Porsche 918 Spyder ready for production!

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One out of three of Porsche’s hybrid line-up has been set course to production. As expected, the Porsche supervisory board has approved the development of the 918 Spyder concept into a series production model. The 918 debuted only as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claiming to provide 78 miles to the gallon.

The concept had an amazing 500-horsepower V8 engine along with a pair of electric motors with 109-horsepower each and a lithium ion battery that can provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. The powertrain is not expected to be changed very much if at all nor has Porsche announced when the 918 will be available. This model is set to cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), although if it comes to the States, it should be eligible for a federal tax credit. Porsche needs at least 1000 set buyers before they plan on putting the 918 into production.

Let’s see how Porsche rolls out their hybrids compared to the rest of the automakers.

Hyundai Rapidly Moving Up the Ranks

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These past few years, Hyundai has been rapidly releasing series of different models. Now, they are starting to release what everyone currently wants most, hybrids. Go green right? Hailing from a nation where Buddhism is one of the dominant religions, I’d say that Hyundai is on its truly on its way to automotive enlightenment.Although hybrids hardly sell in America, Hyundai truly believes that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will improve its technological capabilities. Since Hyundai understands the fact that hybrids don’t make money in America, is why they have chosen The Middle Path – a road that the company hopes is truly on its way to automotive enlightenment.

Since they have decided to take The Middle Path, the Sonata Hybrid tries to integrate the best of the other two hybrid strategies – create a distinctive new model with a unique look that says “I care more about the earth than you do” without incurring the cost of a whole new platform and all-new sheetmetal.

The company has delicately designed and shaped this new model. Even though its based off the original Sonata, it has a surprisingly assertive look all its own. The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid comes stock with unique piercing new headlights with integrated light tube ribboning. You know what the coolest design element of the Sonata Hybrid? Its clear rear lights, because the brake lamps appear to incorporate an atom symbol graphic when lit.

This new model of Hyundai will surely add to its rapidly skyrocketing market.

Brighten Up Your Ride!

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Has it ever been way too dark in your car even with the overhead light on? Those lights just simply aren’t bright enough stock. Don’t spend hours looking for stuff in your dark car. Change those stock lights to ultra bright white LED lights!

This simple modification is just like adding interior ambiance lights at your feet. Not only will they make your car stand out and feel more relaxing, it’ll make seeing inside a car easier. On top of all this, these lights come ready to install! So what are you waiting for? Help yourself and brighten up your ride!

Carbon Fiber Pedals!

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This morning, I was driving my manual Civic Si barefoot and I realized something. I realized that these pedals really hurt and are uncomfortable without my shoe. Not only that, they look so ugly. They’re just like a silver plate with rubber bearings on it. Disgusting.

I realized that I should probably change these plain old boring pedals into something more unique and comfortable. As I was browsing around, I thought to myself, what better than carbon fiber? Not only is it slightly lighter, it also has a sleek look that really gives the car a racing appearance. These pretty much have a plus in every way! Did I mention that all these pedals come ready to install with all the parts included?

I’m sure these pedals will be an excellent addition to my car. Maybe you guys would like join in on the pedals too!

It’s Time for a Fiesta!

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Although I’m not actually talking about throwing a party, this new car from Ford Motors Corp is just as good as one. Being a longtime best-seller in Europe, Ford has turned its greatest weakness – small cars – into one of its greatest strengths. Specially trimmed to consumer requests, the Fiesta has a lengthy option list including a new automatic transmission and a strong dose of big-car refinement. Placed at under $15,000, Ford has really set a new bar for stylish, cheap, and gas efficient cars.

The Fiesta is offered as a sedan or hatchback (4-door and 5-door). Offered at 3 different trim levels; S, SE, and the equivalent SEL sedan and SES hatchback, there is an affordable Fiesta for everyone.

The most basic trim, the cost-competitive Fiesta S, comes well equipped featuring supportive seats, plenty of sound insulation, standard air conditioning, a tilt and telescoping steering, 4-way manual driver’s seat adjustment, power mirrors, front-row floor mats, capless refueling, a rear window defogger and no fewer than seven airbags.

The SE trim of the Fiesta takes it to a whole new level. SE Fiesta comes with dress-up chrome bezels, better cloth seating, keyless entry options made standard, a message center, and trip computer on the dash, power windows, rear window wiper, and mirrors in the sun visors.

At the SES/SEl level, the Fiesta is placed with many entry-level luxury cars. Coming with 80-watt 6-speaker sound, floor console with USB port, 7-color ambient lighting, SIRIUS radio, a leather steering wheel and Sync on the inside and trendy LED parking lamps in flashy chrome bezels and heated mirrors with marker lights on the outside, the Fiesta has a trim level for everyone.

What could possibly go wrong with this new Fiesta cruising the streets? The Ford Fiesta will surely bring the party to the streets without making a party foul.

El Chupacabra?!?!

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Anyone believe in this Mexican monster? The “chupacabra legend” is that one of the ugliest creatures to ever walk the planet is a goat-sucking beast. A barn in Hood County, Texas, has become ground zero in the hunt for the chupacabra.
While cruising along one day in his sheriff’s truck, Animal control officer Frank Hackett had spotted one of the strangest creatures he had ever seen in his life. Suddenly coming to a halt, Hackett had shot and killed what was unquestionably one of the ugliest creatures to walk the planet. Was this thing indeed the elusive goat-sucking beast?

That wasn’t the only chupacabra sighting around Hood County though. Several miles away, a second grotesque creature was also spotted and killed. Both of these creatures appeared to be either hairless coyotes, extremely ugly dogs, or, who actually knows?

Officer Hackett and another officer from the scene both say that this creature “wasn’t normal,” and that they have “never seen anything like it.” Hackett is waiting for DNA tests before he assumes the name of the mysterious beast.

Keep your Grill Clean!

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The shape or design of a grill can drastically alter the appearance of a vehicle with one glance. For those who do not know what a grill is, a grill is the front part of the car typically between the hood and front bumper. This part, in my opinion, is made to prevent any small object from entering the hood. By altering this part, you can customize your ride!

Since I am a Honda owner, I will talk about Hondas. The basic Honda grill, comes with a Honda sign in the middle with “wing” shaped bars along the sides. Generally, Hondas come with the silver Honda sign, but in this picture, the owner has altered the symbol into something called a JDM Emblem.

Another type of grill though, would be a mesh grill. In the picture below, the person switched the stock grill into a mesh grill. Basically, its a cleaner grill with almost nothing on it.

There is a large variety of different types of grills to customize your own ride. So go look around and make your car unique!

Stickers, Stickers, Stickers!

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Who likes random stickers on their car?! Stickers are one of the best ways of customization to a car, plus the cheapest. Though, sometimes too many stickers may give off the wrong image. For example, when I see a car with a LOT of stickers, it gives me the impression that they are something I call a ricer. I personally look down on ricers and just laugh at them, since they honestly are good for practically nothing. No offense to any of you out there that fit this description. A ricer is basically someone who mods their car with a bunch of worthless stuff only for the looks. Along with this, every ricer I’ve seen does not know how to drive their car very well, which is another reason why I look down on them.

Putting stickers on a car doesn’t automatically make you a ricer though. A few stickers, or even just random stickers (not brand name stickers such as AEM or sparco) could just identify personality. For example, I have a Pedobear sticker on my car (I’m not a pedophile, I just like the character) because my friends always joke about how I’m a pedophile just because I’m the only 18 year-old in my group. There are also other stickers like “NOTW” stickers for example. They pretty much just show a sense of personality and character in the owner of the vehicle. It makes a vehicle unique and personalized.So basically, go get some stickers on your car! Just follow what you enjoy best whether it be to be a ricer, or just show some personality. There is practically a sticker for everything you could possibly want!
Note: Some people believe that stickers add horsepower. That is completely false.

How to short shifters benefit?

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What is a short shifter? A short shifter also known as a short throw shifter is the result of an automotive aftermarket modification of the manual transmissions’ stick shift either by medication of the existing stick shift or, alternately, by the replacement of the entire part. The purpose of this modification is to reduce time between the changing of gears while accelerating or decelerating, thus improving the automobiles’ performance.

The modification of a stick shift is done in two ways, either by physically shortening the existing stick shift and/or bending. A short shifter basically does what its name implies; it makes shifting distances between each gear shorter. This allows for faster shifting times between each gear.

Although a short shifter may seem like the perfect thing for a stick shift car, it also requires a lot of skill to handle. Instead of driving like a normal stick shift, a short shifter requires more attention since a simple mistake could be made much easier. For example, the gears are a lot closer so shifting at a slightly wrong angle might make you jump from gears 2-5 instead of gears 2-3. If this happens, it would drastically damage your engine and transmission.

Short shifters really are a great thing. They just require more skill, practice or focus, if not all three.

Starting Big or Small? Which is better?

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Within the past week, I have recently discovered that a colleague of mine owns and drives an Audi R8. I’ve only seen 3 of these in my life (in person) and personally, I’m just thinking “I wish I drove one of these.” Honestly though, are these $50,000+ sports vehicles worth every penny? Or is it in reality, possible to make a cheaper car, like my Civic Si Sedan for example, to potentially match up with the high priced cars for an even cheaper price?Nowadays (in my opinion), there are 4 types of people in driving cars; people who mod their car themselves and race it, people who mod their car just for looks (ricers), people who buy expensive cars to either race or just show off, and those who just drive to get from point A to point B. In this stated case though, I believe that the Civic Si could easily reach the level of the R8 for a lower price range.

Given the budget of around $80,000 of modifications, you could basically change out the whole Si and pretty much only keep the body. In the end of the day, it will still be a Civic Si, but at the same time it won’t. Currently, the ROTM (ride of the month) winner on the 8thgencivic forum, has completely remodeled his Civic Si into a Civic Type-R, but better. He is currently pushing 421whp, 270wtq, @ 9.8psi while an R8 has 420 bhp and a peak torque of 430 Newton-metres from 4300-6000rpm. Given the amount of money put into this vehicle (I’m not sure on the exact price, but it should be under $50,000), this guy has managed to completely reinvent his Civic Si. It started off as a cheap ride, and turned out to be an expensive sports car that can stand up to those in the high 5-figures or even the 6-figures.
Basically, everything comes down to the driver themselves. While some people, like me, would prefer buying a cheaper car and building it up myself, others may prefer to just start and end big. Everybody has their own opinion towards this situation. In the end of the day, no matter what the car is, as long as the owner is happy with it, then that’s their pride and gold.

Louder is Better!

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In our current generation, all cars come with a muffler or tailpipe (with the exception of the new Nissan Leaf). What is a muffler? A muffler is attached to the end of an exhaust pipe and is the last part of the emissions system. A muffler is made of metal and tends to sit beneath the rear bumper on the right hand side of most cars.

Typically, a car will come stock with a relatively quiet muffler (with the exception of sports cars); the reason being that the general public would like a quieter and smoother ride. People have the option of changing just the muffler or even the whole exhaust system though. Generally, most people change their muffler to make their car faster, louder, look better, or even raise gas mileage. In some cases it may do all 4, but most of the time just a few of the four.

Mufflers are pretty much a beneficial factor in every way to a vehicle (except those who want everything to be silent). With hundreds of custom mufflers out there, they could even be used just for an enhanced image. All in all, no matter what the case, buckle up and drive safe!

Help Me Out Here!

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Lots of people these days love and love to drive their trucks. Not only that, thousands of people (at least in my area) love to raise their trucks and turn them into “monster trucks.”
These raised trucks bring about a small problem for those who are in fact “small.” They create difficulties for those who aren’t of bigger size in the sense of actually getting into the vehicle. In cases like these, it pretty much leads to only three options:
A)Help them get in and out of the vehicle EVERY TIME.
B)Don’t drive people who can’t get into your vehicle at all.
C)Add a side step bar to your vehicle.
Pretty much A and B are out of the question, since it’s a hassle for both you and the passenger, if they even become a passenger. A side step bar will not only help “smaller” people, but it will also add style to a truck. People with sidestep bars can brag about how unique their side step bars are and how they have a one of a kind bar.

There’s pretty much no downside to a sidestep bar. It’s really only beneficial for a new sleek style and those who need extra help to climb into a tall vehicle. So why not make your car look better while helping others!

Spoiler Wings Really Do Make a Vehicle Fly

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Nowadays, most vehicles are built in thought of what would give the most mileage. They aren’t built focused on aerodynamics or top speed. The idea of racing, for most part, isn’t as common as before. By adding a spoiler to a vehicle, the aerodynamics could be potentially altered.

What is a spoiler? A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to “spoil” unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion.


The top speed of a vehicle can vary greatly depending on the aerodynamics of a vehicle. A spoiler does exactly what its name implies. Basically, a spoiler “spoils” the unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. This means that a vehicle with a spoiler (one not added for styling purposes) could drastically increase the top speed or acceleration of a vehicle.

Spoilers don’t only increase top speed and acceleration though. There are also other beneficial factors such as increased maneuverability, reduced drag, and even increased fuel efficiency. Overall, a spoiler is just a wonderful addition to a vehicle no matter what the purpose may be.

Headlights Bringing Safety and Style

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Projector headlights can really enhance the look of your Civic 4Dr or Civic Coupe/2Dr and even increase visibility at night. Giving your Civic 2Dr or 4/Dr a sleeker look, it’ll make your ride stand above the crowd. Plus, it won’t even cost you a fortune. The projector head lights increase safety conditions by giving off more vibrant lights than stock headlights. This allows for more of the road to be seen at night time. Since you’ll be one of the few, if not the only with these headlights, it’d make you the center of attention. Everybody would be asking where you got your projector headlights for your Civic 4Dr or Civic 2Dr/Coupe. All of our projector headlights from racerdevelopment come 100% assembled, wired, and ready for use. Just take your brand new projector head lights out from the box, install them, and they're ready to go. Installation is just as easy as plugging a lamp into an electrical socket. 4 Door projector head lights are shown above, and 2Dr/Coupe projector headlights are shown below.

The Power of HIDs

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Recently, I have just installed 8000 Kelvin HIDs (high-intensity discharge) to my car. For quite a long time, I debated whether or not these lights were in fact worth the money. Now that I have installed them, I can say with complete sincerity that these HID headlights are worth it.

8000K head lights, 3000K foglights

Besides the fact that it makes a car’s appearance greater, they also improve safety conditions on the road. HIDs are measured in how much Kelvin they give off. Generally, HIDs range from 3000 Kelvin to 30,000 Kelvin. Each different set of Kelvin portrays a different color shown.


Depending on the set of HID head lights you get, 3000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin increases visibility on the road. 6000K is the brightest of the lights because the higher the color temperature (Kelvin), the less usable light output you will obtain.

8000K headlights, 3000K fog lights

In my opinion, HIDs were one of the best choices I have made on my car. Compared to my old headlight bulbs, I would say my visibility is at least 5 times greater. HIDs are truly the way to go to increase safety conditions and visual appearance.

Fog Lights Benefitting Drivers Around the World

Many people have the simple misconception that foglights are simply yellow and headlights are white. How this may be true, fog lights are more than simply just yellow lights. Fog lights actually create a safer driving environment, especially in harsh conditions such as rain, sleet, fog, or snow.

What is fog? Fog is a thick cloud of water droplets approximately 0.00039 to 0.00156 inches in diameter. These droplets are suspended within or near the earth's surface to create a "wall" reducing visibility to below half a mile. When fog is created, one's highbeams produce a "wall of glare" from light bouncing off the water particles. This could potentially blind the driver.


Foglights work by concentrating the light on the road directly in front of the driver as opposed to straight ahead. This is effective because the light shown by the head lights are reflected back, while the light thrown across the road by the fog lights is not reflected back. Since the light is angled in such a way, it acts like a dagger cutting its way through the fog.


Fog Lights are a simple and cheap fix to visibility and safety issues. Not only do they make driving safer, they also enhance a vehicle’s style and features. In conclusion, fog lights are truly a benefit in every way.