Newer Vehicles and Technology

Ken Anderson said:
I am not in favor of requiring seat belts in cars or helmets for motorcyclists because these are things that only affect the person who decides whether or not to wear them, although I do believe that insurance companies could reasonably withhold payments for injuries sustained due to carelessness, so the end result would be the same. In more than 20 years in EMS, I have never responded to a motorcycle accident in which the patient lived. Yes, I know that some do, but motorcycle accidents are often either so minor that an ambulance is not required, or so major that the patient dies with or without a helmet. However, I have frequently responded to car accidents in which those wearing seatbelts live, while those who are not don't. Being "thrown free" from an accident generally results in death; most often, you are then hit by the car you're thrown from. So, while I am opposed to seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws, I am not in favor of refusing to wear them. Your chances of surviving a high-speed motorcycle accident are low, with or without a helmet, and the chances of an accident are high. All it takes is a rock or some trash thrown onto the road; plus, drivers of cars just don't see you.
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I was in a motorcycle accident not that many years ago when I was young and foolish. Riding through an intersection an old lady ran into me and I was knocked unconscious. I always wore a helmet, in part because you could attach a bubble visor to keep bugs and road debris from hitting you in the face. I spent a week in the hospital with a partially collapsed lung and 5 broken ribs. Happy to have survived but my side still hurts.

My head bounced off the pavement and nothing good would have happened without a helmet.
 
Ed Wilson said:
I was in a motorcycle accident not that many years ago when I was young and foolish. Riding through an intersection an old lady ran into me and I was knocked unconscious. I always wore a helmet, in part because you could attach a bubble visor to keep bugs and road debris from hitting you in the face. I spent a week in the hospital with a partially collapsed lung and 5 broken ribs. Happy to have survived but my side still hurts.

My head bounced off the pavement and nothing good would have happened without a helmet.
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I'm glad that's all that happened to you Ed, I never did like motorcycle's, Jake had one when we met, I finally got him to sell it.I never rode with him on it but maybe twice.
 
John Brunner said:
Yup. When the light came on after the temps rose and I had been driving the car (so the tires were hot), the PSI in each tire was 40. I run them at 35, and when the light came on before it was because one of the tires was at 32. I guess they're a good thing to have...when they work right.
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I believe TPMS is also triggered by high tire pressure so maybe let a little air out?
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I believe TPMS is also triggered by high tire pressure so maybe let a little air out?
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I'm gonna give that a shot in a few minutes, even though the manual only says low tire pressure triggers it.

The manual says to take it to the dealer to reset the TPMS threshold.
The Internet says there's a Reset To Current Pressure button.
The Internet also says that only older models have a TMPS Reset button.
The Internet says there's a Reset option in the Infotainment system.

The Internet is full of crap and people just make stuff up to "get clicks."

I'm gonna let some air out and then drive for a bit...maybe go to my favorite cheap Mexican place for some comfort food to quell my angst. I am surprised that the difference in air temp can increase the PSI by 5#. It's as though you gotta check it multiple times throughout each season. At least I have a compressor and a 50' hose in my garage.
 
@Don Alaska @Beth Gallagher I'll put a Power Puff Girls sticker on it.

Actually, I just got back in. All of my tires have come down from 40PSI to the proper 35PSI except for 1, and it was maybe 28PSI. I topped it off and the light turned off.

This has been a weird year. I've only had the TPMS light come on once before in the 7 years I've had the car, and this is the 5th time this winter. The tires are 3 years old. Each time a different tire was low (after topping them all off every instance). Each tire has been the problem 1x (only by 3PSI), making this is the second low pressure reading for this tire.

My pressure gauge is starting to act funny (I've had it for 15 years and use it on one of my tractor tires every time I drive it.) A couple of times today I put it on a tire and the stick shot up to over 50PSI. I'd check again and it read 35PSI. It's never done that before and seemed spot-on otherwise. So maybe it gave me a goofy reading before on that one low tire, causing the TPMS to [rightly] stay on. I guess I'll buy another gauge, but general consensus is all gauges stink and there's no way to know if the one you buy is accurate or not...you cannot calibrate them or test them.
 
Ed Wilson said:
I was in a motorcycle accident not that many years ago when I was young and foolish. Riding through an intersection an old lady ran into me and I was knocked unconscious. I always wore a helmet, in part because you could attach a bubble visor to keep bugs and road debris from hitting you in the face. I spent a week in the hospital with a partially collapsed lung and 5 broken ribs. Happy to have survived but my side still hurts.

My head bounced off the pavement and nothing good would have happened without a helmet.
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Ed, you can get your visors now with tear off sun/bug screen or simply with RX lenses. I only felt comfortable with one helmet brand with a hinged chin plate.
 
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Andie White said:
Wow. I just read this thread and it has served as a big warning. I truly am a tech moron. I just got my first cell phone a few months ago when the cable man cut my landlines and it takes me ten minutes to make a phone call.

I'm sticking with my little 1998 Neon, even though the girls at the Dairy Queen drive-through laugh while I crank the window down. I shouldn't be there anyway.
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I have roll down windows on my 2009 Matrix. Maybe the last to have them. Sometimes I regret not being able to push a button to talk to a person outside the passenger side but mostly I am proud. :D
 
John Brunner said:
I'm gonna give that a shot in a few minutes, even though the manual only says low tire pressure triggers it.

The manual says to take it to the dealer to reset the TPMS threshold.
The Internet says there's a Reset To Current Pressure button.
The Internet also says that only older models have a TMPS Reset button.
The Internet says there's a Reset option in the Infotainment system.

The Internet is full of crap and people just make stuff up to "get clicks."

I'm gonna let some air out and then drive for a bit...maybe go to my favorite cheap Mexican place for some comfort food to quell my angst. I am surprised that the difference in air temp can increase the PSI by 5#. It's as though you gotta check it multiple times throughout each season. At least I have a compressor and a 50' hose in my garage.
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Good plan. And my vcr still flashes 12:00 ;) I am sure I have check engine light in both the technologically advanced cars. But I do listen to oil warning and tire pressure. I Put air in /let air out this winter. Also daughter tells me if anything looks low.
I have to read the owners manual just to re-set the clock!
 
Mary Stetler said:
Good plan. And my vcr still flashes 12:00 ;) I am sure I have check engine light in both the technologically advanced cars. But I do listen to oil warning and tire pressure. I Put air in /let air out this winter. Also daughter tells me if anything looks low.
I have to read the owners manual just to re-set the clock!
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My concern over all the technology is that those who are born into a society where these cars are the norm will be too reliant on it. I like my Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Warning systems and my Heads Up Display...but they are meant to augment the driver's awareness, not replace it.

And I guess you saw that I did have a tire that was underinflated. I've ordered new tire pressure gauges.
 
John Brunner said:
My concern over all the technology is that those who are born into a society where these cars are the norm will be too reliant on it. I like my Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Warning systems and my Heads Up Display...but they are meant to augment the driver's awareness, not replace it.

And I guess you saw that I did have a tire that was underinflated. I've ordered new tire pressure gauges.
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A friend wanted to go to lunch. I said she was welcome to come with hubby and me since we hadn't gotten together in quite a while. I looked at google maps to know where the restaurant was. About half way there the friend said how brave I was.
?????
She said I had no navigation help.
I told her I looked at a MAP.:rolleyes:
 
Mary Stetler said:
A friend wanted to go to lunch. I said she was welcome to come with hubby and me since we hadn't gotten together in quite a while. I looked at google maps to know where the restaurant was. About half way there the friend said how brave I was.
?????
She said I had no navigation help.
I told her I looked at a MAP.:rolleyes:
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The big downside to having an on-board NAV system in my car is I do what I'm told, rather than looking for (and familiarizing myself with) landmarks. When I follow written directions, I have to look for the next turn and remember what streets/exits I've passed and which one I'm taking. After one trip, I could probably find my way there again & back again. But using the NAV system, after several visits to a doctor's office that was 30 miles away in a new-to-me area, I wasn't sure I could find it on my own...I had no need to really pay attention.

The upside is I can go/have gone exploring, and it's nice to bring up HOME in the NAV system an get guided back. And I still use it on a longish trip I know well and that's pretty easy and direct just to remind me of when my exit is coming up. Sometimes it's nice to focus on my driving and not have to pay attention to the next turns & exits.
 
During my time on a motorcycle, in Michigan and California, helmets were not required, and I didn't often wear them unless I was planning a long bike trip.
 
Hair blowing in the wind may look great and feel great until the first hair hits you across the eye ball. Then you have to comb that mess out. Roll it up, silk cap, helmet.
 
Ken Anderson said:
During my time on a motorcycle, in Michigan and California, helmets were not required, and I didn't often wear them unless I was planning a long bike trip.
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All 3 of my brothers had motorcycles, a couple of them classics. What model bike did you have, Ken?

I've never been tempted. My attention span has issues. But I'd be more inclined to wear a helmet around town where the idiots might pull out in front of me or merge into me than I would on the open road...but I would at least wear eye protection of some sort at highway speeds.
 
My first was a Yamaha 80, but I was maybe 14 then, then a Honda 90 (the Yamaha was faster), a Honda 150, and a Kawasaki 650. At the time, I couldn't have handled anything bigger because they didn't make the bigger ones low enough to the ground for me, being 5'4". Even the Kawasaki was pressing it to the point where I tried to avoid stoplights.
 
Ken Anderson said:
My first was a Yamaha 80, but I was maybe 14 then, then a Honda 90 (the Yamaha was faster), a Honda 150, and a Kawasaki 650. At the time, I couldn't have handled anything bigger because they didn't make the bigger ones low enough to the ground for me, being 5'4". Even the Kawasaki was pressing it to the point where I tried to avoid stoplights.
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That was my problem, too. I'm 5'2" and I had a motorcycle license up until a few years ago. :D My ex and I had a Yamaha 350 and a 650; I could barely hold the 350 upright at a traffic light. He still loves motorcycles and has had a classic HD Sportster for many years.
 
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