Skip to main content

Posts

HOME   |   ABOUT   |   NEWS   |   TECH ARTICLES   |   AT THE TRACK   |   REVIEWS   |   VIDEOS   |   CONTACT ME

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Sedan

Here it is in all its glory. The coupe stole the lights from those with the early leak and the bright white paint job but this, this right here is the piece de resistance for me. I don't know what it is about fast sedans that makes them so appealing to me. I think it's the fact that a sedan body style isn't as cool or "fast" looking as a coupe. It's there because of function. It has more space and more doors for easier egress and ingress. A coupe is for style. It's for fun. By definition, you compromise on practicality just for the sake of some kind enjoyment. For me, the ultimate enjoyment comes from driving it and a fast sedan means that it excels at everything you ask of it. The same applies to fast wagons. For more information, visit the earlier post: 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Leaked . For more pictures, visit GM Media website: 2016 ATS-V Gallery . Which one would you choose, this or the coupe? Sound off in the comments below!

A Legend Returns: The 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

I feel like a kid on Halloween night who has just been told he can eat all his candy that night. Or even better, it's Christmas morning and all the gifts under the Christmas tree are mine. I don't even know why because It's not like I can buy this anytime soon but I'm getting all giddy just reading about it. Meet the Mustang Shelby GT350; the return of a legendary name. There has been many rumours about this flat-plane crank 5.2L V8 "Voodoo" engine that's naturally aspirated. The rumours are true. It has an 8,200 rpm redline. If that's not impressive enough for you, consider this. This a V8. A big V8, not a V10 or V12. It's a 5.2 litre V8. Ford said it will have more than 500 hp. I expect it will be between 510-520 hp. GM said that the LS7 they're dropping in the Camaro Z/28 will have more than 500 hp and ended up with exactly the same amount as the C6 Corvette Z06, 505 hp. The GT350 shouldn't be aimed at the Z/28 as it sh...

2015 Tesla Model S P85D - The World's Quickest Sedan

I love sleepers. A picture of this car could be put in a dictionary next to the word "sleeper". The styling isn't aggressive. The brand, if recognized, would be recognized as an electric car maker not a performance car maker (except for the avid car enthusiast). It's a four door. It even doesn't look any different from the pedestrian Model S 60. And to top it all off, the electric motors noise (or lack thereof) won't be convincing anyone they're V8s or anything with enough power to worry about. That couldn't be further from the truth, though. This is the fastest accelerating sedan that Motor Trend has ever tested. 0 to 60 mph arrives in just 3.1 seconds. The 1/4 mile passes in 11.6 seconds at 115.2 mph. For a full review and the rest of the stats, go to: 2015 Tesla Model S P85D First Test . There are a couple of things I don't like about the car, though. For one, the interior. I don't know why every one is going crazy over this c...

The Cadillac ATS-V is already doing Burnouts

"Now you see it. Now you don’t. See it all November 18." That's all what Cadillac said under the Youtube video so I'm going to leave it at that.

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Leaked

450 hp and 445 lb-ft out of a twin turbo V6, six speed manual and an e-locking differential, probably of the same variety used on the C7 Corvette Stingray. These details are just about enough to know about the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V to know that you want one. The ATS-V seems to have been leaked yesterday and it looks menacing. The fantastic looking ATS has been chiseled to produce a much more aggressive look that is distinctly Cadillac but the good news don't stop there. More juicy bits include titanium connecting rods, two water-to-air intercoolers, titanium turbines for the turbos and an additional radiator dedicated to cooling the gearbox and diff. GM has been using Michelin tires on many high performance models and this is no exception as Pilot Super Sport tires will keep this car stuck to the road and suspension roll stiffness has been turned up 50%. The car should weigh around 3,600 lb and while that isn't lightweight, it's right around wha...

2015 Mustang GT Ford Racing/Roush Supercharger Kit

Remember the 2015 Mustang GT that broke into the 10's in the 1/4 mile with a bunch of Ford Racing parts? Original Post:  2015 Mustang GT breaks into the 11's in the 1/4 mile!  A modified naturally aspirated Mustang did a 11.77 s at 116.2 mph and a supercharged one did 10.97 s at 128.9 mph. Well, after Ford debuted the King Cobra Mustang at SEMA, it announced that they will offer a King Cobra package through Ford Racing. Ford says that an early version (of the King Cobra) was tested on Milan Dragway in Michigan and posted an elapsed time (ET) of 10.97 s which is identical to the time posted earlier in the promotional video. The King Cobra package apparently isn't a single package but rather a group of Ford Racing packages - the Drag Pack, the Handling Pack and the Super Pack. More information about the parts has been released about the included parts which are: The Drag Pack: Heavy-duty half shafts  Rear sub-frame kit with pre-installed high-performance bush...

2005-2014 Mustang Lower Control Arms (LCA) and Axle Alignment

As some of you may know, a few weeks ago I ordered some lower control arms for my Mustang. I decided to go with the UMI Roto-Joint units because of their claim of providing the proper articulation like a spherical rod-end while avoiding most of the degradation in ride quality. They do this using two different types of bushings, a traditional polyurethane bushing on the chassis side and a unique bushing called Roto-Joint on the axle side. The Roto-Joint is a spherical-like design which uses a pivot ball lined with a greaseable delrin race, which replaces the metal housing in a ball joint and absorbs more shock reducing NVH. So far, the control arms have been living up to the expectations. I was just smiling ear to ear the first time I floored it. I was in 1st gear and the last time I was that aggressive with the throttle in 1st gear, wheel hop was terrible. Wheel hop is not 100% gone, which is to be expected since you need upper control arms to get rid of all hop, but it was very ...

2012 Mustang Boss 302 - Stock vs Heartthrob Flowpack Axle-Back Video

As promised, here's a video comparing the stock axle backs to the Heartthrob Flowpack units I installed a few weeks ago. The video shows start ups, both cold, and a few revs after the car had warmed up. The video doesn't do the difference in volume justice but you can tell the difference in tone with a good set of headphones or speakers. For a full review, go the original post:  2012 Mustang Boss 302 - Heartthrob Flowpack Axle Back Exhaust .

Car and Driver's Lightning Lap 2014 - A Closer Look

Yes, Lightning Lap 2014! I thought they were going to skip 2014 all together but luckily they didn't. I know it has been available for a while in the paper magazine but I am not subscribed so I wait for it to be available online to read it. The full article is here: Car and Driver - Lightning Lap 2014 . This is easily one of my favourite magazine features of the year. As always, my car picks aren't necessarily very quick or slow. They simply did much better or much worse than I excepted them to. With that said, I would like to get one car out of the way. The Focus ST. The Highs: LL1 (Up to $35,000) - Ford Focus ST:  This car made it to last year's feature, Lightning Lap 2013, and it was on my "Lows" list ( Car and Driver's Lightning Lap 2013 - A Closer Look ). It posted a very mediocre-for-the-class 3:21.4. I said last year that "I wouldn't be surprised if, with more seat time on the track and a true limited slip differential, the Focus ST ma...

How-to install Axle Back on 2011-2014 Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 & GT500

There are plenty of videos and write-ups online about how to install axle backs but I couldn't find any covering installation while the car is on ramps with little room. I don't know for sure if all the models are identical since I only have experience with the Boss 302 but I don't see why Ford would over complicate it and mount mufflers differently so I included all models in the title to make it easier to find when searching. The first thing to keep in mind is safety. Disconnect negative battery terminal, ensure that the mufflers aren't too hot before you tackle this and wear safety glasses. I also feel more comfortable using ramps over jack and jack stands but if you use jack, make sure you secure the car on jack stands and not rely on the jack. I use Rhino ramps and so far, they haven't shown any sign of stress. I highly recommend them. If you use ramps, make sure that the tires are centered on the ramps. Tools: Drive extension bar Drive extension bar wit...






Does An Aftermarket Grille Really Increase Airflow?
I put a Saleen S281 grille to the test to answer that question.

Stock Suspension S197 Mustang With Square 305/30/19's
What you need to fit a proper size square tire setup.

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track
What you need to know about how they put power down and pros and cons.

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?
A comparison between Schumacher's and then team mate Herbert's data.






Cayman GT4 Track Review
The first Cayman with proper (911-challenging) power.

Is an EcoBoost Mustang any good on Track?
Two days at the track in a Mustang short 4 cylinders.

2016 BMW M4 DCT Track Review
It's quick (properly quick). But is it fun?

Can a stock Golf Diesel handle a Track Day?
Not your every day track beater.




🔥 Most Visited This Week

Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

Last year, I picked up a 2009 Lancer Ralliart to do a long term test with it as a dual duty track/daily. One of the first things I knew I was going to do was put a decent set of tires on it. The car came without OEM wheels which was actually good because I didn't have to hesitate about getting a good set of aftermarket wheels to support going wider. Thankfully, my friends at YST Auto Halifax  set me up with a great set of Superspeed RF03RR wheels. The Wheels I had never even heard of Superspeed but I trusted the good folk at YST Auto who mentioned some customer cars running on track with them. These wheels are rotary forged which is basically a prerequisite to be taken seriously in this market populated by companies like TSW and Fast Wheels. The wheels looked like a high quality, well finished wheel and each had a "QC" check sticker on. Just for appearances? Maybe, but I found no defects. The wheels seemed easy to balance (didn't need many weights) and at 18.1 lb. f...

2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro DSG Track Review

Before getting into this, I have to confess something... I had never driven an Audi TT before. Not until this one, anyway. But that hasn't stopped me from forming an opinion about it from the comforts of my own couch while reading and watching reviews online. After all, if you've never done that, do you even know what the point of the internet is? Now, we all interpret reviews differently. Call it confirmation bias if you will, but if you like a car, you'll read a review and look at the positives as what makes the car great and the negatives are but a few quibbles you have to live with. If you don't like a car, the positives are a few things the manufacturer got right while screwing up everything else. It's a bit harsh to put the TT in the latter category, but that's where it ended up for me... I never took the TT seriously. The problem with the TT for me isn't that it's a Golf underneath, per se. There is nothing wrong with a performance car sharing a...

Limited Slip Differentials - The Basics

I'm finishing up a comparison post (link to introduction: Intro: Focus RS vs Golf R vs WRX STI vs Evo X ) and, throughout the post, I realized that I have to go off topic a lot to talk about how each type of differential changes the way the car drives. As a result, I thought I'd write a separate post to go into more detail before I post the comparison to keep it more focused on the cars and avoid veering off topic too much. By saying "Limited Slip Differentials" in the title, I am including torque vectoring diffs because, although current conventional terminology treats them differently, a torque vectoring differential is, in essence, a very sophisticated limited slip diff (LSD) that can be manipulated to actively help the car handle better. And while none of the cars in the comparison use open (without help from the brakes) or non-gear mechanical LSD’s, I’ll briefly discuss them so that the post is more inclusive. I’ll only focus on using power to help the...

2007 Saleen Mustang S281 SC Super Shaker Track Review

"Who's your green student today?" asked a friend and instructor at the BMW Club Atlantic Advanced Driver Training (HPDE) weekend in June this year. I said: "The Saleen." The response was: "Oh, boy." Mustangs, generally, have a reputation for being more power than chassis. Mustang drivers have quite the reputation for.. how to put this nicely? Taking advantage of said power/chassis imbalance. To make matters worse, this particular Mustang was a supercharged Saleen, with a honkin' Shaker scoop sticking out of its hood. Did I mention it was also a convertible? And the owner was someone who's never been on track before but clearly has the speed bug. Having had a Mustang for years and driven a few on track, they don't scare me - generally speaking - but the combination of being convertible and supercharged with a new and excited owner worried me a little. Nevertheless, I shrugged it off and got excited about chatting with the owner to find ...