Timing Belts

The term timing belt is also used for the more general case of any flat belt with internal teeth. Such belts are used for power transmission or to interchange rotary motion and linear motion, where either high loads or maintaining a specific drive ratio are important. Some engines use timing gears. A common non-automotive application is in linear positioning systems. in the internal combustion engine application, the timing belt connects the crankshaft to the camshaft which in turn controls the opening and closing of the engine's valves. A four-stroke engine requires that the valves open and close once every other turn of the crankshaft. The timing belt does this. It has custom teeth to turn the camshaft synchronized with the crankshaft and is specifically designed for a particular engine. In some engine designs, the timing belt may also be used to drive other engine components such as the water pump and oil pump. A gearing system can be used to connect the crankshaft to the camshaft at the correct timing. However gears and shafts constrain the relative location of the crankshaft and camshafts. A belt or chain allows much more flexibility in the relative locations of the crankshaft and camshafts. Furthermore, belts are cheaper than a gearing system. While chains may be more robust, rubber belts are quieter. A timing belt is a specific application of a synchronous belt used to transmit rotational power synchronously. Read More......

Car Pedals

Car racing pedals are made from different materials which includes carbon fiber and stainless steel. They come in a variety of colors and many are available with pedal kits. Most car racing pedals can be installed using special tape. Car Clutch Pedal - Located to the left and operated by the left foot (except for automatic transmission), this car pedal is used to change speed gears and controls the transmission shifting for the car. Car Brake Pedal - Located between the Clutch Pedal and the Accelerator Pedal, operated by the right foot. This pedal is usually wide and elevated well above the car floor. This car pedal is used to engaged the brakes of the car and stops the car when pressed upon. Car Gas Pedal - Located to the right and is operated by the right foot. This car pedal control the air supply to the car's engine. It is usually narrowad and close to the car floor allowing the driver's heel to rest on the car floor.

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Car Seats

Car racing seats have safety car seat belts and multiple types of harnesses which help protect the driver. These car seats are made from strong materials and are very lightweight. Racing seats also provide the driver added support and protection from car accidents. The following is a general guide to install racing seats into your car. We only provide these instructions to give you an idea of what you will need to do in order to install the race seats. We highly recommend that you have your racing seats installed by a professional experienced in aftermarket racing seat installation.

Removing Your Existing Stock Seats. Start with your driver side first and locate the four bolts that hold the car seat in, two up front and two in back. Starting with the rear two bolts of the car seat, remove the plastic covers over them and remove the car seat bolts. Be sure to recline the car seat so it is in an upright position and the weight is evenly distributed, so when you remove the front bolts of the seat it won't fall on top of you. After removing the front two bolts, gently lean the whole car seat onto it's back and undo all of the remaining connections to it by locating the seat belt wire attached to the female end of the seat belt socket. You will also want to undo any electrical wires that were connected to the original stock seat. The most convinient way to remove the car seats is to roll it onto its side so it makes an "L" and swing the car seat out following with the back of the chair until it is completely out of the car. With the car seat out of the car, look on the side where the cart seat belt receiver is. There is a plastic cover that you'll need to remove with a phillips screw driver, with one screw in front and one in back. With it removed, you'll see a bolt attaching the seatbelt to the seat. Remove this bolt. Now that you have the bolt off, put the plastic part back on. Installing Your New Racing Seats. Assemble your racing seat brackets and sliders if they did not already come assembled. The pieces are made to face in a specific direction so don't install them backwards. Remember racing seat sliders have to face forward for your seat to move. The aftermarket racing seat bracket will have holes for the racing seat belt receiver, so screw it in. You may need to remove some of the thick spacers so the racing seat will fit into your car, but do not remove them if you have room for them. Attach the aftermarket racing seat bracket to your race seat before placing it into the car. Test fit and see if you like the height of the seat, adjust accordingly if you can. Don't be surprised if your new seat brackets that you ordered for your race seat do not fit the existing holes. This is very common because these seats are made to fit several makes of vehicles and not specifically to any one kind. Just make new ones after the test fitting. If you have a race seat harness, attach the belts to them. Not every race seat bracket is made the same. Attach the front bolts in loosely, then try to put in the rears. Use a hammer if you have to so the race seat bracket holes will line up. Just don't damage the bracket. Securely tighten all of the bolts to the car. If you installed sliders and you can not slide the racing seat freely, check how you assembled it and reinstall it.

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Dash Kits

Dash kits are made from different materials which includes carbon fiber and stainless steel. Dash kits come in a variety of colors and many are available with matching door trim kits. Most dash kits attach to the dash using special tape. Woodgrain dash kits are decorative trim that features an adhesive backing and can be attached to a vehicle's dash. Each kit is custom designed for a particular vehicle to provide a perfect fit. Trim kits are offered in a variety of simulated and genuine woodgrains, with various clear and colored stains. There are also trim kits made from carbon fiber, stainless steel and other materials.

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Car GPS

Car GPS uses position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database. There are three kinds of navigation systems: the kind that are designed to be built into a vehicle, software systems for use with a laptop computer and portable GPS units that can be tossed on the dash of a vehicle. Some portable units are even small enough to fit easily into a pocket for use on a boat, while hiking or practically anywhere. Read More......

Steering Wheels

The steering wheel is the part of the steering system that is manipulated by the driver. Steering wheels are the usual location for a button to activate the car's horn. Additionally, many modern automobiles may have other controls, such as crusie control and radio controls built into the steering wheel to minimize the extent to which the driver must take his hands off the wheel.An undeployed airbag, used to protect the driver in event of a frontal collision, is mounted inside a cover in the center of the steering wheel.Power steering and power assist steering both give the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Modern power steering almost universally relies on a hydraulic system. Mechanical power steering systems have been invented, but their weight and complexity negate the benefits that they provide. Read More......

Carbon Fiber Hoods

Carbon fiber hoods are made of carbon fiber material with rolled edges and underside support so you will be sure to get years of quality use. Carbon fiber hoods are manufactured from real carbon fiber with a skeleton backside. It has a nicely woven design and rolled edges for a smooth appearance and feel. Although it only weighs about half of the stock hood, it is strong and durable, perfect for looking good while going fast. The OEM style hood is not too extreme but still eye-catching. It lines up with very few adjustments and comes with the same dimensions and fittings as the original hood, making it an easy installation. Even the heat shield from the stock hood can fit on the carbon fiber hood with no problem. Read More......

Sound Processors

Sound processors are devices which can decode or simulate the effect of multi-channel soundtracks found on DVDs and videocassettes. These processors usually send separate audio information to right front, center, left front, right rear, and left rear speakers, with a separate signal for a subwoofer. In a car's confined listening environment, the effect of a fully-realized multi-channel audio video system can be stunning. Read More......

MP3 Players

MP3 players are small handheld devices and often use flash memory for storing MP3 files. While
frequently called an MP3 player, it fits under the broader category of digital audio players and often an MP3 players can use other file types such as Windows Media Audio - WMA.MP3
players are devices that play CDs or downloaded music. Often, they can be used to play both audio CDs and homemade data CDs containing MP3 or other digital audio files. Read More......

Engine Control Units

Engine Control Units

The ECU uses closed-loop control , a control scheme that monitors outputs of a system to control the inputs to a system, managing the emissions and fuel economy of the engine. Gathering data from dozens of different sensors, the ECU knows everything from the coolant temperature to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. more :

With this data, it performs millions of calculations each second. The Engine Control Unit also performs operations including looking up values in tables, calculating the results of long equations to decide on the best spark timing and determining how long the fuel injector is open. The ECU does all of this to ensure the lowest emissions and best mileage. A modern ECU might contain a 32-bit, 40-MHz processor. This may not sound fast compared to the 500- to 1,000-MHz processor you probably have in your PC, but remember that the processor in your car is running much more efficient code than the one in your PC. The code in an average ECU takes up less than 1 megabyte(MB) of memory. By comparison, you probably have at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of programs on your computer -- that's 2,000 times the amount in an ECU. In order to provide the correct amount of fuel for every operating condition, the engine control unit (ECU) has to monitor a huge number of input sensors. Mass airflow sensor - Tells the ECU the mass of air entering the engine
Oxygen sensor(s) - Monitors the amount of oxygen in the exhaust so the ECU can determine how rich or lean the fuel mixture is and make adjustments accordingly
Throttle position sensor - Monitors the throttle valve position (which determines how much air goes into the engine) so the ECU can respond quickly to changes, increasing or decreasing the fuel rate as necessary
Coolant temperature sensor - Allows the ECU to determine when the engine has reached its proper operating temperature
Voltage sensor - Monitors the system voltage in the car so the ECU can raise the idle speed if voltage is dropping (which would indicate a high electrical load)
Manifold absolute pressure sensor - Monitors the pressure of the air in the intake manifold
The amount of air being drawn into the engine is a good indication of how much power it is producing; and the more air that goes into the engine, the lower the manifold pressure, so this reading is used to gauge how much power is being produced.
Engine speed sensor - Monitors engine speed, which is one of the factors used to calculate the pulse width

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Car Video

Car video has really taken off recently as a fun, viable, and even necessary addition to in-car entertainment. Several new SUV and minivan models feature car video components as factory options, and a growing number of people have decided to retro-fit their vehicles with car video entertainment systems. Car video systems drastically expand the number of entertainment options you can have in your vehicle. Movies, video games, local television, even satellite television are all available for use in your car, truck, van, or SUV. Car video technology just keeps getting better all the time. Some car video systems give you the option of connecting a navigation system, which provides turn-by-turn visual and voice directions, which help you get where you're going efficiently and accurately. Not having to fiddle with conventional maps is a huge advantage, especially if you're driving through unfamiliar territory for the first time. Read More......

Car Airbrushing

Car airbrushing or airbrush painting is a painting technique that is used to create custom vehicle graphics. Airbrush painting is a paint scheme designed to set a vehicle apart from others like it on the road. Some airbrush graphics literally are painted on, while others are decals that can be removed or changed for frequent styling updates. Airbrushing graphics can range from a simple pinstripe to complicated designs and murals. Read More......

Car Neons

Car neon lights are accessories that gives extra lighting for cars. They are inexpensive car accessoires which gets a custom car more attention during night. They can be installed under a vehicle, in the engine compartment or even in the trunk or cargo area of a pickup. Car neons generally are not for use when a vehicle is driving. They come in a variety of colors and are popular on show vehicles. Read More......

Lambo Doors

The Lambo door was first introduced in a concept car. The lambo door was designed for a concept car whose wide chassis mandated this unusual door configuration. The lambo door design was carried forward to the other cars made after the concept car's lambo door's were a success. The only current car in production which uses the Lambo door is the Murciélago. This lambo door design combines some of the advantages of a conventional door and the traditional roof hinged door. The lambo door can open upward rather than outward, which is important in wide cars. The lambo door hinge is in a similar location as a conventional door, so a convertible version of the car is not prevented by the lambo door design. The disadvantage is that the lambo door still impedes access much more than a roof hinged door and, in some cases, more than a conventional door. Read More......

Decals

Decal pinstriping is actually painted on, while some is a paint decal that can be applied quickly and easily for a restyling touch. For a more dramatic styling statement, some people choose to add paint decal graphics to their vehicles. Decals are cut to shape using a computer and plotter, this eliminates the need for printing inks and background material. Vinyl Stickers are also called Computer Cut Decals and Die - Cut Decals. Vinyl Cut Stickers create a professional appearance for signs, windows, cars, trucks, boats industrial & commercial equipment, in fact you can apply vinyl stickers to any clean smooth surface, so are great across many different applications. Vinyl graphics are provided on pre - spaced and pre - masked sheet for an easy, quick and professional application. Read More......

Body Kits

Bodykits or body kits are collections of exterior body kit modifications to a car, typically comprised of front and rear body kits and side skirts. There are many companies that sell these body kits as alternatives to the traditional look of the vehicle from the factory. Many advantages to body kits include better aerodynamics as well as having a high degree of aesthetic value. Body kits will be designed to complement each other, and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of one body kit will be matched with the rear body kit of another. Automative body kits are usually constructed of either fiberglass or polyurethane. Most car modification entusiasts prefer polyurethane body kits because it is more resistant to damage, and does not crack in cold weather. In some cases, body kits may also be constructed of carbon fiber, which is a popular, lightweight material. This type of body kit modification is not as highly regarded among speed enthusiasts, though, because it is very costly, and the difference in weight is minimal, versus changing other parts such as the hood or trunk.

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Spoilers

Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles, as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse. Although the most recognizable spoiler is the wing spoiler , there are actually many different types of spoilers. A wing spoiler is an airfoil suspended above the body of the vehicle.
A lid spoiler (commonly trunk lid spoiler , lip spoiler , or boot lid spoiler ) is often a ridge of plastic or metal attached directly to the top of the trunk lid.
A roof spoiler is a small ridge of plastic or metal attached to the very back of the roof, usually just above the rear window.
A splitter is a spoiler attached to the front bumper, very close to the road surface, sometimes known as a "front spoiler" or on stock or stock-appearing cars as an "air dam."

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Nitrous Systems

Nitrous oxides came into use with car racing back in the 1960's, and has been around ever since. Nitrous oxide acts as an agent for oxygen to enter the engine. We know gasoline needs oxygen to burn. Too much, and your engine burns up entirely, so the nitrous has to balance this oxygenation with just the right amount of added fuel as well. It doesn't burn like gasoline. In fact, it would just mix with the open air if left lying around in an open container. To your engine, nitrous oxide is a more convenient form of normal air. Since we are only interested in the oxygen the air contains, nitrous oxide provides a simple tool for manipulating how much oxygen will be present when you add additional fuel in an attempt to release more power. The power always comes from the fuel source. Nitrous oxide is not a fuel. Nitrous oxide is a convenient way to add the additional oxygen required to burn more fuel. If you add only nitrous oxide and do not add additional fuel, you would just speed up the rate at which your engine is burning the fuel that it normally uses.This, more often than not, leads to destructive detonation. The energy comes from the fuel, not the nitrous. Nitrous oxide simply allows you to burn a greater quantity of fuel in the same time period; thus, the overall effect is a tremendous increase in the total amount of energy, or power, released from the fuel and available for accelerating your vehicle.There is no voodoo involved in nitrous oxide. In effect, using nitrous is no different from using a bigger carburetor, a better manifold, a supercharger, or a turbocharger. Understand that the air you and your engine breathe is made up, at sea level, of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and just 1% other gases. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is made by simply taking the 2 major components of earths atmosphere (in this case 2 molecules of nitrogen and 1 molecule of oxygen) and attaching them together with a chemical bond. When the nitrous oxide goes into your engine the heat of combustion breaks the chemical bond to provide your engine more oxygen with which to burn fuel. As you ' ve read, all race engines operate under the same principles: more air (better breathing, supercharging, turbocharging, or nitrous) plus more fuel in a denser vapor equals more power. A Nitrous Oxide System, can give your sport compact that extra kick on the racetrack, or even in the mud. It doesn't have to break the bank, because a Nitrous Oxide System gives you the best bang for your buck. When compared to the cost of the carburetion, manifold, valve train or turbo charging modifications it takes to get that extra horsepower, a Nitrous Oxide System is truly a cost-effective solution. Even better, a Nitrous Oxide System, in addition to other enhancements only makes those other performance parts increase their performance. With over 20 years in the industry, NOS has carefully developed reliable, safe, extremely effective nitrous oxide kits in both wet and dry systems for 40 – 60 horsepower applications of all types. Dry injection technology makes up many of these (intended for fuel-injection systems at wide-open throttle,) but NOS recommends “wet” type kits for the majority of turbocharged and supercharged applications. Because of nitrous oxide's nature, there is variance in the increase in horsepower in different sized engines. More inefficient designs show a larger NOS-related horsepower increase.

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Engines

The basic way all engines work is to suck in a mixture of fuel and air, compress it, ignite it either with a spark plug or by self-igntion in the case of a diesel engine, allow the explosion of combusting gasses to force the piston back down and then expel the exhaust gas. The vertical movement of the piston is converted into rotary motion in the crank via connecting rods. The crank then goes out to the gearbox via a flywheel and clutch, and the gearbox sends the rotary motion to the wheels, driving the vehicle forward. Engines are devices that burns fuel to produce mechanical power and convert heat energy into mechanical energy. Read More......

Alloy wheels and their impact on performance

"This is wheely good stuff!"

Some rally style alloy wheels are lighter – (less weight = more speed) and also are designed to increase the cooling of the brake disks. Some designs hold up better to being curbed than others and some break very easily when hitting a pothole or curb at speed – always go for the best quality alloy wheel that you can afford and read the reports and reviews.

If you do go for a different overall size you must get the suspension and tracking realigned to avoid uneven wear under acceleration.Look at the car from a distance to see if the wheels are at the correct vertical angle then get a friend to drive the car while you stand at the side of the road (not directly in front of him!) and see if the inside or outside of the wheels lift up under acceleration, cornering or braking. A lighter wheel will improve handling - less weight is rotating around the hub so components such as suspension and even brakes will last longer. The gaps in alloy wheels also aid brake cooling and allow the brakes to do a better job at slowing up the car.Big wheels look really cool but I have not found anyone yet who says that they have improved the ride or handling of their car – keep the overall wheel width with tyre dimension as the OEM provided but go for a larger alloy and ultra low profile tyre if you really want the big wheel look. Lower profile tyres are noisier and due to their low flexing they give excellent handling characteristics. Wider alloys are much better than taller ones and improve the handling. Many users complain that taller wheels affect the speed and handling adversely and cause tramlining and bumpy rides. If you are contemplating alloy wheels try to keep the overall rotational diameter the same. If the rotational distance is larger (taller wheel size) then you will need to get your speedo recalibrated a 10% larger rotational diameter means that each mile you cover is 10% shorter and each mile per hour you are doing is 10% out - I'm building a calculator to suggest alloy wheel and tyre sizes to match your existing rotational diameter join the club to be one of the first to use it. Bigger wheels are often heavier so you should compare the weights of alloy wheels with the standard wheels you have. A rotating wheel will have a gyroscope effect and resist a change of direction so handling can be slightly affected with different wheels. Low profile tyres also increase grip, but the ride is harder and the tyres are more expensive. Some alloys are designed to be light weight (they can snap more easily though) and have a pattern that increases the airflow to the brake disks aiding your breaking efficiency. When you buy an alloy you need to check the pattern of nuts matches your car (Obviously!) PCD, you also need to check the offset and bore measurements. The last thing you want is the wheel not fitting properly over your brake disks or a wheel that grinds into the arches when you hit a bump or turn a corner. You may need to get your arches rolled or cut. Anything other than the original rotational dimensions will definitely require suspension adjustments. You should always get your camber, toe in/out and other suspension components checked for alignment when you change tyres, alloys, or hit a curb or bump that jolts the car. Fact of life - ALLOY WHEELS GET CURBED. Choose a pattern that will not stick out too much and hit the curb (split rims are good for this). If the alloys have a chrome finish they can cost a fortune to get refurbished but look dreadful when scratched. Summary: Keep the rotational diameter the same. Buy alloys for performance based on weight and brake cooling. Buy alloys for aesthetics based on their longevity and try to get an alloy pattern that will curb gracefully. (When you get the tyre balanced ask for the weights to go on the inside - so many national 'MrFastFit' tyre retailers stick them on the outside like ears - ruining everything you have tried to aesthetically achieve.)

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Tuning turbo engines

"A lot of hot air."

What is a turbo. If you go back to your childhood you probably remember those windmills sold at the seaside. Imagine a windmill with 2 propellers back to back. As the wind blows the first propeller a shaft turns the second one and it will blow air in your direction. A turbo contains 2 impellers which are located in the exhaust flow and along the intake path.

The exhaust side rotates as the exhaust gases flow and this turns the impeller on the intake effectively sucking in fresh air. So the turbo essentially generates power from the waste exhaust gases. Although sticking a propeller in the exhaust flow will reduce the exhaust efficiency the power gains on offer more than make up for this. So who invented the the turbo? Aircraft running on fuel were altitude restricted due to the thin air and lack of oxygen this contains. By using a turbo the air could be forced into the engine and allowed the aircraft to run at higher altitudes or faster at lower altitudes. It was not long before someone saw the application in car engines and we started to see turbos arriving in popular cars. In recent times manufacturers have been forced to produce more economical cars. With a turbo you get more power per cc making an engine more efficient. It is the power gains that TorqueCars members are most interested in, although the economy is nice to have.The potential for turbo tuning power gains is massive. Most engines are over engineered for reliability and can take increases in power of 30-50%. Some engines can support even larger power gains. There is little surprise that in our 2 most tunable engines report, both are turbo driven. With the advent of modern engine computer control we get a method of maximising the power produced by the turbo. For example the exhaust gases are vented away from the turbo when certain levels of boost are reached. With a remap you can overcome this limitation. Fuel delivery also needs to matched to avoid running a lean mixture so the computer controls the timing and quantities of fuel delivery. Please review the articles on Remaps,BOVs, Boost controllers for more detailed information.Are there any drawbacks to turbo engines? Until the exhaust gases start to flow quickly enough there is little the turbo can do. This is manifest in what is referred to as lag where the engine seems lifeless until the turbo kicks in. The bigger the turbo the greater the lag problem. Also when you compress air you heat it up and as we all know hot air carries less oxygen than colder air. This is easily solved with an intercooler. No longer are we limited to a single turbo. Many cars now come equipped with Twin Turbos such as the GTO and Nissan 300zx. Big turbos are also on offer and this is the usual path an upgrader will take. We also see triple and quad turbo setups with boost controllers kicking in each turbo as exhaust flow increases for a steady power delivery.

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Upgrading the brakes

by "Bad Ass" Bre

Improving and upgrading the brake system on a car is often the last item in a car modification project, yet it is the most important element in terms of driver and passenger safety, as well as the safety of other road users. It is essential that you upgrade your car brakes when you increase the engine power of your car as the more powerful and faster your car is, the more efficient your brakes need to be to stop your car in an emergency.

The same applies when you increase the weight of your car by installing a heavy ICE (in-car entertainment) system for example. In most cases a standard brake system is sufficient for stopping a standard car but when you improve the car's engine power the brakes may not be sufficient to handle the extra hp and brake fade may occur. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to improve your brakes. These range from fitting larger diameter ventilated brake disks (rotors), fitting multiple pot (piston) calipers, fitting cross drilled or slotted brake disks, converting rear brake drums to ventilated brake disks, fitting a larger master cylinder, fitting braided brake hoses, and using brake fluid with a higher D.O.T. rating (and boiling point). In this section we'll discuss some options related to improving your car brakes but before we continue please be advised that brakes are critically important safety equipment. If you are uncomfortable with working on brake components, have a qualified professional do the work for you. Also note that your brakes are only as good as the grip of the tires on the road. If your tires have little grip because of worn shock absorbers of the tires are too narrow, upgrading your brakes will be wasted. So make sure your suspension and tires are in good condition before embarking in a brake upgrade.

BRAKE DISKS (ROTORS)

Slotted and Cross Drilled Brake Disk
Upgrade your brakes to handle the extra power!
Brake disks are far less prone to brake fade than brake drums but they are not immune to brake fade. Thus converting the rear drum brakes to brake disks will greatly reduce brake fade but there is so much more that you can do to your brake rotors to optimize your brakes. If you have solid brake disks, replacing them with ventilated disks will improve the heat dissipation characteristics of the disks. You could also have the ventilated disks cross drilled or slotted. The holes in cross drilled brake discs help disperse heat and further reduces brake fade while slotted discs help to de-glaze the brake pads, ensuring better friction between the brake pad and the brake disc but they will wear the brake pads faster. Of the two, slotted brake disks tend to perform better than cross drilled brake disks but they transmit more vibration though the steering wheel and are noisier. You should also note that slotted brake discs are directional, in other words, the slots must turn in a particular direction. Brembo brake disks, for example should be installed so that the end of the slot nearest the outer edge of the disc comes into contact with the brake pad first but this may differ with other disk manufacturers. Make sure which way the slots should rotate and install them correctly. Another option is to fit larger diameter brake rotors. A larger diameter brake rotor reduces the braking effort as it gives the caliper more leverage to stop the disc rotating and allows the car to slow down much quicker without causing too much build up of heat. However, there are two factors that limit the diameter of disc that you can use: the size of the wheels; and the relocation of the brake calipers. The wheel size will limit the size of the rotors but wheel may also limit the placement of the brake calipers, especially if you are using alloy wheels. This is important as when you fit a larger brake disk, the brake caliper must be mounted further away from the wheel hub. Thus, when fitting larger diameter brake disks you need to ensure that you can mount the brake caliper and that there is sufficient clearance better the caliper and the wheel. There are two disadvantages of fitting larger diameter disks though. Firstly, when you retain the standard brake calipers, the area of the brake disk that comes into contact with the brake pads remains the same. This will result in rust towards the centre of the disc that will not be removed by the brake pad when you brake braking. If you fit a larger brake caliper then you remove this problem. Another disadvantage is that a larger diameter brake disc will result in an increase in the car's unsprung weight, which can adversely affect handling.

BRAKE CALIPERS

Increasing the size of the brake caliper will also increase braking efficiency as a larger brake caliper will have larger brake pads with a larger friction area that will be in contact with the brake disk. The larger the friction area, the quicker the car will stop and less heat will be generated by the brakes. And less heat means less change of brake fade. A similar effect can be achieved by fitting a multi-pot brake caliper. Most standard brake disks have a single pot caliper. These calipers have only one piston that presses the brake bad against the rotor. By fitting multi-pot calipers with more than one piston, the additional pistons apply more force to the brake pads without requiring more effort on the brake pedal. They also spread the force out over the brake pad. However, multi-pot brake calipers, such as four-pot calipers are often manufactured without dust seals. These are fine for racing applications and are not appropriate for road use. If you are using a multi-pot brake caliper on a modified street car, make sure that it has dust seals.

THE MASTER CYLINDER

The brake master cylinder is often overlooked when it comes to improving the brake system; however, fitting a larger master cylinder reduces the effort required on the brake pedal and reduces the pedal travel required to pump enough brake fluid into the pistons on the brake caliper. This is more significant if you convert from brake drums to brake disks, as the pistons in the brake calipers used with brake disks have a larger volume than the pistons in brake drums. They thus require more brake fluid to be pumped to the brakes, which can be accomplished by fitting a master cylinder with a larger bore diameter. However, the master cylinder must match the flange on the brake booster.

SPONGY BRAKES?

Finally, if you want to eliminate a spongy feel on the brake pedal, you could replace the rubber brake hoses with braided hoses. Rubber brake hoses tend to flex under pressure while braided brake hoses are a lot less flexible, resulting in a firmer pedal action and better brake response. However, the spongy pedal may also be caused by water contamination in the brake fluid. Brake fluid is not compressible but water and air are compressible, resulting in that spongy feeling. Replacing the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes will eliminate the spongy feeling. Now we have all our brake components fitted but we're not quite done; we need to change the brake fluid, bleed the brakes and bed the brake pads in. Changing the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes are two similar processes. You bleed the brakes through the caliper nipples to remove air from the system while ensuring that the master cylinder reservoir does not run dry. When you change the brake fluid you bleed out the old brake fluid through the caliper nipples while again ensuring that the master cylinder reservoir does not run dry. You can use a turkey baster to remove some brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir. This will reduce the amount of brake fluid that needs to pass through the system before the system is filled with clean fluid. Bedding in the brake pads is another important process. Essentially, you want to put the brake pads through a heat cycle by increasing the temperature of the brake pads gradually and then allowing it to cool down. This can be achieved by performing about 30 light to medium brake applications of three seconds duration. Leave at about ¾ mile between each brake application. This will gradually increase the temperature of the brake pads without inducing thermal shock, and will mate the brake pad and disc friction surfaces. At the end of the repeated braking you should notice a little brake fade. Allow the brake pads to cool down by driving for several miles with little or no braking. Once proper cooling has been achieved, the system should maintain optimum performance at all temperatures.

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The Ignition System

by Double H

The ignition system is one of the most overlooked elements when it comes to engine and car tuning. Most people think that once their car modifications are done, all they need to do is get the ignition timing right and turn the ignition. But it's much more complicated than that. For one, the spark must be strong enough to ignite the air/fuel mixture.

That might sound obvious, but what's not so obvious is that air molecules act as an insulator, and when you modify your car to get more air into the engine, the spark from the stock ignition system might be too weak to effectively ignite the air/fuel mixture, particularly if you're using a forced induction system. In fact poor spark quality can have as negative an effect on engine power as poor ignition timing. In addition, an air/fuel ratio of 11 parts air to 1 part fuel, which is a fuel rich mixture, is most conducive to spark ignition. However, the air/fuel ratio for the proper burning of the fuel is 14,7 parts air to 1 part fuel. Thus, the air/fuel mixture is not ideal for a spark ignition system, particularly during cold start conditions where fuel vaporization is not as effective. Once the air/fuel mixture is ignited, the rate at which the flame passes through the combustion chamber becomes important if you want to unleash the maximum power from your engine. If the flame travels too fast, it would place too much load on the pistons, conrods and bearings; if the flame travels too slowly, not enough force would be generated to create maximum power at the wheels. There are three things that influence the rate at which the air/fuel mixture burns and the flame passes through the combustion chamber:

* The quality of the air/fuel mixture mixture
* The movement or turbulence of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber
* The design of the combustion chamber

Langer discussed the air/fuel ratio when he discussed the four strokes of the internal combustion engine; we discuss the movement of the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber and the design of the combustion chamber in our section on gas flowing and cylinder heads; but in this section we'll discuss the car ignition system, effective ignition timing, spark strength and quality, and techniques for modifying the ignition system to improve engine performance. As always, we'll begin with some ignition system basics ...

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Designing and Building an Exhaust System

by "Bad Ass" Bre

The main purpose of an exhaust system is undoubtedly to route the spent exhaust gas out of the car's engine. Along the way the exhaust gasses may be used to drive a turbocharger and now-a-days it will most definitely incorporate a catalyst converter to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But on a high performance car, such as a modified street car, or a modified race car, the exhaust system is much more important as it has a direct affect on engine performance and engine power.

As a result, the exhaust system, and particularly the exhaust header design, plays an important part in both engine tuning and car tuning. In general terms, an exhaust system consists of an exhaust manifold (which is sometimes called an exhaust header), a front pipe, a catalyst converter, a main muffler or silencer, and a tail pipe with an exhaust tip. In terms of tuning the exhaust system, the muffler is the easiest to deal with it's simply a matter of replacing the stock muffler with a free-flow or high performance muffler, such as a Flowmaster muffler. The result is a free flow exhaust system. However, the performance muffler must have an inlet and an outlet pipe that is the same size (diameter) as your front pipe and your tail pipe. Your front pipe and your tail pipe should also have the same diameter. The rest of the exhaust system is much more complicated as you need consider back pressure, your engine's power band, and your engine's maximum usable RPM.

BACK PRESSURE

The amount of back pressure produced by the exhaust system is crucial as too much back pressure will have a negative effect on your engine's top-end performance as it will restrict the flow rate of the exhaust gasses at high RPM. The result would be the engine not being able to expel the spent exhaust gasses fast enough to prevent spent exhaust gasses from contaminating the fresh air/fuel mixture that is drawn into the engine on the next intake stroke. Ultimately, this will result in reduced engine power! Therefore, attaching a little 1-inch pea-shooter to your engine instead of an exhaust system is not such a good idea! But then neither is fitting a 10-inch sewage pipe. If the exhaust pipe is too large, you will get reduced flow velocity of the exhaust gasses. The flow velocity of the exhaust gasses assists with the scavenging of the spent exhaust gasses as well as the amount of air/fuel mixture that can be drawn into the combustion chamber on the next intake stroke. This is because the flow velocity of the exhaust creates a low pressure immediately behind it that sucks more gasses out of the combustion chamber. The trick is thus to get the back pressure just right.

BASIC DESIGN

Our exhaust header design page will have more specific information, but generally speaking, a 2¼ inch exhaust pipe is ideal for an exhaust system for a 4-cylinder street car, but a 2½ inch exhaust pipe is a better fit for a 6-cylinder street car. However, a 2000cc 4-cylinder modified race car would do much better with a 3-inch exhaust pipe! The size of the exhaust header primary pipes is also important as it influences both back pressure and flow velocity; while the length of the primary pipes affect the power band of your engine. The size and length of the primary pipes of the exhaust manifold, as well as your exhaust header design depends on your engine's displacement and maximum usable RPM, as well as the power band you want from the engine. In our next section we take a closer look at ideal primary pipe length and diameter of the exhaust manifold, at the exhaust header design and at anti-reversion techniques.

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An Introduction to Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Injection

by Ian Slacker and "Bad Ass" Bre

Nitrous Oxide (N2O), or NOS as it is commonly referred to, is a quick and easy performance boost for any motor vehicle, regardless of whether it's a car, a bike, a boat or a plane. In technical terms, Nitrous Oxide is a chemical compound that consists of two Nitrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom. However, Nitrous Oxide does not occur naturally but is manufactured by using heat and a catalyst.

It was first discovered by the British chemist, Joseph Priestly, in 1772 but it wasn't until 1942 that nitrous injection was first used on an internal combustion engine. Nitrous Oxide is not combustible but, when it is released into the combustion chamber, it becomes gaseous and releases extra Oxygen that allows you to burn more fuel during the combustion process. At the same time, the process of changing from a liquid into a gas absorbs lots of the heat inside the combustion chamber. NOS thus provides an instant but relatively safe performance boost. The major advantage of NOS is that it is relatively cheap when compared to all the other forms of car modification and the amount of work involved to install a full nitrous system is far less than that of installing high performance cam shafts, turbo chargers or superchargers. The only drawback is that you must refill your Nitrous Oxide tank. Nitrous Oxide is stored in a pressurized tank to keep it in a liquid state. Unfortunately, Nitrous Oxide refills are not as freely unavailable as gasoline and must be purchased from an authorized dealer. The relative low cost of installing a NOS system makes it an ideal power boost project for anyone who can read and understand a little simple physics. As with anything in life, if you don't do it right, you're going to get problems. There is also more to installing NOS than just bolting a NOS tank to your trunk and connecting a long tube to your engine. The bottle has to be mounted at a 15° angle to ensure that the last of the gas is used and none is wasted. The plumbing is also very intricate and can be very tricky to a first time NOS installer. None the less, in this custom-car.us NOS guide, we will explain the physics of nitrous oxide injection and show you how to install a NOS kit and how to test and tune NOS. There are three different types of nitrous oxide systems that you can implement:
* The Dry System, which is the NOS system in which no fuel is sent to the intake charge outside the vehicle's normal means.
* The Wet System, which is the NOS system in which fuel and nitrous oxide are supplied through a fogger and then sprayed through the throttle body.
* The Direct Port System, which is a Wet System in which each engine cylinder has its own fogger. We'll cover all of these over the next few pages. Now let us start with some NOS basics ...
WARNING: NOS causes an extreme increase in fuel combustion; therefore, any problem in your engine can turn out to be 10 times worse with nitrous installed!

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Lambo Doors

by Ian Slacker

Lambo doors are also called scissor doors or vertical doors because they open vertically. They're also called gull-wing doors, which is plain wrong as gull-wing doors are hinged at the center of the roof. We'll call them lambo doors as the Lamborghini Countach was the first production car to feature them. Actually, the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car designed by Marcello Gandini was the first car to feature these vertical doors, but the Lamborghini Countach, which was also designed by Marcello Gandini, was the first production car to feature vertical doors in 1974. In recent years lambo doors have become increasingly popular car styling items to the extent that most auto parts shops these days carry universal lambo door kits that can be used to convert most car doors to lambo doors.

The lambo door kits contains two high strength lambo door hinges that replaces your stock door hinges, a set of gas shocks to hold the door open, and a set of bolts to attach the hinges to the car. The lambo door hinges are designed to open outward a few inches like a normal door before swinging upward, thus allowing the door to clear the frame and allowing you to retain the stock door catch mechanism. INSTALLING LAMBO DOOR KITS Installing a lambo door kit is a fairly simple modification but it could take two to three days to complete and you will need a helping hand to keep the door in place. You will also need a couple of tools, such as socket set and a ratchet or some spanners, a tin snips or dremel, an angle grinder, and a hex key set. You will need the angle grinder and tin snips to ensure that the lambo door hinges fit flush against the car's body, but a word of warning before we proceed: if you need to remove reinforcements or parts of the car's chassis, then you will need to do some welding to reinforce the area of the chassis that you've just weakened, and if you need to do that, it may be better to have a qualified professional do the work! Okay then, let's get cracking... The first step to installing a lambo door kit is to disconnect the battery as you will need to disconnect and extend the wiring harness to the front doors. You will also need to remove the front fenders, which could mean removing the head lights to access the bolts that secure the fenders to the chassis. On older cars with metal bumpers, you may need to get the bumper out of the way before you can remove the front fenders. Once the fenders are removed you will have unobstructed access the stock door hinges and the wiring harness that runs to the front doors but take care not to chip the paint work on the fenders. The next step is to remove the door checker (the metal of rubber strip that prevents the door from opening out too far), unplug the wiring harness that runs to the door, and any fender brackets located near the door. Now check that there is no trim or ribbing that protrudes out from the body and will prevent the lambo door hinges from fitting flush against the car's body. If there are any, use the metal snips or the angle grinder to cut off protruding metal trim and use a panel beater's hammer to flatten the ribbing as the lambo door hinge must fit perfectly vertical and flush against the body. However, before using a grinder on the car, cover the body work in the vicinity where you will be grinding with an old blanket to prevent the sparks from the grinder damaging your paint work. Then use the angle grinder to grind the cut flush with the body and apply some rust inhibitor to the area you worked on. Now have someone hold the door in place while you remove the stock door hinges. With the sock door hinges removed, place the lambo door hinge against the door to check that the mounting holes line up with the hinge holes on the chassis and on the door. If they do not, you may need to realign the holes either by elongating the existing holes, or drilling new holes so that the mounting holes on the lambo door hinge match the existing hinge holes on the car. Once the mounting holes are aligned, you can attach the lambo door hinge to the car but be careful not to over tighten the bolts as you may need to adjust the door in a while. Next, have someone hold the door up in the open position while you attach the gas shock securely to the gas shock mounting mechanism. With the door still open, extend the wiring harness that runs to the door so that it can reach the door in the new position and be sure to match the wires correctly. Then tape up the wiring harness and secure it in place. Now all that's left is to close the door so that you can adjust the door hinge so that the door fits perfectly, replace the front fenders and other body parts that you may have removed, and reconnect the battery. Now your car has a cool set of lambo doors! Unfortunately lambo doors can't be fitted to the rear doors as there's just not enough space on the B-pillar to mount the lambo door hinges but you could convert the rear doors to suicide doors. Instead of opening to the front, suicide doors open to the back like the rear doors of a Mazda RX8, though these look silly on some cars where the rear doors close over the rear wheel. Fitting a suicide door kit is also more complicated as it means relocating the hinges and the door catch mechanism.

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Pimped Out Cars

by Ian Slacker
Welcome to the Custom-car.us guide to pimping out your car, pimped out cars and car styling in general. This section is for the more modern pimped out car fanatic and is not so much about car performance. In fact it has almost nothing to do with engine performance and engine tuning but it has a lot to do with car customizing to make your car look as hot as it goes. Pimping out your car has a lot to do with car modification, car customization and of course, pimped out cars, even if it has nothing to do with engine power! In this section we'll discuss ways in which you can personalize and customize your car to make it stand out from the crowd. However, despite our age, we're more into customizing cars to look good with style and class rather than what we consider the vulgarity of the "pimped out cars" on M-TV's "Pimp My Ride" series. With this in mind, there are a number of simple things you can do to customize your car on the outside. These range from the simple fitting of aftermarket alloy wheels, tinting your car windows and applying stick on decals, that you can do yourself, to the more complicated fitting of front bumper kits, side skirts and rear wings. This will require a visit to the spray painter to match the color of your car. For the more adventurous, we also have the more complex fitting of scissor doors or lambo doors as some people call it, and designing of your own aero kit. This will again require a visit to the spray painter when it comes to fitting and matching your car's color; and while you're at it you might want to get a customized paint job. But it does not stop there; you can also customize the inside by fitting sports seats or bucket seats, an aftermarket steering wheel and gear lever, as well as aftermarket instrument gages and aluminum pedals. Then of course is the ICE, a cool sound system with a pop-up DVD display or two! However, there are two crucial things to keep in mind when customizing and pimping your car. Firstly, it's no good pimping your car in bits and pieces by slapping on piece here and another there because you will end up with a car that looks like a monstrosity. You need to have a vision of what you want to achieve with your car. You need a style or a theme that says something about yourself; it is called car styling after all. You could model your car on a muscle car theme for example or a JDM theme or even a motorsport racing team but be consistent with your theme all the way down to the detail on your dashboard, gear lever and other interior parts. Secondly, where ever possible try to be original. Aftermarket wide body kits are great but are even better if modified with a little style to create a completely unique look. If you want to be even more original, you could fabricate your own body kit as long as it's done with style. In the following pages we'll discuss various aspects of car customization, from fitting aftermarket alloy wheels to the more complex design, creation and installation of aero body kits. We'll also be discussing car detailing and auto detailing to keep it looking at its best. Perhaps one day we may even discuss the fitting of those silly undercarriage neon lights and those gross looking wheel "spinners" that detract from rather than enhances the beauty of your car, but it is not on the agenda for now and we make no promises. Let's get on with our car styling and car customizing by fitting lambo doors to our ride ...

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Aprilia RSV1000R

Ultra-exotic, extremely high performance V-twin motorcycle that rocks on the race track but is a handful on the road. The Aprilia RSV1000R is not for the inexperienced. This updated bike appeared in November 2004 and is the base of the RSV1000R range – in previous years the ‘R’ was a tricked up model and the ‘Mille’ was the entry level machine. Now the Aprilia RSV1000R is the standard motorcycle, and the Aprilia RSV1000R Factory is the tricked-up motorcycle. The Aprilia RSV1000R has a v-twin engine with a compact 70 degree angle between the cylinders and a dry sump to ensure constant lubrication. Low down torque is plentiful, midrange is muscular and the motorcycle's top end rush’s exhilarating – if not quite a match for the four cylinder Japanese rival motorcycles. Intoxicating traction and noise from the Aprilia RSV1000R. The Aprilia RSV1000R's comfort is not great. The narrow, tall riding position suits some bikers better than others but wrists hurt at slow speed and numb bumb can set in after a hundred miles on the Aprilia RSV1000R motorcycle. Pillion accommodation is poor. Clocks quite comprehensive. Official extras for the motorcycle include an alarm and a range of Aprilia approved exhausts made by Akrapovic. The Aprilia RSV1000R motorcycle is tall, slender and quite a handful. Works best with a rider who can show it who’s boss. Hard suspension’s a pain on bumpy roads but divine on the track or good road surfaces. The Aprilia RSV1000R is more comfy above the speed limit than below it. Slightly heavier than Japanese rival motorcycles but carries it well.

Specifications

Top speed	172mph
1/4-mile acceleration	11 secs
Power	143bhp
Torque	76ftlb
Weight	810kg
Seat height	810mm
Fuel capacity	18 litres
Average fuel consumption	36mpg
Tank range	140 miles
Insurance group	17

Engine size	998cc
Engine specification	8v V-twin, 6 gears
Frame	Aluminium twin spar
Front suspension adjustment	Preload, rebound, compression
Rear suspension adjustment	Preload, rebound, compression
Front brakes	Twin 320mm discs
Rear brake	220mm disc
Front tyre size	120/70 x 17
Rear tyre size	190/50 x 17

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Bimota DB7

Taking just one year to build from a clean sheet of paper, Bimota’s new DB7 has been an instant sales success. That’s a relief for the small firm in Rimini, Italy, who were pinning their hopes on the DB7 being their lifeline for the future. It’s a marriage made in heaven with Bimota making the beautifully-crafted rolling chassis and Ducati providing the power with their 1098 motor. The world needs unashamedly exotic motorcycles like this. Until the Ducati 1098R and 1198 came along, this was the world’s most powerful twin-cylinder production road engine, but it’s still a beauty. The V-twin 1098 Testsastretta motor powering the DB7 actually displaces 1099cc and produces a claimed 160bhp and 90ftlb of torque. It’s a standard Ducati engine, lock stock and two-smoking barrels but is fitted with Bimota’s own fuel-injection system and 52mm stainless steel downpipes and a titanium end can. Weighing 1kg more than the 1098S and 1kg less than the 1098, the Bimota’s performance is on par with the Ducati it’s based on, which means it’s very, very fast. There’s usable grunt as soon as the rev needle leaves its stop and masses of wheelie-provoking acceleration at the flick of a wrist. The fuelling is as good as the Ducati’s so is a massive improvement on past Bimota models. Every square inch of the DB7 is feast of mouth-watering, hand-made specialness. There’s the oval section steel/billet aluminium chassis (with adjustable ride height), self-supporting carbon fibre seat unit, carbon fibre fairing, mudguard, heel guards and hugger. The exquisitely milled aluminium rearsets, fork bottoms, swingarm ends, yokes, brake and clutch levers and10-spoke forged aluminium wheels all serve to make the DB7 like no other motorcycle you’ll ever see in a pub car park, unless it’s another Bimota, of course. The DB7 is a phenomenal handling machine and is that bit more agile and faster steering than the Ducati 1098. But it’s a fickle beast to set-up and is unlikely to be perfect for you straight out of the box, as the suspension needs careful setting-up to suit the rider’s weight and riding style. Once the fully adjustable ExtremeTech 2v4 rear shock and Marzocchi Corse RAC 43mm forks are dialled in you’re good to go. Early DB7s came with Continental tyres, which lacked front feel and rear grip but now they come fitted with Pirelli Super Corsa, which are superb. Brembo Monobloc calipers would stop a speeding train on a sixpence but it’s hard to use their full power as it’s almost impossible to hang on under severe braking. The tank is too narrow to lock into with your knees so you have to take the full force of stopping with your arms, which can cause the rider fatigue
Specifications

Top speed	175mph
1/4-mile acceleration	secs
Power	160bhp
Torque	90.7ftlb
Weight	171kg
Seat height	800mm
Fuel capacity	18 litres
Average fuel consumption	mpg
Tank range	miles
Insurance group	17

Engine size	1099cc
Engine specification	8-valve, 1099cc V-twin
Frame	Oval steel trellis/billet aluminum
Front suspension adjustment	Fully-adjustable
Rear suspension adjustment	Fully-adjustable
Front brakes	2 x 320mm discs
Rear brake	220mm disc
Front tyre size	120/70 17 in
Rear tyre size	190/55 17 in

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