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Power & Racing

• Oval Track Training Adventure

  I discovered short-track “stock-car” racing at an early age. My parents enjoyed it and took us to a track near Cleveland on nice summer weekends. I LOVED it, and vowed to do it one day. At 17 (I told ... Read More

• Used Performance: 155 MPH for Under $15,000

  Few cars available for less than $15,000 can exceed 155 mph. Most German and Japanese supercars are electronically limited to 155. Others that can reach 145 have too much aerodynamic drag to push past... Read More

• The Mouse That Roared

  The “Cinderella Story” is a well-worn metaphor for anything transformed from modest origins into something with a more regal bearing. And then there’s the comparison of David and Goliath, to emphasize... Read More

• Installing Easy Bolt-On Power, With a Catch

  The best power mods are simple. They make a better match for your vehicle’s mechanicals than the OEM part, and produce additional power with what’s already there. Factory hardware can be compromised f... Read More

• Double Clutching

  Not that long ago, the only vehicles with dual disc clutch assemblies were heavy-duty trucks and the odd Corvette. As engine horsepower levels dropped in the late Seventies and almost all the way thro... Read More

• Vintage Racing: Your First Race

  In the other Vintage Racing articles, we learned what vintage racing is all about, picked out the perfect car and surrounded ourselves with safety equipment. Here, we'll cover gettng our license and... Read More

• Vintage Racing: Getting Started

  In the first two parts of this series, we saw how vintage racing has become one of the fastest growing forms of amateur motorsports. We also discussed the various types of vehicles involved in the... Read More

• Vintage Racing: The Cars

  In our first installment we talked about the fast-growing sport of vintage racing, where cars from the past are taking to the tracks again at courses across the country. This time we are going to... Read More

• Vintage Racing

  In many ways, today's racing is undoubtedly safer than in the past, but in other, less tangible ways it just doesn't seem as much fun. Fortunately, if you yearn for the "good ol' days" of motorsports... Read More

• Top Speed Testing

  I used to believe top-speed testing would be automotive nirvana. But that was before I started driving for a major car magazine. Instead, pushing a car to its terminal velocity is like kissing a... Read More

• Beginning Drifting

  Think drifting looks cool? Then you've got to do it from behind the wheel. Performed with precision, drifting makes you feel like a driving demigod. Passengers will disagree: They'll swear you're... Read More

• Wanna Race?

  You can become a race driver. It's easy. It doesn't (have to) take a lot of money. Mechanical experience isn't required and on-the-job training will be provided. I started racing on a very moderate... Read More

• NASCAR Mid-Race Adjustments

  What separates winners from losers in NASCAR? One answer: mid-race adjustments. During a NASCAR Cup Series race, it's not unusual for fast cars to slide to the back while others gain speed. The... Read More

• NASCAR Pushes Loose

  Even longtime NASCAR fans are regularly confused by racing terms tossed around by drivers, crew chiefs, and TV reporters. Here's part of the problem: Those expressions must first be translated from... Read More

• Revisionist Replica

  Looking at Ford's latest supercar, the GT, its ancestry is obvious. Although taller and heavier than the original GT40, the GT is clearly from the same end of the gene pool. Yet its mission is... Read More

• Mustang Live Buildup, Part 2

  With the suspension and brakes upgraded on this Mustang Live Buildup, we're now ready to get into the engine and body mods. ... Read More

• Mustang Live Buildup, Part 1

  Going to car shows to check out the latest rides is a favorite American pastime, but how often do you see anything more than static displays of shiny new vehicles? What if you could see a stock... Read More

• Subaru WRX TGVs for Power and Profit

  So where were we? Alright, skipping the speeches about planning ahead, researching applications and not jumping the gun, we'd pulled a hip-shot, buying un-researched speed parts without a plan to... Read More

• The Zen of Used Parts: WRX STi Intercooler Swap

  Cars that are used like cars (ie: driven) and not detailed all the time (or parked in a garage and polished relentlessly) tend to get dirty. It's a real-car thing that trailer queens and poseurs... Read More

• WRX Rear Shifter Bushing Install

  Right now we're working on the theory that you can spend a few bucks on a small performance modification and it'll still be worthwhile. Think of it this way: Simple to install; low-stress components;... Read More

• Supercharged Gas Huffer

  Ever since early hot rodders took their cues from World War II fighter planes and adopted belt-driven forced induction as a proven way to generate more power from less engine, the supercharger has... Read More

• Little Big-Block V-8

  For all the excitement of driving a musclecar or street rod fitted with a thundering, 427-cubic-inch, big-block V-8, there's something you ought to know—a small-block V-8 has the lightning... Read More

• The Zen of Using Used Parts

  It's with great pleasure that we can report our successes with used parts. We still need new parts retailers for everything else, but the coolest junk just might be found online, in a buddy's garage... Read More

• Women in Motorsports

  Is this finally the time when women in motorsports can command the kind of attention they feel is appropriate? With the recent high profile accomplishments of Kathryn Legge having just completed a... Read More

• Motorsports Universities

  There are many seasoned motorsports veterans who look each year for a new challenge, a new team, a new opportunity. They bring tremendous experience with them and a corresponding price tag. For many... Read More

• Solar Raycers

  Hybrid drivers, eat your hearts out. While a gas/electric hybrid may get phenomenal mileage compared to a conventional car or SUV, there is a new type of car that can go clear across the continent... Read More

• Diesel Drags

  Who knew? Who'd have thought a diesel-powered pickup could also be a hot rod, and a fuel-efficient highway cruiser to boot? Well, a whole bunch of Canadians sure knew, and they emphatically... Read More

• Nitro-Huffing Time Machines

  Nitromethane, or CH3NO2, can be used in a number of different ways, such as a component in dyes, and in the manufacture of antacids. Boring. Nitromethane can also be used in the manufacture of resins... Read More

• We Have Lift-Off!

  With the recent success of the movie Dust to... Read More

• Exhaust Tips and Tricks

  Exhaust tips are one of those items that bridge the gap between the two worlds of automotive performance and visual style. What makes exhaust tips unique is that along with adding a visual finishing... Read More

• Downpipe Install

  If you're one of the lucky ones who drive around with a turbo or two huffing exhaust into horsepower with the stomp of a foot, then you already know performance is what puts a smile on your face.... Read More

• Flying Low, Truck Style

  Performance fantasies come in all sizes and shapes, from superbikes to supercars. And then there are muscle trucks. Imagine driving an 1,100-horse, twin-turbo sport pickup with 1,400 pound-feet of... Read More

• Placebo Performance

  "Old elephants limp off to the hills to die; old Americans go out to the highways and drive themselves to death with huge cars."—Hunter S. Thompson... Read More

• Porting WRX TGVs at Home

  It's old-fashioned tuning, hammer and chisel stuff akin to hacking off the mufflers and running around uncorked for every horse it could provide. It's new tech, counting on the computer to... Read More

• Sleeper Silverado

  Back in the musclecar era, Chevy produced a whole slew of big-V8, rear-drive road cars, such as the Nova, Camaro and Impala. Not all were conspicuous about their performance potential, however. One... Read More

• Gear Splitter Install

  Having a few extra gears at your disposal can come in very handy. For instance, many drivers have likely experienced the following scenario on a steep hill: You're cruising along at a comfortable... Read More

• Salt Shaker

  For some sexagenarians, salt can be healthy. Just ask John Maffucci. Even at the age of 60, he's not one to avoid a high-sodium diet. Back in 2003, he hit 178.998 miles per hour in his 2003 Cobra on... Read More

• Can-Am Racing, Part 2

  When the Can-Am racing series petered out in 1974, it left a vacuum in the road-racing world. The thundering McLarens, Lolas, Chaparrals and Porsches had provided some of the most thrilling racing... Read More

• Can-Am Racing History, Part 1

  Thundering V-8s, featherweight chassis and huge wings to hold it all on the ground—what's not to like? Although this might sound like a description of a modern sprint car race, similar... Read More

• Club Racing

  Every year, tens of thousands of amateur drivers compete in hundreds of "club racing" events from New Hampshire to Hawaii, Florida to Washington, British Columbia to Nova Scotia. Save for the most... Read More

• Avoiding the Spin Cycle

  Fans of racing series featuring front-wheel-drive cars often observe a strange phenomenon—cars bump together during close racing, sending one into what seems certain to be the spin cycle. But... Read More

• Red Hot Chili Pepper

  What's it like to test-drive a 560-hp, twin-supercharged Ferrari 360 Modena at 200-plus mph—on a public road? And more important, what do you say to the Highway Patrol if you're caught?... Read More

• Goodguys VRA 7th Pomona Nitro Nationals

  Under the hot, late-June California sun and into the cool night air, the Goodguys Vintage Racing Association 7th Pomona Nitro Nationals was drag racing at its best. Over the course of two days and... Read More

• Performance Tuning

  Just about every performance enthusiast has heard a speed shop or aftermarket parts company tout some tantalizing performance gains for various engine components. Yet sometimes after bolting them on,... Read More

• To the Clouds and Beyond

  Not that long ago, racing was filled with stories of incredibly skilled but under-funded mechanics who resurrected an older race car, built a powerhouse of an engine using a block from an old school... Read More

• High and Mighty

  Think about the most challenging terrains on the planet: Rubicon, Dakar, the deserts of Baja, Australia's Outback. Places that pit man and machine against some of the most hostile environments you... Read More

• Torque Rules! Horsepower is King!

  Want to start an argument with a gearhead? Say that horsepower is more important than torque. Or that torque is more important than horsepower. The resulting fact-free emotionalism, random shouting,... Read More

• USAC Midgets @ Irwindale

  Southern California's Irwindale Speedway recently held a special USAC Midget race that offered the highest purse for a regular season event.... Read More

• Speed Reading

  You've probably heard these obscure words bandied about at every car event. Old-time hot rodders have a language all their own and it's embarrassing to keep asking what they mean (nobody wants to be... Read More

• Learn to Drive!

  What do you want from a high-performance driving school? Do you long to steer down the same pavement as racing superstars? Are you looking for a thrill you'll remember the rest of your life? Or do... Read More

• Sport Compact Scene

  The popularity of high-performance compact cars, also known as "sport compacts" and "tuner cars," has surprised many industry experts who'd thought it was a fad that would pass in a flash. They said... Read More

• Catch as Catch Can

  On the legendary Shelby Cobra, there was a pretty crude term for it. The graphic yet accurate name was "puke tank" because it collected what this sports car's hot V-8 coughed up during hard... Read More

• Sprint Cars

  What do Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have in common? Sprint cars and the closely related midgets and Silver Crown cars. Along with Dave Blaney, Ken Schrader, Jason Leffler, Mike Bliss,... Read More

• An American on the Road to Formula 1

  While NASCAR continues to be one of—if not the—most popular sports for Americans (and the United States provides one of the biggest racing markets in the world), Formula 1 has eluded the... Read More

• Shifty Business

  When people first started modifying their manual transmissions years ago, it was basically just a matter of looks. Aftermarket shifters gleamed with chrome and big T-handles that did little to... Read More

• The Road to Formula 1

  To some outsiders, every single-seat, winged, open-wheel racer is a "Formula 1 car." That's like saying everyone with a bat and glove is a "major leaguer," even if the player's shoulder patch says... Read More

• Romancing Supermodels

  Driving someone else's racecar is like romancing a supermodel. Just to get a chance to begin a conversation you'll have to be determined and assertive without being obstinate or aggressive. To move... Read More

• IRL and CART

  "Now we are engaged in a great civil war..."... Read More

• Easy Import Exhaust Upgrade

  Back in the day, changing the exhaust system on your vehicle usually involved a trip to the muffler shop, a torch and a welder. Getting underneath your car at home and doing that kind of job was out... Read More

• Cold Wind

  An engine is often compared to an air pump in that air is ingested, burned and exhausted. Well, human beings function anatomically much the same way. You inhale air, it enriches your lifeblood and... Read More

• NASCAR Explained

  Many new NASCAR fans wonder what is "stock" about a Winston (soon to be Nextel) Cup stock car. Some are unsure what "stock" really means. Even long-time fans may not know where and how stock cars are... Read More

• Stock Car Racing

  NASCAR Winston (soon to be Nextel) Cup is the 500-pound gorilla of American auto racing. But there are thousands of other stock car championships. These range from the well-known NASCAR Busch series,... Read More

• Nissan Skyline

  Among import auto enthusiasts, the ultimate status symbol is Nissan's Skyline. Although not often found on U.S. asphalt, this Japanese sports car has an extraordinary history that stretches back more... Read More

• The Mazda That Roared

  When the Mazda Miata was first introduced, driving enthusiasts embraced its responsive handling and fresh styling. This pivotal design reinvented the colorful yet problematic British roadster by... Read More

• Getting the Drift

  About a dozen years ago in Japan, street racers began trying a new type of driving called drifting. Instead of straight-line drag racing, they began throwing their cars into tight turns while mashing... Read More

• The Crate Escape

  Building a project vehicle is challenge enough without having to wrench on the engine, too. No surprise, then, of the increasing popularity of crate engines. These aren't just stock replacement... Read More

• Civic Dragster

  When Honda first introduced the Civic, who would have thought that it would become the darling of sport compact enthusiasts? It's the Gen Y version of a '57 Chevy, the blank slate for a host of... Read More

• Performance Exhaust Headers

  If you think of your vehicle's engine as basically a big pump, the need for free-flowing exhausts becomes obvious. Air in, air out—that's what it's all about.... Read More

• Twin-Screw Supercharging

  Not all superchargers are alike, and each type requires a different installation procedure. For those not familiar with the technology, a supercharger is essentially a pump that forces more air into... Read More

• Roots Side-Mount Supercharger

  It's hard to beat the look of a traditional Roots-type supercharger, that big shiny housing often seen bristling out of the hood of a hot rod. But the size and conspicuousness of this type of blower... Read More

• SSE Mini Cooper S

  "Austin Powers" fans could hardly miss that sporty entrance made by the Mini Cooper bedecked with a Union Jack paint scheme. But for performance enthusiasts, the real spy secret to be uncovered is... Read More

• HEI Ignition Upgrade

  Virtually all GM V-8 engines from the mid-'70s up to the distributor-less era of the '90s were equipped with HEI distributors. The HEI is an elegant design incorporating an electronic ignition... Read More

• Throttle-Body Spacers

  Many mechanics consider throttle-body fuel injection to be simply a computerized carburetor. Unlike the more-sophisticated multiport-injection (MPI) setups (which squirt fuel directly into the... Read More

• Blower Bolt-On

  More grunt is a good thing, especially when you're trying to climb a steep grade. To get more torque on tap, bolting on a blower is relatively simple. It can provide a significant increase in... Read More

• Checking Compression Ratio

  Car magazines throw around compression ratio numbers like 9.0:1 and 12.5:1 as though everyone knew what they were talking about. For those who don't understand what compression ratio is, it's simply... Read More

• CART Driving 101

  Do you ever imagine being behind the wheel of a powerful open-wheeled racecar envisioning yourself as a would-be Mario Andretti or Al Unser Jr.? You may be surprised to learn how easy your dream can... Read More

• Checking Valve-To-Piston Clearance

  Building a high-performance engine with various speed parts is tricky business. If you follow the basic engine building rules (measuring every part to ensure they meet specs, trial-assembling the... Read More

• Turbo Exhaust Headers

  The beauty of a turbocharger is that it makes use of wasted energy thrown away by the engine, the pulses and pressures of the exhaust gasses. The exhaust flow spins a turbine wheel that shares an... Read More

• Racing Batteries

  NHRA Pro Stockers are probably the best battery poster-children of the go-fast crowd. Their batteries are a bigger piece of the performance puzzle than most people think.... Read More

• Performance Dampers

  Original-equipment engine parts are designed to operate at factory-output levels. As engine builders and tuners increase power output, many stock components can't handle the increased stress.... Read More

• Updating Induction Systems with EFI

  Feeding fuel to a hot rod requires not only solid science, but also a sense of style. Since the induction system sits right on top of the engine, it's the first thing everybody notices when you open... Read More

• It's a Gas!

  Forcing more air into your engine so it burns more fuel is the basic concept behind superchargers and turbochargers. Another way to achieve this type of power boost is to change the actual content of... Read More

• Turbocharger Tech

  It's amazing just how long turbos have been in existence. The first design drawings for a diesel engine turbocharger were patented in 1905 by Buchi, a Swiss engineer and inventor. He knew he could... Read More

• Off-Road Driving

  Going off-road in a four-wheel-drive vehicle can be a wonderful adventure, a relatively easy way to experience remote destinations and spectacular scenery. Nobody would ever confuse it, though, with... Read More

• Supercharging Your Engine

  What hot rodders learned from the big bad wolf: If you huff and you puff, you'll produce more horsepower. Well, maybe not quite, but you get the idea. Think of your engine's pistons and cylinders as... Read More

• Aftermarket Oil Pans

  Generally speaking, bolt-on high-performance hardware is simple to install. In many cases, bolt-ons add extra bang. While most people immediately think of parts like intake manifolds, carbs, EFI... Read More

• Electronic Fuel Injection

  Imagine you're looking over the shoulder of an early pioneer of the computer industry. He's sweating over thousands of cathode-ray tubes all spaghetti-wired together, trying to cobble up a... Read More

• Mustang Engine Swap

  Engine swaps have always been a favorite trick of hot-rodders, but plugging in a 16-valve Cobra engine, Ford's 4.6-liter dual-overhead-cam modular engine, presents a whole new type of challenge.... Read More

• Differential Gears: The Optimum Choice

  Everyone who tinkers with cars knows the phrase "higher numerically, but lower" when referring to ring-and-pinion axle gears. But what does this really mean?... Read More

• Performance Pushrods

  In most engines, pushrods are pushrods. But in a high-performance application, hidden power could be lurking in the valvetrain. To find out how much power, we discussed pushrods with a few "name"... Read More

• Exhaust X-Pipes

  It's a proven fact that joining the exhaust pipes of multi-cylinder engines improves power and torque over a broad rpm range. A "tuned" set of exhaust headers (with pipes of calculated diameter and... Read More

• Aftermarket Airflow Sensors

  The laws of physics concerning engine performance are constant—stuff more air and fuel into the engine and draw more exhaust out and you'll increase power. Years ago, hot rodders would simply... Read More

• Trans Temp Gauge

  Much of automotive technology deals with heat-dissipation—high temperatures are one of the most common causes of parts failures. In automatic transmissions, excessive heat often foreshadows an... Read More

• Transmission Coolers

  The cooler your automatic transmission runs, the longer it'll last. Car manufacturers know this. To dissipate heat from the automatic transmission fluid (ATF), they route transmission lines through a... Read More

• Shift Enhancements for Your Automatic

  The term "slushbox" was coined to describe the less-than-optimum shift characteristics of factory automatic transmission. All major manufacturers between the '50s and '70s offered mushy-shifting two-... Read More

• Holley Power-Valve Blowout Protection

  Holley carburetors have been the mainstay of high-performance engines for more than 40 years. In fact, they're still standard equipment for Winston Cup cars as well as for the most powerful... Read More

• Guide To Rocker Arms

  Rocker arms can cost power, lots of it in some cases. Typically, a factory rocker arm's ratio is less than advertised. For example, many stock Chevy small-block rockers "check" at between 1.4:1 and... Read More

• Easy Exhaust Upgrade

  Performance enthusiasts know that one of the best ways to increase horsepower—especially in computer-controlled vehicles—is with a less-restrictive exhaust system. Because any components... Read More

• Building The Ultimate 750 Holley 3310

  Over the past 25 years, Holley has probably sold millions of 750 cfm vacuum secondary (#3310) carburetors. I know because I've personally purchased more than twenty 3310s for various cars over the... Read More

• Valvespring Selection

  The pattern is almost always the same: You're in the pits and fire up the engine. It sounds fine. You wing the throttle. It still sounds fine. It's time to idle over to the staging lanes and wait... Read More

• Top Ten Sport Compact Performance Projects

  Want to build a fast ride? The import and sport compact aftermarket has developed a huge number of performance parts for you, from fuel pumps to full-length snorkels, ignition equipment to injectors,... Read More

• Performance Torque Converter Install

  Many car enthusiasts believe that the path to better performance is through engine modifications. The problem is that engine modifications often don't work out exactly as you hope. Modifying a daily... Read More

• Holley Tuning

  One of the most botched, most misunderstood and most befuddling parts of the Holley carburetor is the accelerator pump circuit. Performance is a game of winners and losers; and, if your car dies,... Read More

• Top Ten Easy Performance Projects

  You want to modify your ride. There are tons of easy performance enhancements you can make that will take up just a small part of your time. Think about it-only two or three hours after work or a... Read More

• Diesel and the Aftermarket

  Given the building demand for diesel power, there's another side of the coin to consider. What sort of aftermarket upgrades can be added to improve performance, so an oil burner is more akin to the... Read More

• Alternatives to Street Racing

  Every form of speed competition, from the Kentucky Derby to NASCAR, originated from one cocky racer challenging another to prove whose ride was fastest. Even as motorsports events have grown into an... Read More

• Exhausting Possibilities

  Except for thinly disguised factory-built racecars like the Corvette Z06 or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, most automobiles leave the assembly line with engineering built into the exhaust system,... Read More

• Turbocharger Basics

  There are proven ways to generate more horsepower with any given engine. One way is to make the engine bigger. While this is the most obvious path, it also has its disadvantages, painfully evident... Read More

• Precision Sport Shifter Install

  To the driving enthusiast, there's simply nothing better than rowing through the gears on a standard transmission. Whether it's a heel-and-toe downshift into a corner or an up-shift after the apex,... Read More