Yet Another Grand SUV to Launch

May 15th, 2012

As if winning back to back Formula 1 World Championship’s wasn’t enough for Sebastian Vettel, he’s recently taken to endorsing cars, specifically the new Infiniti FX. It looks like a bit of a brute and you’d think, for the money, it would go like one too! It’ll set potential owners back a whopping £100,000 for what is, essentially, a sporty Jeep.

Now, of course it’s quite natural for Mr Vettel to endorse cars, but what a car to start with! The Infiniti FX comes complete with a 5.0 litre V8 powerplant, so that does sound promising. This supersized engine produces 415bhp thanks to a new exhaust system and some very clever engine remapping and, by all accounts, the new exhaust system sounds like it should as it gives the FX a muscular V8 burble.

The FX will, thanks to Vettel’s guidance, hit 186mph due to the restrictor being removed while the 0-62mph time stands at around 5.6 seconds, which is very impressive for a hefty SUV. Still, if it’s raw power and performance you’re after, the FX, for £100,000, probably wouldn’t be your number one choice!

Nevertheless it packs a punch in a straight line and Infiniti have also concentrated on sharpening up the steering. They’ve fitted stiffer springs and up-rated dampers and it sits 20mm lower than the standard FX50 S. The Vettel FX also has a 5% lower coefficient of drag and comes in at 46kg less. Those 21 inch black alloy wheels also add to the whole appeal of the car. Inside the car you’ll also get the feel of luxury twinned with performance as there’s lashings of carbon fibre spread about the cabin.

The Infiniti FX looks to be going toe to toe with the Cayenne, X5 and other upcoming SUV’s. Will it be able to compete though?

It is, without a doubt, better looking than the Porsche and the BMW and Sebastian Vettel, for one, is delighted with the FX: “This is the first road car I have helped develop. The result is an Infiniti I am very proud to have my name on. It is all I hoped for: 186mph, plenty of downforce – and I can still fit my mountain bike in the back. Plus it is totally exclusive – and as an Infiniti driver, that’s important.” He definitely sells it well doesn’t he?

[Image Credit - Infiniti]

Tags: , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Engine Re-mapping | No Comments »

The Lotus Exige S Has Been a Long Time Coming

May 9th, 2012

You probably haven’t failed to notice the hype surrounding the latest creation to come out of the Lotus garages at Hethel as it’s been splashed across the various different motoring magazine’s these past weeks.

It’s the Lotus they’ve always promised but never delivered, until now! The Exige S is here and boy oh boy is it special!

Think of it like a pocket version of the Ferrari 458 or the McLaren MP4-12C, or better yet, think of it like a serious rival to the Porsche 911 GT3 and even a GT3 slayer, which is a massive compliment indeed! The new Exige has been almost entirely reworked and it also borrows the best of the Lotus engines from its big brother, the Evora S.

The Exige S also makes use of Lotus’ clever Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system. This is their innovative version of ESP and allows drivers to select Touring, Sport, Race and Off modes. When choosing between the different options, it’s possible to set the car to curb understeer, optimise the level of traction when applying the power and even learn the tyres you’re using by calculating slip. Such advanced electronics were last seen in the aforementioned 458. The Exige S has thus undergone some nifty ECU remapping too.

Whilst the DPM system is an enormous improvement, another impressive change comes courtesy of that upgraded engine. The supercharged V6 is a stunning engine as the Exige S now delivers 345bhp from the 3.5 litre powerplant whilst weighing around 1100kg. This equals fun in a straight line, and lots of it! A scintillating 0-60mph time of 3.8 seconds is possible whilst it will crack the 170mph barrier and beyond!

In addition the Exige S handles like a dream. Many have stated that it is simply one of the finest handling cars in the world right now, and who can argue with that? Also, if you set the DPM system to ‘Off’ the rear end will become very lively, if drifting is your thing!

It would almost be wrong to think of the Exige S as an upgrade to the previous model as, to be honest, it’s an entirely different ballgame. This is more a view to the future from Lotus, an indication to their future projects that are planned under Dany Bahar’s guidance. What I’m of course referring to are the 500bhp+ hypercars that are in the pipeline, such as the next edition of the Esprit. Come on Lotus, build it!!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Engine Re-mapping | No Comments »

The Nissan Juke-R Confirmed for Release

May 3rd, 2012

The Nissan Juke-R has been confirmed for production following the fantastic reception the concept version of the car received. The Juke-R combines the body of a Juke hatchback with the monstrous twin turbocharged V6 engine from the King of all Nissan’s, the GT-R.

Nissan have confirmed that they will run a “very limited” production of the incredible machine. The Juke-R was merely to grab the attention of the media as an engineering exercise, and a rather bonkers one at that, however Nissan have folded to apparent “overwhelming pressure” to produce a road-going version of the car with three people already have claimed to have put deposits on one. Let’s hope the road-going version will not dampen the concept’s spirit. With the road-going version we want what we all first saw and loved about the Juke-R; colossal performance, mind-blowing dynamics and a sense of the “look at me” wideboy appeal from the little hatchback.

And it does indeed sound like good news as the production Juke-R is set to be a close match for the concept versions with the GT-R drivetrain assembled inside a modified Juke shell. And the production version is also more than likely to be more powerful than the concept version as it will get the latest GT-R engine; a 540bhp V6 twin turbo. The Juke-R definitely gets the thumbs up from us!

It is also sure to sound incredible with a new performance exhaust system being included in the package – be sure to pay attention to its deep burble and its trail of un-burnt fuel that is sure to splutter out the back on the overrun like many other turbo powered cars.

The three people that have already put deposits on one are clearly not concerned about the price of the Juke-R as Nissan have stated that it will be “very high” with no official figure actually being given yet.

The Juke-R concept will be produced over here in the UK, which is great news, however unfortunately it seems that Nissan are only likely to produce around 20 of the little gems – “very limited” production indeed then it seems.

The Juke-R is one of the most exciting cars designed in recent times and Nissan have been doing great things for petrol heads for many years now (the Skyline’s, Silvia’s and the GT-R, amongst others of course). This is simply the next and most ambitious step.

Who joins me in stating that Nissan has become one of the great car manufacturers in modern times?

If you disagree, then who do you think IS one of the great car manufacturers?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Exhausts | No Comments »

Tyre Safety is Essential

April 26th, 2012

Alarmingly drivers are being warned to check their tyres as they may be at serious risk without even knowing it due to the increasing number of cash strapped motorists driving around with damaged and worn tyres. During heavy downpours, such as the ones we are seeing at the moment, it is essential to make sure your tyres are safe!

TyreSafe, one of the UK’s leading tyre safety organisations, has urged drivers to take a look at their tyres in order to assess their condition. This comes after a four week investigation whereby TyreSafe obtained a random sample of 50 part-worn tyres, 98% of which were found to have been sold illegally.

Furthermore, it was revealed that over 30% of these tyres had incurred rather dangerous forms of damage. One particular example was a tyre which had encased a metal object that penetrated 5cm through the tread. This was cited as being particularly dangerous as the inspection engineer afterwards explained that this had the potential to be lethal had a sudden tyre failure happened.

In addition, the inspection engineers also found a multitude of other serious safety breaches including dangerous and unsafe repairs, exposed cords, bead damage and evidence of run-flat damage.

The Chairman of TyreSafe, Stuart Jackson, has been explaining: “Not only are drivers putting their own lives at risk, but they are also endangering their passengers, which in many cases may be their children, and other road users.” TyreSafe are clearly very serious about the issue therefore.

Of course vehicle maintenance will be paramount to many motorists as the enthusiasts amongst us will look after their car as if it was their offspring, so for diesel owners, ensuring the diesel particulate filter is clear will be essential to the overall performance of the vehicle, as will checking the oil and water levels are correct. That of course goes for petrol powered cars too as running any car with below optimum levels is likely to put unnecessary strain on the internals which will in turn reduce the lifespan of the car.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Diesel Particulate Filters, Problems | No Comments »

Removing Catalytic Converters from a Diesel Car – What you need to know

April 23rd, 2012

Removing the Catalytic converter from Diesel Cars has for a number of years been an easy way of helping to increase responsiveness and increase fuel efficiency and at Longlife Exhausts we have carried out a great many cat removals with great success.  In recent months, we’ve increasingly heard from concerned customers and potential customers saying that they’ve read or have been told that this is no longer legal.  Certainly, there seems to be much confusion regarding this matter – even some MOT testers don’t seem to have the correct information so we’re here to set the record straight.

All of what you are about to read has been verified in person with two representatives from VOSA, who are the highest authority regarding such matters.  At Longlife Head Office we also have an MOT Testing Station and so clearly need to be 100% sure we’re giving the right information to our customers and also to our Franchisees and so to this end, we’ve sat down with VOSA twice in 2012 already to clarify the situation.

The long and short of it is, you CAN remove ALL of the catalytic converters on a Diesel vehicle without any issue on your MOT test.  The confusion has come about due to a change in the regulations that came into effect in January 2012 regarding Petrol cars.  In the MOT testing manual for Class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicles (which you can download yourself HERE) it says that for cars that qualify for a full gas emissions test, the MOT tester should check for the presence of a Catalytic Converter.  A reason for failure is that a Catalytic Converter is missing when one was fitted as standard.  Diesel Cars DON’T QUALIFY FOR A FULL GAS EMISSIONS TEST, only a smoke test and so aren’t subject to the above regulation.  If you wish to see this page yourself in the manual, it’s part 7.1 and is the only page in the manual that deals with the exhaust.

The same is true for Diesel Particulate Filters – they’re not even mentioned in the manual and therefore aren’t tested.  This means you can happily remove them without an issue.

All of the above information is correct as of April 2012.  VOSA couldn’t say that the law won’t change in the future but as of when we last spoke to them (last month) they said that there was noting in the pipeline to suggest it would change.  If you don’t have a cat on your diesel car and the MOT tester fails it, you should ask them to check the manual at part 7.1 for clarification of what is correct – if they still refuse to pass the car, you should appeal the decision with VOSA who WILL overrule it.

So there you are, the myth of “the law has changed” or “it’s going to change next month”, or my mate’s an MOT tester and said you can’t do it is dispelled.  You CAN remove the cat on your diesel and it’s perfectly MOT legal.

Posted in Car Modifying, Diesel Particulate Filters, Exhausts, Problems, Stainless Steel Exhausts | No Comments »

Win Goodwood Festival of Speed Tickets

April 16th, 2012

We’re feeling very generous here at Longlife this week as we’ve decided to run a competition for you to win yourself a wonderful day out at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We’re giving away not one, but two tickets for the Sunday show on July 1st (the final and notoriously best day of the event) so you can take a friend along.

The Festival of Speed is, in our book, the best day out of the year for any car fanatic and motorsport fan. You can watch the cars blast up the hillclimb leaving exhaust and tyre smoke in their wake or you can watch the Rally legends powerslide round the Forest stage. You can also take a relaxed stroll through car heaven as you move between paddocks and displays of motorsport icons past and present.

Only a couple of weeks ago we blogged about the awesome event as it was announced that both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button would be attending. So, for your chance to possibly meet the stars, along with many others, and to enjoy a day full of speed and adrenaline, simply enter our competition.

There’s three ways in which you can enter.

1) Visit our Twitter page (@LonglifeExhaust), Follow us and @mention us explaining why you should be the one to win the competition.

2) Visit our Facebook page (Longlife Stainless Steel Exhausts) and tell us on our wall why you should win the tickets.

3) Alternatively you can also comment below to explain why you deserve to win the wonderful tickets.

The competition is open until 5pm Monday 30th April and you can only enter the once. The winner will be chosen after the closing date.

Good luck everyone.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Car Shows | 20 Comments »

Cayenne GTS Unveiled Later This Month

April 10th, 2012

Porsche are set to unveil a new Cayenne GTS at the Beijing Motor Show towards the end of the month. It will come complete with a modified chassis and an improved and impressive V8 engine.

The GTS will fit in between the S model and the top of the range Turbo model and will, basically, be a blend of the two Cayenne’s. It will look very similar to the top of the range Turbo model due to its additional styling whilst being powered by a more powerful version of the non turbo V8 engine from the S.

The new non turbo V8 in the GTS is a 4.8 litre beast with 414bhp; more than the 394bhp available in the Cayenne S. Furthermore, the GTS will be fitted with an eight speed ZF automatic gearbox which uses stop-start technology. This is seen as an improvement from Porsche over the six speed manual gearbox that the former GTS made use of.

Whilst the Cayenne GTS is a very large 4×4, it is still very fast with a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph. These are undoubtedly impressive figures, however, Porsche of course know how to build speed demons!

Furthermore, fuel economy remains very respectable. It may not be able to do 50mpg like some small hybrid cars out there, but 26.4mpg from something so large and with such a big, powerful engine is indeed impressive. Drive it carefully and you may be able to increase such figures. Some careful Engine Re-mapping may also be able to increase fuel economy, if that’s what you’re after of course.

The Cayenne GTS is also now 24mm lower than the Cayenne S which further adds to its appeal as it sits lower to the ground in order to improve handling and reduce body roll.

All in all, the GTS acts like an updated and improved version of the Cayenne S. It will cost £12,000 more than the S at £67,000 when it goes on sale in the UK. Are these differences from the S to the GTS really worth an extra £12,000 though?

Cayenne’s do sell very well over here; will you be placing an order for a Cayenne GTS?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Engine Re-mapping | No Comments »

McLaren Duo Lined Up For Goodwood

April 5th, 2012

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is quickly approaching already this year and the McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have announced that they will both be attending the brilliant event this summer in order to show off the McLaren road and race cars both past and present.

With McLaren currently enjoying their F1 supremacy as the quickest and most consistent team, albeit we’ve only had two rounds so far this season, come the summer months Jenson and Lewis could be in the middle of a title fight of their own.

Goodwood is always a wonderful motoring event, and one of my own highlights of the calendar year. The Sunday show is always the one to be at as it’s jam packed with extensive action on the hillclimb and an array of glorious cars and bikes on display in the paddock areas.

Both the McLaren drivers are veterans of Goodwood now and they will each take to the 1.16 mile hillclimb course situated just outside Lord March’s front door. They’ll be driving the MP4-26 F1 car that finished as the runner up in last season’s World Championship and the new MP4-12C road car. Both of which look fantastic and sound rather awesome. The MP4-12C benefits from a performance exhaust system designed to increase the overall power and performance of the car, which it does!

The Goodwood Festival of Speed begins on June 29th and runs for the weekend till July 1st at which point the whole event will be packed up for another year, but only after the Sunday evening party of course!

Will you be attending Goodwood this year? And is it possibly the best motoring event of the year? For us Brits it would have to be close between this and the British Grand Prix. The British Grand Prix is of course an incredible motor racing event, however, Goodwood allows you to get up close and personal with hundreds of cars and stars. If you’re lucky, you may even sneak an autograph from Jenson and Lewis…

Tags: , ,
Posted in Car Shows, Exhausts | No Comments »

Try Not To Panic

March 29th, 2012

You won’t have failed to notice that there is currently a bit of a panic regarding fuel supplies. The story goes that tanker drivers are to strike over pay and conditions. This, coupled with advice given by the government to stock up on fuel, has thrown the country into a fuel crazed frenzy.

Fuel has, unfortunately, dominated the headlines recently. The Budget this month of course revealed that fuel prices would rise by around 3 pence per litre in August. This was news that caused uproar and frustration amongst motorists, especially those of us that simply love driving as we will now have to pay even more money to do something we enjoy. However, the potential tanker strike is not related to the increasing fuel bills.

So, have you been panic buying fuel in the past few days? Queues for petrol stations have noticeably increased over the last 48 hours, so much so that it actually puts me off bothering to stop. Think about the fuel you could waste waiting 30 minutes to refuel, and what if you finally get to the pump and it’s ran out of fuel? That would be a terribly frustrating situation. But it is one that may well happen as many petrol stations have already run dry. Authorities are now urging people to continue going about their daily business as usual without panic buying fuel as the surge in the amount of fuel being purchased could throw regeneration schedules out of sync. The message should therefore be: do not panic, and continue as normal.

I’m a keen motorist and I absolutely adore my car, like most of you I’m sure, however at a time like this when fuel bills will rise and fuel saving methods are more important than ever, I must admit I’ve been driving extremely economically. There are a number of different ways you too could save fuel. Firstly, if you have a diesel powered engine, then it will be important to ensure that your diesel particulate filter (DPF) is clean and clear. A clogged up DPF can cause havoc for your fuel economy.

Furthermore, it will be essential to check tyre pressures and water and oil levels. By driving around with pressures and levels out of balance it’s possible to significantly increase fuel consumption; something that of course should be avoided.

In addition, it will be important to keep your revs nice and low; not only will this preserve the life of the engine for longer, but it will certainly save fuel!

These are just some of the ways in which you will be able to save fuel in these difficult times, however, this advice is by no means exhaustive.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Diesel Particulate Filters | 1 Comment »

Mercedes SL65 AMG Revealed

March 23rd, 2012

A few weeks ago we blogged about the new Mercedes SL63 AMG, well Mercedes-Benz decided to follow that up by unveiling the new SL65 AMG, its bigger, more powerful brother.

If you thought the 63 was quick, then this is supersonic. It packs a twin turbocharged 6.0 litre V12 with modifications to the inlet and performance exhaust systems in order to vastly improve them. Power, thanks to some impressive and careful engine re-mapping by the clever people at AMG, is now up to a staggering 621bhp.

That’s a huge amount of power from a luxurious cruising machine. Should we be surprised however? I think not! Mercedes have been building super powerful cars for decades now and this is simply the latest in the long line of tremendously quick cars from the German manufacturer.

I sometimes struggle to get excited by run of the mill cars that struggle to push any boundaries and that’s why I love the AMG Mercedes’. They always deliver in both looks and performance whilst sounding quite phenomenal at the same time.

The way this new SL65 AMG pushes boundaries is simply because it delivers such an enormous amount of power and torque, 737lb ft no less, and that’s limited too! With the SL65, Mercedes have also, at a time when V8’s seem to be the hot favourite in terms of reducing emissions, decided to stick with the bigger, more powerful V12 engine.

Furthermore, the new SL65 AMG also has a limited top speed; it will go no quicker than 155mph, however, with some careful ECU remapping, that top speed can soon be altered to match the incredible performance of that V12 power plant.

The SL65 will hit 62mph in around 4.0 seconds which is brutal acceleration in something that weighs just under two tonnes. In terms of handling, the SL65 will probably be tail happy, which is fine when lighting the rears up on the track, but it could certainly damage your pocket when forking out for new sets of rubber.

All in all, this new SL65 AMG offers huge performance and stunning looks – a brilliant combination, and another brilliant creation by Mercedes-Benz.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries