Andrew
Australia
As always, it depends how much you
want to spend! If the top-end is about to be rebuilt
then, yes, it’s the ideal opportunity to do a bit of port work and machine the
head for a higher CR. Whack on a free-flow exhaust and filter arrangement and
you might have about 10 – 15 percent more power than stock. A carby and cam
upgrade would be next on the ‘to do’ list.
Hard Copy?
I was wondering if 'the guru' Julian Edgar is going to release the next
instalment of his 21st Century Performance book?
I would love to subscribe to a hard copy version of these AutoSpeed articles,
but I get sore eyes after prolonged reading on computers, so this online
magazine is sadly not for me.
Love your work – I want more in hard print!
Dean Marzolla
Australia
There are no immediate plans for
another version of 21st Century Performance. To avoid prolonged
reading on the computer, you can pick the articles you’re most interested in and
click on ‘Print Article’ for a hard copy.
Prius Prob
I’m having a problem with the steering on my ‘04 Toyota Prius - the steering
wheel won't return to neutral. The
Toyota regional rep witnessed the
problem but had no remedy. I would appreciate any help.
Allen Madrick
USA
If the car is like the earlier models, the centrepoint of the electric steering may need to be recalibrated. We also suggest checking out some
Prius-related forums and maybe asking the question there. Try...
Yahoo Autos Groups
and
www.priusonline.com
More Euros!
I enjoyed your Euro-phoria Part 1 article.
I too have also marvelled at some of the top shelf Euro cars available at
bargain basement prices. I have looked at the Volvo 740 turbo and Audi 200
turbo, but eventually chose a BMW E28 528i Motorsport. This offers performance
virtually on par with the later M535i (which was crippled with emission gear)
for a fraction of the price. The running gear is standard 5 series, but the
extras like LSD, sports seats, Bilstein suspension, BBS wheels, etc make it well
worth seeking out. Most have high kilometres and worn out engines but this just
means it’s ripe for an engine transplant and can be had even cheaper. I also
came across Saab 900 Turbos, Mercedes 450SE/SELs and even the odd 6.9 at
incredibly cheap prices. Peugeot Mi16, 205GTi, BMW 323i (even E30s) and E34
535i's are also coming down to under $10,000. I'm looking forward to some of
these being covered in later articles.
Ross Roberts
Australia
Supercharged Fun
We have been researching supercharging and was quite interested in the Book
Review - Corky Bell's Supercharged!
We have a 1.2 carby car with
many spare engines to blow up using our recently acquired Toyota 2.0 litre
supercharger... Trouble is, it sounds like Corky Bell’s book doesn't say much
about supercharging carby engines - we were wondering if there are any
supercharging books or articles more applicable to what we intend doing?
Rachel and Gus
New
Zealand
Supercharged! will certainly have a
lot of useful info. Another fairly old supercharging related book is Automotive
Supercharging and Turbocharging Manual by John D. Humphries. (Haynes
Publishing)
RPM Switch
I own a Honda NSX which I race occasionally and, like most people, want it to
go faster. I have done most of the add-on things like a cold air intake,
exhaust, etc however I want to play with the VTEC and the dual inlet chamber
activation points. I found an AutoSpeed article on a Gear Change Shift Indicator
which has a LED and buzzer for shift point warnings and individual gearshift
points. What I would like to do is to adjust the point the VTEC and dual inlet
chamber activates in each gear. The problem is I can’t find this kit anywhere.
If you know where I can still get one - or if you have a better idea - it would
be appreciated.
Les Dombi
Australia
We assume you mean Simple DIY Rev Switch
Spot-On Prediction
Almost 5 years has past since Julian sold his Nissan Skyline GTR and wrote
this article - Julian's New Car - Part 2 - From Audi to Honda Your prediction
of GTRs being sold for AUD$20K has proven right. Now might be a good time to
snap up a once AUD$110,000 car as a second runabout car... Probably not the best
runabout car, but for the price you get a lot of bang for buck!
Andrew Pade
Australia
Duel #1
Re Diesel v Hybrid
I guess the reason diesel is so popular in Europeis
that the fuel is significantly cheaper than unleaded petrol in most countries...
www.aaroadwatch.ie
Secondly, while greenhouse CO2 emissions are directly related to (mass) fuel
consumption, smog causing emissions are (IIRC) worse for diesels due to the
higher compression ratios. (Higher CR leads to higher temperatures, which leads
to higher NOx, which in high concentrations - eg urban areas - and with HC
emissions, leads to higher ozone levels - acid rain!). Of course, some of this
can be overcome with exhaust catalysing and I'm a little out of date in my
knowledge here.
(By the way I bet that most people don't know that the primary "greenhouse
effect" cause is water vapour, not CO2...)
But back to price – ultimately, what will be most popular in the
US (or
Australia) is
likely to be dictated by the relative fuel prices, which will largely be
controlled by government taxation policy.
Matt KingAustralia
Duel #2
Re Diesel vs Hybrid
... The obvious question - why not Diesel Electric Hybrid? Hey, it works fine in
trains...
Simon Briggs
Australia
Duel #3
I just read Julian Edgar's article on Diesel v Hybrid technology. It seems that hybrid has the
advantage in stop-start environments and diesel on the open road. It seems then
that it's just a matter if time until someone makes a diesel/electric
hybrid.
Jamie Ericson
Australia
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