rp850

I think it's a great idea for all drivers young and old alike to take a car control course from an established driving school like Bondurant, Skip Barber, etc. It teaches you a lot about the car and what to do in emergency situations in a safe, controlled environment. The skills learned in the classes sure come in handy for avoiding the perils of everyday driving. The driver can be 'upgraded' just like the car and sometimes it's a lot cheaper than buying that fancy new performance part.

TRACS and Winter Mode are two different things. I'm sure someone out there has a much more detailed explanation but off the top of my head here... TRACS uses the abs system to limit wheelspin under 25mph. Selecting Winter Mode tells the transmission control computer to run the Winter program which I believe is designed to select a higher gear from a standstill to minimize wheelspin in slippery conditions. I'm sure it also tries to shift the transmission as smoothly/gently as possible. Here in TX I think I have used Winter mode maybe twice! Ultimately, there is no system that I know of that makes any car foolproof to drive in any condition. They will give you a better chance of keeping the car in control but they cannot defy the laws of physics.

:) For all the newbies out there who may not know, it's important to note that TRACS is not a stability/yaw control system. I believe it's meant to help reduce (not eliminate) wheelspin on acceleration under 25mph. I would guess it would be of very little help when encountering sand in the middle of a U-turn.

Is it just me or does the entire wheel look bent in with respect to the rest of the car?

That makes sense to me! Thanks

That is a great suggestion. I just have one question in trying to understand this better. If it is the rotors, wouldn't you feel the problem more if the brakes were cold rather than hot? I was thinking that if everything was hot the metals would expand slightly and the vibrations would not be as bad. Why is it the other way around?

Total shot in the dark but bad control arm bushings? Also, never discount the possibility of your wheels being out of balance. good luck

Supposedly, from what I've read the wagons handle rear impacts differently than the sedans. The trunk on the sedan is designed to crumple while the wagon is more rigid and designed to deflect much of the impact down the sides and the roof of the car. I believe Volvo designed the hatch to be an occupant area, not a crumple zone like the sedan. The third row seats are actually supposed to be pretty safe because the speeds in a rear-end collision are usually lower (other driver is probably hard on the brakes immediately before impact, etc.) and both cars are moving in basically the same direction in a rear-end crash. Sitting in the third row seat also puts the occupant between the rear axle which helps protect in the event of a side impact. Anyway, that's what I've read and I hope I never find out how safe my car really is!

That's the stuff I use. It's so easy I don't know why people mess with anything else. Personal preference but I think the factory grey trim looks great with Nautic Blue paint like mine.

This works great, is easy to use, dries quick, doesn't run and it's grey not black like the kiwi stuff. Really... http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?Cat...&RootID=629

I've never had to use that, but I have used their other products and they're very good quality.

How about something like this? http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=H11063

Anything that is nice and readable for the old guys like me and that doesn't burn anyone's retinas. Light grey text on the blue background?

I just read in the paper the other day that they are going to do away with this...