Evolution Dynamics Pikes Peak Edition Evo
By Sarah Forst & Wes Dumalski
F1 race car driver Stirling Moss once said "To achieve anything in this game, you must prepare to dabble in the boundary of disaster." Of course, he also broke both ankles and chipped four vertebrae after falling three stories down an elevator shaft a few years back so accidents can happen to anyone...
But how do you prepare for a floor routine that involves 14 somersaults 100 feet down a 45 degree abyss polluted with boulders? They don't call Turn 16 of the Pike's Peak course "Devil's Playground" for nothing. 12,500 feet up the side of the summit - just 1500 feet shy of the finish line - the corner features a steep unprotected cliff. Perhaps the asphalt leading up to the turn should be nicknamed Skidmark Alley.
Nerd's Eye View: 2012 LA Auto Show
by Khiem Dinh
I have to say, attending a Press Day at the LA Auto Show is really nice. The crowds are minimal and you have more access to all of the vehicles. Pop the hood, poke around the engine bay, snap a bunch of pictures, spend all the time you want and no one cares. It provides me the opportunity to bring you guys and gals geeky content like this. On with the show!
Project GD STI- Improving the Fuel System with Injector Dynamics and Other Details
By Mike Kojima
When we had last left off on Project STI's engine, we had just upgraded the cooling system in anticipation of another round of tuning. What was supposed to be just some routine installation of a few parts to get a little more power ended up being something a lot more complicated, time consuming and involved.
DROWsports Grand Axis Two Stroke Powered Ruckus
The Honda Ruckus is a small 50cc scooter that has for some reason become the darling of the modified car crowd. You would never think that car people would have become enamored of a 100 mpg, 35mph small scooter but nevertheless the Ruckus is huge. MotoIQ has a project 50cc Ruckus that is probably the fastest stock engined Ruckus built so far.
Of course in our circle, if some is good, too much is always better. Andrew Horn, owner of DROWsports in Signal Hill is part of the MotoIQ crew and has helped us with many of our small powersports projects. We helped him with the construction in his quest to build the ultimate Ruckus, check it out!
Project Infiniti G20 Racecar: Transmission Upgrades
By Steve Rockwood
It seems that every time we try to do something to make Project G20 faster, we find a faster way to break something. This time around, we were certain that while the stock Nissan RS5F32V transmission in our G20 was made of sugar glass, that our modest turbo power levels, stock clutch, and not-so-abusive driving habits should make it last through a season. After three race laps, we were greeted with the all too familiar sound of a fork in a garbage disposal coming from the transmission. Someday, we'll learn a lesson the easy way.
Project Scion FR-S Testing GReddy's Cold Air Intake!
The Scion FR-S is a pretty exciting car to be involved in. It has single handedly given our industry a shot in the arm and parts are rapidly being made for it. Our FR-S is being worked on fast, so fast it is kind of a blur as we were cramming a lot in just a few days to get the car ready for the SEMA show.
In our last edition of the Project we tested the GReddy EVO 3 Exhaust and now we are going to test GReddy's cold air intake. In reality this happened on the same day but we didn't have time to write much about it during the SEMA and PRI shows so now we are trying to catch up!
Project S2000 - Making a More Responsive Drivetrain
By Khiem Dinh
The AP2 generation of S2000s were made a bit cushier and street friendly compared to the AP1s for the general American consumer. A larger displacement engine along with shorter gearing were specified to give more torque at the wheels which Americans desired. However, Honda also matched a heavier flywheel and modified the clutch system with both negatively impacting the level of track aptitude. Step 2 of Phase 2 is to shift the drivetrain bias more towards the track side of the equation compromising some everyday livability for better performance.
Project Nissan 370Z - Installing B&M's Short Throw Shifter
by Clint Boisdeau One item that is typically at or near the the top of a performance enthusiast’s list of modifications is a short throw shifter. In many cases short shifters are relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and are a modification that is directly related to improving the driver’s interaction with the vehicle. B&M, a long time aftermarket manufacturer of products related to precision gear selection, has a short shifter offering for the 370Z/G37/350Z/G35 6 speed manual transmission cars.
by Eric Hsu
I realize it's been a long ass time since I've published an update, but they'll start rolling out again somewhat regularly after the new year. The car arrived safely back to Design Craft in September from the giant shipping mishap to China. Progress has been slow with Team American members busy with the remainder of the Formula D season, SEMA, the holidays, and new jobs (for several of us ex-Cosworth people). I never did completely finish the coverage on what happened up until we rolled into the shipping container so part 9 will continue directly from part 8.
Project Mustang 5.0 Part 3: Optimizing Weight Transfer and Roll Steer
By Vince Illi
In the last installment, we tightened down Project Mustang 5.0's chassis with Whiteline sway bars and strut bracing, dramatically increasing its tarmac-holding capability and making the chassis much less prone to being "upset" in quick transitions such as slaloms.
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