Posts by BKL

  • Anyone have any info on anything new for the 2020 Slingshot?

    Quote from edwardaneal

    here in California there are basically three grades of gasoline. you have 91 octane and 87 base grade and a mid grade 89 that is blended from the other two. Not long ago I was in Florida at a station that offered 5 different grades and I wondered if all five were actually separate tanks or if all of the three mid grades were blends of the highest and lowest like our mid grade is.


    seems to me there is more risk of getting something other than what you think you are getting of it is a blend. Fuel straight from a tank either the highest or lowest should be just that, when it comes to mixing to get a final product that seems like it would be easily to get mixed up especially if one of the primary tanks was running out in not giving the full percentage required to get what is needed

    This is the reason the American Motorcyclist Association is opposed to E15 being sold in Blender pumps allowing the same pump to dispense E10 and E15 fuel. If the previous vehicle filled up on E15, however much E15 fuel is still in the line will end up in the next vehicle's tank and and will be diluted by any additional E10 fuel pumped in or that was already in the tank. Vehicles with more limited fuel tank volumes common to gas mowers, gas-powered tools (chainsaws, blowers, etc.) and recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft and motorcycles, are more susceptible to getting a large dose of E15 fuel with possibly disastrous consequences over time since these vehicles are not typically designed to run concentrations above E10 fuel and could experience failure with constant exposure to additional ethanol from the extra E15 fuel in the pump hose/handle.

  • Anyone have any info on anything new for the 2020 Slingshot?

    Quote from TxTiger

    Wow, nice ride! What automatic transmission do you have in yours? That’s pretty awesome. I’m past my big performance days though. I’m just looking for a little jolt and maybe some tire chirp if I want to ride aggressively. That’s why I enjoy the stick. But without question the automatics, properly built, are quicker.

    @rabtech's probably on his 2nd or 3rd built engine (all DDM Works) and is running in the 450-500+ HP range. His Auto trans was also done by DDM Works.

  • New Slingshot Owner from North Carolina

    Welcome to the BEST Slingshot forum! You'll find lots of help with a minimum of comments telling you to use the search feature! All-in-all, we have a great bunch of members with only a few, easily identifiable flakes.;)

  • Work in Dallas, Houston or San Antonio?

    Here's some links about projected growth in general and populaton.


    https://www.houstonpublicmedia…2040-metro-next-projects/


    https://www.bauer.uh.edu/centers/irf/houston-updates.php


    https://www.houstonpublicmedia…o-add-71000-jobs-in-2019/


    Unfortunately, traffic can also suck in the Houston area, especially as you get closer in. We live just over 30 miles north of Houston and we now see some evening hour traffic going to and away from the Interstate (I-45). To the Houston area's credit, the various government traffic/road authorities seem to be trying to keep up with traffic growth and there always seems to be some road improvement work just about anywhere you drive.


    Here's a Google search for Housing/Living costs in the Houston area that also has some links to costs in other areas for comparison - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=houston+area+housing+costs


    Best of Luck to Friend.

  • Do you like it?

    Having experienced wearing a portable sauna in the Army, otherwise known as a poncho, I have never liked rain gear and just prefer to get soaked! When I rode two wheels, if I expected to get exposed to rain, I usually wore a heavy cloth riding jacket with vents for cooling. On the Slingshot, I wear a light jacket in case I get caught in rain and just get wet. I might get miserably wet, but at least I'm not also trapping the humidity and roasting myself at the same time.

  • Do you like it?

    Just don't care that much for rain when riding the Slingshot. I always felt safer in rain on my SV650A or DL650 than in my Slingshot. I've had some scary moments in the Slingshot I never experienced on 2 wheels, even after slowing down in the Slingshot. I don't take the Slingshot out if rain is forecast and if I get caught in rain, I try to slow way down, yet I've still had some Oh S... moments.

  • Tires...what are you running?

    Quote from Lui

    Hi All, with the non existent 325 30 R20 Nitto tire that I want, what else is out there that comes close to it. I want a symmetrical tread with GRIP.

    Sizewise, the Nitto 555 G2 315/30ZR20 is very close to the size specs of a 325/30R20 size you asked about and should give you a speed of 64.4 at an indicated 65 mph. A 315/35ZR20 should run around 67.3 mph at an indicated 65.

    Here's a Google search for 325/30ZR20 tires showing prices ranging from just over $200/tire to several hundred/tire https://www.google.com/search?q=325%2F30ZR20. Unfortunately, like most Google tire searches for a specific size, you still get hits for some other sizes, so be sure to pay attention.:(

  • Tire size increases

    Quote from wokka

    Yeah, I knew if a wheel had a larger offset than you need, you could use a spacer, but nothing can be done for too small of an offset.


    If I call AM, it will be merely to search for a larger wheel, not necessarily telling them it will be on a SS. I'd only order from a place that would let me easily swap it out for a different size upon checking fitment.


    Forgestar CF5 is really nice, and they have a wide range of sizes/offsets, but they are quite a bit more expensive and will be my last resort.

    I have read on the various forums that, depending on the wheel, some folks have machined a few mm (typically 3-4) from the wheel mounting surface to increase the offset. They made clear that doing so can reduce the strength of the wheel if there isn't lot of material to work with.

  • Tire size increases

    Spacers might also make a difference. If a tire has less than the desired offset, a spacer will act to decrease the offset, moving the tire even more off-center, but if your preferred wheel has a lager offset than needed, a spacer can move the tire closer to a centered position.

    This video uses an example of a wheel with a higher than desired offset (35 mm) and combining it with a 25 mm spacer for an effective offset of 10 mm -

    .

    Of course, some people don't like using spacers since they increase unsprung weight among other things, so you need to research the pluses and minuses of spacers.

  • Tire size increases

    Standard Slingshot Base model wheels are 17 x 7 +42 mm Offset and 18 x 9.5 +45 mm Offset.

    Unfortunately, AM is focused on Mustangs, Chargers & F-150s. In my experience, they are not wiling to step outside their comfort zone and say if a given wheel might fit a different kind of vehicle.

    You may find better success going to a local wheels shop and telling them you want an 18 x 10+ wheel with 45 mm offset and matching 17 x 7-8 wheels with 42 mm offset. Remember to also check your tire manufacturer's website for the recommended wheel sizes they design their tires for.

    Good Luck.

  • Tire size increases

    Quote from wokka

    https://www.discounttire.com/buy-wheels/konig-ssm/p/13965 but I'm told that the offset isn't enough and they wouldn't be centered.


    So, I'm still on the hunt.

    The +15 mm offset on those would definitely shift the center of your tire/wheel to the left. This link to WillTheyFit provides a visualization of just how much the shift would be - https://www.willtheyfit.com/in…wheel_width=10&offset2=15.

    What brand/model tire are you looking to mount? Running a 315/30 tire might mean a 10" wide wheel is a little narrow.

    Also, are you looking for a wheel that will allow the same staggered 17" Front wheel and 18" Rear wheel the Slingshot has?

    I have been running a 28 mm offset rear wheel for a little over 10,000 miles and have not experienced any handling problems I would associate with running an off-center rear tire/wheel. I also don't find the off-center look objectionable, but if you are concerned about running an off-center rear tire, ignore the rest of this post.

    In my search for an affordable wider rear wheel that looked somewhat similar to the Base Slingshot wheel, I currently run a Nitto 555 G2 315/35ZR17 tire on an American Muscle 17 x 10.5 10th Anniversary Cobra Style Wheel that I feel looks similar enough to the Base Slingshot wheel that, if repainted to match the front wheels, doesn't look too far off. It's a 28 mm Offset, so it centers to the left, but I think it looks OK and haven't experienced any handling problems from the off-center setup. This link provides a visualization of how the base Slingshot rear wheel compares to the AM wheel - https://www.willtheyfit.com/in…eel_width=10-5&offset2=28. Now that the wheel is on my Slingshot, I haven't gotten around to trying to paint the wheels to match.

    If you want to run matching wheels, the only problem I've seen with the American Muscle Mustang wheels is the fronts are usually at least 8 or 9" wide compared to the Slingshot's 17 x 7". Depending on the wheel style chosen, AM offers 3 wheels for as low as $3-400 if they're on sale. The 17 x 10.5 wheels are usually 28 mm Offset and the 8" wheels are usually around 30 mm Offset.

    AM also offers other wheel sizes, but the widths and offsets may not match the Slingshot as well. Use http://www.willtheyfit.com to visualize how they might look. While I like the visualization WillTheyFit provides, I have found the speedometer estimate to be less accurate than Discount Tire Direct's Tire Size calculator - https://www.discounttiredirect…earn/tire-size-calculator.

    I have spent a lot of hours online looking for a wider, affordable tire/wheel for my Slingshot and am always interested in other options, so please post whatever you find.

    Good Luck!


    I should also add that the Am 10th Anniversary Cobra Style 17 x 10.5 wheel has plenty of clearance around the brake rotor & caliper, but I don't know for sure how much clearance the other AM wheel sizes might have. I ordered the AM wheel just so I could measure it for internal diameters to compare to my Slingshot. I would assume other AM wheels designed to fit 1999-2004 Mustangs should have similar internal diameters. I initially ordered a Bullit Style 17 x 10.5 wheel from JEGS, but it barely cleared the Slingshot's brake rotor/caliper assembly, so I returned it (at my cosy, of course) and tried the AM wheel which had a lot more clearance.

  • Tire size increases

    Quote from wokka

    Very true Edward Neal


    I was in Discount yesterday getting new tires on one of our cars and while waiting, I chatted with one of the salesmen about wheels/tires. I'm pretty picky on the type of wheel I want and it took us 45 minutes to find the one I liked, and a bonus, it wasn't too expensive.


    The tires on the other hand, and like most people, I want to go wider. Going with a 18x10 inch rim all the way around, and 315/30R18, the tires were almost twice the cost of the rims. I'm not ready to pull the trigger yet, figured I would wear out the stock tires first then look at upgrading, but I have my budget in mind now that I have prices.

    Which rims did you find at Discount Tire that you liked?

  • paint

    Here's a PDF I made that estimates the area for each body panel for a total sq ft of about 75 sf.


    Just wanted to clarify that I didn't take exact measurements and simply used the rough length & width to determine the area fro each piece, so hopefully, my estimate should be on the high side. There had been an earlier estimate for body panel area on TDS, but I felt it was not accurate enough and did my own .

  • Tire size increases

    As far as using a tire with a mileage warranty in a non-rotatable situation, check with the tire manufacturer. It's my understanding that many manufacturers will still warranty the tire for half its rotatable mileage warranty when used in a staggered (non-rotatable) installation.