Wednesday, November 26, 2008
How to Change Your Motor engine oil
You will need the following items in order to change your own oil:
* New oil (check your owners manual for how much and what type)
* New oil filter
* Socket Set
* Oil drain pan
* Car Jack
* 2 Jack Stands
* Rags
Friday, November 21, 2008
Spyder insider
Rarely up-to-date in the fashion stakes - look at that coat - our very own Jeremy Clarkson is now distinctly behind the times in the supercar department, too.
This is the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder, due to reach the roads next year to replace the old Gallardo Spyder. That’s the old Gallardo Spyder as owned by JC.
The new Spyder, though, should leave its predecessor trailing in its wake. Powered by the same direct-injection 5.2-litre V10 as the 560-4 Coupe, it puts out a massive 552bhp – up 53bhp on the old Spyder – and will hit 62mph in four seconds flat.
Keep your foot in and the Spyder will reach 124mph in just over 13 seconds, before topping out at 202mph. That’s awesomely, awesomely fast.
More good news: the Spyder weighs 20kg less than its predecessor and is 18 per cent more fuel efficient. Of course, you get four-wheel drive and Lambo’s northern-sounding ‘e-gear’ transmission.
And what about that roof? Shunning the Ferrari California trend for folding hard-tops, Lambo has stuck with a fabric roof for the Gallardo. Powered by a hydraulic pump and electric motors, it’ll retract in 20 seconds, the carbon fibre engine cover lifting up and the rear screen dropping down to give it room to fold away.
Fashionistas will be glad to hear that the roof can be fitted in any one of four colours – black, blue, grey or beige (yellow Gallardo with beige roof, anyone?) – while those with a strong emotional attachment to their heads will be glad to hear that there are a pair of spring-loaded rollover hoops that’ll pop out at the first sign of upside-down-ness.
Pagani Zonda F
215 mph+, 0-60 in 3.5 secs. Mercedes Benz M180 V12 Engine with 650 hp, base price is $741,000. With a V12 motor, this baby can do much better.
Koenigsegg CCX
250 mph+, 0-60 in 3.2 secs. 90 Degree V8 Engine 806 hp, base price is $695,000. Made in Sweden, it is expected to take #1 spot in the future.
SSC Ultimate Aero
257 mph+, 0-60 in 2.7 secs. Twin-Turbo V8 Engine with 1183 hp, base price is $654,400. Tested in March 2007 by Guinness world records, The SSC Ultimate Aero takes the lead as the fastest car in the world beating Bugatti Veyron.
Bugatti Veyron
252mph, 1001PS, 16 cylinders, four turbos, 8.0-litres... the Veyron's numbers are staggering. It can hit 60mph in 2.5 seconds thanks to four-wheel-drive traction, shoots to 125mph in 7.3 seconds and reaches 200mph in less than 20. The Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world , with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph top speed).
The obvious question: Why would anyone build such a car? Surely no one sees doing 250 mph on the highway. There can be no commercial logic behind such a crazy machine, even with the Veyron's price tag of one million euros (at the current exchange rate, that's $1.2 million). Not even as a "halo model" -- a reputation booster -- for the VW group that builds it does the Veyron make sense. No Bugatti owner wants it known he's driving a Volkswagen.
| Bugatti Veyron Data | |
|---|---|
Base Price | 1,000,000 euros (1,300,000 USD) |
Power | 1000 hp |
Zero to 60 mph | 2.5 s |
Zero to 100 mph | 6 s |
Top speed | 253 mph (407 km/h) |
Sports Cars With Great Fuel Economy: No More Tradeoffs
In the age of cylinder deactivation, high-efficiency diesels and low boost turbocharging for fuel economy purposes, modern go-fast cars need be gas guzzlers no longer. We at RSports are constantly on the lookout for lustworthy transportation machines we can actually afford to operate. Here is a roundup of sports cars heavy on thrills and easy on the wallet at the pump.
The Chevrolet C7 Corvette - Promising Gains in Good V8 Gas Mileage
Despite their always-thrilling big displacement American performance pedigree, Corvettes have a reputation for burning rubber, silk shirts, gold chains and terrible gas mileage. The latest generation Corvette, introduced for the **2008 model year, has smashed most of these conventions. Mileage for the C7 Corvette is a more-than-respectable 26 mpg by EPA estimates in Z06 trim, numbers that were unheard of as 400+ horsepower cars go just a few years ago.
Chevrolet parent company General Motors Corp. accomplishes this mildly remarkable feat through the use of the same cylinder deactivation technology that has been used with great success for Chevy and GM trucks.
In the case of the Corvette, a Chevy small block rated at so much power does not need all eight glorious cylinders for cruising on the highway at 70 mph or coasting through bumper-to-bumper traffic. A step on the gas puts full power to the wheels instaneously, letting Chevy Corvette owners have their gas mileage and eat it too.
2009 Audi A5 2.0 TFSI - The Ultra High-Tech Approach to Turbocharging
As a maker of fine luxury sports sedans currently enjoying good sales in a downturned industry, Volkswagen/Audi has the cash flow for significant R&D toward alternative powertrains and ways to sip every ounce of precious fossil fuel during every burnout.
The new Audi A5, critically acclaimed for its breath-of-fresh-air styling and driving dynamics, is now a technology showcase for the powerful combination of twin-scroll turbocharging with valvelift technology, putting power to the flywheel in combination with direct injection.
Audi has been slowly perfecting the art of turbocharged 4-cylinder engines for many years. Modern engine management technology as well as micromanaged fuel injection systems, based wholly on how much power the driver requires at any given time, has given the A5 some truly impressive gas mileage numbers.
While running 0-60 in under 7 seconds and reaching a German automaker agreement-limited top speed of 155 mph, the turbo four A5 pulls off EU a 42.8 combined-cycle mpg rating.
2009 BMW 330d - Stellar Gas Mileage from a New Generation of Cleaner Diesels
For years, some European automakers have shunned exporting popular diesel cars to the American market, due to extremely stringent emissions regulations and consumer image.
The Germans are leading the charge toward bringing real performance cars with torquey, clean diesel engines for worldwide markets. The benefits of oil-burners are many, especially in modern times where they are much less noticable to the driver than the stink emanating from the tailpipe of the Peugeot wagon in your grandmother's driveway.
The twin-turbo 3.0 liter diesel used in the 330d, which will be known as the 335d when it comes to American markets next year, produces 286 horses and a superfluous 383 lb-ft. of torque that comes at 1750 rpm. Better still, the engine is extremely clean burning as any fossil fuel engines go, let alone diesel motors.
Performance meets or exceeds that of the twin-turbo 3.0 gas motor from BMW, so customers willing to get over their preconceived notions about diesel engines are in for a great gas mileage versus performance bargain.
The HAMANN Volcano - Pushing the Best Mercedes-Benz Ever Past Its Limits
German car tuner HAMANN, one of the most exciting luxury car tuning houses on the scene today, has taken on the enviable task of trying to make the very best Mercedes-Benz on the road even better. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, known as much for its stratospheric base price as its breathtaking styling and killer race-derived performance, has been given a total conversion in the form of the HAMANN Volcano, and we have never seen anything like this SLR
.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
2006 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
The engine of the new Murcielago LP640 has undergone outstanding and radical modification. The classic V-engine is boosted to 6.5 litres. The already extraordinary 580 hp engine power has now been elevated to an impressive peak of 640 hp at 8,000 rpm.
The increase in power correlates with an increase in performance. The maximum speed is now 340 km/h (before 330 km/h). The excellent performance of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 means it can now accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds (0.4 seconds faster than the previous model).
Lamborghini engineers also improved the torque development. The engine is enhanced by a continuous variable timing system (intake and exhaust side) and a drive-by-wire engine management system.
Just like its predecessors, the Murciélago LP640 features permanent four-wheel drive, based on the reliable Lamborghini VT (Viscous Traction) system. The system is self-governing and does not feature any electronic controls.
Because of the "Privilegio" customisation program, any Murciélago LP640 can be transformed into a customised sports car. For example, the cockpit can be enhanced with an extremely refined carbon finish applied to the air conditioning control panel, the control lever console and the parking brake.
New Porsche 911 Targa
The Porsche Targa 4 is powered by the familiar flat-six engine, delivering 325 bhp of power from 3.6 liters. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 280 km/h.
The more powerful Targa 4S features a 3.8-liter engine outputting 355 bhp. This model sprints to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 288 km/h.
The distinguishing feature of this Porsche is a large glass roof blending harmoniously with the sports car lines. The glass roof also ensures a light, airy interior. It can be opened in only seven seconds to as much as half a meter, no matter what the speed, by means of two electric motors.
Tesla Roadster Electric Sports Car
The electric Tesla Roadster has the equivalent of 135 mpg and a range of 250 miles on a single charge, a combination unseen until now in a mass-produced electric car. Its extended range is due to its state-of-the-art lithium-ion Energy Storage System.
The Tesla Roadster is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in four seconds.
Using a unique two-speed electrically activated manual transmission, the Tesla Roadster's power comes from a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor. The motor is controlled by the Power Electronics Module (PEM) which also controls the inverting direct current to 3-phase alternating current, charging and braking systems.
Tesla Motors's engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure that not only is the Tesla Roadster safe to drive, but also is safe when charging, at home or on the road.
The electric motor's efficiency rating is likely to be as high as 95 percent, while the internal combustion engine's efficiency is 20 percent or less. With this efficiency, the Tesla Roadster achieves the equivalent of 135 mpg.
That efficiency doesn't slow this sleek sports car down, either. Estimated 0-60 mph time is around four seconds, and with an electric motor, the torque is instantaneous, throw-you-back-in-the-seat responsive.
All in all, this is remarkable sports car!
2006 Ferrari P4
The car has been designed and built to bring to life a dream and creating a sort of symbiosis between the customer and car leading to the definition of this amazing model.
Starting from a Ferrari Enzo, the aim was to produce a vehicle inspired by sport racing cars with extreme vocations.
The sleek lines of the sports car, characterized by a soft muscular touch, took shape on the body – made entirely of carbon fiber.
The tapered profile of the nose highlights both its aerodynamic function and the car’s new look; the central body is dominated by the single-shell windscreen, while the car is accessed via two butterfly type doors.
The car expresses elegance and fluidity with the clear-cut, uncluttered lines that soothes your mood.
This Ferrari is a truly remarkable super sports car that anyone can be proud of.
All in all, this is remarkable sports car!
Pagani Zonda Production Car Lap Record
With a time of 7 minutes and 27 seconds the Pagani Zonda F broke the lap record on the world famous Nurburgring in Germany.
The Pagani Zonda F featured fully adjustable shock absorbers allowing driver Marc Basseng to let the supercar's aerodynamics to shine.
2009 Camaro Convertible
This Camaro convertible will be powered by a 6.0 litre V8 putting power to the rear wheels through a 6 speed transmission.
The car expresses elegance and fluidity with the clear-cut, uncluttered lines - a convertible that will feel good and drive well.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT Cabriolet
“The Ford Shelby GT was engineered for people that put performance first,” said Carroll Shelby. “Working with Ford Racing, we created this Shelby to be an everyday driver that’s tuned for fun at the track. Those who value a well-balanced package will appreciate it. Those who don’t will be left behind staring at its tailpipes.”
The Mustang convertible is the number one selling convertible in the U.S.
Mercedes SLR McLaren
The new Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster, debuting in the fall of 2007, with a a carbon-fibre construction like today's Formula 1 cars, has a supercharged V8 engine under the hood of this high-performance sports car which propels it to a top speed of 332 km/h.
Mercedes and its Formula 1 partner, McLaren, have many years of experience with carbon-fiber that is conventionally used in the aviation and space industries. In an impact, carbon fibres have a level of energy absorption that is four to five times higher than that of steel or aluminium, while the weight advantage of this high-tech material over steel is around 50 per cent.
It comes with a fully retractable soft top to combine pure open-air driving bliss with the ultimate in performance. A true super sports car!
2008 Porsche 911 GT2
The 911 GT2 has a 50 hp upgrade over the standard 997 Turbo for a total of 530hp. This power increase is courtesy of two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimized turbine housing.
The GT2 is only available with a 6 speed manual gearbox and RWD to cater to the real car enthusiasts and provide the best performance possible. The new Porsche GT2 does 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds and top speed of 204mph.
It is scheduled to make its North American debut in early 2008 at a US price of $191,700.
2008 Maserati Edo Corsa
The 2008 Maserati Edo Competition MC12 Corsa is an amazing race car, with 755 bhp and 546 lb-ft of torque and a light weigth of 2,529 lbs.
The 6.0-liter V12 now announces its power through a newly developed Edo competition high-flow exhaust system – and it does so with a soundtrack guaranteed to induce goose bumps!
The independently adjustable compression and rebound damping permits truly individual suspension setups. The unique system, with its three different adjustments, allows for low-speed compression damping characteristics to be altered while the high-speed settings, having a strong influence on ride-quality, remain constant. True racing technology for the road!
Lamborghini Reventon
The Lamborghini Reventon is an extreme super sports car without equals.
With only 20 produced (each 1 Million Euro), Lamborghini Reventon is a symbol of extreme exclusivity with extraordinary performance through the entire technical and dynamic competence of the twelve cylinder Lamborghini.
Lamborghini prides itself on being the extraordinary m
anufacturer of extreme super sports cars without compromise. The Reventon was inspired by the fastest airplanes and perfected to the last detail.
Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo
The Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo set the new World’s Fastest Production Car record with an average top speed of 255.83 mph.
On a temporarily-closed 2 lane public highway in Washington State, the SSC Ultimate Aero posted a top speed of 257.11 mph (413.83 kph) on its first pass and 254.55 mph (409.71 kph) on its return pass, achieving a new top speed record: a staggering 255.83 mph (411.76 kph).
SSC used a turbo V8 outputting 1183 HP and 1094 lbs. of torque. The use of lightweight carbon fiber materials allows for a low dry weight of 2750 lbs. giving the Aero TT the production record for lbs/hp ratio at 2.33.
The Ultimate Aero achieved 0-60 mph in 2.78 seconds and 1/4 Mile in 9.90 seconds at 144 mph.
The Aero TT is not completely stripped either, it features air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, a navigation system, and a 10 speaker Audio/CD/DVD. Base price is expected to be around $585,000