Welcome to our monthly newsletter. First of all, thank you for subscribing. I hope it is going to be well worth it for you subscribers. We never actually realised how much interest there is out there in the car racing scene. In fact, a good few international subscribers have joined. They say they would love to check out South Africa. Some bad news for you guys, incase you didn't know, Wesbank Raceway has closed down. Money talks and bullshit walks. Yeah a good few million spoke in Wesbank Raceway's case. But hey Tarlton is here to stay. Another raceway is going to be opened as well so hang in there. My heart is in racing, my soul is in racing, and I will race in the streets if I have to. That's how I feel. How do you feel? However sometimes we gonna listen to our brains as hard as it might be so...... Keep it legal and stay alive. Cheers.

Article of the month
This month's feature
Specials of the month
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Do high performance filters really work? Do induction kits really provide 35% more power? Here we try and shed some light on the subject.

The first example is a so called high performance flatbed filter replacement:

We threw out our old GUD Filter and replaced it with a K&N High performance filter.

The increase in throttle response can hardly be felt. The air flow is a little better but hey... Why don't Autozone and others approve it. Why hasen't it gotten approval from SABS. According to some contacts, these aftermarket filters also let dust particles and other stuff go through alot more than the standard GUD filters and OEM manufacturer filters. Also do note that our GUD filter was old.

Advantages:

K&N filters you do not have to throw away. They are easy to clean.
There is slightly better flow (More noticeably in turbocharged vehicles)... but really very very very little!

Disadvantages:

Filtration is not as good as the standard filter
They are more costly

Next we tested a conversion from a box filter system to a cone filter system without the box.

There is no difference at all. There is a loss of KW (Power) in many cases since the hot engine bay heat is no longer shielded by the air box. Sure, more air can enter the engine because of the cone filter surface...but what does it help if the air is hot.

Advantages:

Sounds better according to most people

Disadvantages:

Potential KW (Power) loss due to more hot air coming into the engine.

Finally, we tested a properly designed induction system:

The throttle response is a little better and more noticeable when you start reaching high speeds (Since there is ram air tubing right by the bumper ducts where wind pressure can be taken advantage of and colder air exists. The filter must also be heat shielded and away from hot air. A box can be made for the filter as well.) Also there is 2-5KW more power at most on older cars and 1-2KW more on newer cars (Obviously newer cars have been optimized properly but mass production also doesn't help much).

Advantages:

Sounds better
Small increase in power and throttle response if done properly. More noticeable on older cars.
A little more fuel economic / efficient (but very little)

Disadvantages:

More plumbing involved. Needs to be done properly.

Conclusion:

Make sure your air filters are clean at all times. It will help reduce fuel consumption as well as offer better throttle response.
Rather go for the full induction kit or have one made especially for your car. If it is done properly, you will see a difference.

Every KW counts according to us speed junkies! So yeah, if you get 1-2KW extra, then go for it. It is a relatively cheap mod and works nice with a decent exhaust system. Remember if you have nice air flow...your engine also needs to get rid of it faster.

If you don't want power increases... it is still a good idea to replace your old filter with a new so called high flow filter. You will benefit from not needing to replace it that often and just clean it when necessary.

Next month we will discuss certain exhaust systems.

P.S. we can have induction kits made to spec for you. Email us your car make and model and we will work something out for you. Fitting can also be done on request.

Monthly Feature

Side to side comparison of some older cars for example some hot hatches of the past

You might think that we are living in the past even though most of these classics can give newer cars big hidings. In fact, there are still thousands of Golf 1, 2, Opels Monza's around. It's the perfect car for somebody starting out or for somebody wanting to create the ultimate drag racing car. Which new cars do you see today at the the NHRA and other drag tracks? Mostly are older cars. So they indeed have great potential. Most comparisons out there are for newer cars. That is why this months feature is going to compare the older generation cars.

Before going into more details, here are some stats we gathered over time. Please note, these stats come from factory manuals and actual track records. However we cannot guarantee 100% correct results.

Please read: What cars do you have? Why not add them to our reader's rides section. You can access it from our website's main page.

	Golf Mk2	Golf VR6	Opel Superboss	Opel Kadett TS	BMW 325i	BMW 325is
Displacement (L)	1.8	2.8	2.0	2.0	2.5	2.7
Weight (KG)	917	1155	971	1219	1176	1147
Top Speed (KPH)	214	229	223	235	211	225
0-100 (KPH)	7.9	7.2	7.6	7.3	7.8	7.6
Power @ Flywheel (KW)	102	133	125	151	122	145
Comfort	3/5	4/5	2/5	4/5	4/5	4/5
Handling on track	5/5	3/5	4/5	3/5	4/5	4/5

The Golf VR6 One of the favorites in the modifying scene. Most popular mods are boring the engine to a 3.1 Liter displacement, Turbocharging it using a T61 / 66 turbocharger, or even popping it's powerful straight 6 engine into an older model golf i.e. Golf 1 / 2 (Giving it a better power / weight ratio. This car has loads of potential. Other features include big brakes and ABS (Anti-lock braking system). Car is rather comfortable and handling is good. Parts are however quite expensive so drive it carefully if you own one of these beasts.

The Golf MK2 Most enthusiasts today would agree that the 16V version of the MK2 marked the greatest GTi moment. With it's excellent power to weight ratio, it will give many of today's hot hatches something to think about. The powerful 1.8 Litre 16V DOHC engine puts out 102KW at the flywheel no problem and reaches the 100km/h magic mark at just under 8 seconds. Not bad for a car of the late 1980s. Popular mods are the T3/T4 hybrid turbocharger, underdrive pulleys, porting, polishing the head, boreing it to a 2.1 Liter. Oh and not to forget, a high performance camshaft makes a great difference on this car.

Opel 2.0 Liter 16V Superboss This car pulls out approximately 125KW from only a 2 Liter engine. You gotta give it credit. This is the number 1 choice for most drag racing cars in South Africa as it is 1. Easy to modify and place a turbocharger due to it's engine placement, and 2. A Opel holds the FWD record here in South Africa reaching well into the 9s in the Quarter Mile run. We will probably get alot of complaints about this, but in our opinion as well as other top magazines, the Opel's comfort features and looks are of below average. Who cares when you get this kinda power! It's not made for good looks but for speed!

BMW 325i Excellent car with lots of potential. This 2.5 Liter straight 6 was designed more for power than the economy of the 318i (1.8 Liter). This car was equipped with Bosch fuel injection and REV limit was increased to 6500 which made it rather a fun car at it's time and day. Very reliable car. Little usually went wrong here. Even it's looks are better than the newer BMWs. What do you guys think? MODS on this engine are very tricky and you need to go to an expert to be able to get things right. A T4 turbocharger does wonders on this car. But you have to match the turbo with the correct compression map.

BMW 325is (2.7 Liter AKA Drift King) A grea timprovement over the 325i. This model was added with more fancy electronics, sports seats, a body kit, mags and optionally with a LSD (Limited Slip Differential). This rear wheel drive car was used all over the world in drifting competitions. It was the ultimate BMW king until the M3 came out. We can't really compare the M3 to any of the above cars! I would leave this car just the way it is. I wouldn't mod it at all. The same goes for the M3. If you really want more power, put in a T4 Ball Bearing turbocharger. Just make sure you either get your own aftermarket management system or have your BMW remapped.

 

Special of the month

Exclusive offer only to our newsletter readers:

Ultra comfortable small racing steering wheel with advanced horn switch. Carbon Look. R170 (Price includes VAT) This and most aftermarket steering wheels require a custom boss kit / hub to fit onto the steering wheel. These are available by us and at most aftermarket accessory stores. Other colours also avaiable on request.

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