Luxury Cars
New Cars « Longlife
Ford have released a set of pictures of their two new Boss Mustangs, both of which have drawn inspiration from the original 1969 Mustang Boss. Although the old vehicle didn’t prove quite as popular as the Shelby Mustang GT500 there are numerous American performance car enthusiasts who will attest to its racing prowess.
Both the Mustang Boss 302 and the Boss 302 Laguna Seca are going to be powerful beasts with impressive cornering ability. The leading manufacturer envisaged the 302 as an ultra-rapid, beefed up vehicle, and the 302 Laguna Seca as a road-legal racing car.
Each motor comes complete with a 5.0 litre V8 engine, previously used by the standard Mustang GT. An improved air intake and modified camshafts have been added to increase the power from 406bhp to 434bhp. The rear wheels acquire their power from the six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox. Motorists who have previously been used to the manual shift of the standard Mustang GT will find that the new ‘race inspired’ clutch greatly improves their driving experience.
An element of control is provided by stiffer springs and a stronger rear stabiliser. Drivers will feel safe in the knowledge that the new Mustangs also come complete with the powerful Brembo brake package. No detail has been spared on the Boss, which also has adjustable shocks and a speed-sensitive, hi-tech steering system, with comfort, normal and sport modes. It is up to the Mustang customer whether they take the option of limited-slip differential.
The 2 vehicles have a bold, impressive look, which is complemented by a dipped front spoiler and huge lower grille on the Seca. The standard version has been given a stylish orange and black colour scheme, while the trackday Seca has been painted in cool black and red. The interior of each car has been kitted out with a revised instrument cluster and an Alacantra steering wheel. For a complete racing feel it is worth investing in the Recaro sports seats.
The Boss has been developed with speed in mind and is expected to do battle against the brand new Chevrolet Camaro. Anybody with a real interest in hitting the race track will be interested to hear that the Seca is expected to be two seconds a lap faster than the standard model. It is also worth noting that
silencers on these vehicles can be removed in order to create some extra performance when on the circuit.
Those interested will be happy to hear that the cost of these vehicles, including importation , is expected to be somewhere in the region of 35,000. This is a an extremely attractive price tag, especially when you consider what similar American power vehicles cost.
High speed Police Car Chase ends in Crash
Video: Aston Martin Rapide, take two
The first instalment of the Aston Martin Rapide video had us watching through our fingers, but not in the way that Aston would have hoped.
This second episode is just as cringeworthy sadly, although not for the same reasons as the first. Gone is the stilted dialogue and in comes a series of poorly lit shots of agents going about their job at the dead of night. But the worst part comes about three quarters of the way through.
One of our ‘heroes’ is stood in a generic warehouse checking his phone (on Facebook probably, he seems to be on his break) when four bad guys come in. Without a word being exchanged they set to him and try and beat him up. But it seems it is not just Sean Connery’s Bond who was able to fight a group of baddies one-by-one – rather than ganging up on the agent they patiently wait their turn to get decked.
The short is almost saved by the shots of the Rapide driving through a series of tunnels, but we really hope the rest of the video is a spoof.
Even if it is, we still feel this is the sort of thing that Aston Martin shouldn’t be getting involved in – leave the quirky advertising to the mainstream manufacturers.
Forza 3: The Jalopnik Car Pack first look.[HD]
How To Take Care of Your Fruit Trees
:: Fruit trees need to be pruned and taken care of in a special way from regular trees. If not, they are not only running the risk of causing damage to the tree but to the fruits as well.
1. Supporting fruit branches:
Naturally fruit can weigh some, which means that it is capable of pulling down a branch, maybe to such an extent that the branch snaps altogether. Therefore, it is critical that branches which are filled with fruit are supported. A wood branch with some string to hold everything in place should suffice.
2. Watering:
The majority of plants require regular water, and fruit plants are no exception. Make sure that you understand how much water the type of fruit you’re growing requires because they all differ. For instance apple trees only require a light amount of watering, while strawberry plants require regular and heavy watering to penetrate the soil.
3. Pruning:
To prune a fruit tree properly, remove the ripe fruit from the branches and then cut off all damaged branches as they can infect the tree with diseases. Pruning is often done in the winter. This type of pruning is invigorous, whereas spring pruning usually results in new vigorous, upright shoots, called water sprouts. These sprouts shade the tree and can inhibit proper development. The stronger and healthier the tree, the better that fruit it bears.
4. Protecting the tree:
Like any food bearing plant, fruit trees need to be protected from animals and insects. Often nets are thrown over them so that birds don’t peck at them. Of course insects must still be watched out for.
Fruit trees are a great addition to any garden. Not only do they look beautiful, but what could be better than picking fresh fruit as soon as it ripens on a tree in your own garden? They do require labour though, so if you’re not up for it, it might be worth hiring professional tree surgeons who know how to properly prune, water, support and take care of your trees to ensure that they are free of disease and your fruits are as delicious as you’d like them to be. If you’re not sure what you can do and what you should leave to the pros, bear this in mind- if it involves a chainsaw, or a tall ladder, you’re probably best off to call a pro.
How to Care for Fruit Trees : Deciding Where to Plant a Fruit Tree
Where should I look for my first insurance policy?
It’s a sad fact of life that everything costs money and as you are maturing into an adult you want to be responsible for your own finances. Before you can enjoy the freedoms of adulthood it is important to ensure you have your first auto insurance policy in place. It is a confusing and difficult task, picking through all of the various providers in order to discover what is the best policy for you and many companies will be looking to influence your decisions based on your lack of experience in this area. It is important to fully analyse all of the various offers on the market and to not choose the first company with a strong market presence, as there are many other great deals that could save you money and offer you more coverage.
The first thing you should do is to find out which auto insurance providers are operating in your area that can offer you coverage. Start by asking your family and friends who they are using, as their real experiences with the companies can be a hugely influencing factor when choosing the best policy for you as you will know more or less what to expect from them. You can then make a short list of the best companies by word-of-mouth and then further strengthen this by utilising the internet to read reviews and different policies that are offered by each company. This should allow you to make a short list of between five to ten companies. After your shortlist is made, transfer this into a table or comparison chart, including the length of time the company has been operating in the industry, quotes, factors, advantages and disadvantages in order to quickly gage who is offering you the most for you money. Do not be afraid to confront other companies with offers from different companies as they are all competing with each other for you custom.
Try to opt for a company that has been used in the market for over five years as anything less than this could prove slightly risky. Do not sign up with the first provider you find before you look into what other companies are offering you. Use the competitiveness of the industry to your advantage to help you find the best deal possible for your individual needs. It may seem like an arduous task, but the privileges can be worth it in the long run.
DCOTY 2009: How the Nissan GT-R didn’t win the Best Performance Car Over $60,000
There will be plenty of people out there who will read our DCOTY wrap-up and wonder aloud how we managed to choose anything other than the Nissan GT-R in this category.
Let’s face it, the Nissan is one of the most hyped, anticipated and desired cars to be released in many years.
And yet it didn’t win this contest.
The question is, given that this is a performance-car category after all, how can a car that wouldn’t see which way the GT-R went possibly beat it to the silverware?
Look at the bald numbers; they tell a mighty performance story.
Godzilla’s 357kW is near enough to an incredible 480 horsepower in the old currency. In a road car. A 3.8-litre road car at that.
The V6′s torque output is an equally monstrous 588Nm and that’s available anywhere from 3200 to 5200rpm.
Against the stop-watch, the GT-R covers the first 400m in 12 seconds flat and in the process, sprints from rest to 100km/h in under four seconds.
Make no mistake, these are supercar numbers.
So again, the question raises its head: How did anything else in this category knock the GT-R off its potential perch?
Well, if you read the explanation, you’ll know that the Drive judges put usability, comfort and day-to-day smarts ahead of the Nissan’s brutal driveline.
That’s why the BMW 135i Coupe took out the gong.
But this was one of the most argued categories. The HSV GTS is a brute of a machine and the most spacious and practical of our finalists. Arguable the most fun, too.
The Audi S4 is also deceptively quick and impressively practical.
Still, the BMW nails it with a blend of fun and functionality. And it’s seriously quick.
But did we get it right?
Should a performance-car category reward performance over all else?
If your answer is yes, then we can certainly see your point.
But consider this: Nissan itself is guilty of altering its priorities when it comes to this very car.
In the first place, the GT-R’s brief was all about performance at all costs.
But ultimately, Nissan’s call was to install a measure of durability before outright performance.
Originally hitting the market with launch control, driveline problems caused by the sheer ferocity of the available launch meant that Nissan had to rethink its strategy.
By removing the launch control function, Nissan effectively took the GT-R from being an 11.5 second 400m car to a 12-second car.
And it’s a move that begs exactly the same question as the one over the Nissan’s failure to claim this DCOTY trophy: Would you rather a car that can accelerate as hard as it’s physically able to with the chance that it’ll go bang sometime down the track, or would you rather a car that is still blisteringly quick but a better chance to hang together?
It’s your call.
2008 Porsche Boxster S – Feature – Car and Driver
If automotive history had a greatest-hits album, the Porsche Boxster would decorate the liner notes. It’s been the yardstick by which not just convertibles, but sports cars, too, have been measured around
Car and Driver .
If we need to remember what proper balance, steering, and brakes should feel like, we bludgeon the staffer holding its keys and wrest them from his or her bitter grasp.
Thanks partly to the first-generation Corvette convertible that cruised Route 66 in the eponymous series, the open road will always be associated with droptops even if, in reality, open sky and hours of open road mean sunburned domes, wind-chapped faces, and lots of wind noise. Not that you’ll care when helming the Boxster, however, as mechanically and spiritually, it soothes. There are seats for only two, but each of you gets your own trunk (there’s one in the front and one in the rear) capable of storing as much luggage as you’ll need for adventure.
While you’re blissed out at the Boxster’s controls, you’ll be instructing your well-coddled passenger to search the map for squiggly lines intersecting your route, the better to properly demonstrate balance rivaled only by cars costing many times the price of the none-too-cheap Boxster.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/08q2/road-trippers_-feature/2008_porsche_boxster_s_page_2
**Quick Look** 2009 Porsche Boxster–D&M Motorsports
Why Fit Good Quality Race Pedal Box? Does ABS Work With a Bias Race Car Pedal Box – Tech Session
:: Hello, how are you today?
This tech session is about why you should use a bias brake pedal box in a race car and can you use the factory fitted ABS system.
A good quality bias pedal box is an absolute must for any serious track day car or race car. Most car brakes systems, even when fitted with ABS, use a vacuum servo to increase the pedal force and help with braking, however in a track or race use this system is often not up to the job and you get an inconsistent brake pedal due to heat build up and general wear and tear. Also on most ‘standard’ brake system the master cylinder is typically only one unit that splits the braking effort to each brake within only one cylinder, this means that break bias is effectively set and although an inline adjuster valve can be fitted to change the bias. This is not ideal or as ultimately effective as a bias / balance pedal box setup. Most saloon cars now use a dual line brake system so this means just fitting bias lever is not possible.
What is a Bias Pedal Box?
A bias pedal box system firstly removes the vacuum servo that can give the inconsistent brake pedal and the pedal force from brake pedal is connected directly to the brake cylinders. This means there is no longer a reliance on a vacuum from the engine to help with the braking force.
Please be aware you will have different brake pedal feel with the race bias pedal box.
This means the pressure you hit the brake pedal with is exactly the pressure the brakes work with giving you more feel for what the brakes are doing. The other and most important part of the pedal box system in that it uses two brake cylinders as opposed to only one. This means you have one cylinder for the front brakes and one cylinder for the rear brakes, the two cylinders are connected by the adjustable ‘bias / balance’ bar, giving you control over adjusting the braking efforts between the front and rear brakes helping you to fine tune your brake to suit both your driving style and the weather conditions, typically in the dry you would want the front brakes doing most of the braking and in the wet or damper conditions you would adjust the braking effort more towards the rear.
A ‘full’ pedal box system will typically replace both the accelerator and clutch pedals/systems.
Will A Bias Pedal Box Work With My Cars ABS system?
In a word with a standard manufacture ABS system NO…… however expensive ‘Motorsport’ ABS systems are available but these are very rarely used.
The main problem with a using a bias pedal box with a ‘standard’ manufacture’s system is that one of the main reasons for fitting a bias pedal box is to give you more control over your car’s front to rear brake balance and a cars ABS system works to prevent your cars wheels locking up under braking…… therefore a ‘standard’ car’s ABS isn’t programmed to allow both the adjustment front to rear of the brake balance because as it sense’s wheel ‘lockup’ it would then try moving the brake pressure to the other wheels to prevent the wheel locking and therefore acting against your chosen brake balance.
Choosing the correct bias brake Pedal Box for Your Application.
You need to take into consideration whether your car has a cable or hydraulic clutch system also bare in mind that whilst you are changing the pedal box it may be worth also converting the clutch system to a hydraulic system if it is not already.
Something that is more important in later cars you need to check how your throttle is controlled, a great deal of newer cars use a ‘fly by’ wire system to control the throttle rather than a mechanical cable.
I hope this has been of interest to you, please have a look at my other articles.
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Thank you for your time.
Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Grant-Loc-9039/race-car-pedal-box-168374.php