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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