Rams Eye The Track Guy

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 at Tire Rack who has gone faster on RE-71R's than NT01s. In a Mustang (his own, not…

If you've had any doubts about whether or not they will fit, fear not! You absolutely can run square 305/30/19's. I had a lot of doubts before pulling the trigger, even more so when the wheels where on the car. The tires do poke out a bit and I figured rubbing is all but guaranteed at full compression but I couldn't be happier I trusted APEX and those on here who have run it.

Here's what you need:

1. Camber plates: I have MM C/C plates and they are maxed out at -2.3 deg with the stock struts. I have been running them for years with many track days without issue.

2. 1"/25 mm spacer: I have Motorsport-tech 1" spacers and they look like high quality units. There is maybe a 1/4 inch clearance in the back so you can't go any narrower than 25 mm. http://www.motorsport-tech.com/adaptec/car/ford_s and you want Design 2.


3. Elongated studs: your best bet is to get the FPP hubs with elongated studs instead of reusing the old one. Bearings are consumables anyway so…

By now, you've probably heard one of the most incredible things about the new Corvette. It isn't the mid-engine layout. It's actually the price. It will start just under $60,000 USD (and under $70,000 CAD according to GM Canada Media website). Of course, that number alone means nothing if you aren't getting something special. So the question is: what are you actually getting for $60k? Let's dive right in.


The Drivetrain

Although most publications were anticipating the new Cadillac twin-turbo V8 called "Blackwing" until recently, I predicted last October that the base engine will likely be a revised version of the LT1 V8 in the current C7 Corvette "making anywhere between 480 and 500 hp." The C8 Corvette Stingray (at least until Z versions start coming out) will be powered by a revised 6.2 litre V8 named LT2. The engine will make 495 hp and 470 lb-ft. torque with the Performance Exhaust. The base version hp isn't announced but it will likely …

The day is finally here! There have been rumours about a mid-engine Corvette being just around the corner for decades. And over the years, there has been no shortage of mid-engine Corvette concepts either, as if Chevy just wanted to keep the rumours going. This time, it's for real, though. Too much evidence of its existence including test mules and spy shots at the Nurburgring meant it was finally coming for sure.

Last year, I wrote about what we can expect to find on a mid-engine Corvette and when it may be revealed. Although I was off in my prediction of when it will be revealed (and in my defence, it was actually intended to be revealed when I predicted by a supplier issue delayed the reveal), earlier this year, Chevy confirmed that a mid-engine is coming and went as far as announcing the day of its reveal on the side of one of its test mule. That day is today, and if you're sitting at the edge of your seat, you aren't alone.

Wondering how to stay up to date and watch …

Everyone knows that these two cars are very closely related, especially diehard Supra fans which are understandably disappointed in the lack of a unique Supra. They both use the same platform, same drivetrain, and even the same tires. As we all know by now, both cars share the same BMW platform, BMW straight six engine, and ZF 8-speed automatic transmission sending all power to the rear wheels. They're both even built at the same BMW plant in Austria.

However, the engines are actually slightly different in the US, where the Z4 uses the B58B30B version of BMW's venerable 3.0 litre turbocharged straight six making 382 hp. In other (global) versions, however, it uses the B58B30C version making 335 hp. All A90 Supra's supposedly use the B58B30C, though. Since those aren't US cars, they should both be using the same version and both making the same 335 hp and weigh nearly the same, so they should be nearly equal... or are they? Carwow just went ahead and did a few short he…

If you live in Canada or the US, you'll find that plenty of people hold sacred the terms '4x4' and '4WD' to describe a 'true 4x4', where you have a butch transfer case with a low speed, perhaps a body on frame chassis, and ideally a solid axle or two. I'm not sure how that translates to the rest of the world. My extensive research into the motoring industry in Europe (which exclusively consists of watching Top Gear and The Grand Tour...) concluded that most people across the pond simply refer to any vehicle that is capable of sending any power to all four wheels as a 4WD vehicle, further muddying the waters. Where I grew up, 4x4 was more or less synonymous with 'Jeep' so that's not much help either.

However, despite all various systems attempting to do the same sort of thing - distribute power between all four wheels instead of two - not all systems are created equal, with significant differences in some cases. As a primer for a future post…