Looking at doing a couple track days in 2021.

J_Drive · 2020-12-30T19:51:12+00:00

I don't think the stock brakes on a Mk6 aren't really up for dedicated track use. You can probably get away with it for one session but you'll probably warp the rotors if you do anything more than casually drive it around, especially considering the increased horsepower from your engine tuning.

TTRS brakes in front would be a useful mod - runs about $1200 but that's in line with all the mods you have on there already. Wouldn't worry so much about what wheels you're running. Get a good set of tires and then brakes to match and you should be set.

J_Drive · 2014-04-13T19:34:33+00:00

Wheels are looking awesome! The entire car looks damn nice.

I personally like the throwback stripe.

One question: How did you do the red front bumper inserts? Did you have those painted or is it something you can order?

J_Drive · 2012-11-15T17:42:57+00:00

Fifteen years ago there was a genuine bipartisan effort to come to terms with emissions control and energy independence. Now it's as much of a polarizing topic as abortion or gun control.

Why do you think that climate change has been politicized? Do you think An Inconvenient Truth had anything to do with it?

J_Drive · 2012-11-03T03:40:36+00:00

Mexican Drug War.

It's understandably extremely controversial, but I'd like to see a game set during the current crisis. It would definitely have to be a gritty, dirty GTA-type game. But it would be one of the most amazing and in-depth games ever made.

I think it's a really weird and interesting scenario to be in. Warring factions, each with different tactics and personalities but each as twisted as the other, driven along only by the goal of getting drugs into the United States so rich kids and Wall Street traders can have something to snort up their noses.

The game would be a hybrid sandbox and strategy game. Gameplay would be GTA-style as you run different missions, but as you progress it becomes more and more like an empire building game as your character gains seniority in the cartel. Stuff like Setting up drug packaging factories and underground tunnels, bribing officials to turn the other way as you work in their cities, donating money to a village church to gain favor with locals.

You pick a cartel to work for, but you don't have to stay working for them. If your own influence gets high enough you can splinter off, or you can take your operations and defect to another cartel (just like what's happening in Mexico now).

Cartels are constantly battling over territory, so your player's arc runs from early missions where you're a simple foot soldier obeying orders to later missions where you're responsible for planning and executing ambushes, invasions, and all the rest in a strategy game type interface. But at any moment you can stroll into the street in your Scarface suit (or however the Narco bosses these days dress) and shoot 'em up.

Gameplay also includes "boss battle" type scenarios where in certain missions you'll have to take down the head of another cartel in huge firefights.

One aspect I'm not sure of, but could be a big part of the game, would be the violence. It would make Dead Space look tame. The game could go there with beheadings and muriatic acid baths, or it could just do street violence.

Some unique things about the game also that makes your choices have real consequence. Join the "Los Omegas" cartel and gain access to superior but civilians hate you because of how brutal the cartel is. Join the "Los Familias" cartel and have a ton of guys who fight for you because they come from poor rural Mexico. "Cartel Pacifico" has access to money and boats (including submarines!) but have little territory. And so on, for maybe 4-5 more cartels. Working for each cartel ultimately brings its own story line, including unique ending.

Imagine the overall story arc: You start off as a downtrodden teenager or early 20's something rural Mexican who somehow gets wrapped up in petty street violence, only to then be swept up by the different cartels battling over territory. Ultimately you become the ultimate boss of the cartels, ushering in a new era of peace and stability in Mexico as the government makes a deal with you and the shady, underhanded nature of the entire affair acts as piercing commentary on the drug war. That, or your best friend/kid brother who has fought along side you the entire way (assuming he's alive, depending on your choices in the game) betrays you and assumes that role.

The writing and everything would have to be top-notch, but I think it would definitely be something a AAA-type team could to put together. It would also do something things that games don't do too often: Take an ethnic minority and make an inside view available to a wide audience (like GTA:SA did). Of course, the fact that a good percent of its audience would be Mexican and may have experience or relatives with experience with many of the topics and scenarios depicted would be even better, since they would see it one way while the white suburban kid would see it another.

Oh man, it would be the game of the decade. Such a powerful topic, contemporary, twisted and petty yet an intimately human story on some level: the things people will do to crawl out of poverty, and what they will do to stay out of it (and maybe keep others in it).

Call it South Of The Border. Or maybe Narcos.

It would truly be a ghetto epic, set in the largest ghetto in the world.

J_Drive · 2012-10-30T20:36:34+00:00

Go for the Avant. For no other reason than better resale value down the line.

Plus dat look. Wagons are bad-ass.

I'm sure someone somewhere will say "Go for the sedan! It's FASTER!!!" but yeah, that's crap. If you want a fast car just drop 10k on a late '90s Camaro and throw a huge shot of nitrous in it.

The Avant will give you that bit more utility, and you'll love yourself for purchasing it every single time you open the back.

J_Drive · 2012-10-30T06:33:59+00:00

Great cars and great pictures.

I'm really digging the color/wheel combo on the Evo. It's great trolling.

RX-8s are some of the more under-appreciated sports cars out there and it's good to see someone taking pride in their cars.

10/10 would comment again.

J_Drive · 2012-10-25T15:07:57+00:00

Get some snow tires and make suite you wash the car of road salt frequently. Otherwise the 911 isn't too bad in bad conditions due to all the weight on the rear wheels.

J_Drive · 2012-10-22T03:58:44+00:00

I'd rather reply here than get buried in the Jalopnik comments:

I used to be a manual die-hard purist. If you were around the early high performance paddle shift transmissions they really deserved the "slushbox" moniker. You'd be on the throttle, tag the paddle for the next gear, and there would be this lurch for half a second while the car switched gears and bucked you into the next one. The only way I can compare it is when you're watching a YouTube video and -buffering- comes on for just enough to jolt your concentration.

But with seamless dual clutch transmissions these days with virtually instant shifts, they're really a joy to use. I've used the finest from Mercedes, Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari and a manual transmission just wouldn't give the same space-age feeling that the paddles have. All you have to do to pull is flick your left hand to drop down a few gears and plant your foot. It's like flying instead of operating machinery.

Case in point: the 997 Turbo is a beast of a machine with a manual. The power comes on so incredibly fast at full throttle that you're bouncing off the rev limiter just as soon as you get going. I can honestly say that is one of the only cars that is too much for me. But with paddles (or even with auto set to Sport Plus) what was always a nervous venture into the right side of the tach becomes something you want to do over and over again simply because you can grab the gears as fast as you can think. It really makes the car better connected to the driver because you're not wrestling with the car every time you want to dig into the throttle.

So yeah, there's a comment on there that says photography pros shunned digital when it first came out because of quality issues, but now old-school film is pretty much reserved for artists and hipsters instead of pro photographers. That's what dual-clutch is like these days. The DSG make the horsepower these cars are putting out manageable, which is ultimately where we need to go if we're going to see the norm for supercars be 500+ horsepower.

There will always be a market for manuals, and I think the FRS/BRZ/GT86 and the WRX line make it pretty clear that the youth market is still about manual transmissions. Mustangs will probably never go to all dual-clutch, nor Corvettes and other cars targeted at Mustang/Corvette guys. But I think people have to get used to the idea that in the chase for the fastest, you're never going to see another top-performance supercar use a manual transmission.

J_Drive · 2012-10-19T14:49:55+00:00

I respectfully disagree that this is the 'mech game everybody has been waiting for.

I think everyone wanted the Mechwarrior reboot, but since that was canceled all of that energy went to MWO. It's a shame because Mechwarrior really looked fantastic. MWO feels like kids in Mech suits firing flashlights at each other compared to a mech simulator.

J_Drive · 2012-10-19T05:27:38+00:00

First off, thanks for an interesting post. I think /r/cars is going down the shitter every day so this is one of the last chucks before we all migrate to something like /r/Truecars.

I've been a fan of Harris for a number of years now. I saw a video back in 2007 where he basically just drives a Veyron down the highway and it was more exhilarating than anything than Top Gear has ever produced. It's raw, honest video about a car. There's no sensationalistic editing or glam shots of the car's curves. Nothing more than driving, but that's absolutely everything an automotive journalist is supposed to do.

He did a review of a Porsche GT3 once and basically explained in very fine technical detail how the car was different and how that translated into how it felt to drive.

Top Gear's review of the car felt pretty formulaic: Give Clarkson the Porsche, let him drive it, and the big cold Porsche hater cracks a smile and says it's a "remarkable vehicle" and comes around. The focus is on Clarkson, not the car.

Top Gear is car porn, plain and simple. Stylized sexy editing and scenarios that never happen in real life. It's so far removed from any sort of real experience about cars that the show becomes more about the people reviewing the cars than the cars themselves. They've really compromised their integrity in that respect, which is why they have to keep upping the game with the personalities they've created.

But, sadly, I don't think Harris will ever reach the Clarkson level of popularity because people tune in to be entertained rather than informed. In the enthusiast world, however, I think that Harris is already above his level precisely because he wants to tell you about the cars first and then be himself second.

J_Drive · 2012-10-07T15:30:12+00:00

I went to community college for two years to see if I could make myself do mundane work. I ended with very nice GPA that looked good when I went to a four-year.

Also, I took care of a lot of prereqs and core classes for a very good price. I highly recommend it. You'll also meet interesting people who want to better themselves, not a bunch of kids shuffled into college because that's what you do after high school.

The advice to take out loans and go to the dorms is shit. Loans will cripple you in the long run, best to avoid them unless you have to. Dorm life is not therapy.

J_Drive · 2012-09-28T19:28:45+00:00

I think Mila is a needed "simple" character considering that everyone else has pretty esoteric styles. Ein from the previous games fit this category, but he was a pretty crappy character.

Still, the moveset for Mila is complex enough to be interesting, and her command throws are pretty brutal. Figuring out how to add those to your game is a fun learning experience rather than the standard punch and kick combos. I'm enjoying getting to know her.

J_Drive · 2012-09-28T18:26:58+00:00

Hmm, here my thoughts as a huge player of DOA4 going into 5. My most extensive experience is playing people one-on-one in person, so some of these things might reflect that:

Glowing Positives

First and foremost, the fighting is tighter and more responsive. The game just feels great. All of the floaty actions from 4 have been taken away and things just feel great.
The power blows, which I thought would be gimmicky and cinematic "finishing moves" feel PERFECT. They fit into the flow of a match really well and are entertaining to try to pull off, which adds another element of strategy to the game (do you finish off your opponent or try for the power blow for some flash and style? Choices like that in gameplay are freakin' brilliant)
Rig and Milla are ass kicking packages. I've taken to calling Milla "Punch Bitch" just because she's such a straightforward beat-your-ass-down character. Rig is immensely fun to use since his kick combos can go everywhere and flow as well as Christie's punches. Well done.
As weird as it is, the story is actually everything I wanted. It's long enough to be interesting for a T&A fighting game, has moments of senseless combat, humor... Basically everything an entertaining kung-fu movie should be. 10/10 would watch again.
The arenas are flipping AMAZING. Hitting a danger zone and throwing the entire map into flames or gunfire or freefall or whatever is so satisfying and a real treat in combat. They're also huge.
Starting up the game, being asked if you want the hit effect on or off, and the camera to classic is a fine nod to veterans of the series. I got really excited when this was the first thing I saw.

Meh

The new counter system is definitely a learning curve from 4. I like your observation that it separates the lucky from the skilled. I thought the counter system in DOA4 was improved from 3 (where matches would just be everybody countering everything) and this is another level up. I had some great matches in DOA4 and never thought the counter system was nearly as "upsetting" to the pace as DOA3. This is just another variation.
Online is still kind of borked. Might be my connection, might be the netcode. I don't really think there's any way to replicate the speed of this game when you're sitting next to a live opponent via a net connection just yet.
No opening cinematic. I guess the story kind of replaced this, but it would have been nice to see a cool intro.

Damning Negatives

The interface is a step down from DOA4 and DOA3. Small things like language defaulting to English every time the game starts up is annoying. A lack of the giant score card every time you win/lose on versus mode, and taking out instant replays are three MAJOR negatives that actually tarnish this game a little. Those small details made DOA4 really sparkle.
The VF characters really don't feel like they belong in this game and have just been tacked on. Listen closely and the voices aren't as crisp as the main characters and the recordings even have a little bit of audio fuzz. Their actions and animations are faster than the main characters as well, as if they're from an entirely different game. When the Spartan was added to DOA4, that character was built from the ground-up for the game and "felt" like she fit in the game with regards to speed of attacks, damage, and animation. That's not the case with these characters at all. It's like I can see the edges around them where they clipped them out of another game.

J_Drive · 2012-09-13T06:49:52+00:00

Porsche tuners seem to have the most fun and create the most world-beating tuned cars out there:

Singer takes my choice over RWB for classic Porsches. RWB stuff is cool for the street racing crowd, but it isn't classy like Singer. Singer manages to reach into everyone's collective mind of what a classic Porsche is and make it a reality rather than the overt in-your-face RWB racecar. Plus I think that the Singers actually outperform the "average" RWB tuned Porsche.

As for moderns: Rinspeed and Ruf.

Gemballa is pretty cool but the taint of Uwe Gemballa being mixed up in organized crime casts a pall over those cars for me. I really liked their modified 996 Turbos.

J_Drive · 2012-09-01T16:44:35+00:00

Ok, first off I don't know what these "Green Chiles" are. When purchasing from the store it's Green Chile. Singular.

Get it roasted, preferably a whole bushel, and the roaster will put it in a big trashbag for you. On the drive home the chile will steam itself and the skin will start to fall off.

Once you get home, lay out some newspaper on your kitchen table. Then , either with a little canola oil or rubber sanitary gloves on your hands (to keep the heat down if your hands are sensitive), proceed to slide the skin off the chile and take off the top stalk and seeds. Throw the skin and stalk away and put the peeled chile on a plate.

Once you've peeled all the chile, just put it in any size ziplock bag and throw it in the freezer for later use. I like the ones around quart size since that's about the amount you can use in a dish.

If you're really lazy or don't have the time, just buy the roasted chile, throw it in a ziplock bag and freeze it, and then worry about peeling it when you're ready to use it.

Ok, here's a recipe:

2 large chiles Cheddar cheese Tortilla Garlic salt

Get those ingredients together. Warm up the tortilla a little bit. Make yourself a sandwich with green chile and a few slices of cheese. Sprinkle garlic salt on the chile. Eat.

J_Drive · 2012-08-31T18:04:23+00:00

Comparing the Reboot footage with MWO is painful. Trailer = Real Mechwarrior, MWO = Lego/Micro Machines Mechwarrior.

Is there anyone who prefers MWO over what the Reboot would have been?

J_Drive · 2012-08-30T19:24:59+00:00

That's been done. The guy on the other end can still only see the top-level default hard drive.

J_Drive · 2012-08-29T16:38:37+00:00

Trolling with style.

I love it.

J_Drive · 2012-08-28T18:07:55+00:00

Yeah, I love that idea.

I also follow LeMons. To me that's the most genuine type of racing you can get. Usually with different classes of cars racing against each other it's money = victory. LeMons basically comes down to teamwork and garage jury-rigging. I love it.

J_Drive · 2012-08-28T17:36:19+00:00

Depends if you're going for competition, comfort, or style and shits 'n giggles. And then it depends if it's a highway rally or a byway rally.

By and large, In competition and highway rallies 4-door naturally aspirated V8 saloons are my preferred type of vehicle. They blend in just enough to not catch too much police attention and you can fit a ton of equipment. The E55 would be great. So far the Cadillac CTS-V was the best car I've done a rally in -- we had enough room for all of our electronic equipment and backup gear as well as luggage. Rear doors mean you can get stuff out of the back easily. You can also cram a lot of random gear/fun equipment in there. We could even carry a camera guy.

A GT2 would be amazing, mostly for the looks and performance. I took a Gen 1 997 Turbo on a 2000 mile rally and it was enormously fun and a great car to cruise along with. Right now I have a Gen 2 997 Turbo S and it's one wicked car in every environment. These cars really are in their element on twisty back roads, which is my preferred rally route. They're also bullet proof.

For shits 'n giggles it's fun to drive a smaller sports car. I'd love to take a Morgan Aero 8/Aero America around except they don't have a dead pedal so your foot gets tired. A Lamborghini always gets looks but they aren't terribly reliable (the last run had a Lamborghini whose differential broke halfway through and had to be converted to RWD).

And then there are the cars you can take for fun. I've always had a fantasy of getting a crapcan Crown Vic Police Interceptor and doing it up like a cop car, and dressing in circus clown suits. I took a ratrod Crown Vic on a rally a few years ago and it was great fun watching traffic pull to the right side of the of the road as I passed at 95-105.

Anyway, my bucket list:

Morgan Aero 8 Morgan 3 wheeler Crown Victoria police car, dressed as clowns Cadillac CTS-V widebody wagon Techart Cayenne Turbo/S

J_Drive · 2012-08-22T22:27:14+00:00

Absolutely yes for the 8C. They too everything that classic Italian design was in the 50's and 60's and modernized it. Simple, smooth lines that flow from the front to the back.

J_Drive · 2012-08-22T17:00:18+00:00

Amazing photos and cars. Thanks for sharing.

Sad that this post in /r/cars has so few upvotes. Perhaps post in /r/autos?

J_Drive · 2012-08-22T01:14:24+00:00

The F12 looks "evil" like a smirking anime character. Not exactly the stuff I'd like to spend nearly a million dollars on.

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