These Wheels, to that pavement

No doubt we have all hit “speed bumps” in our lives. These bumps come in many forms ranging from physical manifestations to mental or even emotional hurtles that stop us in our tracks and cause us to take a pit stop on the race track that we are speeding down. No matter how grueling or grinding these situations can be on the cogs of our lives, we must always regain focus and determination to improve and move forward. The best way of achieving this, and turning a speed bump into a boost in speed is to create tangible entities of your motivation, and use physical reminders of what drives you.

Decision analysts will always choose the most basic form of all decision making options. What this means is that we must take all the clouded, uncertainties and eliminate all possible decisions to the most direct and simple paths. The car enthusiast world is no exception to such theories, especially since many of these hopes and dreams involve large portions of time and money. The idea is to eliminate all possible distractions and focus on three qualities. By consistently honing in on these qualities on a daily basis, you can quickly retain focus and get the tread of your tires back on the race-track.

How can a car enthusiast create tangible motivation? By focusing on three qualities: Determination, Integrity and Decision.

If that isn't a call for Determination, I don't know What is...

Determination is that brand new Porsche GT3 RS, or Ferrari you lust for. Determination is a new intercooler or suspension kit that will eliminate 2 seconds off your track time and earn you more respect and pride within your community. Determination is finding that physical entity that is within your grasp, but will take effort, time, sweat and blood. Nothing that is worthwhile is free, and that is the first realization about generating Determination. Again, the essential feature of this quality in getting back on track with motivation is to establish a solid, real, palpable feature of that motivation.

Integrity is the understanding and acceptance of absorbing all effects related to Motivation as it is channeled through Determination. A wise, commonly quoted idiom states, “with great power comes great responsibility”. In parallel fashion to this idiom comes the cause and effect relationship between Motivation and the sweat and tears that can come from the results we seek. Our Idiom thus becomes, “with great Motivation comes great Determination and Integrity”. Motivation’s requirement of integrity is to act as a reminder about the challenges ahead, and to accept them no matter how winding the road may get, no matter how much our breaks will heat up and our paint will tear, wining first place is all that matters.

Finally Decision is the last quality in the hierarchy of what must be encompassed in Motivation. That GT3 RS will never live in that 2 car garage of yours if you don’t decide to risk your time to strive for it. This decision must permeate and resonate in all aspects of your life. That end goal must never be devoured by the darkness or the temptation to off-road in the middle of the race, after all, this is a F1 competition, not an Autocross rally. Once Determination and Integrity are established, Decision becomes a day-by-day venture, to start small and work your way up to the prize. Lance Armstrong didn’t wake up the day of his first Tour De France and decide to win without preparing and deciding to practice, or apply determination and integrity to all his prior steps leading up to his victory.

Motivation is an interesting concept, one that is mental and theoretical in nature, but in order to be effective, it must be materialized and consumed (Think gasoline in the engine of our lives). Dreams and ambitions are not impossible or out of reach, if this were the case, they wouldn’t produce a couple hundred GT3’s each production cycle, would they?

P.s. I heard one of those BadBoys are for you!

How many flavors does Motivation come in?

It’s been 17 years since McLaren released the iconic F1 to the world and they’ve got themselves a new car. It’s probably good that McLaren took their time producing a follow up to the legendary F1 since it still is, after all of this time, a car that is hard for anyone to beat in terms of performance. The McLaren F1 included construction technologies only seen in race cars at the time. And along with the custom-built BMW 6.1 liter V-12, the car produces 627hp and due to its very light weight, has a power-to-weight ratio of 3.6 lbs per horsepower. Compare that to the Bugatti Veyron (4.1 lbs/hp) and the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS (4.9 lbs/hp) and I think you get the point. On top of all of this the McLaren F1 didn’t look like anything else on the road.

McLaren’s new car however, looks VERY familiar to me which is why I’ve dubbed it as the McLaren Ferrarborghini S7. If you didn’t pick it up from the name (or the images below), I’m referencing the Ferrari 360/F430, Lamborghini Gallardo and Saleen S7. In my opinion, McLaren spent the last few years on developing the technology of the car and the final couple days figuring out what it should look like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad looking car in any way. It’s a great looking car. But, I think that the McLaren designers took on the same mentality that the Porsche 911 designers have. Spend very little time designing something new and interesting and spend a lot of time at the pub.

Now let’s look at some side-by-side photos to illustrate my point (hopefully). First let’s look at the front.

Looks a lot like a Ferrari to me.

Now the side.

Gallardo anyone? Also, the multiple side inlets are S7 like no?

The rear.

This is the most unique, but I’m definitely seeing some Testarossa and S7 influences here with the grated rear grille. Although, I guess the McLaren F1 had this going on as well.

I guess if I’m paying a couple hundred grand for a car, I’d kinda like it to be immediately recognizable. Forget all the amazing technology going into this car like the low emission engine, the 2,800 lb curb weight, the F1 inspired brake steer, the 7-speed seamless shift transmission, etc, etc, etc… I’m sure this car will be a performer. It just doesn’t excite me as much as the McLaren F1 did in appearance. If I had a shit-ton of money would I buy one as an addition to my collection, yes. Would I grab the Ferrari F430 keys and jump into the McLaren on accident, possibly (probably not but you get the point).

The last thing (ending rant I promise). The name MP4-12C is ridiculous! Who is going to remember that? Lynne Arciero, McLaren marketing and communications manager for North America was recently quoted saying that McLaren’s challenge in North America is that people who don’t follow Formula 1 racing won’t know the brand. Well, McLaren certainly choose a memorable name in the MP4-12C. Just rolls of the tongue doesn’t it?

That’s why I am dubbing the car as the McLaren Ferrar-Borghini S7.

Two years ago when I was car shopping, I narrowed my search to a few hatchbacks. I liked the sporty look with the functionality of a ton of trunk space. The two cars that were competing for my hard earned dollars were the Mazdaspeed3 and the GTI. After a ton of research and road tests I decided on the GTI. Magazines like Motor Trend and Car & Driver have given the GTI the nod over the past few years. The MazdaSpeed is by no means a slouch with an even faster 0-60 than the GTI. Its no secret that the MazdaSpeed is quicker. Still, the GTI continues to embody the ideal form of a “Hot Hatch.” It has a reserved, but attractive exterior with a refined and upscaled interior. It’s firm suspension provides enough give to keep your passengers from hearing their brains rattle in their skull, while also keeping you confident winding through a mountain pass. Basically, the GTI is good at it all and thus it is the gold standard in the “Hot Hatch” segment.

Today while reading through Motor Trend’s November issue, I was delighted to see that the competition is not at rest. Now I’ve seen the new Mazda3 around town and I’m just not a fan of the new nose design. The whole goofy smile thing just doesn’t appeal to me, but lets look beyond that for now. Like the GTI, the latest MazdaSpeed3 did not improve upon it’s power package which isn’t a bad thing. It’s still pushing 263hp which was plenty when the last gen came out, and still is. 0-60 in 5.6 secs is hardly something to complain about. So for those of you looking for the speed king, the MazdaSpeed3 is likely the car for you. That is perhaps only the case if you aren’t a tuner. The GTI has been known to benefit more from aftermarket tuning than the Mazdaspeed 3, specifically ECU upgrades.

Next week I’ll dig in more on these 2 rivals and what they have to offer. Car and Driver seems to be fueling the fire of this debate by including both the GTI and the Mazdaspeed 3 on their “Top 10 Best Cars” list of the year. The good news for the undecided new car buyers out there is that either car will likely make them pretty happy.

Many people ask “How can I improve my handling without breaking the bank?”. There are many ways to improve your handling and if you are a car enthuisat who enjoys taking those turns hard, fear not this will be a quick guide as to how you can take your favorite turns with your foot off the brake. I will break this segment into two parts making a little easier to follow along.

A modification that you can purchase to significantly improve your handling will be changing out old rubber. Tires are such a vital part of our cars yet there are some people that do not see their value and purchase the cheapest tire their can find. They don’t make a cool sound or deliver power, but tires are where the power hits the road. Choosing the right tires for you requires endless amount of time of research to pick the correct tire that you looking for to suit your purposes. Using tire websites like tirerack will help with your search to finding the correct tire you wish to match your needs. For example if you live in a place that has snow in the Fall and Winter time you might want to get All Season tires, but if you live in a place that is constantly dry, like sunny California, then Summer tires are the way to go.

There are typically 4 factors that must be considered while selecting your tires:

1. Handling
   For you performance junkies out there, this might actually be the only factor you care about. Determining how a tire will grip the road under dry conditions is actually fairly straight forward. You want a soft tire with as much of the rubber contacting the pavement as possible. This will decrease performance in wet conditions, but who cares right? Summer tires are what you want.
2. Location/Weather
   For many of us this can’t be ignored. If you live in a place that gets pretty rough winters or lots of rain, and you’ve only got your one car to get you around town, then you will need some tires that can handle multiple conditions. A set of all season tires will fit the bill in this area. They won’t perform as highly in dry weather as summer tires, but at least you won’t find yourself wrapped around a tree during the winter. As expected, all season tires suffer from “Jack of all trades, master of none” syndrome. They perform fairly well in all conditions, but not exceptional in any.
3. Tread Life/Durability
   Since this article is headed “Cheap Modding” I can’t ignore the price of replacing tires. If you pick a tire composed of a very soft compound, you’ll notice improved performance, but you will also be going through tires at a much faster rate. Needless to say, this can get expensive. Fear not, as tires have a tread wear rating that will give you some insight as to how long they’ll last.
4. Road Noise
   In terms of tire decision making factors, this is the red-headed stepchild. Believe it or not, all of that noise in the cabin of your car is not just the wind hitting the car or the Civic driver next to you with a 5 inch diameter exhaust tip. Much of the noise you hear is your tires hitting the pavement, and this can vary greatly. Some people are more sensitive to this than others, therefore it should not be ignored.

Recommendations
For the price it’s tough to beat the Falken 452. It’s a tire that has passed the test of time. For under 100 bucks a piece, the Falkens continue to deliver excellent value. For more details head on over to my Falken 452 review. Warren reviewed the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08s which are by no means a cheap alternative with a price of 2-3 times that of the 452s depending on where you buy them. However, if you want to get maximum grip without throwing on some race tires, these Yoks will get all that torque down to the ground without so much as a chirp. Below is a list of our tire reviews to date. Happy hunting.

Falken FK-452 Review
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 Review
Sumitomo HTR Z III Performance Tires Review

The crazy engineers at Ariel are at it again and this time they’ve created something that blows the Atom V3 out of the water. They put in a supercharged V8 and called it the Atom 500.
You can guess what the 500 represents! This 2.4 litre V8 engine is producing around 500 BHP and Ariel still kept true to their awesome light weight chassis, allowing the Atom 500 to still weigh less than 2,000 lbs giving it a 4lb/hp power to weight ratio. If the Atom V3 can do 0-60 MPH in the low 3 seconds mark and 0-100 MPH in the low 7′s can you imagine the lap times you would be able to reach with the Atom 500? The Atom 500 is on a mission to be the ultimate track car.

The Car Overload blog was launched to provide car enthusiasts with information on cars, parts, and everything in between. Our main focus is on performance – car parts for performance mods, interviews with industry rockstars, photos and videos from events, latest concept cars, drag racing, drifting, and more!

We also created a calendar of nationwide events and are looking for you to help us out by submitting local meetups that we may not have heard about yet. We want to help you connect with other enthusiasts – both online and off.

Enjoy the site!

Sincerely,
Warren Colbert