the one i want.

 

Plans are:

1. New brakes, possible drilled rotors.
2. ACT stage 1 + Lightweight Flywheel and counterweight.
3. Get the body touched up and completely buffed (Got a ton of little scratched and door dings)

 

When driving to or from New York, I like to not have my interior be baking for 6 straight hours.

 

You're crazy if you think your car is staying cool by applying tint. If it's hot outside, it won't matter what you have on your car, it will get hot.

My girls car has tint. Can't tell you how annoying it is. Can't see very well at nite and during the day your eyes have to become accustomed to having all this light through the front window, and then shadowy on the side.

This is why we wear sunglasses, right?? We can protect our eyes from the glaring sun. This way we can have an even shade of dark all throughout when you're driving.

I understand if you're going to be pulling a bank heist, or you're doing something illegal, or if you belong to the mob. Ok, get window tint. Understandable. But otherwise it hinders visibility more than anything else.

Again, this is just my humble opinion. I've had more than a few cars with and without tint. All my personal cars have never had any. But jumping into other peoples cars with tint, I can assure you, I can't drive anywhere near as well with the damn tint in place.

*shakes fist at tint* Damn you tint!!

 

I couldn't care either way about window tint, what annoys me is when people tint their headlights and taillights.
I just don't get it, lets make the only things that light up the road ahead and warn drivers behind not work as effectively.
Ricockulous!

 

Agreed.
Well one thing I know I'm not doing this spring......tint my windows....or headlights more specifically

 

I won't argue with you about ambient temperature being the root cause of feeling hot, but you know sometimes when you stand outside and the sun is beating on your head? You know how that makes you feel hot? You know how if you drive for an hour with your arm out the window in the summer, you get a tan? I've gotten a farmer's tan driving the Slotege with all windows rolled up because there were no tints.

I really don't need a tan on half my face while driving long distance, nor do i want my crotch and ***** to burn up just because I'm wearing dark jeans. I also don't want people peeking into my hatch or into my car when I'm parked. I also like my car not being as hot as an untinted car when I leave it parked in the sun for an hour or two.

Yes, it reduces visibility, which means I have to roll down my windows to backup at night if I'm in the wife's hometown (it's too small for streetlights). Would I own a car without tints? Sure, if it was another beater like the Protege. Does it make me a shittier driver? I dunno, I'm pretty used to seeing through squinty eyes. Besides, having tints mean that I can hide many more lead pipes and machetes in my car than without.

 

It's like you've got a direct line to my funny bone.

 

Tinted windows add about 3 HP per window and make your car fit in to tiny places when it starts to hail
Nuff said
Win

 

new rotors - cross drilled
front lip
flares - mud guards
any maintenance required
cai - AEM

 

Not crazy at all. There is a substantial reduction when comparing no tint vs. a high quality ceramic tint. For your reading pleasure.

Window Film Temperature Test Report « Window Tinting Blog | Vision Quest Distributing

Yes, highly recommended if you do not currently have tint on your list as a spring upgrade. In fact your in luck if you have a Brilliant Black. My butt dyno tells me 4hp gain per window across the entire band.

 

Thief,

You kill me man...
Whatever happen to poker nite?? Did that ever materialize??

Surgeblade,

Yep, well aware of the "advantages".
Wouldn't really apply to me because A) I daily drive a Miata. When the sun's out, the top is down. No farmers tan to worry about. B) I've owned my FD for over 15yrs. Her interior is almost brand new. The only thing that really gets hot in that car (besides the engine) are the freakin leather chairs. Hopefully later in the year, if not next year I'll be able to swap them out with some OEM Recaro's.
I only drive it when I know I'll be driving it for extended periods. She's rarely parked outside for more than a few hours.

About the only tint I agree with is factory tint. You know, when the actual glass is tinted and not some film applied to the present glass. That's the only way I would accept tint.

I know in Japan, in the later years of the FD, the factory installed a tinted rear hatch for all FD's. I was tempted to source 1 out, but then I found out all the hatches came with the dreaded wiper. One of the options I've always hated seeing on the FD. Alas, my regular rear hatch soldiers on. Not crazy enough to spec out just the rear glass...

 

Wow...looks like there lots going on with the everyone...

- new clutch & flywheel (I believe mine would be the only set in Ontario)
- new battery
- new catback exhaust
- new ignition wiring
- (maybe) re-amemiya rear diffusers... if $$$ permits.

basically looking the same from the exterior but it should drive like a different car...lolz

Thief... its 2013, no one uses machetes and lead pipes anymore lolz. Its either I shoot you with a 12 gauge or taser your *** until you **** yourself hahahaha

 

Awesome link. I too read the previous posts saying window tint doesn't lower in car temps and I was like umm....
Especially having leather. When I park my car at work I put up my mazda windshield sunscreen and throw a light jacket over my seats to keep the leather and shift **** from being scolding hot when I hop it. The windshield sunscreen made a massive difference in cabin temperatures.
My car is BB and I love how my car looks with tint. I added the front windshield strip for $20 and it reduces overall light coming into the car and onto the dash where I have my Lotek& prosport gauges. I already had a spot on my dash discolor so that was a big reason for doing so. Also the sunset inbetween the visors kills me. Furthermore my girl is short enough the visors do nothing for her so she loves it.

That being said 35% tint is very well balanced and looks more civilized than conspicuous.

 

What clutch and flywheel will be the only set?

 

Here's my plan:
- Move the RX8 from where it's currently stored, to the new place it will be stored
- Drive the Miata for the rest of the year

But seriously, I might do some real, actual maintenance this year. Plugs/coils, maybe even an oil change ... might think about new tires ... gotta keep the wallet in check though.

By the way, tints were the best mod I've ever had done on any car I've ever owned. I wish I'd done it day-one. I thought about it carefully, obviously there are pros and cons, but for a summer-car with four doors, four seats, and six windows, it's a sealed deal for me.