Where to get car rear-deck speakers (haven't bought speakers in decades)

Times have changed. When we were in our early teens we were driving with dad in the parking lot and could not wait until we were 16. My brother turned 16 on a Thursday and passed his test on Saturday. I was about 2 weeks after my birthday taking mine.

Now, having the latest cell phone is more important than cars and driving. Stick shift? Nah, they can't do it.

There's a big difference in traction in the snow or similar conditions, that's for sure. All the weight of the engine helps. Not having the driveshaft hump is a plus for inside space too. But then SUVs are selling like hot cakes and they have all wheel drive, which I guess combines some of the best of both designs. And those continue to evolve, from fixed proportioning of power between front and rear, to computer controlled. Another interesting thing, some pickups are hitting the $100K mark now.

I bought an AWD a couple of years ago. I had a couple of hills on the way to work and passed cars sliding all over. When you put it into snow mode you get 50-50. The traction control though will vary it as needed from 90-10 to 10-90. In Eco or regular mode it is 40-60.

I've since retired and have no plans to drive on a snowy day again. Nothing that can't wait for the roads to be cleared.

We went to Ireland two years ago. Quite the scam for rental cars. I opted for a manual. I didn't reserve a diesel, which cost more, but that's what Avis gave me which was fine, some sort of Kia SUV. Only a very limited number of credit cards cover Ireland in terms of insurance, most exclude a few countries, including Ireland. You have to bring a letter from the credit card company stating that they provide coverage, and I expected it to be hard to explain to the credit card company what I needed, but they instantly understood and seconds later they e-mailed me the necessary documentation. You still have to pay a small fee to waive the insurance.

I thought it would be a pain to have to shift with my left hand while driving on the left, on narrow roads, but it was fine. In fact, I think that it made me more involved in driving and helped me pay attention.

My credit card limit wasn't high enough ! The rental company wanted about 10 thousand dollars " reserved " on the card before they waived the huge deductible - or as they call it excess. It creeped me out, so I just paid through the nose for their insurance. My own car insurance covers rentals for North America only. John T.

He who is Ed Pawlowski said on Wed, 6 Dec 2017 10:12:49 -0500:

If you live in snow country, then these traction schemes make sense. If you don't live in snow country, chains are a lot cheaper in every way. And better.

They're just not as convenient.

He who is trader_4 said on Wed, 6 Dec 2017 06:49:29 -0800 (PST):

People say that but it's like people who say that Hillary won the election.

Without the actual facts, it's a meaningless thing you just said.

If you say "deep snow" and "driving slowly in deep snow", then yes, there's a big difference in traction.

But just "snow". Nope. There's no difference in traction if both cars are in just a sprinkling of snow, or if they're driving even close to the speed limit on any road in deep snow.

What's deep? I don't know.

It's certainly more than an inch. It's not deeper than 15 inches.

It's somewhere around 5 inches maybe?

So yes. FWD handles better than RWD when driving slowly in 5 inches of snow.

That's the ONLY time FWD handles better though. Seems like a huge tradeoff for the ability to handle five inches of snow.

How deep do you think the snow needs to be for FWD to make a difference over RWD?

One inch isn't going to cut it. It has to be deep to matter.

How deep?

In Italy it is the law to get the insurance. I like driving in Italy. The rules are a bit different on the road and they stay out of the left lane if not passing. A bit more aggressive than here in all cases.

Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us...

I think even the opposite gender is not important to them...

My wife, before we were married, installed a car stereo in her car. My daughter is very good with that kind of stuff. In the Americorp organization she joined after college, they do outdoor education and they train everyone in the use of power tools and in construction techniques. I helped out last weekend building garden beds. I pre-cut all the lumber and brought it. Her fellow volunteers were very good at putting the whole thing together, drilling, screwing pieces together, and understanding the whole design. I don't know if they could have planned the whole design and done it in a way that minimized lumber costs, and that did not depend on the fasteners for structural integrity. OTOH, my son was never into any of this kind of stuff.

My belief is that the lack of mechanical ability among many youth and adults is based on two things:

1. Japanese cars. Far fewer mechanical breakdowns and less maintenance led to the end of dads spending time with their kids showing them how to change oil, plugs, points, rotors, and adjust timing on high-maintenance vehicles. The whole skill set of using tools and fixing cars was lost. Car maintenance teaches skills that are transferable to many other applications.
2. Immigrants from countries with low-cost labor. My Indian friend told me that it took a lot of getting used to life in the U.S. because in India even middle class people have multiple servants to help out, i.e. cooks, cleaners, gardeners, drivers, etc.. In China, labor is so cheap that the middle class hires laborers and there is no "do-it-yourself" mentality, it is viewed as demeaning to do home improvements like painting or fixing plumbing problems. In the U.S., skilled and unskilled labor is expensive so the "do-it-yourself" mentality and infrastructure developed.

Figures someone would put foreigners to blame. Let me guess, you voted for Trump, didn't you? The give away clue is that it makes no sense and it's s elf-contradictory. Labor for auto mechanics is over $100 an hour, clearly it's not a low cost labor issue.

Better standard of living is part of that. We drove some really cheap cars that broke down frequently too. We had a part time job to buy a $50 car. Now daddy buys junior a fairly new more reliable car.

I could learn to like that.

I'll NEVER drive with chains on a front wheel drive vehicle. I've had enough chains break on RWD vehicles - and they do a lot of damage. They are OK for getting out of a tough spot, but you HAVE to remove them before hitting the highway.; Since I've goneback to dedicated snows, I've not had a situation where having chains would have been any advantager (and I'm in "snow country")

With a few inches of slop the FWD starts having an advantage - but you need to know how to drive FWD. And it's not just snow. Gravel roads too. I rallyed an old R12 againt Datsun 510s with double the horsepower and consistently beat them. Summer and winter. I learned to drive on a Mini. The 204 Peugeot handled the nasty roads of Zambia in the rainy season VERY well - at least as well as the VW. Never had a problem maintaining control and staying on the road. Point the front wheels where you want to go and accellerate (but don't chicken out and lift your foot in a turn!!)

That's your opinion. I'd note though that in another post you said you'd never own a FWD vehicle, so obviously your experience is limited. I've owned both, even at the same time, and have actual experience.

With more weight on the tire, traction is improved, regardless of what the exact surface condition. The holding force is generally proportional to the mass. Most of the time, it doesn't matter. Sometimes it matters a lot.

Not owning one, how would you know? I could provide you with plenty of cites from credible car sources that say FWD gives better traction than RWD and it's not limited to conditions of 5 inches of snow. But I'm sure it wouldn't matter. You must be taking some unusual steps to avoid having a FWD car, what's left that isn't at this point, besides some select sports cars, eg Corvette or Ferrari? Maybe some BMW or MB? Even those have gone to AWD mostly.

What huge tradeoff? For typical everyday driving there is no noticeable difference.

I had my fill of chains driving an 18-wheeler. I put the studs on Thanksgiving weekend and take them off sometime in the spring. We seldom get deep snow but the roads tend to get snow packed and icy and stay that way.

He who is trader_4 said on Wed, 6 Dec 2017 19:56:40 -0800 (PST):

My only experience with FWD is with numerous rental cars, for maybe a week at a time, sometimes only a few days at a time.

Hundreds of them over the years.

But I don't think I ever drove one in snow - but - I lived in snow country for 40 years and I go to Tahoe frequently in the winter - so I'm getting used to chains on RWD which works just fine.

Remember, we're talking deep snow (and Tahoe snow is deep). The plows handle 20 inches of snow routinely. It's not even a big deal to them.

He who is Clare Snyder said on Wed, 06 Dec 2017 21:32:54 -0500:

Yes. With a few inches of snow, the FWD has the weight where you want ti. I agree. How deep? I don't know. Maybe four inches? Maybe six?

Nobody is driving fast in six inches of snow. At least they shouldn't be driving fast in six inches of snow.

- but

Hmmmm.... I don't drive on gravel roads. I guess it's the same thing, if you're in deep gravel. Six inches of gravel is pretty deep though.

We all know that FWD and RWD handle differently under all conditions, good or bad. They're not even close.

He who is Clare Snyder said on Wed, 06 Dec 2017 21:25:49 -0500:

In California, where I live, when you go to Tahoe, you use the HIGHWAY. It's on the HIGHWAY that the cops force 2WD vehicles to put on chains.

The whole point of using chains is that you're going SLOWLY in deep snow. Same as the ONLY TIME that FWD handles better than RWD.

Deep snow isn't 1 inch. It's more than that. It's a few inches. Maybe five. Maybe six. I don't know. But it's not one inch. One inch is nothing.

In Tahoe, it snows 18 inches in a night routinely.

How fast are you going when you're driving in six inches of snow?

You FWD guys don't think logically. It doesn't matter if it's a highway or not when the snow is 6 inches deep.

That's the ONLY time FWD handles better than RWD.

I lived for 40 years in snow country and we did just fine without chains, but that's how they do things out here in California.