automotive FAIL

i've seen coupe-types turned into convertibles, but never the reverse. wtf were you thinking, woman?

not a Lotus!

from down the street, i had misidentified this Tesla as the chrome orange Lotus Elise i would love to have. good looking car!

is it possible to draw real-world conclusions from playing GT5?

i recently picked up Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for PS3, which is a great bit of fun. lovely graphics, good gameplay, boatloads of depth and addictive -- what's not to like? you race, you get money, you buy new cars for your garage. and then race those (complete car list here).

you can pit your mini cooper against other hot hatches, like the Ford Focus ST, or you can be a dick and race your Ferrari against them.

i like that the cars are pretty distinct, though given my lack of real-world experience, i can't say how close of an analogue they are.

still, i'm happy to pretend that these are valid impressions and will state some.

Biggest disappointment: the 4WD Audi TT Coupe. it's just too underpowered. That's followed closely by the Alfa Romeo Brera 4WD. Really sluggish in the low gears for a 6 cylinder.

Biggest surprise: the Fords! i'm not at all surprised that the Ford ST does well (i get better times in it than i do in the Mini Cooper S). The Mustang doesn't suck! My times in it are similar to those I get with the 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. And I must say I like the Ford GT a lot. It's ridiculously over-powered, and I initially thought it didn't corner well. Then I realized I was taking those corners > 100 mph, much faster than I had tried previously.

The GT compares favorably to the Ferrari F430. Not in every way, but the Ferrari is a good bit twitchier. Also, the Audi R8 makes up for the TT, my times in it are nearly as fast as the GT and F430.

Other nice surprises are the Renault Clio Sport V6 and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. I get consistently better times in the Lancer vs the Impreza, the latter feeling a little too heavy and weak in the low gears.

other impressions: the BMW M3 is heavy but handles well for its weight. The Lotus Elise 111R is one of my favorites -- tough but rewarding. The Honda Integra is fast and undramatic. And the 2001 VW GTI is slow, predictable and boring.

regarding my original question, after playing this game, is it fair to say i'm no longer interested in the Audi TT?

winter-friendly accessory

i just had installed a TDI FrostHeater -- a 1000w electric heater/pump that circulates the coolant. this morning was my first start after a cold-ish (mid-30's) night. instant heat! no blue engine temp light!

the coolant was already 175 degrees F, the oil about 125. i'm very curious to see how well it does when it's 20 below.

miata: hardtop or softtop?

which would YOU get?

studebaker!

saw this in Des Plaines last week. i love the side mirrors.

first detailing ever

maybe i should get my cars detailed more often. it did turn out pretty nice, and they even did some touch-up paint for me.

btw, i opted out of the "engine steam clean," though i'd like to hear opinions on how effective/safe it is.

the gti has arrive-ed!

... and now belongs to a very happy gf.

it was prepped with the 18" wheels, which we had previously negotiated away for a nice savings. so they had to swap on some 17" ones, which took ages. but imho the 17" ones both look and ride better.

it's a really good looking car, i think. and maybe i'm just a little bit jealous.

lifted, better photo

lifted!

Koni was having a sale on their shocks recently, so I grabbed a set of the oranges (aka STR.T) and had them installed. and i got lifted! i wasn't expecting that. it's a little hard to make out in the photo, but i'm some 1-2" higher.

so far, so good. handling seems better, ride is definitely improved, even though the (run of the mill) shocks i replaced were only a year old.

gf is buying the GTI!

the 2009 GTIs are in really short supply. gf wanted 4-doors with the manual, and in the 7-state search region there were exactly three left. And one of those got sold while we were at the dealership doing the search!

So there is now one being trucked all the way from PA; should arrive near the end of the week. Despite the shortage, she still managed to get it some $1200 under invoice, then got an additional $700 credit for the 18" wheels (they're putting on 17").

VW is offering 0% financing, so she's taking that for a whopping 66 months -- I have to think the dealership is getting a nice chunk of change for setting up the financing, and they'll make some money back on the service. Still...

the VW GTI is fantastic

gf and i went VW test-driving this evening. i do not like the DSG transmission, even with the sport mode (see below) and flappy paddles. the Rabbit is fun. the R32 is absurd, and even more so when i see how much VW has missed the boat on it.

and the GTI is fantastic.

fantastic with the 6-speed manual, anyway. kind of forgettable with the DSG. I'm more impressed with it as a technical marvel than I am driving it. i rather hate it, actually.

and VW sent only DSG-laden R32's to the states. give the RS32 the manual, take away its ridiculous ricer exhaust noise, and you'd have a friggin' fantastic car! as it stands, it's absurd. a little sluggish, shockingly, until you put the DSG in S mode, but then even the lightest feathering of the pedal makes me look around, wondering where the nitrous-infused Si is...

but the GTI, oh yes. "only" 200 hp? Keep the revs right, and I don't think you'll ever want more. the shifter was not nearly as forgiving as the Rabbit's, but I like it. steering and braking were both exceptional. Cornering was adequate, but pretty impressive considering how good the ride was, even on 18" wheels! (I'll take the standard 17" wheels, thank you)

Nice interior, which is refreshing after the mini cooper disaster. If I hadn't just spent all that money on my bug, i'd be very tempted.

Mileage is rubbish, though, so maybe I don't feel so bad.

the vehicle pictured is a 2008 RS32, never titled, with under 7k miles on it. a very pretty car. even the gf, who wants 4 doors, a manual, and hates the exhaust noise, admits she'd still like it. boy did VW miss the boat there.

turbo update

the new turbo is in and i'm delighted to report that 1) my max boost is back to a normal 22 psi, and 2) my EGTs (exhaust gas temps) seemed to have declined as well.

with the new turbo, i have a little less power in the lower RPMs (bigger turbo needs a little more time to spool up, I'm guessing) but more power in the higher RPMs. I'm looking at a couple airflow improvements, and then I may head out to a tuning party in Michigan in a couple weeks to get re-tuned for the new hardware.

the new turbo is louder, too. Under heavy boost, I can hear a shrieking noise (sounds like the air being let out of a squeezed balloon neck), which I suspect is a boost leak somewhere. Will have to get that checked out.

full-service auto repair

i found this note pinned to the wall of my local diesel mechanic, among all the other letters and postcards they have pinned there.

cool old Scirocco

i saw this next door to where i take my car sometimes. damn is it in nice shape. Not sure what year... '84 perhaps?

i sense the impending death of my turbo

despite two cleanings, my overboost problem has not subsided. i'm also experiencing too-high EGT temps, i reckon as a result of the overboost.

last night, in addition to the overboosting, suddenly i was getting inconsistent boost. i would push the pedal, the car would move forward a little sluggishly, then BAM it would suddenly find its boost and jump forward.

i may have also detected some additional whining from the engine area, but i'm not certain.

so i shall take one more chance, and drive it the 30-some miles to my new mechanic, who will install for me a brand-new turbo. one that's bigger, can handle higher boost than the stock one, and has a larger exhaust side for running cooler EGTs. it should still work well with my tune, though i'm aware i won't be taking full advantage of its power capabilities. that's okay, i want my car to run and run within safe parameters.

it's a Garrett VNT-17/22 hybrid turbo, for those keeping track at home. it can handle 26 psi boost sustained, versus the 19 psi spike of the original.

can't wait!

new beetle meets scirocco?

i just came across this photo of a prototype of a possible future NB. i do think the NB shape is pretty darn tired and that VW should have killed it off a couple years ago. but i do like this new shape, even if i am unconvinced about Scirocco 3. then again, i was unconvinced about Scirocco 2, as the original Scirocco shape is fantastic, i think.

i saw my first Ariel Atom

was heading out to Michigan this weekend, and on the Boorman near Chesteron, I saw a string of fast cars heading west. one was a Lambo, followed soon after by a black Atom.

it went by quickly (naturally), and it was a lot bigger than i expected. black was a pretty cool color for it, as well. gf gave me permission to buy one, after verifying it had 2 seats.

mini cooper S is pants

bits of it, anyway.

gf took one for a test drive the other night, and naturally loved the way it drove. however, we were both a bit dismayed with how cheap and plastic-y the interior was, along with the somewhat bizarre design for the controls. many functions were activated via toggle switches, separated by metallic loops. inappropriate and unnecessary, and it made me feel old. am i not in this car's target demographic?

but the most disappointing thing i didn't discover until i got home and did a little research. the S no longer has a supercharger; they've outfitted it with a turbo now. and placed the intercooler towards the front of the engine. no great surprise there, but: that means the hood scoop is now purely decorative.

i call shenanigans on the fake hood scoop. and i'm actually kind of surprised how much it being fake disappoints me.

the gauges

here's a pretty decent shot of the gauges i put in my car. and of the business complex where i work. i think these used to be apartment buildings, but now it's a business park. neatly tucked against I-294 (not pictured), providing a constant 50-80 dB "background" sound with the windows open.