yah, things were better for my 09 too PRIOR to the recall work done. really unfortunate this time.

i didn't notice this soon enough but the dealer cracked the cowl cover on mine where the vents are. big hole near washer nozzle.

 

so on my '12, i noticed there are 2 dimples on the front bumper near the bottom of the wheel arch (2 on each side). it almost looks like pilot dimples for a front lip. (its like the same dimples you see on some cars that have splash guards as an option).

anyone know if such thing exists in JDM land? if so i want to get. im not a fan of that jdp lip thing they're doing for the 12 bumpers.

 

also a quick project i shall work on this weekend... using excess clearbra i have to make protective covers for the side sills where it meets up with the front wheel well.

i know after a while the paint gets chewed up from debris hitting it, so want to protect it before it does. then i can swap out the bra for a clean start every Spring.

i will also make one for the rear bumper arch too.

 

so rewind 14months i sold the raceramps flatspotters for my G since i thought i would just use my G35C throughout the year (including winter) as she is getting pretty old and was thinking about retiring her maybe even this year.

well, after a year of use as dd i found that:
1) as i already knew, cant' carry anything in the G.
2) pita to load up kids and their bags on a rainy day... especially stormy days.
3) tiring to drive in 25mph side streets and school zones as it's a heavy car and heavy clutch.
4) i luv the car too much to sell her just yet.

and ended up getting the '12 GE last month. which means my G will be hibernating again this winter and perhaps a few more winters until i check out the next gen G and decide if i want to get that or the Abarth in 2014. Im skipping the G37C as i am not a fan. it's got a much nicer interior, but the driving dynamics is not raw like on the G. it's too tame and isolated, too much like a quiet lux car. im not really into lux cars, im a guy that likes driving and get that direct feel.

tires i use on my G are S04's... unlike previous summers i had on the car S03, RE050A pole position, the tires are softer and tends to flat spot more easily. for instance, i would park the G for 10days at is recommended 35-36psi. by the 11th day i can feel slight vibration through the steering wheel for the first 5min of driving. while it is temporary, it can become permanent if left for 3 months during winter hibernation.

so im going to re-order the flat stoppers again, lol and place her on that this winter.
flatstoppers are like $250 shipped. not cheap, but then considering the price of the tires which are north of $300 each + mount/balance fees, it is worth it.

 

forgot to post the rebate. lol

if you're like me and have a hobby car besides your Fit and want to get the flatstoppers, you can buy from raceramps directly or amazon. been using their products for 3-4yrs now and no issue. my 370Z is placed on flatstoppers as well.

they have a $25 mail in rebate right now going.
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...388588268_.pdf

 

im hoping for an overcast sky weekend so that i can snap some shots of my current enkei t-fork'ed GE with all the latest using my DSLR before swapping them out to the rota's. i have a circular polarizer and can shoot RAW to correct image later, but i prefer to take them on a cloudy day and just shoot jpg. i dont like tinkering with photoshop as you can tell.

after the swap, im kinda worried how bad the rota's (16x7 ET40) with the 205/50/16 DWS will rub on the front though...

 

If you are concerned about tire rub up front, tuck your fender liner and bend the metal tabs on the fender for said liners upward to clear the tire. Its the rear tire that I would worry about since there is a good half inch or more of metal that hangs inside the rear wells with spot welds on it (less likely to hit but possible) as well as a portion of the rear bumper were the screw which holds the bumper to the quarter, this portion is usually nipped by the tire first way before contacting the quarter's overhanging spot welded section.

 

^^ thanks hootie. i will definitely bend up the tab when i swap out the wheels.

i think the rear will be fine, but will drive cautiously the first few miles. can't wait to dumb the clutch thanks to tpms.

 

woot, gotz tracking# for the flatstoppers.

 

goodAM, TGIF!

this am pulled out my G again for the commute. such a beautiful day again today. kinda windy though compared to yesterday. no rattles in the G... i likes. can enjoy music in the car. about the only time and space i have to listen to music these days.

will be pulling out my GE later on tonight for a quick supper. kid's request to grab some taco's. hahaha.

 

got a busy weekend coming up again. will be motoring my Z in the early am and afterwards i will be cleaning my G inside and out, then will see if temps are high enough to do polymer sealant on my GE. i need it to be at least 60-65F for the polymer to cure properly. (using Griot's One-Step Sealant again).

then i will work on the wheel arch clearbra i talked about yesterday along with taking some snaps of my GE before i swap out the wheels to my rota's. that should be enough for the weekend.

next week afterwork (or may take a day off since we have a 80F day coming up) i will work on the rota's. i do not plan on running center caps on these tuner type wheels so i will be painting the hub using duplicolor engine enamel.

plan of action would be to clean with wire brush, degrease with brake cleaner, mask (i already have a paper mask i made for my GD long time ago. ), primer, then matte black paint. should look real nice.

will tuck the fender liner on the front and bend up the metal tab while swapping out the wheels, per hootie's recommendation.

 

i need to get some touch up paint. not that i have any chips yet but i thought i had alabaster (sp?) silver from a civic i had a while back, but i must have given it away when i sold the car.

for winter setup i might do DiNoc at the very tip of the hood about 5" across. i noticed on my 09 that there were a lot of chips there when i touched up over the weekend... especially the very tip of the hood.

 

woot, flatstoppers for my G arrived.

need to order some touchup paint....

 

cool, amazon had a virtual honda parts dealer as tenant so ordered my paint from there. shall have in my hands by next week.

so easy, no fuss. i hate needing to make user profile at some vendors. stupid policy.

 

hummm... still have my '12 factory sport wheels. no one wants.

i guess i will keep them then and use it as spare set.

 

really looking forward to my drive home. my G's been waiting for me outside for 8hrs.

also can't wait to pull out my GE tonight for a quick drive.

 

i have ip cameras setup outside the house so i can monitor how my GE's doing at home from my droid.

if i can find a super small drain ip camera or an ip camera that can charge while driving with battery run time of 150hrs or so, i'd like to set one up inside the car. even if it's a time lapse camera it would definitely be worth having. our wifi can easily reach across the street so even if i have the car parked on the side of the road, our dvr can pick up the signal.

 

got home a little early tonight so had time to clean my G inside and out before supper. which means i dont have to do this tomorrow. hahaha.

so after motoring my Z tomorrow am, im going to wash my GE and proceed with the sealant. hope to finish applying in the am so that i can get some snaps in the early afternoon hours.

then sunday i will plan on swapping out the wheels, i guess. i need to clear out the rota's from the garage so that i have more space inside. it's pretty tight in there since the village started using those dumbarse huge trash bins for garbage and another one for recycle.

 

You don't take karate lessons from a short little Okinawan man named Miyagi do you Ken??? You know, Wipe on Wipe off...

 

hahaha. naw, i am self taught using modern equipment because im lazy. but still takes me a good couple of hours to lay down sealant on a car cause im ocd.