Category Archives: Videos

Cobb Tuning – They Dyno’d a Ford Focus RS!

The above was a Cobb Tuning live video session that occurred today.

They dyno’d a Ford Focus RS.  The car was stock.  In fact, they dyno’d it four times.  The first two pulls were with the stock tune.  The latter two pulls were with a Cobb AP tune (stage 1).

The guy in the video stated that he’d heard that a lot of people were thinking the car was overrated from the factory and that they wanted to test to see if it was true.

[SPOILER ALERT – Stop reading now if you’d like to watch the video to see the results!]

Well, the first two pulls netted 301 WHP and 340 lb-ft of torque.  The last two pulls netted 313 WHP and 360 lb-ft of torque.

Now, my concern is that current RS owners say they aren’t getting full boost on a consistent basis (ie, they’re not getting the full power on demand, every time they run the car hard).  Yes, different atmospheric  conditions will dictate how well the car runs, but if your car is only generating 250 WHP when you want the full Monte, that’s a problem.  The cars are probably dialing back boost when ambient temps are high.  The Cobb test car was run in Texas, where it’s in the low to mid 90s today.  The dyno testing didn’t see any anomalies but their testing isn’t what the mag publishers’ test numbers are showing.  The mag publishers are showing discrepancies (the cars are not generating what it should, HP-wise).

Cobb needs to test more, IMO.  Or maybe they don’t care enough to investigate further…after all, it isn’t their problem.

Regarding the HP numbers of the dyno runs, the car saw rather significant gains when going stage 1, but this car is already putting out serious amounts of power.  How much more before the car either stops generating nothing but heat (or a thrown rod or cracked piston)?

2015 WRX on the Dyno

We rarely see 2015 WRXs on the dyno, but here it is. I wish they’d provided the baseline HP at the wheels first, but I believe they make 240ish to the wheels stock. I’ve no idea what mods this one may have.

Esnel’s 2015 Subaru WRX – 301whp/325lbtqEsnel brought in his 2015 Subaru WRX to get a COBB Tuning ProTune by Vlad! Vlad got the WRX all dialed in at 300.66whp and 324.84lbtq!

Posted by National Speed on Saturday, July 25, 2015

UPDATE — the mod list is: Tb exhaust , intake , tgv delete

2016 Ford Focus RS Shows Off Its AWD Chops – Road & Track

I posted about the upcoming Ford Focus RS a few times already, but R&T apparently analyzed some video footage of a Ford Focus RS on the track and determined that the car is indeed AWD.  I’m not sure I believe it.  Video analysis of handling characteristics might not be enough.

 

 

The Heart and Soul of Every Subaru — the Boxer Engine

Do you like documentaries on car engines? Here’s one from Subaru of America on their horizontally-opposed engines (aka boxer engines).

I’ve not yet viewed it, but once I have, I’ll update this post with my comments (if any).

To read commentary responses to Subaru of America’s Facebook post, visit here:

Matt Farah tracks the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/matt-farah-tracks-the-2015-ecoboost-mustang

 

“Is the four-banger ‘Stang ready to depose the 5.0? Not quite, says Matt.”

I’m not sure what the above quoted comment is about.  The Mustang EcoBoost was never meant as a Mustang GT replacement.  It was created as a global car for people living in areas where fuel costs are a concern.  As well, the car will benefit those who live in countries that tax car owners based on engine displacement.  To expect this particular car to be an equivalent to a Mustang 5.0L is a bit ridiculous…most car makers ensure their product line follows a strict hierarchy and Ford is no exception.

The video footage is pretty cool…I just don’t care for the commentary.  I really shouldn’t have expected much from the commentary, since Matt Farah is more of a street scene type of guy (he certainly isn’t of the caliber of most mainstream reviewers, such as R&T, MT, Automobile, and C&D).

If you’re a glutton for punishing commentary, you can also read the R&T’s Facebook comments about this particular subject:

Color-changing LED Turn Signal Bulbs for 2008-2014 WRXs & STIs

These LEDs are pretty cool. It solves the issue of wanting white LED turn signal bulbs but also wanting to stay legal (not having orange turn signals is illegal in many (if not all) states).

The link to order these bulbs is here.

They are normally $59.99 a pair, though. Note that they’re currently marked down to $49.99 for the normal set and $79.99 for the mega-bright set(as of 9/4/2014).

UPDATE:  Note that if you use these LEDs, you’re going to need an LED-capable blinker relay…that’s the case with any upgrade to LEDs.  It can be found here (same site).  The price is $19.99, as of 10/7/2014.

It might be time to update the wish list!

? Drive Plus – VW Golf R v BMW M235i – Chris Harris on Cars

Drive Plus – VW Golf R v BMW M235i – Chris… by boobiesr4squeezing

Your thoughts on the upcoming VW Golf R?  I’m less concerned about the M235i, since the 2015 STI has already been matched up with that particular car (see this post for more insight).

My thoughts?  This is just another VW Mk VII Golf R video.  This is also another Golf R video that is non-US-spec.  This is also another video touting its Haldex system.

We keep seeing videos of this car but only in it’s EU-guise.  It makes me wonder if there will be a US version (of the same car, not a watered down version).  Also, everyone keeps talking about how smart the Haldex system is — it was initially debuted in the Golf R on an ice track.  Subaru has been doing that for YEARS.  As well, Haldex isn’t true all-wheel-drive…it enables power to the wheels only when needed.  Yes, that is more efficient.  No, that doesn’t make it better than dedicated AWD systems.  I’d like to see the car handle and see drivers such as Randy Pobst test that car on a track.  Yes, Chris Harris gave the car ‘the beans’ in the video, but I’ve to see much more of this car than the last 8 months of videos before I become intrigued by this car’s technology.  And then there’s the euro stigma about technology.  Will this car be expensive to service and maintain?  Will there be non-stop electrical gremlins that plague the owner experience?

No, I’m not yet smitten.  Keep trying to woo me, VW.

4-cylinder Boxster and Cayman Video Footage at NBR??

I just saw the following posted on Facebook:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/this-is-probably-the-flat-four-cayman-at-the-nurburgring

I also posted awhile back about the fact that Porsche was considering using the flat-four layout in upcoming engine options for the Boxster and Cayman.

I then saw the videos provided on that page.  First, they posted a baseline video, so that people know how a current Cayman sounds:

Then, they posted a Boxster andCayman with what’s unarguably a flat-four motor:

I prefer the sound of the flat-six, but the flat-four isn’t bad.

EDIT:

There’s quite a bit of uproar with the Porsche “purists” on R&T’s Facebook page…check out the comments:

 

Standing Mile: 2015 STI and 2014 Porsche Cayman

I saw the below on Google+, posted by Automobile Magazine.

Note that these two cars aren’t really comparable (they both use horizontally-opposed engines but it’s a stretch to think that they’re related in any sense). As well, the STI’s AWD advantage is nullified by the fact that this is a standing mile competition…the distance is far too long for AWD to be a definitive factor. Also, even though the Cayman is down 25 HP, it weighs 300-lb less while also being 2-wheeled, which means there’s less parasitic drivetrain loss (more of its power is making it to the ground in comparison to the STI).

These two cars only have one thing in common: horizontally-opposed engines. Well, there’s one other thing they share…they both ran the exact same standing mile completion time.

It’s fun to watch as long as the viewers realize that neither of these two cars are designed for drag racing.