Japanese traffic signals and other driving fun

[matsuki]

Japan Auto Inc. is royally fucked. All the big auto markets are going EV and the Japanese are still dipping their toes in the water an unsure about jumping in. Legacy Auto in general is fucked but the risk adverse "what abaaaot Hydrogen?!" Japanese approach is the nail in Japanese auto's coffin.

The civic type r street version is so factory riced up that I would not even find where to stick more shit on the body.
It was designed by a toddler on redbull…

THIS

...and the Super GT cars are like Japanese NASCAR as far as what they have in common with the car's they are supposed to be. That won't stop wannabees from buying overpriced titanium cupholders and dry carbon windshield wipers though.

[Coligny]

I am sooo not sure about the bet on EV…

Been to Hokkaido lately ?

[matsuki]

Hey Coligny, I need your expertise!

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I think I bent my left rear suspension making a left at this really really really fucked intersection. Rear left tire just slightly caught this pole and I have toe-out like a chinpira sits on the subway. I knew the turn pretty well but apparently they recently put in some new concrete reinforced poles on the corners. RIGHT ON THE FUCKING LINES Just what you want on a blind left turn at this angle.

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I don't know the exact date of the install but you can tell it was recent. Google street view shows they existed at least 2 months ago (haven't driven this way recently) and already have car smear on them. It must have been hit again recently as it was missing the top and covered with more car smear today. Anyhow, these new poles effectively make this bottleneck of an intersection that's already a narrow clusterfuck, an even bigger one. Despite this, I've probably made this turn a couple times since they went in. So then what went wrong this time??

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For whatever reason, there is a kei car parked on the opposite corner, traffic driving around it swung much wider into the intersection than usual, causing me to adjust and turn sharper than usual. Just enough to clip the pole with my rear tire. Fucked from both sides...

Insurance on this is liability only so while I can tow it to the shop for free, no use reporting anything to insurance. With any luck, it's a few man to replace an bent arm or link. Could be worse, will find out tomorrow. As to making a police report, I couldn't miss my appt at the US embassy today so stopping and calling them wasn't feasible. I have video but whether it's advisable to file a report depends on if there is any liability for the jerks swerving wide around the kei into my path. Other question would be liability if the city has violated the regulations of the road with the pole placement. What's your take?

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Drive recorder is mounted high up on my rearview mirror so you can actually see them but from the driver's seat, the poles are not visible on approach or while turning.

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I can't imagine how this borked 2-way street being narrowed down like this meets local regulations....

[Coligny]

Nothing good to say…


But on a Prado the rear suspension is a live axle I think ? So your toe out on the left might have a matching toe in on the right and either you busted the panhard bar or some trailing arms. If it was the driveshaft you’d have a funky wobbly wheel. Wonder if you can’t hammer them back to shape. Or at least find something at the local wreck yard.

From the top view… apparently the city hall is well aware of how fucked this crossing is… fresh line paint, old line paint, old barco new barco, stop lines waayy before the actual crossing. “No truck” sign. The reinforced poles might be a desperate attempt at protecting the pedestrians waiting to cross from cars turning too tight.
ANYWAY… inside the line… it’s not the roadway…+ the rule where you should not drive on less than 50cm from the edge of a road without side strip.

Also… that tiny mirror on the left corner of your bonnet…
That’s exactly why it’s here. (And why I have 5 of them plus 3 cameras covering that side of the car or more likely because for you it’s scratching a wheel for me that would be falling from the hill)

Now it’s totally illegal to park OR STOP in an intersection (8.2.2 item 5) Don’t know if reporting would go far

[matsuki]

on a Prado the rear suspension is a live axle I think ? So your toe out on the left might have a matching toe in on the right and either you busted the panhard bar or some trailing arms. If it was the driveshaft you’d have a funky wobbly wheel. Wonder if you can’t hammer them back to shape. Or at least find something at the local wreck yard.

It is BUT the opposite side looks straight which makes me worried. Think is, I can't imagine bending the axle at such a low speed (turning).

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Best shots I could get before it got dark.

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From the top view… apparently the city hall is well aware of how fucked this crossing is… fresh line paint, old line paint, old barco new barco, stop lines waayy before the actual crossing. “No truck” sign. The reinforced poles might be a desperate attempt at protecting the pedestrians waiting to cross from cars turning too tight.
ANYWAY… inside the line… it’s not the roadway…+ the rule where you should not drive on less than 50cm from the edge of a road without side strip.

Yeah, it's a clusterfuck and the changes made it worse. The 50cm from the edge is what makes me think it's against their own regulations. I need to actually measure but I don't think 2 vehicles can fit through there with 50cm on each side and between them. Wasn't there some law about how wide the roadway had to be? It's this weird pinch point...at an angle. Is there any way to find older street view data?

Also… that tiny mirror on the left corner of your bonnet…
That’s exactly why it’s here. (And why I have 5 of them plus 3 cameras covering that side of the car or more likely because for you it’s scratching a wheel for me that would be falling from the hill)

I love that thing and use it all the time but in this case, I was watching how far I could pull out on the right, and I didn't realize why I was so concerned about how close those cars turning left from the other side were until I saw the video and that kei blocking the intersection.

Now it’s totally illegal to park OR STOP in an intersection (8.2.2 item 5) Don’t know if reporting would go far

My guess is best case scenario the kei and/or vehicles driving around it might get some % of liability towards my repairs BUT if we're talking a few man it's probably not worth the effort.

[Coligny]

When there is no middle dash or line the road is considered narrow. I don’t know how they phrase it but it’s basically a 1.5 lane wide road…
As far as liability goes… i’d think that… with no collision, the car with not enough place to proceed should stop…

Streetview is supposed to have history available, in the googlemaps app, you got a pull up drawer at the bottom, tells you the age of the current view and “see more dates when available”

On the last prado pict, seems the left of the axle has moved backward regarding the frame bump stop… and the rear mudflap. But it looks to have moved outward too. Aren’t the bushing totally nuked ? Because it’s not looking rusted (so not too much reason to think the trailing arm mounts are fragile/bend/broken).

BUT while I can see paint scratch on the mudflap, if it is the same wheel that rubbed… without any scratch on the rim nor the rubber… it’s worrying that it’s the suspension that decided to give up first…

It’s a 5 links suspension, that would need a lot of big parts to be bend if it’s not the bushing that have rotten away. Try to go under and wiggle hard the upper and lower trailing arms and the panhard bar…

My first test would be to back up against the concrete wheel stops of the parking space putting a little bit of push back horizontal pressure. Shutdown and check the position of the axle from the space with the rear mudflap… to know if it’s a wiggly break down (wheel would have moved forward until the next drive) or a bend part breakdown (wheel still aching to rub)… also, if you drive straight(/ left) on acceleration but drive to the right on braking.

The full way of the redneck would be to use a 1t ratchet strap to try to move the left side of the axle forward.

[matsuki]

When there is no middle dash or line the road is considered narrow. I don’t know how they phrase it but it’s basically a 1.5 lane wide road…
As far as liability goes… i’d think that… with no collision, the car with not enough place to proceed should stop…

Streetview is supposed to have history available, in the googlemaps app, you got a pull up drawer at the bottom, tells you the age of the current view and “see more dates when available”

Yeah, I think it may be something along those lines.

The boss said basically the same thing, better to hit the jerks swinging in to your lane than hit something else while you avoid hitting them. I was obviously just basing how tight my turn should be off of them, not realizing they were swinging so wide or why. Since the light was green when I approached the intersection, I only had those split seconds as I was entering it to assess everything. Can't kick myself too much over it. Thanks for the google maps advice!

On the last prado pict, seems the left of the axle has moved backward regarding the frame bump stop… and the rear mudflap. But it looks to have moved outward too. Aren’t the bushing totally nuked ? Because it’s not looking rusted (so not too much reason to think the trailing arm mounts are fragile/bend/broken).

BUT while I can see paint scratch on the mudflap, if it is the same wheel that rubbed… without any scratch on the rim nor the rubber… it’s worrying that it’s the suspension that decided to give up first…

It’s a 5 links suspension, that would need a lot of big parts to be bend if it’s not the bushing that have rotten away. Try to go under and wiggle hard the upper and lower trailing arms and the panhard bar…

My first test would be to back up against the concrete wheel stops of the parking space putting a little bit of push back horizontal pressure. Shutdown and check the position of the axle from the space with the rear mudflap… to know if it’s a wiggly break down (wheel would have moved forward until the next drive) or a bend part breakdown (wheel still aching to rub)… also, if you drive straight(/ left) on acceleration but drive to the right on braking.

The full way of the redneck would be to use a 1t ratchet strap to try to move the left side of the axle forward.

That's what I was looking at as well....I can't find anything obviously bent but the bump stop doesn't look directly over the axel in the pic. The truck was picked up today before I could try anything but I suspect you're right and either the axle housing is bent or is somehow hanging loose. The drive back home- something shifted to pull left and then right.

The 4runner forums have multiple posts of their trucks being hit by drunk drivers while parked and basically looks the same as my situation except the wheel is against the front of the wheel well and it's toe-in. The only one with a conclusion wasn't cheap, lots of bent stuff....but a low speed situation like mine wouldn't be near the same level of forces so who knows.

Other forum dudes are pretty sure it's time for an axle housing swap.

[Coligny]

Yolooooo !!!!!!

Twist and turn…

[matsuki]

Neat seeing it all in action but that is a lot of welding

I just saw a video of the tow truck that showed up...I didn't imagine they wouldn't sent a flatbed.

Wifey showed the driver the rear alignment issue and they still dolly towed it to their yard....to be delivered to the shop tomorrow. It's an hour away....even with the transfer case in neutral, that can explode the transmission. At the very least, I think they may owe me a new tire if they drag it all the way there.

[Coligny]

Yea… I would not have let them take it. A 4x4 with a fucked axle… that’s ridiculous.
The Note (fwd) had once an electronic throttle valve stuck. And they flatbeded it for the 20minuteS ride…
But it was the local toyohashi towing. They have only heavy wreckers for towing semis and trucks. Every thing else have to use their fleet of flatbeds.
Meanwhile JAF, never seen them with a flatbed…

[Coligny]

Neat seeing it all in action but that is a lot of welding
.

My issue is how bad the axle housing rotate back and forth when there is braking or acceleration.
Live axle are primitive and uncomfortable but supposed to be strong.

Older LC have leaf springs or proper coilover conversion.
What happened to you is nothing more than driving on a bad trail. And I’d question the safety of towing a trailer without brakes.
Once again… there’s no apparent wheel damage FFS…

[matsuki]

Yea… I would not have let them take it. A 4x4 with a fucked axle… that’s ridiculous

Yes, can't blame the wifey for not understanding that but the tow driver should know better. After talking to her again, sounds like they were bringing it to their own yard and would flatbed it to the shop today. (Apparently can't tow a car on a one our drive within three hours sounds like they just didn't have a flatbed available and winged it) Problem is, I have zero info on the towing company so no idea where their yard is. Free towing on the insurance is not sounding so great now if they use these clowns.

My issue is how bad the axle housing rotate back and forth when there is braking or acceleration.
Live axle are primitive and uncomfortable but supposed to be strong.

Older LC have leaf springs or proper coilover conversion.
What happened to you is nothing more than driving on a bad trail. And I’d question the safety of towing a trailer without brakes.
Once again… there’s no apparent wheel damage FFS…

Yeah, apparently these trucks are beasts...until they aren't. Not what I would expect to be the weakest link. KDSS might help with what you're pointing out but my Prado definitely doesn't have it.

Everyone on the LC forums is saying to replace it with a newer, beefier housing that will bolt right up. (Just make sure the gearing is the same) GXOR page lists FJ Cruiser as beefier and bolt up as well. Probably safer to go with the FJ Rear...

https://lexusgxor.com/mods:axles

2010 or later FJ 8.2“ rear axle replacement (whole housing and diff) - Bolt on without KDSS
2010 or later 4Runner 8.2” rear axle replacement (whole housing and diff) - Bolt on with or without KDSS, depending on 4Runner trim (Trail Premium w/KDSS will bolt on to a GX470 w/KDSS)
2010 or later GX460 8.2“ rear axle replacement (whole housing and diff), will only fit KDSS GX470's or will require rear sway bar removal or bracket fabrication. Swapping to a GX460 rear axle will also require re-gearing to match factory 3.73, or regearing the front to match 3.91 (doable by replacing the front diff with a ~$100 junkyard GX460 unit)

At least I can think of this as a forced UPGRADE

[Coligny]

Or you can fix on the cheap dump it and buy something correct from the start…

[matsuki]

Or you can fix on the cheap dump it and buy something correct from the start…

It's fine for what I use it for but I do have a CyberTruck on order

[Coligny]

It's fine for what I use it for …

Yet… here we are… at the tow yard…

[matsuki]

Yet… here we are… at the tow yard…

Indeed, I just need to avoid poles until the Cybertruck arrives.

I just rented a Model Y while the Prado goes under the knife. Should be interesting...

[Coligny]

Guess who’s back !

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https://form.securedc.nissan.co.jp/form ... 5/?rfid=22

[matsuki]

More a fan of this series...

[Coligny]

//old skool…

[Coligny]

Yet… here we are… at the tow yard…

Indeed, I just need to avoid poles until the Cybertruck arrives.

I just rented a Model Y while the Prado goes under the knife. Should be interesting...

News from your Milfmobile ?

[matsuki]

News from your Milfmobile ?

It's a clusterfuck...needs a new rear housing and axle as expected. It can accept a rear housing from the same gen prado, FJ, or Hilux Surf....or from the latest gen 150 series of the same 3 models. Toyota has not a single one of all 6 models in inventory. Haven't been able to find a used one either. (in the US, they are available used everywhere)

Starting to think Toyota isn't lying about their borked supply chain issues...either that or they're running down their parts inventory without restocking to keep profits up and maintain a look of "we got this" while their house of cards gets more and more shaky. How they can have no inventory on this stuff is insane. Need to call around again today....not looking good. I still have all the lexus bits ready to swap on the thing but if this drags out over a month, I might give up and order a model Y.

I rented the model Y for 2 weeks, then an X for a week. The Y was just insanely fun to drive. Felt like a sports car. The X was a bit lumbering and creaky (2018 model) but had all the luxury bits and the falcon wing doors made moving the lemurs around fun. (they loved the attention) The fart app was also a hit. EVs are the future...

[Coligny]

[Buraku]

Old Granny thinks the sidewalk is the road

https://twitter.com/bakusai_com/status/ ... 9157488640

[Coligny]

Lucky it’s not Toyohashi. Because the same granny would have also been at the wheels of a +200bhp hothatch.
The number of geriatrics drivers speeding in RS euro imports is mind-boggling… it’s like if the Renault Sport lineup was reserved to the over 70yo crowd…

[Buraku]

Truck of Tohoku Sangyo Co

https://twitter.com/roketdan2/status/16 ... 0914649089

[Buraku]

NASCAR driver Noah Gragson faces indefinite suspension over social media incident regarding George Floyd

https://www.marca.com/en/nascar/2023/08 ... b45dd.html

Mr.Bergis

[Buraku]

old man criminal abandons the car and escapes? caused by an old man's driving??

https://twitter.com/bakusai_com/status/ ... 7466362880

and How is your kanji

Variable speed limit signs used on expressways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_lim ... 19k11a.jpg