Gear and Tech : February 18, 2009
F-Sport has finally expanded it’s already ridiculously awesome product line to include the Lexus GS, IS C and the IS AWD models. The F-Sport line (parts derived or inspired by the Lexus IS-F) has only encompassed the IS250 and IS350 line, but now you can have all of the previously exclusive and ballertastic parts on [...]
Gear and Tech : February 13, 2009
This is quite possibly the most entertaining deathtrap ever created. Can you imagine 638HP in a 2,138lb package? That’s around 3.3lbs per horsepower. To put that into comparison the Bugatti Veyron has a P/W ratio of 4.1lbs. UK Garage decided to give the Lotus Exige a “little” boost in power.
Based on the Lotus Exige chassis, [...]
Gear and Tech : February 11, 2009
Want to feel the power between your legs? Mission Motors has you covered, recently unveiling an electric crotch rocket capable of going 150 mph. Read on for specs and pics.
Gear and Tech : February 10, 2009
Ever thought about placing a Motor in the middle of your living room? How about putting YOUR rear end in the rear end of a car?…in your kitchen. In order to get as much automotive paraphernalia as you can in your life, you need to bring some of these unorthodox contraptions into your home.
Gear and Tech : January 30, 2009
Audi is working on a new technology called “Travolution” which allows for drivers to tell when the stoplight will change. Think of all the times you are rolling up quickly on a stoplight trying to decide whether or not the light will turn red by the time you get there. Thanks to Audi’s Travolution [...]
Gear and Tech : January 29, 2009
What the hell is a Rotary Motor? What’s all this about rotors and NO PISTONS!?! Blasphemy! Jokes aside, the rotary gets a lot of flack but there’s actually many advantages to this type of engine. While you make think that’s “rotarted”, read on to learn more.
Gear and Tech : January 23, 2009
While viewing coverage for this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, I’ve noticed a few trends that might take off here in the States.
The main thing that I’ve seen is wheel vinyl…As in printed vinyl on the lips of wheels. Printed Graphics on cars is nothing new of course, but putting this type of thing on wheels [...]
Gear and Tech : January 20, 2009
Everything old is new again. Rocky Balboa, Rambo, Indiana Jones, John McClane, even the Dodge Challenger have all blown the dust off and made notable digital age comebacks. And while Indiana Jones probably should’ve stayed in mothballs, the brand new Radio Flyer wagon looks set to make a welcome return.
As you can see, [...]
Gear and Tech : January 9, 2009
Sorry for the deceiving title, I’m not hawking parts today. This article is about increasing the Top Speed Performance of your vehicle. Sure, you can always increase acceleration, but it gets to a point where horsepower becomes a minuscule factor and you’re aerodynamically limited as opposed to horsepower or gearing limited. This is mainly for [...]
Gear and Tech : December 30, 2008
Holy Carbon Fiber Crap, Batman!
Yesterday’s article wasn’t nearly enough to cover the wondrous objects constructed out of this woven greatness. I found a few more things that are a little….out there.
First on this list is something completely unnecessary, yet completely badass if you can afford it.
Carbon Fiber Stairs. Say whaaat? This thing is a giant [...]
Gear and Tech : December 29, 2008
They surely do make everything out of Carbon Fiber nowadays…
I’ve chosen a few products from the guys over at Carbon Fiber Gear Direct to highlight:
First off is CFG Direct’s super ballin’ Carbon Fiber wallet. With a sexy combination of Real Carbon Fiber and Soft Leather, this wallet is built to be durable. The wallet is [...]
Gear and Tech : December 17, 2008
It’s holiday season folks, I saw this and had to post about it! “RoadMice” is what it’s called, and I think it’d be a great stocking stuffer for whomever automotive inclined you decide to get it for. Basically it’s a mouse styled to look like a car. There’s no two ways around it.
It’s got your [...]
Gear and Tech | News : December 15, 2008
What would you think about Speed Sensitive Speedbumps? Kind of an interesting concept, I think.
I’m not too sure about the technology behind it, but apparently if you drive the speed limit, the bumps do not raise. From what I understand, by using a small damper inside to flatten out when a car drives [...]
Gear and Tech : December 11, 2008
Two-step, and Three-step. It has one purpose in mind, making lots of noise and propelling you forward as fast as possible. Not dancing.
First off let’s start with the basics. Two-step is also known as a stutterbox and is a form of launch control. Essentially two-step works as a secondary rev limiter. Two-step works off of [...]
Gear and Tech : December 10, 2008
VIP or Bippu, is a somewhat new style of tuning that is slowly taking over the scene. Companies like Junction Produce, Auto Couture and Fabulous are starting to creep into US Car shows.
What is VIP you ask?
VIP cars are Japanese luxury cars such as the Nissan President, Toyota Celsior and Toyota Aristo. These aren’t [...]
Gear and Tech : December 9, 2008
I think people very seldom value how important proper ergonomics is.
What exactly is Ergonomics? The scientific study of people and their working conditions, done in order to improve effectiveness. While it sounds boring, ergonomics is insanely important. You only get one body, and you know how fast that can all go downhill, which is why [...]
Gear and Tech : December 4, 2008
Looking for a gift for that performance minded enthusiast in your life? We’ve put together a few items that are sure to please them! This is only a portion of our list, the rest of which will be put out later on this week.
DEI Header Wrap Kit
Tired of heatsoak robbing you of precious power? You [...]
Gear and Tech : December 1, 2008
When the Cadillac 472ci came out in 1968, they were a giant in the world of displacement. While still a large motor, it has now been overshadowed.
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C Turbo 2 stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient Diesel motor in the world today. These engines were designed primarily for very large [...]
Gear and Tech | News : December 1, 2008
Anyone that reads the National Speed blog knows that I’m a big fan of flying cars. I’ve been clamoring for flying car technology since I tried to pilot my way out of the womb (take my advice and wait until they cut the umbilical cord before trying to takeoff). Little did I know [...]
Gear and Tech : November 28, 2008
Happy Black Friday from us here at National Speed, and we hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! For those that may not have heard, we just wanted to let you know that we’ve got a great performance parts black friday special. We have setup some deals that you really don’t want to miss (and I’m [...]
Gear and Tech : November 26, 2008
Forget you guys with your lifted trucks. You aren’t ballin’ hard enough if you aren’t riding on some Honeycomb wheels.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Resilient Technologies have come up with a wheel that doesn’t need any type of Air pressure. Instead of rolling on air, you’re just rolling on a honeycomb structure. Oh, and [...]
Gear and Tech : November 21, 2008
All too often people seem to forget that having lots of Horsepower is absolutely useless if you can’t put it to the ground. Unless you’re building a show car or a dyno queen, if you can’t get the power down, what’s the point?
While all of this is generally up for debate, I believe you have [...]
Gear and Tech : November 19, 2008
You know, this may be an odd article, but I saw this and just had to cover it.
This is one badass baby carrier.
Rory Craig of the Art Center College of Design has created a clever prototype for a new Sparco Babyseat. While not officially affiliated with Sparco, Rory is trying to pitch the idea to [...]
Gear and Tech | News : November 17, 2008
GReddy has just released the Greddy Type-RZ Blow off valve, which is to replace the current Type RS and is similar to the Type-S.
GReddy Blow Off Valves are easily adjustable to eliminate compressor surge and preventing premature boost leakage, while increasing boost response between shifts. Each valve is made of durable cast and billet aluminum [...]
Gear and Tech : November 14, 2008
A van with sex appeal? Yes, please.
You know, I’ve always thought the best bet was to go hang out in front of Walmart in my moms minivan to pick up chicks. I guess there isn’t much appeal to a fat guy with an Afro chilling in a rusty 1982 dodge caravan. It appears Honda tuner [...]
Editorial | Gear and Tech : November 13, 2008
Gymkhana
For those wondering, Gymkhana is basically a mixture of autocross and drifting, with other additional skillful maneuvers thrown in as well. Cones represent obstacles to navigate through. The “obstacles” involve many highly difficult driving maneuvers such as 360 spins, parking boxes, and figure eights…in other words my daily commute. For those of you talking trash [...]
Gear and Tech : November 11, 2008
A 3.2 liter Honda? Honda motor swaps have been done every which way, and now thanks to Hasport, there’s a new direction to go.
Hasport has just released their “j” series motor mounts for EGs and DCs (92-95 Civic/94-01 Integra/93-97 Del Sol). The J series motor is the same motor that powered most Acuras from 1998 [...]
Gear and Tech : November 7, 2008
With Christmas time right around the corner, we here at National Speed have compiled a list of gift ideas specifically for Subaru owners.
Factory Top Mount got you down? Stock Blow off valve just not cutting it? Perhaps you’re looking for some coilovers to slam your car and go terrorize a road course. Whatever your fancy, [...]
Gear and Tech : November 6, 2008
Cheap and Effective. Sound good to you? It sure does to me. It’s all about getting power for cheap nowadays. I think it’s time to go over some inexpensive but effective mods you can make to your vehicle for your budget build.
Intake
It’s pretty hard to drink something through a coffee stirrer, isn’t it? That’s what [...]
Editorial | Gear and Tech : August 21, 2008
I have a confession to make. I went a year and a half without changing the oil in my car. There, I said it. I’m not proud of it, nor would I ever recommend trying it. In my defense I’d like to point out that I didn’t do this out of [...]
Gear and Tech : August 14, 2008
Coke vs Pepsi. Freddy vs Jason. Turbochargers vs Superchargers. The debate has raged since the dawn of time (slight exaggeration), and in the case of forced induction technology, shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. The ultimate irony is that both technologies are basically the same thing, they just derive their [...]
Gear and Tech : August 9, 2008
On August 9th National Speed’s tuner, Taylor King, squeezed 535 horsepower out of a Turbonetics 60-1 Ball Bearing turbo on our 2003 Nissan 350z. Check out the video to see the awesome footage.
Click here for a full description of the 350z’s modifications.
Gear and Tech | News : August 6, 2008
For the four of you on the planet that haven’t seen the Dark Knight yet, allow me to introduce you to the new Batmobile. Thankfully, you won’t find Adam West in skin-tight spandex behind the wheel, nor will you see current Batman Christian Bale searching for a throat losange in the cockpit (seriously, what’s [...]
Gear and Tech : August 5, 2008
I became employed by National Speed back in February. That was the first time I’d seen Ben’s 00 Honda S2000. The car was bone stock and made for the perfect daily driver…until Ben tore it apart piece by piece. Apparently Ben not only enjoys tuning cars, but also taking them apart. [...]
Gear and Tech : August 1, 2008
I once had a friend in college that drove an ‘89 Civic with 250,000 miles on it and the sucker ran like a dream. No engine sputtering, no squeaky brakes, not a peep. Other than a busted lime green paint job and hemorrhoid-inducing seats, you’d swear the thing was mint. So when [...]
Gear and Tech : July 24, 2008
It’s no secret that gas prices are gouging you at the pump. Every time I stop to fill up I half expect the attendant to blindside me with a shotgun and ask me to empty my pockets. At this rate we’ll be paying $8.00 a gallon and selling our souls for a gallon [...]
Gear and Tech | Humor : July 17, 2008
“What the hell’s a gigawatt?” Children of the 80’s rejoice. If you’ve ever roared down the highway at 88mph hoping you’d travel back in time (I can’t be the only one that’s tried it) now is your chance. Thanks to the enterprising geeks at Diamond Select you can turn your car into a [...]