Brian Hanchey at AST-USA has been kind enough to put together a basic tuning guide for AST shocks.
This tech article is great for anyone.
Tuning AST Shocks – by Brian Hanchey
I will be putting together a setup document tailored for autocross. It will be based purely on my own practices and experiences. I hope to release it early next month.
Regards,
Jon D. Simmons
sales@tarsust.com
402.478.8778
tarsust.com
Don’t forget to set your DVRs, WRC coverage in the U.S. continues this week on Discovery HD Theater. Rally Mexico coverage begins on Thursday with a preview and a recap of Day 1. Coverage wraps up on Friday night with recaps of Days 2 and 3. See the full schedule for times in your area.
Ken Block made his WRC debut at Rally Mexico
It seems like every time I attempt to install or upgrade something on a car it is way more difficult then it should be. ‘Simple tasks’ that should take less then an hour end up taking 4 or 5 hours including at least one trip to the auto parts/hardware store and a few choice words yelled at whatever I am working on. Sometimes I think I must be the least mechanically inclined person in the world. Yet I still try to do things myself, maybe it’s stubbornness or maybe it’s stupidity! I think a lot of people have probably experienced this, at least I hope I am not alone on this journey to install my new parts like new hydraulic hoses and new batteries. Speaking of auto parts, if you want to buy the best for your car then make sure you do your research first and if a part does take a chunk out out of your wallet then you may want to get a mechanic to install it so you ensure that it gets placed perfectly and not end up with something that you will have to repair later on. Also, don’t buy something just because it’s cheap. It may be tempting to buy a tuning kit half off, but if you’re looking for quality then you should take a look at Whipple Superchargers.
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Just about everyone on the planet has watched Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos. Well, Ken Block will be making his WRC debut with the Monster World Rally Team this weekend at Rally Mexico. Block will be driving a Ford Focus RS sponsored by Monster Energy Drink this year in his WRC appearances. Keep an eye on how he does on the WRC site, current results are located here.
Ken Block drifts his Monster World Rally Team Ford Fiesta at Rally America 100 Acre Wood
We got one of these a couple months ago and they are amazing. Takes excellent video in upto 1080P or 720P at 60 frames per second. They are perfect for mounting all over (inside and outside) your car or on a helmet. It even comes with mounts and brackets and a waterproof casing.
This deal is only $213 that’s $87 off retail and free shipping!
http://www.superbikesupply.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SBS&Product_Code=camera-gopro-01&Category_Code=camera-gopro
GotCone.com has gotten a makeover of sorts with a brand new site design for 2010. The gallery has been redone so that less scrolling will be necessary to see the photos, which hopefully will help the overall experience on the website. If you run into any issues please let me know by posting a comment below. I tried to test the site in a wide variety of web browsers, but there are some many varieties it is hard to get all of them. Please let me know what you think of the new site design!
Discovery HD Theater is continuing it’s coverage of WRC again this year. Last year they played coverage of the complete season’s events in sequence beginning near the end of the season. It appears this year they are going to have coverage much closer to when the events occur.
Coverage of Rally Sweden will be televised on Thursday at 9 PM (central). Sounds like there was some exciting rally action in the snow a couple weeks ago in Sweden, so should be a fun watch.
Ken Block will be joining the World Rally Championship at WRC’s next event, Rally Mexico. He will be driving a Monster Energy Drink Ford Focus RS for the rest of the season. Here’s a pre-season interview from the WRC site. Ken will also be completing the Rally America season including this weekends 100 Acre Woods event in Salem, MO.
There really is nothing like sliding sideways in a controlled environment, with clouds of snow billowing past your rear window. The rallycross crowd truly enjoys driving off road, especially in bad weather. The group was larger than our average attendance for all of 2009. The winds were fierce at times, but occasionally the sun would come out.
My ninja photographer was present, covered up but not exactly blending in with the surroundings (dressed in black in a white-out environment). I had a co-driver, who proved to be exceptionally good his first time out. I also took out a new vehicle for the first time. The 98 Legacy had her first snow-cross outing. (I say first snowcross outing, because I know she’s rallycrossed before, at least one time with a previous owner.)
The ice proved a formidable foe to our all-season tires. Patience was needed around corners, making sure that at least one tire was on the powdery snow to the inside of the turn before getting on the throttle. Lessons from Team O’neil Rally School were used in full-force. Left-foot braking was a necessity!
If you have never tried rallycross before, I urge you to come out and at least watch. Check your local region SCCA web page for local events, or the national site for regional/national info. For me personally, it was one of the best Valentine’s days I’ve ever had.
I know I know I live in Nebraska and winter is supposed to last a while, but this is getting ridiculous (Christy!). For all your non daily driver cars, this is a great time to spend on the car checking fluids or “nut and bolting” your cars’ suspension. All too often, these things are left unchecked until there is a problem to work on.
If you regularly check things and keep threads clean via specialized services such as VW Auto services, preventative maintenance and repairs such as auto glass repair down the line will be much easier. This is especially true for daily driver weekend racers. I have worked on MANY members’ cars with frozen suspension parts and know how much time and added expense can be caused by rusted rotted hardware.
With all the wet stuff on the roads and salt in some of your areas it is worth your time to jack up the car and spray a little penetrating oil on the nuts and bolts that are so exposed to the harsh elements. Does not take any real time and you can look for problems while your in there. We all take our types of racing pretty seriously even though the reward is purely excitement. Keeping your car in the best maintained state will make it last longer and your performance stay top notch!
Since none of us, or at least most of us, don’t have unlimited funds for ‘upgrading’ our cars, saving money is always a plus. While shopping for upgrades for my car this offseason I have found a few opportunities out there for saving money. A great place to start your shopping is to find some of the more popular forums/websites that are primarily about your car. Undoubtedly, there are other enthusiasts on the internet who also share your passion for whatever Vehicle it is that you have. These sites are great ways to find out about an array of new, existing and future products for your car.
For instance, if one is looking for toyota trucks for sale, they can easily find and make a deal on these sites. These sites are also a great source to find a junk car buyer if you wish to sell my junk car for cash and look for a new one. As well as a place to read about others experiences with these products and get advice on what might be best for you in particular. There may even be instructions and walk-throughs on how to install the products yourself, which can definitely save you some big money on installation costs if you are willing to dig in and maybe get a bit dirty. Those who decided to purchase a new car this year should secure all the necessary documents such as the title registration before looking into the possible upgrades for the vehicle.
Another great resource that can be found on these sites is the For Sale section. There are always people trying to unload parts that they either don’t want, need or can’t afford any longer. Most of these products will be discounted sometimes heavily, even for new or like new items. This can result in great opportunities for savings for you if you can find the right deal. Usually this will take some patience and maybe even a little luck if you are looking for something specifically. The other drawback to this is you have to usually deal with someone you don’t know and who may live clear across the country. Make sure you are comfortable with the terms of the sale before you send anyone any money. PayPal is a good payment choice as it offers some kind of protection for you as a buyer if you happen to have any issues.
Since you have managed to find a community with lots of people who have a shared interest, this can be used as an advantage to save money by ordering in quantity. This is usually referred to as a ‘group buy’ and you would be surprised as to how many vendors are willing to give a substantial discount for getting as few as 5 orders at once. Group buys are regularly set up by manufacturers and vendors for new or existing products that they want to create extra buzz for, but group buys can also be set up by community members by contacting a manufacturer or vendor and checking what kind of deals that can be given for a certain level of committed buyers.
The internet is a great resource, not only for information, but for saving money as well! If anyone has any added advice on ways to save dollars please share it in the comments below.
