Jonathan Lawson posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2016 3:51 PM

by Jonathan Lawson
Every car guy with a garage dreams of owning a lift, but not all of us have the room for one. Sure, there are small and even portable lift options that don’t require a ton of space, but for those times when you want full access to the underside of your car with the wheels supported, ramps are the ticket. Speaking from experience, however, I’ve never had much confidence in the plastic ramps you can pick up from chain stores, and those can cause a hassle when it comes to getting both ends of the car up, let alone the limited ground clearance they offer. Enter Race Ramps!
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, May 14, 2015 6:42 AM

by Per Schroeder
“You can look at a Pinewood Derby Race in a variety of ways. You can make your project look cool, you can make it look like your favorite car or you can make it fast. Which do you want to do?”
“I want to win.”
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 6:11 AM

by Per Schroeder
Heyward Wagner has been tasked with helping the Sports Car Club of America grow and with that comes a pretty official, yet nebulous sounding title as the Director of Experiential Programs. Just who is he and what the heck does he do?
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, February 26, 2015 11:10 AM

by Per Schroeder
If you ask anybody under thirty years of age about the sport of Rally, you’d be hard pressed to get an answer that’s doesn't include something about Ken Block. Thanks to his not-quite-rally-and-not-quite-autocross online videos, he’s mashed the two most esoteric motorsports into something that doesn’t really exist, but is now “Rally” to the masses.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, January 15, 2015 12:53 PM

by Per Schroeder
The neck-twisting grip that modern performance tires deliver was once the territory of just limited-production race compounds. Couple that delightful evolution with the rise of affordable data acquisition systems and more track-capable cars than ever before—and you just have to wonder—are we in the era where anyone can find the absolute best tire for their car? Can the hardcore enthusiast simply buy several sets of tires and figure out which brand works best for their car, track and driving style?
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 6:55 AM

by Per Schroeder
For everyone that says that the hardest part about any project is the first step, I counter with this: starting something is easy—it’s finishing the job that takes the most out of you. Automotive restoration can be thought of as a metaphor for life. There are lessons learned, problems solved—and layers of complexity that are often overlooked as we go from day to day, or task to task.
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:49 PM

by Per Schroeder
Sometimes the best roadtrips arise from happy accidents. Maybe “accident” is the wrong word choice when talking about a drive in a car, but nonetheless, random happenings make for the best trips. One such bit of randomness got me on the best roads in the country with a set of tires that needed to be worn out before they were thrown away.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, October 09, 2014 6:52 AM

by Per Schroeder
A friend of mine pointed out that that it was pretty funny that many of the houses he saw on his morning commute had a corner station in the backyard. Puzzled, I asked RJ what the heck he was talking about. "Gazebos—everyone has a prefabbed gazebo on their property it seems—that’s what a lot of race tracks use as worker stations."
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, September 25, 2014 6:32 AM

by Per Schroeder
Thanks to collector auction craze and the inevitable glut of reality shows about it, the market for classic cars has become very volatile. Many enthusiasts have been priced out of the market as values of even the rattiest of project cars skyrocket. The early Porsche 911s are the latest beneficiary—victim—of this trend, with values increasing 50 to 100 percent within the last year.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, September 04, 2014 10:41 AM

by Per Schroeder
I am wearing a Casio G-Shock watch that dates back to the late 1980s—it was one of the first models with a full stainless steel case under the thick plastic bezel. I recently purchased it online in a fit of nostalgia—it is a twin to the one that I had back in college. It’s a cheap way to relive my youth, but what’s really cool is that the watch has an aftermarket reproduction bezel. The originals are no longer available from Casio and some enterprising folks made new ones.
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 11:52 AM

by Per Schroeder
The global reveal of the upcoming 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is scheduled for September 3, 2014. The new ND-chassis has been promised to be lighter and more powerful than the current generation. Great—I can’t wait. But I speak for all sports car enthusiasts when I say this: We're out there racing and wailing on these cars every weekend. Please don’t screw this car up for us.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, July 31, 2014 7:15 AM

by Per Schroeder
Can Experience on the Race Track Make You a Safer Driver in Real-World Traffic?
The Tire Rack Street Survival School uses many of the skills and techniques used in autocross to teach new drivers how to properly control their car. The physics of vehicle dynamics, and how they can be applied safely, has made Street Survival the Ivy League of young driver education. The program has made thousands of teens better drivers—and saved more than a few lives.
Per Schroeder posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 6:53 AM

by Per Schroeder
Why would a car have a vibration at just one specific highway speed? Why do my tires feel out of balance at 68mph? We explore some reasons why this is a common occurrence.
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 6:08 AM

by Per Schroeder
Autocross is rather unique in the motorsports world, in that you can have different drivers competing in the same exact car at the same event. It’s a great test of how good of a driver you are against a real, live benchmark. Competitors can also share cars to save money, warm tires or just have fun. Co-driving an unfamiliar can teach you a lot about the sport and how to learn a new course quickly, but it also can be a great way to take a car for a test drive before you commit your cash to a project. Learn from the experts on how to make the most of your co-drive and learn a new car quickly!
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 7:36 AM

by Per Schroeder
I got a glimpse inside a garage that’s normally closed up tight along my route to work today. What first grabbed my eye was a new looking four-post lift stuffed on one side of a two-car garage. An early fifties Ford was parked next to the lift, the flat-black paint and contrasting white and red pinstripes indicated that while the owner wasn’t on my sports-car loving team, they certainly played the same game.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, May 29, 2014 5:31 AM

by Per Schroeder
Before there were car dealers, there were horse traders. Find a horse, brush it down, put new shoes on its feet and send it on the way to a new owner. Repeat as often as necessary to make ends meet. Of course, there are a lot of shades of grey between horse thief and glue salesman.
Per Schroeder posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 5:24 AM

by Per Schroeder
It takes a lot for me to admit that I’m not good at something. My inner-German just wants to attack, conquer and win at everything—work or play. I surreptitiously let my 5-year old win at Bey Blade and think to myself that I’m beating all of those other dads that are too competitive to let their sons gain confidence in life. I should probably talk to someone about this.
Per Schroeder posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:46 PM

by Per Schroeder
No, seriously, I know it’ll lap the ‘Ring in 7:25, but did you know that bumper cover is $3500?
The latest iteration of the Porsche 911 GT3 has been described as “stripped of the frivolous and prepped for track duty.” Sounds like the perfectly thrilling choice for a car guy to take to the track, eh?
Not so fast, Chief.