Review Your Cars

Hi Rob, Great articles and photos, thanks so much , I have a 1994 BMW 318is. It gets great gas mileage and would love to get even better mileage . The rear end (3rd) member locked up when I first got the car, so I found a deal on a 325 axles and rear end , put it in never changed any gears do you know if the 325 is different than the 318is both were manual transmissions. Should I leave well enough alone ? Thanks, FAN Hello Fan and thank you! I found this excellent website that lists a LOT of BMW gear ratios, perhaps all of them: http://www.bokchoys.com/differential/GearRatios.htm It seems that you now have a less-aggressive final drive ratio of 3.15 vs. 3.45. So if you like your mileage and the acceleration is adequate, I would leave it alone and congratulate yourself on a fuel saving modification. I wouldn't suggest trying anything numerically lower than 3.15 such as the 2.93, even if you can find it. My concern would be inadequate acceleration with the 4-cylinder engine. This wou...

Brandon from Brandon, FL writes: I am always in the market for a new ride I like the Accord. But I really enjoy a Crossover-SUV with the higher up feeling. But there are none that are in my price range so for the past year I've been stuck. But with my warranty now up I am back to searching for a good weekend deal in the paper. What do you think of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, black on black with dual exhaust? It has a good sporty look to it. I also am not really worried about gas I don't drive much at all. My current ride gets about 16/21 mpg city/highway. Brandon, The Toyota FJ is a nice beefy, ride. Toyota reliability and distinctive, retro styling are nice touches. In fact, my sister really wants one! It definitely has off-road intentions so that part might be wasted in your neck of the woods. There is nothing wrong with that if gas consumption isn't a concern. I suggest two things though. If you tend have rear seat passengers or cargo, try climbing in and out and see what you...

Three letters in the March 2010 Car & Driver question the 3.3 second 0-60mph time of the Porsche Panamera Turbo that was tested the December 2009 issue. That makes it potentially quicker than many cars with much more power and less weight including the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo and Porsche's own GT-2. Weighing 4409lbs with 500hp, on paper it shouldn't beat any of them. There are three reasons it's so quick. All-wheel drive, the dual clutch transmission and gearing that is probably more aggressive than any performance car in history make it accelerate quicker than much more powerful and lighter cars. The Panamera Twin Turbo is in 3rd THIRD! gear by the time it hits 60mph. Many extreme cars like the Bugatti Veyron, Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 and others go over 60mph in 1st gear. Check out the Bugatti Veyron road test with the top 10 quickest cars they have tested. The all-wheel drive ensures no slippage unlike the others where power delivery has to be managed with available...

As mentioned in my previous article here , one of the highlights of the show was the South Hall with numerous custom and modified cars, low riders, trucks, etc. There was even some live entertainment and dancing. __________ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

Observations made while photographing the cars and making comparisons. Easily done while being so accessible and in close proximity to each other. Click here for the review of the show. Click here for the slideshow of the South Hall featuring custom and modified cars _________________ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: askrobaboutcars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!