I think 130,000 lb-ft is just what a PO torqued some of the suspension bolts to on my 996. Read more

Hybrid, all the way. Read more

Mike went a little EVERYTHING crazy with Rusty, tbh Read more

This is mostly true. Thankfully, I’m not originally from California and am extremely familiar with driving in the rain. Read more

This is a closed airbox, and only bypasses a sound resonator. The filter itself is a panel-style replacement, but just flows a little more and makes more noise. I’m with you on open element filters, though. Read more

Definitely bungled this one. Though, I’ve never driven VIR and wasn’t intimately familiar with the various configurations. I’ve edited the story and added a little more context. Read more

Jake Raby makes a big deal about everything, tbh. That said, bore scoring on the 996 isn’t as big a deal as it is on other motors. My understanding re: that labor charge was install and adjustment, but yeah it seems a little egregious.  Read more

That’s awesome. If I make it up that way this year (there’s a good chance I will), I’ll reach out. Thanks! Read more

The PO had done sway bar bushings so mine weren’t too bad. I’ll likely get some aftermarket units in the not-too-distant future too, so not a huge priority. I did replace the end links though, since the ones that were on there were just starting to get a teensy bit loose and they’re so cheap — even for good ones —… Read more

It is insurance and it’s a good way to add some resale value to the car and make the car more sellable in the future, not that I have plans to move this thing on anytime soon. Read more

It does, mostly. Luckily, the PO did that, so I’m all good there. Read more

I read about that, I also read all of Jake Raby’s stuff about them causing the engine to pull power, etc. So far, even with hard driving and less-than-ideal coils, I haven’t had issues. I suspect the fact that these are used with around 5k miles of break-in on them helps. They’re also fairly soft poly to begin with. Read more

Well, spoiler alert, I’m going to try these 3d-printed snap-in plugs for the blend doors rather than using tape or more foam. I’m also going to make two slits in the plenum for the heater in the dash while I have the console out for my PCCM+ install so I can get both doors more easily than going in through the top. Read more

Totally the best 911 you can buy right now for daily use Read more

Its way roomier inside than the Mazda3 and has better infotainment. It’s been a minute since I was in a Corolla hatch, but I suspect the same is true there as well. Read more

If the car isn’t ticking on startup or consuming oil, it’s likely fine. Also, PO had a low-temp thermostat installed to speed up circulation of coolant to all cylinders and was religious about keeping revs low until things were good and warm. Read more

The decision to go with an LS came down, in large part, to electronics. The CANBUS systems on Mercedes engines are not super easy to get working to the degree that Icon requires. Even outfits like Mechatronik have to cobble together their systems and use all kinds of workarounds.

Would a Mercedes engine have been cool?… Read more

Shit! Shut it down guys. The jig is up and we’ve been found out. We’re all secret car haters, which is why we’ve dedicated a substantial portion of our lives to getting a job where we talk about them all day. Read more

Haven’t yard-saled a car yet. Don’t think I’ll start with this guy. Also, it’s pretty easy to drive the GT3 fast. They really nailed the electronics package and the car offers a lot of driver feedback, so I suspect that you really have to poke the bear to get it to do something untoward.  Read more

I mean anything will baby if you don’t especially like your baby. Read more