Latest News

May 30, 2007

NHRA - SOLD ?

Well not quiet sold yet , but it looks like a deal is in the works. NHRA Pro Racing is being sold for 121 million dollars , 100 million of which is cash. NHRA will still be non profit. Kind of getting split up , something similar I guess to SCCA , and SCCA Pro racing.

http://www.nhra.com/content/news/20723.htm

The NHRA will receive approximately $121 million in total consideration, consisting of approximately $100 million in cash, approximately $9.5 million in HD Partners common stock and the assumption by HD Partners of approximately $11.5 million in debt and liabilities. In addition to retaining its non-professional racing activities and sanctioning role, the NHRA will continue to offer its membership program and publish its weekly publication National DRAGSTER. The closing of the asset purchase and related transactions is subject to stockholder approval, regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions.


The NHRA, which will remain a non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation, will retain all its non-professional racing, safety and educational activities and continue to be the sanctioning body for all NHRA racing activities, including the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Interesting boat

May 29, 2007

Test pipe

May 23, 2007

Twin entry ARC intercooler

May 22, 2007

Postcard - OE 800 is made here....

May 21, 2007

Super Street letter


Super Street published the letter I sent in about banning race cars. Eric said he had a response to me also...

Verbiage went something like -

March 2007 Issue.

How exactly can you ban race cars from Time Attack in an Unlimited class ? Most race cars compete in a class with rules that limit the amount of modifications, weights, tires, fuels. I hate to come out and sound like I am defending the GMG Porsche, but honestly their race car is a lot more mild of a car than many of the other cars that compete at Time Attacks.

We raced against GMG this year with the Skyline GT-R in World Challenge, and they were fast. The Porsche ran almost as it was raced in World Challenge. James Sofronas is a top five World Challenge driver, in a good car. In World Challenge it has a minimum weight, air restrictor, spec tire, and spec fuel. Maybe instead of banning race cars, you should ban James Sofronas, or flat 6's. Seems like a few people might be afraid of them.

Would you allow the carbon fiber bodied HKS TRB-02 to compete in Time Attack ? That car is much more radical of a car, than you have seen at any of the Time Attacks. Even the C-West carbon bodied S2000 would not be legal for most race classes.

Seriously though, Eric challenging them to a one lap battle for $1000 is a joke. In the World of $1500 entry fees, $30,000 engine rebuilds , $800 weekend fuel costs , and $2000 a weekend tire costs, $1000 might as well be a dollar. I'm sure that $10,000 might have perked James's interest a little.

If you ban race cars, then perhaps you should also ban professional race car drivers. The GMG car isn't just fast because its a setup race car, its fast because the driver is fast. The car is naturally aspirated, on a Toyo RA1 DOT tire, with a H pattern gearbox. The Cyber Evo tuner car was still faster, and it sets a lofty goal to go after. The XS R32 was on a 305 R compound tire, 600-800 hp, Holinger sequential transmission, with a professional driver was still not as fast as the naturally aspirated Porsche on a DOT tire.

The Time Attacks have always been a fun mellow event to go to. Not too high pressure, just a good time. Let Unlimited class stands as it stands, an unlimited class. Wouldn't it be more of an accomplishment for someones tuner car to be faster than a race car ?

Titanium Exhaust for R32 GT-R

Ti is nice

This was a really nice exhaust. Super high end. Sounded great. very light.  This ended up on the R32.4

Full titanium exhaust for an R32 GT-R. This is no Tomei

Our friend Ben

not as lucky as I'd like

Bounced off a Titan...trailer ball to license plate. Not any real damage.

Toys... I don't have enough money for the real ones

LA

May 18, 2007

1985 Toyota Corolla - AE86 coupe - FOR SALE

4AGEC. AE86 Flatblack. Pimp 5 star wheels. Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr seat covers.

In all seriousness. 160,700 miles. Power steering ,Air conditioning, Cruise control , Hardtop(no sunroof). Dash is cracked in several spots. Paint is flat black. Just replaced distributor cap and rotor. Front and rear seats need some help.

SOLD, SOLD , SOLD


tyndago@gmail.com

$7800 - 252k miles - 85 GT-S Coupe - Autotrader

$5500 - 155k miles -86 Toyota Corolla

Joshs car back

Joshs car was stolen from RB and just came back. Missing lots of weird stuff... Steal dash trim, leave Nismo wheels and S15 seats

May 13, 2007

Multimedia message

May 7, 2007

Lightbulbing over S14's

Bye Bye R33

Slower Traffic Keep Right




If you are driving in the left most lane, and there is a car right behind you , then you are slower than them. This means you should move to the right. Over 700 miles the last two days, the concept seems to be novel to people. Even if you are traveling the "speed limit", if there are 15 cars stacked up behind you, then you are slower, you need to move to the right.

When bumping is declared legal on the roads, I will be turning a few left lane pylons around.

http://www.slowertraffickeepright.com/

http://www.leftlaneidiots.com/

Nissans Next Maxima to be a true four door sports car.

Short of the 350Z, Nissan's flagship vehicle is the Maxima. Over the years,the Maxima grew from the brand's mainstay midsize fighter to a near full-size luxury sedan with a bit of sporting flair. This growth was mostly derived from the past two generations of Altima, which essentially took the place of the Maxima and stole the show with its impressive performance and affordable price. However, Nissan wants to put the Maxima back on track as its headlining sedan, with a bold new look and greater emphasis on its performance heritage. The new car is scheduled to arrive in 2009.

Though more recent Maximas had more power and racier looks, enthusiasts often recall its third generation most fondly. Between 1989 and 1994, this particular generation in "SE" trim set the bar in this segment for sportiness and performance. It was available with a five-speed manual, turbine-style alloy wheels, white faced gauges, limited slipdifferential and sports tuned suspension, and was adorned with a little sticker that read "4DSC", which is short for 4-Door Sports Car. This is the attitude that Nissan wants to instill into the next generation Maxima, but they're going to change things up with a daring new exterior.

Described by a Nissan insider as, "Unlike anything we've ever done before", this new Maxima will be more aggressive than ever, and will feature a coupe-like shape, similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The car will also draw from the Z and the forthcoming GT-R in order to strengthen links to these performance machines. It'll be interesting to see what results, as the current Maxima is a pretty daring looking vehicle on its own, and its curved, low roof line could arguably be described as coupe-like.

The car will most likely be shown first as a concept vehicle this winter alongside the production-ready GT-R and a new version of the Z in celebration of the brand's 50th anniversary.

One question that enthusiasts have already started asking is whether or not the new Maxima will go rear-wheel drive, like the original Datsun 810 and the first Maximas. While this would make a tasty treat to battle Pontiac G8s and Chrysler 300s with, it will most likely stay a front-wheel drive vehicle in order to keep it from eating into the sales of Infiniti's entry-level, rear-drive G35 sedan.

Besides the legendary VQ-series engine, it's also worth noting that this brand new Maxima will be the car to debut Nissan's brand new Alliance turbodiesel engine.

Automobile.com

I think I might know some people involved with this one at Nissan. Good to hear. Just always wonder how the general public will accept it. Most people buy their Camrys and Corrollas like refrigerators- white, off-white, or almond.

May 6, 2007

Peter Conrad Cameron

Peter Conrad Cameron
Orange County Register | 5/4/2007.

Cameron, Peter Conrad, 55, of Newport Beach, passed away suddenly on Sunday April 29, 2007. Beloved son of Gwen, and the late Teddy of New Zealand. Survived by his wife, Marie; daughters, Ashleigh and Brittany; and young son, Teddy. Also survived by his sisters, Julia (Rex), Lauree (Ken), and Briar (Michael); and his nieces and nephews. He was an energetic entrepreneur, with a gregarious personality and zest for life -an instant friend to all that met him. Visitation, Sun. May 6, 4-7 p.m., Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Dr, Corona del Mar. A celebration of his life will be held at Pacific View on Monday May 7 at 2pm, followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Peter Cameron Memorial Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, P.O. Box 3488, Portland, OR 97208, for the care and education of his children. Pacific View Mortuary.

May 4, 2007

PAE haircuts and oil changes

Modified Magazine Coverage Nopi Phoenix

May 3, 2007

New GT-R still testing at Nurburgring

Auto Express puts up a couple of new photos and some information.

They say lapping at 7:15 seconds - 110mph average. Maybe thats the short course, I doubt its doing that on the full course. That would be about 13 seconds faster than a Porsche Carrera GT. Probably close to the GT2 time of 7:46. Nurburgring lap times

GOVERNMENT CLAMPS DOWN ON HID CONVERSION KITS

GOVERNMENT CLAMPS DOWN ON HID CONVERSION KITS
NHTSA Does Not Recognize “For Off-Road Use Only” Disclaimer

As SEMA has reported in the past, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is targeting high-intensity discharge (HID) conversion kits for enforcement actions.

The NHTSA has concluded that it is impossible to produce HID conversion kits (converting a halogen system to HID) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The noncompliant kits frequently include a HID bulb, a ballast, an igniter, a relay and wiring harness adapters. The NHTSA believes this equipment presents a safety risk to the public since the kits can be expected to produce excessive glare to oncoming motorists. In one investigation, the NHTSA found that an HID conversion headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800%.

Halogen equipment uses an electrical current to heat a metal wire coil filament to incandescence, while the HID conversion kit’s light source incorporates a discharge arc to produce light. HIDs require a ballast for operation. Under FMVSS No. 108’s Section S7.7 (replaceable light sources), each replaceable light source for headlamps must be designed to conform to the dimensions and electrical specifications for the headlamp source it is intended to replace. For example, if an HID kit is marketed as replacing an H1 light source, then it must match the H1’s wire coil filament size and location, the electrical connector size and location and the ballast design for use with an H1 light source (which is impossible since there is no ballast). Consequently, companies that are manufacturing HID light sources (e.g., D1S, D1R, D2S, D2R, 9500, etc…) with incandescent light source bases (e.g., H1, H3, H7, H8, H9, H11, H13, HB1, HB2, HB3, HB4, HB5, etc…) should be aware that this light source design would not be one that conforms to FMVSS No. 108, and could not be imported and sold in the United States without violating Federal law. (The importer is treated as the manufacturer and subject to the same fines and penalties that apply to a domestic manufacturer.)

The NHTSA has also determined that a commonly used disclaimer “for off-road use only” has no legal meaning and is not recognized by the agency as the manufacturer, importer and retailer are not in a position to control use once a product has been sold. Any equipment offered for sale which is covered by FMVSS No. 108 (headlamps, taillamps, side markers, etc.) must comply with the standard.

On a related topic, the NHTSA has also stepped up enforcement against restyled combination lamps that are missing required functions existing on the original-equipment lamps. This would include replacement front- or rear-combination lighting equipment that do not have a required reflector, amber or red light, “DOT” marking or mismarked wattage. The issue is the same: any equipment offered for sale which is covered by FMVSS No. 108 must comply with the standard.

SEMA published an article in the October 2006 edition of SEMA News which provides more information on how lighting equipment is regulated by both the federal and state government: http://sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=55913. SEMA is working with the NHTSA to ensure that the aftermarket lighting industry’s perspective is heard and, simultaneously, to remind its members to obey the current rules of the road. In this fashion, our SEMA members can offer a full range of cutting-edge, compliant motor-vehicle lighting products. For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA article - http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=57289

A little bit interesting. I wonder what other "For off road use only" items the NHTSA might try and clamp down on.

NEW TECHNOLOGY SHIFTS ENGINE CRANKSHAFT WITH ELECTRIC MOTOR

NEW TECHNOLOGY SHIFTS ENGINE CRANKSHAFT WITH ELECTRIC MOTOR

According to a recent WardsAuto.com article, FEV Engine Technology, Inc. is continuing its efforts in the development of a variable compression ratio (VCR) system for use with turbocharging and direct gasoline injection. FEV is an independent engine and powertrain systems research, design and development company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. The company’s pursuits are described “as means to exemplify the gasoline engine’s relevance in the face of advancements in alternative powertrains,” according to the article.

At the 2007 SAE World Congress in Detroit, FEV showcased its latest development: a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that has V8 power accompanied by V6 fuel economy. The engine accomplished this by meshing VCR technology with flexible-fuel operation. Robert Last, vice president, operations for FEV, said that the VCR engine will achieve diesel-like efficiency when running on E85.

The WardsAuto.com article states that the “VCR system operates by actuating an electric motor to move the centerline of the crankshaft up or down about 0.2 inches.” This allows the compression ratio between the pistons and cylinder head to be varied from 8:1 to 16:1. Torque loss at the engine’s output shaft is eliminated due to the placement of couplings at both ends of the crankshaft.

According to Last, the engine’s ability to change the internal operating parameters is what allows for better fuel economy—gains of up to 25% when running on E85. E85 has a higher octane rating than gasoline, allowing for the engine’s compression ratio to increase significantly under full load without any premature combustion, aka “piston knock.” Compression can also be reduced under light-load situation, putting less strain on the engine.

One of the advantages of the engine over alternative fuel powertrains is improved fuel economy. The varying compression range overcomes the lower energy density of E85 and other alternative fuels. Another advantage is the fact that the integrated sensors and controls used for determining the alcohol content of the fuel, as well as the fuel injection and turbocharging systems, are existing technologies. The VCR engine is expected to cost more than a conventional gasoline engine, but less than a diesel.

Robert Last notes that FEV’s efforts do not represent a “war” between gas and diesel engines. Rather, “they both are complementary toward reaching the same goal,” says Last. He also suggests that alternative fuels should be made of biomass that has no other purpose, so that ethanol production does not drive up the cost of corn and potentially contribute to food shortages. “The key to our (energy) sustainability is the conservation of existing fuels,” he states.

Source: Sutton, Mike. (April 25, 2007). “FEV Advances With Variable Compression Ratio Gas Engine.” WardsAuto.com. Retrieved April 25, 2007 from www.wardsauto.com.

SEMA - SEMA article

May 2, 2007

Panda costume - Ebay


Just what everyone needs. A Panda suit.

Ebay Panda costume

At $1045 it might be a little expensive for one time use. Altough this way you can dress up as Sexual Harrassment...Panda. Or Don't Sue People Panda.

Another one this ones a little less expensive $185. Digging their photos.

Ebay Panda2

Corvette SS - Blue Devil - Z07


http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4216244.html

650 hp . Enough to top the new 600 hp Viper. Supercharged and costing near $100,000. There are hints of lots of carbon fiber to take the already light Z06 to extra light for the Z07....SS....Blue Devil...

May 1, 2007

Old racecar wheels

Funny meeting you here