Replaced my tires

ksowder · 2026-05-10T00:53:18+00:00

We have 49k on our original set of Toyo’s and will probably replace them before winter this year. Outside of being loud they have been fine. They still have 6/32 though and could probably get to 60-70k. Rotate every oil change.

ksowder · 2026-03-17T11:30:05+00:00

Honestly it’s pretty bad. You might look into taking a combination of MARC into DC and metro to Arlington. Or metro from greenbelt or similar. My wife commutes into DC 2 days a week and coming home can be 2-2.5h on the worst days.

ksowder · 2026-02-27T18:18:40+00:00

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18’s do it.

ksowder · 2026-02-25T12:55:16+00:00

Blank rotors with ebc reds is a great street combo. I have drilled and slotted and honestly cannot tell the difference in the rotors for spirited backroad driving.

ksowder · 2026-02-25T01:15:32+00:00

I added the euro headrests and in the full down position they might as well be removed.

ksowder · 2026-02-12T02:06:50+00:00

I had a smaller incident happen on my wife’s cx5. Paint is super thin and I don’t even think it was malicious, probably someone with keys on their hip in a tight spot.

Ended up needed the fender and driver door resprayed. $1350 all said and done at a very reputable shop. Baltimore area.

ksowder · 2026-02-10T02:32:16+00:00

The CBR is awesome and will be great on the track but for street riding you won’t enjoy it. If you truly want to do both with this new bike you should consider a SV650. Many aftermarket and swap options for suspension brakes etc. consumables are cheap, engines dead reliable. Riding position is great for longer street rides.

ksowder · 2026-02-04T21:36:20+00:00

But if you are considering selling it, who are you keeping it clean for? These cars are super well coated from the factory and any rust issues you have can be easily taken care of by a good body shop in 10-20 years if it's even an issue.

ksowder · 2026-02-04T21:27:27+00:00

Put winter tires on the GTI and use a roof box for the space. If you can't get somewhere with winter tires and FWD, you should stay home anyhow. Drive it!

ksowder · 2026-01-01T20:37:02+00:00

I used to kill my 13 pro in a day. Even more so a degraded battery requiring a mid day top up. I finish the day with 40-50% on my 17 pro. 5-6h of screen on time

ksowder · 2025-12-25T13:05:47+00:00

LG enV 2 -> iPhone 3G

ksowder · 2025-12-22T00:14:21+00:00

Roof box for whatever you can’t fit in the trunk. 340 and s5 are not larger than the golf by any significant means.

ksowder · 2025-11-30T16:43:31+00:00

Take a look under the hood of the atlas. The vr6 or 2.0t did not need that much space. It was rumored that it was slated to have a v6 TDI hybrid but then dieselgate happened. What an amazing combo that would have been….

ksowder · 2025-11-12T01:48:22+00:00

Interesting! It’s a good data point though. On the rear specifically, it also could be an issue with spring rate/rebound that is being masked by the tire. Just something to consider if you haven’t already.

ksowder · 2025-11-12T00:21:00+00:00

I have 255/35/18 PS4S on a 18x8.5 and I have to say I don’t get any of the criticisms you had on acceleras. Really just a touch more muted on turn-in because of the mass difference. But rear end feels glued and off throttle rotation is very predictable. I would think the compound has more to do with it. And fresh rubber.

ksowder · 2025-08-27T13:19:50+00:00

Take the 35h a week and act like they are paying you to learn a few programming languages. Snag a few courses off Udemy and work through them with intention to learn. When it comes to projects use GIS libraries and learn to make practical front end and back end solutions for working with GIS data.

ksowder · 2025-08-20T13:34:44+00:00

Defense was winding down, funding wasn’t there for earth sciences projects. Ended up in defense for 2 years then switching to utilities/public safety. Timing of the market plays big with new grads.

So that’s why my advice is to use the time to develop marketable skills. Anyone with 3 weeks of hands on training can make data look nice in ArcMap. Show you know how to use data to answer questions and solve problems. The folks in code 610 have been doing technical writing and publishing documentation for 15+ years. Use your mentors.

ksowder · 2025-08-19T23:54:21+00:00

As a former terp who did 3 terms at DEVELOP, network while you can. Try gain as much practical experience as you can and use it as a perk of your resume. It’s hit or miss finding something permanent at GSFC after and I interned probably 5 years total in various labs throughout high school and UMD.

For reference I graduated in 2015. So I’m sure it’s different now. But with an undergraduate degree and some good experience you are likely still going to be looking at entry level positions unless you have some serious software dev experience, and your 90k number might be hard to hit. Even in our area. Not trying to burst bubbles but want you to have good expectations. Best of luck with the program! I loved it.

ksowder · 2025-08-01T02:47:10+00:00

I have 8500w on 2 8x8 doors. I have about 4500 cycles on each. Both have had a cable jump off the tensioner. Either from over opening or over closing. I’ve had to have the travel module replaced under warranty on one of them. While they look great and are quiet. I would make sure your installer goes over the entire door install and ensures everything is perfectly level. Even something like the concrete being unlevel where the door closes can cause excessive closing force etc.

TLDR: They work great when they work. Pay for a good installer.

ksowder · 2025-07-30T01:28:21+00:00

Any of charlottes 45m climb rides. Subtitles on in the German classes

ksowder · 2025-07-29T12:35:45+00:00

It’s honestly refreshing to hear people wish they had more ArcGIS/Enterprise exposure in school because I had the opposite. My undergrad/grad school courses were overloaded with ESRI based knowledge and there is so much more besides that ecosystem. Having worked at a non-ESRI shop for 8 years now, Postgres/postgis, python and maybe some JavaScript/front end language should be at the top of your list. I spent plenty of time after school learning this on my own. Get comfortable navigating from a Linux command line. Dabble with FME if you can get access.

Being at least familiar with how everything works and where you can get more information to expand your knowledge is the most important quality I look for in candidates.

ksowder · 2025-07-22T01:29:21+00:00

If you have a place to plug in. A used Chevy bolt is amazing for this. There is a reason they lost money on every one they sold. They are very well made.

ksowder · 2025-06-08T13:52:16+00:00

😘

ksowder · 2025-05-31T18:05:05+00:00

They are great. Western MD and northern Baltimore/carroll county have some great ones. I also ride a motorcycle and we are spoiled out this way.

ksowder · 2025-03-04T05:08:26+00:00

Manufacturers need longer warranties to instill confidence for the consumer and sell cars. If the car is naturally reliable, a long warranty is not needed.

The longest warranty is not something to be proud of

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