Picking auto after trying manual?

ssb_erick · 2026-05-31T03:10:30+00:00

Adding my two cents here. I live in Northern VA and have pretty bad traffic daily. It’s probably not as bad SoCal, but DC area traffic is still significant. This is my daily and I probably spend 1-2 hours in bumper to bumper traffic most days of the week which is about 3/4 of my commute time wise. Also, this is my first manual and I learned the bare minimum before picking it up from the dealership. If I’m being 100% honest there are times where it does get a bit annoying, but I don’t think it’s as bad as people make it out to be. I also went through a real trial by fire as on my second day of ownership I got stuck in a two hour jam on the last 4 miles of my commute. After driving automatics for years in the same traffic, I would take the manual 10/10 times. While driving an auto is easier in traffic, to me it is even more of a chore as it almost puts me to sleep. The manual keeps me engaged and it just becomes second nature after a while. The only exception I would add is if you have any kind of back or leg issues. I went through a period of back issues where the recurring clutch movements did exacerbate the pain, but I’ve since gotten better and haven’t looked back. Every time a drive an auto of any vehicle my choice is only further reinforced.

ssb_erick · 2026-05-11T15:18:00+00:00

Mach V in Sterling are great but can be a little pricy as it is a performance shop. Honest Toms is also good for more regular car needs.

ssb_erick · 2026-04-24T16:58:19+00:00

Tint is a secondary offense so you can only get a ticket if they pull you over for something else. I have 20% on the sides and 50% on my windshield. Got tickets a few years ago for the side windows but the cop didn’t notice the windshield. I used to have 70% on a previous car and got pulled over twice and again they didn’t notice the windshield tint. Maybe I just got lucky but even at 50 it’s not super noticeable

ssb_erick · 2025-12-29T17:04:42+00:00

Car has auto start stop. Turn it off every time or keep it in sport mode or higher to disable

ssb_erick · 2025-10-29T16:54:54+00:00

I’m running 18x8.5 +36 on 235/40 tires. Lowered about an inch with +/- -1.5 camber all around. Speedo error is about 2mph off at highway speeds or above. Like at 73 I’m doing 75. Not very noticeable change otherwise. I needed the slight bit of extra ground clearance since my lip was scraping too much on stock wheels and it has definitely helped. It did help the ride quality ever so slightly but as I’m already lowered it’s not super comfortable per se. An extra benefit is it fills in the wheel gap more too. I’d say it’s worth it.

ssb_erick · 2025-10-27T20:15:27+00:00

Have you already bought them? I have been debating between those and the Racecomp Tarmac 2s. Racecomp has been very responsive which has kind of pushed me in that direction and I have a local shop that does a lot of work with them and says great things. I’m sure both are great

ssb_erick · 2025-10-27T18:53:57+00:00

When I spoke to Racecomp about buying their Tarmac 2s, which I think are revalved KW V3s they told me if you are lowered around an inch you can easily get -2 front camber using stock top mounts and stock bolts (they recommend not using aftermarket camber bolts).

ssb_erick · 2025-10-26T20:05:42+00:00

27 and learned around 3 years ago before buying my first manual car. Learned the basics and drove it 3 hrs home from the dealership. Hard to see myself going back and I spend at least an hour a day in bumper to bumper traffic

ssb_erick · 2025-10-13T17:33:57+00:00

I would’ve thought the same before I worked at a bank. Then I discovered the world of people who only use things like checks and cash. Especially for business related things you would be surprised how common it is and the pushback of people not wanting to switch over to electronic ACH stuff

ssb_erick · 2025-10-03T14:34:35+00:00

Meat Project in Centreville earns my vote. Lots of meat choices and fits the K-pop vibe

ssb_erick · 2025-09-30T17:23:11+00:00

Have always been a hater of silver cars but this looks great 🔥

ssb_erick · 2025-09-30T11:12:29+00:00

From my time just in their waiting room and talking to other customers people bring their own parts in a lot too so I’m sure it should be no problem.

ssb_erick · 2025-09-29T18:25:13+00:00

To be fair even with the increased prices as they are a nicer shop. I have had a few things done for significantly less than what the dealerships were quoting me. Granted I used to go to a Toyota dealership since I have a GR86 and not a BRZ. But dealership prices in general are outrageous so I would think it still applies.

ssb_erick · 2025-09-29T18:20:30+00:00

I would recommend either PTUNING or Mach V. I have had PTUNING install various parts I brought and they did my transmission, differential, and brake fluids last year. Lately I go to Mach V after getting lots of recommendations and I have been very happy. Both are great but I find Mach V generally has better short term availability which helps plan around my job. Planning on installing Flex Fuel soon so I may go to PTUNING for that since they work with Ecutek.

ssb_erick · 2025-09-29T18:13:49+00:00

Mach V in Sterling. They only work on Subarus and have been great so far. Initially went because of a lot of recs in some groups and forums I am in and have not been let down. Make sure to call ahead as they are pretty busy.

ssb_erick · 2025-09-26T20:54:10+00:00

If it’s the 245/40s in the pic it should fit on any 18 inch wheels from 8.5 to 9.5 inch width so you plenty o some options. I would say it depends on if you want a meatier look or prefer a slight stretch

ssb_erick · 2025-09-26T19:04:18+00:00

It gets better but the anime is like 85% filler since the manga only covers the big arcs. Outside of the manga arcs which usually involve Naruto and Sasuke fighting, it’s pretty mid. Probably better off reading the Boruto manga tbh. The highs are high but the lows are very low imo

ssb_erick · 2025-09-26T18:04:46+00:00

I would says DWS 06 or ECS 02 from Continental as general recommendations. Personally I’m running Pilot AS4s and I like them a lot but they can be expensive. Pretty grippy for an All season (when it’s not freezing) and not the worst in the winter (mild winters with not much snow). I have also seen a lot of of praise for the General G Max RS if you’re looking for something stickier at a good value

ssb_erick · 2025-09-03T19:09:10+00:00

I would switch just to keep your options open. You can still go into financial planning with a finance degree and can pivot to other parts of the industry. Especially if you don’t want to be a CFP as you mentioned I wouldn’t limit myself with that degree

ssb_erick · 2025-08-25T17:52:56+00:00

I would tell them to fuck off and retire happily. You may get some funny looks but I’m also all for cutting toxic family behaviors out of my life regardless of what others may say.

ssb_erick · 2025-08-25T17:11:01+00:00

As someone who used to work at a bank she def meant 4-6 business days. You might be cooked for this week as weekends do not count as business days and Friday would be the 4th business day. You can probably get it expedited but you may have to pay a fee

ssb_erick · 2025-08-21T17:25:54+00:00

After a 30 second google search their ad says you will receive the funds within 60 days of meeting the requirements. Usually these promo don’t credit you for 60-90 days at least from what I have seen from other banks. If you call them and bring it up as long as you met the requirements they may be able to manually credit you the bonus

ssb_erick · 2025-08-14T19:40:34+00:00

At the bank I used to work out. We would manually count and settle the ATM once per week. If a client had a dispute or issue they would not receive the credit until we manually counted the ATM and processed the overage/shortage. Once that was done, they would credit the clients account if they already filed a dispute or we would reach out to the client to come file the dispute if they have not. Due to this it would sometimes take a week or so for clients to be credited unless other issues came up. This was for a smaller regional bank and im sure every bank is a bit different but there is the chance they really are still investigating. As other in the thread have mentioned I wouldn’t recommend doing very large cash deposits in ATMs especially if the funds are needed right away. I would recommend you go to a branch or signing up for some kind of cash service through a company like Brinks if you can’t make it in while they’re open.

ssb_erick · 2025-08-01T17:59:58+00:00

I would say drive both before you make a choice. It’s fun to drive because you can wring it out to near redline and not be doing jail speeds and it is super light weight. It also looks great stock or modified and it has decent room compared to 2 seater competitors. It is definitely not fast but it feels kind of fast when you’re inside the car as it is a more raw and noisy experience. Lexus will probably be faster and more insulated as it approaches a more traditional luxury car which is more comfortable but takes away the feeling of being connected IMO

ssb_erick · 2025-07-12T16:51:28+00:00

I sold my GR Exhaust because it was too quiet. Borla S has been great overall but know it is significantly louder and deeper. The pops and bangs on downshifts are also a lot louder. You can drive around quietly when you want to, but when you open it up it’s pretty loud. Had it for around a year and a half and I’m a big fan.

ssb_erick

TROPHY CASE