Two things come to mind.
1. The trackpad on the steering wheel in lieu of the factory air bag (at least we hope it's "in lieu of" and not "on top of" - can you say haptic neural contusions?).
2. The carputer is running Windows XP - as if there weren't enough distractions trying to pilot a highly illegal SR-swapped S14 under the nose of local law enforcement without having to deal with a BSOD.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Whats Wrong With This Picture?
Going Frankenstein: S14 with VG30 Swap
The VG series nissan motor - especially the variety found in the Z32 300zx chassis is one of the most ornery hard-to-work-on knuckle-scraping gotta -remove - the - motor - to - change - the - sparkplugs powerplants ever made. If you've ever worked on a Z32, you'll know what we're talking about.
Which is why we find Freshalloy user 300sx's VG swapped S14 postively charming. the fresh paint and a positively clean swap didn't hurt either (we're suckers for clean swaps). Equipped with a single Precision T61, this car laid down 519hp to the rear wheels and runs 11s.
Shelby GT500 Major Pwnage
Thunderhill, reverse configuration, turn 9. Click the pic to see more. If you look real close, you'll see the handicap placard hanging from the rear view mirror (not that it matters or anything.. unless the guys didn't have legs or something). Courtesy of Northern California Ford Owners Group.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Silver Evo X Spotted at F&F 4 Casting Call
The Evo X street date (no pun intended) draws near and the Mitsubishi marketing engine is hard at work. User JRayEvo9 on Evolutionm reports seeing a silver Evo X at the universal studios Fast & the Furious 4 casting call. The pic is obviously from a cameraphone and shows the Evo in a factory fresh unmolested state. We fear its only a matter of time before someone decides to install NAWZ and neon undercarriage illumination. Ick.
RX8 Renesis a Lemon? Poll shows 17% Failure Rate
There's been an interesting poll running on RX8 club since july. The sample size is on the small size (620 cars), but its rather disturbing to see that out of all respondents, over 17% indicated that the renesis motor on their RX8 have been replaced at some point (mostly due to a Mazda recall). Granted, there are probably a few boost junkies in the crowd that decided to go twin turbo. The 2004 MT models appear to be the most problematic. The fact that there are a couple of 2007 models on the list indicate that problems still exist.
Keep in mind, this is a poll on an internet forum - not an exhaustive treatise in statistical inference - so take these results with a grain of salt. Engines get replaced for all sorts of reasons, aftermarket tinkering and consumer negligence included.
Perhaps rotaries are not quite ready for prime time? I've heard time and time again by devout disciples of the church of rotary power that when built right, their beloved wankels are as reliable as the next powerplant. Having seen my fair share of FD3S apex seal failures and RX8 oil consumption issues, I'm still the skeptic. Give me pistons any day.
Tokyo Motor Show Cutaway Nissan GTR Pics
ChicagoZ user n8b has sent back several pics from the Nissan GTR unveiling at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Of particular interest are several cutaway views of the chassis and drivetrain. Our curiosity about the GTR's inner workings are almost overwhelmed by the sight of so many dissected GTRs.. almost.
Monday, October 22, 2007
New STi Interior to Die For
It's no secret that the new STi has about as much aesthetic charm as Shrek - or worst yet, a Ford Focus. The folks over at NASIOC weigh in on the upcoming model as well as post a ton of purdy official Subaru pics.
The one that catches the eye the most is that of the interior. Always one to one-up rival Mitsubishi in cabin quality, Subaru has, thankfully, gotten something right. Subtle red illumination, high quality stitched seat bolsters, and titanium-grey accents almost make up for the cars outward uncomeliness...almost.
GTR vs. Z06 vs. 911 - Let the Pissing Contests Begin
Nissan's highly anticipated ultra-bang-for-the-buck supercar slayer hasn't even rolled off the trucks and fanboys everywhere are doing what they do best - staging an all out hide-behind-your-computer pissing contest. With 470+ hp and a price tag sitting right between the Z06 and the 911, Nissan has clearly defined its targets.
However, until these cars make their way into the hands of enterprising individuals to perform their own benchmarking, this conundrum will devolve into a veritable blood feud - speculation and preliminary magazine reviews be-damned.
Whet the appetite of your inner fanboy, and take a gander at what they're saying. (Choice snippets and links after the jump).
At GTRForums.com, they've got their panties in a bunch...
Meanwhile, the good ol' boys at corvetteforums have relegated themselves to making disparaging remarks about the GTR's appearance and dishing out choice rhetoric like the following:i have a hot news flash for corvetteforums:
a 5 year R&D program, rumoured to have an international team of engineers assembled, is not a thrown-together car.
next point: the GT-R ethos is to be a race car first and foremost, as it is homologated for street use for this very purpose to comply with regional and international sanctioning requirements for GT racing.
next point: the memories of many are evidently very short as only 3 years ago Nissan reissued the R34 in a limited edition road-going form called the Z-Tune. do you know what that car did? it became the fastest production car built at the time, destroying McLaren F1.
what do you think the Z-Tune was built to prove? it was created to foreshadow what direction the next generation of GT-R would take. why would Nissan R&D the GT-R for as long as they have to not beat the old-news Z06 benchmarks? or worse, "barely hang" with Porsche? such an ethos is not whatsoever what the GT-R is about --the GT-R is about domination and total victory to the extent of overkill.
next point: Corvette is a relative newcomer to international motorsports compared to Nissan and definitely compared to Porsche. why would Nissan overlook Corvette and only focus on Porsche, particularly when Corvette has been beating Porsche? the fact is that Nissan cannot be taken out to the cleaners by ---> an "American" car. that would be a total and absolute failure of mission for the GT-R ----- to beat Porsche but lose to a Corvette! the symbolic consequences of Corvette dominating the GT-R would be tantamount to death for Nissan's image and reputation on the world stage.
realistic is that the GT-R will outperform not only Porsche 997tt and Z06, but as well beat Porsche GT3 and possibly Carrera GT. the GT-R is an exotic-level performance car and is engineered for the long-haul warfare that is being fought as we speak in the new-era-reanaissance of horsepower and performance battles.I suspect most of the fanboy nation across the US will not be buying one as it's way out of their price range. However, be prepared for the massive swelling of their collective (bird) chests as they proclaim "their GTR" as the be all, do all, of past/present/future automative engineering
Porsche owners, (especially the ones over at 6speedonline) who generally like to keep the piss off their hands at a minimum, had some jabs at the GTR's portliness..
I already experience this: GTR Kook was telling me how the GTR was going to wipe the street with my Z06 - I simply said "well, when YOU get one to race against the Z06 that I actually OWN, I will conceed it's better if you win". I'm assuming the 2020 model years will be available when this actually happens...
The New GT-R weighs 3800 + lbs and likely will have under 500 hp. It's the usual overhype, I dont see why people wont just let the car establish itself before they go around blabbing about it killing corvettes and 911's. Let it do something first. You couldnt tell the fanboys it wasnt going to beat the CGT at the ring (it was difficult to tell them not possible for the 7:15 rumor), then when the weight specs came out there was a wave of silence. Then back to the usual "it doesnt matter" when it comes to specs.
Overall, I like the car, but some of the fanboys make it hard to enjoy with the "godzilla" killing everything etc etc etc. If the specs motortrend released are accurate (because they had interior and engine shots never released before, so it's very possible), 0-60 in 3.5, 11.7 1/4 mile and 192 top speed @ 38000 lbs they'd better be coming with a sequel.
So what do you guys think? Which cuisine...er..supercar, will reign supreme?
Evolution X GSR By Arc
Enter the tuners. The tenth iteration of the iconic japanese rallybred sports sedan is barely reaching our shores and the JDM wizards of automotive technocery have already been unleashed to do their magic. Famous for their masterful use of titanium (currently renamed to unobtanium as Aerospace and Boeing have bought out titanium stock around the world), Arc has performed the first generation of tweaks to the new Mitsubishi. Personally, I think the wheels are a bit over the top - though fitting if Mitsubishi is aiming for a different demographic. Click on the pic for more pictures.
Evo X Slower than Predecessor?
Evolutionm user EzeE1o has sparked an interested debate pontificating on the weight (and subsequently, performance) disparity between the upcoming Lancer Evolution X and the outgoing Evo IX. From several magazine reviews, the gyst is this: The X's advanced drivetrain and chassis wizardry would get you around corners faster with less skill, but in a balls to the wall straight line drag race, it's Evo IX FTW.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Evo X Makes Appearance at JDM Dealerships
Any day now. Thats what I've been telling myself when I cruise the streets and still see an astonishing lack of brand new X's fresh off the truck.
NASIOC member Paulie sends us a load of snaps from his buddy in the motherland. Follow the link to see a ton more pics. It's nice to finally see the new Evo out in the wild - to get to see the final-for-sale production quality fit and finish rather than all the concept and touched up magazine photos.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 3
Rule #3 Watch for leaks Fluids of all kinds are supposed to stay inside your vehicle. When they end up on the floor of your garage, it means something is leaking (that’s bad). Get leaks fixed ASAP. Run out of coolant? Engine overheats, catastrophic engine failure. Run out of oil? Engine seizes or worse, starts launching bits of flaming metal out the bottom of your car – i.e. catastrophic engine failure. Run out of brake fluid? You slam on the brakes, brake pedal goes to the floor, car doesn’t stop, you plow into the school bus full of nuns in front of you. Catastrophic engine failure? You betcha! Lawsuits and wage garnishments too! An easy way of identifying your leaks is to place a large sheet of white butcher paper underneath your car. Dark brown stains indicate an oil leak. Green for coolant, yellowish or red for hydraulic fluid leaks. The ONLY thing your car should be leaking is pure water from the condensation formed while using your air conditioner. Rule #2 Learn to diagnose your own problems It’s always a crapshoot when something goes wrong. Competent (and honest) mechanics are hard to find. It’s best to be knowledgeable to some degree so that you can make an informed decision should your car decide to toss it’s cookies. Most importantly, do not panic. When you are in that state of mind its very easy to tow your car to the first half assed wrench you find and throw yourself (and your credit card) at his mercy. 
Does the concept of your car turning into a zero-value beater scare you? It should! Its a well known fact cars will lose performance as they age. The last thing you want is having your sports car of yester-year dominated by some punk kid in a late model economy car. Resist the urge to run out and buy a new car! Making the most of whats in the driveway will keep cash in your wallet and give you a new hobby to boot.
If you've been keeping up with rules 10-4 in part 1 and part 2 of this series, here's the final 3 rules.
Service manuals are always a good start. They contain some helpful diagnosis procedures so you at least have an idea what’s wrong. Factory service manuals are comprehensive and will provide detailed instructions on everything from changing the oil to overhauling the engine. Aftermarket manuals are a bit less overkill but may not cover the more subtle areas that you need information on.
Another good idea is a good OBD-2 diagnostic cable. These are pretty cheap and will allow most cars to be hooked up to a laptop via serial port to read check engine error codes and monitor other vitals. A lot of times your car will give you hints when something is wrong. The strongest hint is the dreaded check engine light. Having one of these cables will save an expensive diagnostic fee at your local dealership (usually costing $75 or more). The cable (and the software that ocomes with it) will also provide indepth analytical opportunities by logging parameters such as RPM, timing/spark advance, coolant temperature, etc.
This is by far THE most important rule. There is strength in numbers. The first thing I do before I buy a car is I find one or more online communities of people that own the same car. When I had my 300zx, I hooked up with Twinturbo.net. When I had my civic, I joined Hondatech.
Unless you have some terribly unpopular obscure snooze machine, chances are you will find people like yourself. Within these communities you will find a huge knowledgebase of information for common issues pertaining to your car.
Once you get involved, you'll find people willing to answer your questions. You'll find the eggheads that can help you troubleshoot your problems. You'll get ideas from watching other people modify and enhance their cars. You'll get thrills from sharing your own progress. It all amounts to the same thing - increased interest and pride of ownership, which will encourage you to follow rules 2-10.
Maintaining your car is a hobby, not a full time job. When you buy a car, you're investing into a platform, not just merely finding something to get around with (unless you're into that sort of thing). Follow these ten rules and you'll save a LOT of heartache and money.
In case you've missed the rest of this series:
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss Part I
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss Part II
Some online communities
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 2
Rule #7. Maintain your fuel injection system. Your fuel injection system is what makes sure your engine mixes the correct amount of fuel with the incoming air to optimize the combustion process. It also works hand in hand with the emissions system to make sure everything is running as it should. When the mixture becomes too lean (not enough fuel), combustion temperatures can rise. Under heavy loads, these temperatures (especially on turbocharged vehicles) will cause CEF when the aluminum bits inside your combustion chamber start to melt (usually around 1600 degrees F). When the mixture becomes too rich (too much fuel), gas mileage and power production will suffer. The unburnt fuel from every combustion cycle will subsequently contaminate the oil, leave excess deposits in the combustion chamber, and clog your catalytic converter - all bad for performance. The most important part of your fuel injection system is the fuel injectors themselves. When they get dirty, they can get stuck in an open position (dumping in too much fuel) or in a closed position or become clogged (dumping in too little fuel). Making sure your fuel filter is replaced regularly along with fuel system cleaners should keep your injectors functioning right over a long period of time. Other components such as mass air flow meters, o2 sensors, and various emissions systems are known to fail from time to time as well. When your fuel mixture becomes too lean, usually the car will ping or knock. If it becomes too rich, you'll start to suffer from bad gas mileage, smell unburnt fuel, or the car would backfire. Get the car diagnosed ASAP at the first sign of these problems. Rule #6 Never let your car overheat. Never, ever let your car overheat. If you ever see the coolant temperature needle start to rise beyond where it normally sits, pull over and turn the engine off ASAP. Your car's cooling system was designed to handle pretty much any thermal load the engine could generate. If it starts to overheat, it means something isn't working right. Don't think to yourself, "If I keep driving, maybe it'll cool down to normal." Turn on your heater at full blast and coast if you simply cannot pull over. Prolonged operation while overheating can cause the headgasket to fail. Once the headgasket goes, your engine will start taking to coolant like your cat takes to..er.. coolant. Once your coolant goes, it gets even hotter and various surfaces (such as the mating surface between the head and block) will warp. After that, bad things will happen (you guessed it - catastrophic engine failure). Rule #5 Follow recommended factory maintenance schedules A lot of these services are basically just inspections and fluid changes, but there are some significant replacements, namely the timing belt. The timing belt keeps the heads and the block running in perfect harmony. If and when that belt breaks (and it will break), you’re looking at more expensive engine repairs (on most cars, at least – there are a few exceptions). Some cars have timing chains that have longer maintenance intervals. Other cars have what’s known as non interference engines: if the belt breaks, damage is kept to a minimum. Check with your local dealer to find out which type you have. In this case the adage holds true: an ounce of prevention is worth more than fifty pounds of busted valvetrain parts. Rule #4 Keep the interior and exterior clean Contaminants in the air and bird droppings have a way of eating through the clearcoat and ruining your finish. If you live in an area where it snows, make sure you hose down your undercarriage so the salt deposits don’t start a rust infestation from the inside out. Better yet, move to California. A lot of it is psychological. Once the paint fades, you’ll lose interest quick. Also, a shabby exterior will dissuade most buyers when it comes time to sell the car. Especially when it comes to performance cars - the cleanest specimens always sell in record time for top dollar compared to the ones that have achieved beater status. Avoid eating or smoking in your car. A few cartons of smokes and burger wrappers later, you’ll have wonderful smells that you’ll have a helluva time trying to remove (especially when the sun bakes them in). Use a spray on protectant on the dash to keep it from cracking and tint your windows to keep the merciless sun from turning your interior into a cracked, arid wasteland.
You've paid good money for your car. While its easier to buy a new car every couple of years, doing so is not practical for most people. Want to make sure your car runs as well on it's hundred thousandth mile as it did on it's tenth mile? You've read rules 10-8 in part 1 in this series, read on for part 2.
Two things discourage you more than anything else – a faded paint job and a dumpy crap infested interior. After the first six months of owning a brand new car, start washing it every other week and waxing it once a month.
The rest of this series:
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 3
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 1
It's a well known fact that cars lose horsepower over time. The more miles and years your car accumulates, the slower it will go. Parts will wear out and after while, the magic is gone.
We've all been there. You obsess over a car. You ogle it in magazines. You save up the cash, and one day you take the leap and buy the darn thing.
Fast-forward five years. That same car is now an undesirable beater - the paint is shot, the check engine light is on, and as Jeremy Clarksen from TopGear likes to say: all the horses have escaped! Perhaps you're losing more and more stoplight/freeway onramp confrontations. Your eyes start to wander and before long, you've got Excel open trying to find out how much it's going to cost to upgrade. Too bad your car is worth almost nothing and you've still got a year of payments left.
Realistically you probably don’t want to learn to be an auto mechanic. You don’t want to spend a huge amount of money in maintenance costs either. Sure you’ve heard from people that you need to maintain your car, but no one ever explained what that entailed outside of changing your oil regularly.
I've owned a few cars. Ok, I've owned a LOT of cars. Along the way, I've learned some of these rules the hard way. The following list is intended to tie together all the advice you've heard over the years and give you some depth of understanding. The stuff you've heard before, I explain WHY. There's probably a few things you haven't heard either.
To start, your car has three basic enemies that can quickly transform it from beauty to beater – heat, dirt, and wear. There are ten rules to mind when dealing with these issues.
Click the link below to read more.
Rule #10. Avoid the snowball effect. As you look at the aging hoopty in your driveway, realize that all this decay didn't happen overnight. A broken tail light here, a leaky headgasket there. The key is to fix stuff as soon as it breaks. Don't let them pile up on you - before long you'll have a ginormous repair bill that rivals the size of your recent Iphone bill. In some cases, small problems can blossom into bigger problems or even cause collateral damage if left untreated.
Rule #9. Fluids Make a Difference
Fluids are the lifeblood of your automobile. Using the right ones and replacing them at the right intervals can avoid costly repairs in the future.
Replace brake, power steering, and automatic transmission fluids
Hydraulic fluids such as these tend to stay relatively clean in sealed systems. However, over time water gets in and begin to corrode metal parts such as lines and cylinders from the inside out. Failures in these systems can be disastrous. Brakes can become mushy or completely fail, your vehicle may lose power steering capability, and your transmission may stop shifting. Have these fluids replaced every 30,000 miles. Doing so will keep these systems clean and their respective seals tight.
Transmission/Differential Gear Oil
As these parts break in from normal use, metal shavings and particles will form and float around in the fluid. Make sure these fluids are drained and refilled every 15,000 to 20,000 miles to keep the crunchy bits to a minimum. Less debris means less wear on your gears. Less wear means better, more reliable power transfer.
Replace engine coolant
Only two fluids belong in your cooling system. Automotive coolant and distilled water. Not tap water, not spring water, not purified water, not drinking water. Using anything but automotive coolant (premixed 50/50 coolants are ok) and distilled water will leave mineral deposits and corrosion in your cooling system. Over time, this will impede or completely obstruct coolant flow. Once gunk starts to build up, it’s a. hard to get rid of and b. may cause overheating and engine failure in the long run. I run a 50% coolant, 50% distilled water mix. Have your coolant drained and replaced every year. If you follow these guidelines, you will NEVER need to flush your cooling system as it will stay clean. If you see the shop hook up a garden hose to your cooling system to flush it out with tap water, tell them to stop!
Use Synthetic Motor Oil!!!
Oil has two primary purposes. First is to lubricate the rotating assembly (crankshaft, connecting rods, valvetrain, etc). Second and lesser known, it is the job of the motor oil to cool the rotating assembly.
Why should you use synthetic oil?
- It flows better.
- It lubricates better, leading to less wear. Less wear means your engine retains compression better. More compression means more consistent power delivery. There have been case studies where high mileage motors running synthetic oil (200k+ miles) were torn down to find that the insides were spotless and showed minimal wear.
span>- It transfers heat better which in turn keeps operating temperatures down.
- It has detergents that cleans the inside of the engine. Cleaner passages means better oil flow. More flow means lower temperatures and less wear.
- It has a superior thermal threshold - does not cook under high heat like regular petroleum oil can.
- Can be changed every 6k to 10k miles instead of 3k.
For turbocharged cars, synthetic oil is mandatory. As exhaust gases flow through the turbocharger, it becomes extremely hot. While the engine is running, oil is circulated through the unit to keep it lubricated. Once you shut off the engine, the oil stops flowing. Whatever oil that is still in the turbo will cook in the heat (sometimes surpassing 500F even after the engine is off). Conventional motor oil will "coke", or become tough deposits that will eventually block oil flow to the turbo, subsequently killing it. Synthetic oil will maintain its viscosity at these temperatures.
One more thing regarding synthetic oil: Make sure you use it after the first couple of oil changes (once your engine is broken in). Doing so too late in the lifetime of the engine will cause various oil leaks as seals become swollen and the detergents in the oil clean away the sludge (that had been inadvertently keeping the oil from leaking). Rule of thumb, switch and switch early. Once you switch, don't switch back.
Rule #8. A clean engine is a happy (and powerful) engine.
You want the inside of your engine to be clean - spotless is even better. Any internal surface that’s covered in crud impedes flow (oil, fuel, air), creates friction, and in severe cases causes detonation and preignition (more on that later). There are three ways deposits form in your engine: combustion byproduct, oil contamination, and intake contamination.
A. Dealing with combustion byproduct buildup:
Over time, a layer of carbon builds up on the tops of the pistons and intake valves. The longer these deposits have to accumulate, the harder they are to clean. Left untreated, the engine will develop light pinging at first and eventually CEF (catastrophic engine failure) when detonation occurs under load.
As load increases on an engine, heat increases. Under these conditions, carbon deposits develop hot spots and will cause preigniton, which is when the air/fuel mixture combusts before its supposed to. Imagine riding a bike. When your foot is past the top of the pedal stroke - say around 2 o'clock, you apply force straight down to provide power. Now imagine if you applied power to your stroke when it was at 10 or 11 o'clock. Ouch! Do that hard enough and often enough and soon you will wear out your knees. In your engine, the equivalent of your knees are the rod bearings. Once these give out, your connecting rods will come loose (usually under load, at several thousand RPM) and usually come out the side of the block (Catastrophic Engine Failure). Furthermore, modern automotive computers read input from a knock sensor, which is sort of like a little microphone bolted to your engine block that will pick up signs of detonation. When it detects knocking or pinging, it will retard timing until the knocking goes away. This will result in drastically reduced power output. With high strung turbocharged motors, the computer probably won't be able to retard timing enough and sooner or later you will be picking up pieces of your engine off the side of the freeway.
Using a quality fuel system cleaner (the kind you dump in your gas tank) 500 miles before each oil change starting from day one will keep your combustion chamber nice and clean. You'll have to do some research to see which ones work best. I personally use Chevron Techron concentrate or Gumout concentrated fuel system cleaner. I also recommend changing your fuel filter every 10,000 to 15,000 miles to keep the gunk from getting into your engine in the first place.
B. Dealing with oil contamination
After long periods, combustion byproducts invariably make their way into your motor oil. As your oil becomes contaminated it loses its ability to lubricate properly and becomes slightly corrosive in nature. Furthermore, it begins to develop sludge that blocks oil passageways.
If you run a good synthetic motor oil and change it regularly, you shouldn't have to worry about this much. The detergents in the oil will keep things spic and span.
C. Intake contamination
The two main contaminants in your intake tract (the path that air follows on its way into your engine) is dirt and oil. The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system on your engine vents excess oil fumes into your intake tract to be recombusted, thus lowering emissions (vs. just venting the fumes into the atmosphere). In the majority of cars, there is a hose that runs from the PCV valve (usually on the valve cover) to your intake piping. Over time, these fumes will leave a nasty coating of dirt and oil on the inside of your intake tract, which gums up all the passageways where air can flow (that's bad).
To prevent this from happening, install a simple PCV catch can. It’s just a baffled container that you install inline to the PCV outlet hose. Inside is a baffled box with many convoluted surfaces that will trap the oil in the fumes. Installation is straightforward -usually a couple of cuts to your existing PCV hose and mounting of the catchcan itself. Your car may vary so please do research on installing one on your particular vehicle before proceeding. Expect to spend between $30 to $50 for a decent catch can.
If you've made it this far, then you're well on your way to save your ride from a fate worse than death. In part two, we'll cover a few warnings and some more general no-brainers.
The rest of this series:
10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 2 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 3
Thursday, October 4, 2007
When the 2JZ fails to please - 2UZ V8 Twin Turbo Swap
Ditching the legendary 2JZ-GTE on a fourth gen supra is tantamount to sacrilege. Might as well repaint a brand new Ferrari or replace Chuck Norris on Walker Texas Ranger. User Cowboy Bebop on SupraForums decided that the 3.0 liter straight six wasn't going to cut it. Sourcing a 4.7L 2UZ V8 from what appears to be a Tundra, our would-be apostate is slapping on twin hairdryers and shoehorning it into a 97 MKIV supra. Click on the link for more pics of his build.
E92 M3 Driving Experience
Only in Germany. DinanDriver on Bimmerpages posts a plethora of snaps featuring our favorite new bimmer gracing the wet asphalt in mass quantities. Apparently if you're a prominent who's-who in the automotive world, you probably received an invite to this event. (They must have sent mine to the wrong address). Multiple lapping sessions on a wet racetrack? Check. Every generation of M3kind out for display? Check. Four liter v8 on a pedestal for all to ogle? Check!
Engine pics after the jump. (tons of images at bimmerpages)
400hp, 4.0 liter V8 - Holy specific output, Batman!
Eight - count 'em eight individual throttle bodies
Equal length stainless headers
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