Mallard

I just don't see how it can ride so well when you can't even gat an inch of suspension travel. Either the springs must be extremely stiff so you don't scrape the body, or you're scraping everwhere. The only car I've ever seen that low on the street (or as low as the ones in the link posted) was a Lumina that was out at Hooters one night (long time ago, when we used to meet out there). He had a sticker on his back window that said "Mr Bouncy" and the sticker did not lie. Insulting a Sky will not hurt me. I actually don't have that car anymore, but nothing else I have is worth making a new sig for. To each their own. You post things on here to get people's reactions and you get defensive when someone doesn't like it. I could care less.

I guess I don't get it. I don't like the stretched tire look and unless it's on airbags that has to ride like total shit. Did you just take the springs out so you ride on the bump stops? Some of the cars in the link that was posted look decent for show, but not on the street.

Nice Work.

No one makes pumps for the GM cars. ZZP is making over 500 HP on a completely stock fuel system, as far as I've seen. The GM pump is completely different from the Hitachi pump Audi and Mazda use.

Correct, but they initially tested a handful of units before being pulled from the market from what sounded like pistons seizing in the pump. Most likely that's due to him assembling them in his garage/house instead of having APR do it, so the pistons were not matched properly to the bore sizes. He relaunched a few months later with parts from a different company. Around the time PG was testing his parts I was in contact with APR about the GM Ecotec pump.

In all honesty, a birdie told me that the Audi and Mazda pump internals are the same, which is why companies like ProtegeGarage were offering upgrades that they would assemble themselves. (They originally bought the pump internals from APR, until they had a few issues, as far as I can tell it's because APR probably sorts the pistons based on what part of the spec they fall in, then match them to a specific bore size for optimal fitment, and ProtegeGarage probably didn't.) It would be hard to rival the R&D that APR has done on their parts. They have a specially built test rig for these pumps. They test every pump after assembly and verify the flow. I would not be surprised if APR is the company CP-E is using to source their pumps. Here's their injector test stand:

I didn't even tell you about the rest of my day Next week I'll get to drive a 2010 Mustang GT Manual and a 2010 Camaro V6 Auto for comparison. I wish I could take a spin in the 2011 GT, but they don't have one yet. My job has its ups and downs. I love what I do, but I'm away from home 12-20 weeks per year.

At a certain power level it looks like they need to upgrade the stock cam-driven pump. If you need good info about the upgrade check out http://www.goapr.com and read about the upgrade on an Audi 2.0TSI. It's the same pump on the MS3. Although the DI GM cars are adjusting their fuel pressure with tables in the ECU and are putting out ~500 HP with a completely stock fuel system. Not sure the design differences between the GM and Audi/Mazda pump (Hitachi), and I know some MS3/6 tuners are adjusting fuel pressure. Welcome. I always liked the MS3 and I still miss the handling of my MS Protege.

It had 2 subs in the trunk and it looked to be a pretty powerful system.

Yup, there was one parked in front of our building the other week. I have a friend that works at Car and Driver and he said the automatic V feels lazy and the manual is incredible, which confirms my suspicions.

CTS-V, hands down. I like luxury, and that's definitely a car I could drive every day. The GT500 feels more like a toy instead of a daily driver.

Today I got the opportunity to hoon both of these cars for a short time. My time was limited and I couldn't do anything TOO extreme since the tires needed to be preserved. First up was the CTS-V. I have obviously been impressed with the base CTS since it came out, and the numbers the V puts down are even more impressive. When this car pulled up I expected to be wowed, and I generally was. This car was an auto, and I think the manual would be quite a different experience. The main words that I can use to describe this car are smooth and refined. The power delivery is very smooth. It's obvious this car has a lot of torque and a very flat curve too. It feels like it continues to accelerate at a constant rate until you take your foot off the gas. For a 556 HP car the engine, exhaust, and interior noise level were very refined (read:quiet). But it's a Caddy, it's not supposed to be a raw sports car. Playing with the adaptive damping button there is an obvious difference between modes. The ride can be stiff, but not too harsh. The brakes are amazing and handling is impressive. The tires obviously have loads of grip available. The seats and interior quality are some of the best I've ever experienced 1st hand. I wish more seats were like the V. My only nit-pick is I could see the tear seam in the dash for the passenger airbag. Overall the V is an awesome car. However, I know it's fast, but this car does not feel 556 HP fast. Maybe it was the auto, or maybe it was the weight. Either way, this car has a lot of content, amazing handling, great seats, and giant brakes. This is a sports car you could drive everyday on any road and not hate life. The experience would be even better if your daily commute involved some twisties. Next up was the GT500. Let me start this by saying that I am not a Mustang person. I've been in several previous generation models and was disappointed. I never liked the interior much and they have the image of a high school cheerleader's car. I've read much about the new models and have been curious to get behind the wheel, and today I was lucky enough to do so. WOW. No, really. The new GT500 genuinely surprised the hell out of me. It's definitely a more raw sports car than the V, with more supercharger whine, louder exhaust, and a lower seating position. The suspension feels softer in the GT500 (compared to the V), and that may add to the feeling that you're accelerating harder. When you get on the go-pedal the rear of the car hunkers down (or the front raises up) and feels planted. Under braking there is more dive too, but the brakes are very good too. The Brembo brakes to an excellent job of slowing the car down and ESC hits feel very smooth. The first time I launched the car I thought I missed the 1-2 shift, but to my surprise I was actually in second. The GT500 has an incredibly short throw and it feels very direct. It took a little getting used to after driving a few "other" cars, but I love it. It felt faster than the V in a straight line, but I'm unsure if that's the lower weight or the louder noises. Either way, it's pretty apparent the GT500 is dragging less weight around. The seats were not the body hugging Recaro's of the V, but they were still very good. I didn't feel like I was ever holding on to the wheel for support or bracing my knee on the door. The dash was improved over the older cars I was in, and I thought it was cool that the SVT logo lights up red after you cross ~3000 RPM. Overall I came away very impressed with the Mustang, and Ford may have changed my mind about this car. With the 2011 getting even lighter, and the 5.0L GT on the way it seems like Ford has genuine car enthusiasts working for them. They're going to have one of the strongest product line ups on the market, and they definitely just won over one potential new customer.

The SRT comes in a manual too. They probably didn't do an SRT because of the price comparison. However, it would be interesting to see if they could get a R/T on 20" wheels, because those get a different axle ratio. (3.92 vs. 3.73)

The GTM is nowhere near a "supercar." It's a kit car, plain and simple. This Hennessey car fits the bill, looks great (not that he needed to design anything), and should perform very well.

I haven't seen many JGC SRT's on the forum...is anyone running one? It seems like more people are running the TB SS.

Not to hijack this, but if you're interested in getting into the automotive industry there are some great opportunities at Chrysler right now. They have a lot of work to do and are understaffed, so coming in it might be tough, but if they survive there is room to advance quickly. They have a massive amount of engine/powertrain development jobs posted right now. They are also hiring again for a program where you rotate through different departments in the company while going to school for your engineering masters degree. They pay for your school, and you get paid for 5 days a week and only work 4 (the 5th day is a 'study day'). You're guaranteed a job at the company when you finish.

Really? It doesn't take an input from an AEM UEGO WBO2 to compensate?

People used to use the SMT6 on Protege's (when I had one) all the time, and they seemed to do well. However it's hard to argue with the AEM FIC. I have seen great results with it being used on many platforms, including the 2.0T Genesis Coupe. The FIC would be my choice. It's a good price, has all the capability you need, appears easy to hook up and tune, and good customer support.

homo

Nate should have been too.

Nate, please abide by the forum rules when posting. You did not make fun of anyone, talk shit about any company or person, post a stupid picture, or say something blatantly off topic. Further, you must use at least one of the words moar, teh, fail, joo, homo, buttsecks, or vetc yo in every post. Stop trying to bring rationality to the board. I hate you. j/k you know I love you.

Can't refinance because he is so far in the hole. The "Obama rules" that help people refinance underwater mortgages are for people that have 10% or less negative equity. Anything over that you would need to bring to closing in cash. Further complicating it for him is the fact that he has a second mortgage (I think he did an 80/10/10), and no one will let you refi unless you pay off the second mortgage first. Basically he's fucked. He's trying to get the bank to just convert his loan to a 30 year and fix the rate, but they have not been helpful. Next March/April he'll get a bill for ~$150k, which means he'll just foreclose/file bankruptcy/ruin his credit/have nowhere to live/etc.

I agree. You guys are getting worked up over nothing. It's just the terminology that's used for the dead guy in a shooting.

I don't believe this one bit. They won't talk to my co-worker about a short sale until he stops making payments, but when that happens his credit is hit. He's been trying to proactively work with his bank but they won't do anything. (he has a balloon that's up next March, and the amount due is 20% more then the house was appraised at).

That's why there are classes of racing. Will an AWD car be faster through dirt and gravel than a RWD car? Of course. That's not disputed. Are you better off sinking all your savings into a 500 HP 4 banger with a stock bottom end, or a V8 with bolt-ons? I like both ends of the spectrum, but if you're spending all your savings on the inital purchase of a car I would not be cranking up the boost and tempting fate. Buy something fun and reliable until you're financially on your feet.