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2015 Tesla Model S P85D - The World's Quickest Sedan

I love sleepers. A picture of this car could be put in a dictionary next to the word "sleeper". The styling isn't aggressive. The brand, if recognized, would be recognized as an electric car maker not a performance car maker (except for the avid car enthusiast). It's a four door. It even doesn't look any different from the pedestrian Model S 60. And to top it all off, the electric motors noise (or lack thereof) won't be convincing anyone they're V8s or anything with enough power to worry about. That couldn't be further from the truth, though. This is the fastest accelerating sedan that Motor Trend has ever tested. 0 to 60 mph arrives in just 3.1 seconds. The 1/4 mile passes in 11.6 seconds at 115.2 mph. For a full review and the rest of the stats, go to: 2015 Tesla Model S P85D First Test . There are a couple of things I don't like about the car, though. For one, the interior. I don't know why every one is going crazy over this c

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Leaked

450 hp and 445 lb-ft out of a twin turbo V6, six speed manual and an e-locking differential, probably of the same variety used on the C7 Corvette Stingray. These details are just about enough to know about the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V to know that you want one. The ATS-V seems to have been leaked yesterday and it looks menacing. The fantastic looking ATS has been chiseled to produce a much more aggressive look that is distinctly Cadillac but the good news don't stop there. More juicy bits include titanium connecting rods, two water-to-air intercoolers, titanium turbines for the turbos and an additional radiator dedicated to cooling the gearbox and diff. GM has been using Michelin tires on many high performance models and this is no exception as Pilot Super Sport tires will keep this car stuck to the road and suspension roll stiffness has been turned up 50%. The car should weigh around 3,600 lb and while that isn't lightweight, it's right around wha

2015 Mustang GT Ford Racing/Roush Supercharger Kit

Remember the 2015 Mustang GT that broke into the 10's in the 1/4 mile with a bunch of Ford Racing parts? Original Post:  2015 Mustang GT breaks into the 11's in the 1/4 mile!  A modified naturally aspirated Mustang did a 11.77 s at 116.2 mph and a supercharged one did 10.97 s at 128.9 mph. Well, after Ford debuted the King Cobra Mustang at SEMA, it announced that they will offer a King Cobra package through Ford Racing. Ford says that an early version (of the King Cobra) was tested on Milan Dragway in Michigan and posted an elapsed time (ET) of 10.97 s which is identical to the time posted earlier in the promotional video. The King Cobra package apparently isn't a single package but rather a group of Ford Racing packages - the Drag Pack, the Handling Pack and the Super Pack. More information about the parts has been released about the included parts which are: The Drag Pack: Heavy-duty half shafts  Rear sub-frame kit with pre-installed high-performance bushin

2005-2014 Mustang Lower Control Arms (LCA) and Axle Alignment

As some of you may know, a few weeks ago I ordered some lower control arms for my Mustang. I decided to go with the UMI Roto-Joint units because of their claim of providing the proper articulation like a spherical rod-end while avoiding most of the degradation in ride quality. They do this using two different types of bushings, a traditional polyurethane bushing on the chassis side and a unique bushing called Roto-Joint on the axle side. The Roto-Joint is a spherical-like design which uses a pivot ball lined with a greaseable delrin race, which replaces the metal housing in a ball joint and absorbs more shock reducing NVH. So far, the control arms have been living up to the expectations. I was just smiling ear to ear the first time I floored it. I was in 1st gear and the last time I was that aggressive with the throttle in 1st gear, wheel hop was terrible. Wheel hop is not 100% gone, which is to be expected since you need upper control arms to get rid of all hop, but it was very brie

2012 Mustang Boss 302 - Stock vs Heartthrob Flowpack Axle-Back Video

As promised, here's a video comparing the stock axle backs to the Heartthrob Flowpack units I installed a few weeks ago. The video shows start ups, both cold, and a few revs after the car had warmed up. The video doesn't do the difference in volume justice but you can tell the difference in tone with a good set of headphones or speakers. For a full review, go the original post:  2012 Mustang Boss 302 - Heartthrob Flowpack Axle Back Exhaust .

Car and Driver's Lightning Lap 2014 - A Closer Look

Yes, Lightning Lap 2014! I thought they were going to skip 2014 all together but luckily they didn't. I know it has been available for a while in the paper magazine but I am not subscribed so I wait for it to be available online to read it. The full article is here: Car and Driver - Lightning Lap 2014 . This is easily one of my favourite magazine features of the year. As always, my car picks aren't necessarily very quick or slow. They simply did much better or much worse than I excepted them to. With that said, I would like to get one car out of the way. The Focus ST. The Highs: LL1 (Up to $35,000) - Ford Focus ST:  This car made it to last year's feature, Lightning Lap 2013, and it was on my "Lows" list ( Car and Driver's Lightning Lap 2013 - A Closer Look ). It posted a very mediocre-for-the-class 3:21.4. I said last year that "I wouldn't be surprised if, with more seat time on the track and a true limited slip differential, the Focus ST ma






Does An Aftermarket Grille Really Increase Airflow?
I put a Saleen S281 grille to the test to answer that question.

Stock Suspension S197 Mustang With Square 305/30/19's
What you need to fit a proper size square tire setup.

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track
What you need to know about how they put power down and pros and cons.

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?
A comparison between Schumacher's and then team mate Herbert's data.






Cayman GT4 Track Review
The first Cayman with proper (911-challenging) power.

Is an EcoBoost Mustang any good on Track?
Two days at the track in a Mustang short 4 cylinders.

2016 BMW M4 DCT Track Review
It's quick (properly quick). But is it fun?

Can a stock Golf Diesel handle a Track Day?
Not your every day track beater.




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Michelin Pilot Super Sports vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 - Street Review

I've been a huge fan of Michelin PSS tires and exclusively bought them for the Mustang over the last four years. So how did I end up here? This year, I was hugely interested in trying an "R-comp" tire. I had my eyes set on Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R's for two simple reasons: price and reputation. Although not a true "R-comp" tire on paper, it performs like one by the account of every single test and review I've read (down to wear rates...). They seem like they're easily the most affordable (from a big brand) R-comp tire and combine that with a reputation for having tons of grip, it was an easy top contender. I had my concerns, though. For one, I'm told and have read that they are an autox tire, not really designed for high speed, pressure, and temps associated with open track. For another, the Mustang is a heavy car (as far as track cars are concerned) being roughly 3,800 lb. (including driver), which will amplify the unwanted open track load

Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

Last year, I picked up a 2009 Lancer Ralliart to do a long term test with it as a dual duty track/daily. One of the first things I knew I was going to do was put a decent set of tires on it. The car came without OEM wheels which was actually good because I didn't have to hesitate about getting a good set of aftermarket wheels to support going wider. Thankfully, my friends at YST Auto Halifax  set me up with a great set of Superspeed RF03RR wheels. The Wheels I had never even heard of Superspeed but I trusted the good folk at YST Auto who mentioned some customer cars running on track with them. These wheels are rotary forged which is basically a prerequisite to be taken seriously in this market populated by companies like TSW and Fast Wheels. The wheels looked like a high quality, well finished wheel and each had a "QC" check sticker on. Just for appearances? Maybe, but I found no defects. The wheels seemed easy to balance (didn't need many weights) and at 18.1 lb. f

GTR vs Evo X vs STI: which has the best AWD system?

A few weeks ago, I made a post explaining  mainstream AWD system types and how they compare , pros and cons, etc. including some simple diagrams to show where the power goes and how much. As promised, this post will focus on specific cars and what AWD systems they use, especially ones that that have more or less been defined by their AWD systems, and the best place to start may be with a bombshell; the Nissan GT-R. Nissan GT-R (R35) The GT-R has built a reputation around having monster traction and very approachable performance, thanks to its AWD system - Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) - and what it can do for you. But the GT-R doesn't actually use the most mechanically sophisticated type of AWD systems discussed in the previous article, namely a "true" AWD with a centre differential. Instead, it uses a clutch pack to transfer power. RWD-based clutch-type AWD schematic - Rams Eye The Track Guy © The R32, R33, and R34 Sky

2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro DSG Track Review

Before getting into this, I have to confess something... I had never driven an Audi TT before. Not until this one, anyway. But that hasn't stopped me from forming an opinion about it from the comforts of my own couch while reading and watching reviews online. After all, if you've never done that, do you even know what the point of the internet is? Now, we all interpret reviews differently. Call it confirmation bias if you will, but if you like a car, you'll read a review and look at the positives as what makes the car great and the negatives are but a few quibbles you have to live with. If you don't like a car, the positives are a few things the manufacturer got right while screwing up everything else. It's a bit harsh to put the TT in the latter category, but that's where it ended up for me... I never took the TT seriously. The problem with the TT for me isn't that it's a Golf underneath, per se. There is nothing wrong with a performance car sharing a