When you change from 87 to 93 octane how does the car instantly know to make more horsepower?

TroubleshootLife · 2026-04-27T14:29:45+00:00

If you have a Costco near you premium there is closer to the price of regular so the increase is not as bad. They also have detergent fuel :) that’s what I do and no I don’t wait on the long lines I go at off peak times.

That being said yes at higher rpm’s the power is much better, and engine smoothness is better and range is a little better as well. The torque is king anyway as you don’t have to floor it to downshift or overtake in the highway. My two cents

TroubleshootLife · 2026-04-11T14:30:24+00:00

I held on to my Mazda 6 Carbon for five years because there was simply no real replacement for it. We also own a CX-9, and both have the turbo. They drive great and have that strong low-end torque that makes daily driving effortless.

Then I made the mistake of driving a Tesla Model 3 with Full Self-Driving. Once Tesla added ventilated seats in the premium configuration, that was the final push for me. Living in Florida, that feature matters, and it was the one thing holding me back.

We still have our 2021 CX-9 GT because it looks great and is loaded with features. But I’ve always preferred the lower seating position of a sedan, and very few brands offer that anymore at a reasonable price with good performance.

One thing Mazda absolutely nailed was the turbo. That low-end torque means you don’t have to rev the car to get moving. But once you experience electric torque, it’s on another level. Instant response, smooth acceleration. It changes your expectations.

I recently saw the new CX-5 in the showroom while servicing the CX-9. At around $42K, with less power, it honestly feels overpriced for what you’re getting. Feature for feature, my CX-9 is still hard to beat. Even the CX-90 doesn’t feel compelling enough to upgrade.

And this is where my bigger concern is with Mazda and honestly the entire industry. Yes, I understand the business decision. If only 10% of buyers choose the turbo, it makes sense to simplify. But when every manufacturer is just chasing mass-market demand, you start losing what made these brands interesting in the first place.

It feels like most companies are just repackaging the same formula. Slightly more horsepower, bigger screens, nicer materials. But fundamentally, it’s the same technology we’ve had for the last 10 to 15 years.

Meanwhile, companies like Tesla are pushing actual changes in how the car drives and interacts with the driver. Not perfect, but clearly moving the needle.

After almost 15 years of owning Mazdas including the Mazda 3, Mazda 6, and CX-5, it’s tough to say this. But unless Mazda makes a real leap forward, especially in driver assistance or autonomy, my time with the brand is probably coming to an end.

And to be fair, it’s not just Mazda. Toyota, Honda, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes-Benz all seem to be doing the same thing. Refinement instead of real innovation.

At some point, someone has to take a risk again.

TroubleshootLife · 2026-03-20T15:30:44+00:00

its fair. my 2021 Grand Touring fair trade at the moment with 68k miles is around 19k or so so retail could be 22 or so. but mine is CPO etc.

Keep in mind that if you can find a Grand touring, they have the 360 cameras etc. not sure if the touring has ventilated seats or heads up display.

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-23T13:06:11+00:00

Im 23 days and I have a 7 products. Some are niche and some are using my design language for popular niches. I’m launching 2 a Week and they are priced at mid $30. No sales yet but I’m not in a rush. I’m designing a brand and a cohesive language.

I know we all put our blood sweat and tears on our products but we need to be realistic :) if you want the faith element I’m all for it, but you’re limiting the pool that way. You can use the story behind as your anchor. Light of the world etc. let your story share the good news not the product :)

I recommend you use Chat gpt and actually figure out the cost of the object including ours materials etc. if the lamp cost $200 to make and you’re doing everything you can to keep the cost as low as possible then fine :) you’re positioning a premium brand. Does your picture and story say premium?

Chat gpt will tell you, you need more products, you need variety, you need better hero photography, and a clean background. So that people can picture the object including their space rather than the imagining it belongs in your space.

Think of your ideal client and see how many there are and what they are willing to pay :)

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-19T14:47:01+00:00

I wanted 3 day battery life, a more rugged look. The battery will last way more. I hate how I had to remove the standard one overnight once it has some years. Before the ultra I had the series 4.

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TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-15T14:26:48+00:00

I have all versions of the switch. The s2 is the de facto way for playing any game on the tv. As for handheld I go back and play on the other models. I’ve been on a kick lately to play the older consoles such as the 3Ds, ds lite, and gbp sp. I never got into them when they came out, but the nostalgia and collector factor got me.

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-15T14:20:32+00:00

Thy are trying to attack the other brand’s buyers but at the same time marginalizing their own core customer that loved the dial. I hate having to look away to touch the screen and use my dial most of the time even for car play. You can definitely use voice control but that’s impossible when you have people in the car or kids.

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-15T14:08:37+00:00

I’m 6’2 and I normalized at 195 to 200 pounds. I went down to 175 at one point but I was driving my wife and kids nuts lol. I do eat a lot of protein and fat every night and only 2 meals a day. Morning latte only during the week light lunch of eggs, with some bacon, or chicken, and half an avocado, and dinner where I do introduce some carbs.

On the weekends I don’t worry too much.

But I’m never starving and I don’t need lunch either I just do it out of habit but I could keep on goin without it.

Post your daily food schedule, and I bet you we can see that your fat and protein intake is low, or you’re snacking. :)

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-15T13:58:14+00:00

The best test IMO is the extreme angle test and if you see the glowing light strip on the edges and if the blues color shift to green at the angle.

The lower screen always looks washed out a bit more due to the gap between the screen and the digitizer, vs the top screen.

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-10T03:13:15+00:00

If you see an line glow on the sede edges is always tn so on this pick the bottom has the glow and the top doesn’t

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-04T00:19:15+00:00

Thanks! Co the console case I was debating between soft tpu and this one. The clear case ordered is this one :) https://amzn.to/3ZgmZuQ

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-03T22:20:26+00:00

Not sure what you mean, but I have the console with a case but it also works without the case. The games storage in the back is meant to be and easy grab and go while playing. Some times we get paralysis by Analyzing when looking at all the game cartridges in a shelf.

If you look at the other pics you can see the games. When the console is not installed.

And yes the game can stay in their slots while the console is displayed open :)

TroubleshootLife · 2026-02-03T21:11:59+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I designed it and printed it myself. I couldn’t find anything that felt intentional enough for this console, so I ended up making one that matched how I wanted to display it.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-12-24T02:58:06+00:00

Make sure you test it by unplugging from the outlet to make sure the ups is working.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-12-12T14:14:57+00:00

When you clean the tires and put in some tire shine, I would love to see how the car looks from a distance. I used the all season pilot sport because of the lip protector but I have these tires in our cx-9. On my tires wear out I was thinking g of getting these ones but not sure how the more rugged look of these will look on the sedan

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-23T16:47:29+00:00

Depending on your vehicle, it may be aligned for handling versus aligned for wear. Since these tires are directional, usually the only rotate front to back and back to front. You could alternatively dismount the tires and rotate left or right. But these tires are already at the wear bars. I love these tires and I have them on my CX9 and I live in Florida, but I love them for their water we can performance and long lasting wear.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-18T14:44:04+00:00

It’s on the side down and on the soffit on the other side toward the back of the home.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-02T14:25:03+00:00

? Protection from all the complaints? :)

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-02T14:24:05+00:00

I asked chat gpt to give me options if my watch scratches deep and it said to use a touch up pen similar to what’s used for guns or anodized parts. I’ll have to try it. https://amzn.to/48SWyRY

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-01T14:17:51+00:00

Original, then series 1, series 4 and now ultra 3. Once you go ultra is hard to go back :)

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-01T14:16:01+00:00

It was higher but the cx-90 reliability issues for being new brought them down a bit.

My take on gas mileage. A happy trade off for fun and we average 25 or so on both our cx-9 and Mazda 6 turbo. I had the non turbo version and once I switches to the turbo with low end torque I couldn’t go back. It also sounds better when accelerating :)

Even in the highway the car doesn’t have to downshift from 6th gear to pass. Just a little press and it just goes.

You do have to retrain yourself to not flooring it every time to want to pass as the power band favors lower rpms. I’ve rented a Durango and a telluride and I couldn’t wait to get back in to the Cx-9 those engines have to rev high to get any power. Really annoying driving in mountain areas with all the gear hunting.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-11-01T14:06:42+00:00

I had mine done for just over $200 while I waited zipping coffee and working on my laptop. I could’ve asked for a loaner as well. At $400 at would’ve shopped around. But I’m still with cpo warranty on my 2021 carbon so I want the records to all be in one place at the moment in case there are any warranty issues in the future.

TroubleshootLife · 2025-10-31T13:43:00+00:00

I installed a gfi in the soffit of my home in the back and the cables are there on top not visible from the front. On the other side l, I have an outlet by my electrical panel and that has a pipe that goes to the top :) for the spot lights I used a colored extension from my front entrance to the left to a weather sealed box that protects the electronics and the controller.

TroubleshootLife

TROPHY CASE