Any car people in here?

[joecool85]

I'm a car guy, love my cars, know my cars and work on my cars. Today I'm painting a 13x5 4x100 rim for my ZX2 so I can mount up a 185/70/13 mounted to it and replace my crappy stock donut spare. I hate those things.

[mkrishnan]

I'm a car guy, love my cars, know my cars and work on my cars. Today I'm painting a 13x5 4x100 rim for my ZX2 so I can mount up a 185/70/13 mounted to it and replace my crappy stock donut spare. I hate those things.

13"-ers ... w00t w00t! :D Those aren't dubs... they aren't even teens. They're tweens! :eeK: ;) :D

Seriously, though, I know so many people who love their ZX2s. Do your thing, boi! :)

I'm sort of a car guy. I don't necessarily like to monkey with my car, although I know how. I worked as an engineer in the industry for five years -- Ford, and suppliers for GM / Chrysler / Mazda and a little bit of Toyota and Honda.

[joecool85]

Well its not like I'm going to roll on it much (hopefully never) seeing as its a spare. I have stock 15x6 alloys on it right now w/185/60s on it. Hopefully it will have some 195/55/15s later in the summer.

[Platform]

What is your question......just if people here are interested in cars...and know some the yes ;)

[joecool85]

yeah, I was just curious if all computer geeks (or a lot) are like me and my friends. It seems all the people around here that are big into computers are big into cars...not necessarily vice versa though lol.

[edesignuk]

The Top Gear MEGATHREAD!!!! (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=96682)

[jeffy.dee-lux]

dude, i'm a huge ford guy, have been since i was about 12 or something, and i could hardly even figure out what a ZX2 was for a while.
I'm much more of a car guy than a computer guy. I never really think of computers when i list my interests for one reason or another. I'd say half the time i come to this site it to look for car threads. Otherwise, i'm on www.themustangsource.com. Check it out, its a great site, tons of mustang info, past and present, good forums, more than just the mustang stuff, although largely centred around that car and other fords.

[robbieduncan]

Just thought I'd say I saw the new V8 Vantage beside 1 Canada Square today (they were shooting so promo material). Although I didn't think much of the bright yellow finish I'd have to say it's a beautiful car in real life. It looked graceful, yet powerful.

[Lord Blackadder]

Lots of car people here...

[makisushi]

yes.

[edesignuk]

Just thought I'd say I saw the new V8 Vantage beside 1 Canada Square today (they were shooting so promo material). Although I didn't think much of the bright yellow finish I'd have to say it's a beautiful car in real life. It looked graceful, yet powerful.Stunning wasn't it (not sure about the yellow though :eek: ). The motor show is on again up here June/July time. Can't wait. Last year they had 4 Astons in a row inside 1 Canada Square (my building!!! Yay!!!) :D And the Mercedes dealership had an SLR :cool:

[EJBasile]

I'm a car person!

13" Wheels- wow! I agree doughnuts (not the food) are stupid

My 2003 Range Rover has stock optional 20" (18" is standard).

The funny thing about H2 Hummers (my neighbor has one) is that their spare tire is so large if you have it stored in the trunk it takes up so much room there is only room for one seat in the third row.

On the topic of wheels I hate people who "pimp" out there cars with 22" ugly chrome wheels with jems embeded in them.

[Frank (Atlanta)]

Yes - car guy! Much fun prior to getting married & having a child - some of my toys are gone, now; however, I've kept one convertible in storage that I manage to get out every now and then...

[Plymouthbreezer]

Bigggg car guy here (thus my username)!

I'm up for hearty car debate anytime. ;)

[MacAztec]

I like cars. My mom has a VERY VERY VERY Rare 1985 BMW that I love. It is a 1985 BMW 745i. It was imported from Germany in 1986, has a turbo on the engine (not a diesel).

I guess it is a 295HP engine while stock, but a few minor modifications can put it at around 380HP.

Here is a link to her exact car: LINK (http://www.mcsmk8.com/745/745.htm)

It is rad. Buffalo skin leather interior is awesome!

If you want to see some of the nicest cars I have personally ever seen, check out this site: HERE (http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm)

The guy is a car nut, and keeps cars looking stock, while doing nice mods and making them fly. Check out his Callaway Twin Turbo!

[EJBasile]

I like cars. My mom has a VERY VERY VERY Rare 1985 BMW that I love. It is a 1985 BMW 745i. It was imported from Germany in 1986, has a turbo on the engine (not a diesel).

I guess it is a 295HP engine while stock, but a few minor modifications can put it at around 380HP.

Here is a link to her exact car: LINK (http://www.mcsmk8.com/745/745.htm)

It is rad. Buffalo skin leather interior is awesome!

If you want to see some of the nicest cars I have personally ever seen, check out this site: HERE (http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm)

The guy is a car nut, and keeps cars looking stock, while doing nice mods and making them fly. Check out his Callaway Twin Turbo!

Nice BMW. I still love the old look of them, in some ways more than the current ones.

I have a 2003 Range Rover 4.4 HSE, a 2001 Range Rover 4.6 HSE, and a 2004 Mercedes E320 CDI. When the 2006 Range Rover (non-sport version) comes out I'm trading in my '03 RR and possibly my '01 as well. I'm not sure weather to get the standard 4.4 305hp engine or the 4.2L Supercharged 400hp Jaguar engine. The supercharged goes from 0-60 in 7.1 sec- pretty fast for an SUV of that size and weight. I might keep my 2001 Rover for bad weather etc. Again In some ways I like the older verison more than the new.

My mom and dads car collection consists of a 2003 VW Passat W8, 2002 GMC Yukon Denali, 2001 Bently Label (nice but pointless), 2003 jaguar XJ8, and a 1965 Shelby Cobra. But i'm grown up and out of the house.

[wrc fan]

i thought this thread was gonna be about the car people from another planot or something... like this guy:

[Blackstealth]

It seems all the people around here that are big into computers are big into cars...

Funny that, all the people I know that are big into computers don't give a monkey's about cars and those that are into cars couldn't care less about computers. I seem to occupy a reasonably rare middle ground here.

Always been a car guy, it's in the blood. Currently driving a 1997 Saab 9000 Turbo, only a paltry 210bhp (at the moment), but it's a real wolf in sheep's clothing and puts a huge grin on my face whenever I'm out and about. There's just something fun about silly amounts of power through the front wheels with no electronic aids to help out...

[Altima3.5]

Just installed a new air intake on my V6 Altima (hence the username) - should add 15-25 hp. New exhaust and underdrive pulley next - hoping to get the stock 245 hp up to 300 hp.

Do I qualify as a car guy?

[Xtremehkr]

Just installed a new air intake on my V6 Altima (hence the username) - should add 15-25 hp. New exhaust and underdrive pulley next - hoping to get the stock 245 hp up to 300 hp.

Do I qualify as a car guy?

Infiniti is getting 298 hp out of that engine in the G35. I wonder what the potential for that engine is. It gets great numbers under N/A, it must be a monster with a Turbo.

[EJBasile]

Infiniti is getting 298 hp out of that engine in the G35. I wonder what the potential for that engine is. It gets great numbers under N/A, it must be a monster with a Turbo.


I love the G35, that will be my mothers replacement car if she decides to get rid of her unreliable passat W8.

[Xtremehkr]

I love the G35, that will be my mothers replacement car if she decides to get rid of her unreliable passat W8.

I think that they are adding AWD goodness this year or next. It's going to be hard to beat after that.

[chibianh]

15-25hp from just an air intake? lol.. u'll be lucky to get 4 ;)

Anyways, I'm a little bit into cars. I enjoy auto-x and no, my car is not stock anymore. :)

[EJBasile]

I think that they are adding AWD goodness this year or next. It's going to be hard to beat after that.

The already have AWD on the G35 don't they. Isn't called the G35x? I wouldn't buy the G35 without AWD- I would never want rear wheel drive in the winter.

[EJBasile]

I hate when people make there cars unstock.

It just seems like taking a brand new 15" 1.67ghz powerbook maxed out and then painting it yellow or something stupid.

[Xtremehkr]

The already have AWD on the G35 don't they. Isn't called the G35x? I wouldn't buy the G35 without AWD- I would never want rear wheel drive in the winter.


It was this year then, that was my only complaint about the G35, nothing to complain about anymore.

Oh I know what it was, the TL, another nice car, but no AWD in the near future.

[chibianh]

I hate when people make there cars unstock.


Why? Nothing wrong with personalizing your car. I'm pretty sure your car isn't stock either. Did you get new tires? new brake pads?

My G5 came with 256mb of ram. It's not stock anymore. ;)

[chibianh]

Infiniti is getting 298 hp out of that engine in the G35. I wonder what the potential for that engine is. It gets great numbers under N/A, it must be a monster with a Turbo.

It's a monster alright.. Google for the G35's cousin, the 350Z. Same engine, but you'll find more modded Zs. THey put down some nice #s with FI.

[Altima3.5]

15-25hp from just an air intake? lol.. u'll be lucky to get 4 ;)

Anyways, I'm a little bit into cars. I enjoy auto-x and no, my car is not stock anymore. :)


Depends how restrictive the stock air intake is - and believe me, the stock intake on the Altima is horrible. I can show you the dynos if you're really interested - 15 hp gain at the wheels without too much trouble.

[Lacero]

Revscene.net (http://www.revscene.net/forums/index.php?s=) has a big discussion on the topic of cars. You may want to check out that site. It has about triple the number of users than MR, but of course, cars are cooler than Macs so the user base is larger.

[Altima3.5]

Infiniti is getting 298 hp out of that engine in the G35. I wonder what the potential for that engine is. It gets great numbers under N/A, it must be a monster with a Turbo.


Latest predictions for the new Nissan/Infiniti GT-R Skyline will be a twin-turbo 3.2L getting close to 500 hp.
:eek:

[MacAztec]

Depends how restrictive the stock air intake is - and believe me, the stock intake on the Altima is horrible. I can show you the dynos if you're really interested - 15 hp gain at the wheels without too much trouble.

Holy crap, that is a big boost. Show me those dynos! I can see MAYBE 15hp, but at the wheels, MAYBE 6.

[Altima3.5]

Holy crap, that is a big boost. Show me those dynos! I can see MAYBE 15hp, but at the wheels, MAYBE 6.

Here you go - 15 hp gain at 6000 rpm with the AEM CAI. This is not my intake, or my dyno, but it shows the possibilities. I've installed the Berk v2 intake, which is supposed to be even better than the AEM. You can feel some increase in power across the rpm band, but above 5000 rpm it is amazing, and sounds like a F1 car!

As other members on this forum have stated, the 3.5L V6 in the Altima is the same engine as in the 350Z and G35, both of which now achieve 300 hp. A lot of the extra 50+ hp they get over the Altima comes from cleaning up the air path (both intake and exhaust).

[EJBasile]

It was this year then, that was my only complaint about the G35, nothing to complain about anymore.

Oh I know what it was, the TL, another nice car, but no AWD in the near future.

Thats definatly a car that needs to get AWD. Many people buy acuras because there fairly upscale and have the reliability of a honda. They would probably attract more people with AWD.

[EJBasile]

Why? Nothing wrong with personalizing your car. I'm pretty sure your car isn't stock either. Did you get new tires? new brake pads?

My G5 came with 256mb of ram. It's not stock anymore. ;)

Land Rover and Mercedes parts for my cars:)

Yea obviously new tires, breakpads, oi, etcl have been replaced. Ram, Hard Drive, etc is not really change the look of the computer.

But taking an Esclade, putting 22" ugly chrome wheels on, doing a wierd paint job, puttting on a big chrome grill on, big side moldings, big exhaust systems, and a big loud stereo in is making it unstock.

Thats my meaning of unstock. Pretty much anything from "Pimp my Ride"


The only car I can think of that to me are okay when personalized are Jeep Wranglers.

[yg17]

I'm into cars. Drive a 2004 Hyundai Tiburon with a couple things done to it. Cold air intake, strut bar, headunit, amp, speakers, Sirius radio. Not a whole lot of money to do much else.

[joecool85]

Just installed a new air intake on my V6 Altima (hence the username) - should add 15-25 hp. New exhaust and underdrive pulley next - hoping to get the stock 245 hp up to 300 hp.

Do I qualify as a car guy?

If you really think that an intake is going to give you more than 4-6hp, then no, you are not a car guy. The only exceptions are on turbo cars, and even so you'll never really see more than MAX 10hp gain from an intake, even TB - filter.

[chibianh]

Land Rover and Mercedes parts for my cars:)

Yea obviously new tires, breakpads, oi, etcl have been replaced. Ram, Hard Drive, etc is not really change the look of the computer.

But taking an Esclade, putting 22" ugly chrome wheels on, doing a wierd paint job, puttting on a big chrome grill on, big side moldings, big exhaust systems, and a big loud stereo in is making it unstock.

Thats my meaning of unstock. Pretty much anything from "Pimp my Ride"


The only car I can think of that to me are okay when personalized are Jeep Wranglers.

I guess everyone has their own taste in personalizing their cars. Personally, I wouldn't put huge wheels on an escalade if I could afford one. However, I'm all about performance mods... I have put a lot into my suspension and now currently working on the engine. :D

[chibianh]

If you really think that an intake is going to give you more than 4-6hp, then no, you are not a car guy. The only exceptions are on turbo cars, and even so you'll never really see more than MAX 10hp gain from an intake, even TB - filter.

Actually, he's right. The intake in the 3.5 in the Altima is severely restrictive. I was a bit skeptic at first too, but I did some research and asked a few buddies who are into Nissans. Maybe not as much as 15whp, but I could believe 9 to the wheels. I guess my skepticism originally was due to the fact that mine only gave me about 4whp with a sri.

[joecool85]

Even so, maybe 8-9 at the wheels...but 15 is too much. The thing is, I'm into escorts, and trust me, their intake is 3 inches the majority of the way back, then 2.5 into the filter, then on the end of the filter box, 1.2"!!!! I know all about restriction, but even so, removing all that crap and putting on a nice setup yields about 4 hp on those cars, since that is a 1.9 4cyl, and his is a 3.5 V6, I suppose you could probably get 50-100% more than on that tiny motor, so 8-9 sounds reasonable. I still think 15 is out of the question regardless of what anyone says.

[Altima3.5]

Even so, maybe 8-9 at the wheels...but 15 is too much. The thing is, I'm into escorts, and trust me, their intake is 3 inches the majority of the way back, then 2.5 into the filter, then on the end of the filter box, 1.2"!!!! I know all about restriction, but even so, removing all that crap and putting on a nice setup yields about 4 hp on those cars, since that is a 1.9 4cyl, and his is a 3.5 V6, I suppose you could probably get 50-100% more than on that tiny motor, so 8-9 sounds reasonable. I still think 15 is out of the question regardless of what anyone says.

Jeez people, calm down. If you don't want to believe dyno numbers, that's fine.
:rolleyes:

[chibianh]

Jeez people, calm down. If you don't want to believe dyno numbers, that's fine.
:rolleyes:

It's not that we don't believe the dyno #s. Different types of dynos can give different #s. Air temperature and humidity can be a big factor at the time of the dyno. And most mfr fud their dyno charts. But in the end, it's your car and it's very good that you can get 9+ whp with an intake.. and great if u can get 15! :)

[anonymous161]

The V configuration and the larger displacement are where the extra percentage gains come from on the VQ Nissan engine. Take a look at a 3L BMW straight six at approx 200 hp vs. the 3.5L VQ at the 287 hp or whatever the stock 350 z is rated. That's the same engine that is in the Altima with a better intake and better mapping. Or even better compare the 3's six to the Honda Accord 3L V6 at 240 hp. You can get more air into a V (or even better boxer) configuration than a straight, thus more power. BMW ran into this issue in GT racing with the 3 vs the 911, even though they both ran the same size restrictor plates. This is why BMW wedged a V8 into the 3 for racing in GT. The only real disadvantage to a V is that the inline 6 has better harmonic balance, but that doesn't apply to 4 bangers, which are about the most unstable engines put in cars.

[Altima3.5]

It's not that we don't believe the dyno #s. Different types of dynos can give different #s. Air temperature and humidity can be a big factor at the time of the dyno. And most mfr fud their dyno charts. But in the end, it's your car and it's very good that you can get 9+ whp with an intake.. and great if u can get 15! :)

Here's a description of the path the air takes in a stock V6 Altima:
It enters the air scoop above the radiator (already bad - the air is getting heated by the radiator even before it starts). It takes a sharp right turn, then heads down to the air box, where it takes a sharp left turn up to the filter (the most restrictive air filter I've ever seen), before another sharp right turn into the MAF and the throttle body.

Now through the new intake:
Cold air enters through the high flow Apexi filter, then straight into the MAF and throttle body.

Sounds like 15 whp to me!

Next mod is a Mossy catback exhaust - 21 hp to the wheels. Feel free to flame me on that too - I have more dynos (which you don't believe anyway).
:D

[chibianh]

Here's a description of the path the air takes in a stock V6 Altima:
It enters the air scoop above the radiator (already bad - the air is getting heated by the radiator even before it starts). It takes a sharp right turn, then heads down to the air box, where it takes a sharp left turn up to the filter (the most restrictive air filter I've ever seen), before another sharp right turn into the MAF and the throttle body.

Now through the new intake:
Cold air enters through the high flow Apexi filter, then straight into the MAF and throttle body.

Sounds like 15 whp to me!

Next mod is a Mossy catback exhaust - 21 hp to the wheels. Feel free to flame me on that too - I have more dynos (which you don't believe anyway).
:D

Look, I have mfr dynos for my intake (AEM V2) which claims +15whp. I have a catback system (magnaflow) with dynos which claim +25whp. I also have a 'hi-flow' cat from a mfr who claims +15whp. Do I have an addiitonal 45whp? I WISH! Only way I will wholely believe your claims is if YOU dyno before and after the mods. I did on my car and the end result was only +14.3whp over stock.

My friend is a big Nissan guru and even he's very skeptical. I'll believe +9hp with the intake, but another 21 with the exhaust is just waaaay out there.

[Altima3.5]

Look, I have mfr dynos for my intake (AEM V2) which claims +15whp. I have a catback system (magnaflow) with dynos which claim +25whp. I also have a 'hi-flow' cat from a mfr who claims +15whp. Do I have an addiitonal 45whp? I WISH! Only way I will wholely believe your claims is if YOU dyno before and after the mods. I did on my car and the end result was only +14.3whp over stock.

My friend is a big Nissan guru and even he's very skeptical. I'll believe +9hp with the intake, but another 21 with the exhaust is just waaaay out there.

They're not my claims or mfr dynos - they're from Nissan Performance Mag.

Look, I joined this thread because I thought it might be nice to discuss cars with some fellow Mac users, not to have some stupid argument over hp. I couldn't care less if you believe these numbers or not.

[joecool85]

They're not my claims or mfr dynos - they're from Nissan Performance Mag.

Look, I joined this thread because I thought it might be nice to discuss cars with some fellow Mac users, not to have some stupid argument over hp. I couldn't care less if you believe these numbers or not.

That's cool, lets get back to that then. What year is your nissan, and also, is it a 5spd? I can't understand people who try to make automatics performance cars, unless its like an old muscle car...but even so, manuals are so much better IMO. More power to the ground, less loss through the transaxle.

[chibianh]

I can't understand people who try to make automatics performance cars,

That used to be true.. ever get behind the wheel of a any BMW M car with SMG or SMG II transmission? ;)

[Plymouthbreezer]

It was this year then, that was my only complaint about the G35, nothing to complain about anymore.

Oh I know what it was, the TL, another nice car, but no AWD in the near future.
The TL is nice, so is the TSX fr the price.

About RWD - the new LX cars from Chrysler are RWD (AWD is an option) are just as good as any front drivers in snow/wet conditions due to ESP and TC.

[Xtremehkr]

I think cars are probably the second favorite topic for a lot of people on this board.

I think it is possible for an intake to get 15whp, but not without header and exhaust mods to improve the outflow as well. I imagine the dyno was done under ideal conditions. It will be a noticeable improvement though.

I taken rides in modified versions of my Infiniti and there is definitely a difference is performance when the intake/outake has been modified. The real improvement comes when a turbo is added.

At the end of the semester I am going to make some low key improvements to my car. Low key meaning it will look the same but perform a lot better. Thankfully Remus sells performance exhaust systems that look and sound normal while improving performance. Mostly because I want a small, efficient, well handling car that moves when I want it to.

[Xtremehkr]

The TL is nice, so is the TSX fr the price.

About RWD - the new LX cars from Chrysler are RWD (AWD is an option) are just as good as any front drivers in snow/wet conditions due to ESP and TC.

The TSX is a nice little car, only about $4-6000 less than a TL though. I would take either though, the TSX has a lot of hp for a small car.

[Danger! Will]

I'm a car dude, i've never seen a FORD Escort tricked out though. You got any pics of it or a list of mods?

[-hh]

I hate when people make there cars unstock.

It just seems like taking a brand new 15" 1.67ghz powerbook maxed out and then painting it yellow or something stupid.

I think I understand what you're saying....

http://steve.wedevelop.net/media/mufflers_and_hockey_cards.png


....eh? :)

-hh

[yg17]

I'm a car dude, i've never seen a FORD Escort tricked out though. You got any pics of it or a list of mods?

I have. Didn't look pretty, didn't sound pretty and was driven by someone who thought his car was a Ferrari.

[Tech^salvager]

Love driving my familys 2002 Mazda 626
I'm not a car guy yet but I do want to get a a 3rd gen Honda accord to mess with and to learn with.

[840quadra]

I am a freelance automotive journalist for Bimmerfourms.com, volksport.com, Neuwerks.com and a few others.

I own 5 cars, 3 dirt bikes, and work in my friends shop on my days off. :)

I guess I am sort of a car guy :)

[840quadra]

2 of the 5, the other 3 need new pictures :)

http://www.neuwerks.com/albums/photoshoot1/IMG_1825.sized.jpg
2000 VW Passat 1.8t with 110k trouble free "modified" miles
17x8 Borbet Type E wheels
APR Chip
Intercooler pipe replacements, and new Turbo Bypass valve from Forge
TT Exhaust with Modified downpipe (NO TIP)
European HID conversion
1be Passat Suspension Package
Audi A8 Front Brakes
etc... (too much to list)
" Stops faster, achieves better gas milage, and looks better (to me) then stock"


http://www.neuwerks.com/albums/october-9th-fall-drive/IMG_0020.sized.jpg
90 Jetta Coupe 1.8 8v NA
Buildon (VW Motorsports) 268 Degree cam
TT Exhaust with Race downpipe (Cat Delete) (No Tip)
H&R 400 LB Race springs front, Neuspeed Sport rear.
Bilstein sport Dampers
TSW 15" wheels
Quad round Lights, with HID conversion on 7" rounds
Schroth Autoconrol seatbelt system
etc... (wayyyyy too much to list)

Both cars are driven often, and NEVER street race. The jetta has over 1000 miles of Track time, while the Passat has about 2000 on the ODO.

[iWantAMac]

Like cars, but I'm more of a bike person to be honest. I had a crash earlier this year so I don't have a bike at the moment, and probably won't for a while.

...But heres' a photo taken on Sunday of my brother's bike for hell of it.


http://img51.echo.cx/img51/6751/dsc00220jpgsmall2ln.jpg


Unfortunately, later that day he came off while racing, so the bike doesn't look quite that good atm.

[joecool85]

I'm a car dude, i've never seen a FORD Escort tricked out though. You got any pics of it or a list of mods?

Well, there is a guy with a 92 escort pony 5spd running 20lbs of boost on his stock 1.9...not that its stock, but its the motor that came in the car lol. And several people have swapper in a GTR motor...good for 170-200hp stock depending on what you get it out of, and others the KL-ZE 200hp 2.5 V6 mazda motor. But, even though those guys have all the power, if you want pictures these are probably the most impressive, this guy went all out show.

http://www.escortracing.com/2nd/Rob/rob02.jpg

Rob (http://www.escortracing.com/2nd/Rob/Rob.html)

We also have several people rolling on 18s, body kits, dual exhaust, and all the rice you can imagine :rolleyes: But the cool stuff is at the track with the turbo escorts. www.escortracing.com use to be the big site to go to...but its since been shut down and archived, now feoa.net is the one to go to.