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The New Car Fanatic Thread


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3 hours ago, HoustonHorn said:

Picking it up tomorrow. Not a great picture but you can see the difference in the satin finish because they haven't finished the bumper which is still the metallic paint.

I love how the satin finish highlights the lines and makes them stand out.

7fb7511ca94354dd34f0dac61faa365d.jpg

Is that a wrap?

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On 10/25/2019 at 12:11 PM, HoustonHorn said:

Picking it up tomorrow. Not a great picture but you can see the difference in the satin finish because they haven't finished the bumper which is still the metallic paint.

I love how the satin finish highlights the lines and makes them stand out.

7fb7511ca94354dd34f0dac61faa365d.jpg

where did you get that wrap done, and if you do not mind how much?  I am thinking about getting my old 911 wrapped in a different color just for a change of pace.  yours looks fantastic.  

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EVS Motorsports on Bellaire. Full clear bra satin wrap was $5,500. I think a typical colored wrap is significantly less based on some of the quotes I received calling around. I got a quote from 713 Motoring that was $3,500 but when i clarified i wanted a clear wrap it jumped to $8,600.

I called the place someone recommended above and they weren't currently doing clear wraps and EVS was who they suggested I use. Talk with Ted or Cornelia. The service was great, they loaned me a Tesla Model 3 for a week at no additional cost and the end result is gorgeous.

Plus it's relatively close to Pho Dien.

I really don't like driving a Tesla for a variety of reasons but it is fast as shit.

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On 10/27/2019 at 10:26 PM, HoustonHorn said:

So, they said at the shop they can do a ghost tune which is basically undetectable. I have trouble actually believing that. Anyone have experience with that. Would add about 100hp.

It's probably a piggy-back tune that consists of a harness and electronic box that fools various sensor inputs to induce an artificially-inflated boost target.  Boom, mo powah.  BMS JB4 and Racechip are fairly popular on these platforms. 

Reality:  You gotta remove the cowl and a few other bits to get to the harness where the piggyback installs and you really shouldn't show up for dealership service with the piggyback installed.  While the knock sensors still work, the piggyback can't alter ignition timing to account for better or worse fuel. 

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11 hours ago, Speedtrucker said:

Do they still do the Eclipse?

 

They had a rally car Lancer WRC...

 

That’s about all I can think of from them

 

 

Oh and wasn’t the dodge stealth basically a Mitsubishi something or other?

They coopted the Eclipse name for a CUV/SUV.

The mirage used to be the platform base for the cool evos...and was atleast subcompact class but now it's firmly a ultramini-class shitbox.  (Whereas every other brand name went upsize and upscale).

And basically that's all the vehicles they have, according to Mitsu USA website

In Europe though the outlander plugin hybrid SUV is popular

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On 10/28/2019 at 2:51 PM, Okie State said:

I'm sure it depends on the tune and the car, but I've always read that there's no such thing as an undetectable tune. I've held off on one until my power train warranty runs out even though the chances of issues are slim.

Yeah, it's computer code.  Someone will ALWAYS be able to tell it's been flashed.  And, I think manufacturers are getting wise to it and putting safeguards and tell-tales on.

I'd understand if you were trying to upgrade a low-end, out of warranty krautwagen or rice rocket, or create a track monster of some sort, but throwing a tune an an already 500+ hp, nearly $100k vehicle just doesn't make much sense to me.

And, as mentioned, the trannies and running gear of these cars is pretty optimized for strength vs. weight already.  There's not a ton of margin to add hp and torque without something giving one way or the other.  These aren't 77 Camaros that can take 50-100% more hp without blinking.

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I received an invite to attend the Xtreme Xperience event at the GSR track south of Houston this morning.  The cars available for our group to drive were:

Lambo Huracan, Ferrari 488 GTB, Porsche 911 GT3, Dodge Hellcat, Nissan GTR.  They also had Cadillac CTSV and McClaren 720, but those were not offered in our group.  Our group got to choose 3 of the cars do drive 4 laps each.  One guy didn't really like driving on the track so he bailed on his last car chosen, which was the 911GT3, and he was kind enough to let me have his ticket for that allowing me to drive that one twice.  I chose the Lambo, Ferrari, and GT3 (got a bonus drive in this one)

The track was set up with lots of twists, and two decent straights.  one was decent length, the other pretty short.  

Frist car I drove was a black Lambo Huracan.  This car is all show, no go.  It is not a track car in my hands, anyway.  It looks badass, but it just fell flat compared to the others I drove.  That was so disappointing because I wanted to love it.  it felt almost like an SUV compared to the others.  It also felt the least planted of the bunch.  This is a car you drive to a steakhouse and nightclub because you have money and the car looks badass.  Other than that it did nothing for me.  I was truly stunned by that.  coming out of the last turn and hitting the straight I could never get it quite right and by the time it felt stable enough to get it to full throttle the moment was over.  I topped out at 98 mph on this one.  

 

Second up was a yellow Ferrari 488 GTB.  I have had the pleasure of driving a number of Ferraris.  They're incredible.  I think the 488 GTB is one of the best looking Ferraris ever.  I think I could get a lot more out of this car with more laps.  I felt like I drove it decently for a shitty track level driver.  I got more comfortable with the track in this car, but it also felt familiar to me.  I was able to top this one out at 104 on the home stretch which was the fastest I got any of the cars.  One note was it did seem to have a decent bit of lag on the turbo.  The one lap I was able to really apex out of the last turn into the home stretch I got the turbo wound up early and WOW.  That was insane.  This one was fun, and a great mix of a more than kick ass track car that you would drive to Mastros later and look cool.  

 

Last was 911 GT3 with PDK and as stated I got 8 laps in this thing.  Before I give my thoughts, I know, I know, I know everyone will think I am the homer on this.  Probably.  BUT out of our group of 12 people this was universally the car everyone was most stunned by, and universally voted the most fun, and best on the track.  If you had money to burn and wanted a track car it would be very difficult to beat this one.  Granted, this is also the only one that is built to be dedicated to track use out of the lot, so it does stand to reason it should be the "best" on the track.  So....yeah, it wasn't even close for me.  This one made me smile the most, and was just by miles the best to drive on the track.  It was so damn easy.  Granted, part of that is I have had 911's for 15 years and know exactly how these cars will handle, brake etc.  Everything about it was easy for me.  I do not consider myself a good track driver far far from it, and none of the other yahoos in our group were worth a shit either.  That said, I passed both lambo and Ferrari in this car.  The short straight on the outbound side of the track I was able to hit 100 mph which was 15 mph more than I was able to attain in the Ferrari.  that stunned me.  I was able to get it to 102 on the home stretch as well and overall it was just so damn good and fun to drive.  It was also the one car that would let you break the ass end out just enough to add a shit ton of excitement to the equation without being scary in any way whatsoever.  Oddly, it also had the best exhaust note and gear box.  All cars were dual clutch/PDK/Paddle shift/ driven in auto mode.  Nobody there was good enough to paddle shift and none of the instructors do it when they're competing either.  At least none of the ones I drove with.  FWIW- the GT3 was also the resounding favorite car of the instructors if you were doing track days.  If not driving on a track they have various favorites for various different reasons just like everyone else.  just a subjective thing.  

 

Other reviews of cars I did not drive - the Nissan GTR was considered a POS by pretty much everyone who drove it.  Didn't corner well.  I can attest to this in that I passed someone driving this one too when I was in the lambo.   The Hellcat - ha.  everyone was terrified of this one because it does not like to turn. at all.  It goes like hell, and the brakes will rip your face off, but it is a dragster and doesn't belong on a track.  

 

The event is continuing tomorrow so if anyone has any time and money they want to spend it's a really kick ass time.  I would strongly recommend it to anyone who loves to do track driving and a chance at throwing around some exotics.  I would do it again and spend my own money to do it.  

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15 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

I received an invite to attend the Xtreme Xperience event at the GSR track south of Houston this morning.  The cars available for our group to drive were:

Lambo Huracan, Ferrari 488 GTB, Porsche 911 GT3, Dodge Hellcat, Nissan GTR.  They also had Cadillac CTSV and McClaren 720, but those were not offered in our group.  Our group got to choose 3 of the cars do drive 4 laps each.  One guy didn't really like driving on the track so he bailed on his last car chosen, which was the 911GT3, and he was kind enough to let me have his ticket for that allowing me to drive that one twice.  I chose the Lambo, Ferrari, and GT3 (got a bonus drive in this one)

The track was set up with lots of twists, and two decent straights.  one was decent length, the other pretty short.  

Frist car I drove was a black Lambo Huracan.  This car is all show, no go.  It is not a track car in my hands, anyway.  It looks badass, but it just fell flat compared to the others I drove.  That was so disappointing because I wanted to love it.  it felt almost like an SUV compared to the others.  It also felt the least planted of the bunch.  This is a car you drive to a steakhouse and nightclub because you have money and the car looks badass.  Other than that it did nothing for me.  I was truly stunned by that.  coming out of the last turn and hitting the straight I could never get it quite right and by the time it felt stable enough to get it to full throttle the moment was over.  I topped out at 98 mph on this one.  

 

Second up was a yellow Ferrari 488 GTB.  I have had the pleasure of driving a number of Ferraris.  They're incredible.  I think the 488 GTB is one of the best looking Ferraris ever.  I think I could get a lot more out of this car with more laps.  I felt like I drove it decently for a shitty track level driver.  I got more comfortable with the track in this car, but it also felt familiar to me.  I was able to top this one out at 104 on the home stretch which was the fastest I got any of the cars.  One note was it did seem to have a decent bit of lag on the turbo.  The one lap I was able to really apex out of the last turn into the home stretch I got the turbo wound up early and WOW.  That was insane.  This one was fun, and a great mix of a more than kick ass track car that you would drive to Mastros later and look cool.  

 

Last was 911 GT3 with PDK and as stated I got 8 laps in this thing.  Before I give my thoughts, I know, I know, I know everyone will think I am the homer on this.  Probably.  BUT out of our group of 12 people this was universally the car everyone was most stunned by, and universally voted the most fun, and best on the track.  If you had money to burn and wanted a track car it would be very difficult to beat this one.  Granted, this is also the only one that is built to be dedicated to track use out of the lot, so it does stand to reason it should be the "best" on the track.  So....yeah, it wasn't even close for me.  This one made me smile the most, and was just by miles the best to drive on the track.  It was so damn easy.  Granted, part of that is I have had 911's for 15 years and know exactly how these cars will handle, brake etc.  Everything about it was easy for me.  I do not consider myself a good track driver far far from it, and none of the other yahoos in our group were worth a shit either.  That said, I passed both lambo and Ferrari in this car.  The short straight on the outbound side of the track I was able to hit 100 mph which was 15 mph more than I was able to attain in the Ferrari.  that stunned me.  I was able to get it to 102 on the home stretch as well and overall it was just so damn good and fun to drive.  It was also the one car that would let you break the ass end out just enough to add a shit ton of excitement to the equation without being scary in any way whatsoever.  Oddly, it also had the best exhaust note and gear box.  All cars were dual clutch/PDK/Paddle shift/ driven in auto mode.  Nobody there was good enough to paddle shift and none of the instructors do it when they're competing either.  At least none of the ones I drove with.  FWIW- the GT3 was also the resounding favorite car of the instructors if you were doing track days.  If not driving on a track they have various favorites for various different reasons just like everyone else.  just a subjective thing.  

 

Other reviews of cars I did not drive - the Nissan GTR was considered a POS by pretty much everyone who drove it.  Didn't corner well.  I can attest to this in that I passed someone driving this one too when I was in the lambo.   The Hellcat - ha.  everyone was terrified of this one because it does not like to turn. at all.  It goes like hell, and the brakes will rip your face off, but it is a dragster and doesn't belong on a track.  

 

The event is continuing tomorrow so if anyone has any time and money they want to spend it's a really kick ass time.  I would strongly recommend it to anyone who loves to do track driving and a chance at throwing around some exotics.  I would do it again and spend my own money to do it.  

Ted Maglaris, one of the founders, is a good friend.  I bet I can get discounts.  Lmk

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23 minutes ago, G650 said:

Wat

Edit: I just read on and you only hit 104 with any car? How short were these straights exactly?

Pretty damn short. They do that on purpose to keep a bunch of office jockey dipshit drivers like myself from from killing themselves and putting their 400k Ferrari into the wall. They also have coast and brake zones set up waaaaaaay before you’d ever consider braking if you were in your own car or running a race. 

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4 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

Pretty damn short. They do that on purpose to keep a bunch of office jockey dipshit drivers like myself from from killing themselves and putting their 400k Ferrari into the wall. They also have coast and brake zones set up waaaaaaay before you’d ever consider braking if you were in your own car or running a race. 

How did they shorten the front straight? I didn't see anyway to do that.

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1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Another 8k on brakes for the S63.  Need a new set every 20-25k miles.  Soooo...every year.  
 

When’s the Maybach truck coming out?  

Dear god. How?  Ive got the ceramics on my 2005 911S and even after several track days of crushing those they show damn near no wear.  I think i paid 9,995 as an option back then and thought it was insane. Of course, I’ve never ever replaced the pads on the thing 15 years later. How the fack are you ruining though a set a year and at 8,000 a pop?  W. T. F. 

Edited by pepper brooks
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6 minutes ago, G650 said:

How did they shorten the front straight? I didn't see anyway to do that.

Not sure, but I was just looking on line and none of the pictures of the tracks looks like the set up we had. My bet is the home stretch straight was 1/8 mile at best. I would exit the last turn at around 55, hit the gas and have to shut it down pretty quickly heading into turn one. Again, I’m not claiming to be any good at driving. My guess is a great driver could move the needles well above my 104.  I think i could have gotten there as well with more laps.  

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1 minute ago, pepper brooks said:

Not sure, but I was just looking on line and none of the pictures of the tracks looks like the set up we had. My bet is the home stretch straight was 1/8 mile at best. I would exit the last turn at around 55, hit the gas and have to shut it down pretty quickly heading into turn one. Again, I’m not claiming to be any good at driving. My guess is a great driver could move the needles well above my 104.  I think i could have gotten there as well with more laps.  

Yeah I was just curious how they would configure it since I don't see any turn off options to shorten it from a quarter mile. Possibly could have added some asphalt since google earth took the photo.

You should make a trip to the Abu Dhabi F1 experience sometime. They basically let you run wild.

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40 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

Dear god. How?  Ive got the ceramics on my 2005 911S and even after several track days of crushing those they show damn near no wear.  I think i paid 9,995 as an option back then and thought it was insane. Of course, I’ve never ever replaced the pads on the thing 15 years later. How the fack are you ruining though a set a year and at 8,000 a pop?  W. T. F. 

Ridiculous.  Called around - seems legit.  I have a driver.  It’s not even driven hard.  Carbon ceramics cost more on front end but last longer if I was told correctly.  Loved those on the 911.  
 

edit:  I should mention they require you to change rotors and pads out.  I bet you could just slap pads on the non warped rotors.  But that means me finding someone else to service the car and it’s already there to get winter tires put on.  Stealership indeed.  

Edited by ChiTownDoc
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3 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Ridiculous.  Called around - seems legit.  I have a driver.  It’s not even driven hard.  Carbon ceramics cost more on front end but last longer if I was told correctly.  Loved those on the 911.  

When i finished my last lap in the gt3 today the instructor noted he could smell the ceramics burning, the true sign of a lap well done.  

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35 minutes ago, G650 said:

Yeah I was just curious how they would configure it since I don't see any turn off options to shorten it from a quarter mile. Possibly could have added some asphalt since google earth took the photo.

You should make a trip to the Abu Dhabi F1 experience sometime. They basically let you run wild.

I think the very last thing I need in my life is to be behind the wheel of a super car with anarchy involved.  May do that when I’m 75-80 and just ready to be done. 

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13 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Ridiculous.  Called around - seems legit.  I have a driver.  It’s not even driven hard.  Carbon ceramics cost more on front end but last longer if I was told correctly.  Loved those on the 911.  
 

edit:  I should mention they require you to change rotors and pads out.  I bet you could just slap pads on the non warped rotors.  But that means me finding someone else to service the car and it’s already there to get winter tires put on.  Stealership indeed.  

Seems to me two options here. Get a panamera turbo with ceramics, awd, and all season tires or move south.  

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