After 6 months without driving I got my driver's license back on May 14th.
I expect the driving again will be a renewal experience but in fact it has been not. It seemed like I have only been hibernating for over 6 months and wake up to find only the same thing over again.
I only drove to work once. Today I took public bus to work.
On last Saturday I took the C36 to Pak Lok to replace the front springs (to the original flat top springs that came with the C36). The front is now lowered by around 5mm but it makes all the right move and balance now. The front is sitting comfortably lower and matches well with the rear. Damping has improved, too. Ride is about the same or better. Damping is better but still not the best I could expect. I replaced the worn PS2 with new PS2 again and did wheel alignment for all 4 wheels. Finally all the minor issues and complaints I have were completed sorted out. At least it is what it seems to me.
I had been thinking about other tires like Bridgstone RE001 Adrenalin and Dunlop Direzza Z1. Finally I settled for the 40% more expensive Michelin because I worried about ride quality. I have been struggling for a long time and decided that Michelin PS2 is a natural match to my aging C36. I reckon that it is a 12-year old car and hard suspension and hard sidewall tires will only make the C36 to feel worse and loose. Comfort and ease of driving are still ranking high on my list. And really I want to do my best to keep what I own, since a real replacement is still quite far away from a financial standpoint. I want to keep the car as long as I possibly could, at least up to a point of diminishing return. Yet if you ask me how I define the point of diminishing return, I would say I have no idea and will think of an answer to that.
The fuel/air ration is wrong as I think it is too rich. The engine feels sluggish and the sometimes hiccups and coughs. I think it has too much fuel being injected. The fuel consumption is a bit unusually high, too. So I think it is due for another checkup, which I should have dealt with it when I replaced the springs.
