Will Technology Kill the Joy of Driving

In the last few years the idea of a self-driving car has hit the scene in a big way, claiming that if we were to take out the human element traffic accidents and deaths due to those accidents will be decreased significantly. This all sounds great for the day to day grind in traffic, just imagine getting up at 5 am getting ready for your hour long commute to work. It sounds pretty horrible, what if you could go back to seep in your car? Now that would be great! On the other hand knowing the way the government is they would make it so that cars are all controlled by a massive traffic controlling computer. Now I don’t know about you but I for one enjoy the feeling of pressing the pedal and hearing the turbo spool up. Feeling the press into the seat by the extra horsepower from that turbocharger is a great sensation. I love driving maybe not in traffic but when the road is empty it is a great thrill to be behind the wheel.

The joy of driving is an interesting thought, on the one hand yes it is tedious getting on the highway and doing the day to day thing. On the other hand get on a curvy road and let rip (following the speed limit of course) is a great release. There are roads in the US alone that people travel from all over the world to drive on, The “Tail of the Dragon” on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina is just such a road. Now why would people come from so far away for a road? Well the joy of driving is exactly why there is nothing like handling the curves at a good clip with the wind in your hair and felling car pitch as you hit switchback after switchback. The Feeling of the acceleration and G forces as they pull you left and right in the seat while you control your car through each intricate section of this amazing drive that winds through the mountains. Yes there are some downsides, like the fact that you can crash your car at any moment. There is even a “Tree of Shame” which is a big tree at the beginning of the road where you hang parts of wrecked cars that have been crashed in the course of the drive. Each year the tree is emptied and it only takes a few months to be covered all over again.

On this tree can be found pieces of cars and bikes, from the cheapest Honda Civic to a head light from a Ferrari Enzo that was totaled 2 years ago it is all there. This may all seem a bit insane but it all comes back to the love of driving and the need for speed. The best way to put it is… no matter how the technology changes we will all find a way to make ourselves happy. For those of us that love speed we all want one thing, please don’t take our joy away by making only computer controlled cars.

Rules of the Highway That All of US Should Follow

Anyone who has ever been on any US highway for more than 2 min can tell you that they are set up to be efficient and get you there fast. With a good wheel hub and bearing assembly they will be as smooth as they are long. So why are there to many clogs, Why are we waiting in stopped traffic on a 6 lane highway?

One of the main reasons we all have to wait really has to come down to bad drivers. While it is true there are accidents that block lanes of traffic, on the average most of us are waiting for a very different reason. The “fast lane” which is actually supposed to be the “passing lane” and it is intended as such. In some states the police have really begun to crack down on people who are violating this outside lane. It may seem like these are implied that you should follow but in truth it is law that the left lane is for passing only. The reason the highways get clogged up is because people try to stay in the left lane for as long as possible then just shoot for their exit in a few hundred feet.  This kind of act will cause drivers to have to slam on the brakes to avoid the culprit and hence cause a wave of slowing cars.  In my opinion it is a great act for cops to write tickets for passing lane violations, maybe it will make my commute home a bit quicker.

Of course there are always other factors to account for traffic jams, there are parking issue and just the sheer number of cars if an area is not set up to handle them. Another act that police should “crack down” on is line cutting. We have all been there waiting at a highway entrance for 15 min in line, right as you get to the source of the back-up someone in the passing lane cuts in. They barge their way in and think it is ok, we all had to wait…why do you in your KIA not have to? Making this kind of move does not make you smarter than everyone who is waiting in line, it makes you “that guy” and you don’t want to be that guy.

One last aspect of highway driving is to remember that all cars are equipped with mirrors that face to the rear of the car so you can see what is behind you “USE THEM!!!!”. Moving your eyes in the direction of the mirror is not a hard thing to do. Yet no one seems to be able to handle this small task, it will save you from damage costs and maybe personal injury. Not to mention it will save me from being run over by you, cause I don’t  know about you but I like making a trip without being hit by other drivers.

A Classic Race Car than Can still Hold it’s Own

Classic race cars are the inspiration for all the race cars of today so to ignore them would be a mistake. As my mom used to say “ignore the mistakes of the past and you will repeat them in the future”, hey it’s good advice. A prime example of this is the 787B created by Mazda over 20 years ago. While this car may use a fuel pump and fuel injectors just like other race cars of the time, it had one huge ace up it’s sleeve. It was unbelievably powerful for the weight of the car. It was powered by a rotary motor… and not just any rotary motor this one is a 4 rotor making close to 700 hp. This car not only stunned with its amazing looks and speed but the handling was just as amazing. As a result of this the car trounced the competition at the Lemans the in 1991 like no one had ever seen.

20 years later and this car could still be in competition with the other prototype cars that rule the track. This car was so fast that it was banned from the race and ruled to be “too fast” for this race.  What is it that we can really learn from a car that is 20 years old? The car may have been banner from the Lemans but it does not mean the technology has been scrapped too.  The 787 had an extremely low stance due to the fact that the motor was not relying on pistons that move up and down. The rotary motor could be mounted so low to the ground that the whole car barely topped the 40 inch level , infact if you ignore the rear wing it wouldn’t.
The 787 will be making a huge return to LeMans…maybe not in the way we would all like but in the classics race before hand. One thing for everyone is certain, this car will smoke the competition like it did years ago and original driver will be on hand for the event.

The First Audi R8 GT is Delivered to One Lucky Customer

This year we have seen our share of turbocharger andsupercharger using uber cars flowing into the automotive market. Despite gas hitting well over $4 a gallon it is more and more likely that the super rich just don’t care. To be honest neither would I, The Audi R8GT is a prime example of what a gas guzzling monster can be. With 0-60 in 3.8 sec and a top speed touching the super car holy grail of 200 mph it will be a contender for the coolest car of the year.

Only 333 of these cars will be created and not many of them will ever see the light of day, a car release like this is a collectors dream. The first person to receive the new GT did not tell his plans for the car but one thing is for sure it is not a trip to soccer practice. The one fact that is always good for a laugh is the fact that cars like this hit almost 20 MPG which is far better than the SUVs that most soccer moms are sporting nowadays.

Now my opinion of supercars is swayed a bit, always been a sports car kinda guy but who can say they don’t want something like this beauty in their drive way. The Chassis on the R8 is so well built that Porsche has decided that their next 911 will be based on it. This of course means that the 911 will finally be a mid engine…finally.

Some Thoughts on the Sports Cars of the World

Nowadays there are plenty of cars to choose from in the world. Some cars come with beautiful headlight assembly designs  and others that corner so hard they need a steering stabilizer to keep them from loosing control in a tight corner.  So why with all the choices out there do people buy sports cars? There are SUVs now that can give the same speed and close to the same handling. There are hatchbacks that will make a Ferrari from 5 years ago look like a go kart and do it all with an automatic transmission and heated seats. Well people buy a sports car so they can feel like part of the driving experience…so they can be part of the mechanics of the vehicle.

So after thinking about that it is sad to see what a lot of car makers are doing these days, which is making sports cars and even super cars that only come with automatic transmissions.  Why would someone even want to buy a sports car in automatic…It just makes no sense. It’s not like it’s hard to learn to drive a manual car and they are cheaper to make then some flappy paddle gear box. Buying a automatic sports car should not even be an option and it is time for a car company to come back with a true manual sports car.

Thanks to companies like Mazda and Honda there are still sports cars out there that are bare bones type racers, the S2000 and the MX-5 are both no options sports cars. These cars are so good that even with a small 4 cylinder they car romp the big block muscle cars on the track and still cruise home in comfort. Well sort of comfort but hey it’s a sports car isn’t it. Come on people lets show the car companies we are not all looking for a bigger SUV or a better DVD player in our car. Some of us are still red blooded and love the feeling of driving.

Front Wheel Drive VS Rear Wheel Drive VS All Wheel Drive

In the car world there are lots of choices as to the best handling cars, but what drive layout makes for the best handling car. While lots of other factors like the type steeringpower racks and power steering pumps used can make all the difference, for the sake of this we will stick to chassis.

Front wheel drive offers a stability that is unmatched for a light car and will create stable handing under most conditions. Front wheel drive will also allow for a lot of grip since the motor is located over the drive tires and creating high traction levels and quick maneuverability at lower speeds. On the cons side for FWD the fact that the front wheel s have to do everything from steering to delivering the power and handling most of the braking too. Front wheel drive is a great way to make a light car handle very well on a quick tight course and it is great for average driving.

Rear wheel drive is just the opposite of FWD it pushes all the power to the rear wheels which means the front tires are free to steer. RWD means that the power is in the rear and this can make the car handle better at higher speed but can also cause twitchy movement. RWD cars are more prone to spin over FWD due to the nature of the set up. Rear drive cars is a great option for higher speed track cars and performance street cars due to its ability to quickly handle direction changes and weight shifts.

All wheel drive would seem to be the choice for any performance enthusiast, with the power at all the wheels you get the best of both worlds. Well this may not be true, with added traction comes added weight. More weight means acceleration and more difficult handling. No matter how good the tires are one thousand extra lbs of weight is a lot to handle. AWD had some great benefits too, increased traction off the line and control on all surfaces. AWD also offers a control in the corners that cannot be matched…as Lamborghini has shown us time and time again. Mitsubishi has also proved the quality of AWD with a 4 door car that can keep up with a Murcielago around the track.

The choice of which drive train is best is one that has been going on for years and will continue well into the reign of the electric car. As the new technologies push the world to smarter cleaner cars the auto performance enthusiasts will not die out but just change. With this change many elements will shift but the drive line argument will keep raging on.

The 2011 New York Auto Show

This year has been full if auto shows that steal the spot light but sometimes it starts to get a bit boring. All car companies revealing the same cars they showed off at the last 3 big auto shows this year. Some of these vehicles have new a car navigation system or a car radio smarter than your average high school student. Even so the cars have started to be less than entertaining, the Honda Civic is a good example. If you put the “All New” 2012 civic Si next to the previous year, I couldn’t tell the difference. The new model is basically a 2011 with a body kit.

So if there are companies repeating the thrills of the past to see if they can get a rise out of ya, what is new? Well there were some companies that have pushed some big reveals, VW showed off the new VW Beetle. The new beetle is slightly different than the last, even though all the reviewers are raving about it being all new. Truth be told, it does look very nice but not enough of a change to rave about. Companies that usually stick to what they do best and not change at all have made the biggest leaps. Mercedes showed off the new A-Class which looks nothing like any Mercedes that has ever been released. Land Rover also released a number of new models that look unique and are rockin the new hybrid platform to boot.

Hybrid is the way of the future and it slowly it will lead to all electric vehicles that will help us all get around for much cheaper. Though electric vehicles lead me back to a question I have asked before, what about those of us who park on the street. Not all of us can park in a garage every night to plug in our cars, if we park on the street not everyone is honest. There goes our plug in cable walking down the street, So what do we do? When the car industry answers that then maybe the world can adopt the whole EV movement.

The Appeal of the Hot Rod

For years now the motor head community has been obsessed with old school hot rods. It is not hard to see why while these cars use out dated steering gear boxes and wheel hub bearing units but they do have a certain something.  They have a cool factor that just can’t be ignored, large swooping wheel arches and windows like slits in an old tank.

The appeal goes more than skin deep, the appeal harkens back to something more primitive. There are cars that were never meant to be that fast, when they were new the v8 motors produced a solid 130hp or so. People build these monsters with 500 hp supercharged and turbocharged motors that can blow the doors off an M5.

The other draw on these is the classic nature of the vehicles, the same car your grandfather bought new can be transformed. 70 years ago this car rolled off the lot with the hope and dreams of a young man in it. Now you can build it back into something to dream of with the hope of that same grandparent. To really know what the passion people have for these cars is all about, all one needs do is head down to the local cruise in.

What is Your Favorite Type of Car? Let Me Start

Since the earliest years I can remember turbo andsupercharger equipped cars have always caught my attention. I love the way the sound of a blower on a car makes you feel, its just that little something.  A boosted car….even a boosted civic, is something special.

Yeah we have all seen a WRX or Evo drive past all done up and thought…wow! Then of course we see the guy behind the wheel and he is such a tool it is ruined. None the less it is still a nice car, so what makes the car really a “bad” car. By the way “Bad” means good, took sometime living in the south to learn that. The phrase “bad” started from sayings like “that is one bad mother” and it has just been shortened.

If you have ever been behind the wheel of anything with a V8 and a supercharger you will be with me on this. Drive a boosted V8 is a surreal experience, press the right side pedal and the front end lifts and so does your heart rate.  I once drove a Nissan S13 (89 240sx) with a LS6 and a supercharger in it, let me tell you it is insane. If you remember those road runner cartoons when the coyote straps himself to a jet engine…yeah pretty much the same thing.

That’s what I love about a boosted car, the feeling of the craziness. That’s the kind of cars that I love and want to own. What kind of cars do you love? Don’t worry if you say electric cars, that is ok too, I just want to know what you love.

The Appeal of a Huge Truck

In times like these why is it that anyone would still be rollin around in something that gets 9 MPG? It does seem a little insane that the fuel pump pulls that much fuel. It seems like the truck needs to waste gas just to activate the power steering gear box. Well we all love our cars and some of us feel more secure in a big vehicle. Many of us have heard the phrase small girl, big truck but what makes it so?

In a small fuel efficient car such as a Prius or Leaf you may save on gas but you sit low on the road. Most of us want to feel like we are in power, high up looking over the whole road. The feeling of” I am in control of everything around” is a nice feeling. When you’re the biggest thing on the road you feel like other drivers mistakes cannot hurt you.  Is this true? Of course not…being so high up means you are more top heavy and have a slower reaction time. Slower reaction time means you are more likely to have an accident.

Trucks are one of the few gas guzzlers that will stay with us for a long time, work trucks and personal trucks are just good to have. I mean come on we all have that one friend who gets drafted anytime someone moves. As a nation we love our SUVs but there comes a point where gas is sooo much that it is just pointless to drive something so large. A few days ago someone drove past me in a H2, 8 MPG on the highway and we are in California. Gas is almost $5 a gallon here, they must have a lot of love for that car or maybe no one wants to buy it from them.

Car Ads May be going over the top

Car ads have always been the center of the automotive world, plus they let us know what we like. When is it that car ads go too far? Well not all auto ads tell us about the amazing car navigation system or car radio some may make claims like they can fix all the

problems in your life. We all know that when we climb into an amazing car we do tend to feel better about ourselves. The car companies believe that they have nailed down what makes us want them but has anyone really done that?

The truth…not really, car ads try but they cannot pin point one group and it may be time to try. Recently Honda has begun a campaign with the civic that seems aimed at individuality. Though this series was done by Scion about 10 years ago guess Honda is trying to recapture the feeling. KIA has apparently built a car that can drive on mars, that is if you believe their newest ads. You know the ones I mean…the one where the aliens steal the car away from Neptune. The car ads have always been over the top but it may have reached a point where the ad is more important than the car.

Land Rover may have nailed it down with their “you’ll feel safe inside” ads, if you have not seen them it’s worth a Google search. Why are these ads successful? Land Rover hit the nail on the head, they convey the message while not distracting from the core message. That message is “Land Rovers are safe” which is besides the fact that they are great looking trucks too.

Super car companies have fallen prey to the same vice as most of the others. The new Pagani is a amazing looking car but god are the ads just plain bad. If you are looking to buy a super car you want to see it going crazy not slowly cruising through the country side.

We all buy cars for different reasons but there is no reason for me to ever see a Camry sliding around a curvy road. Come on people it is time to go for your target audience! Camry equals reliable, supercar equals fun and SUV equals safe …these are things we all know. All I know is if I were god of the sea I would not be driving a KIA, though they are great cars nowadays.

Diagnosing Issues With a Turbo Before Failure

Most of the time when a turbo begins to fail there are some pretty noticeable signs but what are they?Turbochargers are very simple but complicated parts, basically just an air pump. Turbo units work by using the exhaust pressure to spin the blades on the exhaust side and in turn that spins the intake blades. While that may seem simple it takes some serious engineering to make it work perfect. The signs and causes of turbo failure are easy to catch if you know what to looks for.

Failure and Cause:

A turbo begins to burn oil:

Bad seals in the housing or too much pressure inside the oil system can be a common issue. When the seals in a turbo are low quality or have worn out over time they will begin to allow the oil to pass through and be pulled into the engine. High pressure inside the oil system in a car can also cause oil leakage, the pressure must go somewhere and the seals in the turbo are usually the first to go.

The vehicle is making no Horsepower:

There are a number of reasons this can happen but we will concentrate on the turbo related issues. I boost leak would be the first, any space where air can escape from the pressurized part of the intake is considered a boost leak. This will cause the vehicle to mix too much fuel since some of the air that was expected is not getting to the cylinders.

Too much back pressure can also kill horse power and can usually be caused by some sort of blockage (yes the old banana in the tailpipe) impeding the flow of exhaust gasses. The air has to go somewhere and it will usually stall the motor or blow out the seals on the exhaust side of the turbo. This is very dangerous to the motor.

The Turbo is whining under boost:

Whining can be caused by oil starvation or boost leaks, which can sometimes be mixed up.  Hope for the latter since a boost leak is simple to fix. Oil starvation will cause whining since the bearings are grinding against each other and metal on metal is not a good sound. This sound also means that your turbo is on its last legs and you need to stop the car. Turbo bearings can only last a few minutes at best without proper oil flow. Not only do the bearings need to stay lubricated but they also use the oil for cooling in many cases.

Many a mechanic will just tell you the turbo is bad to make a sale on parts that are not needed, so know your questions when you arrive. If someone says the turbo is bad ask why, protect yourself by knowing why it failed. When you know what the real issue is you can keep it from happening again, you might even be able to save thousands since the only real problem was a $3 seal instead of a $3000 repair. If you don’t know people will take advantage so be sure you are the one in control of your car, on the road and on the lift.

The Great Gathering of Gearheads

Throughout the years it has always seemed like being a gear head is unacceptable when it comes to the civilized world. Anyone one who has gone to a dinner party knows the car guys get sat at the kiddie table like some sort of rejects from the rest of the adults. Maybe It will have to do with the fact that the conversations we have are about the new diesel injector pump in our custom race car or the diesel fuel pump we spent waaay to much one. Either way it is an interested thing to feel like an outcast for the thing that you are passionate about.

The gear heads of the world all suffer the same fate everywhere we go because while some guys love sports and some guys love music, gear heads are nerdy about cars to a fault. Myself I can tell you how to build every car that I have ever owned from the ground up and just a pile of parts. It is a strange thing for gear heads or car guys feel like outcasts because the auto industry is probably the biggest industry in the world even grossing more than food in many places.

There are places in the world where car guys can find a reprieve, places like cars and coffee in Irvine California is a greatexample.  This is a gathering of motorheads all in one spot, the idea is that we can all get together to enjoy the passion that we all have for motor sport. There is no prejudice here, just all different types of cars and car culture. All the different styles all have one thing in common…we all love our cars. While there are other places to gather this one is unique in the fact that there are million dollar super cars and race cars parked next to old beater BMW’s.  When it comes down to the truth money will not change the gear head it will just change the car he drives. There are plenty of people out there who drive nice Mercedes or Ferraris who don’t care about the car but those of us who do, we can love our car no matter who made it.http://www.dieselpartspros.com/diesel-injector.asp