>>900 hp Honda S2000/Mazda RX-8 controversy

900 hp Honda S2000/
Mazda RX-8 controversy

The controversy over engine swaps is never ending, and I am hearing it from many, many people. First of all, let me set the scenario for you, I am one of two owners of Bald Monkey Racing, we own another company that built the very first 2JZ S2000 in the world. Some of you are probably asking what is a 2JZ S2000, well it is a Honda S2000 with a Toyota Supra engine in it. Why did we build it, well first of all it had never been done before, and secondly we had built many high horse-powered Supra’s and we absolutely loved the Honda S2000. In our garage we had both, and while doing some work on the Honda one night we joked about having the horsepower of the Supra and the handling on the S2000, next thing you know after tons on engineering, fabricating, a bunch of money and 45 days later there it sat ready to start up, a 2001 Silverstone Honda S2000 with a Toyota engine and transmission. Somehow a few pictures got posted on the internet from a camera phone and our phone and email address’s started blowing up. How much, how long will it take, when can I get mine, yadda, yadda, yadda. We hadn’t even started the car yet, we got to thinking holy cow, and this is out of control. Next we got the car started, and decided to make a video about the car, we did and put it on youtube, we thought our email address’s and phone were blowing up initially, boy was I wrong, dead wrong. Within a week or so we were checking out some car forum boards and just couldn’t believe all the controversy, mostly in favor of the swap but lots of negative posts too. We bloated over all the good comments, but also read the bad ones too. There were posts like “The best swap EVER,” “You all build the baddest cars on the planet,” “How did you make the 2JZ fit in there,” and then there were the negative posts, like, “WHY,” “How could you kill the awesome handling of the S2k,” “You destroyed one of the best pieces of work ever,” and then we got one of the best neutral comments “Can you put the S2000 engine in the Supra,” boy did we laugh at that one. Since then we have built 5 2JZ S2000’s with different size Turbo’s, different parts and pieces, but we have recently outdone ourselves, we have built the first ever S2000 with an Automatic transmission, this one is out best yet. It has the 2JZ Supra engine in it, and is pushing over 900 horsepower, has a T-88 Turbo, tons of aftermarket parts, rims, stereo, and like I said an automatic transmission. The first ever Honda S2000 with and Automatic tranny, I rode in it for the first time last night and it is incredible. This thing rides like it came from the factory. This Yellow 2003 S2000 is a mutt, it has a Honda s2000 body, a Toyota Supra engine and transmission, a Nissan Skyline rearend, and a Nissan 300Z shifting module, and it works so great. You can see pics and videos of the 2JZ S2000’s in our forum board on www.racinsite.com. Now for a little more controversy, ready for this, we are swapping the same 2JZ engine into the Mazda RX-8, yeah you heard it here first. I have posted some pics of the engine in the RX-8 in our forum at http://www.racinsite.com, check them out. Well, not to toot our own horns but, now the Mazda forums are on fire, thanks to us. Same comments, “WHY,” “How could you kill the awesome handling of the RX8,” “You destroyed a great piece of work,” “How could you take out the rotary.” If you know anything about cars you will know that people either love or hate Rotary engine’s and that is what the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8’s have in them. We are not done with our first one yet, and we got a call next thing you know there are two in the driveway waiting for their new engines. This could blow up too. If you want to talk about controversy, wait til the Nissan community finds out what we have in store for them, they had better be ready, more to follow.

Bryan is one of the owners of Bald Money Racing, Network Engineer, webmaster/owner of www.racinsite.com and a part time blogger. Premier blogger and Network Engineer

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

By: Bryan Scott

>>Volkswagen Closing In On Proton Deal

Volkswagen Closing In On Proton Deal

Malaysia’s national carmaker may soon be in the hands of Europe’s largest automaker, Volkswagen AG. Proton, established in 1983 has been dominating the Malaysian auto market until recently. The competition in the said market has led to the declining market share for the Malaysian automaker. Faced with this problem, the Malaysian government has been looking for an international automaker which is interested in buying 43 percent share in Proton which the government currently owns.

Although General Motors and Volkswagen are both having talks with the Malaysian government, it appears that the state is more interested on what Volkswagen has to offer. Three talks have already transpired between the Malaysian government and Volkswagen regarding the sale of the 43 percent share in Proton.

According to a Malaysian financial weekly publication The Edge, Volkswagen is now closing in on the deal that will give the European automaker 43 percent of Proton. Currently, the 43 percent share of the Malaysian government is in the hands of Khazanah Nasional Bhd - the investment arm of the Malaysian government.

“It is also understood that VW may have agreed to pay some cash for its 51 percent equity in the new company that will own key assets of Proton,” reported The Edge. Volkswagen is expected to pour money into the Malaysian automaker. With the competition getting fiercer in the Malaysian auto market, it can be expected that Volkswagen will be leading Proton into a new era. That is if the Volkswagen and the Malaysian government agree.

The possible acquisition of Proton by Volkswagen will give the European auto maker better diversity in their offering. It is expected that Proton vehicles will be marketed by Volkswagen outside Malaysia. With the addition of Proton cars to their offering, Volkswagen will be expanding their presence in the global auto market.

In the past, Proton has enjoyed success in Malaysia due to its advantage in taxes. Non-Proton vehicles are sold in Malaysia with high taxes which mean that Proton cars are much cheaper than the cheapest competition. But with better foreign cars making an appearance in the Malaysian auto market, auto buyers slowly shifted away from Proton.

The prestige that Volkswagen will give Proton though will give the latter a boost in popularity. Aside from that, the two automakers will surely be sharing components and vehicle platforms. Auto parts such as the Volkswagen windshield wiper motor may soon be used on Proton cars. Technologies used by Volkswagen on their current auto models can also be used on Proton cars.

The Malaysian government though is not rushing. According to Malaysia’s trade minister, Rafidah Aziz said that they are looking to sell the 43 percent share they have in Proton but they are not in a hurry. The government set a goal to reach a decision by the end of this year. Since Proton is an important part of Malaysia’s economy, the Malaysian government is studying the deal very carefully.

“What we are looking for now is for somebody to buy the government-owned shares and that somebody should be able to provide the right kind of technology,” said the trade minister as reported by Reuters.

Meanwhile, shares for Proton jumped as reports surfaced of its possible tie-up with Volkswagen AG. According to experts, the positive news is the reason for the increased share value for Proton.

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

By: Anthony Fontanelle

>>Used Car Buying Tip

Used Car Buying Tip

You can save money on you next car if you have the same tools the dealers use. Car Buying Tip: Throw out the BlueBooks

Pretty much any article you see on buying used cars recommends research, research, research. I agree, just make sure you are using the correct tools to do your research. The Blue Book is not the right tool. Many websites are out there that will give you Blue Book pricing, cars.com, kbb.com, edmunds.com. What do all of these sites have in common, they all make money from advertising. Who pays for all of that adverstising? Car dealers and manufacturers, so is it any surprise that the “used car pricing” on these sites is skewed to benefit these advertisers.

What is Black Book pricing? Its the pricing guide that dealers use to value used car trade ins. Its also used by banks and credit unions to value a car for a loan. It is comprised by looking at actual sales of cars state by state. If you compare Black and Blue book pricing, you will consistently see that Blue Book pricing skews in the dealers favor. That is how a dealer can sell so many used cars at “below Blue Book value” .

Blue Book pricing is all over the internet, where do I find Black Book pricing? I have found the best and most trustworthy source for Black Book pricing to be credit union websites. Here is an example http://www.creditunionsvc.com/auto/newbb_fs.cfm (note you don't have to enter a vin number, just select the year and boxes to enter the make and model will pop up.)

So do your research, but just make sure you are doing it on websites that are not trying to make money off of you. Personally I have also found it useful to purchase a car at the end of the month. Salesmen and Dealers have quotas to make Find Article, they are more likely to let one go cheap at the end of the month.

Jeff is a self avowed cheapskate and outlines his transition from spender to tightwad in his blog http://savingmoney.iblogger.org

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

By: Jeff Jones