Akatuki4

The EcoBoost V6 is perfect for the 2017 Ford GT. It doesn’t need a V8. Read More…

Behold! They cometh with four and six cylinders, turbochargers and direct injection! Wielding monstrous power-to-weight ratios and fiendish specific output numbers! Inefficient, high-displacement engines flee in their wake, screaming in terror before the advancing army of forced-induction warriors! Read More…

Have you ever wanted a Segway scooter, but thought that having two wheels was one-to-many? Well ladies and gentlemen, here’s your solution. It’s called the RYNO Micro Cycle and it seeks to take transportation in an even weirder direction. The RYNO is for all intents and purposes, the worlds first electric production one-wheeled cycle. It employs a gyroscopic stabilizer to keep you pointed upwards and is said to be able to obtain speeds of 25 mph with a 30-mile range. Powered by a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, its recharge time is just an hour and a half. Not bad if you ask me. RYNO is not targeting the traditional scooter buyer, nor are they looking at the Segway customer. Instead their focus is for those who seek reliable green transportation with space saving capabilities.

It’s cool, but honestly this thing just screams FACE PLANT every time I look at it.

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It’s no surprise that you may think that toilets sell themselves. However dig a little deeper and you’ll realize that creating a great porcelain throne takes time, money and a great marketing budget. Japanese toilet maker understands this and has recently come up with a pretty unconventional plan to get the word out about their newest products. You see there’s thinking outside the box, and then there’s thinking OUTSIDE the box, and in case their box has three wheels and is powered by bio-fuel. Toto figures that by making this trike run on poop-powered bio-gas that they’ll not only raise awareness for renewable energy, but in the process, sell some fancy new toilet bowls. Company spokesman Kenji Fujita stated, “Although the seat of the bike is indeed a toilet, it is not for actual use.”

The fuel is produced by breaking down and fermenting a combination of household and livestock waste into a gas form, which is then stored in twin tanks on the back of the bike. Fujita also stated that, “At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback. But after riding it, I found it quite interesting,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt at all and is actually quite comfortable to sit on.”

Hmm… interesting.

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Ever since I moved out to the West Coast I’ve been noticing a trend amongst those who drive hybrids and electric cars. For one, they’re generally more aggressive behind the wheel and two, they seem to feel that because they drive an economy car that this gives them the right to act like complete assholes on the open road. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to fracture an occasional traffic law from time to time, but these hybrid drivers, especially those who pilot the Toyota Prius, are in a class by themselves. On the highway for instance it’s more often than not that I see Prius drivers motoring at 80-85 mph through traffic. I’ve been flashed by them, tailgated by them and even flicked off by a few. I’ve also been chastised by owners while getting coffee for driving what they consider to be gas guzzling automobiles.

Back in NYC the Prius driver used these cars as they were intended – to get great economy. They drove them in a normal fashion and simply enjoyed their little hybrids. Out here in California though it’s almost as if owners used them as a way to be passive aggressive on the open road – “Yes of course I’m speeding and driving erratically, but I drive a Prius, so it’s ok…” Now I suppose I could be imagining this, but I highly doubt it. What I’m curious to know is, has anyone out there experienced a similar occurrence or am I the only one?

While Hyundai won’t confirm rumors of a Veloster Turbo, the company has announced the details of a recently developed 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. Coincidentally, the Veloster uses a 1.6 liter engine under its hood, meaning that a Veloster Turbo announcement is probably forthcoming. That’s good news, but hot hatchback fans who wanted the 2.0-liter turbo four from the Sonata Turbo in the Veloster probably won’t be satisfied with the 1.6-liter’s specs. Read More…

When it comes to motorized bar stools, I’d be the first to say that a small block Chevy is really all you need. The Australians clearly disagree, and the latest episode of “Add A Motor To It” features a big-block barstool, built by Kit Anderson. That’s a 454 cubic inch Chevy motor that Kit is sitting atop of, and in its current state of tune he estimates it’s good for around 480 horsepower. It’ll tow 2,000 pounds as well, which probably comes in handy when your friends’ barstools break down. Read More…

Bar stools, lawn tractors, cars, boats, planes, etc… If it’s got an engine then man will race it. It’s just what we do and unfortunately, it’s in our DNA. Some forms of racing though tend to be a bit crazier than others. Take Jetsprint boat racing for example. You’ve got a boat that weighs around 1,000 lbs, a boosted small block V8 that pumps out 500 hp – 1,000 hp, and a winding trench that was dug out by a bulldozer in your neighbors backyard. This is no joke, and with speeds exceeding 80 mph, the margin for error is slim-to-none. HOWEVER, watching these guys shred this course makes me feel all tingly inside and truth be told, I want one of these. The boats are divided up into three classes; Super Modified, Group A and Unlimited which is basically like beginner, intermediate and expert. However, even the guys running in the super modified class have cojones of steel. Click through for the video and prepare to be impressed by some of the craziest boats you’re ever likely to see.
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Image: © GM Corp.

Chevy introduced the small-block V-8 engine in 1955. In the fifty-six years since, Chevy has built nearly 100 million examples, and will cross that 100 million threshold sometime this year. Coincidentally, 2011 also marks Chevy’s 100th birthday.

The small block Chevy V-8 is compact, so the range of applications is almost endless. When the engine launched in 1955, it delivered an impressive 195 horsepower with an optional four-barrel carburetor. When fuel injection entered the picture in 1957, output jumped to 283 horsepower, which was a big number for a production engine then. Since the early days, the small-block Chevy has powered everything from family sedans through 1,000 horsepower dragsters, and it’s powered the Chevy brand to victory in NASCAR and at Le Mans.

Today, Chevy sells more four-cylinder engines than eight-cylinder ones, but that doesn’t mean the small block V-8 is going away any time soon. It can still be found under the hood of the Camaro and Corvette, as well as the Silverado and Suburban. As long as customers want V-8 in a compact and easy to tune package, chances are good that Chevy will keep building them.

Source: Chevy

If you’re counting down the days until the release of Ken Block’s Gymkhana Four, you’ve only got four more days to go. Gymkhana Four, starring Ken Block and his Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle (HFHV), will hit You Tube on Tuesday, August 16. We hope it’s not a DC shoes sales pitch, thinly disguised as a hip-hop video, but the trailer below seems to indicate that it’s the real deal. Read More…