Moving soon — questions, recommendations

[obito]

I posted a while ago about selling tires because I’m trying to move to the Seattle/King county area. I’m avoiding Snohomish county because of working conditions for my job. The move is coming up next month.

I have some questions I just want some friendly local info about. I’ve done some research, but I want unique perspective and suggestions.

As car enthusiasts:
- What’s your experience been with police? As strict and attentive as California?

- Around Seattle and the rest of king county, what areas are ideal living for enthusiasts and which ones should I avoid? How are bridge closures?
It depends on where my assignment is at, but right now I’m looking at Bellevue, Redmond, Lynnwood, etc. However it’s more difficult to find short term leases for the kind of amenities I want. I will likely be in a hotel for a little bit unless I find something good ahead of time.
In Virginia it’s normal for us to commute up to or around 30 minutes and I’m trying to keep it there as a limit.

- I saw a recommendation for Bimtech for work on the Supra. Do they perform a wide range of jobs and maintenance? Any first hand experience with them?

- I hear mixed messages about winter and summer. The two things I’m tired about where I live now are thunderstorms and heavy snowfall. Summer has been constant lightning storms, random torrential downpours, very hot and humid. Winter is a mixed bag with mostly dry and short bursts of snow which is cleared quickly. I wouldn’t mind escaping those two. I don’t mind the regions average rainfall, What has been your experience living west of the cascades? What tires are you running?

A lot of questions I know. The truck and trailer will have to come later in my journey west unfortunately so I’m planning around that. Thanks guys.

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[romanLegion9574]

- What’s your experience been with police? As strict and attentive as California?

Haven't been in CA, but there are no emissions rules here so you can run catless. They do ticket for loud exhausts in Bellevue and Redmond. Mostly Ka band and laser for radar, so have a detector handy.

My impression based on the CA members' descriptions compared to here is that its not as hardline here, but there is cop presence on the highways, big cities, and major connecting roads.

- Around Seattle and the rest of king county, what areas are ideal living for enthusiasts and which ones should I avoid? How are bridge closures?

For day to day driving, the east side (Bellevue, Redmond) has well kept roads. Plenty of good driving roads through the Cascades and along the coast and on the Olympic peninsula. I-5 itself is a bore. Seattle itself has hit or miss roads based on district within the city. Downtown and South Lake Union have great roads, but older districts like Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are awful.

In Virginia it’s normal for us to commute up to or around 30 minutes and I’m trying to keep it there as a limit.

Keep looking. You'll probably find something. You can daily drive the Supra, but you'll find that the ground is wet if it's not summer. The state is also going to be opening up train lines from Seattle to Bellevue soon, so that is another commuting option. If you do plan on driving, I'd recommend you stay somewhat close to your place of work. Commute times can get long here.

- I saw a recommendation for Bimtech for work on the Supra. Do they perform a wide range of jobs and maintenance? Any first hand experience with them?

A good amount of us go to Bimtech for work. I haven't heard any bad reviews from anyone who goes there. Lots of engine related work, but they did a good job installing my suspension, sway bars, and they did my brake pads and fluid as well. I had a different place do an alignment since Bimtech doesn't do that.

- Weather
Usually nice and dry and pleasant for summer (June - September). A couple of very hot weeks every summer, and occasional risk of wildfire smoke causing shitty air quality. Rain on occasion. October - April: expect some moisture on the ground basically constantly. Doesn't really snow in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, or other suburbs near the city, but go farther and closer to the Cascades, and you may run into snow. The Supra isn't a snow car by any means. Most people here drive their Supras summer only and just run a summer set based on their power needs. If you need to use it beyond that, I'd recommend having a summer set of Michelins (good wet weather grip in case it does rain -- you don't want to get caught out), and an all season set for October - April.

 

[obito]

- What’s your experience been with police? As strict and attentive as California?

Haven't been in CA, but there are no emissions rules here so you can run catless. They do ticket for loud exhausts in Bellevue and Redmond. Mostly Ka band and laser for radar, so have a detector handy.

- Around Seattle and the rest of king county, what areas are ideal living for enthusiasts and which ones should I avoid? How are bridge closures?

For day to day driving, the east side (Bellevue, Redmond) has well kept roads. Plenty of good driving roads through the Cascades and along the coast and on the Olympic peninsula. I-5 itself is a bore. Seattle itself has hit or miss roads based on district within the city. Downtown and South Lake Union have great roads, but older districts like Capitol Hill and Queen Anne are awful.

- Weather
I'd recommend having a summer set of Michelins (good wet weather grip in case it does rain -- you don't want to get caught out), and an all season set for October - April.

What an excellent and detailed response to everything. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much.

I will likely swap my DP out there later on and it’s good to know catless is an option. I do plan on having a dedicated summer set of wheels/tires just like I had here, except I had summer and winter/3 peak because of the snowfall. In this case though I want to maximize straight wet weather performance.

I’ll try and find a place close to where I’ll be working, or at least avoid I5 if I can. And good heads up about the roads. When I’ve visited in the past I went to cap hill a bunch for the sake of nightlife and what not, but never paid attention to road quality. I will, like other responsible people, probably just use Seattle’s public transport on a night out downtown. Had some odd encounters with homeless solely due to using public transport there though.

I’m excited to finally leave a place I’ve been for so long. See you out there.

 

[sojusoulja]

I moved to Renton from San Francisco this past Dec. So far cops have been chill compared to San Francisco cops. I still run with Cali plates and no front plates and all good. Loving it here in Washington. Plus no smog

 

[sojusoulja]

And the seattle area supra owners are A+.

 

[Loco38SUP]

Hey @obito glad to hear another Supra owner will be in the area.

The police are pretty chill overall. I’ve been running without a front plate for a year now without problems. I did get pulled over in the Supra for the first time last Friday. It was for messing around with a Ferrari. No ticket was issued just an earful about aggressive driving.

The traffic in the area can be rough depending on time of day. There are plenty of backroads for most places so alternate routes help a lot.

Bimtech PNW is the main shop around here for our Supras. They can handle all jobs, from routine maintenance to forged internal high boost builds. There are other shops we can recommend too depending on the type of work needed.

If you plan to daily your car a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS06’s will get the job done. If you like to run 2 Sets with summer wheels then PS4S for summer and the Contis for winter.

As @sojusoulja mentioned I like to think we have more of a brotherhood out here for our Supra group. I sent you a DM with my number in case you have more questions.

-RJM

 

[baagel]

Chiming in as a former Seattleite.

To have a commute time of < 30 minutes around the city you would have to live very close. Traffic just seems to get worse every year, the freeways aren't really that wide, but as mentioned by others the expansion of the light rail system makes it a good commuting option as well as possibly helping curb traffic congestion.

Generally speaking, parking's a bitch in Seattle, getting around can be somewhat annoying due to the abundance of one-way streets, and the frequent clueless driver can make it a minefield.

Summers appear to be getting significantly warmer in recent years. Notably, the 120+ F heat waves that the state has seen the last couple summers. It can get humid but not too crazy. Don't really get much snow around the Greater Seattle Area but every other year or so you'll get some for a few days. Don't drive in the city when it does, at least not on the big ass hills..

A random observation - people up there tend to not drive faster than 70 mph on the freeway. Compared to the 80+ "standard" here in CA.

Anyway, hope the perspective is helpful. I didn't get the Supra until I moved to CA so I can only keep it general.

 

[romanLegion9574]

For front plates, in some cities, the rule is that you can't get a ticket for it as a primary offense. I haven't seen as many cops here as I did camped out on the GSP in NJ looking for speeders.

Do note drivers here kinda suck in general on the highway (and some clueless people in the city who don't understand one-ways). Some people don't understand using the left lane as a passing lane and you'll find people going 10 under without a care in the world. Others also change lanes without looking, which is a bigger risk in the Supra since its so low. I've been run into the shoulder multiple times by idiots who don't look when switching.

I'll agree with everyone else, A+ Supra community, and a real nice car culture here. On the eastside especially, you'll find the euro scene is pretty strong.

 

[underdonk]

This thread makes me wish I lived in the area.

 

[obito]

Chiming in as a former Seattleite.

To have a commute time of < 30 minutes around the city you would have to live very close. Traffic just seems to get worse every year, the freeways aren't really that wide, but as mentioned by others the expansion of the light rail system makes it a good commuting option as well as possibly helping curb traffic congestion.

Generally speaking, parking's a bitch in Seattle, getting around can be somewhat annoying due to the abundance of one-way streets, and the frequent clueless driver can make it a minefield.

Summers appear to be getting significantly warmer in recent years. Notably, the 120+ F heat waves that the state has seen the last couple summers. It can get humid but not too crazy. Don't really get much snow around the Greater Seattle Area but every other year or so you'll get some for a few days. Don't drive in the city when it does, at least not on the big ass hills..

A random observation - people up there tend to not drive faster than 70 mph on the freeway. Compared to the 80+ "standard" here in CA.

Anyway, hope the perspective is helpful. I didn't get the Supra until I moved to CA so I can only keep it general.

The parking/idiot drivers thing is good to be aware of. We have our fair share in nova but people like to drive fast here (70-80 in a 55) in the left lane mostly so I’ll have to get used to that.
Thank you all so much. I’m excited. @sojusoulja if you actually drink soju I’ll buy you a bottle.

 

[nosavingthrow]

- What’s your experience been with police? As strict and attentive as California?
I don't have experience with Cali police, but from what I've heard the cops here are definitely more chill. All my interactions with them over the last couple decades have been fairly neutral / positive. They have been lenient on me when I've absolutely deserved a ticket more than once. That said, a friend of mine had an absolute nightmare experience that basically dragged on for months with the Highway Patrol up near Bellingham.

Also, I used to run no front plates, but I would get pulled over roughly every 3-6 months for it, usually only getting a warning but did get eventually get a ticket for it in Redmond. I saw the cop pull over a Porsche like literally 5 second after he got done with me, presumably for the same thing. It was probably "hit the quota" day. I eventually switched to using a tow hook mount as I got tired of the hassle. This was like 3-4 years ago, and possibly they care less now and don't have time for it as I get the sense they are under staffed around here.

- Around Seattle and the rest of king county, what areas are ideal living for enthusiasts and which ones should I avoid? How are bridge closures?
I think this question really depends on where/when you'll need to commute to, what you're amenity needs are (garage? Size? etc) and honestly what your paygrade is like. Redmond, Bellevue and Seattle are absolutely not cheap as far as houses go, but I also don't know anything about your situation so this may not be a problem. I live about 20 mins out of Redmond to the east, where it's cheaper, but you're still talking $750K-1M for a midsize house w/ garage out here.

I work in Redmond, and the commute is not bad at all. I can get to work in about 20 mins in the morning, and getting home is between 20 - 30 depending when I leave.

Road quality is pretty decent, but definitely watch for potholes on the Eastside. They are pretty good about fixing them, but I've had a few close calls on Novelty Hill road with some deep potholes. Compared to the horror stories I've heard from other states, it sounds like we don't have it too bad.

Mercifully, car registration costs are not that bad in King county.

Someone else mentioned drivers are shitty here, and it is true. Always be aware of other drivers as they will do dumbass stuff. Be doubly aware on any roundabouts - I've seen so many mistakes on roundabouts and had a couple near-misses with idiots on them.

- I saw a recommendation for Bimtech for work on the Supra. Do they perform a wide range of jobs and maintenance? Any first hand experience with them?
Everyone raves about them, so while I haven't had first hand experience I'd believe they are the best in the area. Honestly they are so popular with Supra owners around here I wonder if they are constantly very busy? All I know is they don't ever pick up their phone from when I've tried to contact them. I've heard it's best to just stop by their shop in person if you want to schedule.

For alignment and suspension work, mShop in Kirkland is very good and I'd recommend them.

- I hear mixed messages about winter and summer.
Eastside does get some snow usually once or twice a year, which lasts anywhere from couple days to a couple weeks. It can get cold in the winter, down below 30 degrees frequently at night. Seattle gets less snow, but its usually a total shitshow when it does with cars and busses getting stuck everywhere. There is some hilarious youtube videos out there of Seattle hills + snow. I simply don't drive my Supra if it snows, but I do daily it in the cold and winter otherwise.

Either way, if you are going to daily in the non-summer months, I'd highly recommend either good all-season tires or having two sets of wheels. The summer tires perform like shit (and its bad for them) once it gets cold, and it will get cold a lot in the winter months even if it doesn't snow.

I personally run Michelin All Season Sport 4 and they are fantastic and about as good as you can get right now for AS. I've been running them all year round and prefer them over the stock tires. I don't do track or autocross - obviously you'll want appropriate set tires if you are.

That said, I am still considering getting another set of wheels and running Pilot Sport 4S in the summer, as I really did love those on my old car.

+1 on MKV owners in this area being awesome and very friendly.

 

[sojusoulja]

Seriously though...why do Seattle drivers suck so bad! And one thing that took getting used to is that people expect you to let them in when they signal. Even if they could wait until you pass where there is no one after you...

 

[romanLegion9574]

Seriously though...why do Seattle drivers suck so bad! And one thing that took getting used to is that people expect you to let them in when they signal. Even if they could wait until you pass where there is no one after you...

Part of it is distracted driving. I see a phone in a car cabin, I'm moving away from that car ASAP.

And with the number of foreign nationals here, it's entirely plausible a good amount don't understand the rules of the road.

 

[GoldenEye]

I’ve spent my whole life here, cops won’t mess with you unless you’re doing stupid shit. Weather is, well, you’ll see. Lots of terrible drivers (from Cali, lol). Avoid Seattle, it’s an armpit! Good luck with E85, it’s not common. If you’re an outdoor kinda person you’ll love it! Lots of hiking, mountain biking etc…people are pretty laid back, every once in a while someone acts dumb, but they usually shut up after they get hit in the mouth…oh, and don’t use an umbrella when it rains, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb!

 

[obito]

Thought I’d post an update. Thanks for all your information and support everyone. I finally feel free for the first time in my life.

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