NJ Law Gets Tough on Fastlane Slowpokes

We have all been there – coasting on the freeway, a longdistance to go and cruising to get there in a reasonable amount of time, whenyou hit someone going 55MPH in the left-most lane. We didn’t buy a car with a turbocharger or supercharger just to sit behind this inconsiderate person driving 10 miles under the speedlimit. Most of us know the left-most lane as the “fast lane” – a lane fordrivers to coast at the maximum speed in order to cover longer distances. NewJersey has recently implemented laws that impose heavier fines for thesetraffic-causing individuals in an effort to keep them to the right.

These are usually referred to as “keep right laws,” and NewJersey isn’t alone in implementing them.  They are notable however in pursuing acrackdown and greater penalties for offenders. Speeding is much easier toenforce and more profitable in ticketing so police officers around the nationusually focus their efforts on ticketing speeders. The people of New Jerseyhowever have made this issue a priority to keep the traffic and road ragecaused by slowpokes in check. 

State Senator Donald Norcross (D) has sponsored the bill,telling the Philadelphia Inquirer "Being trapped behind a slower vehicleis one of the biggest triggers for road rage. Some people have told me thefines we're proposing are not high enough. They said, 'It should beexecution.’”

He has decided on a softer approach, increasing the minimumpenalty from $50 to $100 and the maximum penalty from $100 to $300. Theincrease in fines may help motivate police to pursue offenders, and thusencourage offenders to move to the right.

 Many offenders are from out of state, so the increasedrevenue from the tickets will help pay for new signs when crossing state lineswarning every one of the keep right laws in effect in New Jersey. I can onlyhope that this trend will sweep across the nation and that California will alsoenact similar laws – we all have places to go!

How to Choose the Right Vehicle For You

Buying a new vehicle is very exciting, but it can also beoverwhelming. There are so many options for car buyers today that the whirlwindof makes, models, trims, and options(like advanced turbochargers and superchargers) can be dizzying.Fortunately, taking a few things into consideration can help narrow yourchoices and help you make the right decision.

The first and most important thing to define is the purposeof your new vehicle. Are you shopping for a vehicle to take your three kids topractice, or just to take you going as fast as possible through dangerousmountain curves? Is it to get you to work every day, or to haul you and yourfriends to the beach to surf? Carefully thinking and making a decision aboutthis alone will help tremendously in narrowing your choices, and to make yousatisfied with your new purchase.

 Next is to decide a price range. This should be fairly easy– decide how much of a car payment you can afford each month, then find out thelowest car loan interest rate you qualify for. Your credit score will determinethe interest rate and loan amount you are able to take out. Then put thenumbers into an online loan calculator to determine a maximum amount you canget a loan for. Now that you know an absolute maximum, it’s always wise to tryto find a vehicle under that maximum that still meets your needs.

 

 You should be down to just a few select makes and models. Atthis point you get to weigh all of the different options available in eachmodel – the fun stuff! Do you want a car with a more luxurious interior, or avehicle that is more technology-capable? Do you want a modern body-style, orsomething aggressive? This is where you get to match your car to yourpersonality. Most of us have to drive our cars every day, so it’s best to pickone you’re going to enjoy!

After you’ve indentified your main needs, you can alsoemploy the help of online car matching services. This free one from Edmunds.com can help suggest vehicles that will workfor you.

We hope you find just the vehicle you’re looking for. Happydriving!

The Original Back To The Future DeLorean Is Getting Restored!

Putting a new turbocharger or supercharger won’t turn your ride into a time machine, but Bob Gale, co-writer for the Back To The Futuresaga, is going to need one to accomplish his next project: a full museumquality restoration of the original "A car" from the Back To The Future trilogy.

There were several vehicles used in the making of the BTTFsaga, but the A car was the best, most detailed unit used on all three films.Apparently it has been left outside for a long time and is in need of seriousTLC. Some say it sat outside the BTTF ride at Universal Studios, others say itsat in a car lot with other busted movie vehicles, but either way the car is now in a state of seriousdisrepair. 

The people he has hired to do the restoration are Joe Wasler, JRyan, and Terry Matalas, all of whom have been involved in creating perfectBTTF DeLorean replicas in the past. Not only will they need a team ofspecialists to restore the vehicle to working order, they will also have to payextra special attention to the many elements that make this car a unique pieceof film history.

Bob Gale has taken tothe internet to appeal for all fans of the movie to return any original partsof the car to them,  or to let them know where they can get new ones (if anyone hassuch information). The movie’s popularity has seen original parts get sold andpassed around over the years, so some pieces of the original are missing.  He has created a Facebook page and Twitteraccount to connect with fans that may have information on the missing parts,and for anyone interested in following the restoration process.

 It will be fun to see this unique car go through its owntime machine – question is, when it’s done, where do you think it will end up?

BMW M Diesels

If you live in the states you’re not going to have to worryabout replacing a diesel injector or a diesel turbocharger for your new BMWM550d, because this car not going to be available for sale in the U.S.  Also not available is the other M Diesel carsthat BMW just announced; the X5 M50d, and the X6 M50d. You can go ahead and addthese vehicles to a long line of sweet rides available to rest of the world,but not available to us.

Ok… I have calmed down. I am no longer upset, and haverealized that even if I had the opportunity to buy one of these, I couldn’tafford it anyways.  So, instead ofwhining about not having one of these great cars, let’s discuss what makes themso great. Each one has all-wheel drive and is powered by what BMW callsPerformance Twin Turbo technology.  “TwinTurbo Technology,” Ha! These cars actually have three turbos.  Two smaller turbochargers deliver responsivepower down low in the rpm range, and then there is a bigger turbo that addstop-end thrust. The engine is a 3.0-litre inline six, which has 381-hp.  The M-Diesels will all go from 0 to 62-mph inless than 5.4 seconds, and gas mileage will range from 36.7 to 44-mpg.

The cars also get the M treatment on the outside of thevehicles too.  This includes side mirrorsand vent bars with a grey metallic finish. The exhaust is highlighted with trapezoidal tips, there is high-glossshadow line trim, and alloy wheels ranging from 19 to 20 inches.

No pricing was announced, and the vehicles will be debutedat the Geneva Motor show in March.

"You May Not Run Out of Gas" - Youngstown, OH

In light of news that Massachusetts has been charging $275to fight a traffic ticket whether you win or lose, I was wondering what other ridiculousregulations were going on out there in the car world. I’m not talking about requirementsthat ensure your fuel injectors and turbochargers are in good working condition.I’m talking about some ridiculous, yet very real, traffic regulations such asit being illegal for a driver in Alabama to be blindfolded while operating avehicle. This is obviously so dangerous that it should be illegal, but I wonderwhat happened down the line that this had to become an actual law.

Some of these laws are so old and just haven’t yet beenabolished, while others are due to not-so-smart people doing some not-so-smartthings. In California, no vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 mph. Also,women may not drive in a house coat. In Arcadia, CA peacocks have the right ofway to cross any street, and in Temecula ducks have the right of way at alltimes. In San Diego, it is illegal to shoot jackrabbits from the back of a streetcar.Is your car getting dirty? Don’t go to Downey, CA where it is illegal to washyour car in the street.

Head over to the east coast and you’ll find some prettycrazy regulations as well. In Hartford, CT it is illegal to cross the street ifyou happen to be walking on your hands. In Marietta, GA it is illegal to spitfrom a car or bus, but you can from a truck! In Tennessee, driving is NOT to bedone while asleep. In Virginia Beach, if you are drunk and not driving, but thedriver is drunk as well, you can BOTH receive a DUI. What if you happen to hita pedestrian in Sarasota, FL? Be prepared to pay the $78 fine.

While many of these regulations were made many, many yearsago and just haven’t been abolished, they are all still active laws in theirrespective states. While I don’t think that a woman would be ticketed fordriving a car without a man waving a flag in front of it (yes, this is still “illegal”in Louisiana), it is interesting to read some of these outdated traffic laws. Andback to Massachusetts charging $275 to fight a ticket. They say these fees arenecessary as thousands of people appeal tickets which are causingrising administrative costs. Sounds to me like pressure to just pay your ticketwhether it was deserved or not, and I don’t think you should be charged todefend yourself in court.

What's Your Number?

Even if you have no idea what turbochargers, an alternator, orany other mechanical part of your car does, odds are you know that your oilmust be changed regularly. But the question is, how regularly? Most people, includingmyself, would say once every 3,000 miles or roughly three to four months. I don’tknow why that number is ingrained in my mind, but it seems to have become the generalrule of thumb for most automobiles for quite some time.

The state of California, however, has decided to fight againstthis assumption with their new “Check Your Number” ad campaign. The purpose ofthis campaign is to encourage drivers to check with their car's manufacturer beforeheading over to Jiffy Lube for their next oil change. With today’s advancementsin technology, an oil change every 3,000 mile can be excessive and they want everydriver to check for the recommendation specific to their vehicle. Some BMWvehicles, for instance, don’t need an oil change until they’ve driven another15,000 miles! These drivers could be changing their oil up to four times morethan necessary, wasting both money and oil. Other cars pushing the 3,000 mile benchmark are the Toyota Tacoma only needing an oil change every 5,000 miles and the Chevy Malibu at 7,500 miles.

The campaign is actually a clever one because not only willit save drivers money and time, it helps protect the environment and conserveresources. If Californian drivers alone started changing their oil according tomanufacturers’ specifications, oil demand would decrease by about 10 million gallonsa year. Now I know you’re all curious about what your number is, so head over to checkyournumber.org to find out. Ijust found out “my number” is 10,000 miles, making me feel MUCH better abouthow lazy I’ve been when it comes to changing my oil.

A Lamborghini Aventador VS a Ferrari 458 Turbo...Dream Cars Head to Head

We all love a good race and we all love supercars, the only thing we love more is a modified supercar. Unlike a normal car with a turbo or super charger strapped to it supercars are purpose built machines that are for one thing only.....Speed! The trend of modifying a car is not just limited to Honda's with a fart can on the back of it....the need to make things fast spans all ages. Carroll Shelby is 90 and he is still supercharging mustangs and making cars that rival the Bugatti Veyron in top speed.

There are not many of us who can afford to even look at a Ferrari 458 much less think about adding a turbo system to it once we get it. Usually the people who can afford that kind of thing are not really in the mind set to do it. After all 1% of the population hold 99% of the wealth and that that does not leave the rest of us with much. Recently Underground Racing released a video of their twit turbo Ferrari 458 Vs a Lamborghini Aventador where both cars are sporting 700HP as a bit of promotional material.

The idea was to show the amazing speed of the 458 after adding the kit seeing as the Aventador can do 0 - 60 in less than 3 seconds. The final result of the race is pretty stunning since the Ferrari blows the doors off the Lambo. This may not be a fair comparison in so eye since this is a stock car vs a modified but in this case it is ok. The Lamborghini is designed to be as fast as possible so if you can out run it you are doing something right. Check out the video on youtube to see the results for yourself and not to mention get to drool over 2 beautiful supercars.

Is That Smoke Coming From My Tailpipe

It can be a scary experience…not to mention nerve racking. Making that daily commute to work and BOOM a huge cloud of smoke starts to for behind your car. The mind starts to race with all the problems that could be causing this situation is my motor dead, has my turbo gone bad and if so how will it cost to fix my turbocharger. Or the even worse situation, I just replaced the turbo…please not again! The worst part is the install cost like $1000+ and your car will be down again for who knows how long.

When this happens there is always a silver lining to this cloud of smoke, smoke is not always associated with a thousand dollar repair, it can be something much easier. The first step to understanding the issue is to look at the color of the smoke itself. When the smoke is black it is fuel not being burnt correctly, white means that the coolant is burning off and blue means oil is burning.

Now that the color of the smoke can be understood it can be worked out and fixed. When it comes to a newly installed turbo it may be residual oil left from the old turbo’s failure. Oil from a bad turbo will build up in the lowest point in the system and in a turbo intake system that is the intercooler. The intercooler is the unit at the front area of the car where the air travels across to disperse the heat created by the turbocharging process.  When the old oil has pooled in the intercooler the extremely high pressure air can push it into the intake of the car and it will burn off in the engine. Oil smoke is very potent and just one drop can fill up a room with enough smoke to choke someone. It is easy to imagine that a quart of oil would take a long time to burn and will also coat oxygen sensors and valves cause in future issues. The main thing to remember when there is an issue with your car is to take a breath and remember that it is not the end of the world. Even though it may feel that way, if you step back and think it may be something as easy as a coolant hose that has a crack. 

The Small Customer Car Craze Started a Long Time Ago

Throughout the ages man has strived to define himself as an individual. Cave drawings, elaborate hair styles, huge watches there are all a way to say “look at me” in new and unique ways.  Car trends through the years have changed but the feel is the same it’s all about making something truly unique and truly yours. This is not just about putting some fancy parts or changing out the steering racks and power steering pump when there is a recall. Customer cars are all about what the owners want and how the car makes them feel. The same idea of making your loin cloth out of some dangerous animal can be applied to the car scene. Something that took a long time to build or is unique will always stand out in a crowd.

It is a little known truth that the Japanese and euro tuning market has been alive and well long before the Honda crazy hit the US. In the US the car market was dominated by large American cars for a long period of time and anyone running a small engine was considered to be a bit limp wristed in what they drove. There was no way that a car with a 4 cylinder could be a performance car in any way. In Europe on the other hand the trend was already in full swing with tuning houses and private individuals dropping some serious coin to make their rides unique and much faster.

The trend of going wider and making the cars “footprint” larger has been a tried and true practice for years. These pics are just a few of the examples of the crazy ideas that people had in the 80s and 90s before the small car crazy hit here. There are so many examples of what the gear heads of the past had in mind and what lead to the looks of modern cars. As a car guy it is obvious to me and probably to you that styles created by custom cars is always a big influence in the car of the future. 

Why is an Intercooler so Important to a Turbocharged Car

The internal combustion engine found in today’s cars is basically the world’s most mass produced heat pump. It converts what are basically the remains of dinosaurs into heat through the process of combustion. The combustion is used to force the pistons in the motor downward creating a torqueing motion on the crankshaft. This motion is converted by the transmission into usable power at the wheels of the car. A car equipped with a turbocharger or usually referred to as turbos for short uses an external device that is considered a power adder. A turbo is basically an air pump that forces more air into the cylinders of a vehicle.

When a turbo begins to build “boost” which is the slang term for the pressure that the turbo build in the engine a large amount of heat is created.  This heat can be damaging to a motor is not removed from the system and it robs horsepower from the motor as well. The more heat the air carries the more space the air will need to occupy. The device used to cool the air that is compressed by the turbo is referred to as the intercooler, this unit is basically a radiator that cools air.

The basic idea of the intercooler is that compressed hot air is spread out across a larger area than the pipes in the intake system. Once spread across this larger area the air will deposit its heat on the surface of the intercooler where it is released into the air. To add to the cooling ability fins are placed on the channels where the air travels, these fins allow the heat to be transferred more efficiently out of the system.

Once the air has been super cooled it is returned to the normal pipe size and it continues to the motor. The cooler air also needs less space which means that even more air can be forced into the cylinders of the vehicle. The more air, the more fuel that can be added to the cylinder and a more powerful combustion stroke can be achieved. A more powerful explosion in the cylinder means more power to the crank shaft and thus more horsepower at the wheels of the car. 

What is an Electronic Actuator for a Turbo Wastegate

Many cars, trucks and SUVs on the market today are going with more fuel efficient small engines. There are many theories of how to make these motors more efficient, some use a supercharger and others use a turbocharger. With a turbo come many different options of how to control the boost levels and what the most efficient boost levels will be for the vehicle.

The wastegate is the unit on the turbo which reacts to the boost levels and releases excess pressure to control the amount of pressure or PSI (pounds per square inch) also referred to as “boost”. When the boost levels hit a certain point the spring on the manual actuator is over powered and the wastegate door opens to the exhaust and the built up boost escapes the turbo system. An electronic wastegate is a unit that controls the wastegate door with a sensor which reads the boost and then opens the wastegate door electronically when the boost needs to be controlled.

Many times when a vehicle with a turbocharger is said to be faulty it is actually the actuator that has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Many a vehicle owner has ended up spending their hard earned money to buy a turbo only to find out it was not the issue. Many a person has had to spend time on the phone trying to get their money back for a $1000 part that they ended up not needing. The issue here is that most companies will not take a part back once it is installed…in fact none of them will. The other issue is most electronic actuators cannot be purchased alone and can only be acquired with the OEM new turbo unit. Just be sure that before you buy just the turbo to fix your vehicle that there is not another issue that will keep your car on the lift for a whole lot longer.