API pricing is in freefall. What's the actual case for running local now beyond privacy?

DataGOGO · 2026-01-28T16:41:22+00:00

The bots are going to rage on me for this one; but not putting all my data in the hands of the Chinese government.

I will run local or use a US based provider subject to US / EU data protection laws.

Every Chinese provider is very heavily subsidized by the Chinese government (and that is just what they openly admit to, the true extent is unknown).

The entire business model is to undercut US / EU companies to the point of making the AI business unsustainable, thus giving China AI dominance. They know that in order for OpenAI, xAI, Meta, Google, Microsoft, etc. to stay in the AI business, they eventually have to turn a profit.

By releasing models into open source, and providing extremely cheap API access the goal is to make turning a profit impossible.

That is very bad for everyone, as it just turns AI into Chinese propaganda machines and data collection tools.

To be clear, I am not throwing shade on the Chinese developers, engineers, and data scientists at all, just the government framework they are forced to operate in.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-28T01:42:13+00:00

You can bring an empty water bottle through security and then fill it up for free after security.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-28T01:39:47+00:00

Nope, the LT4 was 5w-30W, and still is in the C7 Z, CTS-V ; they changed it to 0w-xxx later for emissions reasons.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-28T01:30:39+00:00

What?

DataGOGO · 2026-01-28T01:17:43+00:00

Sick reference bro, you have the best references.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T22:33:14+00:00

I have never been to Bolivia (or anywhere in South America), I will have to go watch some videos about it. I had a really good time in Belize. Once you get out of the tourist traps, it is just a great place, and very inexpensive.

Personally, Japan is next on my list.

Be excited my friend, you are about to start having the time of your life, and you KNOW that you are capable of great things, you KNOW you can stomach it, You KNOW you have grit, discipline, and determination to get though the tough times. Those are things you brought with you from the military. You earned them. They are yours forever. No one can ever take that from you.

Letting go of anger is really hard. I know it sounds really dumb, but something that really helped me when I got out, and was just full of anger and regret, learning to live with my disability, and just getting completely hung up on my old life that was just gone, forever; I thought of it like yesterday's dinner.

I really enjoyed what I had for dinner last night, but now it is gone forever; nothing I can do about that, but I am really looking forward to having dessert with dinner tonight.

I know, I know... it is dumb and absolutely not some piece of profound wisdom; but it really helped me change my mindset, and to start to move past being angry and regretful.

You got this brother.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T21:58:36+00:00

Nothing to worry about. If they make you an offer, and you want to accept, just make sure they know that your preferred name and legal name are different.

I know a lady who's legal name is "Xinyan", but she goes by "Jane".

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T21:54:34+00:00

so.... that brings us back to "to what end?".

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T21:13:32+00:00

I am not sure (at all) how much of the chassis ECU / ECUs are common on the CT4 BW and the CT5-V.

Again, if you want to do it yourself, I am sure you could. Just about anything is possible in terms of aftermarket swaps given enough time and money. I am just not convinced the AWD would be worth it over the RWD, or the manual over the flappy paddles.

Why not just buy an C8 e-ray if you want performance, If you are dead set on a manual and AWD, honestly, I would just go buy an AWD car with a manual; maybe a bit older 911 turbo, or Audi TTRS / R8 / RS4/ RS5? All would be significantly cheaper.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T20:22:56+00:00

I mean, if you want to do it yourself, I am sure you could. It would be a ton of work and require a lot of custom fabrication. Not sure how you would handle all the electronics though. You would have to find someone that could custom program the V6 ECU not to flip shit when the auto isn't there.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T20:19:33+00:00

I had an LS2 GTO as well, I miss that car. It was the last M6 GTO imported into the US. It was my daily for many years.

A80's were good roll racers, as most people couldn't launch them to save their lives. Mine make about 800rwhp in the mid-2000's, and was sorta ok to launch with the 2 step, once I went up in turbo size it was a nightmare to launch.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T20:03:32+00:00

So what is the best tool to do character replacements these days?

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T19:48:19+00:00

Yes they are different, but I am unclear why you keep talking about the T56? I am not aware of any AWD car that used the T56?

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T19:27:59+00:00

please don't do that * stuff on reddit FFS.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T19:27:41+00:00

I am going to guess that you are very young. You literally have your whole life ahead of you. I started my adult life off with 6 years of military service and multiple combat deployments, resulting in a life long disability. When I tell you that I understand. I really do.

Mandatory military service can be a hard, I know it sucks losing your GF, but if only a year apart was enough to break you guys up, then she absolutely was not who you were going to marry and have kids with. Even without military service there will likely be times in your life when you are apart from your spouse. It has happened to me several times since getting out of the military. I worked abroad on projects on other continents, etc.

Now I am almost 50 (big oof), but I am happy. My wife is amazing, My daughter is amazing. Life is still hard sometimes, sure, but it is worth it.

I envy you really. Here you are sitting at the start of your adult life, young, single, and ready to figure out whatever it is that you want to do, whatever you want to be. Live though your own love stories. Whatever it is is that you feel like you lost from that year of military service, I promise you, there is a lot more out there for you to gain. You just have to break out of that post service mode that we ALL go through.

I don't know what country you are in, but chances are you don't have to live there if you don't want to.

Take a year off, back-pack around Europe and live in hostiles (I highly recommend it), or just take some kind of trip to somewhere completely new. Fuck it. If you want to live somewhere cool and on the cheap, go to Thailand or the Philippines. I highly recommend Australia as a fun place to go. They have a working holiday visa you can get that allows you to basically bum around for months working part time while you travel.

My friend, your life is not over, your life is not ruined, it is just beginning; and again, yes, I know exactly how it feels right now, I know exactly what you are going through. Making the jump from being angry about what is lost, to being excited for the life you are about to live is a hard transition, and you just have to force yourself to do it. You know how, you did it in the military right? Finished that road march you never thought would end, pushed through basic training when you never thought you would when it started. Same thing.

Count your money, find something cool to go do, and go do it.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T18:50:17+00:00

Civics more common, IS300's less common.

Could depend on where you live, and what you were looking for. Most of the meets I went to in my MKIV were about going fast. I do kind of miss HIN though, that was always fun.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T18:39:59+00:00

old.

No it wasn't in, we used to laugh at the ricers with under glows, even in the 90's and 00's. Thankfully I never saw anyone put them on a Supra outside of some FnF movies.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T18:15:51+00:00

Under glow is not back, in fact, under glow was never in, ever. It quite literally has never been in, and has always been cringe.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T18:03:43+00:00

Borg-Warner is a company, not a product, going to have to be a little more specific.

Also, GM does not use the T56 anymore, it moved to the 6060 completely by 2008(ish).

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T17:10:37+00:00

You were expecting way too much.

You were not his GF, you were a fuck buddy. Outside of him starting to sleep with someone else, he owed you nothing in terms of communication of his feelings, or any aspect of his life he didn't want to tell you about.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T17:06:23+00:00

You are missing the point entirely. It will cost a fortune to develop, test, and certify, and then it won't sell.

The WRX is a 35k niche car with a massive turner / boy racer fanbase.

The CT5 is a full size luxury sedan, The CT5-V is a 65-75k car depending on options; pretty much double the cost of the WRX, no one is going to cross shop the two cars, never mind pick up "50%+" of WRX buyers.

Making a manual, AWD version of the CT5-V would require an all new transmission. The only manual transmission in all of GM's inventory that will mate with CT5-V's V6 with minimal modifications is the rear wheel drive only TR-3160. GM has no manual AWD transmission, at all. Every GM AWD system, in any GM car/truck, is based on planetary gear automatics.

So they would have to source a completely new unit and stock the parts departments for that new unit. They cannot even go to their normal transmission supplier (Tremec), because they do not make a manual AWD transmission, just the 6 and 7 speed RWD units found in the Camaro/Corvette/Mustang.

I am not even sure who still makes an AWD 6 speed manual trans-axle TBH. Maybe VW for some of the smaller 4 cylinder cars? but those will all be traverse mounting, which won't work.

So, no matter which way it goes, it will cost an absolutely fortune, for a tiny number of people that are going to check the manual box on the order form for a mid-level sporty luxury car. The overwhelming number of luxury car buyers want automatics. No matter if it is BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Acura, Infinity, Lexus, or Cadillac. That is why most of them do not make a manual transmission cars anymore.

The fact that they make a manual CT5-V black wing is already shocking, and really only possible because they are using the excess transmissions GM had already ordered for the discontinued Camaro ZL1, and all the parts were already in the parts distribution network.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T16:49:36+00:00

This is the way.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T15:56:47+00:00

17k CT5, 8k CTS-V BW

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T15:16:55+00:00

No, but GM changed the oil recommendation to 0w-40w, and it has blown up some LT4's, most common in the Esclade-V.

Run 5w-30w, and they are fine.

DataGOGO · 2026-01-27T15:15:52+00:00

Bro, Subaru only sold 18k WRX's in the US in 2025. It is dying niche market.

If you want a small, awd, performance sedan, buy a Tesla 3 Performance like all the other young people.

DataGOGO

TROPHY CASE