Colorado Springs area Specific help Please! (coupon, insurance, DMV)

[jeepejeep]

Originally Posted by capepuffin

I finally made it to Colorado Springs!!! I moved into my new residence last Thursday. So far I love it except for the altitude sickness I have had the past few days. I am drinking lots of water though. I ended up in the Briargate area in a subdivision called Fairfax. I just enrolled my son in school today and took a tour of the school. He has already made friends in the neighborhood! All of my family is still in shock that I moved so far away, but that was the point for me.

Thank you all for your help and advice on Colorado Springs. You really all helped me make my decision to move where I did. It has been an extremely stressful and exhausting move and I am glad that it is over! Now to feel better, unpack and rest then explore...

I'm so jealous of you!! I still have a few years to fulfill my dream of moving out west. I've narrowed it down to Co. and the panhandle of Nebraska. I'll be taking trips to both to make my final decision.

I know how you feel about the altitude. As a New Yorker, I had problems camping at 11,000 feet in Wyoming the 2 times I went there. The ranch we rented horses from was at 5000 ft. and it didn't take long to acclimate to that altitude. As everyone else said, water, water, water! Best of luck to you and yours!!!

[JASMINE13]

I would also suggest running a humifier until you are able to adjust to the dryness.

Hope you feel better soon!

Kelly

[COflower]

Charles - I live not to far from capepuffin - about a mile as the crow flies. I am at 6800 feet and for people not used to higher altitudes, they can get altitude sickness at this hieght. Various bodies dictate that. ;-)

capepuffin - Welcome to Colorado Springs. I second getting a few humidifiers. Smaller ultrasonic (Walgreens has an excellent one under their brand but is made by Sunbeam and only $30. if you want to know the model, PM me) are excellent in bedrooms. Also, I have one of those bigger Vornado four-gallon humidifiers in the main area of my house - again if you want the model, I will link you to the one on Amazon that's like mine. If I don't keep them running my sinuses are either running non-stop or dry as a bone...during warmer winter days is when they are running like mad. Also, the humidity can drop to around 20% inside with the heater going if I don't and there are newer windows and doors in the house so it's pretty solid.

Also, invest in some good body cream. I use Curél's Ultra Healing but Eucerin is better. I use Curél because it's cheaper and it doesn't smell like I've dipped myself in a vat of perfume.

[capepuffin]

Thank you for all the advice! Yes I need to get a humidifier definatly. On the furnace downstairs it says that it is also a humidifier. I do not know how well that will work as I do not notice a difference with the heat on yet.

I do suffer from some health ailments, so I know that adjusting will take me longer. Also, I lived by the water back east my whole life. So altitude is new to me and my body. I do love it here so far though!

Yes Pm me the humidifier info COflower, thank you!

Thanks Kelly!! I hope that we feel better soon too.

Don't be jealous Jeepejeep. You will be here soon enough. Speaking of Jeeps, my jeep is not happy driving out here. It is a 2004 so it is not to old, well maintained, but does not like driving up!! I turn the overdrive off all of the time but it still is not to happy. I think it has altitude sickness too!

[vfrpilot]

Speaking of Jeeps, my jeep is not happy driving out here. It is a 2004 so it is not to old, well maintained, but does not like driving up!! I turn the overdrive off all of the time but it still is not to happy. I think it has altitude sickness too!

It will not have as much power due to altitude. On the good side though, you should see an increase in fuel mileage

[jeepejeep]

Newer vehicles will adapt somewhat to altitude changes because of the computers that run everything on them these days. I have an '05 Grand Cherokee. It'll be interesting to see how it likes altitude. I don't think my '47 Willys will like it too much though. I'll have to do some carb. work on it for sure. Can't wait to get out there!

[Charles]

I think there is a horsepower loss of something like 3% to 4% per 1000 feet altitude and I think that is with modern engines with lean the mixture automatically with altitude. Old Carb engines are much worse.

[Bob from down south]

I use 3% per 1000 ft of elevation as a rule of thumb.

But...that is a change in the maximum horsepower the engine will produce, so if you have to drive with your foot all the way in it to climb a hill at lower elevations, it's going to suck when you try it up higher. If you don't need all the engine's power to climb at lower altitudes, the difference will be that you may end up having your foot just about all the way in it when climbing at altitude. One good reason for not buying or bringing to the mountains a heavy vehicle with an anemic undersized engine.

Engines with electronic fuel injection have a feedback loop that adjusts the fuel metering so the mixture always stays optimum...but there are still less molecules of air (and therefore less fuel) in the cylinders due to the lower density at altitude, resulting in power loss. Carbureted engines can/should be tuned for optimal mixture when operated at altitude, but as you deviate much from the tuned altitude the mixture will deviate from optimum, resulting in even more power loss than an injected motor due to the combination of suboptimal mixture and less fuel/air in the cylinders at ignition.

And last, if you have a turbocharger or supercharger on the engine, none of this applies...

Cheers

Bob

[capepuffin]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

It will not have as much power due to altitude. On the good side though, you should see an increase in fuel mileage

Umm NO! My fuel mileage has gotten worse. I checked at last fill up and I am only getting 12.5 miles per gallon.

Speaking of cars, I just registered my car. I am appalled at having to get my VIN verified! It cost me $25.00!!!! What a ripoff. Total cost for registering my 04 Jeep Grd Chrkee was 167.00 (without VIN Verfy.) Not as bad as I thought it would be. But when you add the ripoff VIN verification, new auto insurance and new license fee it adds up. It cost me $664.00. That is with 6 months of auto insurance paid for 1 vehicle.

When I was back in MA. we could get auto coverage for the whole year. SO the 6 month thing is new to me. Also, being from MA. where it is nearly impossible to get car insurance and have no choices in Insurance carriers, I am paying more here! I have a perfect driving record so I do not understand that one. I compared many dif ins. companies too. I thought for sure I would pay less here.

[Charles]

My mileage in LA was 15.5 MPG in a 98 F-150 4WD supercab. Here it is 17.5, probably due to more slower (55 instead of 75) and continuous driving (no stop and go).