theCARhack

It's official: Friday, July 29th, 2011 is the date for another VRPerformance Open Track day-- this time at the newly configured GingerMan Raceway in beautiful South Haven, Michigan.

If you've been to one of our events in the past, you know the drill. We try to gather experienced track drivers (those with some club or professional performance driving instruction under their seatbelts) for 8 or so hours of open track fun. We rely heavily on personal responsibility to make the event safe for everyone.

Continue reading "VRPerformance Open Track Day at GingerMan" »

Posted by horst at 09:37 AM | Permalink

One of the most balanced, best handling cars on the market today is the mid-engined Porsche Cayman. But, like every car coming out of a factory, it can be improved. Thanks to worldwide noise regulations, the stock exhaust stifles the glorious flat six cylinder engine note just a bit too much. Enter Fabspeed.

Continue reading "Fabspeed Exhaust Installation on a Porsche" »

Posted by horst at 02:20 PM | Permalink

I think I may have fallen off the GT wagon with the latest modification to my E46 M3. The last time we spoke, I installed a TC Kline Racing suspension. Next up, the exhaust.

Continue reading "E46 M3 GT Part 4" »

Posted by horst at 10:27 AM | Permalink

To say that brakes are an important part of a car's performance is to state the obvious. Pads and rotors need to be checked often and replaced when worn or damaged. Most cars come with single piece rotors-- the friction surface that contacts the pads and the inner "hat" that bolts to the hub are formed from a single casting. Higher end brake systems, and many after market big brake kits, use two piece rotors.

Continue reading "Brake Rotor Friction Ring Replacement" »

Posted by horst at 09:11 AM | Permalink

Aerodynamics on a street car is important for efficiency-- how easily it can punch a hole through the atmosphere. On a race car, aero is even more important for handling. A splitter-- typically a horizontal plane extending out from below the front bumper, helps push the front end of the car down and consequently aids front end grip or traction. Balanced with a wing at the back, a splitter is an integral part in the car's handling.

Because the splitter is usually very low, it is vulnerable to trailer ramps, track burms and digging into wet grass should you have an "off". If it's attached to the front fascia and you have an off and bad things happen, you can kiss the front end of the car good-bye. The solution is to attach the splitter to something more robust, while allowing it to break away should an unfortunate incident occur.

Continue reading "Splitter Install (again)" »

Posted by horst at 01:59 PM | Permalink

Having worked on hundreds of cars over the past 5 years or so a few things have become abundantly clear: no two jobs are ever the same, even if the parts being installed are, instructions from the component manufacturer-- if they exist at all-- are almost never complete, and finally, exhausts never ever fit without a good amount of "tweaking". A quick example of tweaking is presented after the jump...

Continue reading "The Little Things" »

Posted by horst at 01:34 PM | Permalink

The VRPerformance Open Track Day at Grattan Raceway Invitational has become an annual must attend event for many friends of the shop. With its minimum number of rules and absolute maximum amount of track time its a great way to spend a day learning about all the upgrades we performed to the cars (or need to). Check out the gallery after the jump.

Continue reading "Open Track Day April 2011" »

Posted by horst at 10:03 AM | Permalink

One of our good customers complained of "pinging" noises coming from his front suspension-- a TC Kline Racing double adjustable coil-over set-up we installed last fall. The pinging noise is due to the springs binding as they compress. Our first, quick, remedy was to grease up the coil perches so that the springs could freely twist during compression.

Continue reading "Thrust Sheets to the Wind" »

Posted by horst at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Many of our customers have progressed to the point that simple car club track days will no longer scratch the driving itch. For them competetive amatuer racing is the next logical step, and one of the best-- and easiest to get involved with-- sanctioning bodies is the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Following our customer's lead we are proud to announce that VRPerformance is now an authorized "HPDE and Time Trial inspections and Competition annual inspections/log book issuance" provider. Follow the jump to see the official press release from NASA.

Continue reading "NASA Tech Inspections" »

Posted by horst at 12:43 PM | Permalink

Do you remember Speedvision? The SPEED Channel before its NASCAR-ification. Speedvision would run these wonderful old, usually British, films of racing in days gone by. Well, thanks to Youtube, I came across 90 minutes of rally racing awesomeness...

Continue reading "50 Years Sideways" »

Posted by horst at 04:04 PM | Permalink