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The 2013 Audi S8 - A Closer Look

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A few days ago, I made a post about about Motor Trend's test of the Audi S8. It does a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.5 seconds and goes through the 1/4 mile in 11.8 @ 118.3 mph.. very impressive numbers. Even more so when you look at a couple other cars: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S 0-60 mph: 3.5 s 1/4 mile: 11.8 s @ 118.0 mph Power: 550 hp Torque: 553 lb-ft Weight: 4,388 lb 2012 Audi R8 GT 0-60 mph: 3.5 s 1/4 mile: 11.5 s @ 125.1 mph Power: 560 hp Torque: 398 lb-ft Weight: 3,484 lb Now let's compare those to the Audi S8 0-60 mph: 3.5 s 1/4 mile: 11.8 @ 118.3 mph Power 520 hp Torque: 481 lb-ft Weight: 4,619 lb The Panamera and R8 have weight to power ratios of 7.98 lb/hp and 6.22 lb/hp. The S8? Well, that one has a weight to power ratio of 8.88 lb/hp... The identical 0-60 time of the R8 GT and S8 can somewhat be explained by their engines' way of induction. Since the R8 is NA, the torque curve probably isn't as meaty so even though it weighs a lot less an...
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Faster than A Corvette Z06? - A Closer Look

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" its test-track acceleration numbers would match the  Porsche Panamera  Turbo and embarrass a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owner." That's what Motor Trend had to say about the 2013 Audi S8 after a test. Let's get the facts out of the way first: the Audi S8 is fast.. very fast, especially for a 4,600+ lb sedan. According to their test, it gets from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and finishes a 1/4 mile in a mere 11.8 seconds @ 118.3 mph. That's impressive. Apparently, though, it's not impressive enough to attract readers so something extra had to be said. Track test acceleration numbers would embarrass a Chevrolet Z06 owner? How? I looked up Z06 acceleration numbers.. from Motor Trend tests. I found 5 different tests and all of them pull a 0-60 mph in a consistent 3.8 seconds, except for the Z06 with the Z07 package which does it in 3.7 seconds. 1/4 mile? 2 tests are at 11.6 seconds, 1 test is at 11.7, 1 is at 11.8 and another at 11.9. So out of 5 tests, the Corvette ...
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An unfortunate first post.. or is it?

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Well, I took my car in for service today because my passenger side rear tire was losing pressure. The car had been parked during the last week of October because of the bad weather. When I took the car out last week, a low tire pressure warning came on and I thought it was just because the car was parked for a week in cold weather so I simply filled up the tires and drove away. While I was filling the tires, I heard a slight "hissing" noise but I didn't think much of it and thought it was just the air compressor. The next day, the low tire pressure warning was back and I figured the hissing noise must have been coming from one of the tires. I checked tire pressure all around and one of them was down to 15 psi. Now I know I definitely have a problem. I filled it up because I had to go run some errands and drove away. I get in the car the next morning and, yes, the warning was back. I scheduled an appointment to get the tire checked because I couldn't see any damage. ...
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Well, I finally put it into gear!

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Hi everyone, my name is Mike. I am very passionate about cars and I enjoy driving to the fullest. I enjoy long stretches of highways and twisty backroads.. a late night drive and a rush hour commute.. I'm almost always up for a drive, regardless of time, place and purpose, but there are a couple of things that could ruin a drive for me; bad road manners and poor road conditions, namely broken up roads. As a result, I almost always have something to say about what happens on the road, car news and car reviews so I figured I would start blogging. I decided to start a driving blog a while back but I haven't got to it yet. I have finally put it into gear, though, so here's what to expect: I will share anything from everyday driving experiences to track driving and possibly car reviews. I will be filming while driving - using a car camera mount, not while holding the camera - and will include relevant clips along with some posts. I think this concludes my introduct...
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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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Michelin Pilot Super Sports vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 - Street Review

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I've been a huge fan of Michelin PSS tires and exclusively bought them for the Mustang over the last four years. So how did I end up here? This year, I was hugely interested in trying an "R-comp" tire. I had my eyes set on Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R's for two simple reasons: price and reputation. Although not a true "R-comp" tire on paper, it performs like one by the account of every single test and review I've read (down to wear rates...). They seem like they're easily the most affordable (from a big brand) R-comp tire and combine that with a reputation for having tons of grip, it was an easy top contender. I had my concerns, though. For one, I'm told and have read that they are an autox tire, not really designed for high speed, pressure, and temps associated with open track. For another, the Mustang is a heavy car (as far as track cars are concerned) being roughly 3,800 lb. (including driver), which will amplify the unwanted open track load...
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Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R Track Review

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2012 Boss 302 on square 305/30/19 RE-71R's at AMP - Graham MacNeil © For better or for worse, I have heard and read so much about RE-71R's. Everyone swears by the grip but complains about the wear. Generally speaking, the pros are: 1. They grip as well or better than most R comps. 2. They don't wear as quickly as R comps if driven occasionally on the street. 3. They work better in the rain than R comps. The cons were limited to overheating quickly when used on track (being an autocross tire) and wearing too fast on heavy cars like mine. In the popular 200 TW category, they are faster than the popular Hankook RS-4's and BFGoodrich Rival S's according to published Tire Rack Tests. According to plenty of reviews, they are also faster than well established R comps like R888R's (which don't seem to work too well on heavy cars anyway) and the venerable NT01's. But I was still hesitant for a while until I talked to a tire tech support gentleman...
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2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro DSG Track Review

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Before getting into this, I have to confess something... I had never driven an Audi TT before. Not until this one, anyway. But that hasn't stopped me from forming an opinion about it from the comforts of my own couch while reading and watching reviews online. After all, if you've never done that, do you even know what the point of the internet is? Now, we all interpret reviews differently. Call it confirmation bias if you will, but if you like a car, you'll read a review and look at the positives as what makes the car great and the negatives are but a few quibbles you have to live with. If you don't like a car, the positives are a few things the manufacturer got right while screwing up everything else. It's a bit harsh to put the TT in the latter category, but that's where it ended up for me... I never took the TT seriously. The problem with the TT for me isn't that it's a Golf underneath, per se. There is nothing wrong with a performance car sharing a...
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Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

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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...
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