Draco-REX

Make Columbus Racing great again.

Gas velocity only matters to a N/A car for exhaust scavenging. Like a wind instrument, the exhaust is "tuned" a particular way so that the resonnance causes more exhaust to be pulled from the cylinders. (A similar thing is done with the intake, but we're talking exhaust here.) A higher "pitch" works best at the top end, lower pitch for the lower end of the power band. Obviously we're not dealing with actual musical notes, but the principle is the same. So changing to a larger diameter pipe will lower the "pitch" of the exhaust. If you're not musicaly inclined, take two bottles of different size and blow across the top, then think about how your engine sounds near red line vs cruising around town. Now the bigger and lower exhaust will still have a scavenging effect, but now that resonnance will be at an RPM that is outside the engine's power band; hence the power loss. Exhausts, as I mentioned earlier, are not musical instruments. They aren't designed to hold a note; they're designed to guide exhaust away from the passenger compartment and things that burn. So the exhaust pulses that make the scavenging effect happen will become distorted and lose their power the further they get from the engine. Throw a catalytic converter in the way and they won't have much more power after that. Which is why once you eliminate restrictions in the exhaust (cats, mufflers, excess bends) the best place to find power is in the headers. Now, here's the the big question: How much of your exhaust are you looking to change? If you're just doing a cat-back, go as big as you like. You'll only gain power as you reduce restrictions. If you're doing a cat back and eliminating cats in the exhaust pipes, then I would consider staying close to stock diameter for the test/track pipes, then going full bore with your cat back. If you're going from the heads back, I'd do some SERIOUS research into your headers with real-world examples to back up any claimed torque gains. tl;dr: If you're just replacing a cat back to get more sound, don't worry about exhaust sizing, get what sounds best.

Sounds like fun. A more relaxed version of a Hocking Hills or Triple Nickel run. There are some similar cruises after some Cars and Coffee events.

That looks like so much fun. I wish I could have done that when I was younger.

Thanks. No videos.. I brought my GoPro but forgot it in my hotel room each day. I'm an idiot. It's not a very big trophy..

This past weekend was the 10th annual SCCA RallyCross National Championship. As some may know, this year I picked up a 2005 STI with the championship podium and beating a specific driver in mind. Well, I achieved part of my goals. The event was in Indianola Iowa and covered three days with the actual competition happening across two. There were three courses, two on Saturday, one on Sunday. Saturday morning's course was the shortest and the most technical with a long slalom and the fast curves falling over two crests. Fast times Saturday morning were in the high 30s, with my best being a 38.825. My times were good enough to place me in 4th, but two cone penalties in my last run dropped me to 7th. Warren Elliot, the many-year reigning champ spun on his second run, landing him in 17th at the end of the morning session. Saturday afternoon's course was a bit longer and more open. While it more resembled our local course designs, it took me too long to get a grip on it. Times in the low 40s were fast, my best was a 43.127, but it took me two runs to get there. Other drivers came to grips with the course faster and despite being cone-free, I dropped to 8th. Warren worked his magic and charged up the boards to end up 9th with just over a second between him and I at the end of Saturday. Sunday was the largest course, covering both halves of the field. This course felt like home and I had it down on my second run. Fast times were in the mid to low 50s, with my best being a 54.325. Others had a tougher time and while I picked up another two cones, I climbed from 8th to 6th, good enough to grab the last trophy for my class. Warren was not on his game for this course and only reached 8th. So 6th place was the final result. That puts me in the top 10 of drivers in the nation, but was far from standing on the podium. But I did achieve my goal of beating Warren Elliot; my times were solidly comparable to his through most of the weekend. But overall, I think I was successful. Looking at my times, 4th would have been possible if I had stayed clean through the weekend. 3rd was achievable if I had driven better Saturday afternoon in addition to being clean. But I don't think I could have achieved a 1st or 2nd place finish. Really, the Evo is just too strong. Both Modified and Stock were dominated by Evos with another coming in 2nd in Prepared. Despite all I've said in the past, I think the STI might not be the choice if I want to continue to pursue a national win. I have some thinking to do.

Man up and get a tougher face? I use paver sand followed by a hot tar mask. Look for one that is waterproof. You can use a shaving lotion with it and then rinse it out after.

I knew Fury Road used mostly practical effects. But it's awesome to see just how little CGI/PP effects were used. And also seeing that some effects that I thought were done with CGI or greatly enhanced were done for real. So cool.

My mother owned a black one. It was a good car until the transmission went. Then she traded it on a newer LeBaron.

Did you like the racing in the Speed Racer movie? Do you like Sci-Fi? Do you like your pompadours gravity defying? Do you think the 2nd gen Trans Am will be resurrected in the far future? Kaiju? When you think of an interplanetary racing series do you think it could only be improved by hosting the championship race on a politically hostile planet and placing the track in the middle of the largest military base? If so, I think you'll like this movie. Even if you aren't a fan of anime, but have a stomach for a little weirdness and a taste for over-the-top action, I'd say check this out. The english dub is very good as well. Honestly, if the first 5 minutes of the movie doesn't grab you, call 911, 'cause you're dead.

Hmm, a quick look and they're a bit more expensive than when I was looking last year. Racing Junk has one in GA for 5900.

I was thinking of a "learner" for track days at one point. And I figured the best and safest thing was to get a retired Spec Miata. Fully caged, sorted suspension and engine, safety gear, etc. Then I was planning to go beyond the spec by fully stripping the car, going to bigger tires and eventually upping the power.

That looks fantastic as it sits. Even the tucked wheels look just right on that car. I'd be tempted to just leave it like that. Very nice!

This is the picture I was thinking of; my great grandfather on my mother's mother's side.

That picture looks VERY familiar...

I wonder what it would do in the 1/4..

I actually have a Toyota in my garage.. well the engine of one. But this is the weekend before my wedding so I can't make it.

Gotta step up your game: http://www.hotrod.com/events/car-craft-summer-nationals/2016/rug-rat-rod-radio-flyer/

Around 100/day die in auto crashes. But no one seems to give a shit.

There was a similar pic recently on Reddit.. lemme see... The thread incase hotlinking fails: Essentially, take measurements before buying. Trucks have gotten bigger just like cars.

Looks good. If you want free dry ice for dynamat removal, just order some frozen stuff from Amazon Prime Now. They pack the driver's bag with flat bricks of dry ice they just throw out when they get back. And hell, Ice Cream!

It's still the driver's fault IMO. MAYBE you might have trouble telling the difference between a while trailer box and sky, but you don't miss the cab, undercarriage, or 4 foot tall tires. I think Tesla has been very clear that the driver using their autopilot needs to be attentive. Maybe they should aim a camera at the the driver and every time they look away from the road for more than a couple seconds the car should yell "EYES FRONT!" though the speakers at high volume. On second thought, every car should have that.

I'm not convinced. I think this is a Corvette mule for a Ford GT competitor. Ultimately, it boils down to one question: What does GM believe will alienate the Corvette faithful less: abandoning the front engine platform that has been the heart of the Vette since day 1 and making it more "exotic", or building a Halo car above the Vette? I'm not sure, but I'm going to go with Halo car.

Nice pick up. Always good to have a sledgehammer in the shed.

Hmm. Interesting info in this thread. I loved my Dewalt, but maybe I should go Milwaukee or IR. I just bought the Milwaukee electric ratchet. It's great, but feels very plastic..