Grassroots Upset At The 2011 RallyCar Sno*Drift Rally

Grassroots Upset At The 2011 RallyCar Sno*Drift Rally »

More than living up to its name, Sno*Drift Rally is the only winter rally on ...
Inside The New 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC [Specs]

Inside The New 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC [Specs] »

Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team recently debuted the Fiesta RS World Rally Car. The ...
Inside The Mini Countryman WRC [SPECS]

Inside The Mini Countryman WRC [SPECS] »

Based on the production Mini Countryman, the MINI WRC is a 1.6-liter turbocharged, all-wheel drive ...
Inside The Borg Warner EFR Turbocharger

Inside The Borg Warner EFR Turbocharger »

Borg Warner fashions the EFR turbine housing out of cast stainless steel, a material that ...
Dyno Test – 13whp In A Bottle – RSR RAN UP Oil Additive

Dyno Test – 13whp In A Bottle – RSR RAN UP Oil Additive »

As RSR tells it, nano technology is basically a dispersion of certain elements to a ...
Porsche Debuts 563hp 918 RSR Concept

Porsche Debuts 563hp 918 RSR Concept »

Powering the 918 RSR Concept is an “updated” 563hp, 10,300RPM V8 engine, based on the ...
Latest in “Tech”
Inside The Borg Warner EFR Turbocharger

Inside The Borg Warner EFR Turbocharger

Borg Warner fashions the EFR turbine housing out of cast stainless steel, a material that provides the benefits of low weight, excellent crack resistance, and smooth inner surfaces

June 1st, 2011 | Filed under Featured, Tech | Read More »

Dyno Test – 13whp In A Bottle – RSR RAN UP Oil Additive

Dyno Test – 13whp In A Bottle – RSR RAN UP Oil Additive

As RSR tells it, nano technology is basically a dispersion of certain elements to a nano scale level by lasers and chemical reaction methods.

May 20th, 2011 | Filed under Featured, Parts Reviews | Read More »

Turbo Engine Tech 101 – What Is Wheel Trim and A/R Ratio

Turbo Engine Tech 101 – What Is Wheel Trim and A/R Ratio

When discussing the spool-up and high-end flow characteristics of a given turbocharger, the term “wheel trim” may pop up. If you’re in the market for a turbocharger upgrade, comparing new units, or are planning your own backyard DIY turbo kit, you’re bound to run across wheel trim.

May 10th, 2011 | Filed under Featured, Tech | Read More »

Piston Tech – Build A Forged Turbo Engine The Right Way

Piston Tech – Build A Forged Turbo Engine The Right Way

There is a good deal of engineering attention showered on pistons, especially those specifically designed for turbocharged engines. Most turbo pistons provide a lower static compression ratio (about 8.5:1 to 9.0:1) than your OEM piston.

May 5th, 2011 | Filed under Featured, Tech | Read More »

Review – Nismo SR20DET Reinforced 6-Speed Transmission

Review – Nismo SR20DET Reinforced 6-Speed Transmission

The Holy Grail for SR20DET owners is a true six-speed transmission. The promise of shorter gearing and an overdrive 6th for freeway cruising is sometimes just too good to pass up.

July 13th, 2010 | Filed under Featured, Parts Reviews | Read More »

Review – Nismo GT LSD Pro For Nissan 240SX/Silvia

Review – Nismo GT LSD Pro For Nissan 240SX/Silvia

The GT L.S.D. Pro features an externally adjustable initial torque setting. With this capability, the LSD can be set trackside to compensate for power, tires or even the difference between a drift day and a track day.

July 2nd, 2010 | Filed under Featured, Tech | Read More »

Inside A Formula One Racecar Steering Wheel

Inside A Formula One Racecar Steering Wheel

On race weekends, each driver will have a minimum of three steering wheels available so there is always a spare on hand should there be any issues. That’s more than $120,000 in steering wheels alone.

June 24th, 2010 | Filed under Featured, Tech | Read More »

Dyno Test Review – SPEC Mini Twin-Disc Clutch Kit

Dyno Test Review – SPEC Mini Twin-Disc Clutch Kit

Like a good set of tires, drivetrain is an often-overlooked area of car tuning. Many obsess over blowers, exhausts and wheels but when it comes time to get that project buttoned up, the cheapest clutch kit is usually shoved in.

June 22nd, 2010 | Filed under Featured, Parts Reviews | Read More »

Tested – DEI Reflect-A-Gold Thermal Heat Barrier Tape

Tested – DEI Reflect-A-Gold Thermal Heat Barrier Tape

After waiting for the temperature sensor to normalize back to 83-degrees F, we completed another 20-second burn cycle at the same distance. Our new ending temperature was now 95-degrees F. That’s a 54% reduction in heat.

April 25th, 2010 | Filed under Parts Reviews, Tech | Read More »

Making Dry Autoclave Carbon Fiber With K&N

Making Dry Autoclave Carbon Fiber With K&N

Carbon fiber is one of the most popular high-end composites currently used in the automotive industry. Racing series such as Formula One and the American Le Mans Series make generous use of the material for body and chassis construction.

March 5th, 2010 | Filed under Tech | Read More »

Review – Nitto NT05 Tires

Review – Nitto NT05 Tires

The NT05 is Nitto’s latest maximum performance offering. With a low UTQG rating of 200, it’s matched up against the usual SCCA Street Touring standouts like the Falken RT-615, Yokohama Advan Neova, Toyo R1R, Hankook RS-3 and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1.

February 12th, 2010 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

Tire Tech – How To Read Manufacture Dates

Tire Tech – How To Read Manufacture Dates

Ask for the tire manufacture date and aim to buy performance tires that are at least less than half a year old. If the shop doesn’t know the manufacture date or how to check, take a look for yourself.

January 17th, 2010 | Filed under Tech | Read More »

Tire Tech – How To Read A Tire Sidewall

Tire Tech – How To Read A Tire Sidewall

Tires are simple to understand, right? They’re all black, round and made of rubber. As long as they fit around the wheel, they should be good. Not really.

January 5th, 2010 | Filed under Tech | Read More »

Review – Continental Extreme Contact DW DWS Tires

Review – Continental Extreme Contact DW DWS Tires

For the average real world driver, the Continental ExtremeContact DW provides a better balance between cost and performance and will provide more than enough grip for the street and, occasionally, the track.

December 21st, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

Review – ARD-272 5Zigen Racing Driving Gloves

Review – ARD-272 5Zigen Racing Driving Gloves

On track, our palms get so sweaty that the steering wheel and shift knob can become slippery. Being too slow to catch a tank-slapper or missing a shift because of grip, well, sucks.

December 16th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

Review – Yokohama Advan Neova Tire

Review – Yokohama Advan Neova Tire

The Yokohama Advan Neova tire displayed high grip and sharp steering feedback on track, especially through the very quick Turn 2 (average 87 mph) and Turn 8 (average 119 mph) areas.

October 9th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

Review – Toyo R1R Tires

Review – Toyo R1R Tires

Toyo sells other tires for those purposes that are both quieter and longer lasting. The R1R is an r-compound racing tire disguised as a DOT street tire. But if you’re interested in putting every last bit of power down to the ground or autocross in the SCCA’s Street Touring class, then please read on.

August 20th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

How To – Cheap DIY Chassis Stiffening Foam

How To – Cheap DIY Chassis Stiffening Foam

The stiffer a chassis is, the less it will flex when forces are applied to it, i.e. through the suspension. This means that forces from the road surface will be contained and absorbed by the suspension rather than being allowed to beat up the body shell.

August 5th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

How To – Fix Your Roll Center With Whiteline

How To – Fix Your Roll Center With Whiteline

The problem with lowering your car excessively is that the roll center is always lower than the center of gravity and will actually fall more than the center of gravity with a decrease in ride height. This is bad for steering response, handling and basically ruins the entire point of buying a lower, stiffer suspension.

July 20th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »

Review – Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT Tires

Review – Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT Tires

At the moment, it seems most tire companies just want to go to war in the performance street tire market. With outright handling records and SCCA Street Touring autocross national championships on the line, numerous tires have been released with 180 or lower UTQG ratings.

July 13th, 2009 | Filed under Parts Reviews | Read More »