Jelutong Auto Painting

Motor Show 2010 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2010-12-09T08:20:00.001-08:00

[FOR SALE] - Canon 40D

2010-10-27T17:25:00.001-07:00

Selling a good condition canon 40D
with one more extra 3rd party battery
shuttle not much since is a backup body
always keep in drybox when not using

Come with box and all the accesories

package include:
40d body
1 Canon Battery
1 3rd Party Battery
Box / CD / Manual / Charger

Price:RM2100 (Serious Buyer Only)
Current location: Putrajaya / Terengganu
Contact: 012-4369875
Reason for selling : Upgraded

Programmable Calculator Casio FX-5800P For Surveyor

2010-10-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Fastest Car

2010-10-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

2010-10-03T04:03:00.001-07:00

Mug Bergambar Digital pelbagai bentuk dan saiz...amat sesuai untuk kenang-kenangan dan cenderahati buat yang tersayang untuk pelbagai majlis dan tujuan...

Gambar kenangan keluarga sebagai hiasan atas meja...
Cenderahati sempena Hari Lahir yang tersayang atau yang diingati...
Cenderahati sempena Hari Ibu, Hari Bapa atau Hari Guru...
Cenderahati sempena Majlis Perpisahan agar tidak dilupakan...
Cenderahati Majlis Pertunangan, Perkahwinan atau Aqiqah anak untuk para tetamu yang hadir...
Abadikan kenangan gambar graduasi samada sekolah atau peringkat kolej dan universiti...
Abadikan kenangan gambar sekolah...

Ciri-ciri cetakan pada mug ini adalah kalis air dah tidak terjejas walau dicuci dengan air dan juga tahan panas jika dimasukkan ke dalam microwave...boleh digunakan sebagai bekas minuman tidak semestinya untuk hiasan semata-mata. Keterangan lanjut sila hubungi:-

012-4369875

www.digitalmugs.net

digitalmugs@gmail.com

NEED FOR SPEED car

2010-09-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

First of its kind -->> Ferrari world Abu Dhabi opens October 2010

2010-09-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

Ferrari theme park

the world's first Ferrari theme park - ferrari world abu dhabi is set to open in October 2010.
it will be an intense multi-sensory experience and a must-visit for enthusiasts, fans and families.
the park pays tribute to the passion, excellence, performance, technical innovation that Ferrari
has established over the years and represents today. its iconic sleek red roof is directly influenced
by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari gt body, spanning 200,000 m2 and carrying
the largest Ferrari logo ever created.

Ferrari world abu dhabi will host a number of attractions, including rides for children of all ages,
providing the complete Ferrari experience: over 20 state-of-the- art attractions, each designed to
bring to life a different part of the Ferrari story, including the world's fastest rollercoaster, travelling
at speeds exceeding 200 km/h and emulating the thrilling sensation of being in a Ferrari f1 car, or
the g-force experience taking passengers on an adrenaline-pumping ride up over 62 m, through
the roof and back down again.

the park is located on yas island - set to become a global tourist destination with a wide range
of accommodation and entertainment facilities - on the north east side of abu dhabi 's mainland.
abu dhabi , at the crossroads between europe, asia and africa, was chosen as the ideal location
to build the Ferrari theme park, motor sports being extremely popular in the united Arab emirates .
Ferrari world abu dhabi will offer a unique and intensely fun way, together with a wide variety
of Italian delicacies, and of course unique shopping experiences.

construction of Ferrari world abu dhabi

aerial view of the park

construction

view of the roof

view of the roof from a distance

the park is adjacent to the yas marina circuit and yas hotel designed by asymptote architecture

the grand prix race track

construction

the exterior of the theme park

the centre of the theme park

detail of the cone structure

the adjacent race track

the rollercoaster

Tukar Domain Blogspot Kepada Domain Sendiri

2010-09-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Honda - The Mugen RR GIRIN2008

2009-09-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

1100hp Twin-Turbo Lamborghini Murcielago

2009-09-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

A Lamborghini Murcielago is already something that dreams are made off. Its hard to beat the space age design and over 570hp powering all four wheels - unless of course you’re one of the guys at Heffner Performance, then 570hp is puny. Very puny.

So being the power crazy tuning house that they already are, the guys at Heffner went about nipping and tucking at the engine and managed to - brace yourself - double the output of the Murcielago and channel that power to only two wheels rather than all fours. By bolting on a pair of turbochargers the Florida-based tuner has officially boosted power up to 1100hp, all driving only the rear wheels.

You might ask the sanity of tuning a supercar, but just take a look at the image gallery and the pair of videos below and you’ll notice how flawless the craftsmanship seems to be. Nevermind the craftsmanship, it’s the numbers behind the car that really boggles the mind.

You’d expect the car to have a very very impressive 0-100 acceleration time so nevermind that but check this out, a stock Murcie does the 100-210km/h in a time of 9.5 seconds. Very impressive but the Heffner Murcei does that in 5.1-seconds, and with “only” 950hp dialed in. With all 1,100hp, Heffner figures it’ll do it in less than four. Still want to know the standing start acceleration time? Seriously, does it even matter?

FUNGSI E-MANAGE vs SAFC2

2009-09-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

FUNGSI PENUH E-MANAGE BLUE VS SAFC2

Perbandingan dibuat berdasarkan kepada harga pasaran 2nd hand yang hampir sama antara kedua-dua unit ini (RM750 hingga RM850)

E-Manage Blue

Air Flow Adjustment Map – Jadual 16 X 16 (RPM vs throttle position) digunakan untuk mengawal A/F sensor @ MAP sensor sebelum dihantar ke ECU bagi tujuan Fuel Enrichment

Upgrade Injector – Mengawal injector sehingga 150% dari injector asal.

Upgrade Air Flow Meter – Mengawal A/F sensor yg telah dinaik taraf

Boost Limiter Cut Setting – Mengnyahkan had boost (bg kete turbo)

Anti Stall Engine Feature – Mengstabilkan idle ketika throttle ditutup (untuk kerete turbo) dan penggunaan Hi-Cam

VTEC Setting – Menala system VTEC (utk kete Honda)

Map Trace Feature – Membolehkan para tuner untuk menala setting enjin pada mana-mana Map (Ignition, Injection dll)

Real Time Display Feature – Membolehkan para tuner untuk memerhatikan keadaan enjin semasa enjin beroperasi (memerlukan Laptop)

Real Time Communication – Fungsi untuk komunikasi antara E-Manage dengan Laptop secara terus dalam saat (2, 3 @ 4)

Data Logging Feature – Membolehkan para tuner untuk merekodkan dan memain balik data enjin

Security Setting Feature – Membolehkan data dikunci dalam E-Manage (kata laluan diperlukan)

SAFC 2

Air Flow Adjustment Map – Mengawal A/F sensor @ MAP sensor berdasarkan kepada 12 point (RPM vs throttle position) sebelum dihantar ke ECU bagi tujuan Fuel Enrichment

Anti Stall Engine Feature – Mengstabilkan idle ketika throttle ditutup (untuk kerete turbo sahaja)

VFD Monitor – Membolehkan aktiviti enjin dipaparkan secara terus tanpa menggunakan Laptop dan secara langsung

2 Storage Pattern Data – Boleh menyimpan 2 corak penalaan (untuk kegunaan jalanan dan perlumbaan)

Security Setting Feature – Membolehkan data dikunci dalam SAFC2 (kata laluan diperlukan)

Warning Function – Membolehkan SAFC memberi amaran berdasarkan setting (contoh seperti RPM limit dimana unit ini akan berkelip jika mencapai had)

Life after GT-R V-Spec? The Nismo 400R & Z-Tune

2009-09-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Nissan is selling the new Nissan GTR almost like it’s on half price right from the start. Half the Price of the 911 Turbo that is. But not before it dropped its middle name, Skyline. So what’s wrong with its middle name? Well you see, the Skyline represents Nissan’s significant flagship of performance coupes and sedans. The new GTR is far too great to associate itself with its Skyline siblings because it was built from ground up and was made purely to stir and shake the performance car industry. It did and became Japan’s proudest Euro eating supercoupe.

But eventually, no matter how great the Nissan GTR becomes, no matter the maturity of its status through the V-Spec program, the real experts will re-intervene. Nissan’s motorsports arm. They’ve been setting the standards in motorsports since way way back, building their versions of GTR within its factory in Omori aptly named, Omori Factory. right in the heart of Tokyo.

So what have they built before? Legends. The 400R and the Z-Tune. Based on the R33 Skyline GTR and R34 Skyline GTR respectively. They are the very ultimate editions of their generation. GTR supernovas. So rare and exclusive that it’s almost impossible to buy one.

We made a trip to Omori Factory, Tokyo. While everyone is busy trying to find out how the new Nissan GTR drives, we take a trip to a time when these Super GTRs were still directly homologated from its original sports coupe form.

Though very much excited to experience the 2 Nismo legends, nothing could take my attention away from my first Nissan GTR sighting. Mind you, this is in January and the car you see below is owned by Shin, the founder of GTROC which was in fact one of the first of the handful owners of the Nissan GTR.

Getting There

I have to thank Alan Khoo of Nismo Malaysia for assisting us with their Japanese asscociate, making this trip that much warmer during the cold Japanese January. Though this isn’t the first time we’ve visited Omori Factory, It’s the first time we’ll be meeting Iwamoto-San, General Manager of Nismo Corporate Planning and Communications. After a short briefing, we were escorted to the garage where the Nismo cars rest. Finally!. I’ve seen the 400R in there in 2007 during my first visit. The Z-Tune still new at the time was busy doing errands and was being towed away just when I arrived. No matter, better late than never. I was handed the keys to the Z-Tune and Remus took the 400R. Now, to actually get the chance to unleash both Nismo legends in Tokyo is quite an experience if you ask me.

Nissan Gallery Ginza

First stop, Nissan Showroom, Ginza. Not your typical Kuala Lumpur city centre, Ginza remains as one of the worlds most expensive place to be in, packed with upmarket shopping, dining, entertainment, featuring famous department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs and cafes. At 100,000 US dollars per square meter, it gives you something to think about our parking fare within the Nissan showrooms’s carpark for a mere 30mins of browsing. Not to mention, these ancient basement car parks are a bitch to maneuver the Z-Tune and 400R in. Remember Top Gear’s Video where they try to drive supercars through a french basement carpark? Well, It’s something like that minus that unforgiving supercar physique. The Z-Tune barely skims the smooth concrete floor as it descends from the ramp.

Parking in Ginza, Tokyo

No, You wouldn’t park such cars in the basement carparks in Kuala Lumpur, especially if it’s an older building like Sungei Wang or something. But try stopping by the curb of busy Ginza afternoon. There is just no where to stop, not to mention getting weird looks from the passers by. So we made it into the car park. As we entered the actual showroom, we were greeted by the then, new Nissan GTR and Nissan 2008 V36 Skyline coupe. Just awesome. It really reminds you how advanced the new Nissans have become even after the fact that I just got out from a previous generation of the Skyline.

Life with the RB26DETT

Some of the obvious Nissan GTR facts would be the missing RB26DETT super 6 cylinder turbo powerplant that has powered 3 generations of GTR which made it the king. As for the experience, even GTR purists have to admit there’s just nothing special about sitting in the cockpit of Skyline GT-R. The same mass-produced versions of plasticky and battle-gearish coin-op game interior always make its way to even the most sought-after GTR. But it does get a little better in the R34 with the additional mini-computer that processes and displays key data of your drive.

Impression

Having driven the R33 and R34 versions of the GTR, i have to admit that it remains special even with the obvious flaws, which you somehow either get used to or totally forget about when the ignition key is turned as you exercise the RB with some revs. Because, in the end, all GTRs are road legends and will forever wear that intimidating Gundam suit with the unmissable battle-mode stance.

So we got out of the car park safely. Me still in the Z-Tune and Remus taming the 400R. Driving these beasts in the heart of Toyko is nothing short of spectacular. All your life you’ve been fed with Option and millions of other Japanese medias not forgetting their videos. Slowly but surely, you inherit that JDM culture and lifestyle and compile your own JDM vocabulary. So actually driving there in one of their proudest JDM machines is unforgettable. Bystanders stared in disbelief and Japanese office ladies giggled away as the Nismo cult machines burbled past.

The Nismo Z-Tune Drive

The Toll plaza approaches. Not having a clue what the attendant was saying, i passed him some coins and waited for change. Remus’ 400R on the other isle hissed away since Japanese has always been second language to him. He signalled and we’re all set. I coasted off in 1st and come 2nd with the throttle mashed, I was greeted by that familliar high-pitched trumpeting sound unique to the RB engines, but somewhat deeper and rougher.. the Nismo Z-Tune drive begins..

Only 20 built, the Z-Tune was a pain to conceive. Right after the successful Z-Tune Prototype test mule, Nismo then rushed out to buy some immaculate Nissan R34 GT-R. That’s right. The Nismo Z-Tune is based off a used GT-R. But don’t be too alarmed, Nismo made sure they only picked the best examples and those that have done not more than 20,000kms. It sure wasn’t easy. But eventually, they are stripped down to the core, re-engineered and built from ground up again. Nismo didn’t just beef up the engine and put it on sale, the Z-Tune is powered by a 2.8 bored-out RB26 utilizing race parts from their GT500 race car that won numerous Super GT series. It was condenamed the Z2. Developing 500bhp out of the box, making the Z-Tune the most extreme R34 GTR Nismo has ever built for the street.

GT500 500bhp 2.8litre Z2 based on the RB26DETT

500bhp may sound really savage to drive but if you treat the Z-Tune nicely, it’ll pass as a road car. Even the twin-plate Nismo Super Coppermix clutch feels like a sponge to press on. Floor the throttle and you’re immediately treated to the front seat of their Super GT race car. At 3500rpm twin race IHI turbos pulls you back by the neck. Continue on and at 4200rpms, it punches you in the chest, leaving you seconds to breath before the next gear.

Robust

The Z-Tune doesn’t need rest since its built for the track. You can punish it all you want because Nismo has put in enough engineering not just for power and roadholding but also engineered the Z-Tune’s aerodynamics to cool down the volcanic turbos and fluids. Race inspired heat exchangers also made it’s way into the Z-Tune. To give you a clue just how serious they were, they’ve even fitted twin oil coolers just behind the rear differential.

Tokyo Skyscraping Highway

We approach the infamous Fast and Furious - Tokyo Drift highway sweeper where Gaijin grinned as he drifts through it. These sweepers practically allow you to orbit the city as it spirals for a couple of kms before it ends. The Z-Tune doesn’t feel tickled as it edges the speed limits in the bends. You can milk the throttle and almost never find out when it’ll run out of dairy. It just will not release its grasp off the road. Also another Z-Tune feature. The GT500 inspired SACHS 3-way adjustable race suspension bolted to the ultra-stiff body. The carbon fiber reinforced front strut towers is also exclusive to the development of the Z-Tune.

So ferocious is this JDM monster, Nismo employed special 6 pot Brembo monoblocks that clamps the 365mm floating discs up front with different Kiryu developed system at the rears. Stomp the brakes but hold on to your eyeballs as it decelerates with a force of 1.6g. At normal and enthusiastic driving the Z-Tune brakes are more than adequate to match its power. Coupled with the all-black Nismo LM-GT4 GT500 ultra-lightweight magnesium wheels, the Z-Tune will carve the curves at limits and stop on a dime when needed.

Cockpit: Z-Tune

The Z-Tune may sound like it’s short on comfort. To be honest, it’s not hard at all to live with, in fact it does well enough with proper sports seats finished in all Alcantara and leather combination. It does feel a little more special compared to a regular V-Spec II. Especially so when it’s garnished with Nismo parts all throughout, and what 180kmh speed limit? this one comes with a stock 320kmh Nismo speedo and gauge clusters.

Aesthetics: Z-Tune

Have i forgotten about its looks? The Z-Tune is far from subtle. Nismo aerodynamic parts replaces the standard panels. Enormous air dams fill the front bumper to cool air, fluids and oils while the folded front fenders channel hot air out from the engine, and fender trimmings accentuate the wider track. In a nutshell, the Nismo Z-Tune is more than a fine track weapon and if unleashed out in the public, it will eat anything up it sees on the street.

An Image of a regular nightly meet up at the Daikoku Futo Parking Area

Daikoku Futo Parking Area

We exited the highway and found ourselves parked at Tokyo’s car nuts’ most patronised show-off spot. The Daikoku Futo Parking Area. Again, a famillair sight from Option Video, this is exactly where it all happens. Late night gatherings, rendezvous point for their top speed Wangan drives, ICE demonstrations, Gundam-minivans and plenty of show cars on most occasions. Notice the skyscraping highways?

The 400R

It is here that I will be hopping into the Nismo 400R for the drive back to Omori Factory. In showroom condition, it is gorgeous. Probably the best kept R33 the world has known. It was built in 1996 mind you. At the time of launch, the 400R shocked the world when in just plain stock form will shatter supercars then with its 400 factory bhp. Not many to worry though, Nismo only built 99 pieces of this. I believe none is in Malaysia. I could be wrong, please let us know if you came across any.

The Nismo bodied 400R is easily differentiated from its regular siblings, firstly, up front, massive Nismo intercooler barely hides within the gaping air dam, bigger and wider wheels, 3 piece Nismo LM-GT1 wheels update the 400R, meatier sideskirts and bolder rear bumper completes the 400R while providing a wider and more powerful stance even at standstill. Finally, it is smothered in a light and milky yellow icing and laced with Nismo stripes. Totally unmistakeable for a 400R.

400bhp RBX-GT2

Considering the Z-Tune being the star of our feature, the 400R doesn’t lack attention. Its 400bhp 2.8 litre RBX-GT2 powerplant is an early attempt by Nismo in blending race experience into road cars. Without the 400R there may never be a Z-Tune to begin with. So, the 400R gets Nismo’s GT500 race injection, but what does it actually feel like? Though i was still hyped up by the Z-Tune, surprisingly, the 400R didn’t seem to dissapoint at all.

After driving the 400R, you’ll begin to appreciate that it’s never meant to be an inferior version of the later Z-Tune. In fact, where the 400R excels is what the R33 GTR should’ve been in the first place. Everything about the 400R is maginally better. Everything feels much tighter, much firmer, sharper and more eager to comply compared to the R33. So special is the 400R, it completely changes what you think about the regular R33 GTR which felt bulky, leans over like a yatch at full turn and above all, lazy.

Impression: 400R

Whip the 400R and it remains composed losing the ferocity and drama normally asscociated with its siblings. Power delivery is nothing short of smooth, gear changes are seamless to the revs and you now can comfortably squeeze the 6 throttles earlier in the bends. Now, that’s 400 bhp blended to perfection. To achieve such positive driving experience, Nismo surely had worked its magic on the 400R’s handling. Stiffening Nissans is a walk in the park for Nismo, a good move at the start considering the best suspension system works best on a stiffer chassis. Blast into curves, the 400R stays flat and precise. Even immediate changes in direction can amuse the freakiest GTR fanatics.

Driving the 400R alongside the Z-Tune back to Omori Factory into the early winter dusk reminds just how passionate Nismo has always been in motorsports. Actually successfully applying race-proven experience into their road cars where reliability is key plus going through thick and thin just to source for immaculate GTR donors for their Z-Tunes? That’s just insane!. Plus it’s also known that Nismo built these amazing cars just to celebrate the success of their motorsport participation.

Having experienced the best of Nismo’s road cars, We’re addicted. We may just return to Omori Factory next year and hope to find an early example of the Nismo R35 GT-R.

FULLY BUILT IN WHITE GOLD Body ( Abu Dhabi registration)

2009-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Awesome pimped car Interiors

2009-08-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Harga road-tax Lamborghini

2009-08-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

2008 Honda Civic Type-R

2009-08-27T19:09:00.000-07:00


"Driving the Type R for the first time made me feel like sticking the red type R onto my car but me, I want the real thing."
Honda promised that it will be a “Performance like never before” and true to its word, Honda delivered in a way that politicians will truly envy; with the Civic Type R – a world-renowned compact that needs no further introduction. The Type R is as iconic to driving as is Silver to The Lone Ranger. Rightfully so thanks to its superb performance, literally pwning other cars of its class leaving them behind before you can even finish saying “Hi-yo Silver, AWAY!” in a faint cloud of smoke that spells out “I heart VTEC” Okay, it was a bit of an exaggeration but if there’s a car you want to ride off into the sunset, this will be IT. Eat your heart out, Tonto. I see it a lot. No dead people walking around but eventually you get the same feeling of dread Haley Joel Osment did. Everyday while driving to work, I see a lot of cars with Honda’s “Type R” emblem stuck to the back of their cars… even when said cars carry the name of locally-manufactured cars, and this always gets me thinking “Why even bother?” Driving the Type R for the first time made me feel like sticking the red type R onto my car but me, I want the real thing. To the unwary first-timer it probably looks like a normal sexy car. This car is no Schwarzenegger but you know it’s one lean, mean Hugh Jackman that will definitely sweep the ladies’ feet off the ground. Twice. And to be fair to the ladies, this is one car that even the gents will fawn over.

Exterior Our test model’s exterior color was in Championship White but really; white is the only color you’ll ever need. The color itself is to the chassis much like peanut butter is to jelly - a match made in heaven to complement the JDM four-door FD2 chassis, a variant that is only sold in Malaysia and Japan as far as I know. Not that we’re complaining, of course. The design of the car is obviously meant for aerodynamics. I don’t know nuts about aerodynamics but if Honda says that it’s good, we all know it’s a word I’ll take to the heart. The records state that the Type R stands at a height of 1,430mm, measures 4,540mm long and is 1,770mm wide. Now, I can go on with the measurements but we try to keep our readers so no hitting below the belt, and seriously guys this car will only extend your portfolio even more. wink Now, with a ground clearance of 135mm, you won’t be facing much problems with speed humps unless you are driving around Bandar Baru Bangi (AKA Bandar Banyak Bumper) but this is where Type R works its magic with the front-equipped MacPherson Strut and rear-fitted Reactive Link Double Wishbone setup. You can’t exactly say “Bumpers BeGone!” and expect smooth sailing; this is after all, a sports-based performance car built with the young (and young at heart) in mind but fret not – this Type R owns higher damping rates compared to the Integra Type R. Speaking of the Integra Type R, Honda claims that the Civic Type R is “50% more rigid and 11.6kg lighter than the Integra Type R”. A quick look around the car will always remind you it’s a Type R – the red Honda symbol proudly displayed at the front and back side of the car. The taillights, the grills, the full-length straightened dual exhaust pipe, high-mount brake light, and even the HID light (only for JDM) reek of Type R exclusivity. A Type R large tail spoiler calmly rounds off the exterior. 18 inches of love: that’s what you get from the Bridgestone Potenza RE070 (previously used in the NSX-R) that lets you tackle the tightest of corners with no problems even at high speeds. And assuming that high speeds ever become a problem, the huge 17-inch disc brakes with 4-piston Brembo calipers inside will give you keep you safe and sane thanks to the improved stopping distance and fade resistance. The ABS and EBD is said to be tuned to circuit driving for that enhanced steering control under hard braking and in slippery conditions. I told you it’s all about the performance, didn’t I?

Interior Now, if you want to enjoy this car you should do it the right way – by being inside it. The interior was designed with minimalistic simplicity for us interface-challenged drivers. And by that, I mean that the dashboard is neat, clean and minimal. The radio buttons are there with basic bass and treble . The Alpine 2 DIN CD player complements the package, giving you the option of plugging in your Need for Speed OSTs for that adrenaline rush, or something like N Sync if you fancy yourself being something like The Stig. As you set your plush behind upon the trademark black and red Honda Type R bucket seats, feel the support from the shape of the seat growing on you. 3-point safety belts ensure your safety, and 2 Intelligent Sensor Control (i-SRS) front airbags sets everything in stone. The legroom was marvelous – a feature we lanky people truly appreciate. The big, red start button reminds you of a racing car with a red Honda logo on the leather-wrapped steering wheel to yank you back to reality but once you hit the pedals, it’s back to being a racing car. Now THIS is the stuff dreams should be made of. The smooth aluminum knob provides comfortable grip on the stick shift, and speaking of shifting, this car changes gears as easily as oil prices before August. The short clutch distance, quick gear-shifting action can only be described as just right, for lack of a better word. The aluminum pedals provide a sporty feel complemented with good grip for the feet as I could actually drive it in my RM5, worn-out Sandak sandals – a feat I cannot do with my personal car as it slips off the pedals far too easily. The massive tachometer provides an easy viewing of your revs and dominates the lower instrument display. The speedometer is located at the top of the instrument panel, right where it belongs. I would not be exaggerating when I say everything inside the car is well-placed within reach. Ergonomic? You bet. I could keep going on and on but words cannot do justice to this car. Go see the pictures.

So what’s cooking under the hood? A 2.0litre K20A DOHC i-VTEC engine offering 222bhp at 8,000rpm and 215Nm of torque at 6,100rpm, mated to a six-speed close ratio manual transmission equipped with a torque-sensitive, helical limited slip differential system. In other words: driving this car makes slipping in and out of traffic as easy as if you were on a supercharged motorbike. Taking corners at high speed was fun and was very stable as the car remains firmly planted on the ground. The windscreen view is large and friendly but I honestly felt the car was a bit lethargic at low speed, stuttering, and I swear I could hear the gas pedal begging to be pressed even deeper in. Keeping the RPM above at least 5000 makes me a happier person but when the iVTEC starts engaging itself at around RPM6000 (I think); you officially coronate yourself as King of the Road. Aside from what I have already said in the previous paragraphs, I can only tell you that this car is well-suited for both city and non-city driving – it can be either a relaxing drive or a Gas-guzzling as it may be, it gets me where I want to be, in a jiffy and best of all, in style.

Conclusion Honda wasn’t lying. This car totally rocked. This is the sort of car that makes you marvel at the wonderful world of engineering. Simply put, the Civic Type R is performance personified. I can imagine people buying this car for any one of these three reasons; style, performance, and speed and no matter what they choose for their criteria of purchase they will still get all three. 3 in 1, and it doesn’t get any better. Unless they throw in Kiera Knightley (yes, I’m still fawning over her). At only RM199,800 (OTR price with insurance), the Civic Type R is one awesomely hot, adaptable car that makes driving a yummy-licious experience for even non-car enthusiasts such as yours truly to enjoy.

Perodua Viva Elite

2009-08-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

July 23rd 2009, Perodua has launch the new variant of Perodua Viva facelift full spec special or limited edition called the Perodua Viva Elite. We were at one of the main Perodua branch to celebrate the launch of Perodua Viva Elite at 5PM. So here we are going to share the special features that you can get with Perodua Viva Elite facelift special edition.

VIVA ELITE

Perodua Viva Elite have only one colour for the full spec premium available which is the dark blue. However, there will be silver colour option for the standard variant. The price of Viva Elite is from RM 37900 - RM44900. Basically, Perodua Viva Elite has the same specification as Perodua Viva Ezi full spec with additional “elite” features.
Price Of Perodua Viva Standard and Viva ELite
ViVA Elite EZi = RM44,900
ViVA Elite A/T = RM40,900
ViVA Elite M/T = RM37,900
ViVA 1.0 AT = RM36,900
ViVA 850 MT = RM32,900
ViVA 660 EX MT = RM28,900
ViVA 660 BX MT = RM25,300

Ikon kereta sport

2009-08-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

EDARAN Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) memperkenalkan jentera berprestasi tinggi sport terbaru, 370Z dan Crossover premium, Murano untuk dimiliki peminat tempatan.

EDARAN Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) memperkenalkan jentera berprestasi tinggi sport terbaru, 370Z dan Crossover premium, Murano untuk dimiliki peminat tempatan.

Kedua-duanya adalah model ikon Nissan yang direka bentuk dengan gaya, keunikan dan kontur sporty serta menggabungkan teknologi terhebat Nissan.

Model premium ini menawarkan keseronokan pemanduan, prestasi dan tahap kemewahan.

Pengarah Eksekutif ETCM, Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng, berkata Nissan 370Z adalah model ikon global kereta sport dengan lebih 1.7 juta unit terjual sejak generasi pertama, S30 diperkenalkan pada 1969.

"Model serba baru 370Z meneruskan falsafah Nissan dalam reka bentuk, prestasi dan inovasi teknikal.

"Model ini dibina dengan ciri terbaik daripada rangkaian kereta Z generasi pertama," katanya.

Peningkatan enjin adalah manifestasi terbaru siri enjin VQ Nissan dengan pengiktirafan Ward's Autoworld sebagai satu daripada 10 enjin terbaik dunia.

Enjin VQ37VHR menjana kuasa kuda 333ps dan 363Nm bagi penghantaran kuasa maksimum, daya tork terbaik di samping kecekapan bahan api.

Nadi berkenaan dilengkapi dua transmisi sama ada manual enam kelajuan atau automatik tujuh kelajuan yang menyokong kuasa enjin secukupnya.

Sistem kawalan transmisi manual SyncroRev Match adalah pertama seumpamanya di dunia berfungsi secara automatik menyalakan pendikit (throttle) menggantikan pertukaran gear menggunakan kaki.

Sementara itu, Nissan Murano 3.5L X-CVT adalah generasi kedua model crossover premium Nissan yang menawarkan cita rasa sporty dipertingkatkan dan jaminan prestasi pemanduan lebih senyap, ruang dalaman selesa serta mewah.

Potongan reka bentuk segar Murano memaparkan elemen kekuatan dan keteguhan menggambarkan daya kesempurnaan tertinggi.

"Dengan rupa baru, peningkatan prestasi, ciri inovatif dan gaya luaran memikat hati, Murano serba baru ini adalah evolusi dalam dunia automotif.

"Murano digambarkan sebagai sebuah suite di atas roda dengan kabin pelbagai fungsi Murano serta kapasiti ruang but sehingga 838 liter," katanya.

Murano dijana enjin VQ35DE V6 dipasangkan bersama transmisi Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) dan D-platform.

Enjin VQ35DE mencatat kuasa output dipertingkatkan dan kecekapan bahan api sekitar 9.3km/l.

Ia menghambur 260ps kuasa maksimum dan tork setinggi 336 Nm yang membantu mengoptimumkan keseimbangan antara pengendalian baik dan kestabilan.

Sistem pemanduan semua roda 4x4-i dan Kawalan Dinamik Kenderaan (VDC) memastikan keupayaan mengambil selekoh dengan lancar dan stabil di permukaan licin.

Nissan 370Z dijual pada harga RM354,400 (tanpa insurans) manakala Murano berharga RM318,200 (tanpa insurans) dan kedua-dua model ini didatangkan dengan jaminan tiga tahun atau 100,000km.

Lancer 2.0 GT vs Grandis 2.4L

2009-08-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

PEMINAT jentera Mitsubishi kini boleh tersenyum apabila Mitsubishi Motors (M) Sdn Bhd melancarkan model sedan terlaris, Lancer 2.0 GT yang dipertingkatkan dan kenderaan pelbagai guna (MPV) Grandis 2.4L, baru-baru ini.

PEMINAT jentera Mitsubishi kini boleh tersenyum apabila Mitsubishi Motors (M) Sdn Bhd melancarkan model sedan terlaris, Lancer 2.0 GT yang dipertingkatkan dan kenderaan pelbagai guna (MPV) Grandis 2.4L, baru-baru ini.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Keizo Ono berkata dua model berkenaan dilancarkan dengan wajah baru lebih segar bagi memenuhi kehendak pelanggan yang mahukan jentera lebih sporty dan terkini.

“Sejak model Lancer GT dilancarkan kira-kira dua tahun lalu, kami menerima pelbagai maklum balas beberapa perubahan ciri luaran dan dalaman kenderaan sedan terbaik ini.

“Malah, Grandis yang memenangi anugerah ‘Family Car of the Year’ anjuran New Straits Times/ Maybank tahun lalu turut menerima sentuhan baru,” katanya.

Hadir sama Ketua Pegawai Operasi Mitsubishi Motors (M) Sdn Bhd, Omar Harun.

Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT mengalami beberapa sentuhan baru terutama muncung ‘jet-fighther’ hadapan berwarna hitam seperti model Lancer Evolution.

Jentera sedan itu dijana enjin blok aloi 2.0L 16 injap DOHC dan dipadankan dengan teknologi terkini MIVEC menawarkan 155 kuasa kuda (hp) dan 199 Nm tork.

Ia turut dilengkapi transmisi automatik Mitsubishi INVECS III CVT lebih senyap, lancar dan berkuasa.

Ruang dalaman turut diberi perubahan dengan pemain cakera padat format MP3 enam pembesar suara selain kerusi balutan kulit hitam bersama jalur benang merah.

Padanan bodykit terkini menghiasi luaran MPV Grandis yang dibekalkan bersama rim bersaiz 17 inci, menjadikannya lebih sporty.

MPV terbabit dijana enjin 2.4L MIVEC 16 injap DOHC bersama transmisi automatik Mitsubishi INVECS II.

Lancer GT dijual pada harga RM120,598.10 (tanpa insurans) dengan tiga warna pilihan iaitu putih, hitam dan merah manakala Grandis ditawarkan pada harga RM160,557.80 (tanpa insurans) dengan empat warna pilihan iaitu White Pearl, Black Mica, Cool Silver dan Gray Mica.

Ono berkata, sebagai memenuhi kehendak pasaran, pihaknya turut membuka tiga lagi cawangan Pusat 3S di Kedah, Miri dan Kuching, Sarawak.

Car Logos..Then and now

2009-07-02T02:32:00.000-07:00

BMW

FIAT

FORD

MAZDA

MERCEDES BENZ

MITSUBISHI

PEUGEOT

RENAULT

VOLKSWAGEN

Lamborghini Reventon

2009-07-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Fastest Bikes in the World

2009-07-02T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the brand new list of the top 5 fastest bikes in the world! Includes the BMW K1200S, Ducati 1098s, Aprilia RSV 1000R Mille, Yamaha YZF R1 and the Honda CBR 1100XX!

5. BMW K1200S 167 mhh (268 km/h)

With enough raw power to shock even the most seasoned adrenaline junky, the K 1200 S hurls you from a dead stop to sixty mph in just 2.8 seconds. Once you're over the whiplash, you'll keep climbing, topping out at speeds that run neck-and-neck with the fastest production motorcycles in the world.

4. Ducati 1098s 169 mph (271 km/h)

The Ducati 1098 is a 1099 cc L-twin sport bike manufactured by Ducati. It was announced on November 8, 2006 for the 2007 model year and replaces the 999. The 1098 makes a manufacturer claimed 160 horsepower, 90.4 ft-lb torque, and weighs 173kg. These figures gives the 1098 the highest torque-to-weight ratio of any production sport bike ever made.

3. Aprilia RSV 1000R Mille 175mph (281 km/h)

The RSV Mille and limited-edition RSV Mille Factory are high performance V-twin powered motorcycles made by Aprilia with a 143 HP 998 cc engine built by the Austrian company Rotax. For 2006. the RSV Mille Factory won the Maxisport category for Masterbike 2006 and overall Masterbike of the year.

2. Yamaha YZF R1 176mph (283 km/h)

The Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle, introduced in 1998, was the first significant motorcycle in the true litre class (1,000 cc) "handling arms race" between the Japanese Big Four motorcycle manufacturers (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha). When introduced, it took the class closer to a true racing motorcycle, and increased the handling capabilities.

1. Honda CBR 1100XX Super Blackbird 178mph (286 km/h)

Honda CBR 1100 XX Super Blackbird is a sport-touring motorcycle built by Honda. It combines big engine power, Easy operational error-tolerance with touring comfort. The Blackbird production started in 1997 and the last year of production was 2006. The Blackbird was the result of Honda's attempt to build the world's fastest production motorcycle, stealing the crown from Kawasaki.

GPSMAP® 60CSx

2009-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

The GPSMAP 60CSx adds several performance-enhancing features to the popular 60-series products, including a removable microSD™ card, high-sensitivity GPS receiver, barometric altimeter and electronic compass.

Pinpoint Your Location — and Direction

With the GPSMAP 60CSx, you can find your way in almost any conditions:

High-sensitivity GPS receiver gives you improved satellite reception even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons
Barometric altimeter provides extremely accurate elevation data
Electronic compass can determine your heading and direction, even when you're standing still
IPX7 waterproof case can withstand an accidental dunk in the water and still perform
Large, color TFT display makes viewing the screen easy, day or night
Built-in Americas autoroute basemap, including highways, exits and tide data, gives you automatic, turn-by-turn directions

Add More Detail

The 60CSx comes with a blank 64 megabyte (MB) microSD card, so you can store extra maps from optional MapSource® mapping software. Just connect to your computer with the USB cable, and you can load map data or transfer routes and waypoints. You can even purchase microSD cards that are preloaded with MapSource maps, which means you don't have to connect to your computer. The microSD card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you never have to worry about water getting inside.

GPSMAP 60CSx: Put the great outdoors in the palm of your hand

Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD:	2.4" x 6.1" x 1.3" (6.1 x 15.5 x 3.3 cm)
Display size, WxH:	1.5" x 2.2" (3.8 x 5.6 cm)
Display resolution, WxH:	160 x 240 pixels
Display type:	256 level color TFT
Weight:	7.5 oz (213 g) with batteries
Battery:	2 AA batteries (not included)
Battery life:	18 hours, typical
Waterproof:	yes (IPX7)
Floats:	no
High-sensitivity receiver:	yes
Interface:	serial and USB
RoHS version available:	yes

Maps & Memory:
Basemap:	yes
Preloaded maps:	no
Ability to add maps:	yes
Built-in memory:	no
Accepts data cards:	64 MB microSD™ card (included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations:	1000
Routes:	50
Track log:	10,000 points, 20 saved tracks

Features:
Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads):	yes
Electronic compass:	yes
Touchscreen:	no
Barometric altimeter:	yes
Geocaching-friendly:	yes
Outdoor GPS games:	yes
Hunt/fish calendar:	yes
Sun and moon information:	yes
Tide tables:	no
Area calculation:	yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest):	yes
Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units):	no
Picture viewer:	no

Garmin Nuvi 255w

2009-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, even though GPS hardware was already common, it was almost unheard of in this country simply because of the lack of local maps for these devices.

Fast forward to today, and you’ll notice that GPS street navigation devices have mushroomed.

The reason is not because Garmin or even MapKing have been making maps for their devices but because an active local community of GPS map-users have contributed to the making these maps, both official and unofficial versions.

Unfortunately, like all growing communities there have been disagreements and now the community has split into two. Without contributions from both parties, GPS navigation in Malaysia would not exist.

Well the reason is because the official local version of the 255W has Garmin-sanctioned maps which are actually the tweaked version of MalSing maps, one of the communities which provide free maps to everyone.

The hardware

The 255W is physically identical to most of its other (numerous) widescreen siblings in the Nuvi range — the resolution (480 x 272 pixels) and 4.3in screen size are actually the same as a lot of Nuvi models.

The features of the 255W are different; it doesn’t come with a Bluetooth hands-free feature like the 265W but has a “speak street names” function which the low-end 205W doesn’t have.

Of course, what’s also interesting is that the 255W has a junction and lane info view which is currently available only in this unit as the 205W apparently does not support this feature.

Rounding off the features is a picture viewer, calculator, unit converter (which also currency convertor) and a world clock — all mildly useful especially when you’re travelling.

In the box, the 255W comes with a car charger and a vehicle suction cup mount as standard — along with the preloaded Malaysia-Singapore maps, you have everything you need to get up and running immediately.

While it doesn’t come with a cable to sync with your desktop PC, the connector is a standard mini-USB one.

Navigation

So, how does the 255W perform very well, actually, although with a few small (but potentially fixable) issues.

First off, like all modern GPS units (with the exception of certain Nokia phones with GPS) the 255W has very quick satellite acquisition and location fix times.
Typically you’ll get a lock on your position in just over a minute if the 255W doesn’t have up-to-date satellite information, or just a few seconds if it is.

Plus, the interface for Garmin GPS units is among the best for navigation as it’s easy to understand and very logical in its execution.

Therefore, when you turn on the device you are presented with just two icons, labeled, “Where to?” and “View map.” Tapping on “Where to?” will bring you to another list of icons, where you can enter in the address, or search through all points of interest on the map or go through the custom Favorites list.

Tapping on View Map, of course, brings you to the 3D map navigation view and tapping the 3D map will bring you to the flat 2D map for easier browsing.

Once you find your destination, just tap on it and tap “Go!” and that’s about it — the 255W will get you there with a minimum of fuss.

There are a number of voices to choose from in this unit, including American English (but strangely not British English), Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Thai, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and even Hakka! Quite an extensive list of Asian languages, I must say.

Some issues

There weren’t many issues with the 255W and problems that I did find with it can be fixed in software in some future map/software update.

The first with one issue that is unlikely to be fixed — the “speak street names” feature is ideally supposed to read out street names to you, so for example, you’ll get “Turn right on Elm Street” instead of just “Turn right in 300m” or something like that.

However, this feature is really meant only for European and American street names and the device tends to mangle names like Masjid Jamek and Jalan Tun Sambanthan so badly that I opted to use the more pleasant version which does not speak street names in the system settings.

When try to turning on both Bahasa Malaysia text and voice navigation and found a few issues there too.

For example, the text seems to be too literal in its translation sometimes — Audio Volume is rather funnily translated into Isipadu in Bahasa Malaysia, which as we all know, is just wrong.

Another example is when the 255W is unplugged from power — a menu will pop up in the English version giving you the option to Turn Off the power or Stay On but the Bahasa Malaysia translation laughably translates Turn Off as Belok Keluar which is a literal but incorrect translation.

The Bahasa Malaysia voice navigation fares a little better though it still has some quirks. In English, the voice navigation usually says, “In three hundred metres, turn left” but the person who recorded the individual words in the Bahasa Malaysia version recorded it wrong and the sentence comes out as, Dalam tiga seratus meter, belok kiri.

It’s quite irritating to hear the distance information constantly read as Tiga seratus meter and Dua seratus meter. Now on to the 255W’s junction view and lane assist feature.

GPS junction view is really a big help when driving because it has a rendering or image of the actual junction you need to turn off at, which really helps the driver visually identify the correct turn.

GPS the junction view and lane assist feature (which gives you a visual list of turns) on the 255W is not as extensive and most of the road junctions in Malaysia are rarely got a junction view display.

However local distributor that while junction view for Malaysian roads is still patchy right now, a map update in July will increase junction views to about 350 pictures.

Conclusion

Garmin 255W, the reality is that it’s actually a really nice device and the navigation and hardware worked flawlessly. The interface is really simple to use and understand, and the current Malaysia-Singapore maps are pretty up to date.
While there is some issues within this device, most of them only affect the Bahasa Malaysia version and can be easily fixed in the next firmware update.

So yes, the Garmin Nuvi 255W does get a thumbs up — it may be a little pricier, but the simple interface and ease of updating maps and software is worth the admission price.

Pros: Excellent interface; up-to-date maps; junction view.

Cons: Bahasa Malaysia translation needs work; junction view still patchy for Malaysia.

Nuvi 255W
(Garmin Ltd)
GPS navigation unit
CPU: 333MHz processor
Memory: 1GB flash memory
Storage: SD
Display: 4.3in LCD (480 x 272 pixels)
Battery: Lithium-ion
Weight: 173g
Dimensions: 12.2 x 7.4 x 2.0 cm
Website: www.garmin.com

GPS Navigation

2009-06-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

NUVI 200

DESCRIPTION:

Standard unit with vehicle suction mount,
vehicle power cable, dashboard disk.

( Display size :- 2.8"W x 2.1"H )

Price : RM 799

NUVI 310

DESCRIPTION:

Standard unit with Bluetooth, MP3, USB cable, vehicle suction mount, carrying case, vehicle power cable, dashboard disk.

( 310 series display size :- 2.8"W x 2.1"H )

Price : RM 1399

NUVI 710

DESCRIPTION:

Arrive stress-free with nüvi 710, a GPS navigator and personal travel assistant. Sold exclusively in Europe, nüvi 710 comes with preloaded map data for a specific region or country on the continent and includes advanced navigation features, a widescreen display, preloaded maps, an FM transmitter, hands-free calling and more. Like the rest of the wide nüvi 700-series, its premium navigation capabilities, like route planning and an emergency locator, give you peace of mind on the go.

nüvi 710
Preloaded City Navigator® NT data for one European region or country (click versions tab to view all)
FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable
Real-time traffic services*
Vehicle suction cup mount**
USB cable
Dashboard disc
Quick start manual

Price : RM 1550

GPSMAP 60CSx

DESCRIPTION:

Pinpoint Your Location — and Direction

With the GPSMAP 60CSx, you can find your way in almost any conditions:

High-sensitivity GPS receiver gives you improved satellite reception even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons
Barometric altimeter provides extremely accurate elevation data
Electronic compass can determine your heading and direction, even when you're standing still
IPX7 waterproof case can withstand an accidental dunk in the water and still perform
Large, color TFT display makes viewing the screen easy, day or night
Built-in Americas autoroute basemap, including highways, exits and tide data, gives you automatic, turn-by-turn directions

Price : RM 1699

eTrex

DESCRIPTION:

Basic GPS functions, high-sensitivity GPS receiver, 500 waypoints, 20 routes, 64 x 128 pixel display, 17-hour battery life on 2 AA batteries.

Wrist strap
Owner's manual
Quick start guide

Price : RM 480

GPS/GPRS/GSM Tracker

2009-06-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

GPS/GPRS/GSM Tracker (RM 800)

Working Based on existing GSM/GPRS network and GPS satellites, this product can locate and monitor any remote targets by SMS or internet anywhere in the world. Easy to locate in Google Earth.

Applications

• Vehicle rental / Fleet management/Lorries/Buses/Taxis/Outdoor Machineries, etc.
• Protect women/children / elderly person / disabled / pet , etc.
• Protection and provide peace-of-mind for businessmen, VIPs, etc.
• Track/Manage personnel carrying out outside activities/jobs/functions, etc.
• Track people/criminals secretly.

Specifications
Content Specs.
Dim. 64mm x 46mm x 17mm(1.8”*2.5”*0.65”)
Weight 50g
Network GSM/GPRS
Band 850/1800/1900Mhz or 900/1800/1900Mhz
GPS chip SIRF3 chip
GSM/GPRS module Siemens MC55 or Siemens MC56
GPS sensitivity -159dBm
GPS accuracy 5m
Time To First Fix Reacquisition 0.1s
Cold status 45s
Warm status 35s
Hot status 1s

Car charger 12—24V input
5V output

Wall charger 110-220V input
5V output

Battery Chargeable changeable 3.7V 800mAh Li-ion battery
Standby 60hours
Storage Temp. -40°C to +85°C
Operation Temp. -20°C to +55°C
Humidity 5%--95% non-condensing

Features
• Real-time polling
• Auto Track
• Voice Surveillance
• Modes switch between “track” and “monitor”
• Geo-fence
• Movement alert
• Overspeed alert
• IMEI checking
• SOS button
• Low battery alert
• Hidden number tracking
• SMS center
• Power saving mode

SkyNet Express/Pos Laju shipping fee: Peninsular Malaysia = RM 7, Sabah/Sarawak = RM 14

Laptop Detector - Is This True ?

2009-05-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

For sharing information purposes especially those who are using notebook, here is a sample device which detect notebook in a hidden place (i.e.: in a car). For those who have never heard of it, attached below are the pictures of the detector:

Even with the WIFI (wireless), Bluetooth or the entire notebook is completely off, it can still be detected via radio frequency. Therefore never leave your notebook, PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) , mobile phone or any valuable electronic devices in the car. These devices are not expensive, it costs less than RM50 for the thieves to start the "business".

Superb Cars

2009-05-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Fastest Cars in the World

2009-05-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the definitive list of the top 5 Fastest Cars in the World! Truly Amazing pieces of engineering, pushing performance to its limits! Relish in the power of the SSC Ultimate Aero, Bugatti Veyron, Koenigsegg CCX, Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo & the Mclaren F1!

Rank 1. SSC Ultimate Aero

The SSC Aero is an American-built mid-engine sports car by Shelby Super Cars. Its higher-performance limited production version, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, is currently the fastest production car in the world, with a fastest recorded speed of 413 km/h (257 mph).This speed was reportedly achieved during tests on September 13, 2007 in West Richland, Washington, United States and verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007.

The Aero and the Shelby Super Cars company are the brainchildren of Jerod Shelby, who spent over seven years designing the car. The basic Aero model is no longer produced, while, as of 2008, the Ultimate Aero costs about 620,000 dollars.

Rank 2. Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Volkswagen Group subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS introduced in 2005. It is currently the fastest accelerating and decelerating production car in the world. It is currently also the most expensive production car available at a price of 1.1 million Euro. It is able to achieve the second highest top speed for a production car, behind the SSC Ultimate Aero TT .

Powered by a 736-kilowatt (1,001 PS/987 hp) W16 engine, it is able to achieve an average top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph). The car reached full production in September 2005, and is handcrafted in a factory Volkswagen built near the former Bugatti headquarters in Château St Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France). It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. Two examples of the Veyron are known to have been wrecked since production began.

Rank 3. Koenigsegg CCX

The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCX has been engineered to comply with the US regulation and market demands and is an evolutionary design that replaced the Koenigsegg CCR. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X; the X commemorating the 10th anniversary, (being the Roman numeral for ten), of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996.

The CCX was first unveiled on February 28, 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show although its existence was announced earlier. A derivative known as the CCXR is available, the difference being that CCXR's engine is tuned to run on biofuel. The different fuel and tune allows the CCXR to produce 25% more power than the CCX.

Rank 4. Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo

The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built high-performance automobile developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd. with RML taking full credit designing and developing the S7 and produced solely by Saleen in Irvine, California. It is the first car produced by Saleen not based on an existing design. The S7 debuted on August 19, 2000 at the Monterey Historic Races. From 2000 until 2004, the S7 featured a naturally aspirated V8 engine with 550 horsepower. In 2005, the S7 was replaced by the S7 Twin Turbo, which featured a more powerful twin-turbo system that boosted engine power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW) and the top speed to an estimated 250 mph (402 km/h).

Rank 5. McLaren F1

The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world, holding this record from 1994 to 2005, the longest period the record has been held by any street legal or production car in the history of automobiles. It was engineered and produced by McLaren Automotive, a subsidiary of the British McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. Today, it is still the fastest naturally aspirated car in the world.

The McLaren F1 was at the time the fastest production car ever built, eclipsing the Jaguar XJ220. A standard version of the McLaren achieved a top speed of 371 km/h (231 mph) in 1994, holding this record for more than 10 years until it was finally eclipsed in 2005 by the Koenigsegg CCR.

Rank 6. Ferrari Enzo

The Enzo Ferrari is a 12-cylinder mid-engine berlinetta named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It is currently one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production car in the world. It was built in 2003 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre body, F1-style sequential shift transmission, and carbon-ceramic brake discs. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics and traction control. After a downforce of 775 kg (1709 lb) is reached at 300 km/h (186 mph) the rear wing is actuated by computer to maintain that downforce.

Running With the Big Dogs

2009-05-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Jaguar XFR sneaks up on you. You have to drive with one eye on the speedometer, cross-checking your perception of speed with the reality displayed in black, white and red. The XFR is not a raw-edged racing sedan; it's a supercharged 510-horsepower express that baits the BMW M5 with its sheer sophistication.

The Jaguar XFR is a fast, beautiful and very British challenge to the hegemony of German sport sedans, good enough to makes moustaches quiver in Ingolstadt, Munich and Stuttgart. If the introduction of the XF sedan last year woke Jaguar from its self-induced slumber, the 2010 XFR gives it a potent shot of caffeine.

With the 2010 Jaguar XFR, the guys at Jag have finally delivered the car they've been promising ever since Ford began pumping money into the company in 1990. It's ironic that new owner Tata Motors will be the one to get the credit.

As Always, It Starts With an Engine
It's been a long time coming, but the new 5.0-liter Jaguar V8 is finally with us. A naturally aspirated example will follow soon, but it's the supercharged version that concerns us here. It might be known as the AJ-V8 Gen III, but this is effectively an all-new motor with just two parts shared with the old 4.2-liter V8. The key technology in this R-Type application is direct injection, variable valve timing for both intake and exhaust, twin intercoolers and the latest Roots-type, twin-vortex supercharger.

Turbochargers have been in the news a lot lately, especially with BMW's decision to implement the technology in its street cars, but a new generation of supercharger technology has also recently arrived. Jaguar chose to continue its past work with supercharging in the interests of throttle response, efficiency and packaging. Now that AMG has largely abandoned the Kompressor, the use of supercharging also gives the Jag a key point of difference compared with its German rivals. The new engine is mated to the familiar ZF 6HP28 six-speed automatic, although it's been uprated to cope with the extra thrust.

And the thrust ratings are certainly impressive, as the Jaguar engineers targeted 500 hp in the belief that this is now a prerequisite for entry in the hyper-sedan club. To this end, the 2010 Jaguar XFR's supercharged 5.0-liter V8 offers up 510 hp between 6,000 and 6,500 rpm, with 461 pound-feet of torque between 2,500 and 5,500 rpm. This compares pretty impressively with the Audi RS6's ratings of 580 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, the BMW M5's output of 500 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG's 507 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque.

Get Down the Road
Those figures are impressive, even in a car that weighs 4,169 pounds. Jaguar claims the XFR gets to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.6 seconds on the way to the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds. It accelerates from 50 mph to 70 mph in just 1.9 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. This is a thunderous car, and you don't have to work for the performance as you do in the naturally aspirated Merc or BeeEm. You rely not on the power but on the huge dollops of torque served up by the compressor.

This distinctive power production together with the superbly smooth gearbox is the key to the XFR sedan's stealthy performance. Plus the engine is so quiet that you're never aware that it's working very hard. Jaguar has all but eliminated the supercharger whine that always laid down a soundtrack to the old blown 4.2-liter V8, and the 5.0-liter V8 emits a deep, bass woofle that's never more than subdued. And just like the 2010 Ford Mustang and 2009 Ford Focus RS, there's a system in place to introduce engine sounds into the cockpit for a little more personality.

Nevertheless, this engine is actually too quiet. After all, if you've spent this much on a sport sedan, you deserve a bit of theater. The 2010 Jaguar XFR is another modern car that sounds better from the sidewalk than it does from the driver seat. Perhaps Jaguar might do well to offer an optional version of the new active exhaust system featured by the latest Jaguar XKR sports car.

A Sport Sedan That's Sporting
There are two significant chassis developments that the R-Type designation brings to the XF sedan: Active Differential Control (ADC) and Adaptive Dynamics. ADC is simply a differential that uses electronics to control the torque distributed to each wheel, operating only when required. The differential control works in conjunction with the stability control to manipulate the horsepower in all road conditions. It is hugely effective, enabling the car to pull away smoothly and cleanly with significant steering input, even on a wet surface.

Meanwhile, the Adaptive Dynamics system modifies the throttle and gearbox response depending on the way you're driving, while also altering the parameters of the continuously variable suspension damping. Put simply, it recognizes that you now want to play and will quickly switch to a more aggressive damping setting. As a result, you can take advantage of the suspension's comfort without having to sacrifice readiness for the fun zones.

Of course, this technology also makes the 2010 Jaguar XFR nowhere near as raw as an M5. The BeeEm demands your full attention, all of the time. The Jag isn't like that. The ride, while significantly firmer than a standard XF, is still pleasingly supple. Even with standard 20-inch wheels and tires plus a fast-acting steering ratio, the R-Type feels more sophisticated than the M-car. Yet this shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of talent, or ambition. The XFR sedan is stealthy, but still capable and entertaining.

The harder you try, the better it responds. You brake hard and deep into the corner (the front discs now measure 14.9 inches) to offset any initial understeer and then lean on the throttle pedal and ride the engine's torque. In high-speed corners, the XFR starts to feel lighter and smaller than it actually is, helped by crisp, accurate and well-weighted steering that's significantly better than that of the opposition. The six-speed ZF automatic is also an ideal foil for the V8, swapping cogs swifty with the aid of the shift paddles on the steering wheel and, in manual mode, refusing to change up without human intervention.

The stability control also has two modes: standard and track. In theory, the latter allows you to play a little, but it still intervenes strongly and relatively early. Of course, you can also turn the system off altogether, at which point the Jag can easily be tempted into glamorous, heroic powerslides, the sort of thing Jaguar development driver Mike Cross has spent a lifetime perfecting. The Jag XFR is much more amenable to oversteer than an M5 or an RS6. It isn't the Jag's default setting, but if you want to be a hooligan, it's happy to oblige.

The Look of Speed
The XF has been designed from the outset as a sport sedan, but the R-Type has given it an added dose of machismo. The chrome-mesh air ducts in the redesigned front fenders and the usual R-Type mesh grille are the most obvious visual changes that contribute to the car's aggressive new face. You'll also notice a deeper front bumper, louvers in the hood, extended rocker-sill skirts, a subtle spoiler on the deck lid, quad exhaust tips and of course the big 20-inch wheels inscribed with "supercharged." It's a comprehensive package that stays on the right side of tasteful.

The revisions within the interior are modest. You get discreet "R" badges on the steering wheel and fascia, a new twist to the aluminum trim, plus sport seats that move in 14 different directions. The only other tweak is to the instrument dials, which now boast a "supercharged" logo and a red needle. The Jaguar XFR remains a thoroughly nice place to be, even if there isn't as much room in the rear seat as you'd find in the Audi RS6.

The Price of Speed
The 2010 Jaguar XFR will come with a price tag of $80,000, which is a long way from the $52,000 of the entry-level XF sedan, but also a fair way below the supercharged $96,000 XKR coupe. Most important, the XFR sedan's price tag is $5,500 less than a BMW M5.

Just as with the XF sedan, the new R-Type probably won't get the instant badge recognition of a car from AMG, the M division or Quattro GmbH, but this new Jag deserves to run with the best. Handsome, massively quick and hugely capable, this car fulfills the XF's potential.

The new Proton Exora

2009-04-19T10:09:00.001-07:00

After a long long wait, Malaysians finally have a decently sized MPV at a decent price to choose from. The new Proton Exora is here and two variants will be available at launch time – a 1.6 liter automatic high-line and a 1.6 liter automatic medium-line, priced at RM75,998.00 and RM69,998.00 respectively OTR with insurance. Head on after the jump for the full scoop on the Exora.

Dimensions, Power, Weight - Technical Data

Firstly I think I have to address the actual dimensions of the car, because when you buy an MPV what you are looking for is essentially a big box to fit your family in. There has been some revision to the data that Proton provided us during the prototype test drive (particularly the weight, which is now heavier - 1422kg for M-Line and 1442kg for H-Line). Here are the final specs of the Exora in comparison to its competitors.

	Exora	Livina 1.6	Avanza 1.5	Rondo	Innova
Kerb Weight	1,422kg	1,245kg	1,120kg	1,563kg	1,575kg
Length	4,592mm	4,420mm	4,150mm	4,545mm	4,580mm
Width	1,809mm	1,690mm	1,630mm	1,800mm	1,770mm
Height	1,691mm	1,590mm	1,695mm	1,650mm	1,755mm
Wheelbase	2,730mm	2,600mm	2,655mm	2,700mm	2,750mm
Track (F)	1,542mm	1,470mm	1,415mm	1,573mm	1,510mm
Track (R)	1,530mm	1,475mm	1,425mm	1,569mm	1,510mm
Fuel Tank	55L	52L	45L	55L	55L
Power (hp)	125hp	104hp	108hp	142hp	134hp
Torque (Nm)	150Nm	150Nm	141Nm	189Nm	182Nm
kg/Nm	9.48	8.3	7.94	8.27	8.65

The power figures above are quoted in horsepower, which has been converted from most of the “PS” measurements that Japanese companies use. As you can see the weight is now heavier, which would throw off all our previous calculations on the Exora’s power to weight ratio.

The Exora’s 125 horsepower has to pull 1422kg of weight now which means 11.376kg per horsepower, which is actually one of the better performing numbers among its competitors unfortunately the amount of weight that each Newton Meter has to pull is one of the worst. It’s the amount of torque and the torque curve that matters when it comes to pulling a lot of weight.

Click for enlarged image

Design

Design is subjective but I personally feel the Proton Exora is quite pleasant to the eyes. I don’t quite like the chrome strip at the rear but it doesn’t hamper the vehicle’s functions as an MPV. The brake lights are LEDs but the signal lamps use conventional bulbs. The radio uses a bee-sting antenna mounted at the front.

The M-Line model lacks foglamps, the chrome on the rear strip and the pieces of trim on the front grille, and it also lacks the black-out stickers on the B-pillar and C-pillar. I feel the Exora looks better with the blackout pillars (though when I did my own little survey one colleague thought the opposite was better and another was neutral about it) but it should be easy for you to place your own stickers.

Both the M-Line and H-Line models use the same 15 inch wheels. These are wrapped with either Goodyear Assurance or Silverstone Kruizer tyres in 195/65R15 size, apparently they are the same for both M-Line or H-Line and which tyres you get depends on luck as different batches will be fitted with either one.

New Proton Exora Platform

Click for enlarged image

The first sketch for the Exora has been in existence for a long time, even in the 90s. The styling was finally fixed sometime in August/September 2007. After that, it took another 18 months of development after the styling fix to reach mass production, which had been ready since March 2009. Production trial 1 had actually started end last year, while production trial 2 lasted the second half of February. Production started sometime mid-March until now.

The new Proton Exora sits on a platform that was developed by Proton engineers with the help of their engineering consultancy partner LG CNS. LG CNS also assisted Proton with the development of the Savvy platform, which was later revised to become the Saga platform.

It has a MacPherson strut layout at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, with the spare tyre stored underneath the vehicle body. It’s interesting to note that this chassis also has a multi-link variant ready. You know how the Wish had both a multi-link setup and a torsion beam version offered? Well, the Exora has the potential for that too. It will be easy to add a multi-link setup at the rear to make way for all-wheel drive in case it is needed in Eastern European countries or something.

In terms of ability to fit a wide range of engines, the Proton Exora’s platform was designed to take anything from a 1.3 liter inline-4 to a 60 degree V6 in its engine bay. An engine as big as a 2.5 liter V6 would be no problem for the chassis to fit, but for now the only engine that’s going to be fitted to it in production is the 1.6 liter Campro CPS.

The Campro CPS engine produces 125 horsepower (127 PS) at 6,500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500rpm. The gear ratios are the same as the Waja CPS but the final drive has been modified from 4.406 in the auto and 4.312 in the manual to 4.625 for both the auto and manual. In the auto model, the Exora cruises at 2,400rpm for 80km/h and 3,000rpm for 110km/h (approximation from looking at the meter panel). It has been rated to consume 9.2 liters per 100km on the combined cycle and 7.2 liters at 90km/h constant. The following are the Exora’s gear ratios:

	A/T	M/T
1st	2.842	3.583
2nd	1.529	1.947
3rd	1.000	1.379
4th	0.712	1.03
5th		0.767
Reverse	A/T	3.363
Final Drive	4.625	4.625

Because this is their first ever MPV and does not carry over any existing large vehicle platform, Proton has had the luck of being able to develop a monocoque MPV in this segment without having the restrictions of modifying an existing car to do it.

Proton decided that the development process had to start from the inside out. This is why the MPV manages to be spacious without growing into a large sized behemoth. The seat, hip points, interior height and etc were all determined first, only then are the other parts of the chassis and body designed around it, including the exterior design of the car. The designers had to work within these restrictions and I must commend them on doing a great job in making the MPV look pleasant to the eyes.

Based on CAE data, the Proton Exora has a torsion rigidity of 16,683 Nm/degree based on lab tests, and a bending rigidity of 18,823 Nm/mm based on lab tests. Proton claims the Exora was designed to achieve a 4-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests and it has passed an Euro NCAP equivalent test at a private testing facility in Spain. Actual Euro NCAP testing has not been done yet but as the test specs were the same the Exora should be able to gain a 4 star result in real Euro NCAP testing as well. But for now there is no official test yet so you won’t find the Exora on the Euro NCAP website.

For the first time in a Proton, the Proton Exora uses front impact sensors as part of the airbag activation system. Previously the airbags are only activated via data from an accelerometer. Here are two crash test videos for you to see.

Proton Exora Crash Test - 35km/h Front Crash Front View

Proton Exora Crash Test - 56km/h 40% Offset Side View

Proton Exora Crash Test - Roll-over

And here are two charts with the international crash tests that the Exora complies with. P0 is an early prototype and P1 is a later prototype that is similar to the production version, so that is why you see some tests that the P0 does not pass but the P1 passes later.

Click for enlarged image

Proton and LG engineers have added a few new features that while are common practice for car manufacturers these days, are new for Proton cars. First we’ll have a look at the Front End Module. It is essentially a single module for the front end of the car that is made of a combination of composite resin/high grade plastic and metal in certain areas to reinforce it. It serves as the front end structure as well as integrates the heat and fluid system mounts, bumper mounts and lighting system mounts.

The benefits for a front end module according to Proton are weight reduction (it weighs 5kg versus 6.5kg for a regular module), higher control of quality (single supplier), lower cost, ease of assembly (from 40 process down to 2 process), and provides a better finetuning ability for the crumple zone. It only uses 5 parts instead of 12 major parts of a conventional module.

Next is the hydroformed front subframe, which essentially carries the engine. Hydroforming is a process which shapes the front subframe using water pressure. Water pressure shapes tubes by expanding them from the inside in a closed forming die. It improves strength and rigidity, reduces weight (by 12% in this case), consolidates the stamping process, and most importantly involves much less welding points (eliminates weld flanges) for a stronger overall construction. Die costs are down 60%, product costs down 20% and weight down 30%.

Proton Exora Body Control Module

We’ve already covered the Body Control Module based on our findings during the prototype test drive a few weeks ago. The Body Control Module is actually supplied by Continental AG (Siemens VDO unit).
Here is a video I managed to record of Proton’s network training manager describing some of the safety and BCM features of the new Proton Exora.

VIDEO: Proton Exora BCM Features (Partial) Demonstration

A battery saver for room lamps, luggage and key ring illumination. These turn off after 30 seconds to ensure they do not make your battery flat if for some reason they are left in a situation where they are on all the time.
Follow-me-home headlamps stay on for a certain period of time to help light up your walkway when you park and want to enter your house.
The battery level for the remote key is indicated on the car’s instrument panel briefly when you turn the ignition on. The remote key has a range of 20 meters.
The remote control will not work if your front door is not closed. The vehicle will also remind you if you activate a remote command if the rear door is not closed.
There is a door open indicator on the instrument panel that indicates exactly which door, engine bay hood or rear hatch is not closed.
There is a door opening warning when you reach a speed of 7km/h if any doors are open.
Tap feature for the signal indicator stalk. This is similiar to alot of modern cars - you just have to tap the indicator stalk (not press fully) for the signal to flash 3 times to indicate a lane change and stop automatically, no need to press fully to turn on and reach for it again to deactivate it.
Dim-in and dim-out feature for the interior room lamps - Proton says this is better for the eyes at night and it also adds a certain touch of class. The interior room lamps turn off automatically after you lock the car, or they also stay on for 30 seconds and then fade out in 2.8 seconds. When you unlock the car, the room light fade-in in 3.4 seconds.
Front and rear wiper washer drip wiping - automatically wipe to remove excess water. What happens is when you operate the front washer, it will wipe 4 times and then pause for 5 seconds and then wipe one more time, to remove all the excess water effectively. This is because some of the washer liquid from the top of the windscreen will slowly drip down after the initial wiping, so the last wipe completely removes the washer water.
Programmable front wiper interval. This can be anything from 1 seconds to 25 seconds. The default is 4 seconds. This is how you program it - you put it into INT and then back to off. Then you wait for the duration you want and turn switch it to INT again. The time duration you waited will become the new interval, up to a max of 25 seconds.
The rear wiper turns on automatically when you engage reverse gear if your front wipers are on.
If in SLOW mode, the front wiper changes mode to INT mode when you bring the MPV to a complete stop, let’s say in a traffic jam in the rain.
The remote unlocks the drivers door only if pushed once - probably push twice to unlock all doors. Apparently you are able to configure this to unlock all doors at once by default.
There is an alarm activation history kept but I am not sure how to access it, perhaps only at the service center.
The doors will lock automatically once you reach a speed of 20km/h.
The doors will unlock automatically once you remove the key from the key barrel.
All doors unlock automatically upon a crash via a signal coming from the airbag control unit.
If you perform any sudden braking at speeds of at least 96km/h, the hazard lights will flash automatically.

M-Line and H-Line Differences

The basic features of the car itself is the same between the M-Line and H-Line. They are the same even down to the safety features (dual airbags and ABS), alloy wheel design, brake types (front disc rear drum), seat configuration ability, electric wing mirrors, interior trim and even the tyres. Proton has only kept the creature comforts and minor styling differences for the H-Line.

The Proton Exora H-Line adds cruise control, the LCD screen with DVD player, leather seats, and slightly different trim on the outside – chrome for the grille and rear, as well as blacked out B and C pillars using some convincing black stickers. It’s good to know that the Bluetooth hands-free and audio streaming functionality of the 2-DIN head unit has been retained in the M-Line. If you notice, the leather seats in the H-Line version have a combination material - there is a suede-like material at the sides, which according to Proton was intentionally left there so that the leather would be allowed to expand and contract in a certain way under the hot Malaysian climate and thus reduce the chances of them cracking.

There are still no ISOFIX points and there is only a lap belt for the middle seat in the second row instead of a full 3-point seatbelt. The seat and seatbelt anchorage points are said to be 30% better than regulation minimum requirements, and the steering wheel impact energy absorption is 35% better than regulation requirements.

Another feature of the H-Line is a touch screen portable GPS device which according to them uses an Atmel chipset. This is the same one as offered in the Persona SE. Locking speed was pretty fast. You can download new maps from the internet or at Proton Edar, and updates are free, but I didn’t manage to find out how many updates have there been so far and how frequent the updates are. I would have much preferred a Garmin-based solution.

The Exora’s Interior

The interior quality was typically Proton. There were some uneven gaps between the plastic parts of the dash but hopefully these will be ironed out as the assembly plant gets better at assembling the new model, same goes for the parts suppliers. The gap between the headlining and the front windscreen was quite alarming though, and apparently this was because of the need to wire the DVD player.

The plastics are not soft touch but the designers have picked textures in order to avoid that bare cheap plastic look. The textures were picked based on observations that the designers made while visiting the past few international motorshows. A total of 3 different types of plastic texture are used throughout the car. The upper dash and lower sections (glove box and below) of the dash have a different texture (Organic pattern) than the middle dash are which uses a pattern Proton calls “Orga-Geo”.

As previously mentioned the air conditioning was superb, thanks to the use of two blowers, one for the front and the other for the rear rows. There are air conditioning vents for all 3 rows, with the vents for the 2nd and 3rd row located above the windows. All three rows are comfortable, and a person of 182cm tall like me can fit into the third row nicely with my knee only barely touching the second row. Of course the second row has to be angled slightly more upright than usual for that to happen. Another point to consider is the third row is quite wide, two big sized guys can actually fit without their shoulders touching each other.

The second row and third row have backseat angle adjustment ability, so while you cannot slide them back and forth to vary space between the rows, if a compromise must be done it can be via the backrest angle. The second row will be able to sit more upright for the back row to have more legroom. The third row also varies in angle to create more luggage space in the rear. Speaking of luggage space, here is a video that Proton produced to train its salesmen on the luggage space of the Exora. Bear in mind what you see is with the third row angled rather straight, not the maximum lean angle.

Proton Exora - Luggage Space comparison with Avanza and Grand Livina

The H-Line models DVD player is a separate unit that is not integrated with the in-car entertainment system. It allows you to stream the audio from the DVD to the head unit installed up front via FM transmission, or the kids up back can actually plug in headphones to the DVD player via the two headphone jacks provided. If you want more I suppose you will have to buy headphone splitters.

A Short Drive Around Cyberjaya

We had another short drive around Cyberjaya where the media drive was held and this time I noticed that the Exora was a little more bouncy that usual. I asked the engineers whether there were any differences between the prototype specifications and the production car that we drove and they said yes, it is possible that the suspension was softer due to a wider distance of manufacturing tolerance especially during initial production. Our car also only had 5 people in it, and there might also have been tyre pressure issues.

Still, the Exora remained a pleasant vehicle to drive. It was comfortable and the excellent air conditioning continued to perform its duties well. The minor road deformities that you can see around are handled well by the suspension, but as I mentioned earlier the suspension felt a little softer so there was a little extra bounce than normal after negotiating speed bumps.

The Exora is a big comfortable box for its dimensions and would suit most of the requirements of the Malaysian MPV buyer. If you want to read more about how the Exora drives I suggest you check out my previous test drive story. We will try to get another Exora out ASAP for a proper real life test over a few days, perhaps some of you can join me on the ride?

Anyway here is a full high resolution gallery of the Exora, both inside and outside. Be back soon with even more on the Proton Exora, stay tuned! I am just really glad that finally Malaysians are able to buy a decently sized MPV for under RM70k, even if its just RM2 under RM70K!

Proton Exora 1.6L A/T M-Line Metallic - RM69,998.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T M-Line Solid - RM69,548.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T H-Line Metallic - RM75,998.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T H-Line Solid - RM75,548.00

VIDEO: Proton Exora 60 second TVC - English

VIDEO: Proton Exora 60 second TVC - Bahasa Melayu

Honda CITY 2009

2009-04-19T09:48:00.002-07:00

The Japanese B-segment market is indeed a hot one and is dominated by the H and T badges, despite honest efforts by other manufacturers such as Suzuki to make an impact with cars such as the SX4 sedan. The City and the Vios remain the champions of the under RM80k non-national sedan market and are the target of many people who long to break out of what they feel is the curse of Proton ownership, so naturally the launch of the new Honda City this year was very eagerly awaited. The new City is blessed with good looks and now that the launch and fanfare are over, it’s time to take a good look at the car and see if it is indeed as good as it looks.

Read my full driving impressions after the jump.

Design

While the design of the City is not perfect, it’s way better looking than the odd hatchback with a boot slapped previous generation City. It’s also got a more classic sedan look to it with none of that A-pillar triangular window stuff. A sports sedan to be exact. I still like the shape as much as I did when I first saw it on the spyshots on the internet, especially the white one transported in China. It’s just too bad Honda isn’t offering the car in white here, in fact there are no white Hondas on sale except for the Type R, but I was told white is being added to the CKD paint process soon.

The top of the line model gets foglamps but I kind of prefer the bumper without the foglamps as somehow it helps make the car look wider and shorter. Chrome for the door handles are a nice touch, while the fuel lid opens up with just a touch much like more pricey European cars.

Interior

With the new City, you no longer get that airy feeling that was present in the old City. This is the result of the seating position being much more car-like rather than mini-MPV-like, thanks to Honda distancing the City from its boot-less Jazz sibling. While the Ultra Seats are gone, things like using the bottom of the rear seats to store an umbrella is a great idea. Never again do you have to place it in some random area on the floor of your car and get your whole carpet/mats soaked more than necessary.

Being someone about 181cm tall, I was quite happy in the driver’s seat of the City. Everything was quite ergonomic, from steering position to seat height and position. The storage compartments are also easy to use and the little storage area under the driver side air cond vent is quite usable for your Touch N Go card as its slant prevents the card from sliding out of the compartment. The fuel tank is located under the front seats so there’s not much room for you to install your aftermarket ICE amplifiers there.

The raised floor caused by the fuel tank also juts out a little when you push the front seats nearly all the way back as I needed to do because of my height, so you are quite limited in where you can rest your leg if you want to fold it inwards towards you instead of placing it on the footrest.

There is enough headroom at the rear and decent leg space. Nothing to complain about there. You could definitely seat 3 adults in the rear bench with reasonable amount of comfort, as it is wide enough. The rear bench is reclinable in the top spec model so that adds a bit more comfort for long journeys as you don’t have to sit too upright.

The instrument panel looks good and is easy to read, and there is a multi-information display that can show you various data such as fuel consumption in real time. Well, not exactly fuel consumption but more of fuel economy as the reading is in km per liter, so the higher the bar goes the more km you are getting from each liter according to your driving style.

The CD player slot is hidden behind the radio display, which is rather neat and I liked how the paid attention to how the radio display actually flipped down - it doesn’t just snap down like how a cheap metal pencil case made in China would open, if you get what I mean.

The USB interface is hidden in front of the gear lever in the storage compartment. You can load MP3s and WMAs from a USB device, and because the USB port is powered, if your PDA uses a USB cable for charging you can just plug it into the USB port and juice up. The radio LCD display is a very low resolution one with limited text display capabilities so it doesn’t do much to show your full song title or CD ID3 text completely.

Despite refinement in certain areas, Honda could really have done better with the choice of colour for the whole center dash area. It seems poorly styled compared to the rest of the vehicle. Sure, it’s functional, but choices of material in certain areas especially the center dash makes it look rather toy-like. It’s got nothing to do with the quality of materials as I am sure they could have pulled this off within budget and not look cheap at the same time. A case of good intentions but misguided styling perhaps. While you may be put off by it at the showroom, this is something that you will get used to and forget after a while.

The boot is cavernous at 506 liters, and to achieve this space there is no full-size spare tyre but one of those thinner emergency ones. One nice touch is how Honda has neatly hidden away the wheel jack and other tyre change tools under a plastic part with a wheel jack logo on it.

Driving Experience

The City handles Malaysian roads quite well, absorbing road irregularities to a level that is expected from a car like this, and striking a good balance between comfort and handling which is what a Honda buyer would expect. The steering and pedals are light and easy to use for a beginner driver. The City can take corners with confidence and even when you start sliding out of control it is very easy to correct. The combination of the electric power steering accuracy, weight and the lack of any excessive bodyroll except in the extremes makes the City a car that’ll keep the driver happy, that is until he is joined by passengers.

Honda’s media drive to Malacca assigned 3 of us to a car and I began to understand why Mainland China consumers get a 1.8 liter motor in the City. The City may feel sluggy at times and it was made worse by the really hot day. While the engine boasts 120 PS of output, this is only achievable way beyond the 6,000rpm rev range so none of it is actually usable when you are in a hurry but exactly in a hurry enough to slam the pedal to the metal and let the car rev to the redline in all gears. It’s enough power to get going but not enough for the whole gutsy feeling that Honda likes associating the car with. So yes, it’s best to drive gently and smoothly whenever there are maybe 2 or more passengers in the car to keep both yourself and the engine happy, otherwise you’ll be looking for air filter, exhaust and all sorts of mods to extract more power from the car.

You also don’t get to keep the revs up as often as you’d want because despite having 5 gear ratios, the last 2 are overdrive gears with one extra tall gear for more silent and economical highway cruising (for this purpose it works rather well), so during City driving and acceleration it performs identically to a 4-speed auto. While this works well for a car like the Civic 2.0 where the engine is meaty enough, perhaps Honda could also have taken the opportunity to provide more closely-spaced ratios instead to improve acceleration, and have just one extra tall overdrive gear (instead of one very tall one and one not as much) for high speed cruising?

The feeling of a stepped gearbox is nice, and contributes to giving the City a more sporty feel, rather than the rubberband-ish feeling of a CVT, no matter how much more efficient a CVT actually is. The engine doesn’t seem as smooth as a Honda should be, getting a little loud and rough (and slightly Campro-ish metallic raspy reverb) from the high-mid revs onwards. But under normal and relaxed driving conditions, none of these characteristics are noticeable.

I eagerly wait for the day Honda decides to phase out this stuff and replace it with a 1.4 liter i-DSI Turbo or something. 120 PS and 180Nm of torque from at low as 1,400rpm sounds nice. They already have an i-DSI turbo for the Honda ZEST.

The high spec car’s paddle shifts are easy to work and just plain works, but this isn’t a quick shifting DSG box so there is a noticeable lag between you pressing the paddle shift and the gearbox actually doing something. If you engage paddle shift mode in the S mode, you will be in the M mode which means the gearbox will not shift even if you go past the redline, after of which the revcut will kick in and prevent you from over-revving the engine. The gearbox will also never downshift on command if it detects that the engine will be over-reved on a downshift.

The car was quite stable and planted (some would say it feels “solid”) at most speeds until you reach about 160km/h where in a straight line you could feel a little nervousness in the car, like your tyre contact patch to the ground wasn’t very large. It was only present in the lower spec car, which at first we attributed to the smaller wheels but once we gave this feedback to the Honda engineers he said the difference should not have been that big. This could have been an alignment issue with the test cars which we were told were prototype cars, so I hope to have this tested again in another drive.

If you keep to the brand values that the average Joe on the street associate Honda with, this new City seems much more like a “Honda” than the previous City ever was but at the same time loses what made the previous City unique. The previous City was something more like a Citroen or any random wacky European manufacturer in its concept, it did what it was supposed to do really well and was nice and airy on the inside but its looks suffered because of the good interior dimensions.

This new City on the other hand has a traditional sporty forward-shooting wedge design, and has the driving position to match. I’ve tried my best to give you a detailed report of my day with the car, the rest is up to you to feel the car yourself and do a little more research on (if there are) any potential problems early adopters might be encountering, and how to go around them.

While there are 2 airbags and the standard anti-lock brakes, nowhere in the world is the Honda City available with any form of stability control, which is a concern at the moment if Honda wants to bring the car to Europe, unless it is only thinking of the poorer Eastern Europe countries. They are working on this, so it may be a feature that will debut with the facelift model.

Next up I will try to get the City again for a fuel consumption test as well as another high-speed stability test. To learn more about the new City, read the two stories below. There’s alot more to read and know other than the driving impressions in this report.

Van "Cat Luar"

2009-03-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Photo dibawah adalah sebahagian dari proses-proses mengecat "cat luar"ke atas sebuah van.

Legendary AE86…

2009-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

AE86 History

The history of the AE86 dates back to 1983 when it was released on the Japanese Domestic Market. Although new sales weren’t amazing, the AE86 has developed a huge international following both in the street and racing scenes. In this section I will show the variations of the AE86, expain it’s history and why it is still a popular car today.

AE86 Versions

The AE86 was first produced in 1983 in Japan and this continued until half way through 1987. During this time there were two distinct versions produced, the zenki and the kouki. These two versions can be distinguished by their front indicators and their rear lights. The zenki has small front mounted indicators and rear lights with the word ‘SPRINTER’ across the top of the right light. The kouki has larger corner mounted front indicators and rear lights with either a red band across the top or a black band with a white stripe.

The AE86 was available in two body types, these were the coupe and the hatchback. The hatchback is the frame most enthusiasts think of when discussing the AE86.

To further broaden the purchasers choice when buying an AE86 there were two more variations on the AE86. These were the Sprinter Trueno and the Corolla Levin. These are still available today from Toyota as they have carried through the range up to present day in the form of the AE111. The key differences in the Trueno and Levin are in their light assembly. The Trueno was given pop-up head lights unique to the AE86 and the Levin was given fixed head lights very similar to those of the rest of the Corolla range of that era. Because of this set up the Levin had a larger grill between the lights than the Trueno, in later years the Trueno grill was phased out completely and the bonnet was simply extended between the lights.

The 4A-GE

In 1984 the 4A-GE was introduced as the replacement for Toyotas respected 2T-G engine. The 2T-G had a reputation as being a strong reliable engine and many people were initially scared of the fragile appearance of the 4A-GE. With 4 valves per cylinder, Toyota had to be careful with their construction methods as this new configuration did not allow for a design as visually robust as the 2T-G. This is because the head had to make way for 2 extra valves per cylinder and the engine as a whole needed to allow for high revolutions. Toyota improved its metallurgy to resolve these issues.

Why So Poplular?

Although the AE86 is now 20 years old it is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. There are three major factors contributing to this, firstly a Japanese cartoon called Initial D, secondly a form of Japanese motorsport known as drifting, and thirdly a lack of affordable, small rear wheel drive cars on the used car market.

In Initial D a young Japanese man who drives an AE86 engages in street racing with many of the most respected cars in the world today such as the Nissan Skyline GTR and the Mazda RX7. The series emphasizes the importance of driving ability and shows that expensive and powerful cars are useless without a skilled driver.

Drifting is a popular Japanese motorsport that involves inducing over-steer, usually in a rear wheel driven vehicle. This results in loss of traction in the rear wheels and the idea is to maintain this throughout the corner. Competition in Japan are rated on things such as drift style and ensuring the vehicle is drifted where ever possible. Drifting can be a graceful sport when executed properly but very expensive when things go wrong… and they usually do.

The AE86 was one of the last, if not the last, cheap rear wheel drive light light sports cars. After production of the AE86 ceased in 1987 there was very little choice for anyone wanting a similar car, most manufacturers, including Toyota switched to a front wheel drive format. The advantage of front wheel drive is that they generally weigh less, have more cabin space due to having no transmission tunnel, and are often thought of as safer for the average driver to handle. As most performance car enthusiasts know, if you open the throttle to much in a powerful rear wheel drive on a corner the consequences are usually much worse than doing the same in a powerful front wheel driven vehicle.

That’s why AE86 is a LEGENDARY car…

Honda Civic Type R EP3

2009-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Type R Honda automobile models are special performance editions of their respective model families.

The design of Type R (”R” for “racing”) models was originally focused mainly on race conditions, with an emphasis on minimizing weight, and maximizing performance potential (e.g. engine tuning, suspension set-up, etc). Thus, Type R models were first conceived for little less than racetracks. However, due to Honda’s increased focus on their highly regarded VTEC engines, the Type R was eventually designed for a much wider market.

The reason why the Type R’s traditionally have a red Honda badge and Championship White as an option is to relate to their first F1 winning car, which also had a red Honda badge and Championship White. Honda’s racing cars and F1 cars often or all the time contain a red Honda badge.

History of Civic Type R

There were initially 2 unofficial versions of the ‘Type R’ - the 1991 EF9 (EF8 - Civic CRX) SiR and the 1992 EG6/9 SiR II. The former is the first Civic ever to utilise the venerable B16 engine and the renowned helical LSD, with a stripped out interior devoid of luxuries such as power windows and power steering. Another first was the employment of the four wheel double wishbone independent suspension, which gave this sub-1000kg Civic highly adjustable handling on the limit. This inaugral top-of-the range Civic marked Honda’s successes in Formula One, with multiple Constructors’ Championships with the Marlboro McLaren team. The latter EG6/9 SiR II sang the same luxury-free tune, with a 10hp hike for the B16 engine and a marginally stiffer chassis, better brakes and an updated nineties facade - this time round, the kerb weight tipped the scales at just over a ton.

The Civic Type R was officially introduced in Japan in 1997, as an EK9-chassis hatchback, and shared many characteristics with the Integra Type R such as omission of sound deadening and other weight-reduction measures, a hand-ported B16B engine, front limited-slip differential, close ratio gearbox etc. The EK9 B16B engine boasted one of the highest power output per litre of all time for a NA engine at 185hp from a 1.6L sump, which is greater than that of a Ferrari 360 Modena. With a strategically seam welded monocoque chassis, this lithe 3 door hatch gave many competitors with larger price tags, bigger engines and/or more gadgetry a good run for their money. However, this generation of the Civic Type R was not marketed by Honda outside of Japan.

(Note: the EK generation SiR III was released as a mainstream 170hp Civic (EK4) that was available worldwide, and was immensely popular due to its relatively low cost and high performance from both engine and chassis even without the high end treatment such as LSD, close ratio gearbox, race interiors and seam welding. However, the 3 door hatchback model spawned many EK9 Type R replicas - a niggling side issue affecting R purists that Honda addressed shortly with the release of the next model.)

In 2001 Honda introduced the next generation of the Civic Type R (EP3) as a unique 3 door hatchback to the UK market, which was manufactured in Swindon, England. This later EDM Civic Type R features a 197hp 2.0L i-VTEC engine (K20A) and the regular Type R treatment of seam welding, close ratio transmission and uprated brakes, but does not include some of the other higher-end features, such as the helical LSD and Recaro race-seats, that were standard in the previous generation. This however, does not pertain to the JDM version of the EP3 (which is also manufactured in Swindon), which retains the highly renowned helical LSD similar to that of the EK9.

Other differences include more track-oriented chassis and undercarriage settings as compared to the EDM, as well as a 215hp engine with different camshafts and ECU programming. The JDM EP3 is still one of the quickest despite recent challengers such as the Golf Mk5 GTI and Focus ST - it remains highly competitive to even the most high-end of sporty hatchbacks, in the form of the Golf R32, BMW 130, Clio V6 and Alfa Romeo GTA. The EDM is a tad less focused with more relaxed gear ratios and a better torque curve, but is a shade slower in the sprint to the century mark - observers have likened the JDM to a frenzied everyready track-happy machine, and the more subtle EDM to a combination of weekend track-toy and cross country GT.

The EDM EP3 was widely acclaimed by motoring journalists across the UK, winning ‘Hot Hatch of the Year’ awards more than once from Top Gear and What Car?. The Civic Type R became a popular alternative for mainstream drivers, with the EDM cloking huge sales numbers. The JDM remained a strictly ‘export-model’ only despite being manufactured in the UK, and is relatively rare outside of Japan. The 2001 release of this CTR, as it is commonly referred to, also indicated Honda’s return to Formula One in almost 10 years as an engine supplier to the Jordan and BAR teams - this eventually led to the full-fledged comeback as a dedicated F1 works team in 2005 with Honda gaining full ownership of BAR.

The all new Civic Type R concept based on the 3 door 2006 Civic was announced at the Geneva Motor Show, February 2006. Should be released near December 2006.

Apexi S-AFC Installation

2009-02-22T08:53:00.001-08:00

This post is about APexi SAFC (1st generation) installation. For details, please visit the following page :

Installation on Celica
On SSGTi
On MItsubishi Eclipse

Download the Installation Manual HERE. LEarn how to set your SAFC HERE

The Art of Drifting

2009-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

Drifting refers either to a driving technique utilizing a difference in slip angle between the front and rear tires of a car, or to a sport based on the technique. When the rear wheels are slipping at a greater angle than the front wheels, the car is drifting, or “power-sliding.�? The rear end of the car appears to chase the front end around a turn; the driver utilizes both front tires and the rear tires to control the actual direction of the car. More throttle induces more rear wheel slip angle and the rear of the car wants to overtake the front. The goal is for the driver to achieve opposite lock and use the throttle to fine tune the car’s angle and direction.

How do you drift?

There are two ways to drift. First is through the rear wheel drive (also known as the clutching technique) while the other is through the front wheel drive. In the clutching technique, the driver pushes on the clutch and shifts his car into second gear when he approaches a turn. After revving the engine up to around 4,000-5,000 rpm and slightly turning away from the turn, the drifter cuts back towards it hard enough, while at the same time, he pops the clutch causing the rear wheels to spin. This will cause a loss of traction and the drift car begins to slide around the curve.

The hard part is having to hold the drift until the next turn. The drifter must keep the foot on the accelerator, while at the same time, he adjusts the car through the steering wheel so that the vehicle doesn’t spin out. Upon reaching the end of the turn and approaching the next turn which is in the opposite direction, he must cut the wheel towards the right direction. In some cases, if the previous drift was too slow and he starts to regain traction, he must pop the clutch again to get the wheels spinning.

The second technique is through the front wheel drive. This technique uses the side-breaks. When approaching a turn, the drifter pulls the side brake to cause traction loss. And the rest is pretty much the same as the clutching technique except that it’s much harder to take more than one turn with a front wheel drive.

Where do you drift?

Drifters would normally go to the mountains, also known as “Tohge,�? to drift (having a small number of people around). Mountains are fit for drifting because they are relatively desolate and they have perfect groups of S-turns that can really challenge a drifter’s ability. Other places to drift are docks or just any isolated parking lot. And the most famous place to drift is the “circuit.�? Drifting competitions are held in “circuits�? and drifters are judged on a specific group of turns on a 100 point scale.

What cars are used in drifting? Some common cars used for drifting are:

AE86 Levin/Trueno - its rear wheel drive lay-out is fit for drifting and it’s relatively inexpensive
Silvia S13 and S14 – it has a high horse power and free-revving engine making it excellent as a drifting car
180SX - lighter and has a better front/rear balance ratio
FC3S RX-7 – not problematic
Cefiro - has a powerful RB20DET engine and good handling characteristics
Laurel - powered by the RB20DET
Skyline GTS-T - has a rear wheel drive layout and boasts a 260hp engine

Petrol Saving Tips

2009-02-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

ENGINE WARM-UP

1. Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, even on cold mornings - 30 to 45 seconds is plenty of time.

2. Be sure the automatic choke is disengaged after engine warm up… chokes often get stuck, resulting in bad gas/air mixture.

3. Don’t start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one minute consumes the gas amount equivalent to when you start the engine.

4. Avoid “reving” the engine, especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from the inside cylinder walls, owing to loss of oil pressure.

5. Eliminate jack-rabbit starts. Accelerate slowly when starting from dead stop. Don’t push pedal down more than 1/4 of the total foot travel. This allows carburetor to function at peak efficiency.

HOW TO BUY

6. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Keep in mind - gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel concentration. You are charged according to “volume of measurement”.

7. Choose type and brand of gasoline carefully. Certain brands provide you with greater economy because of better quality. Use the brands which “seem” most beneficial.

8. Avoid filling gas tank to top. Overfilling results in sloshing over and out of tank. Never fill gas tank past the first “click” of fuel nozzle, if nozzle is automatic.

HOW TO DRIVE ECONOMICALLY

9. Exceeding 40 mph forces your auto to overcome tremendous wind resistance.

MODIFIED MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X

2009-01-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the pictures of modified bodykit for mitsubishi lancer GT Evolution X White colour presented at extreme autoshow bukit jalil. With the modified engine for lancer GT (the red one) picture which you can see a surbo / tornado inside the air intake host and the stabilizer bar etc with the mivec engine. And at the bottom of this post is the new bodykit for lancer evo x n-spec latest version by INGS.

In 2005, Mitsubishi introduced a concept version of the next-gen Evolution at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show named the Concept-X. Mitsubishi unveiled a second concept car, the Prototype-X, at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

MODIFIED MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X AT EXTREME AUTOSHOW & EVO X N-SPEC - BEAUTIFUL WHITE EVO

The Lancer Evolution X sedan features a newly designed 4B11T 2.0 L turbocharged, all-aluminum inline-4 engine. Power and torque depend on the market but all versions will have at least 280 PS (205.9 kW, 276.2 hp) (JDM version), the American market version will have slightly more. The UK models will be reworked by Mitsubishi UK, in accordance with previous MR Evolutions bearing the FQ badge. Options for the UK Evolutions are expected to be between 300 hp (220 kW) and 360 hp (270 kW).

HOW TURBOCHARGER WORKS-INTERCOOLER

2009-01-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

FRONT MOUNT INTERCOOLER

And a normal intercooler is actually an air-to-air heat exchanger,this term is commonly used in aviation and construction. The intercooler is similar to your car radiator but the radiator is a water-to-air exchanger where the the ram air will cool down the water inside the radiator whereas,in the intercooler it is just compressed air.

HKS FRONT MOUNT KIT

Air after the compressor is hot and hot air means lower density of oxygen. The lack of oxygen will reduce your car power. Other than reducing the power output, it may also cause knocking to your engine and this can damage your engine.So a good intercooler is a worthy upgrade as it can give your car more power and your car engine can run a lot cooler and prolonging the engine life.

INTERCOOLER

There is basically 3 types of general fitment of the intercooler which is side mount,front mount or top mount.The top mount intercooler is mounted right on top of your engine and cars using the top mount intercooler should have an air scoop on top of the bonnet to breath in cool air from outside.This fitment can be found on car like the SUBARU IMPREZZA ,DAIHATSU L200, TOYOTA STARLET 4E and etc.Side mount intercooler is usually mounted just behind the bumper and right at the leftmost or rightmost corner and oftenly mounted at an angle,This type of fitment can be found in car such as the MITSUBISHI LANCER GSR 4G93T and the MAZDA B8. And the best fitmen of all is the front mount intercooler where it is mounted right in the middle of your bumper mostly in front of the radiator. This position will get the intercooler the most ram air.Car that can be found using this fitment include the MITSUBISHI EVO and NISSAN SKYLINE.

TOP MOUNT INTERCOOLER

Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 - Day 1

2009-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 took off today and our man Andy Goh is in Tokyo to capture all the excitement. Tokyo Auto Salon is known to be the biggest automotive tuning show in Asia and is the most anticipated as it’s where all the legendary and not so legendary tuners congregate to show off their finest. It’s a huge event so much so that one day is not enough to cover it - I’ll hand it to Andy now, he doesn’t say much, he would rather let his pictures do the talking.

Archive of Zerotohundred.com’s previous Tokyo Auto Salon (2006 - 2008) coverage:

2009 Tokyo Auto Salon - Part 3

2009-01-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Auto Salon coverage continues, more girls, more cars, more entertainment. I’m not sure if anyone noticed but the girls look to be the same from the SuperGT race series. Japan limited on hot girls? I believe not. Check out the gallery after the jump to check out the rest of the pictures from Andy’s final day at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Mugen Civic RR Advanced Concept

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

How do you make something so good, great, and a year later, the greatest? This is just what Mugen did to the FD2 Civic Type-R with the 2008 RR. This year, they’ve unveiled what would be the most extreme factory tuned Type-R. They’re calling it the RR Advanced Concept. It’s no longer a Type R. in fact, most removable panels are now carbon fiber. They have also retained the carbon reinforced interior from the Experimental spec RR.

The RR Advanced Concept still produces 260bhp now makes 260bhp, 20bhp more than the 240bhp RR and does 9000rpms. Watch the Tsukuba video and read on as they compare times from the Type-R, the RR and the RR Advanced Concept. Note the cool floor mounted gas pedal. Totally a must for all future JDMs.

What is VTEC?

2009-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

VTEC is NOT "V-tec", "V-TEC", "V-tech", "V-TECH", "VTECH", "V-TEK", "vtech", "vtec", "vortech", "Vtec", or "Vtech". It's CAPITAL VTEC. No dashes, no lower case, no extra letters, no anything other than the correct and only spelling of VTEC. If you cannot respect the technology and simply use the correct spelling, you do not deserve what it gives you.

A 2 year old could spell it - it's just basic ABCs. Capital V Capital T Capital E and Capital C. That's it. This misspelling is something that is becoming more and more prevalent as Honda trickles this technology to all models and more people buy cars utilizing VTEC technology. It's my number one biggest pet-peeve. I am now seeing it in magazines articles, personal Web sites, across people's windshields, on Message Boards, company Web sites, and even PRODUCT ADVERTISEMENTS by companies who MAKE products for the VTEC! Heck, I've even seen it on the side of a professional import racer's car - someone who has been doing this for a long time and runs in the 10's. They get a lot of press and magazines print a lot of pictures. It surprises me that no one has told this person that the side of their car says "1.8L V-TEC". Uh, HELLO?!?!?!?!?!? And millions of people read these magazines that have the pictures of this car, and suddenly think Honda has some sort of new technology. Anyways, enough with the soapbox talk, let's get on with it. Just remember, it's spelled VTEC and only VTEC.

So what IS VTEC? VTEC is Honda's trademarked acronym for Variable valve Timing and Electronic lift Control. Put simply, it's a method of directly altering the cam profile that valves "see", so that the optimum grind can be utilized at either high or low rpm.Honda currently has three different VTEC systems for sale in the U.S., but the primary differences are level of complexity and design purpose. Since the high performance version is the most often discussed, I'll describe it: The high performance VTEC system, which made it's debut in the Honda NSX, later became available on various other models - Integra, Prelude, delSol, Civic, Accord, etc.

Using radical cam grinds to improve engine horsepower is certainly nothing new, but the problem lies in driveability. The very aspects of a cam grind that work so well for horsepower (high lift, long overlap,etc.) do so by creating an ideal situation for a high air flow at high engine speeds. Unfortunately, what works well for that situation has the inverse affect on low speed torque and driveability. Perhaps at one time or another we've all heard the V-8 hot rod that has a cam grind so radical that it can't even maintain an idle, and the driver must constantly goose the accelerator to keep the engine running. What to do? How about two different cam grinds, each optimized for a different half of the rpm range. Honda achieves this with a rather simple method. Picture, if you will, one cylinder of a DOHC, 4-valve per cylinder engine. There are 4 cam lobes, each directly operating a valve (two intake, two exhaust). The VTEC system has two more cam lobes, in between each pair of the other respective sets. These two can then be our high-rpm lobes, while the other four are the low-rpm lobes. The low-rpm lobes in this case then actuate the valves through a set of rocker arms, so that the mechanical connection can be broken if desired. The third, high-rpm lobe also has it's own follower, but it is in a freewheeling state,flopping around and not contributing anything. As our engine accelerates through it's rev range, it passes through the power peak of the low-rpm lobes. Then, at the engine speed and throttle position programmed into the computer's memory map a signal is sent which electronically opens a spool valve, which then directs oil pressure to a mechanical sliding pin. This pin locks the rocker arms actuating the valves to the follower on the high-rpm cam lobe. As this grind is steeper and higher then the other four cams it will supersede them. In a few milliseconds you have completely altered the valve timing and the engine's power band begins anew.The obvious benefits to this are the high-rpm power associated with a radical cam grind, but with little or no negative affects on low speed idle, driveability or torque. Just changing a fixed timing engine to a cam grind equal to the high-rpm one used in the VTEC would produce an engine which is utterly gutless below 5000rpm. Clearly, this system is intended to improve performance first, with little effect elsewhere. But such a system can be used differently, as that in the Civic VX. In this instance, the low-rpm lobes give a staggered timing, where one valve opens fully but the second cracks just a bit. This is to induce a high swirl rate into the chamber to promote better combustion, which, when combined with a computer-actuated lean burn helps to achieve high mileage. The high-rpm lobes in this engine are a more conventional grind associated with a sixteen valve 4-cylinder, to provide extra power in cases of passing or merging. The VTEC system used in most Civics (EX, Si and the delSol Si but NOT delSol VTEC)is a little closer to that in the NSX, etc. The difference being that this system is vastly simplified and operates on the intake valves ONLY. The exhaust are actuated conventionallywhich reduces effect somewhat from full VTEC system. This is partly to reduce costsand because engine a SOHC complex system of rocker arms actuate sixteen prohibitive on Accord close in design to that on the Civics as well, optimized more for a smooth power delivery then high horsepower.The negative effects? Very few, really. Obviously it's very expensive, with many complex parts involved. The biggest drawback is the limitation to only two "modes" of valve timing. Most engineers are still seeking ways to obtain unlimited variance of the valve timing, so that it can be optimized to any engine speed, not just high or low rpm. BMW's system approaches this method with a completely different method of varying the valve timing. It is almost infinitely adjustable *within it's range*, but alas it has a much smaller envelope between the two extremes of it's variability than is possible with the Honda system.

The VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and lift Electronic Control) system is explained here by example of the 1.6 liter DOHC engine used in the CRX, which was in 1991 the first car equipped with such an engine. It has four valves/cylinder and two overhead camshafts.

For every cylinder there are three cams on the camshaft and three rockers instead of the usual two. At low to middle revs the outside in- and output cams are used. They have their own rockers which operate on accompanying valves. These cams are designed for moderate lift and timing. (Fig. 2).
At high revs the middle cam is used. It has a high lift and different timing. This cam operates on the middle rocker. The indirect selection of the two different type of cams is done hydraulically by shifting a pin, consisting of two parts A and B, in the rockers by which the middle rocker takes along the two outside ones, which as a result, also receive the fast middle cam profile. The valves are opened wide and for a longer period for more power. (Fig.3).

The two cam types have their own power distribution curve. At one point in both curves the engine delivers the same power. At this point the motor management switches from one state to the other. As a result the transition occurs smooth and without notice, except for some more push of course ...

Abu Dhabi Motor Show

2009-01-09T02:24:00.000-08:00

Tips Jimat Minyak Kereta

2009-01-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

SEBELUM ini anda mengisi RM30 untuk mengisi petrol kereta anda dan boleh bergerak hingga 200 kilometer. Kini dengan jumlah yang sama kereta anda cuma dapat bertahan 150 kilometer saja. Ada yang mengatakan kereta anda sudah kuat makan petrol.

Penggunaan petrol yang bertambah disebabkan beberapa faktor seperti kebocoran, permukaan bahan api dalam ruang pelampung karburetor terlalu tinggi, penapis udara tersumbat atau pelarasan skru pada karburetor kurang tepat.

Selain itu, ia mungkin berpunca daripada saat penyalaan kurang tepat, plag haus, suis pemutus arus terbakar, mampatan tidak cukup, injap yang tidak berfungsi, ekzos tersumbat, masalah pada cekam atau brek bergesel.

Bagi mengetahui puncanya, pertama, pemilik perlu memeriksa dengan melihat pada tempat meletak kenderaan. Jika ada bekas titisan minyak atau terhidu bau petrol di kawasan itu, bermakna kenderaan mungkin mengalami kebocoran dan ia perlu dihantar ke bengkel untuk dibaiki. Bagaimanapun, jika kebocoran berlaku pada sambungan paip petrol, ketatkan sambungan yang longgar menggunakan spanar dan jika masih bocor, buka skru berkenaan dan lilitkan benang vinil dan ketatkan sambungan itu kembali

Sebenarnya ada beberapa tip dan cara yang paling minimum untuk menjimatkan penggunaan bahan api sekali gus menjimatkan perbelanjaan harian anda.

Sehubungan itu, adalah penting bagi anda memerhatikan kadar penggunaan petrol bukan sekadar harganya tinggi tetapi penggunaan bahan itu secara berlebihan menandakan enjin kereta anda mengalami kerosakan.

Jika anda mendapati penggunaan petrol pada kenderaan secara berlebihan, periksa puncanya sebelum membeli sebarang alat bantuan mengurangkan penggunaan petrol yang banyak di pasaran. Ini kerana pembelian alat berkenaan mungkin tidak memberi kesan sepatutnya jika keadaan enjin kereta anda mengalami masalah hingga menyebabkan penggunaan petrol bertambah. Umumnya cara terbaik mengekalkan tahap penggunaan petrol ialah dengan melakukan pelarasan enjin.

Selain itu, perkara penting yang perlu diketahui pengguna ialah sikap dan cara pemanduan kerana ia banyak mempengaruhi penggunaan petrol kereta. Antaranya, menggunakan gear dua atau tiga terlalu lama sebelum menukar ke gear seterusnya, tabiat menekan pedal minyak terlalu kuat ketika pemanduan mendatar atau menuruni bukit boleh menyebabkan penggunaan petrol yang berlebihan.

Sehubungan itu, apabila anda melakukan pelarasan enjin, ia membantu mengurangkan penggunaan petrol sehingga 15 peratus di samping teknik memandu yang salah juga menjadi punca penggunaan petrol melebihi 20 peratus atau lebih.

Di samping itu, anda juga perlu mengetahui apabila membawa bebanan yang lebih daripada kadar yang sesuai juga menyebabkan kadar penggunaan petrol melebihi dari tahap biasa.

Oleh itu, anda perlu perhatikan dalam but kereta anda, mungkin ada banyak barang yang tidak sepatutnya berada dalam but tetapi dibawa ke sana ke mari. Ia pasti menambah beban enjin

Anda harus membawa barang yang perlu saja seperti alat membaiki kereta dan alat yang dapat membantu ketika kecemasan.

Karier (alat membawa barang atas bumbung kereta) juga boleh menambah penggunaan petrol pada kadar lima peratus. Karier menghalang udara berlepas ke belakang dengan sempurna ketika kereta memecut.

Enjin dalam keadaan panas normal juga boleh membantu meningkatkan perbatuan dan prestasi kereta anda. Biarkan enjin panas sebelum memulakan perjalanan dan jangan sekali-kali memulakan perjalanan tanpa terlebih dulu merancang jalan mana untuk ke destinasi.

So, antara cara2 nak save minyak kereta adalah,kot tuan punye kete je “iman” x cukup kuat nak follow semua rules tu…

Tidak “rammed” RPM hingga redline pd tiap gear tiap kali lepas trafik light
Tidak membrek secara mendadak dari kelajuan yg tinggi (emergency kes berkecuali)
Tidak membawa “beban” yg x perlu di dalam kete (setiap penambahan berat 50kg akan ketara menambah penggunaan petrol kete)
Penggunaan rim yg “ringan” - tp konfem mahal le kalau beso
Angin tayar yang mencukupi (terlalu kurang - petrol tambah, terlalu lebih - bahaya tambah)
Membawa kelajuan yg bersesuaian dgn kapasiti & enjin kereta. (Cth kalau kete 1.3-1.6 purata suitable speed yg save minyak dalam purata 80km/j & top 120km/j)
Elakkan penukaran kepada gear yg tidak sesuai dgn keadaan & speed kereta

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