I hope you are excited as I am when the new Nissan 370z was first announced. At first I wasn’t too happy about the new look but the things I didn’t like most about it is; headlights, front bumper, tail lights, and couple of other things. But as time pass and now that it’s out, it has really grown on me and I’m loving the new 370z. I’ve seen a couple in person and on the streets and Nissan did a great job on the design. I’m also a fan of the Nismo 350z, I’ve seen them up close at the Nissan dealers and car shows but hardly see any on the streets. I didn’t really start liking the looks of the NISMO 350Z till I saw them driving on the streets. I’ve seen 2 so far and both were within this month. Seeing them on the streets, all I can say is WOW it looks amazing. Looks like a full track car (which it is). Just so aggressive and looks like its ready to tear up the streets.

So a week ago after seeing the 2 NISMO 350Z, I thought to myself, “I wonder how the Nismo 370z will look like?” To my surprise I got some news that they already planning to come out by June of this year. Saw the pictures and I am very impressed.

Here is some of the specs:

• 350 HP @ 7,400 rpm and 276 lb-ft of torque
• 3.7 liter DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL)
• NISMO-tuned Suspension
• Aerodynamic Body
• Unique Interior Treatments
• Close-Ratio 6 Speed Manual Transmission (new “SynchroRev Match” function)
• Engine Computer Module control (ECM)
• H-configured exhaust system design and muffler tuning
• Tight, rigid body structure with a strut tower bar brace and a pair of performance dampers
• Double-wishbone front/4-link rear suspension design (front spring rate is dialed up to 15%, rear rates 10%, front stabilizer bar rate upped 15% and rear 50% stiffer compared to the standard Nissan 370Z)
• NISMO 5 spoke 19 inch RAYS forged aluminum alloy wheels (19×9.5 front, 19×10.5 rear)
• Yokohama ADVAN Sport-Y high performance tires (P245/40ZR19 Front, R285/35ZR19 Rear)
• NISMO Sport Brakes (14 inch front and 13.8 rear vented rotors with 4 piston front and 2 piston rear aluminum calipers
• 5 color choices: Pearl White, Brilliant Silver, Magnetic Black, Solid Red, and Platinum Graphite
• Special side sills and a unique rear bumper help control airflow under the vehicle
• Functional rear spoiler increases downforce

I don’t know what the msrp pricing will be but I’m guessing its going to be slightly more then the Nissan NISMO 350Z. So what do you guys think of the NISMO 370Z appearance? Many of the guys here at R1 loves it, some think it looks too much like a Porsche.

I’m still blown by how good the NISMO 370Z looks…. It’s not as aggressive as the NISMO 350Z and I think that’s what I love so much about this new beast. I think it’s just sexy. I love the front bumper as the standard 370Z fangs bumper hasn’t grown on me yet. Looks like the Veilside bumper for the 350Z. I will keep you guys updated on more info. Here at R1 Concepts Inc., we will be comming out with performance brake rotors, pads, and stainless steel lines for the NISMO 370Z and the standard 370Z very soon. So stay tuned.

PS. To Nissan…. “I’ll take one in Brilliant Silver please!”

If you own a Chrysler 300c (or other V8 non-SRT8 models) and experiencing vibration when driving at high speeds or under braking, most likely it’s your front end steering components.  Before you think the brakes are out read this blog.  The Chrysler also known as LX models are in the same family as Dodge Magnum and Chargers.  So if you own one of those as well, these problems might be coming your way if you haven’t already expected it.

My warranty expired and it’s hard to find trust worthy technicians, so I’ve been doing research on the web to find out the buzz on our LX rides.   I just like to know what I’m expecting before taking it to the dealer, because I don’t want to come out with a  fat large bill and not expecting one.  There are two great forums I search on and they:  www.lxforums.com; and www.300cforums.

First off, I took my car to get it aligned, because it’s been been pulling to the right again.  (Another common issue.)  So I went to my local shop, because they are able to balance my 300c with 22’s and lowered suspension.  The mechanic started to diagnose my ride and notice my that wheels are wobbling a little bit from 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock hand position.  He told me that my inner tie rod is bad, because it had play.  After he told me that, I realized that this was one of the causes for my right front tire to wear out faster then my left.  Plus the left front tire also had a bubble, which I had to recently change.  Yea, I know sad.  I thought it was my bad alignment that cause my tire wear and bubble, but it was also the bad tie rods.

Before we go any further, lets take a look at the video to see what wobble I’m getting:

Special Thanks to whoever recorded the video!  Big help!

Sample of Outter Tie Rod (Image #1)

In  the second video you can see the outer tie rod (sample of out tie rod image #1 above) and when the gentleman shakes the wheels its likely the inner part that has play.  When it has play its cause the front wheels to wobble.  My left and right wheels wobbles like the video, right wheel more the the left wheel.  It’s scary driving under these conditions because you get a lot of vibration from the steering wheel.  If the wobbling goes really bad you can start loosing steering control.

After reading many LX forums, I see fellow LX riders have other problematic issues.  From what I read, other common issue is the outer tie rod going bad as well the inner tie rod.  As side from that, the rack & pinion goes out as well.  Many of LX owners had these problems at 6k, 12k, 20k and mine was 50k miles.  This is my big disappointment for Chrysler and Dodge.

My local shop told me it was the inner tie.  So I went to Napa and picked up a pair of inner tie rod which came out to around $80.00.  The local shop was going to do the install and alignment for $220.00.  After they installed the inner tie rods they we tired to do the alignment.  Guess what, they couldn’t align the car.  They told me that the chamber kit wasn’t centered and they couldn’t align it.  I only end up paying for the tie rod install which was $120.00.

After that, I drove the car for a month, but I don’t drive that much because we carpool here at work.  (R1 going GREEN!)  The front end wasn’t shaky that much, but it was really was really pulling to the right still.  After that month, it was over and all went bad again.  I now had lots of play on the front wheels, and was worse than before.

I finally got the time to drop off the dealer.  Just a heads up, for them to even check on your car, it runs around $100.00.  If you decided to fix it with them then they won’t charge it.  After they checked it, they told me the rack & pinion was bad.  The Tech took me over to my car as it was lifted and showed me the play it had on the rack and pinion.  The right side was very bad compared to the left side.  Now to the part where I empty out my wallet.  The rack and pinion cost everything and 2 hours of labor cost a little over $800.00, plus I had to get it aligned after for another $100.  They hook me up on the hours because the lady from the service desk  said its usually around 4.5 hours of labor.  I was happy that it cost me under $1000.  The parts are backed ordered as I guess many of these parts has been going bad for many.  I will do a follow up as they get the parts in and when is done.  Hopefully no more problems.  I really wished I had gotten the extended warranty.  I really thought since we’re in the new millennium that these kinda of problem wouldn’t occur will the the new age technology, but it hasn’t.

So for those who can still get extended warranty on your car,  I so recommended it.  It usually around $2000 and less for an additional of 2 to 3 years or whatevers miles on top of factory 3 year/36k miles.  You can make it in monthly payments on the extended warranty.  If there’s any problems you have the freedom of mind that you can just take direct to the dealer for them to fix.

Rack and Pinion (Image from CarDone Industries)

Rack and Pinion

What if I told you that you can increase the performance of your vehicle and also save gas at the same time? Well its true, a great place to start when looking to increase power without hurting your MPG is the vehicle’s air filter. Changing your stock air filter for a proven performance aftermarket intake system is the easiest and quickest way to get the best of both worlds (power and fuel efficiency). Performance air intakes use a high-flow air filter material and design together with mandrel bent free-flowing performance intake tube. This allows for optimum air consumption into motor for better air/fuel mixture for better burning. If airflow was restricted, the motor would need to inject more fuel to burn, but if there is enough air mixture then every drop of gas will be utilized.

Besides savings gas, intake system deepens the tone of the engines noise to give you a more aggressive sound. An aftermarket intake improves 3-10 horsepower gain from stock, and also quickens the throttle response by adding a bit more torque. All cars and intake systems can vary and this is why the gains can range from 3-10 horsepower. There are consumers who purchase aftermarket intakes but notice no increase in gas mileage. Well, this is because they tend to abuse the new found power increase provided by the upgrade. Its common sense, if you are going to drive your car harder and faster, it’s going to burn more fuel.

These days money is tight because of declining economy.  Many people are affected by this to save money, spend less, and spend their money more wisely. But there are some expenses a person can’t avoid like rent, mortgage, food, and especially gas for your vehicle. With gas prices fluctuating and at one time almost reaching $5 a gallon, people are looking to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles. These are the top 5 most efficient cars.

#5, Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Fuel Economy Specs

Overall MPG-34

City-28

Highway-41

150 mile trip-37

#4 Honda Civic Hybrid

Honda Civic Hybrid

Fuel Economy Specs

Overall MPG-37

City-26

Highway-47

150 mile trip-45

#3 Toyota Prius Touring

Toyota Prius Touring

Fuel Economy Specs

Overall MPG-42

City-34

Highway-47

150 mile trip-48

#2 Toyota Prius Base

Toyota Prius Base

Fuel Economy Specs

Overall MPG-44

City-35

Highway-50

150 mile trip-48

 #1 Volkswagen 1L

Volkswagen 1L

 -2 person vehicle

-1 cylinder diesel engine

-640lbs vehicle

-External dimensions are 3.47 m (11.4 ft) long, 1.25 m (4.1 ft) wide and 1.0 m (3.3 ft)  tall

-For light weight, the car uses an unpainted carbon fibre skin over a magnesium-alloy subframe. Other materials used are aluminium, titanium, ceramics.

-Possible release date in 2010

 Fuel Economy Specs

235 MPG US or 282 MPG Imperial

I remember when I first heard about the Nissan GTR, I was very excited on hearing how great the performance of the vehicle was and how it looked. A colleague of mine at R1 Concepts inc., located in La Habra, California was lucky enough to be amongst the first few owners of this great piece of engineering. Now I see that bad boy every day and whenever I come in to work I still glance at it here and there. But when you see a car everyday it starts to become ordinary again. Then I heard news that Nissan will announce the releasing of the 2010 Nissan GTR Spec V. At first, this model sounds like it will be the mother of all imports and pound for pound will contend with many European exotics in performance. Early rumors states that the U.S. version Spec V should be about 550hp and 200-250lbs lighter which will put this Nissan even further up in super car hierarchy. Man was I excited in hearing that and how it was going to debut in 2010.

Recently the Official Press just launched and it saddens me to say that I am disappointed. The Spec V will come equipped with a couple more carbon fiber add-ons to the outside. It will include cosmetic upgrade to things like air ducts and the rear wing. The Spec V also comes with a second new color called Ultimate Black Pearl which basically looks like black but up close it looks more like midnight purple. The interior will also have minor changes. There will be no rear seats in the Spec V and the seats have been replaced with Recaro brand leather seats. Surprisingly, the biggest improvement will be the brake system. The Spec V will be equipped with Carbon Ceramic Brake rotors which saves significant amounts of unsprung weight while the size is increase to 390mm. There is also an overboost button that is mounted on the steering wheel. This overboost button when use will increase the midrange torque for about 80 seconds. To me this is a cheap fancy button that doesn’t do much at all. I rather purchase an aftermarket boost controller that has two to three different settings that I can adjust myself so I can increase the boost which gives me more horsepower and torque whenever I want with the push of a button.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the GTR Spec V is the engine. There is no increase in power, let me repeat, there is no increase in power! This comes as a big disappointment considering how much more you will be paying for the Spec V. I hope this is a false statement and that there will an increase in power once the Spec V is in production, but for now, I am not convinced.

Need some performance brake rotors and pads for your race car? Visit Us At R1 Concepts