All posts by ndubs77

Ford Fiesta ST Tuning And Modification Guide

January 21, 2015 ndubs77 8 Comments

The Ford Fiesta ST is one of my favorite cars currently on sale in America. It’s just such a great package for a great price, and it puts most other cheap performance cars on sale in America to shame. If your budget is a strict $25,000 and you want a fun new car, you’d be a bit foolish to buy anything else.

Of course, with any performance-focused car, owners want to know how they can make their car faster with aftermarket parts and tuning. I thought the Ford Fiesta ST had pretty much everything going for it in stock form, but it’s only human nature to want to push things further.

A friend of mine just got himself a Ford Fiesta ST, and that has inspired me to write this overview on modifications and tuning for the car. Now, The Smoking Tire has already done some wonderful videos on upgrading their Fiesta ST. Because I want you, the reader, to have the best information available here, I will include those videos in this post. Also, see the table at the bottom for all the numbers in one place.

Let’s get to it!

Continue reading Ford Fiesta ST Tuning And Modification Guide →

Opinions

2016 Acura NSX, It All Comes Down To The Price

January 19, 2015 ndubs77 4 Comments

The 2016 Acura NSX finally made its debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, and overall it looks pretty good. That said, it isn’t anything Earth-shatteringly special in supercar terms, and for that reason it does need to be a bit of a bargain. In direct terms, I think the Acura NSX needs to be a sub $150,000 car if it is to succeed.

Continue reading 2016 Acura NSX, It All Comes Down To The Price →

Opinions

2016 Lexus GS-F, Stupidity Or Genius?

January 16, 2015 ndubs77 3 Comments

Lexus has unveiled the long awaited F version of their GS sedan, the aptly named “GS-F.” It aims to take on the heavy hitters of the high performance luxury sedan market. You know, the BMW M5, Mercedes E63, Audi RS7, and Cadillac’s daring new CTS-V. With such hefty competition, we were all sure that Lexus would really come prepared. We waited with baited breath as we saw test mules running through their paces, hoping it would be another a bombshell like the Cadillac.

Now out in production form, we see that Lexus has given the GS-F a big naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 that produces all of 467bhp. And that would have been great… if it were still 2003.

Continue reading 2016 Lexus GS-F, Stupidity Or Genius? →

Cars We've Seen

VW Karmann Ghia Convertible Spotted in Carmel, CA

January 14, 2015 ndubs77 3 Comments

We saw this beautiful VW Karmann Ghia Convertible cruising the streets of Carmel during Monterey Car Week. What a stunning color combo!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry

Everyday Driver Tests The Lamborghini Countach

January 12, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

The guys at Everyday Driver recently got the chance to take a stunning Lamborghini Countach for a spin, making all of their wet dreams from the 1980s come wonderfully true. Enjoy that V12 sound, and those epic looks!

-Nick

Opinions

The MK7 Volkswagen Golf R, and why the Subaru STI should be scared

January 9, 2015 ndubs77 7 Comments

Volkswagen’s new Mk7 Golf R seems to be something special, something that ups the ante. In fact, it appears to have improved so much so that I think it will serve the Subaru STI it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an extra smack in the face for dessert. And I say that as someone who owns a Subaru STI.

A Stagnant Subaru

But I don’t own a new Subaru STI, no, I own a 2004 STI, and the car that I bought back in 2006 was a very different car than today’s. The STI I bought was one that was legitimately, wheel to wheel, a Porsche 911, BMW M3, and Corvette competitor. The 2004 STI was a world-beater ten years ago. But here is where we come to the problem with the new STI… it has barely changed one bit since 2004.

Continue reading The MK7 Volkswagen Golf R, and why the Subaru STI should be scared →

Auto Idolatry

The Ferrari Testarossa Story on /DRIVEN

January 7, 2015 ndubs77 3 Comments

Drive takes an amazing look at the story of the Ferrari Testarossa, the most iconic car of the wild 1980’s. If you were a successful drug runner in some lavish location back then, then this was the car to have!

-Nick

CARS 101

Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R 2.0T Modification and Tuning Guide

January 6, 2015 ndubs77 7 Comments

Volkswagen’s 2.0T has been the backbone of their lineup, at least here in the US, for nearly a decade now. It has nestled itself into a versitile position, powering the higher-end VW models as well as the lower level Audi models.

Volkswagens equipped with the 2.0T include: the GTI, Golf R, Jetta GLI, Passat, Beetle Turbo, CC, Eos, and Tiguan.

Audis equipped with the 2.0T include: the A3, S3, A4, A5, A6, Q3, Q5, and TT.

The 2.0T has wide-ranging capabilities, and, what luck, it just so happens to be quite tuneable. While there are a few varying versions of the 2.0T out there, depending on the model, the general modification path is pretty standard fare.

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Car Games

Santa’s 12 Cars Of Christmas Game

December 25, 2014 ndubs77 10 Comments

Happy Holidays to everyone!

To celebrate, we are going to play a little game. Santa is going to give you 12 cars, any 12 cars you can think of, but there’s a catch. You must keep these 12 cars for the rest of your life. You cannot sell them, and you cant buy other cars ever again. So these 12 vehicles will need to cover every task you want to do in your life. But the good news is that Santa will enchant each of the cars so that they will never break down or need any maintenance (other than refueling).

So what 12 cars would you pick?

Our answers are below. Feel free to post yours in the comments!

Continue reading Santa’s 12 Cars Of Christmas Game →

Opinions

The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V And The Identity Of New GM

December 24, 2014 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Christmas came a few days early for American car enthusiasts this year. On Monday, General Motors released the first details on the new Cadillac CTS-V, the latest part of a blatant assault on their foreign rivals. But the offensive is about far more than just “beating” the competition. What these efforts are really about is cementing a solid reputation for the new-era of General Motors.

What I’ve seen happen in the last few years is GM creating their own identity, their own unique flavor of automobile. This is especially so in the high performance sector. GM isn’t trying to build a carbon copy of the latest BMW, quite the contrary. If anything, BMW has strayed from their own ideology in recent years, and GM has chosen to pursue the path that BMW and others have left behind.

Continue reading The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V And The Identity Of New GM →

Auto Idolatry

Drive’s Dodge Charger Hellcat Road Trip

December 23, 2014 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Join Mike Musto for an 800 mile road trip in America’s fastest sedan, the Dodge Charger Hellcat. Nothing like 707hp and the scent of roasted rubber to wake you up in the morning!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry

Motor Trend Tests the Porsche 991 GT3

December 22, 2014 ndubs77 Leave a comment

In terms of value for money, the Porsche 911 GT3 is unquestionably the car to buy among the 911 range. It offers Enzo-like acceleration yet still maintains an overall propensity for handling. See for yourselves!

Enjoy

-Nick