We’re Giving Away A Book
If you love cars, than you probably love Speedhunters.com. Amazing photos of cars from all over the world, taken by some of the best automotive photographers in the industry.
The book #MAXIMUMATTACK is the second limited edition art book from Speedhunters, and it’s dedicated to the images that best exemplify the term “maximum attack” taken since the inception of Speedhunters. The 160 page book comes in a protective sleeve, features the work of numerous photographers, and is limited production. Once these books sell out, they’re gone.
If you’d like a copy for yourself, you can try and buy one at the Speedhunters.com store here, or you can enter for a chance to win the book below.
Win #MAXIMUMATTACK, A Limited Edition Book From Speedhunters
Last but not least, please understand that we’re not trying to collect email addresses here – we’re just trying to get more fans on Facebook.
Thanks!
A Guide to Modern Italian Sports Cars
If you find yourself wondering about the history of Italian supercar manufacturers – or just want to learn a little more about your favorite brand – check out the guide below. Read more
Ask ExhaustVideos – Diesel Exhaust System Performance Questions
Erik asked us a lot of great questions on one of the FAQ pages, and I moved his question (and my response) over to the blog because there are a lot of people wondering about these same questions.
Here’s what Erik is wondering about: Read more
Ferrari Leaves Its Mark on a Chinese Wall – Literally
Ferrari is currently doing damage control after a PR stunt brought about a ton of bad publicity. The stunt included a driver doing dontus on top of an ancient wall in the Chinese City of Nanjing to celebrate 20 years of Ferrari in Japan. The problem? The tire marks it left.
Bad news for Ferrari in China. This little stunt damaged a historical site and their reputation in one of the world's largest markets.
Video Proves Auto Racing Is A Physical Sport
So here’s a funny little video for anyone who argues that auto racing isn’t a “physical” sport – check it:
Problem retrieving videos from provider: Not FoundWhat you’re seeing is a professional driver taking someone for a ride in a Jaguar XKR – the Jag that has a 5.0L, 510 hp V8. Please note that the driver – a professional – isn’t wearing any special harness, yet he remains “locked” into his seat. His body isn’t moving or flopping around like the passenger.
Granted, the passenger may be high as hell and suffering from a mild case of shock, but the point here is clear. You need abdominal and upper-body strength to survive a quick lap in a race car. While a Formula or NASCAR or IRL driver may benefit from a variety of harnesses, etc., to keep them stationary, the forces exerted on a race car driver are intense.
NBC’s Allen Bestwick addresses the physical demands of NASCAR in this enlightening op-ed. My favorite tidbit from that article?
The moments [the driver’s] not pushing or pulling against the wheel and working the pedals are brief…the G-forces of the cornering speed are pulling a drivers’ head, torso and legs to the right — the opposite way the rest of him is trying to go. His ribs and shoulders are jamming against his seat and restraints and that’s a feeling like taking a hit from a linebacker every minute for a few hours. In racing schools like the Richard Petty Driving Experience, most people are sweating and have an elevated heart rate after just a few laps of driving…A stock car driver must be able to handle these forces and stresses over three to four hours of competition.
Yahoo Sport’s Glen Kemery talks about the physical demands of IRL racing, saying:
there’s no denying the physical demands of auto racing … the high g-forces, insane speeds in traffic, the absence of power steering that makes driving a race car akin to swimming in molasses. Do that for 500 miles and you’re exhausted
Kemery goes on to quote several IRL drivers who detail their physical fitness routines. Am I saying that racing is as hard as something like football, or basketball? No. Of course not. But it’s not “riding around” either.
Bottom Line: Driving a high-performance car around a race track isn’t like taking a corner kind of fast on the way to your part-time job at the coffee shop, dude. It’s a little more difficult than that, so all you haters can STFU. Thanks! 🙂
Guide to Finding a Good, Reliable Auto Repair Shop
You probably found your family doctor, dentist and favorite restaurant in similar fashion. Why then would you not use the same techniques for finding a reputable auto shop?
It has been said that most people spend more time planning their annual vacation than they do developing a solid life plan. If this is true – and we only tend to spend time and energy on the things we like the most – what do we do when we’re confronted with something simple, like finding a reliable auto repair shop?
First things first. While it might be tough to ask car owners to make the task of finding a trustworthy mechanic “fun and games,” it is still a task that must be done. If you wait until you have no choice about getting a repair completed – because your car will no longer operate – you might have to go with an unsavory character out of necessity.
So, advanced planning is key. Read more
Two New Exhaust Questions Answered This Week
Because of the holidays, we’re not going to post much on the blog this week. However, you should definitely check out two new Common Questions articles we’ve written:
1. How does an exhaust system work?
Both of these articles answer some basic questions and have some information that both beginners and experts will enjoy.
Happy holidays!
Holiday Gift Ideas For Car Nuts
Are you a car nut? Probably. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading a blog about exhaust systems…you’d be reading about world news, politics, what so-and-so did last weekend on Facebook, etc.
Me? I’m too busy pouring over posts and comments on automotive blogs like PickupTrucks.com, Gas 2.0, Green Car Reports, and the Car and Driver Blog (to name a few) to care about all that other stuff.
Therefore, as a self-described car nut, my ideal holiday gift is car related. Here are some cool gift ideas for me or anyone else who enjoys cars and trucks like I do: Read more
HKS Selling Tesla Roadster Spark Plugs?
I follow a lot of performance exhaust companies – including HKS – because I like to try to know about new products ASAP…figure that’s part of my job as the dude behind ExhaustVideos.com. As a result, I noticed that the HKS website now lists “Tesla” as an auto manufacturer that they support…which brings me to two points:
- HKS is selling spark plugs for Tesla Roadsters…obviously a mistake (see below)
- What performance parts will be available for electric cars?
First, Here’s the Dirt on the HKS Mistake
If you go to the HKS website and look for 2008 Tesla Roadster parts, you’ll find there’s only one part listed – M-Series Super Fire Racing Spark Plugs. The irony here is pretty hilarious – spark plugs for an electric car? Kind of like offering a glass of water to someone who is drowning. Read more
ExhaustVideos.com Is Live!
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a great project. It’s my hope that ExhaustVideos.com becomes THE destination for anyone considering an after-market exhaust system for their car, truck, or SUV.
While we’re just getting started building this site, I want everyone to know that we’re trying to build a website that will become a RESOURCE. If anyone has a question, we want to try and provide the answer.
Keep checking back – we’re going to begin adding a lot of videos very soon, not to mention fixing the look of the site, adding some good advice and articles, and finding some advertisers to help us sponsor this thing :-).
Thanks for visiting.
Jason Lancaster
Founder of TundraHeadquarters.com
