A new occurrence that is staring to emerge is the number of gears in a transmission is greatly increasing due to a number of factors. These factors range from better fuel economy, to a quieter car, or a faster car, or even just a smoother ride. Whatever the case may be, I feel like too many can be a bad thing at a certain point.
Examples of where more gears present is a good thing is in somewhat larger cars that are aiming to use as little energy as possible to get from point A to B. Small econo-bots like smart cars and cubes though utilize a usually high number of gears, usually 6, but they don't use more because the weight of the extra clutch would be more parasitic to the efficiency of the car than beneficial. However, in larger cars like sedans and luxury coupes, the weight of the extra clutch isn't as parasitic on the motor, due to a higher power output. What these engineers hope to capture is easier acceleration of the car through more gears to keep the revs down as much as possible. This puts less strain on the engine and also allows for less fuel to be used.
High performance cars are also beginning to see this trend, seven and eight speed dual clutch automatic transmissions are becoming the norm for cars with ever increasing top speeds. Manuals are also not omitted from this trend, as Porsche is offering a new 7-speed manual option in some of their cars. This is in an effort to appeal to more new trends occurring in the car world today, but if you ask me, trying to manage finding the right gear in seven different slots would be a nightmare.
So, what do you think? Are more gears better? Is this a fad or do you think that this is going to become the norm?
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
What makes a lemon, a lemon?
By definition, a lemon is a car that has so many factory defects in the car that it renders itself completely unsafe and/ or unusable to the owner. Also, the cost of fixing these problems adds up to more than the car is worth, then it can be considered a lemon and is given a salvage title.
There are a few common cars that can almost always be associated with the term lemon. The most notable of these lemons is easily the yugo 45. If you were to look up the words "piece of S*#%" in the dictionary, this would be the picture next to it. What made this car so bad was a multitude of bad ideas put together. For starters, many of these cars had paneling that did not even come close to being aligned correctly. Along with this the body has been known to rust at even the hint of moisture in the air. Another thing is the interior is made out of some of the cheapest and crappiest made materials known to man. The engine and transmission were also prone to very premature and disastrous failure. The frame itself was made out of Russian hot-rolled steel, which was very weak and also very prone to rust. With tan exception to possibly only the Pinto, this was the car you least want to get into an accident with.
Ultimately, any car that has been called a lemon had been done so for very good reasons. It is almost always perfectly accurate in the predictions of the future of the car itself. So, if you hear the term lemon around a car and don't want to pour vast amounts of money into the car, then get as far away from that car a possible.
There are a few common cars that can almost always be associated with the term lemon. The most notable of these lemons is easily the yugo 45. If you were to look up the words "piece of S*#%" in the dictionary, this would be the picture next to it. What made this car so bad was a multitude of bad ideas put together. For starters, many of these cars had paneling that did not even come close to being aligned correctly. Along with this the body has been known to rust at even the hint of moisture in the air. Another thing is the interior is made out of some of the cheapest and crappiest made materials known to man. The engine and transmission were also prone to very premature and disastrous failure. The frame itself was made out of Russian hot-rolled steel, which was very weak and also very prone to rust. With tan exception to possibly only the Pinto, this was the car you least want to get into an accident with.
Ultimately, any car that has been called a lemon had been done so for very good reasons. It is almost always perfectly accurate in the predictions of the future of the car itself. So, if you hear the term lemon around a car and don't want to pour vast amounts of money into the car, then get as far away from that car a possible.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Porsche 911: the Dynasty
When you think of a small, loud and unnervingly fast car that can be used in both daily use and domination of the race track, few disagree that the Porsche 911 can be bested very often in both realms at the same time. As we see the release of the newest piece to this impressive arsenal of cars, I would like to explain what exactly makes these cars so good.
The basic concept of the entire 911 has not changed since it has first emerged back in 1963-64. That winning combination of a rear mounted flat six engine mounted in a car that has not lost its original looks, it has only modernized with more rounded edges and a more functional rear spoiler. Although underneath, the car has evolved greatly to remain at the top of the pack when it comes to performance. From the original performance 911's to the new 911 gt3 rs, they continue to be at the cutting edge of technology when they come out.
The functionality of this German engineered super car allows it to be widely purchased around the world due to it being one of the most manageable yet fast cars. Once you listen to one of these fire up, you know they are fast. Few other cars in the world have been able to create such a loyal following as the Porsche 911.
The basic concept of the entire 911 has not changed since it has first emerged back in 1963-64. That winning combination of a rear mounted flat six engine mounted in a car that has not lost its original looks, it has only modernized with more rounded edges and a more functional rear spoiler. Although underneath, the car has evolved greatly to remain at the top of the pack when it comes to performance. From the original performance 911's to the new 911 gt3 rs, they continue to be at the cutting edge of technology when they come out.
The functionality of this German engineered super car allows it to be widely purchased around the world due to it being one of the most manageable yet fast cars. Once you listen to one of these fire up, you know they are fast. Few other cars in the world have been able to create such a loyal following as the Porsche 911.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Fat tire mountain bikes
Recently, there has been a new trend that has appeared from the ranks of craft beers, big beards, flannels and cross-fit (the hipsters among us). And that new trend is to take wide tired mountain bikes (about 4 inches wide) and take them trail riding. Now originally these bikes were designed with such a wide track in order to not sink into snow when riding in the winter. These bikes were originally designed to have static frames, but some companies have moved to producing hard-tail models by modifying the designs of regular hard-tail forks and their geometry to fit the larger wheels and beefier frames.
Now, the obvious challenge about these bikes would be their weight, but this is easily solved by a reworked gear system with more low-gear ratios to aid in starting and going up hills. Another obvious challenge is the turning radius, and the answer is provided through tow solutions. The first being that with the wider tires comes even better grip on the trail, and this allows you to lean down into your turns much more than you would be able to do on a regular bike. Now, the wide tire's added grip also gives great benefits to the climbing capability, when coupled with the modified gearing of the bike. This also gives the bike a wider contact patch on all surfaces, which really comes in handy in wet and muddy conditions.
Now, I would say that unlike other trends that can pop up and then quickly fade out, i believe that this one will stay around or quite some time, This is largely due in part to the many fixes to potential challenges. faced when riding a bike like this.
Now, the obvious challenge about these bikes would be their weight, but this is easily solved by a reworked gear system with more low-gear ratios to aid in starting and going up hills. Another obvious challenge is the turning radius, and the answer is provided through tow solutions. The first being that with the wider tires comes even better grip on the trail, and this allows you to lean down into your turns much more than you would be able to do on a regular bike. Now, the wide tire's added grip also gives great benefits to the climbing capability, when coupled with the modified gearing of the bike. This also gives the bike a wider contact patch on all surfaces, which really comes in handy in wet and muddy conditions.
Now, I would say that unlike other trends that can pop up and then quickly fade out, i believe that this one will stay around or quite some time, This is largely due in part to the many fixes to potential challenges. faced when riding a bike like this.
When is too much, too much?
Well, in order for us to be able to correctly answer this question, we must first find out what the "much" is consisting of. For instance, what is too much bling for your car, or at what point is it socially assumed that your suspension compensating for other "shortcomings"?
We all have that one friend that is into chrome, in order for you to know if he has a chrome problem or not... here are a few diagnostic tips for you. Are there things that car chromed on their car that doesn't come available in a stock model of the car? For instance, it is one thing to have chromed mirrors or running boards, but when an entire A or B-pillar or a quarter panel of a car is chrome, then you may have a problem. Does he have home-made or questionably constructed "rims" that seem like they don't exactly contribute to the performance of the car and possibly take performance away from it? If he has other colors of chrome besides silver on totally unnecessary parts of the car like the hood, roof, etc... then your friend might be getting a little too close with chrome.
We are all also familiar with the stereotype of lifted truck owners. If he has a lift kit, then it's for a reason of "size compensation". Now, there are functional reasons for people to do this to their trucks and sometimes cars. If you were to be an off-road racer, for example a Baja truck racer, a lift kit or long travel suspension kit is absolutely necessary. If you were to try and race any stock truck in a Baja race then ti would destroy itself almost immediately. Another use for a lift kit is to allow for larger wheels and tires that can add much more versatility and off road capability on a day to day to day basis. For instance, a truck that is used on a ranch every day is going to need big aftermarket tires to get around on a day to day basis to get around the rough terrain of his ranch. These types of lift kits are for function.
And now, we move to the people who overly modify their cars or trucks just to show off to the extreme. One of the main forms of this can be found in lift kits. You can almost always find a guy who drives a truck with am 8+ inch lift kit on his truck, that at the same time has never been off- roading in their life. These people are a disgrace to the rest if the truck world, they spend all of this money just to not use their trucks for what they were built/ modified to do.
Another type of excessive use that we find a lot comes in the form of speakers and sound systems. If you have some aftermarket speakers and a new radio and an amplifier in your car, then good for you, you enjoy your music. But it does get crazy when every available space in the back of your car is filled to the point of bursting with sub-woofers, tweeters and everything in between. Let's just put it this way, the only reason I should hear your car before I see it, is if it has a really good exhaust and a big motor. I should not be able to feel the bass from your 4 12-inch sub-woofers crammed in the trunk from the next area code.
Now that you have read this, please remember that with great power of modification, comes great responsibility to not go overboard and end up looking like a complete and utter tool. Thanks!
We all have that one friend that is into chrome, in order for you to know if he has a chrome problem or not... here are a few diagnostic tips for you. Are there things that car chromed on their car that doesn't come available in a stock model of the car? For instance, it is one thing to have chromed mirrors or running boards, but when an entire A or B-pillar or a quarter panel of a car is chrome, then you may have a problem. Does he have home-made or questionably constructed "rims" that seem like they don't exactly contribute to the performance of the car and possibly take performance away from it? If he has other colors of chrome besides silver on totally unnecessary parts of the car like the hood, roof, etc... then your friend might be getting a little too close with chrome.
We are all also familiar with the stereotype of lifted truck owners. If he has a lift kit, then it's for a reason of "size compensation". Now, there are functional reasons for people to do this to their trucks and sometimes cars. If you were to be an off-road racer, for example a Baja truck racer, a lift kit or long travel suspension kit is absolutely necessary. If you were to try and race any stock truck in a Baja race then ti would destroy itself almost immediately. Another use for a lift kit is to allow for larger wheels and tires that can add much more versatility and off road capability on a day to day to day basis. For instance, a truck that is used on a ranch every day is going to need big aftermarket tires to get around on a day to day basis to get around the rough terrain of his ranch. These types of lift kits are for function.
And now, we move to the people who overly modify their cars or trucks just to show off to the extreme. One of the main forms of this can be found in lift kits. You can almost always find a guy who drives a truck with am 8+ inch lift kit on his truck, that at the same time has never been off- roading in their life. These people are a disgrace to the rest if the truck world, they spend all of this money just to not use their trucks for what they were built/ modified to do.
Another type of excessive use that we find a lot comes in the form of speakers and sound systems. If you have some aftermarket speakers and a new radio and an amplifier in your car, then good for you, you enjoy your music. But it does get crazy when every available space in the back of your car is filled to the point of bursting with sub-woofers, tweeters and everything in between. Let's just put it this way, the only reason I should hear your car before I see it, is if it has a really good exhaust and a big motor. I should not be able to feel the bass from your 4 12-inch sub-woofers crammed in the trunk from the next area code.
Now that you have read this, please remember that with great power of modification, comes great responsibility to not go overboard and end up looking like a complete and utter tool. Thanks!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
What is Rolling coal?
I am assuming that quite a few of you were confused when i began to talk about this new truck rend called rolling coal. First, in order to explain why it is happening, i would like to discuss what is going on in the truck to make it happen.
It used to be that seeing coal roll was limited to just massive semi trailers straining to pull massive weights up to speed. The large contributor to this happening was the fact that much more than the normal amount of diesel was being injected into the cylinders and not all of it was being ignited. Thus, the un-burned fuel exited the smoke stacks with the rest of the exhaust as a semi burned black soot.
Truck drivers all across the nation have adopted this as their new form of protest against new environmental laws that have been passes as of recent. There are kits that are able to be purchased on line that go into the computer of the truck and trick the engine into thinking that it is being deprived of fuel. When these modifying kits are paired with things like upgraded intake manifolds, larger injectors, and upgraded exhaust systems, these trucks can produce some serious soot, and power as well. Now, technically this is illegal in many states and is likely to be frowned upon in others, this doesn't stop truck drivers at all. In fact, they embrace it so much that they have begun to make clubs where local coal rollers will meet and go on cruises just to roll coal down the open road.
Now, there are some misconceptions about rolling coal that i would like to address as well. There are instances where rolling coal is a good thing. For instance if a drag racer wants to put a turbo diesel motor in their car for obvious torque advantages, then they need to be able to spool up the turbos at the line in order to take advantage of the full potential of the turbos. A result of these turbos being spooled up in a diesel motor is a lot of soot spewing from the exhaust, but the results include some of the fastest passes in drag racing for non-nitro methane cars. Another misconception is that when you roll coal, you are releasing this horrible and deadly plume of smoke with mustard gas capabilities. However the smoke is simply half or un-burned diesel fuel that escapes with the exhaust. Now I do not recommend that you plant your face in front of the nearest coal roller, but I am saying that it is not as bad as some people think.
It used to be that seeing coal roll was limited to just massive semi trailers straining to pull massive weights up to speed. The large contributor to this happening was the fact that much more than the normal amount of diesel was being injected into the cylinders and not all of it was being ignited. Thus, the un-burned fuel exited the smoke stacks with the rest of the exhaust as a semi burned black soot.
Truck drivers all across the nation have adopted this as their new form of protest against new environmental laws that have been passes as of recent. There are kits that are able to be purchased on line that go into the computer of the truck and trick the engine into thinking that it is being deprived of fuel. When these modifying kits are paired with things like upgraded intake manifolds, larger injectors, and upgraded exhaust systems, these trucks can produce some serious soot, and power as well. Now, technically this is illegal in many states and is likely to be frowned upon in others, this doesn't stop truck drivers at all. In fact, they embrace it so much that they have begun to make clubs where local coal rollers will meet and go on cruises just to roll coal down the open road.
Now, there are some misconceptions about rolling coal that i would like to address as well. There are instances where rolling coal is a good thing. For instance if a drag racer wants to put a turbo diesel motor in their car for obvious torque advantages, then they need to be able to spool up the turbos at the line in order to take advantage of the full potential of the turbos. A result of these turbos being spooled up in a diesel motor is a lot of soot spewing from the exhaust, but the results include some of the fastest passes in drag racing for non-nitro methane cars. Another misconception is that when you roll coal, you are releasing this horrible and deadly plume of smoke with mustard gas capabilities. However the smoke is simply half or un-burned diesel fuel that escapes with the exhaust. Now I do not recommend that you plant your face in front of the nearest coal roller, but I am saying that it is not as bad as some people think.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Exhaust notes:A thing of bueaty
What is that one thing that stays in your memory long after that awesome car you just saw go by that stays with you? The obvious answer is the exhaust note. Not only does it add an amazing soundtrack to the car's appearance, but it shows the hard work put into the owner or designer to create the perfect desired sound from the engine. The exhaust note is the ultimate telltale sign of the effort put into the car by the designer or owner and it shows what the car is really made of.
Different types of exhaust types are used for different types of cars. For example, if you drive a smaller city car, you are going to want an exhaust with very low sound, but still allows the car to get very good fuel mileage. The best style of exhaust for this car would be a simple single tip exhaust with a good muffler and not too many frills to affect the mileage of the car. If you drive a sportier car, and performance takes precedence over mileage, a less restrictive twin exit exhaust system is probably the best option for you. There are many different exhaust setups you can run from this, ranging from side pipes, to both exhaust tips exiting behind the car, to both on one side. Whichever you choose will provide a slightly different type of sound. Now, if you are somebody who drives something built to go off-road a lot, like a truck and you also enjoy watching un-burned diesel fuel spew from the back of your vehicles, this is the choice for you. A new trend among truck owners called rolling coal(which i will cover in another story soon) is best optimized through using massive exhaust systems. These can come in the form of larger exhaust pipes from the cat's back, or through massive semi-truck like smoke stacks. This is the ultimate form of a redneck truck. This is the guy that you can find deep in the backwoods tearing it up on a questionable blood alcohol level with his buddies.
Now, some of the greatest examples of a good exhaust note start far away from the exhaust themselves. It starts with the engine and intake systems. You will get a very different sound from a I-4 compared to a V-8 compared to a V-12. Now, most great exhaust notes begin in the rare cases of a powerful 6 cylinder. These cars include the Lotus Exige, BMW E46 M3, any Porsche, Formula 1 cars, any Nissan GT-R, and the Jaguar F-type V6 S. Many of these cars employ things like superchargers or turbochargers to greatly boost their power numbers, because there are simply not enough cylinders to make a boatload of power or sound from the block alone.
Now, as the number of cylinders increases to eight, the sound becomes much more deep, as there are more cylinders firing. in my opinion, a good sounding V-8 is the best sounding engine in the world. Some of the prime examples of this include, the Ford Mustang GT 350-R, or really, any proper mustang or muscle car for that matter, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, The Audi B8 RS4, The Audi R8 V8, Mersedes, SLS AMG, any Corvette, the old original Ford GT-40's, the Ferrari 458, the mercedes C63 AMG, any Koenugsegg, and many others. But my personal favorite V8 sound of all time would have to be this "slightly modified" ford mustang driven by drift king Ken Block. Trust me, i'm sure you will agree with me on this one.
Now, as we move on to the larger 10 and 12+ cylinder engines, a new sound emerges. It is some of a high uppity tone from a strong, quick V6, and it isnt that of the deep, brutish snarl that wants to rip your face off that you find in a V8. It is somewhat of a unique, exotic sound that is very hard to describe any other way. When you hear one of these cars, you know they mean business. The best examples include the following, The Audi S8 and R8 V10's, the BMW M6, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superlegerra, the Dodge Viper, the Lexus LFA, Porsche Carrera GT. For the V12's and up, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari F12, the Pagani Zonda R, Mclaren F1, Jaguar E-type V12, andthe legendary Mercedes CLK GTR.
As you might have seen, as the number of cylinders employed grows, the exoticness of these cars also increased. This is due in a small part to o with the fact that they wanted to be distinguished from the more ordinary sounding smaller engines. I guarantee you that you will be able to tell if a Ferrari or a Ford is going down the road just from the exhaust note.
Different types of exhaust types are used for different types of cars. For example, if you drive a smaller city car, you are going to want an exhaust with very low sound, but still allows the car to get very good fuel mileage. The best style of exhaust for this car would be a simple single tip exhaust with a good muffler and not too many frills to affect the mileage of the car. If you drive a sportier car, and performance takes precedence over mileage, a less restrictive twin exit exhaust system is probably the best option for you. There are many different exhaust setups you can run from this, ranging from side pipes, to both exhaust tips exiting behind the car, to both on one side. Whichever you choose will provide a slightly different type of sound. Now, if you are somebody who drives something built to go off-road a lot, like a truck and you also enjoy watching un-burned diesel fuel spew from the back of your vehicles, this is the choice for you. A new trend among truck owners called rolling coal(which i will cover in another story soon) is best optimized through using massive exhaust systems. These can come in the form of larger exhaust pipes from the cat's back, or through massive semi-truck like smoke stacks. This is the ultimate form of a redneck truck. This is the guy that you can find deep in the backwoods tearing it up on a questionable blood alcohol level with his buddies.
Now, some of the greatest examples of a good exhaust note start far away from the exhaust themselves. It starts with the engine and intake systems. You will get a very different sound from a I-4 compared to a V-8 compared to a V-12. Now, most great exhaust notes begin in the rare cases of a powerful 6 cylinder. These cars include the Lotus Exige, BMW E46 M3, any Porsche, Formula 1 cars, any Nissan GT-R, and the Jaguar F-type V6 S. Many of these cars employ things like superchargers or turbochargers to greatly boost their power numbers, because there are simply not enough cylinders to make a boatload of power or sound from the block alone.
Now, as the number of cylinders increases to eight, the sound becomes much more deep, as there are more cylinders firing. in my opinion, a good sounding V-8 is the best sounding engine in the world. Some of the prime examples of this include, the Ford Mustang GT 350-R, or really, any proper mustang or muscle car for that matter, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, The Audi B8 RS4, The Audi R8 V8, Mersedes, SLS AMG, any Corvette, the old original Ford GT-40's, the Ferrari 458, the mercedes C63 AMG, any Koenugsegg, and many others. But my personal favorite V8 sound of all time would have to be this "slightly modified" ford mustang driven by drift king Ken Block. Trust me, i'm sure you will agree with me on this one.
Now, as we move on to the larger 10 and 12+ cylinder engines, a new sound emerges. It is some of a high uppity tone from a strong, quick V6, and it isnt that of the deep, brutish snarl that wants to rip your face off that you find in a V8. It is somewhat of a unique, exotic sound that is very hard to describe any other way. When you hear one of these cars, you know they mean business. The best examples include the following, The Audi S8 and R8 V10's, the BMW M6, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superlegerra, the Dodge Viper, the Lexus LFA, Porsche Carrera GT. For the V12's and up, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari F12, the Pagani Zonda R, Mclaren F1, Jaguar E-type V12, andthe legendary Mercedes CLK GTR.
As you might have seen, as the number of cylinders employed grows, the exoticness of these cars also increased. This is due in a small part to o with the fact that they wanted to be distinguished from the more ordinary sounding smaller engines. I guarantee you that you will be able to tell if a Ferrari or a Ford is going down the road just from the exhaust note.
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