News – Max Power vs. Speed and Sound
Since the arrival of Max Power on the local scene the competition with Speed n Sound Magazine has really intensified. Theres an interesting letter about references in this months SnS where the editor responds by taking a swipe at the Max Power mag. Max Power’s quality of journalism still seems to hold the upper hand with backup from their international base of reporters, they bring you the best of both worlds featuring cars from around the world and the cream of the local crop. Originally born in the UK many years ago you can’t help but notice where Speed n Sound get some their ideas from. However Speed and Sound’s sales figures almost doubles that of Max Power but Max Powers growth rate seems to be faster over the last year. It’s good that this market is tightly contested as you will definitely get value for your money. Speed and Sound focuses only on the local scene with a lot of local advertisers you’ll be kept up to date with local cars & sellers. Take this month issues from both magazines, packed with great cars and product news, good value for money whichever your pick
Oh and the Max Power features a lot of local badaams.
Mazda 6 MPS
Mazda have revised their 6 series with a sharper looks & some scintillating performance figures with the flagship MPS model. The MPS features all wheel drive with active torque split, a 2.3 litre 4 cylinder 191Kw Turbo motor and a close ratio 6 speed transmission system. Clearly tuned for all round performance. The straight line figures are by no means lame with a claimed 0-100km/h of 6.6s. The best feature is the power to “moola” figure. The 191Kw AWD car will set you back 322K not bad when a lesser powered german contenders like the Audi 2.0Tdi(125Kw) & BM 2.0 d cost around the same. However in its class of AWD drive sedans its directly up against the 2.5liter Subaru WRX making 169Kw & Audi’s 3.2liter A4 sedan. Subaru claims a better 100 Km/h dash by only a couple of milliseconds but its top speed is limited to 210Km/h, & in the left corner Audi’s 3.2litre 188Kw A4 costs around 390K. The Audi will struggle to match the sub 6 second dash at the reef, but it is limited to 250Km/h. The Mazda comes with 18” inch wheels & sunroof as standard while its contenders offer the same as extras. Tell me which would be your pick ?
Motor: 2.3litre 4 cylinder DISI turbo motor, 6 speed gearbox
Power: 191Kw & 380Nm @ 3000rpm
Performance: 0-100Km/h 6.6s Top Speed: 240+ Km/h.
Mods - Lowered Suspensions
We backtracking a bit to focus on lowered suspensions cos of a request I received in the comments secition. I covered suspensions briefly a few weeks ago but heres some depth:
If you’re a spirited driver or occasionally visit the track lowering your cars suspension will aid your driving in 3 key areas.
Lower the cars center of gravity for better aerodynamics & performance.
Due to the lower center of gravity: - the vehicle will be easier to control when cornering at speed.
- nose dive will be reduced under heavy breaking for better overall stability.
Also a reduced clearance gap between the fender & tyre enhances the car for a sportier look, which is probably the main reason most laaities are motivated by. Offhand I can think of 3 economy based springs that are widely available :
Sportakar,
Koenig
& N Force,
which cost under a grand fitted & aligned. These units can be purchased at stores like Kwik Fit, AutoStyle , Raceline, Powerflo etc. You looking at about 500 bucks for the springs & another 400 bucks for fitment & wheel alignment. They are generally available in 40 & 60mm drop options
The quality springs that come to mind are brands like
Eibach,
H&R,
Bilstein & Koni
these are quality German engineered units that costs up to 3K .
Because a lowered suspension basically consists of a shorter spring, ideally you should change your shocks to a sport shock which is a shortened shock. However with brands like Eibach the 40mm drop can be used with a standard shock as per manufacturers guarantee. The ride quality with the top end brands like Eibach are also much more comfortable when compared to economy springs. With brands like Koenig & NForce the 40mm drop will work with a standard shock but the ride will be much harder. If you going any lower than 40mm with let say a 60mm drop on a Mk1 Golf running a standard shock be prepared for a couple of dislocated kidneys in time. Every pot hole you hit will sound like a front end smash. Jamex offer a sport shock & spring combo which works fairly well on all Golf’s Mk1 to Mk4.
Secondly we have Adjustable Suspensions or Coil Over’s which consists of a shock & spring combo that can be adjusted to a specific ride height depending on track or road conditions or your mood. The shocks in these combo’s are engineered to handle the abuse and the ride quality is generally better. Again brands like Eibach offer a great package here. Other brands include Koni and Bilstein.
Finally you could also have your existing suspension springs compressed to a specific ride height, but there are no guarantees here. Depending on wear, springs might react or behave differently after the compression. For example all 4 springs might not end up being the exact same height. I’ve spoken to guys that have had good experiences & a lot of pretty bad experiences hence no guarantees. Stay away from sellers like “Van Zyls Spring works” if they mess up they’ll accept no responsibility. The cost is about 70 buck per spring compressed.
I bought me a set of Eibach springs from Autoquip and the ride quality differs substantially from my previous Koenig experience. They are also available at Sport Tech & Raceline. Eibach have a complete range of suspension options available for street & track use, their technology is used in F1, WRC Rallying & Nascar so you know you buying quality. A nice addition is a front strut bar to ensure that shocks work in tandem & added stability. Phone around for the best deal & test your cars suspension before fitment. Fitment is fairly straightforward but could workout cheaper from some one who can you sell you the product & do fitment & wheel alignment at the same time, like Autoquip or KwikFit. Remember to use some guile before paying & choen da okes to sell on OOPLING!! Save some dosh for that turbo mod bru.
MrB’s top tip – Eibach Pro Kit 40mm drop suspension with a front strut bar, Gabriel or Monroe gas shocks & a set of deep dish 17’s. Any readers with coil overs ? Give us a comment …
Drag Scene – Honda S2000Seriously cool looking Honda S2000 modded by High End Performance, it boosts a SC61 twister, Tial 38mm wastegate & 750 cc injectors. The aerodynamic kit is completed with some exquisite carbon bits from Seibon. Grip courtesy of Volk Racing 18 inch wheels sporting Falken rubber.
The car has great potential churning out a claimed 260Kw at 0.6 bar.- check it…
Schnitzer Z4
It’s the Schnitzer Z4 with a funky colour scheme, it makes 10 extra Kilowatts compared to the standard Z4 M Coupe rated at 260Kw, kitted out with 20inch wheels, skirtings & roof spoiler.
Mr B –
nismaniac@gmail.com
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