Should You Go Topless For Your Next Sports Car

Posted by admin on July 27th, 2008 filed in Sport Smart Super Auto Car

Depending upon where you live the idea of a convertible may be one that is always on your mind or one that is never thought of. Living in Florida we have many days when a convertible is highly desirable, especially in the spring and fall when temperatures are really comfortable. On the other hand if you live in Alaska or Northern Maine you wouldn’t get a whole lot of use out of one, maybe a couple of months out of the year at best.

A convertible very image that we see in our mind when we think of sports cars, they just go together. Whether or not it is practical for us to own one is another question. There are a lot of factors to consider in order to be able to make a decision if you would be happy with a convertible besides the weather in your area. If your area has a lot of cold or otherwise inclement weather you have to weigh the additional costs of owning and maintaining a convertible over the fun of having a topless car.

First off you need to be aware that the cost of insuring a convertible is considerably higher than the same model with a hard top. The reasons are not only due to theft but also because they are not as safe as the hardtop model in the event of an accident. If you live in an area that has a relatively high level of crime and in particular auto theft, you probably don’t want to consider a convertible. Thieves will take a sharp knife and use a slash and grab technique to grab your valuables and be gone before anyone even sees what they have done. As far as the safety part goes, it is just common sense really, but crash reports back it up, convertibles have a higher risk of injury or death in accidents.

You may find that you are happier with a more practical compromise of settling for a sports car with t-tops, a sunroof, or even a removable top sometimes known as a targa top. These can give you the feel of a convertible for the most part without sacrificing so much of the safety and security like a true convertible does. Some people would look at this like a Harley rider does a Honda calling it a rice rocket, in other words it just isn’t the same!

In order to make an intelligent decision about what is right for you, weigh all of the factors discussed here and look at where you stand. What is most important to you the freedom and the feeling of the wind wrapped around you and the sun on your face or does the issue of safety and higher insurance rates concern you more?

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more about cars and car care products at http://www.stopwaxing.com.

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What Is It That Makes The Sports Car So Desirable

Posted by admin on July 2nd, 2008 filed in Sport Smart Super Auto Car

Fans of sports cars are as zealous as Green Bay Packer football fans. You will find more car clubs and online forums dedicated to various segments of the sports car genre that any other part of the automotive industry. Sports car lovers also spend a great deal of their waking hours doing things with their vehicles, more so than other owners.

Although it may not be possible to pinpoint precisely why the performance sports car brings out such loyalty and devotion in so many people there are a few things that we can identify that contribute to this.

Most sports car owners tend to be freedom lovers, similar to the personalities of bikers. Indeed many sports car owners are also Harley riders. The idea of being able to take a high performance car out on a long deserted stretch of road and just open it up appeals to people like this.

Another factor with sports car owners is that they seem to gravitate to new technology and sports cars always seem to be at the forefront of new innovations in the automotive industry. This segment of the industry is responsible for many of the advancements we see implemented in other cars because of their constant need to be on the cutting edge of design innovation and technology.

On the flip side the sports car is also a one of those things that we can actually have control over. Even though the latest sports cars have incredible technological advances we can still feel like we are in charge and have mastery over them, they respond to us.

I think on a more basic level the sports car also reaches out to that deep primitive urge inside of men to show strength in a time where it has become invisible and unneeded. Because of all of the advances in technology there is no need for the “survival of the fittest” type of mentality and this has resulted in many cases, in the softening of humanity. The power of the sports car gives us a way to express those feelings that are hiding inside from a time when it was necessary to be strong and fast just to survive and see another day.

So, it is really no surprise that the sports car merits such devotion since it gives us so much of what we seek both consciously and subconsciously. It satisfies our desire for the latest technological advancements while at the same time allowing us to control them and lets us show our strength though our vehicle.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more about cars and car care products at http://www.stopwaxing.com.

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Drag Racing - Take It Off The Street And To The Strip!

Posted by admin on June 27th, 2008 filed in Sport Smart Super Auto Car

Drag racing, a contest between two cars starting from dead stop to determine which car can accelerate quicker to a given point. Drag racing started in the 1930’s where competitors raced along desert stretches of road to see who’s hot rod was faster. Over the coming years the sport became more organized and the National Hot Rod Association was formed in 1951. 54 years later, the NHRA is now the largest sanctioning body in motorsports with over 80,000 members.

Most people probably got their start with drag racing on the streets, sitting at a light
when your neighbor or friend pulls up, both of you itching for the light to finally
turn green so you both can hammer the throttle and see who could get to the next
light first. There’s no doubt that it’s exciting, anticipating the green light, just
waiting for the right moment to send the tires screeching for traction to get the
edge on the car just a few feet to your side.

With improvements in automotive technology and manufacturing, faster and more
powerful cars are being released each year. Cars on the low end include the
$20,000 Dodge Neon SRT-4, with a 230 horsepower turbocharged engine that can
do 0-60 MPH in 5.5 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.9 seconds. High-end cars such
as the $189,000 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, with it’s 604 horsepower twin-
turbocharged V12 engine can do 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in
11.6 seconds. These cars are made to be fun and exciting, but it’s important to
exercise restrain on the city streets with them.

Most people who purchase a high performance vehicle want to take it out and see
what it can do, especially against other cars. While it’s tempting to do this on the
city streets, it’s also very dangerous. Not only are there severe penalties for drag
racing on public roads, it also endangers many others on the street. Many lives
have been lost due to drag racing contests on city streets.

There are hundreds of places to test our your car’s performance in a safe and
regulated environment, your local Drag Strip. Drag racing facilities are specially
equipped for testing how quick you can get your car from 0 to 1320 feet, more
commonly known as the 1/4 mile. Most tracks operate in a similar fashion and have
special nights set aside for normal street cars to “test and tune” or drag race the 1/4
mile for a nominal fee of $10 - $20. The track will have paramedics and other
safety personal ready to respond to any accidents should they occur.

Each car that will be racing is given a tech inspection to make certain that is safe to
compete in the 1/4 mile contest. After the car has passed inspection, it’s time to
line up and get ready to race. Two cars are signaled by track personnel to pull up to
the staging area, a portion of the track used to line up the two cars evenly at the
starting line. The Christmas Tree is a setup of lights used to line up both cars and
signal the start of the race.

At the top of the Christmas Tree are the Pre-Stage bulbs, as the drivers pull slowly
forward to the starting line, they will activate the Pre-Stage bulbs. These bulbs
indicate the cars are very close to the starting line. As the drivers continue to move
slowly forward, the 2nd set of bulbs, the Stage bulbs will illuminate. When both
Pre-Stage and Stage bulbs for both cars are illuminated, the cars are lined up and
ready to go. At this point the track personal will activate the Christmas Tree to start
the race.

Upon activation, the Christmas Tree will begin flashing a series of lights. Starting
from under the Stage bulbs, there are 3 amber lights, followed by a green light, and
then finally a red light. Each light is flashed a half-second apart ; amber - amber -
amber - green. Once the green lights are on, both cars should be rocketing down
the drag strip 1320 feet towards the finish line. If either car leaves the starting line
too quickly, the red light is flashed, and that car automatically loses the race.

After passing through the finishing line there will be a long stretch of road to allow
the cars to slow down. There are usually a few exits from the track along the way
for the cars to turn around and head back to the timeslip booth to pickup a printed
ticket containing the details of their race. The timeslip will usually show how long
in seconds it took to get to various points down the track; 60′, 330′ , 1000′, and
1320′. It will also data on how fast the car was traveling in MPH at the half-way
point (1/8 mile) and finish line (1/4 mile), and of course who won the race.

Racing at the drag strip is a great way to safely and legally test out the capabilities
of your car while improving your driving skills at the same time. It’s also a great
place to meet up with other people with similar interests. So the next time your
sitting at a stop light and the car next to you is instigating you into a drag race by
revving his engine, tell ‘em to take it off the street and to the strip!

Brooks Weisblat is drag racing/sports car enthusiast and owner of DragTimes.com,
an online drag racing database of 1/4
mile times for cars and motorcycles. To view thousands of 1/4 mile timeslips
and participate in online drag racing discussion forums, visit: http://www.dragtimes.com/

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