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.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
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.
Friday, October 30, 2015
The Ultimate in Motorcycle Speed
For those of you who feel that racing down a quarter mile drag strip in nine and half seconds at 150 miles an hour in car isn't good enough for you, then the alternative has arrived. This comes in the form of an exact replica of Ducati's Moto GP race bike.
Beginning in 2008, Ducati released this new bike, which was named the Desmosedici RR, would be produced at a rate of one per day. The price tag on this particular bike was set at $72,500, and for a motorcycle, that is very, very expensive. Now, to put this into more perspective, a Ferrari La Ferrari which holds the claim to the fastest quarter mile when not modified, can spring the quarter mile in 9.7 seconds and 149.1 MPH on a perfect pass. The Ducati can sprint the quarter mile in 9.4 seconds at 152.8 miles per hour without modification. In fact, there are six other motorcycles that clock in with a better time than the La Ferrari, and that goes to provide some serious street cred for these motorcycles.
Now, this bike is also built for more than just going really fast in a really straight line. This is one of the most directly tied bikes in the world to the Moto GP version. This is evident in the massive brakes, re-tuned ECU and racing inspired exhaust. This bike was built specifically for the purpose of being a fast yet manageable daily driver that could go to the track and destroy all other opponents no questions asked. The closest comparison to a car that I can think of is the old Dodge Viper ACR-X.
Beginning in 2008, Ducati released this new bike, which was named the Desmosedici RR, would be produced at a rate of one per day. The price tag on this particular bike was set at $72,500, and for a motorcycle, that is very, very expensive. Now, to put this into more perspective, a Ferrari La Ferrari which holds the claim to the fastest quarter mile when not modified, can spring the quarter mile in 9.7 seconds and 149.1 MPH on a perfect pass. The Ducati can sprint the quarter mile in 9.4 seconds at 152.8 miles per hour without modification. In fact, there are six other motorcycles that clock in with a better time than the La Ferrari, and that goes to provide some serious street cred for these motorcycles.
Now, this bike is also built for more than just going really fast in a really straight line. This is one of the most directly tied bikes in the world to the Moto GP version. This is evident in the massive brakes, re-tuned ECU and racing inspired exhaust. This bike was built specifically for the purpose of being a fast yet manageable daily driver that could go to the track and destroy all other opponents no questions asked. The closest comparison to a car that I can think of is the old Dodge Viper ACR-X.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Red Bull Rampage
The Red Bull Rampage is known to many in the growing mountain biking world as the pinnacle in free ride downhill cycling. Like many of Red Bull's sponsored events, this event is the preview to the public of an extreme sport at it's highest level.
Located annually in Virgin, Utah deep in the Rocky Mountains, the terrain that these riders experience is some of the roughest in the whole country. It takes a certain amount of skill and insanity that most everyday people would only dream of having. The setup of the obstacles and possible lines down the mountain is changing and increasing every year to allow for even more dynamic and technical rides. For those riders who go for the big air, massive jumps are littered throughout the course. The biggest of which, consists of a 72 foot canyon jump that is accessed from riding over a more than 90 degree cliff and plummeting straight down towards the ramp, which propels you over this massive cavern. Another one of the massive jumps is located on the Oakley icon send center, which sends you down a massive ramp and spits you out over a sheer cliff for nearly endless airtime.
If your dream is to defy gravity, and going to space is out of the question then I would recommend that you begin training to ride here. Nowhere else on the planet can you get as much air time as the Red Bull rampage. Check this video out here for what I am talking about and i am sue you will agree with me. Like I said, this place is crazy. Thankfully however, in the 10 year history of this event, no rider has ever died in a crash. The worst injuries sustained in this event have been a list of broken bones. Hopefully there is never a fatality, which I would imagine is the aim of every rider and every other person associated with making this event happen every year. Thanks for reading.
Located annually in Virgin, Utah deep in the Rocky Mountains, the terrain that these riders experience is some of the roughest in the whole country. It takes a certain amount of skill and insanity that most everyday people would only dream of having. The setup of the obstacles and possible lines down the mountain is changing and increasing every year to allow for even more dynamic and technical rides. For those riders who go for the big air, massive jumps are littered throughout the course. The biggest of which, consists of a 72 foot canyon jump that is accessed from riding over a more than 90 degree cliff and plummeting straight down towards the ramp, which propels you over this massive cavern. Another one of the massive jumps is located on the Oakley icon send center, which sends you down a massive ramp and spits you out over a sheer cliff for nearly endless airtime.
If your dream is to defy gravity, and going to space is out of the question then I would recommend that you begin training to ride here. Nowhere else on the planet can you get as much air time as the Red Bull rampage. Check this video out here for what I am talking about and i am sue you will agree with me. Like I said, this place is crazy. Thankfully however, in the 10 year history of this event, no rider has ever died in a crash. The worst injuries sustained in this event have been a list of broken bones. Hopefully there is never a fatality, which I would imagine is the aim of every rider and every other person associated with making this event happen every year. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Why the Lykan Hypersport is a waste.
I am sure that most of you have heard in recent car news about a new kid on the block in the hypercar world. That new kid comes in the form of an ultra-rare package of the Lykan Hypersport. Checking in at $3.5 million dollars, it definitely is the most expensive car out there, but do you really get that much car for what you pay for? Well, look at it this way, in order to pay for this car, you have to have more money in your pocket than the average MLB baseball player earns in an entire year's salary (3.2 Million, thanks to the Huffington post).
What causes such a high price tag you may ask? Let's look at some of the amenities provided by the Lykan (courtesy of W motors website). When you buy this car, you get an "exclusive heads up display" and "customizeable digital performance cluster" that gives so many different sets of data you begin to get tunnel vision from just looking at a picture of it. One of the most luxurious options you get to make in this car is you are able to select between diamonds, yellow diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds to put on titanium in your headlights. Another exclusive amenity you get is a key made out of carbon fiber, titanium and more precious stones, and you also get to choose a watch that matches paint colors with your car. The body of the car is entirely made up of carbon fiber for weight reduction, powered by a Porsche derived flat six engine with twin intercooled turbos paired with a six speed sequential transmission, or a seven speed dual clutch transmisssion. The max horsepower is 780 horsepower and 708 Lb/ft of torque and it weighs just over 3,000 pounds.
Now, the interior does feature lots of carbon fiber, just like many other cars in the same class as the Lykan, but after that, things go downhill. There is nothing very spectacular about the rest of the interior. In fact, it looks downright boring. Instead of beautiful leather inserts or other unique additions like the car like in the Bugatti Veyron, or the Audi R8 (both cars that cost a significantly less amount of money might i add). The dash board, door paneling, headliner and the seats look like they could have come out of a Ford F-150 with an interior redesign. Now, these are entirely customizable of course, but the options offered like gold wire stitching seem a little ridiculous.
Now, let's crunch some numbers, the most proven and dominant 6 cylinder super car on the planet is undoubtedly the Nissan GT-R. The best version of this car comes from a tuning shop called Alpha Performance. Tuned from 530 BHP and 448 Lb/ft of torque to 1,840 BHP and 1,283 Lb/ft of torque in the Alpha 16 Package, this car is the easily the king. With the cost of this car sitting at around $200,000 (possibly a little more) you could buy 17 1/2 Alpha 16 Nissan GT-R's for the same price. That amounts to over 32,200 BHP and 22,452 Lb/ft of torque. Compare that to the meager numbers of the Lykan at 780 horsepower and 708 Lb/ft of torque. If you still want to choose the Lykan over that much power, then you truly are the type of person who should buy the Lykan.
The Lykan Hypersport was built to appeal to a very specific type of person. That person is who has more money than brains and wants to be able to drive a car that costs more to purchase than private airplane (which they probably also have purchased).
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