Neat little accessory to make your oil changes so much easier!
03-26-2013, 09:46 PM
#23
Join Date: Jul 2009
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^ btw casey, it looks like someone just placed it there. that big of a 'flat' boulder/rock in the middle of the road, makes no sense at all.
i don't think your situation applies to anyone else since they don't have spoon x-braces
seems like you hit that rock pretty hard for the brace to look like that
i don't think your situation applies to anyone else since they don't have spoon x-braces
seems like you hit that rock pretty hard for the brace to look like that
Originally Posted by Thateguhate' timestamp='1364352224' post='22431016
I agree.. That's alot of damage considering and in my 3 years of solid moto riding through many backroads I never once encountered a boulder that large square in the middle of the lane. 
It's those rascally deer that seem to cause big rocks to fall into the road. I have seen it first hand on multiple roads. They are just doing their deer thing crossing the road and then they climb the steep face near the road and knock all sorts of crap onto the road. I have tried to get the bay area deer to where orange safety vests and learn some circuit stewarding skills but they just don't have the attention span for it.
Oh god, the stuff I've seen in the hills in the years. Once almost broadsided a cow on Alpine road when the herd at my friend's property knocked down a fence and decided to take a moonlight stroll along the centerline.
Also on lower Alpine in the redwood groves, more than once, I've come around the turn to see gargantuan redwood tree sitting laterally across the road, and the adjacent creek. You can still see several of these trees spanning the creek. Makes for a nice bridge (or a safe balance beam if you want to get out your gymnast leotard and practice a few moves).
03-26-2013, 10:29 PM
#26
Former Moderator
03-26-2013, 10:31 PM
#27
I've had one installed for more miles then are on most of your cars and it has never failed on me. I've gone on offroad excursions before and never an issue.
Two things I like about.
1. Easy oil changes. I slide an oil drain pan under my car, lean over and open up the value. I go inside, watch tv, come back later, and close the value. Easy as cake.
2. Never have to worry about myself or anyone else accidentally over torquing the bolt.
Two things I like about.
1. Easy oil changes. I slide an oil drain pan under my car, lean over and open up the value. I go inside, watch tv, come back later, and close the value. Easy as cake.
2. Never have to worry about myself or anyone else accidentally over torquing the bolt.
Originally Posted by andrewhake' timestamp='1364343452' post='22430703
My opinion is that oil changes just aren't that hard, and that is just an extra bit of metal hanging off my engine that doesn't need to be there. 
Case in point:
Honestly, I do believe that this part introduces "unnecessary risk".
I was that 0.000001% that had the absolute perfect storm for the valve to be an actual liability.
Granted, this incident occurred in the context of having a spoon x-brace, which reduced ground clearance immediately below the valve.
The size of a boulder needed to impact a spoon x-brace sufficient to enter the oil drain valve into the "crumple zone":
The display of damage to the valve and oil pan. Notice how the valve protrudes farther away from the oil pain than the OEM drain bolt would. And notice how the impact of the bent spoon x-brace has forced the valve at an upward angle, which ended up putting stress on the pan, thus cracking it:
A bit closer look:
Note that the orientation of the valve was correct originally, and it was freely spinning after the area of the pan with the drain port threads was literally cracked in half.
