Entries Tagged 'general thoughts' ↓

The other night we went out to check out the underground car scene. It was kind of like bird watching, only with cars, and there really weren’t any cars.

Did I ever mention how much I love my old 1987 Toyota Corolla? Well, I do. (If you don’t care about reading my article and only care about the numbers then scroll the to bottom of the page.)

The past several month, life for Austin and I has been down right insane. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a person out there reading or checking out our web site who hasn’t experienced the craziness of life at one time or another. During this craziness, Austin somehow manged to coerce me out of my S13, 240sx, or what ever you’d like to call it. So I’ve been stuck driving my Corolla. Which it turns out I like actually better. So If your interested in an S13 email me allen@62mph.com

During the progression of time I met some fellow AE86ers’ (I guess that is what you call us… it’s a word now.) and made some new friends along the way. One of them John, who I hope at one point will get to interview and review his really sweet MR2 Spyder, works at a garage with a dyno.

A little beer, helping him put on his body panels on his MR2 and next thing I know I’m running my AE86 on the Dyno.

It was Austin, My friend Noel, John and of course yours truly. We decided to play the “Price is Right” with my Dyno numbers at which point I found out that John is a pessimist at 85 HP to the wheels. Noel was only slightly better with 90 Hp and I guessed 92 HP. Austin, Ah Austin the eternal optimist guessed 98HP.

Well with the car being pretty much stock with the exception of a TRD header, High-Flow Catalytic Converter, and an Megan under tail exhaust (I don’t recommend bad customer service and I had to get it re-welded for ground clearance.), I put down 106 HP! That exhaust kicks %^#!

Really?! The first run was 92 HP to the wheels. Looks like I was right. I would have been a little more excited to see 95 HP to the wheels but three HP is almost negligible.

But wait, I had the silencer in the muffler still and until now I’ve never ran the car with out it. So we ran the test again. 98 HP to the wheel and besides being ridiculously loud, it sounded about a hundred times better.

So if you have a silencer in your Megan Exhaust, burn it drive over it, use it for target practice but for the love of all things holy and horsepower related, never, ever, ever put that thing back in. That was an 8% gain in horsepower!

IMPORTANT: REMOVE SILENCER ABOVE!!!!

I did two more runs one, with out the P/S, A/C belt and the air box off, and one with the air box on. Check out the numbers and the sheet. I’ll post a video soon of my car on the dyno. I hope this is a good base line for AE86ers’ trying build their cars. I’ll be dyno-ing again when I can afford some more up-grades. (Hint, Hint manufactures of performance parts.) Who knew 100 HP could be so exciting… (See Stats Below, All done on SAE)

First Run - Full Exhaust Silencer in:

91.34 HP, 88.02 ft-lbs of torque

Second Run - No Silencer:

98.39 HP, 91.14 ft-lbs

Third Run - No Silencer, No Air Box, No A/C, PS belt:

106.25 HP, 96.76 ft-lbs

Forth Run - No Silencer, No A/C, PS Belt:

103.38 HP, 93.64 ft-lbs

For the past couple of months, while I have been waiting / trying to get my bike fixed, I have been borrowing Allen’s 240sx. To be totally honest and totally clear, this car is pretty much rice. The paint is bad, there is a big dent in the front corner (a standard on these cars), the lights no longer go down, it has an exhaust that battles with the jets at the airpark, and it is lowered. One thing that doesn’t really count but is worth noting is that it is NOT front-wheel-drive.

It is at this point that I should also note that Allen didn’t just lower it but completely redid his suspension from the ground up and that he also added a LSD to it so it is pretty easy and ready to drift (a fun rainy day event)

While I was driving today I see a car in my rear view mirror creeping up.

I let the car pass, snap a picture with my cell phone and watch. Turns out we are both getting off at the same light. So I take another picture only slightly closer.

Then comes the fun. While I know that Allen has put a lot of work into the functioning and handling of his car, I look and sound like every Fast and the Furious Wanna-be on the road with an import car. I figure what better fun to have in North Scottsdale than to play that part a bit. So I start revving my engine a bit go through the light, and change lanes REALLY quickly to the other lane, drop a gear and tear past him only to jump back into the lane as soon as I have passed him. I am not an idiot, I wasn’t tail-gating and I certainly didn’t cut the guy off, but I made my point. I think my car is better than his Porsche. Sure enough he does the same thing only much faster and gives me a dirty look on the way. This is where I give my ‘whatever’ should shrug and look like a total jackass who doesn’t know anything about cars.

It makes me feel good to goad people buying these cars that cost like 5 times my annual salary.

Do I love the GT-3? Yeah. Do I wish I could drive one? Yeah. I just find it funny that there are people out there who drive cars like Allen’s and think they are faster than anything on the road. I also find it funny that those people bother people who pay $200,000 for a car that looks like the kind of car the Devil would drive through the canyons of Heaven.

note: For good measure I threw a picture of the GT-3 from the Porsche Site, just to show the front as well. Top image © Porsche AG

Specs:

Max. Horsepower: 415 hp at 7600 rpm
Max. torque (lb.ft.): 300 lb.ft. at 5500 rpm
Engine redline: 8400 rpm
Compression ratio: 12.0:1

Curb Weight[ lbs. / kg ]: 3,075 / 1,395
Fuel economy [ mpg ]: 15 / 22

Top Track Speed: 193 mph (310 km/h)
0-60 mph (0-96 km/h): 4.1 sec.
0-99 mph(0-160 km/h): 8.7 sec.
0-124 mph(0-200 km/h): 13.5 sec.

I’m pretty sure at this point all six of our avid followers are wondering what happened to Austin and I.  Did they fall of the face of Earth?  Did Allen wreck his Corolla, hospitalizing both him and Austin?  Or did they get abducted by Aliens and brainwashed to do the Alien’s bidding for a month until they were release back into the wild? Continue reading →

The other day was my birthday and I believe it is generally the onset of most mid-life crisis; depression, countless hours of video games, and complete discouragement as to how my life has been thus far. I want to reach for greater things, bigger things, and things that excite me. I determined that I need the ultimate vehicle for the mid-life crisis.

First off I don’t want anything blatantly over the top. I need something refined and respectable. Something that gets great gas mileage but also performs; the vehicle has to make a subtle statement.It only has to carry two people because, frankly, it is my mid-life crisis and kids don’t have to be involved.

I was thinking the new Corvette because it gets a sensible 27 miles per gallon. The Corvette is the epitome of Mid-Life Crisis solutions, but it is just not going to work for me.  I don’t like to follow trends, I like to make them. As a result the Mustang and all of it derivatives are just plain out. Don’t get me wrong, both cars are great and I wouldn’t mind owning either, but this is a mid-life crisis not high school. (There was one kid at my high school who had a Vette and several with Mustangs.)

I want a car that gives me the feeling of doing great things…like a Miata. It has two seats, a fuel efficient engine, a hideaway hard top, and it is one of the best enthusiast cars out there. Downside is that it is a…Miata. (Austin: i.e. a womans mid-life crisis car)

I’ve got it! I want a Porsche. I’ve always had a fascination with these cars since I was a child. The 911 Carrera is refined, glamorous, and subtle enough to be over shadowed by the Italian super cars and be considered particularly trendy. It has the power and excitement to keep me entertained. Not to mention, people will recognize it and know I have overcome my mid-life crisis. Of course the gas mileage is not going to be to good but who cares it is a Porsche!

But there are two problems. A) Where am I going to get the kind of money to by a Porsche? I’ll have to take out a second mortgage. B) I don’t have a house to take a first mortgage out on let alone the second.

Hmm…maybe 25 years old is too young to have a mid-life crisis? Guess I’m stuck with the Corolla for a little while.

Austin: Our little Allen is growing up.  I also had my birthday the other day (one day after) and I got a drill, but I wouldn’t mind a Porche.  I wouldn’t mind a Miata either.  I am actually in love with them.  Though not as much as the Exige.

Suzuki is leading the way in the new street motorcycles that it is releasing for 2008, and it has one of the most versatile line-ups in the industry. One of the newest additions is the “B-King” a naked sport/standard motorcycle that takes the crown on two fronts.

The first is speed.

This motorcycle has been built with the legendary Hayabusa 1340cc engine. Making this the fastest, naked bike on the planet. The engine has been re-tuned slightly so as not to take away from the Hayabusa’s title of fastest production motorcycle. In addition to the engine, the “King” is equipped with typical Hayabusa components like inverted front forks, adjustable rear suspension, and front and rear disc brakes making it not very light at 520 lbs, dry. Another thing that is not so light is the $12,899.00 MSRP.

But I said there were two things that “B-King” takes the crown for 2008 and that is the most unattractive motorcycle to date. I can’t really explain what happened between the concept that was revealed and what went into production. The concept has a more aggressive stance, looks lower and has huge wheels, where as the production “B-King” has terrible looking mirrors, wheels off of what look like a GS500F and a very upright stance. There is one feature that Suzuki did leave from the concept and that was the duel coffee can mufflers shoved under the tail. Seriously? It looks like Suzuki picked-up what was left of the meteorite from the movie Armageddon and slapped a couple coffee cans and wheels on it and called it good.

I guess if I want Hayabusa power, lighter weight, and better looks, I should stick with the sexy Hayabusa which, by the way, happens to be $900 dollars less on the MSRP then the “B-King”. The extra $900 might as well be the nails in the coffin. They should have named it “Suc-King”…

[Austin: I cannot stand the way this motorcycle looks. I disagree with Allen about concept to production changes. The concept looks better but only slightly. They both look like crap, and I am actually surprised that they brought this into production at all. The side view is one thing but from the top, the tail is HUGE. I am looking for more pictures to post on this beast. ]

I was thinking on my way to work about what I would like to have if money was never an issue. Since it is the season for gifts we figured Austin and would write our Christmas lists out and explain why we want what we want. I believe most of the stuff on my list pertains to vehicles, speed or various things having to do with elements of this site.

Allen:

1. A Red Rider Double Pump Action BB gun. Why? Duh, haven’t you seen A Christmas Story? Besides I can shoot out tires on Austin’s Sentra. And no, won’t shoot my eye out. (Austin: I grew up with one of these. Good luck killing a bird with it. It’s hard.) I’m not trying to kill a bird, just shoot out your tires…

2. This one is a triple whammy. A monster truck, Lotus Exige, and Toyota Prius. The Toyota Prius is for my sister Laura (Austin’s wife) which she will need after I demolish Austin’s Sentra with the Monster Truck, crushing it so far in the pavement that it will become a permanent fixture for everyone to look upon. That leaves the Exige, which I will drive up in and hand Austin the keys. Finally his mouth will stop hurting…

+ =

3. A Triumph Daytona 675 - Because it just looks so good I want to hang it on my wall like a piece of art. But seeing as how it is a motorcycle, I can ride it around and show it off.

4. A private race track with facility for modifying and testing cars. Seriously? You have to ask why I want this? I could do anything I ever wanted to do on my own private race track.

5. A BMW 135i - I must have one. Twin turbo straight six putting out over 300 HP and rear wheel drive. Sounds like powerslide heaven!

6. 1967 Volkswagen Bus - I always wanted one of these with a Keg-O-Rator, couch and 42 flat panel T.V. inside. Sound like a party, right? The Keg will be Four Peaks Oatmeal Stout for good times with Austin.

7. World Peace - This is on everyones Christmas list, right? (Austin: Not mine)

9. (Don’t ask about #8 my wife made me remove it.) $10,000 to put into my Corolla GT-S and an additional $10,000 to put into my 240sx.

10. To win the Lottery and purchase everything on my Grown-Up Christmas List.

Austin:

1. For reals I want to fix my motorcycle. Last year the battery died and it was really cold. Since then other problems have arisen and it has not been ridden more than 200 miles in the last year. It is sad and it hurts me to see it outside. It is an ‘01 SV 650. Allen and I are both attached to this bike.

2. A Lotus Exige. It is totally unreasonable but I want a car that I can feel uncomfortable in for a reason. I want to drive my daughter around and hear her excited laugh when we drift a turn in the coolest car in the world.

3. A Subaru STI. For some reason this stays on my list. Great function, great performance, terrible fuel consumption

4. A Gyro-copter. What better way to fly the friendly skies legally without a license. (I think, I haven’t done the research) (Allen: Is that safe? It looks like something MacGyver put together.)

5. And this is really a very desirable car for me and has been for a very long time. Every racing game I have there is an Nissan S14 Silvia (or 240sx) sitting in the virtual garage. I think they are one of the best looking RWD Nissans out there. Simply smashing. They are the painful lust of a smaller more reasonable nature.

6. For 2008, I want an HDTV and a PS3 in time for Gran Turismo 5. I am not the only one out there I am sure, but I am very excited for this to come out, but unlike the other times, the technology is missing in my house.

7. I am going to agree with Allen that if I had the means, a private track would be great. I am sure the site would improve significantly if we had a track to test stuff on.

8. A 2008 Yamaha R6. When I go to the dealership, this is the bike that I sit on and feel at home in. I love my SV, but the R6 just seems like something from the future. It is so light weight that it just feels like a natural extension of my body. Yamaha, If you are reading this, send it my way.

WRX STI

There are a number of vehicles coming out in 2008 with over 300 HP and under $40,000. What is the best? Well, I’d love to tell you but odds are unless a manufacturer gives a few vehicles to test I won’t be able to give you an honest opinion. I can only list the car and based on specification from the manufacturer and give you a best guess. I’ll try not to let my Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) bias get in the way. With the criteria established - 300 HP - under $40,000 - here I go. Continue reading →

“Kizashi!”

“Gesundheit!” That was the response I got when I told Austin about this Suzuki Concept I saw.

Suzuki is thinking about putting out a new sedan/wagon and I think it looks awesome. It reminds me of the matrix, you know, the red pill that Neo took to get to the real world. I mean that in a good way.

Continue reading →

How to Initial your D…

“Drifting” is basically defined as a controlled slide, and it can only really be accomplished in a Rear-Wheel (RWD) or All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) vehicles that are rear wheel biased. There are many techniques to accomplishing drifting around corners all resulting in oversteer. Continue reading →