Filed under: Aftermarket, Safety

Bridgestone 3G RFT Tires - Click above for high-res image gallery
The BMW enters the massive skidpad at more than 100 mph and begins a sweeping right turn along a soldiered row of orange cones. On cue, a pneumatic device attached to the hub of the spinning left rear wheel instantaneously rips its air valve clean out. Abruptly unsettled by the simulated tire "blow-out," and the collapse of the tire, the family wagon plunges into a long and flat uncontrolled spin knocking the hapless cones skyward in its wake. The BMW finally comes to a rest off course, facing 180-degrees from its original direction of travel.
Melodramatic in execution, the tire demonstration was repeated again moments later. This time the BMW was fitted with a set of Bridgestone's new third-generation run-flat tires. The high-speed blow-out again unsettled the car, but riding on sustained tire sidewalls it remained controllable as it tracked within the cordoned lane of orange cones and gently came to a stop.
The demonstration was powerful. Without a doubt, run-flat tires do work. Unfortunately, we've never met a set that didn't ride rough, feel like anchors, or cost us an arm and a leg at the register. We typically avoid them at all costs. Determined to make a change, Bridgestone invited us to Italy to try out its latest iteration of run-flats, promising to alter the way we think about the technology. What is this new tire? Why is it different from its predecessors? And, most importantly, how does it ride? Find those answers and more after the jump...
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Bridgestone Tire
Continue reading Reviewed: Bridgestone 3G RFT Tires take the shock out of run-flats
Reviewed: Bridgestone 3G RFT Tires take the shock out of run-flats originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Aftermarket, Supercars, Chevrolet

2010 Hennessey Z700 - Click above for high-res images
Hennessey Performance Engineering makes the point that track-oriented Porsche owners can opt up from a normal 911 to a GT3 RS and Viper owners can choose the ACR edition, so what's out there for ZR1 owners who want a more hardcore machine? To answer that question, HPE has introduced the
Z700 for 2010.
The exclusive new model features a number of enhancements that go beyond the requisite power increase, which in this case jumps from 638 to 705 dyno-tuned hp. HPE has also put the ZR1 on a diet, shedding pounds by adding lightweight carbon fiber seats and carbon fiber wheels wrapped in a Michilin Pilot Cup Sport tires. The wheels alone scrub off 60 lbs. of rotating weight. Aero enhancements include Hennessey's Z-Aero carbon fiber front splitter, canards and rear spoiler, all of which add 300 lbs. of downforce. Finally, an alcantara steering wheel and shift knob should feel better in the hand when barnstorming the track.
Hennessey plans to prove that the Z700 is a big improvement over the ZR1 by taking direct aim at the standard car's Nürburgring lap time of 7:26. They'll be flying to Germany with a Z700 later this year to take their best shot, but considering that HPE is perhaps the only only tuning company with its very own on-site track, Lonestar Motorsports Park, we expect good results.
Only 24 examples will be produced, and customers who order a Z700 also get a one-day performance driving instruction course at Lonestar Motorsports Park. Total cost for a base Z700 will start at $207,150, which also includes the cost of a donor ZR1. That's nearly a six-figure increase over the base price of a ZR1, so we'll have to wait until it sets some lap times to see if it's worth it.
[Source:
Hennessey Performance Engineering]
Continue reading 2010 Hennessey Z700 unveiled for track-happy ZR1 owners
2010 Hennessey Z700 unveiled for track-happy ZR1 owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Audi

2010 Audi S4 - Click above for a high-res image gallery
The tuners at MTM have begun tweaking the all-new 2010 Audi S4 (B8) in Europe, and as expected, Audi's new supercharged 333-hp 3.0-liter V6 is rife with potential. With only a revised ECU - no underdrive pulley, intake or exhaust mods - MTM was able to coax 430 crank horsepower out of the blown six - 97 hp more than stock.
The kit, which retails for 2,491 euros (around $3,500 USD), brings torque output up to 380 lb-ft and, according to MTM, drops the 0-60 mph time from 5.2 to 4.6 seconds. Clearly, good things are on the way for the BMW 335i fighter, and we expect more to follow when the new darling of the Euro-tuning scene arrives in the States later this year.
[Source:
MTM]
MTM turns up the wick on the 2010 Audi S4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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