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Showing posts from September, 2018
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Ferrari "SUV" Coming in 2022

Yep, it'll have four doors, more ground clearance, and AWD. No, it's not an SUV or a crossover. Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri said during an interview conference last week: "I abhor seeing SUV in the same sentence as Ferrari. It just doesn't sit well with our brand and what it represents." He refused to call it an SUV or a crossover. So what is it? Well, it's code name Purosangue, meaning Pure Blood, in case you're worried it will be anything but a Ferrari. He apparently wasn't even on board with the idea at all, until he saw the internal design. That bodes well, although not much is known about the looks. Drawing inspiration from the GTC4Lusso is probably a safe bet. The GTC4Lusso (pictured) is Ferrari's only current car that has AWD and 4 seats, although it's only got two doors and doesn't have room for much else. It is basically a shooting brake of a 2+2 GT car and packs a Ferrari V12 under the hood. Although the GTC4 is technical

2007 Saleen Mustang S281 SC Super Shaker Track Review

"Who's your green student today?" asked a friend and instructor at the BMW Club Atlantic Advanced Driver Training (HPDE) weekend in June this year. I said: "The Saleen." The response was: "Oh, boy." Mustangs, generally, have a reputation for being more power than chassis. Mustang drivers have quite the reputation for.. how to put this nicely? Taking advantage of said power/chassis imbalance. To make matters worse, this particular Mustang was a supercharged Saleen, with a honkin' Shaker scoop sticking out of its hood. Did I mention it was also a convertible? And the owner was someone who's never been on track before but clearly has the speed bug. Having had a Mustang for years and driven a few on track, they don't scare me - generally speaking - but the combination of being convertible and supercharged with a new and excited owner worried me a little. Nevertheless, I shrugged it off and got excited about chatting with the owner to find

Toyota Supra Lineup to Include BMW 4-cylinder Turbo

Lexus LFA had an engine co-developed and built by Yamaha. It arrived preassembled to Lexus to bolt in the LFA. Toyota 86 has an engine from Subaru, with the only exception (I believe) is the direct injection system. It turns out that the Supra will, again, follow in the current Toyota tradition of not developing sports car engines, because it will source them all from BMW. I have read previously that the Supra will use the straight six, turbo engines from BMW (the current version is the B58). It now turns out that the Supra will also offer 4 cylinder entry level engine options from, you guessed it, BMW. The 4 cylinder, turbo B48 engine makes 255 hp and 295 lb-ft torque in the 3-series, although it will make slightly more in the Supra, according to an internal document from transmission manufacturer ZF.  The document shows that the very popular ZF 8HP eight speed auto will be paired with the BMW B48 4 cyl turbo in the Supra, where it will make 262 hp, slightly more than t

Lamborghini Aventador LP 770 SVJ sets new 'Ring Lap Record

As a very competitive person and self-proclaimed track rat, I care about performance numbers and lap times.. probably a little too much. Now, I always take manufacturer Nürburgring lap times with a grain of salt, but that has never stopped me from absolutely loving seeing different manufacturers go at it or being fascinated by new (seemingly impossible) "production" lap records. The most recent record breaking run comes from Lamborghini, with its highest performing Aventador yet; the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. The lap time? 6:44.97, over 2 seconds (2.28) quicker than the last record holder, the 911 GT2 RS with a lap time of 6:47.25, which held the record for almost a year. The Aventador LP 770 (770 metric hp) Superveloce Jota (SVJ), makes 759 hp vs 730 hp in the standard Aventador - the LP 740 (740 metric hp), or 739 hp in the previous top-dog Aventador, the LP 750 SV. Other improvements include lighter weight bringing curb weight down to approx. 3,362 lb. according to L






Does An Aftermarket Grille Really Increase Airflow?
I put a Saleen S281 grille to the test to answer that question.

Stock Suspension S197 Mustang With Square 305/30/19's
What you need to fit a proper size square tire setup.

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track
What you need to know about how they put power down and pros and cons.

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?
A comparison between Schumacher's and then team mate Herbert's data.






Cayman GT4 Track Review
The first Cayman with proper (911-challenging) power.

Is an EcoBoost Mustang any good on Track?
Two days at the track in a Mustang short 4 cylinders.

2016 BMW M4 DCT Track Review
It's quick (properly quick). But is it fun?

Can a stock Golf Diesel handle a Track Day?
Not your every day track beater.




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GTR vs Evo X vs STI: which has the best AWD system?

A few weeks ago, I made a post explaining  mainstream AWD system types and how they compare , pros and cons, etc. including some simple diagrams to show where the power goes and how much. As promised, this post will focus on specific cars and what AWD systems they use, especially ones that that have more or less been defined by their AWD systems, and the best place to start may be with a bombshell; the Nissan GT-R. Nissan GT-R (R35) The GT-R has built a reputation around having monster traction and very approachable performance, thanks to its AWD system - Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) - and what it can do for you. But the GT-R doesn't actually use the most mechanically sophisticated type of AWD systems discussed in the previous article, namely a "true" AWD with a centre differential. Instead, it uses a clutch pack to transfer power. RWD-based clutch-type AWD schematic - Rams Eye The Track Guy © The R32, R33, and R34 Sky

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track

SADOKIST's (eSports Host) E46 BMW M3 GT3 Race Car - Kevin Doubleday © Over the years, I've found that limited slip diffs (LSD's) are some of the least appreciated performance parts you could get (or upgrade) for a car. LSD's make a big difference, though, because they can vastly improve how early you can get back on the power and, therefore, how good your corner exit is. That last bit is very important if you're driving on track and want to get a good lap. You don't have to just take my word for it, though. F1 royalty Sir Jackie Stewart puts an emphasis on the importance of corner exit. When Captain Slow was sent to him to cut 20 seconds off his lap time (Top Gear Season 8 - Episode 5), Sir Jackie told him: "the exit of the corner is FAR more important than the entry of the corner, with regards to smoothness." Sir Jackie Stewart coaching James May in a TVR Tuscan - Top Gear Season 8 Episode 5 You really need to nail the exit. And to get a

Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

Last year, I picked up a 2009 Lancer Ralliart to do a long term test with it as a dual duty track/daily. One of the first things I knew I was going to do was put a decent set of tires on it. The car came without OEM wheels which was actually good because I didn't have to hesitate about getting a good set of aftermarket wheels to support going wider. Thankfully, my friends at YST Auto Halifax  set me up with a great set of Superspeed RF03RR wheels. The Wheels I had never even heard of Superspeed but I trusted the good folk at YST Auto who mentioned some customer cars running on track with them. These wheels are rotary forged which is basically a prerequisite to be taken seriously in this market populated by companies like TSW and Fast Wheels. The wheels looked like a high quality, well finished wheel and each had a "QC" check sticker on. Just for appearances? Maybe, but I found no defects. The wheels seemed easy to balance (didn't need many weights) and at 18.1 lb. f

Limited Slip Differential Types Compared

BMW M2 equipped with an eLSD - BMW © A few weeks ago, I posted about traditional clutch-type limited slip diffs (LSD's) and how they work. You can read about those in the previous post: How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track . But as you might know or have learned from reading the article, they aren't without their faults, which means engineers are always working to get around those limitations. You may not be surprised to learn that something like the Ferrari 488 GTB doesn't use a traditional limited slip diff, but it's not limited to super cars, far from it. Cars like the Golf GTI, the Civic Type R, various Mustangs, Corvettes, and BMW M cars, and even the Lexus RC F and GS F, all avoid a traditional limited slip diff in favour of one of these technologies. To keep things simple, I'll focus on two wheel drive vehicles. The vast (vast) majority of principles apply to all and 4 wheel drive vehicles, but there are some subtle differences that I'll