Editorial: I'm Muhammad Ali in the Ring!

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!  These were words to be feared if you were a boxer back in the days of Muhammad Ali.  He said he was "the greatest before [he] ever knew [he] was" and in the Thrilla in Manilla Ali went on to beat Frazier in their third match to become the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of The World.

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Subaru's story may be similar-- hell, they may have even had serious suits and battles to be won before they claimed the title as the heavyweight boxers of the automotive industry, but truthfully I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED!  Sorry for killing the mood, but it's the truth, and honestly fighting is overrated, so I don't even care!

Subaru SVX from Philadelphia Auto Show 2012

The matter of the fact is that even though Subaru is the Heavyweight Champion of the Auto Industry in Boxing currently, there were previous challengers and even champions, dare I say-- George Foremans or opponents like "Smokin'" Joe Frazier if you will.

The engine was first made in 1896 by Karl Benz, the notable founder of Mercedes-Benz, and later gained popularity amongst other German companies such as BMW Motorcycles and Volkswagen before it was ever tinkered with by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

DIS NIGGAAAAAA Source

Yet, even though Subaru was not the pioneer of the flat-four boxer engine (or the flat-six if you're more of a Tribeca guy) they have done an amazingly well job of engineering engines with low centers of gravity for performance and rally cars that stand up very well to high boost pressures and are even capable of running well in N/A applications!

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Just look at their newest engine which was co-designed with Toyota.  The engine is capable of an admirable 100 HP/L, producing 200 break horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque, producing eight more lb-ft of torque than Honda's performance K-Series motor.  Keep in mind the K-Series was supposed to be an extremely efficient design for its time, coming out in the early 2000's.

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The aforementioned engine is known as the FA20 and was designed specifically for the BRZ/FR-S/GT-86 which is the Subaru/Toyota (Subaruyota?) sports car developed to satisfy the souls of yearning drivers everywhere.  Sporting a shortened oil pan and intake manifold, it's no wonder this thing is so capable of lurking so deep within the depths of the new RWD LOLlercoaster from the two companies.

Under-exposed pic from the Philadelphia Auto Show of 2012

Yes, it seems that the D-4S hybrid port/direct injection, chain-driven camshaft havin', AVCS valve train phasin', all-natural motor has shocked us all.  Subaru, cheers...you continue to amaze.  FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE.

Photoshoot: Sneak Peak

Hey guys!  So last night, me and my boys from The Daily Werks Crew went over to Franklin Mills with Philly Subarus and took some pictures of N-Spire Performance's whips.  Here's a sneak preview of one of their cars-- an FD3S RX-7.

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Stay tuned for more photos!  And be safe, from Lexi.Laron to you.

The Tuner Community; Now and Forever

Hey all.  As of recently I've been noticing some pretty awesome trends going on in the community.

A shot from Canibeat's Website by Photographer, Sean Bradford.  Canibeat showcases many cars from shows all over the country.  A big part of this boom in the scene is due to their fanaticism about the industry. Source

Roof racks and Hellaflush were the beginnings of a so-called dilution of the industry by some die-hards.  What was once a sport of trying to make your import car faster by modifying its intake, ECU, exhaust, turbo, internals, and more has now become the sport of not only "show," but some would argue it has become more about "go."  And honestly, maybe this is true!

Shot I took at WEKFEST East

But with this recent boom in the scene, we're seeing more attention from the major auto makers.  Perhaps this is what drove Honda to bring back the NSX or perhaps this is what prompted Toyota and Subaru to bring into production a lovely front-engine, rear-wheel sports car by name of the Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ.

From Lexi.Laron's coverage of the Philly International Auto Show of 2012

I mean let's face it, people are Tweeting more, they're Facebooking more, they're Instagramming more, they're making verbs out of just about every bit of social media out there and it's enabling people who are in touch with the car community to make that transitive link that we have been searching for.  Now the car companies don't have to go, "How do I reeech these keeeeds?"  They can just go do it now (heck, they can do it here)!

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But I think one of the best parts is that we are seeing stolen cars and car parts being recovered thanks to sick cars that are shown by Facebook Pages that have a lot of likes.  A page will post a "STOLEN" article and everyone will share it and spread the word!  What better way is there to find something than to have everyone looking for it, right?  Just take for example this recent story about a man in Hawaii who had a rare set of custom wheels stolen and returned to him thanks to the wonders of social media!

Only scumbags destroy people's passion ;)

I mean, this is great.  We're getting more attention from car makers and we're making it harder for people to jack our crap!  Sure, we may be getting more negative attention from the cops while on the roads, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.  I hope that in the future the tuner community moves forward to continue diversifying, whether it be building full race cars with monkeys strapped to them or replacing their motors with horses, watching out for its members and their goods, and making contact with the major car makers.

All in all, I'm Lexi.Laron and I'm signing out.

So You Think Hybrids Aren't Cool...

Back when I was first kicking off Lexi.Laron, I did features on the renewal and maintenance of my '98 Lexus ES300 with over 250,000 miles on it.  But as I started to realize that I really wanted an RSX Type-S, I decided to focus on making my dream happen.

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My baby

But let's put it this way, dreams don't just happen.  Dreams are inspired.  And being that Honda's slogan is "The power of dreams," I find it appropriate that their CR-Z Mugen RR was one of the cars which sparked a flame in my heart and drove me to put my first down payment on that RSX pictured above.

Yet, recently I've questioned Honda's ability to power dreams-- or at least power dreams of speed and screaming VTAK!!!!  Well, for those of you in the same boat as I am, I think that there is really hope that Honda may finally be on the verge of making something cool again...but wait-- it's a hybrid??

Honda Performance Development Supercharged CR-Z at SEMA Auto Salon Source

I mean yeah, I've been talking about how the CR-Z would come out in a cooler package, but this is the second time that Honda's brought a supercharged CR-Z motor out to SEMA Salon (let alone a whole car), and it's not the first supercharged CR-Z we've seen.  Again, reference that Mugen RR link I have up there^.

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And it's always like car companies to come out with concepts of cool cars just to let us down again, but when they bring it out over and over again to major shows around the world, like Nissan did with the GTR concept before they made the R35 GTR, I've seen a higher likelihood that the cars actually get produced.

Anyway, enough chatter.  Let's delve into the details of Honda's most recent showcase for forced induction goodness in a little 1.5 L.

Engine bay of the HPD Supercharged Hybrid Source

On October 31, 2012 Motor Trend posted an article showcasing the little pitbull talking about modifications made by HPD.  Modifications include a tuned suspension, tuned brakes, exhaust, and new wheels with better tires.

Sporty rear valance with center-exit exhaust-- can you say Mini Cooper S?  Source

I spy with my little eye what looks like a four-piston caliper with slotted rotors!  Source

So now...now we talk numbers.  Numbers are always a controversial topic for Honda owners, with some owners boasting about their horsepower per liter numbers while adversaries mock their poor torque numbers.

Yet, as you know with new emissions regulations coming about and with increasing gas prices, it's just not economical to make naturally aspirated engines that rev to 8300 RPM like my K20Z1 does.  No matter how cool it is, it's just not practical.  So that's WHY Honda has chosen the route of forced induction.  By pushing air into your engine it is possible to get more horsepower per liter while also getting great increases in torque as well.

By pairing a hybrid drivetrain with a super capacitor (high power density) and lithium-ion batter (high energy density) with a forced-induction engine with a down-sped crankshaft, the thermodynamic volumetric efficiency of the engine is increased (more horsepower per liter, less fuel consumption), gas is saved, and the torque is all provided by the sudden release of power from the super capacitor which powers the electric motor!  All of this results in a predicted power output of 185 horsepower and 169 ft-lb's of torque.  Those are some pretty well-balanced numbers for a 2500 lb chassis!

Honda's supercharged Integrated Motor Assist Engine at SEMA Source

So, no it's not a rear-wheel drive car with a low center of gravity and a high-revving engine or turbocharger.  It's a hybrid.  But I'd say it's a pretty cool hybrid.  Maybe Honda is working on the next new thing.  Well, we'll have to see, right?

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Until next time, Lexi.Laron is signing out.  Peace.

The Werks

How you think we live that lyfe?  We werk for it.

Lexi.Laron...

Tim's WRX

Hey guys, so if you remember, the last cool-ass car I shot was a C4 Corvette.  It got me a lot of views, and to this day I am still getting a lot of hits on the site from old-heads who love American Muscle.  Well, today I'm doing a little something different from the same owner.  He's my boy Tim and he bought a Subaru WRX recently.

The car has a stage 1 tune, HID kit, LED interior and exterior lighting, custom fog light re-wire, tinted windows, STi carpeting and shift knob, and is due to possibly get a turbo seal replaced some time soon to endure the higher boost pressures associated with a stage 2 tune.

Cat and mouse Subaru and Honda fun!

Lexi.Laron, signing out.

What do Those "Truth in Engineering" Ads Mean Anyway???

So as of recently I've been walking around malls and watching TV and driving on the highway and I've been seeing these car commercials from select manufacturers who have been bragging about their superior engineering practices.

"Truth in Engineering" Trademark from Audi Source

But why?  Why have we seen so many ads as of recently capitalizing on this word, "engineering?"  Quite frankly, as an engineer who has his own opinion of what superior engineering really is I am offended when I see things like this.  I mean, why is it that you, in your German luxury car can boast about your great ability to  create a superior car while American cars, Japanese cars, and even Korean cars (no offense) have been making great cars with their own character and finesse and even an obvious lack of those aforementioned qualities!  In other words, what makes a well-engineered car?

Volvo: "Engineered by Scandinavia's Bad Weather Experts" Source

Well, while I can't tell you concisely what makes a "well-engineered" vehicle while being completely objective, I can tell you what doesn't make a well-engineered car.

The 2010 Toyota Priuses were subject to a near $2 billion recall in January Source

A good example of a poorly engineered can be recalled when remembering Toyota's brake crisis that resulted in billions of dollars worth of losses for the company and some lost lives for their dedicated customers.

Basic Process Control System and a Safety Instrumented System being implemented in a plant-based process (chemical engineering and process technology) Source

Now some of you may be like, "here we go again, the braniac is going to ramble," but let me stop you before you do that.  Shut up and listen!  It's car-related too!

You see, according to safety documentation which engineers adhere to when designing plants at least-- in any process where a safety risk is present which may affect an important product or form of life in a serious manner, the control system for the process and the control system preventing safety mishaps must run independently.  In controls lingo, the control system that monitors and controls the basic activities of a process (like speed for cruise control) is called the "basic process control system" (BPCS) while the control system monitoring safety-related activities in a process (such as braking while cruise control is on-- thus leading to the deactivation of cruise control) is called a "safety instrumented system" (SIS).

You see, as an engineer, you're expected to know and understand regulatory and company engineering practices and philosophy before designing something, and everything you design should be beneficial to your new project and should adhere to the philosophies and practices that were just mentioned.  Whether your car is a Prius or a Lamborghini Gallardo, the safety instrumented system must be separate from your basic process control system.

Toyota's fault was simply running the brake system and the accelerator system from the same unit, thus resulting in what is called a "common cause failure."

The bottom line kids is that when your engineers DON'T adhere to company or regulatory policies which set forth practices like this, your company's owner, president, CEO, WHATEVER, will usually go from looking like this...

Akio Toyoda lookin' pretty Source

Generally, (and this is just a brief and loose conclusion) a well-engineered car will be made as a result of countless hours of ingenuity, adherence to well-working regulatory and company policies, and well-thought out policies set forth in the industry amongst other things.  The final result is just what you drive off the lot.

And with that I leave you to enjoy your holiday....peace, viewers!  Lexi.Laron signing out.