TheAutoLog Blog

Spring Cleaning by Consolidating Your Bills

April 21st, 2012 · by: eltharion · 0 Comments
 
Guest Post:

I love the concept of spring cleaning. For me, it conjures up childhood memories of mom scurrying around the house in a head scarf and yellow rubber gloves, dusting this and wiping that. Meanwhile, dad would be in the garage packing odds and ends into cardboard boxes and setting the overflow on the curb for the garbage collectors to take. It was a time to figuratively and literally clean house by doing away with the old to make room for the new. This spring, I'm taking this approach with my finances. I'm doing away with my old bills by consolidating my auto loan and other financial obligations.

By consolidating your auto loan and other debt into a fixed-term loan, it empowers you to make just one monthly payment to a single creditor as opposed to making multiple payments to many creditors. Consolidating your debt can also significantly reduce interest you may be paying on your individual loans. Decreasing your interest costs can save you money immediately and in the future.

Many if not most of us get our initial auto loans at the dealership from which we lease or purchase our vehicle. It's convenient, sure, since everything is handled in-house. However, it's often not the most economical way to go, since we consumers absorb the cost of all that convenience by paying higher interest rates and fees than an outside lender might charge. So it just makes sense to consider acquiring an auto refinance loan as part of your debt consolidation package to lower your current monthly payment and interest rate.

Auto refinance loans pay off your existing auto loan, just like refinancing a home mortgage, but it's a much faster and simpler process. And with interest rates on auto loans at the lowest rate they've been at in a long time, opportunities abound for you to whip your finances into shape.

No matter how you choose to proceed, I strongly suggest that you do your homework. Don't just jump at the first deal you find. Chances are, you'll find better interest rates and terms by rolling your sleeves up just a little bit further. At the end of the day, you want to be able to drag all of your old, unnecessary debt out to the curb so you can sit back and enjoy the fresh, spring-like scent of success.
 

The New Celica

October 29th, 2011 · by: maggie16 · 1 Comment
 
Toyota created the new FT-86 Concept car and it's hot! It's coming to America a little after Janurary of 2012. It's sick, with still a 4 cyl, it's now created with The Subaru Boxer Engine just like in a WRX. It's such good news that Toyota linked with Subaru to create the new concept. Toyota has really died down in the sports area. Their trucks keep TRD going but I can't wait to see what Scion will offer when they mass produce this hot new car. The redone Celica is gonna be faster and look 10x better. I hope it comes to America soon. I'll keep it updated because I check the news on it every week. So cross your fingers it's come out soon. yayy. haha.
 

Technically Speaking: Powertrain Layouts

May 16th, 2011 · by: WET01 · 3 Comments
 
I want to start off this week’s blog by apologizing for missing a week and already being late for this one. My life has been pretty busy lately, but things have quieted down for now, so hopefully I can get back on top of these articles. This week’s Technically Speaking will be about the different vehicle engine/drive layouts and the advantages (or disadvantages) of each one. We’ll tackle this from the theoretically worst setup to the ideal setup, and please bear in mind that with the proper tune, any one of these can out-perform the competition. Let’s get started.

FF- Front engine, front wheel drive

About 90% of the cars you see on the road every day are front engine, front wheel drive. The reason manufacturers built their cars this way is because it is ideal for lower vehicle weight, lower power loss from the engine to the wheels, is cheaper to make, and allows for the maximum amount of interior room. It works great for a commuter because it’s a perfect formula for great gas mileage and versatility, but from a performance standpoint it couldn’t be worse.


With some exceptions…

The problem is the front tires are responsible for almost everything. On your average vehicle, they have to deal with about 70% of the braking, the majority of the vehicle’s weight, and putting the power to the ground. The most notable disadvantage is the severe understeer. Because the front wheels are already occupied with attempting to maneuver the vehicle, there is very little grip to spare for accelerating out of the corner. You lose both the ability to move the vehicle forward and the ability to move the vehicle around turns, which are two very essential parts of being fast around a track. In the first 1:30 of this clip from Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson sums it up pretty well:



Even with an intelligent differential you will still eventually “slide wide” and at high speeds, the vehicle oversteers because of the setup that compensates for understeer at normal speeds. Naturally, FF cars are an absolute nightmare to tune. There is a distinct disadvantage for the daily driver as well: tire wear. Because the work isn’t even distributed, the front pair will wear at a much higher rate than the rear tires.

RR- Rear engine, rear wheel drive

Before the FF era, most commuter cars were… backwards.



Yes, the most popular commuter cars in Europe in the middle of the 20th century were actually rear engine, rear drive. We have the original Volkswagen Beetle to thank for its popularization, and the book “Unsafe at Any Speed” to thank for its obliteration. The Chevrolet Corvair was one of (if not) the last one of the rear engine American cars because of the noted instability and spin-prone behavior. Because a rear engine car has most of the weight in the back, once the rear steps out, the momentum will continue to carry it despite correction.

At this point you’re probably saying “it offers essentially the same design as an FF car, only it kills you if you mess up. How is it superior?” That’s an easy question to answer:


Oh.

The Porsche 911 is simply a continuation of a sportier Volkswagen Beetle. In fact, Ferdinand Porsche designed that very car. Over the last century the design has continued to evolve yet has stayed the same. Why? Because a rear engine car can maintain a very aerodynamic shape and change direction very quickly. However, due to its low weight in the front, they can be prone to severe understeer. The most notable manufactures still using a rear engine design are Smart, Ariel, and Porsche.

FR- Front engine, rear drive

The FR layout is as common on the track as FF is on the road. Being ideal for straight line acceleration (because of weight transfer), easiness to launch and drive, low production cost, and neutral handling characteristics, it is the choice of entry level sports car makers around the world. Another advantage is that the platform works with just about any amount of power for most forms of racing. Yes, there are ideal ranges for each type of motorsport, but the versatility is astounding. You typically won’t get understeer unless you have way too much weight up front (remember the 70’s?), and even then it can be cured with a quick burst of throttle to even it out. FR can be seen in just about every event that allows for it, and short of going with an all wheel drive platform, there is only one better layout for performance driving.

MR- Mid engine, rear drive

If you’re on or near one of those spinny office chairs, I want you do something really quick. Push yourself away from the desk or table, and spin yourself as fast as you can with your arms out. Once you have some speed built up, pull your arms tight to your body.


Physics and puke go hand in hand!

If you’re still reading, your eyes have finally readjusted and you didn’t get a concussion from falling off. Additionally, you have just experienced the advantage of a mid engine sports car. The whole point of putting the engine (and majority of the weight) between the axles is the allowance for faster rotation, and a balanced weight distribution. This allows for reliable braking, proper traction for acceleration, and the ability to change directions quicker than any given political campaign. On top of that, you still have the low power loss from engine to road because the engine is still directly mated directly to the gearbox. In fact this setup is so good, it’s the only platform that took the world championship away from Audi’s Quattro all wheel drive system. Off road.


Bye bitches!

However, this seemingly miraculous configuration comes at a price. The trunk space is negligible at best. Supercar manufacturers don’t bother designing a proper trunk in the front (because who gets groceries in a Ferrari), and more down to earth models like the MR2 and Fiero only have something the size of a tackle box in back and a spare tire in the front trunk. On top of that, they aren’t exactly easy to drive without ideal weather conditions. ‘Both hands on the wheel’ is NOT a suggestion when the road is wet –trust me.

FAWD- Front engine, all wheel drive

All wheel drive has been put on a pedestal because of companies like Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Audi. It allows for better grip in all conditions, is actually outlawed in most racing leagues because of the many advantages, and modern intelligent differentials allow for nearly unlimited control (look to the Nissan GTR for a great example). Because a proper and purpose built AWD setup can transfer virtually any amount of power to any one of the wheels, you can have perfect cornering every time. In the real world it provides the most grip and offers the same amount of cabin space as the FR layout. The only real problems are the weight disadvantage, the fact that they are notoriously difficult to get off the line, a higher production price, more power loss from the engine to the wheels, and ‘normal’ AWD systems will produce excess stability when under heavy throttle. There’s only one possible improvement.

MAWD- Mid engine, all wheel drive

I’ll be honest; I had a little bit of trouble bringing myself to list this as the best. Yes, it is the best system in theory, but none of the cars that use it seem to be putting down the fastest lap times. Having the weight in the middle should combine AWD stability with mid engine agility resulting in the best handling possible. Quite a few Lamborghini’s, the Audi R8, and the Bugatti Veyron are built this way, but one look at the Top Gear lap time board (or at a previous blog of mine) will show that none of them are showing that they have a huge advantage over the competition.


What if we gave them more power?


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Technically Speaking: Trial by Tire

May 2nd, 2011 · by: WET01 · 5 Comments
 
It didn’t take long to get several quotes while researching the importance of good rubber.

“Tires are the most important part of any good setup.”
“Tires are a functional component in your suspension system.”
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

Pretty powerful stuff. Getting the right rubber is crucial, as it connects every last bit of work you’ve put into the car to the road. That is to say: any upgrading you do to your vehicle is severely (if not entirely) limited by your tire selection. Naturally, something this important has a lot of info to process. Profile, construction, width, tread, compound, use, pressure, and speed rating will be covered in this article. Condoms will not.

Let’s start this off right with explaining what those numbers mean on the side.


Carry the 7...

It’s easier than it looks, trust me. The first letter is either a P (passenger vehicle), LT (light truck), ST (trailer), C (commercial, like delivery vehicles that need to be able to haul heavy items), T (temporary/spare tire), or simply not there at all (mostly used in Europe). The next number indicates the width of the tire in millimeters. After the “/” you’ll see a two digit number. This tells you how tall the sidewall is, but not in the way you think. It is actually a percentage that you multiply the width by. So if your tires are P245/45R17, the width is 245 and the tire profile (or sidewall height) is 45% of 245mm, or .45X245, which is roughly 110mm. The next letter will either be an R or a D. The R means it has radial construction (most common), the D means it has bias ply construction. The only time I’ve ever seen D on a sidewall was on a spare, but there may be others too. The last number is the easiest one; it indicates the size of the wheel in inches that the tire mounts to. Have a 14” wheel? The last number on the tire will be 14. Bam. So from the numbers P250/50R16, we can tell that it’s a passenger tire that’s 250mm wide, 125mm tall, has radial construction, and mounts to a 16” wheel.

Another letter on some tires indicates the maximum safe speed. They are L (75mph), M (81mph), N (87mph), P (93mph), Q (99mph), R (106mph), S (112mph), T (118mph), U (124mph), H (130mph), V (149mph), W (168mph), Y (186mph), Z (greater than 149mph, look for W or Y in the service rating).

Now that the scary stuff is out of the way, let’s look at the different types of tires available. For your basic daily commuter, odds are you’re rolling on either passenger or touring. Passenger and standard touring tires are designed for comfort, and don’t offer a whole lot in the performance department. They offer year-round traction and are primarily designed to last long and produce little noise. Grand touring tires take a slight hit in the endurance, comfort and noise department to provide better traction. They look like legitimate performance tires and handle quite nicely. If you have a summer-only ride, you can get summer-only tires that are designed to run in one or two specific conditions, allowing for more targeted performance. You can typically find both grand touring and summer tires with directional tread. It offers more grip, but doesn’t give you the option of rotating tires to the opposite side, as that would require you to turn them the wrong way. I chose these for my MR2 as they offer exceptional handling, a quiet ride, and a large amount of grip in a vast array of weather conditions. If you have a street bound sport compact with evenly distributed tire wear, they are my official recommendation.


You're the best... around...

Then there are the literals: drift, circuit, off road, drag, snow, and ice. Those are my favorite, as they don’t require me to write additional explanations in this already late article. Onwards to tire profile…

Profile is really rather simple. As noted before, it’s the height of the sidewall of the tire. A higher profile allows for more flex, resulting in a smoother ride. A lower profile will result in a harsher ride, but the tire will hold its shape better, resulting in better traction under hard cornering. Tire profile is typically only changed to compensate for larger wheels. If you increase your wheel diameter, you must decrease the tire profile to maintain the same overall circumference. Changing the overall circumference alters (for simplicity’s sake) the car’s gear ratio. But I won’t get into that, as it could easily turn into an entire separate article.

The next and probably most important aspect to get into for all of you daily drivers is tire pressure. Bottom line: follow the VEHICLE manufacturer’s recommendations on stock sized tires. If it’s lower, you can get better straight line traction (ever watch a slow motion professional drag race car take off? Watch for the wrinkling) but you will achieve worse gas mileage. If it’s too high, you will get uneven tread wear on the tire and can still have potentially worse gas mileage. Even the cheapest car company spends millions developing their cars each year, so the number in the manual is the number you follow.

And finally, we arrive at tire compound. Not much to say here. Softer tires (such as high performance summer tires) that offer more grip will typically wear out faster, as the rubber will be quicker to separate from itself for adhesion. Harder compound tires (or your typical passenger highway tire) will last a lot longer, but as specified before they do not offer a lot of grip. The best way to put it into perspective is to compare them to pencil erasers. We’ve all had those erasers that felt like they were made out of solid plastic. You could burn a hole in a notebook before you wore it down, but the rubber wouldn’t separate and rub the graphite from the paper. It would just kind of skim along the surface and make you wonder why the hell you thought spending $0.12 on a dozen pencils was a good purchase. But then, one day, you finally get your hands on a decent set. You can erase twice as easily, but the eraser will be gone within a week. Or, if you’re like me, after one math assignment.


"Mike SMAAAASH!"
 

Technically Speaking: Rice Defined

April 23rd, 2011 · by: WET01 · 5 Comments
 
The term “rice burner” has been around for longer than you think… Unless you think it’s been around since the Korean War, in which case you’re spot on. The term was coined by Canadian soldiers, who called their Korean support unit G-Company (the G stands for a racial term, something I’m not going to get into), but then began referring to them as rice burners because of their machine-like ability and diet of rice. Another source of the term stems from the idea that the Japanese use rice ethanol in their fuel. East Asian cars were therefore referred to as rice burners, a name which stuck (partially because of the veteran car guys) when they started showing up at the track.


Rice burner, circa 1995

So originally it was a targeted and harmless slur for an import. The only insulting part was the implied lack of performance… Not really a big deal to be honest. It wasn’t until the 21st century rolled around that rice burner became a legitimate insult with varied implications and definitions. More specifically, it was the year 2001.



Yep, this little masterpiece was the official game changer. It began the trend of teenagers with money bolting wings onto their Honda’s and hand-me-down economy cars, and the mindset that doing so made for a faster vehicle. Naturally, this led to the decline of the import image. The term “rice burner” was shortened into “ricer.” Pretty soon, looking fast was more important than actually being able to go fast, and this is where the first of the modern ricers emerged. The wheel and body kit industry exploded.

Aftermarket companies were able to charge $400 for an intake pipe. Need for Speed became a religion. NOS was thought to be the proper term for nitrous oxide. JDM became an obsession. There is no doubt that the import scene at the beginning of the 21st century revolutionized the industry and influenced the market’s direction, but I can’t say that was a good thing.

Pretty soon calling someone a ricer could mean just about anything. It could be an accusation that driving an import was demeaning, it could be accusing somebody of being more show than go, it could be implying that the car with bolt-ons wasn’t worth modifying in the first place, or it could just be used as a way of insulting someone for having anything but the stock look. Some people also believe that only Asian vehicles can be ricers, but others argue (including myself) that any make or model is fair game. People tend to be stubborn on this sort of thing, so here’s something that we can all abide by: utilizing parts that are not up to the engineering standard of the vehicle they are being equipped to is considered rice.

Take a minute to mull that over. It’s the reason why people would consider a PVC cold air intake that is equally effective as a name brand cold air intake rice. One is glued together plastic pipe, one is mandrel bent aluminum with an attractive powder coat. Even if they both perform the same on the dyno, the guy who went to the Home Depot for his parts is lower on the automotive totem pole.

The simple fact is this: if you want any major performance increase over stock, the parts you are putting on have to be designed for the purpose better than your stock components. Contrary to popular belief there are no magic spark plugs, no 25hp air filters, and there are certainly no shortcuts when it comes to engine tuning.


Nothing suspicious here...

My personal definition is that a ricer is either the person who doesn’t know what they’re doing (but claims an increase in performance), or the product of their ignorance. That is the reason I won’t label purpose built show cars as ricers, even if they have more show than go. When in doubt of whether or not a part is rice, just remember the acronym:

Race
Inspired
Car
Enhancements

If it is more functional in appearance than its intended task, odds are the general population will consider it rice.