Mazda Furai : Mazda 20B with Courage C65 Chassis!

"The Sound of the Wind," the literal Japanese translation of the "Furai."

To me it sounds like a new Japanese sushi dish that can be bought from a seedy vending machine in Ropongi Hills.

Thats right boys and girls. Mazda's best production motor the 3 Rotor Wankel motor is being used in the Courage C65 Le Mans Chassis. MAzda campaigned this car for the 2005 American Le Mans Series with the intention of testing it for hopeful consumers as wel..



Swift engineering is best known for their 016a chassis which is specified as standard equipment for Formula Atantic Series. Mazda teamed with them to design the body of the Furai. The concept they modeled the body after is the sight of wind rushng past a robed angel.

Mazda prowbably made this car to resurrect their previous 1991 World Sportscar Championship season victory with the mazda 787B car.



The 20B which came from the 1990-1995 Eunos Cosmohas been modified to run\ on E100(British Petroleum) ethanol at 450 horsepower. This engine is the predescesor to the 767 Le Mans race car as well.



Johnster

DETROIT AUTO SHOW!

Earlier today I read that Detroit was nominated for being the 3rd highest in crime for 2007. But besides that, there is the Detroit Auto Show going on! (aka the NAIAS- North American International Automobile show. It is open to the public and let's people come to see what the next hottest vehicle is coming to the states. This particular show has been up and running since 1907 and started out with only 17 exhibitors. The event has been so successful and popular, now more than over 100 exhibitors show.

But don't worry. There won't be "no drama" from Detroit's "Big Three." Because Mary J. Blige will be opening the event.



So.. If you are in the area and/or curious about the show check out http://www.naias.com

Here are some photos from last year's Detroit Auto Show:











AND this year they are going to introduce to you some surprisers. Check them out.

Mazda Furai...



Toyota A-BAT...



Land Rover LRX (made of recycled plastic bottles)...



Corvette ZR1 (an easy $100,000)...




-THAI SPYCE

"Merry Christmas E'rrrbody..."

"Merry Christmas From thetunersource.com!!"
Not to sound ever so redundant, be we here at thetunersource.com would really like to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year...chutch!!


~Ronski

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hey everyone,

We here at TheTunerSource.com take Christmas seriously, and as a Christmas gift to all our loyal readers and followers, our full-blown, application enhanced, website is on the way. Very soon. Just sit tight a little longer and I can assure you that it will be worth the wait. We all wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.



TheTunerSource Team
Rack of Lam
Thai Spyce
Ronski
The Johnster
Mister Philthy

On another note, the Spoon Civic Type R made a cameo appearance at the 25 Hour of Thunderhill in Sonoma, California. Unfortunately, due to an electrical problem the Spoon Civic Type R only ran for 24 Hours and 52 Minutes. Close, but not quite all the way. Good luck next year you guys!





Mister Philthy

Don't Mess With The Hoff

I rarely watched TV as a kid but there were a couple of shows that remained my staple for the times I did watch TV. I had an affinity for shows with bad-asses for main characters.

First, you had Bonanza. I loved Bonanza. I couldn't tell you the storyline of any of the episodes but I just know that cowboys were bad-ass. There was nothing more that I wanted during that time than a vest and a stetson hat.

Then we had Dukes of Hazzard. Two "good ol' boys" who drove the sh*t out of their cars. The best part? Their 1969 Dodge Charger, "General Lee." The doors were welded shut so Bo and Luke had to jump in and out of their cars. I'll confess. I did that when getting in my dad's car for the longest time...errr, tried to anyway.

But above them all, my favorite had to be Knight Rider. Now, here was a car that was a companion. KITT (Knight Industry Two Thousand) talked to Michael, got him out of pickles, and probably did some undisclosed favors for Michael as well. Here's the good/bad news, depending on your sentiments about it: there's gonna be a made-for-TV movie remake that debuts in February of 2008. The question on everyone's mind is going to be about the car. Well, here are the details.

Instead of the 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am of the 80s series, the new KITT has actually stirred some controversy considering it's going to be the yet-to-be-released Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR. This KITT comes with a supercomputer that can pretty much do anything, a weapons system, and a body that's able to shape-shift and change colors. This 21st Century KITT, like the old, gets its artificial intelligence from digital effects wizard that makes it much more than a car; it's a partner-in-crime.

Another cool feature of the car is the air-ride suspension. This allows for the driver to lower the car's height when it goes from hero mode to attack mode. All this morphing and transforming will be done through CGI animation, as we'll all see when the movie comes out.

The creator of this car is Harold Belker, who designed the Batmobile from the Batman and Robin movie and also the space shuttle from Armageddon.

So for all us '80s babies that have been waiting for this for a while, the time has finally come. No David Hasselhoff, new car, new adventures...what more can we ask for really? Oh wait, I said No David Hasselhoff already, right?











EDIT: Here's a teaser for the movie.



-Rack of Lam

P.S. Since it's Christmas Eve, I want to extend wishes of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays on behalf of all of us at TheTunerSource.com. Though we've been through some hardships with getting this site on its feet, we promise that 2008 will be our year and our hope is that you all keep supporting us and join us when the site is up. Until then, all we can say is thanks and you'll be hearing from us real soon!

Nissan, Two Thumbs Down for Grey Market Imports!

The Skyline GT-R has been released! But only in Japan for the time being. Of course, Japan always gets the newest gadgets first. Super Famicom, Playstation, Playstation Portable, and every cool Japaneese performance car is sold in Japan first. I don't blame them, if I lived in the land of cool technology I would like to have access to all the products I want first. This definitely sounds upsetting to people outside of Japan that can't wait and have the money to import all the cool goodies Japan has to offer, including the new R35 Skyline GT-R.

The Europeans live for their fast cars, and there are a great of them that can afford to buy the Skyline GT-R at sticker cost plus heavy importation fees. It rings true all over the world to have the coolest goodies before your friends(competition) has them.

Nissan Motor Company has released a statement of intent to "crack" down on the GT-R importers all over the world, and their reason "Copyright Infringement." It makes sense. Grey market cars do not usually meet safety/emission laws of the countries that they are imported to. Also having these cars cannibalizes local dealerships that will eventually stock these cars. The UK plans to sell the R35 for 60K GBP, where as in the Japanese will be selling domestically for 32K GBP. I would be angry too!





GT-R Enemy Number 1, Gary "Twit" Frigo.

This is what Gary Frigo of Nissan (UK) has to say about this matter :

"We have been made aware of a significant increase in activity in the import trade of certain vehicles, particularly the Nissan GT-R, which warrants immediate action."

Mr.Frigo aka Mr. Non-Party says that the start of sales in the UK will be in March 2009 to have the right support and parts for the GT-R. Until then any greay market vehicles will not have manufacturer's warranty. Fair enough. But why does he have to be such a downer about it?


Jeremy Clarkson - Top Gear
"The GT-R hasn't just moved the goalposts, it's obliterated them. For all-round ability, I have no doubt the Nissan is the best car I have ever driven."

"Toyota Recalls Tundra..."

To all our fans x members x friends we at thetunersource.com bring you an update about our friends at the Toyota Motor Corp. It seems that recently Toyota issued a recall of about 15,600 four-by-four versions of their 2007 Tundra pickup truck in the United States because of problems with a propeller shaft connected to the rear axle.

Toyota states that the problem stems from a joint in the rear propeller shaft that may have been improperly heat-treated which leads to an inadequate amount of hardness. The problem can snowball into an even bigger problem as the said joint in the section of the rear propeller shaft could separate and immobilize the truck and force it to stop.

Owners of the said vehicle will be notified of the recall beginning in within this month and will need to contact dealers to have their truck inspected. Toyota guarantees that if the hardness in the joint is not correct, the dealer will replace the rear propeller shaft at no cost.

Customers with additional questions can contact Toyota @ (800) 331-4331.


~Ronski


P.S.
Congratulations to sixteen-year-old celebutant Jaime-Lynn Spears for her new bundle of joy.

For the long drive home...

The cruise control feature of a car has always had me a bit apprehensive to ever using it on long trips. I always develop these tentative feelings of the cruise control malfunctioning or maybe my reaction time to some impending disaster not quick enough; whatever it might be, I prefer to keep my foot on the gas and brake.

However, I no longer have an excuse. Whereas many luxury automotive companies are focused on developing the radar-based cruise control functions of their cars, Nissan decided to put all to shame by innovating a technology that integrates a car's GPS navigation system to dictate vehicle speed. With conventional cruise control systems, you turn it on and you maintain one speed. However, with Nissan's set-up, the system will get road and route information from the GPS system, account for curves and turns, and will actually appropriate the vehicle's speed to make the turn and accelerate accordingly as well.

Another cool feature of the Nissan Distance Control Assist is notifying the driver of road blocks, disasters, traffic problems, etc. by pushing the gas pedal against the driver's foot to slow the car down and depending on the direness of the situation, will actually set off an audio warning and message telling the driver to brake.

This is great news for me. It's another step toward driving and taking me, the driver, out of the equation. Because the repercussion of a vehicle's luxury making a driver more inattentive is always a concern, I'm just waiting for the day that I can snap my fingers and just teleport from point A to B. But for now, this will have to do. Happy driving everyone!









-Rack of Lam

Mazda MZR Engine : The Coolest Mazda Engine Since the 13/20B Rotary

I love the Toyota Formula Atlantic Series, and I love the 4AGE. This last year the Formula Atalntic governing body decided to use the Mazda MZR motor( Mazdaspeed 3 and mazda Speed 6) in favor of the 20 year old 4AGE. i was crushed. I love the 4AGE, my love for the 4AGe was when i first went to the Long Beach Formula Atlantic Grand Prix and heard the Formula 4AGE engines scream at 13K RPM. This last year I attended the event again and heard a new sound, the Mazda MZR. This Cosworth built motor screams. Not as high as the 4AGE, but it screams, and hearing these engines(12K RPM) on the straight gives you the chills. So here today I present the Mazda MZR engine.


The new Mazda MZR engine"s is a 2.3L hand built in either England or Torrance, CA USA. These engines are light made of an aluminum lock and head. These engines also produce 300 HP and capable of 175 MPH. these cars are capable of 0-60MPH in 2.2s and 0-100 in 4.2 S Sure its not as impressive as the 4AGE at 1.6L and 240 HP, its still awesome. i speculate that the started using the MZR engines, because they were roughly half the cost of the 4AGE Hasselgren 4AGE, which is 30K. Also the 4AGE engines were rated for 8 hours of race time.



Here is Cosworth's description of the engine :

"A new engine hand build in our engine build facility at Northampton (UK) or Torrance (USA) by the same engine builders that build our Formula 1 and other racing engines. It is a full engine incorporating a barrel throttle intake system, Cosworth valve train, Cosworth pistons, con rods, extrude honed ported head and an auxiliary drive including alternator. Loom, ECU, Flywheel, dry sump and clutch are some of the options that are available for this. Please check out our detailed options list as we can customise the build to your installation needs. A specification sheet is available by downloading the pdf on the left."

-Johnster

GET BUSTED !!!!

Ever run a red light and you happen to see a flash of light strike before you? Yeah you just got served by a traffic camera. Chances are, you are going to receive in the mail a ticket before you ranging anywhere from $100 - $400 depending where you ran the red light.

"Title..."

Content...

Legacy

When Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce got together as the 20th Century started, never would they have imagined what exactly the Rolls-Royce name would mean to the automotive world beyond the UK. Though through the years the brand has gone under many changes and subsidiary divisions, the reputation of the brand remains as one of the premier cars indicating the higher class and extreme luxury.

On December 3rd, Rolls-Royce would further infix their brand into the automobile history books. During an auction, a private British collector set two new records by paying 3.5 million pounds (which equates to about $7.22 million USD) for the oldest surviving Rolls-Royce, which is the highest paid for a pre-1905 and for any Rolls-Royce.

The bidding for the 1904 car started at a cool $1M and came down to two telephone bidders battling it out. The previous record for any veteran car was 1.76 million pounds for the 1884 De Dion Bouton and the record for any Rolls-Royce was the 1912 Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine, which went for 1.48 million pounds. The car (car 20154) was the fourth ever built by Rolls and Royce and boasted a 10 horsepower engine for the open-topped two-seater. The car is actually still in running condition after undergoing restoration in the 1950s. Its license plate is "U 44."

The car briefly was neglected until Rolls-Royce enthusiast and speedway star Oliver Langton acquired it and fully restored it. The car is also the only pre-1905 Rolls-Royce to take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Frankly, I'm surprised a rapper didn't buy it to go with the fleet of Phantoms they have.







-Rack of Lam

Charlie Sheen : One Lucky guy in "The Wraith"

When I was a kid there would always be a movie that played on Saturday afternoons on Channel 5 KTLA, it was a story of a guy that gets killed by some car-fanatic bullies, and he returns as a ghost in an awesome car to seek vengence. It was great, it was everything I ever wanted in a movie. A hot girl, an awesome car, and lots of action. I was in love. Years down the road I was flipping through my older cousin's car book admiring all the cool cars of the 80's which included the 959 Porsche and Ferrari Daytona. Upon flipping through the book I found my favorite movie car, the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor. I was in disbelief, I thought the car in the movie was fake, and was just a model that they created to carve the canyon, and make all the bad guys go off the cliff. And so I present to you the dual turbocharged Dodge PPG M4S Turbo pacecar.








This car was a DOHC 2.2L motor with dual turbochargers, that produced 440 Horsepower, and had a top speed of 195 MPH. This car did a 0-60MPH in 4.1 seconds, and 12.9s quarter mile. The motor used dual T-25 Garrett turbo which were fed into the "top of the line" Bosch L-Jetronic fuel management system. This car was contracted to Dodge by PPG and they spent nearly $1.5 Million Dollars for 6 cars, now only four cars exist 2 belonging to PPG still.

CARBON FIBER ERR'WHERE

You see. When I first saw my boy pick up a carbon fiber hood for his Honda Civic, I was amazed because his car actually looked nice for once. Not just that, but the fact that the hood was lightweight, flashy, and well made his car look really really good, I'm telling you! But seriously, then he decided to get his grille, spoiler, dashboard, shift knob, door pillars, tail lights, etc. (oh trust me there is a lot more but you get the picture) all done up. Then he just looked really gosh darn silly.

What would be the pro to having carbon fiber? Maybe because it is extremely light and strong? Eh. but it scratches up and doesn't withstand side impacts all so well. Hm, I dunno if it's all that cracked up to be. Maybe you, the audience can convince to me why carbon fiber is such a plus to have when it comes to performance parts. In the mean time, let's take a look at what else carbon fiber has invaded in America:





















I don't have to continue. You know how silly it is to have carbon fiber now. So just quit it while you are ahead.


- Thai Spyce -

"2007 Auto Union Type C Pedal Car"

Based on the Silver Arrow Type C Grand Prix racing car of 1936 as the ideal blueprint, AUDI AG has brought onto the market an absolute first for them. The 2007 Auto Union Type C Pedal Car is an aluminium automobile in 1:2 scale (or half scale) of the original size of its predecessors. The automobile is only large enough to accommodate a person no more than four and a half feet (4

100+ MPG!????

Not too long ago Toyota introduced the Prius. Remember that ugly ass car that looked like an Echo?
Don't remember? Well let me refresh your memory.



Horrendous right? But Toyota did claim 46 miles per gallon. Not phenomenal, but a good amount right?
I guess its not amazing compared to the 1989 - 1991 Honda Civic/CRX HF which many claim can get over 40+ miles per gallon.

Well a few years later, Toyota introduced the new Prius that got over 60MPG!!!



Well that was bullshit. I rented one via Enterprise on a trip to .... where else would they have rental hybrids? San Francisco!
Well from the city, I charged out to Monterey Bay which is quite a flat and long drive, and I hardly managed to drive 45MPG!

So in 2008, what did Toyota do? They readjusted their MPG to 46. Pretty accurate!

Well rumor has it that Japanese model Honda Insights and FCXs are at 100MPG and Toyota Prius' are at 94MPG! Well I guess at that point we are going to have to buy a hybrid huh?

Believe it or not? I can't say but I did have the pleasure of going to the LA Autoshow where "The California Car Initiative" were publicly showing off their 100+MPG plug-in converted Prius. You can try and get one, but I guess its proof that there are 100MPG cars around.

So lets look forward to the 2009 hybrids!


The 2009 Toyota Prius 94MPG!


The 2009 Honda FCX 68MPG with an 2010 or 2011 model getting 100MPG!

See ya later guys,

Trying to keep the environment clean and his wallet full, the not so filthy, Mr. Philthy.

'Tis The Season

It's that time of the year again everyone. Malls are filled, cash registers are ringing, and debt is accruing; it's the holiday season!

On the contrary, this time of the season is also great for the intrinsic quality of your life. You have much needed vacation time from work, more time to spend with your loved ones, and receiving cool gifts that are usually excessively unnecessary.

Now, I don't know about you but I really love children. Especially during the holiday season, there's nothing better than giving a child a gift and seeing their faces light up. But, what can you give to the kid who has everything, especially in this time of age where children have it too good? Leave it to German automotive power house Porsche to provide you the perfect gift.

The Porsche Kinderbob sled is really the implementation of the company's brand and its timeless and exquisite designs in another mode of transportation other than a car. The sled itself is actually more than a toy, with a very aerodynamic design complete with metal runners and suspension system. You can rest assured that your kid will be the talk of envy and most stylish on the snow slopes.

Only bad news is that the sled is not available in the US stores but if you go on the German site, you can pick up one of these for

AC Schnitzer BMW 135i

How about a 360HP I series?

That is exactly what AC Schnitzer has done with the newly released 135i, they have increased boost and redesigned an exhaust system to bump up 54 HP and torque to 332 lb-ft. This translates to a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds and a top speed of 186 MPH. This car is no lightweight so having an increase of horsepower is always a great thing to making this machine better.

Along with ECU Tuning, they have also fitted the 135i with a new firm sports suspension. Coupled witha front strut bar, ACS has achieved a balanced sports coupe. The car also benefits with a new front spoiler, side skirts, rear wing, and roof mounted spoiler as well. Th interior will have options of having either carbon fiber or aluminum accents and of course the signature ACS airbag steering wheel.

WHAT DOESN'T SCION DO?

On November 8, 2007 at the Social in Hollywood, Easy 10 Film Series, a group of 10 budding filmmakers showcases short films, indie film screenings and discussions. Oftentimes these screenings last from 8pm-midnight with complimentary Hor d'oeuvres and drinks (only to those who are 21+ of course) This is an ongoing project and will be featured in various cities. Definitely check on http://www.scion.com/easy10/index.html to find out if the screenings are taking place in your backyard.

Here are a list of some of the films that were shown at the Social:

23 Short Films
David Choe and Pete Glover
By manipulating time and space with a variety of cameras, lenses, and editing techniques, David Choe and co-director Pete Glover present 23 slices of experience: the mundane, the extraordinary, the beautiful, the ugly, and the joyous.

Norman
Chris Cruse
Escaping daily life by flying perpetually from city to city, Norman has lost himself to the predictable comforts of the airlines and his fellow passengers. But a chance encounter with one passenger may reroute his fantasy down to the ground and back into real life.

Endless Knot
Blue Davis and Danny Brown
Somewhere in the Himalayan Mountains a sensei releases two monks from a lifetime of mental and physical training. Blue Davis and Danny Brown tell an avant-garde story about the journey of these two Buddhist monks and their divergent but ultimately conflicting paths.

The Pigeon Mumbler
Roger Gastman
Brooklyn native and diehard pigeon handler, Mike Alicea, guides us through the world of Brooklyn pigeon keepers. From Bushwick rooftops to the weekly bull sessions at the Broadway Pigeon and Pet, take a peek at this very real and surprisingly competitive urban pastime.

Notes on a Paper Plane
Nemo Librizzi
Join schoolgirl heroine, Hope Hill, on her first day of her first real, grown-up job selling newspapers in her Harlem neighborhood. Along the way, she encounters a stream of philosophies and advice, all the while wondering whether she wants to grow up at all.

La Voz De Los Silenciados
Monihan Monihan
Based on actual events, La Voz is the story of Olga, a young, deaf-mute woman lured from her small village in Guatemala to the U.S. by the false promises of a supposedly philanthropic sign language school in Brooklyn, New York.

Guardians of Hope
Reza Moosavi
Guardians of Hope documents the humanitarian efforts of Los Angeles social workers as they struggle to aid and advocate for L.A.'s homeless population.

Native New Yorker
Jack Pearley
The story of Brooklyn rapper Day, who is in the midst of an era that glorifies using criminal tactics to escape the ghetto and become a star. Day's conflict between staying true to the streets and turning his back on his past to pursue his love and passion for film leads to a double life.

Castellers
Dennis White
While traveling through the Tarragona region of Spain, you may come across the local curiosity, Els Castellers, or human castles. Castellers documents this unique, centuries old tradition of competitive human castle building.

Correfoc
Dennis White
Join filmmaker Dennis White as he explores the drumming, fireworks, and excited crowds of Correfoc, a modern Spanish festival based on a centuries old tradition in Catalunya, Spain of dancing with fire. Correfoc takes a look at this fascinating celebration, its unique history, and the preparation of some of its fervent participants.

All you gotta do is RSVP on their site. And it's FREE.


- Thai Spyce -

source: http://www.scion.com/easy10/index.html

Ever wonder where your gas money goes???

So you drive up and down, all over town, to find the cheapest gas. I do it, you do it, and unless your daddy gives you a gas card, we're going to do that for a long time.

But check it out, ever wonder what that 3 dollars pay for??? 3 dollars??? $3 if your lucky, and if you have any respectably fast car, your paying more than that right?

Well the other day I was wondering how much of my hard earned dollars makes its way into the pockets of people.

The US Dept. of Energy releases these reports every year and we can find out.



Wow, 64% of my $3 go to crude oil prices. That is a lot of money. And crude oil prices are only rising. They are quickly approaching the highest that gas has ever been, adjusted for inflation and everything! More than the gas prices of the 70's era, where they were rationing gas.

So in a nutshell, we're pretty much screwed. If crude oil prices continue to climb, then gas prices will only follow. I came up with an ideal solution, but was quickly shot down by others for being a dreamer. What if the government lowered the taxes for gas? At 14%, if you halved that, then we could save almost 21 cents a gallon. But hey, when was the last time the government did anything good to help us out???

Anyways, living in California, I guess I got to be kind of blessed, it could be much worse.



That is a gas station in Chicago. Get ready, hold on to the seat of your pants because this may follow everywhere.

So all you supercharged guys out there, least I can control my boost and still get about 25 mpg! HAHAHA

Let there be light!

The Johnster and I just got back from a weekend of good dining in the Bay Area and while we were on the road late at night driving from LA to the San Francisco, I got kind of lost in contemplation as I normally do. When we were driving on that strip of straightness on the 5 freeway and it was pitch dark at 3AM, I just started to think about the vision of the road. There are highway reflectors, sure, but your vision is only limited to the 200 feet or so of your car's headlight power. Trusting the safety of the road 200 feet at a time sounds okay but I'm still not convinced that it's the best we can do to ensure motorist safety for long drives at night. Well, leave it to those smart guys from the UK to provide a resolution for this problem and increase the visibility of the road for the potentially dangerous drives at night.

Astucia, a company that specializes in traffic safety systems, has introduced their SolarLite flush road stud. The studs are more convenient than reflectors because they are powered by small solar panels which emits LED light. These lights provide 900 meters of visibility which is 10 times stronger than the traditional reflecting studs...AND without having to rely upon illuminating headlights! Also, reaction time is increased to 30 seconds instead of the average 3.2 seconds of those reflective studs which can only add to the equation of increasing motorist safety at night.

How these studs work is that during the day, the Astucia SolarLite

2008 VW R32 Golf

This little hot rod of a car is being tested with the Passat's 3.6 V-6 Liter Motor. This motor will produce somewhere between 280-300 HP rather than the former 247 HP from the 3.2 Liter. I guess it seems the German's want more power? They expect for the car to make the 0-60 in just under 6.0 seconds, and at least a top speed 155 MPH.

Due to the larger engine, revisions are being made to the braking, cooling, and suspension of the car. They have also once again offered it as a 4-Motion AWD, and will have a manumatic DSG or true 6-Speed Manual.

With the last version R32 it took quite a while for it to be released, but this car will take no longer than a year after the March 2008 Golf GTi release to hit the U.S. Expect a price increase of $2500, which will bump the price tag up to $44000-$45000. Yikes!

So many people are wondering, is it better to get the new Mark V R32 or wait for the burly R36?

HAPPY TURKEY DAY DUDE!

May all of our readers enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving with you and your family! From all of us at TheTunerSource.com



- Thai Spyce -

"That Car On The Wii Commercials"

Wii & Smart
Many of you are probably wondering what is that car-like thing those two Japanese gentlemen are driving in those kitschy Nintendo Wii commercials. Apparently that car their driving is called a "Smart Fortwo Pure" by Smart GmbH, which is a subsidiary of Daimler AG and is classified as a microcar/supermini. And coming this January one can purchase a Smart Fortwo on the U.S. automotive market. The car ranges in price from $11,590 for the base model to $16,590 for the fully loaded Fortwo Passion Convertible. The car weighs in at about 1,800 pounds and boasts 40 miles per gallon. More specs are posted near the bottom of this article.


Apparently more than 30,000 U.S. consumers have put down a refundable $99 deposit to reserve a Smart car. Take note that the deposit does not guarantee the consumer will get the vehicle. But I can tell you this much; it's probably a lot easier to get one of these guys than it is to get a new, in-box Nintendo Wii. Anyways, Smart GmbH has already sold more than 770,000 cars in about 36 countries, and is currently leasing a rechargeable electric version in the United Kingdom. Smart USA is crossing their fingers in hopes of Donkey Kong sized sales in the United States.


Problems and or issues at hand are storage space and safety. The Smart Fortwo Pure is forty inches smaller than the current Mini Cooper, is definitely just a two-seater and only yields a storage capacity of eight cubic feet. To address safety the Fortwo has a steel safety cage and four air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road. With the safety precautions Smart USA hopes to get four out of five stars on U.S. crash tests and recently got four stars on an equivalent European test. Expect the U.S. crash test results soon after the Smart car arrives on the U.S. automotive market.


Specs:

Engine / drivetrain
*1.0 L, 71 HP, 3 cylinder engine
*5 speed automated manual transmission

Wheels / tires
*Steel wheels with front tires: 155/60 R15; rear tires 175/55 R15
*Tire pressure control system

Exterior
*Solid roof
*Projector beam halogen headlights
*Side indicators in yellow
*Exterior mirror cap in tridion color

Audio
*Provision for radio installation (incl. antenna, 2 speakers, aux input jack for mp3 device)

Safety
*Full-size driver and passenger airbags
*Head/Neck side airbags
*esp - electronic stability program with hill start assist
*Anti-lock braking system (abs) with electronic brake force distribution
*Hydraulic dual-circuit brake system
*Integral safety seats
*Seat belts with belt tensioner and belt-force limiter
*Drive lock - auto-activation of the central locking when driving
*Top Tether for child restraint system
*Panic button on key
*Tire repair kit

Factory installed options:
*Air conditioning with automatic temperature control (incl. dust, pollen filter) $600
*Metallic paint (metallic red, metallic blue, metallic silver) $225
*Silver metallic tridion safety cell $175
*Alarm system $160
*Panorama roof (sun screen included) $350
*Power steering $450
*Heated seats $220
*smart radio (AM/FM, single CD; incl. 2 speakers, aux input jack for mp3 device [radio 9]) $350
*smart premium radio (AM/FM, mp3-compatible 6 disc CD changer; incl. 2 speakers, aux input jack for mp3 device [radio 10]) $495

Linkageness:
The Car: www.smartusa.com
Daimler AG: www.daimler.com
Nintendo: www.nintendo.com

"Have A Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll"


~Ronski

P.S.
If any of our readers has a NEW-IN-BOX Wii for sale; hit me up on the comments...Thanks.

Adventures of Mister Philthy and the Johnster

So thanks to our friend at fakeRICH, we gained access to the LA Auto Show! On a date dedicated to press agents, like us, we had the entire LA Convention Center to ourselves. The Johnster and I had free reign throughout the show, without the hassles of the line and other miscellaneous obstacles. On the flip side, this day gave us such benefits as, free booze, all the cheese we could eat, and enough fruit to satiate the fattest mouths.

Again we like to thank our boy at fakeRICH, Mr. Dirty Mike! Check out there blog, its full of fun little tidbits that everyone loves! http://www.fakeRICH.com

So we started our day hanging out with our buddy Arnold, he didn't say any of the lines we asked him to, but he did talk about his Hummers a lot.


After a quick walk, we made our way to the Ferrari booth and enjoyed an espresso and some croissants. Afterwards, we dropped our jaw at the best looking ass we saw all day.


Then we saw the best set of headlights, pure sex.


We spent way too much time at the Ferrari booth, but we couldn't help it. The Johnster loved these watches so much that he needed me to take a picture "with" them.


Tajima! Pikes Peak! Champion! DAMN!


Aston Martin!? DBS! The Johnster and I touched ourselves a bit when we saw this beautiful machine.


$1.4 MILLION! Well worth it.


You know we can't obey rules, even when its the carbon fiber side skirts on a Lotus Exige.


An amazing feat of engineering. True luxury and style! Forget the limo, forget the Hummer, this is where the party starts and ends.
Look at how long it is!


And finally, the worst of show! No comment!


More pics to come!

Going once, going twice...

My friend just recently bought a Mercedes Benz CLS500 for an absurdly low price (which I'll keep undisclosed). Of course, I prodded him as to how he got such a deal. He bought the car at an auction.

So naturally, your first question is about how these auctions work. The process of buying your vehicle at an auction definitely adds different elements as compared to making the rounds at your local dealerships. Firstly, there's the thrill of the unknown; you might have an idea of what you want but you're limited to what the auction is selling and sometimes the deal is too good to resist. Then, there's the element of competing against your fellow auction-goers. If you're not too neurotic, you can sometimes leave a bidding war with the upper-hand and a great deal.

There are different kinds of auctions that have different rules, regulations, and offers and before you think about bidding, read what I came across and keep your bidding mannerisms to yourself before the auctioneer misreads your cues.

1. Classic and luxury car auctions

This niche of car enthusiasm really draws the heavyhitters to the auctions. Because of the desirability, quality, and rareness of these cars, they usually sell for a higher market value whereas other auctions usually go below market value. Since the value of the car is most important, many potential bidders/buyers pay close attention to more than the aesthetics and mechanics. So, if you were thinking about bidding on a classic car, make sure to check the paperwork with maintenance records and original dealer invoices to ensure its value. Also keep in mind that although these classic and luxury car auctions are open to the public, serious bidders are required to pay a registration fee and in some cases, some kind of proof of finances.

2. Government auctions

Government auctions offer buyers a chance to buy cars with unique histories. Open to the public with free registration, the two types of vehicles available at these auctions are 1) property that has been seized by the government and 2) vehicles used by government services, including police cars. However, be especially tentative before considering bidding on one of these cars because their conditions are stereotypically not that good. The vehicles come as is and for the most part, the stress that the vehicles have gone through throughout their lifespan is indicative of its service.

3. Online auction

This is the most efficient way to bid on a car. Since it's the internet age, many consumers like the luxury of buying their cars from the comfort of their home. There are many online car classified sites but none stronger than the Motors subsidiary of eBay. Probably the biggest grumble to buying cars online is that there are so many available and you must peruse and weed through them all to seek for the best cars for the best deals. Bidding is free and the buyer doesn't accrue any costs or commissions. However, a huge problem with online car classifieds is that sellers tend to misrepresent their cars. To save yourself the pain, make sure you have a thorough run-through of the car before considering buying it.

4. Estate auction

You can think of estate auctions as fancy garage sales put on by auction companies as a way to settle assets in the case of a death or financial hardships. The true value of these auction is finding the gem...and for a great price.

So, the next time you decide you want to go to an auction to buy a car, make sure you stay an intelligent consumer. The exciting nature of these auctions usually causes you to use your gut to do your bidding which tends to lead to buyers with a bad taste in their mouths due to overpaying or not getting what they bargained for. So show up early, thoroughly inspect the vehicles that interest you, make sure you know the market value of the car, and also take into account the cost of potential repairs and maintenance and taxes that will have to be spent on the car. Other than that, have a happy time bidding and good luck!

-Rack of Lam

Mean, Lean, 3 Cylinder Machine - 1987-1994 Subaru Justy

My strange love for the Subaru Justy started at the eerie and dreaded place for used automobiles, the junkyard. My quest for more parts my project car would drive me to walking through every row of used import vehicles to find an extra clock bezel or some other obscure maroon interior piece. Every once in a while I would see a small compact Subaru, but would always glance over it. I didn't think this car had any value to even a car fanatic like me. One day I dropped my wrench, and it fell right underneath the rear of a Subaru Justy. No big deal I thought, so I bent down to find my wrench and was amazed to see that this car had a rear differential. I was puzzled, amazed, and very confused. I knew that Subaru's heritage comes from having all wheel drive cars, but I did not know that it extended to even its budget subcompact vehicles.

In the states the Subaru Just came with a 1.0liter engine and later a fuel injected 1.2liter engine that developed 73 horsepower and 71 ft-lb of torque at 2800 RPM. If it had 4 cylinders it would have developed 97 horsepower and 88 ft-lb of torque. I think the amazing part of this engine is that it produces full torque at a low 2800 RPM.

The car came as either a manual or automatic CVT transmission, which was utilized to make the most out of the small engine size. It was the first electronic continuously variable transmission of its kind, and was initialized by a little red button.

The 4WD can be engaged at speeds over 20MPH, which would be really useful for ditching the cops on the road, for some subcompact off road action. WEEEEEEE!!!



Our Hungarian friend Vlad has sent in a picture of his interpretation of what a Subaru Justy STi model would look like. Brilliant!


Look at these guys shorts! This Subaru Justy was a destroked 1.2Liter to 1000cc and was able to produce 99 horsepower. This was from a higher compression, JDM crank, JDM rods, custom pistons, reworked head, and a different carburetor setup. They also decided to get rid of the 4WD and convert this car to a RWD setup. The result was a land speed record of 123MPH in the 1000cc class and kept it for 18 years.

Johnster

INSURANCE FOR YOUR PETS!

State Farm & Allstate insurance better get up on their game. Progressive Insurance NOW insures your pets! That's right, now you can insure your little Lassie and be worried free about him/her getting hurt in a car accident because your pet will be covered! There is no additional cost and there is a $500 compensation for if your pet were to get hurt or die in a car accident. What a deal! Every state is covered by this new plan except for North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York and Virginia, but the company hopes to offer it in those states soon.

In my opinion, this is an awesome marketing tactic! With pet sales reaching 40 billion annually, it makes perfect sense for Progressive to offer this benefit program. Pet owners always drive their pets to their veterinarians, dog parks/beaches, to other homes, etc. why not be insured while doing these things? A little perk like this will definitely, differentiate Progressive from the other car insurance companies. Who knows what they are going to come up with next!

For more information check out http://auto.progressive.com/progressive-car-insurance/pet-injury-coverage.aspx or you can call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE.

Here are some cute pictures of pets in cars. Enjoy!










_THAI_SPYCE_

"The Car With A Pinchable Exterior"

I know you

Quicky on Ignition Timing

Ignition timing? What is it?

Well in short, its setting the point that the spark actually fires.
When the piston is at its highest compression point, it seems like that would be the ideal spark point, right?

Well thats not always true.

There are many factors that can influence the point of ignition. Goals, such as fuel economy, engine longevity, or most important, power, can play a huge factor.

Advancing timing, refers to how many degrees during the compression stroke the spark will ignite.
Retarding timing, refers to how many degrees after the maximum power point the spark will ignite.

Well advancing timing would obviously yield more power, but sometimes can bring disastrous results. If timing is advanced too much, the ignition of the spark can cause detonation, or knock. Only with proper tuning, a wide band O2 sensor, and a dyno, can one achieve the optimal point of ignition. In this tuning process, one would want to set the ignition point, as advanced as possible, without creating detonation.

There are many ways to control timing, there are timing gears, computer piggybacks, complete ECU changes, and in older cars, position of the distributor.


Here is an adjustable timing gear, notice the points of adjustment on the gear itself.


Here is an emanage ultimate, which piggybacks with your current ECU in order to advance or retard timing.


And here is a full stand alone, AEM EMS system that replaces your ECU in order to advance or retard timing, and many other treats.

Well thats the skinny on timing, tuning in next week, same philthy time, same philthy day.

Mister Philthy

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleonnnnnn....

The idea of temporary paint jobs for your car has been around for a while but lets face it, it's a hassle. Paint company Akzo Nobel came out with their Maskin paint that was paint on-peel off. Their target market was for the average creative consumer but also for advertisement companies who wanted to use that vehicle (no pun intended) of advertisement of putting different signs and whatnot on cars.

Nissan just recently came out with a more hassle-free way to change the color of your car. Using the advent of self-healing paint from two years ago, the word is that their paramagnetic paint enables the driver to change the color of the car at the press of a button. The secret? A "special polymer containing paramagnetic iron oxide particles" which when you put on the car, the "applied electric current then adjusts the spacing of small crystals within the iron oxide particles, and therefore affects their ability to reflect light and change color." In lay terms, the microscopic particles of the paint allows a shift of light to reflect off the paint surface and change colors.

All this is really a great evolution from the brick-and-mortar approach to changing a car's paint job, which is altogether a hassle and expensive. Now, all you need is some polymer coating and the paint job of your car won't be as much of an issue.





-Rack of Lam

Grandfather of the Dodge SRT-4...Dodge Omni GLH Turbo

So here he is, the grandfather of the street drag sport compact car the Dodge SRT-4. Dodge only produced these rare cars from 1985-1986. They partnered up with famous Mopar Tuner, Carroll Shelby to make this light car properly powered by a 2.2 Liter turbo engine, used in much heavier cars like the Dodge Charger Shelby and Chrysler New Yorker. In terms of "hot rod" standards, this is exactly what was done back then, a powerful engine in a light chassis.

This engine in stock form produced 146 hp and 168 ft-lb of torque. That is some major torque for such a little car. Standard equipment was a Garrett T03 turbo and some had computer controlled waste-gates. Later versions of this motor had Mitsubishi TE04H turbos, redesgined intake manifold, and increased displacement to 2.5 Liter. Stock these cars had a 15.8 quarter mile time, so they were plenty fast, but there are some insane tuners that take these cars to the max. Lets take a look!



This motor is in a Dodge Shadow produces 498 horsepower and runs a 10.6 at 131 MPH. Pretty insanely fast actually.






Here is a Dodge Omni that runs a 11.3 at 118 MPH. Pretty fun car I would say!



A black beauty of a car that runs 10.9 at 128 MPH !

SCION LIVE METRO TOUR

Why is Scion such a freaking cool company? I'll tell you why, because they make dependable, affordable vehicles. Not only that the marketing executives love to party. And what does Thai Spyce like to do on a daily basis? PARTY!!!

Every month you can visit, http://www.scion.com/livemetro/ to find out if Scion is coming to a town near you and catch a show for FREE. Yes that's right. You get to party for free. All you have to do is RSVP and show up. It's that easy.

For the month of November, the parties have not yet been posted up yet but definitely make it a point to check up on the site and see if someone special is going to perform in your town.

Here's a look at some flyers for some parties that Scion threw recently:















_ Thai Spyce _