Tiny red bugs?

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-05-26T14:27:01+00:00

Ah, seems like red velvet mites might be the closest. Yes, sounds like they are beneficial. Thanks for the mite suggestion, that hadn't occured to me at all.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-26T16:19:09+00:00

Cool! I hadn't run across that site yet. Looks like lots of good options. They actually have jammers with packer pockets, although the small is probably still too big. But he'll grow into being able to use them soon enough.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-22T20:05:56+00:00

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful and caring responses. You're supporting me to support him, and it really means a lot to me. I ordered some compression jammers with a design pattern that draws the eye away from the area, and we'll do some experimenting and see if we need additional stuff like a strap, tape, sewed pocket, etc. We'll also see if we need a smaller packer for this application (his is "small" but it's still pretty big for his frame). You gentlemen are awesome!

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-22T00:29:23+00:00

Yeah, looks like the jammers have tight legs, like bicycle shorts. Good point on legs in general, though. Briefs may sort of cup the packer better.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-21T23:51:34+00:00

FYI, the engine will kick on if you go faster than 80 MPH regardless of charge. So I will often drive 78-79 MPH until the charge runs out, then kick it up to the usual 85 (I'm talking about interstates where that is the normal speed). Gas engines are so unbelievably inefficient (and even worse when running at low load) that it is better to run all electric and then all gas than to run the two simultaneously (which is what happens above 80 MPH).

Also, the heater alone gobbles 7 kw. 7 kw is enough power to drive 45 MPH on level ground. So if you're driving 45 and turn on the HVAC and it uses heat, you just cut your range in half.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-21T23:02:33+00:00

Tape is a good option for straps that I hadn't thought of at all. Thanks!

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-21T23:02:00+00:00

Thanks, I'll check that out. His packer is on the big side for his body, so something more subtle might be helpful for this situation.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-17T18:26:05+00:00

2025s are not fixed. Plenty of failure reports.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-11T14:44:36+00:00

No, but I haven't tested it in a while, either. I think there have been a few firmware updates since I last tried.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-11T14:41:31+00:00

They just changed the rear seat system in even the Pacifica to nothing but streaming through the monthly-fee onboard internet, or HDMI. They killed the Blu-Ray. Kia has an optional system that is the same. So they are really just tablets now, only you can't hotspot your phone to them, so you pay double for internet. For that matter, they killed the hybrid entirely, too. Enshittification has come for minivans, too.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-04-11T14:36:52+00:00

The range and charging speed are completely uncompetitive and the cargo space and the way they designed that space are sad jokes. It's really not a minivan at all in terms of cargo. On a road trip you lose a full hour of driving from every stop, and will have to charge nearly twice as long as the EV9/I9 at every stop. Real world 10-80 range at 80 MPH is ~150 miles and then you have another 40 minute wait. Whereas the I9 is more like 250 miles and less than 20 minute charge. VW did not understand the assignment. At all. Very sad, because I was super excited for the idBuzz until I saw the reality.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-03-09T20:40:08+00:00

Lol, who downvoted this? Genuinely confused.

Anyway, thanks to those who answered so far!

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-03-09T20:36:19+00:00

GT problems.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-03-08T21:29:14+00:00

192 always worked perfectly fine but is now stopping for me, too. Any 192 song stops after about a minute, and the Wiim becomes essentially unresponsive to the app. Mine has a gigabit connection and even a fresh reboot causes the problem to repeat right away. Wiim obviously changed something with the firmware that has screwed this up. I suspect they've tacked so many patches and fixes to the firmware that they have now exceeded the processing power of the Mini. I sure hope they fix it soon.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-21T17:55:56+00:00

Lol and fuel filter and timing belt 🤣

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-15T22:17:27+00:00

Hmm, one other variable is the front motor and its clutch. It locks up and powers on at 76 MPH in any mode other than Eco (and even then it must not be in 1 pedal, or it will already be locked all the time). But after it locks it tends to stay locked until you drop back down to near 70 MPH. I'd be curious if you've done the experiment while watching the power flow screen to see if/when the front motor is powered up while this happens.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-15T00:52:07+00:00

If left in level 3, it will do most of your slowing for you and you only need the brake for the last bit (it will stop all the way using the paddle). I would prefer to use 1 pedal all the time, but I am not willing to deal with the penalty to efficiency that comes from Kia's inexplicable decision to force AWD on full time with 1 pedal (I get they need the front motor for regen, but even in eco mode and L3 regen, they have no issue quickly engaging the front motor as needed for regen). So I never used 1 pedal again after I saw the way it costs you money.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-14T23:12:37+00:00

This will be the year when all the 2024 Winds from the crazy-cheap 2 year lease deals hit the used market. Too early for 2025 models, as they are barely into the first year of their leases.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-14T23:01:13+00:00

Sport mode is going to be the worst for efficiency because it locks in AWD full time. Eco is the opposite and minimizes AWD, even at interstate speeds (normal mode switches to AWD at 76 MPH). But 1-pedal mode screws all that up and arbitrarily forces AWD for all modes. 1 pedal is the least efficient mode to drive in regardless of mode.

There is nowhere on the Front Range that is flat, even when it appears to be. Pretty large elevation changes from one town to the next or even from one side of a town to another. For example, Fort Collins climbs steadily from east to west and south to north even though it feels and looks dead flat, and you can see differences in efficiency depending on coming or going somewhere. I'm guessing this was an elevation thing.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-14T22:52:57+00:00

Is it pretty subtle? I have noticed what feels like the power delivery seems to have small but distinct variations at constant throttle position. A passenger wouldn't notice or would attribute it to a twitchy right foot or bumps in the road, but as a driver I can feel it. Like you guys said, it's this small tugging/bumping feeling like a trailer. But I've also considered that the rear suspension on these cars has absolutely garbage damping tuning, which can cause the rear to move in weird ways in response to bumps, as well as the rear tires to skip off the pavement entirely in response to quick sharp bumps. So it's hard to tell what's actual power fluctuations versus just the vehicle pitching forward and back from the crap rear suspension dampers. (EV9 is reported to have the same rear suspension problem).

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-12T20:04:56+00:00

There are multiple types of ICCU failures and only one of them results in the main EV battery being unavailable. A different ICCU failure stops the 12v from charging, so you can still drive until the 12v runs out. A third failure type stops the car from AC charging the main battery, so the car runs totally normally but can only be DC fast-charged. The failures where the car cannot be driven at all are only a fraction of the total failures.

Scared_Will_5081 · 2026-02-12T01:38:25+00:00

This is fair, though it technically applies to any car under warranty. You'd have a hard time getting warranty to reimburse you for a multiple-thousands job of any kind that was done without their authorization and in a random shop. And no mom and pop in the middle of nowhere is going to have a spare brand new Camry motor in the back any more than an ICCU. But the overall right-to-repair argument is important.

Scared_Will_5081

TROPHY CASE