I have a 2001 GT3000 Craftsman mower with a Kohler 23HP 2 cylinder engine. I bought it used back in May 2009. It has many hard long hours on it. I had a 5 acre place I used it on for many years, and my lot now is over half an acre.
I went to mow the lawn and heard a knocking sound. I heard it while cranking as well as running. Engine load made no difference so I figured it was not a main or rod bearing, or a piston issue. It was an odd sound actually. I listened with a stethoscope and narrowed it to the crankcase area, not the top end.
I removed the engine and as a drained the oil I could see the metal in it.
Once I took the engine apart, I checked the rotating assembly to find the source of the knock but it all looked good. Everything was nice and tight still. Piston skirts looked good too. This was expected since the knock did not change with engine load. I had to look deeper. Finally I found where the crank had worn into the lower case (oil pan) which also serves at the lower thrust bearing. Strange they have the crank go right against the end case aluminum to serve as the thrust bearing. I could feel the crank end play was excessive too. The knock was from the fact that the crank had worn so deeply into the end case that the crank throw was actually grinding into the oil pump gear and bolt.
I measured the crank end play and found it to be 0.080". That is ridiculous!
You can see in the photo below how worn down the oil pan is on the thrust surface. This is supposed to be flat.
Notice the wear on the oil pump gear.
Here is what it should look like.
When I think back to the way it sounded it was not a pure knock. It also had a grinding sound element to it. Now it makes sense. By the way, the photo above is a used part listed on eBay at the time I wrote this. It had a buy it now for $45. There were several others around the same price. Far less than the over $200 for a new one.
I drove a Ferrari 488 GTB at Speed Vegas last year. This year I decided to try something totally different and drive the Mustang GT500 at Exotics Racing at the Las Vegas Motorplex. I booked it the night before but when I got there, the car was in the shop so they asked me what other car I would like to drive instead. I already had 2 at the top of my want list: The Porsche GT3 RS and the Porsche GT2 RS. I was able to upgrade to the 991.1 GT3 RS for no additional cost so I went for it. Exotics Racing does it a bit different than Speed Vegas. The biggest difference is the 2 laps ride in a Macan to orient you with the track. That is a nice touch.
The track is 1.2 miles long with some small elevation changes and banking on turn 2. The longest straight is still short (1800ft) but it is enough to have a great time and get a good feel of the car. The mild elevation changes give you a feel of the cars balance under dynamic loading pretty well. There are 2 turns that are well over 90 degrees. This track was a bit easier to learn than Speed Vegas since all the corners are very unique. It is very helpful to have an easy to learn track when you only get a few laps on it. The drift car leaves a bunch of rubber on the track and much of it is off-line and that can throw you off as your eyes tend to follow it and not the true line. The section of the track up near the building can get confusing too as the track appears to have been shifted but the old route still shows. Here again the drift car makes a bit of a mess of it as it takes a different route out of the pits.
This is one of my favorite cars. I am a big Porsche fan and the GT3 RS is the most engaging drivers car in the lineup. I suspect the GT2 RS is even better in some ways (power obviously) but the GT3 RS just fits perfectly and does everything you want with no effort. The sound from the high revving naturally aspirated flat 6 is one of the best engine sounds out there. The engine response is very crisp too. Being used to my Cayman S on tracks really helped as this car felt very familiar. On this track we only shifted up on the main straight and back down in turn 2. Of course I was plenty sloppy not being at all familiar with this track, or the car. I never got the car to even squeal a tire. The grip was fantastic with the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. I looked at my ranking compared to other GT3 RS times at this track and I ranked 1500 out of about 3382, and 6451 out of 43165 for all cars. I think the GT3 RS times included both 991.1. and 991.2 GT3 RS as they don't show them separately.
You may recognize some of these folks at the top in the GT3 RS
This car is amazing. Even with my sloppy 5 laps around this track I got a good feel for what this car may be capable of. I was never at the limits of grip at any time. I had plenty of room for more speed everywhere. The 5 laps were over real fast. In retrospect, more laps might be worth it. I think I could easily trim 5 seconds a lap off my least bad time with just a few more laps (and a less nervous copilot). He had me braking early and corning slow which I suppose makes sense until you get used to the track. I don't envy these instructors sitting in the passengers seat in a very fast car at speed on the track and no idea what kind of nut they have behind the wheel. I highly recommend this, or Speed Vegas, next time you are in Las Vegas. Next time I might try out Dream Racing so I can compare these three.
I have been modifying cars since I was a teenager. My first was a 1972 Ford Bronco where I rebuilt a 351W engine, upgrading the camshaft, installing a larger carburetor, and headers, to replace the 302. I installed nitrous oxide on my 1968 Mustang, along with many other mods. I helped a friend develop a custom turbo system for his Fox mustang. I installed many superchargers at the Ford Dealer I worked at for 15 years. I also was a dealer/installer for Allen Engine Development and Explorer Express superchargers. I developed a low budget custom turbo system for my BMW 318i. I have also done engine performance tuning on many cars. I have worked with most types performance enhancements over the years. I know the pros and cons of the various aftermarket power adders.
I am becoming more and more convinced that the future is in aftermarket hybrid systems. I am not talking about plug-in hybrid focused at fuel economy here. I am talking about performance focused hybrid performance enhancements. Think F1 KERS for the street or track. This is by no means a new concept. Think back to the Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari, and McLaren P1. All three were hybrids. In the supercar space, more hybrids are coming too. There is even a company, Vonnen, that has developed the first aftermarket hybrid system for Porsche sports cars now. While that system has a huge price tag, I expect this approach to eventually go mainstream and the prices to come down quickly.
There are many opportunities once you have a high-voltage electric system in the car. The Vonnen system eliminates the old heavy starter motor, and replaces the heavy lead-acid 12V battery to reduce the weight penalty down to about 100lbs. While the Vonnen system puts the motor/generator between the engine and transmission, the motor/generator could instead (or also) be placed at each of the axles which would allow for torque vectoring. You can also electric drive superchargers to boost the engine performance as well with no back work of traditional supercharging or turbocharging (more net power with less boost). Unlike superchargers or turbochargers, hybrid drive will not affect the engine durability, tuning, emissions, or sound either. Performance focused hybrid systems do not require a large heavy battery pack. Instead, the Vonnen system uses a 1kWh battery pack (versus the 100kWh battery pack of a Tesla Model S 100). Ultra-capacitors can also be used to augment these performance oriented hybrid systems with a low weight penalty and very high power rates in and out. The battery and/or capacitor weight can be strategically placed in the vehicle too, optimizing balance and handling. Other features can be added such as silent drive for short distances (depending on battery capacity) so you don't wake everyone up in your neighborhood when you start your performance car. Large capacity electric heaters can augment the HVAC in cold climates to give instant heat before the engine warms up, also making the defrost work better. Speaking of HVAC, the belt driven AC compressor can be replaced with an electric compressor and be more strategically placed in the vehicle. Hydraulic power steering can be replace with efficient electric power steering, which can include advanced features such as Porsche's advanced electric power steering.
Motors are getting better all the time too. Equipmake for instance, recently developed a 295HP motor that weights only 22lbs. With all kinds of advanced motor technology, higher voltages, and advanced manufacturing techniques, motors will continue to become lighter, more powerful, and once they show up in volumes, less costly. Leveraging this development from mainstream manufacturers, the aftermarket can adapt these motors to the aftermarket performance sector to make a cost effective performance enhancement system. Most of these modern motors can also generate electricity to charge the propulsion batteries and/or capacitors.
Motors can be placed in many different areas to provide power where desired and to enable enhanced stability and traction control strategies such as torque vectoring, stop/start, anti-stall, and more. A motor that drives the engine crank can also be used to stabilize very high performance engines with large aggressive cams to make the car more drive-able. A great example of that is the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Hybrid assist is used to make this 1000HP naturally aspirated engine street drive-able. Motors that are connected to the engine can also assist in changing engine speeds, making the engine rev much quicker. Motors used in generating mode can be used as retarders for descending hills and decelerating, saving brake heat and wear.
Looking at trucks and off-road vehicles the advantages grow even more. Drive motors can be placed to drive each wheel independently (or assist) to allow precise torque control for rock climbing and advanced traction control. High-voltage electric winches will be far more compact, light, and powerful than their 12V counterparts. Trailers can also be equipped with drive motors so an off-road vehicle can tow a trailer and still have all wheels driven to get through very poor traction conditions.
One of the challenges facing aftermarket performance systems and kits is dealing with the implications to emissions and associated regulations. Hybrid systems would be far easier to deal with here as most would not impact emissions, or would favorably impact emissions, especially in grams/mile impact. The Vonnen system for instance does not change any engine or powertrain tuning.
Hybrid and battery electric vehicles have now been around in volumes for over a decade. More vehicles will go hybrid and full battery electric going forward. As hybrid and electric drive go mainstream, the cost of this technology will drop substantially. In some cases, the factory components could be incorporated into aftermarket hybrid systems which will really help reduce cost while also using proven, validated components. Hybrid drive is not the doom of performance cars but rather the next level. The future of performance vehicles and aftermarket performance enhancements has never been brighter.
We all have different needs and opinions about many things in life. Even among car enthusiasts we have many different things we like about them. If you narrow down the car enthusiasts to a specific brand and type of car, you still have significant diversity in what people want from the car. Owners of the same car model still have this diversity. Some enjoy detailing their car and showing it. Some like a fall drive down a twisty road. Some like driving full out on the track. Even within one of those more narrow groups we still have many differing opinions about priorities.
One thing that can come from the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman flat 4 engine experiment is Porsche found out what a priority engine characteristics are over performance. This also happened with the PDK only GT3 years ago. While in both cases Porsche made a car that outperformed it's predecessor, many fans were unhappy. If you just look at the performance numbers, the cars were better so what was missing? The term "experience" may get overused these days but that is what this comes down to. Even for the track crowd (which I am part of) the cars soul really matters. While lap time is the measure of driving skill there is much more you get from track time that making the quickest laps. It is the experience from the drivers seat. The driver and car become one. If you have never driven full-out on a road course it is hard to understand. When you are there though, it is the very definition of living. Your heart rate goes to an aerobic pace. The adrenaline kicks in. The feel and response of all the drivers inputs to and feedback from the car are critical to this experience. The feel of the g-force as you and the car accelerate, brake, and corner give the driver the information needed to make time critical decisions that optimize lap time. When you get it right it is very rewarding. You may not think the engine sound should be very important to this experience but it actually is.
Take a listen to the GT3 RS in this video (starting just after the 4 minute mark). Also notice the comments of the driver and instructor.
Porsche now makes electric cars. By the way, I am a fan of electric cars. I love the direct response to throttle command. I love the fact there is no shifting interrupting the power delivery. It is by far the best way to make a commuter car. I would like to have one for my daily commuting. No more gas stations, oil changes, spark plugs, filters, belts, etc. Far less, almost no maintenance really. One pedal driving significantly reduces most brake wear. No cold engine operation. It can warm up or cool off the interior while its sitting in the garage. More luggage space. However, when it comes to a track car I don't want all-electric. The Porsche 718 is supposed to get an all-electric version in the future. I may actually want one as a commuter car but it will stay home when I go to the track. I want the flat 6 engine for that. The electric 718 would probably put down quicker lap times, but still I want the flat 6. It may seem odd for a logical engineer such as myself to say these things but even us logical engineers have things we are passionate about that defy pure logic.
This starts to explain some of this behavior of why we do some irrational things. He describes three key elements of human satisfaction: purpose; autonomy; and mastery. This passion that drives High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE or track day) participants is here in these elements. I think the strongest correlation is with the mastery element. Mastery is the desire to be good at something. This is "practice makes perfect" that we have all heard. It's our desire to achieve perfect and the thrill that comes with it. So, what does engine sound have to do with this? That sound, and the non-linear, high RPM power-band of a high performance naturally aspirated engine, give an extra element of feedback and challenge to achieving mastery. Even more, the same is true for the PDK versus manual with a clutch pedal. Mastering these extra challenges are part of achieving greater mastery. If it was easy, the challenge would be gone and mastering it would mean nothing. I actually like the PDK but I certainly understand those who prefer a clutch pedal.
There is something more to the sound of a great engine though. It is certainly a much wider crowd than just track people who love the sound of a great engine. To a real enthusiast it is better than music, or maybe a form of music. The sound of a great engine is very hard to replicate with audio equipment since you feel it as much as you hear it. Also, from the drivers perspective it is synchronized with acceleration which is a big part of this experience. Even the experience between driver and passenger in the same car at the same time is quite different because of this. I actually was not a huge fan of the sound of a Porsche flat 6 until I drove one. From inside the car it is quite different. Driving it is even better. If you never had that experience, the flat 4 718 would be great. But those of us that have experienced a Porsche flat 6 at full throttle redline know what I am taking about and that is missing in the flat 4. I actually love the combination of induction and exhaust sound. In fact, full throttle induction sound is even sweeter than exhaust sound in my opinion. Put them together and it is blissful.
Other manufacturers are understanding the importance of engine sound. One great example is the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Check it out on the dyno.
They could have easily turbocharged a V8 to get this performance but instead they went a much harder route of building a naturally aspirated V12 with a very high redline. Obviously this car is not just about quick lap times but rather driver engagement. Another is the Shelby GT350 with the Ford Voodoo engine. The list is starting to grow.
I think the future of performance drivers cars will be more hybrids. Porsche made the 918, Ferrari made the LaFerrari, and McLaren made the P1 years ago showcasing what street performance hybrids can do. The Valkyrie is also hybrid, as are many other performance cars. Now Vonnen has made a hybrid conversion for many Porsche models. These are very different hybrids than the economy focused ones. These use hybrid drive that is focused on performance. The batteries are small so as not to increase the weight. Just enough battery to add the extra power when you need it, and where you need it. The hybrid drive augments a high-revving often naturally aspirated performance engine very nicely filling in power down low where these engines lack it. Yet you still get all the sound and engine characteristics you like, just with more power. Formula 1 went hybrid (KERS) back in 2009. Most of the top Le Mans race cars have also been hybrid, such as the Porsche 919.
A few months ago I upgraded my aging Moto Z2 Play with the new Moto Z4 (unlocked). I chose this device for several reasons:
Industry best total battery life (when used with battery mod)
Supports Moto Mods
Reasonable price and value for the money
They also threw in the Moto 360 camera with it and I always wanted one of these
Decent cameras with good features
I would consider this an upper mid-range phone. It's not a true flagship device but it is not priced like one either. My daughter got one a couple months before I did and she liked it too. My experience with it so far has been very good. I have been impressed with the cameras, and overall performance is good. I like the in-display fingerprint sensor even though it is much slower than the one on the Z2 Play. It is nice having almost no bezels and the larger display.
I did have to open up the headphone port and charging port on this rim with a file bit other than that it works great and lets you use most mods while this rim is in place. It also fixes the minor annoyance where the Z4 body is just a bit narrower so the mods slightly hang over the edge. The only mod that does not work with it is the 360 camera. I just modified the 360 camera (quick job on the table saw) to make it fit.
I would like to discuss battery life as this is one of the most important features for me. Moto Mod batteries have a mode called "efficiency mode" that optimizes maintaining the phones internal battery to keep it at 80% extending its life. I have 2 Moto Mod batteries: The Moto Power Pack and the Moto Turbo Power Pack. I always have one of them on the phone. For normal daily use, I use the smaller Moto Power Pack. When I go on trips or will be using more battery, or going longer between changes, I will use the larger Moto Turbo Power Pack. Switching is of course super easy and does not require turning OFF the phone. You simply pull one off and snap the other one on. These batteries also protect the camera since the battery has a hole leaving the camera recessed. The batteries also have a great rubbery back surface making it easy to hold the phone securely and they don't show finger prints at all. I never really need to charge during the day. Even with heavy use I can go all day no problem. I generally have 80% phone, and 50% to 80% of the mod battery at the end of a typical day. When traveling, I will sometimes carry my other battery so it is available just in case I do get low. The mod batteries are super thin and fit easily into a pocket.
When I went looking for a new smartphone my top considerations were this Z4 and the new Pixel 3a XL. The deal breaker for the Pixel for me was the small battery. The Z4 by itself has 100mAh less battery but then you add the mod with 2200mAh to 3500mAh to that and the capacity is much more. The pixel also lacks expandable memory that the Z4 has. The Z4 has a very slightly better processor too. The Pixel is only $25 less (comparing full original retail prices). The Z4 also has a slightly larger screen. One of the things that interested me in the Pixel over the Z4 was the cameras, which are rated very well on the Pixel. Here is an article comparing these 2 devices, and another here, and yet another here.. Another family member got the Pixel 3a XL at about the same time. I will be honest both phones get great pictures and I can't see a big difference between them. Motorola phones have almost completely stock Android too so even that is very similar, mostly identical really. 5G support was not even a passing thought for me. I live in a smaller town that does not have it anyway and I get crazy fast speeds on 4G already.
I visit Las Vegas often to visit family. I am not a gambler, it's just not my thing. I am also not into the night life. While there are the biggest attractions in Las Vegas, what can non-gambler car people do when in Las Vegas? I have found many very fun things to do so I thought I would capture some here.
Update 2023: I moved to Las Vegas now.
Drive high-end cars on the track
There are several great venues to drive supercars and sports cars in their natural habitat, on the track. By track I mean a proper road course and you drive them at speed. While there are also places to rent them and drive on the street, this would be a frustration for me as you would be stuck in traffic and not get to experience even a fraction of what these cars can do. I wrote a blog article here: http://ltrpca.blogspot.com/2019/03/next-time-you-are-in-las-vegas.html describing some of the main experiences at the track. I also went to Speed Vegas and drove the Ferrari 488, and Exotics Racing and drove a Porsche GT3 RS. Update 2020: Exotics Racing now bought Speed Vegas and merged to the Speed Vegas facility south of town. Another venue is Dream Racing where I drove a C8 Corvette in 2023.
There are others. You can drive off-road or NASCAR experiences too. The Las Vegas Motorplex is a center of much of this. This is my favorite car thing to do in Las Vegas by far, but it is also the most expensive. Plan to spend a few hundred dollars but it is well worth it. Many exotic cars are ridiculously expensive to buy and own. Once you spend that much, most people don't want to risk that investment by taking them to the track and driving them hard. Here you are just renting the car (insurance included) so no worries. You can really have fun in them and give them back when you are done. You get an experienced instructor to show you the line and how to get the most out of these cars at their track. It's the best way to experience these cars.
Note: in 2020 Exotics Racing bought Speed Vegas and merged these operations to the Speed Vegas track.
Drive your own sports car on the track
Spring Mountain Motorsports is just around the mountains near Pahrump (less than an hour away). It features many tracks, my favorite being Charleston Peak (shown below).
Driving here requires that you find an HPDE, register well in advance, and have your car inspected and prepped for the event. Find and register for most events either at MotorsportsReg or Club Registration. Caution: this is very addictive!
Drive Go-Karts
There are many places too drive go-karts as well, both indoors and outside. Exotics Racing offers both supercars (above) and go-karts. I have driven the electric indoor go-karts at Pole Position which is close to the strip. It's inexpensive and fun and since it's indoors and the karts are electric you don't have to deal with the weather. There are many others.
Being a Porsche fan I found a rare Porsche Design outlet shop. I think there are only 2 of these in the country, one being at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets mall North of the strip. Porsche Design merchandise is not cheap so finding it at a discount is great. Of course the Shelby store is a great place to shop and every Saturday morning they have a cars & coffee.
Go for a road trip
While Las Vegas is in a desert, it is close to mountains and lakes too.
Hoover Dam and the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
It's a short drive (about 40 minutes) from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam. There is also a great view from the bridge to the South of the dam. You can walk across the bridge.
Mount Charleston is a short drive (about an hour) from Las Vegas where you can get away from the desert and enjoy the mountains and pine trees. In the winter it is often snow covered. In the summer it is much cooler than Las Vegas, often by 30F. My Charleston can be very crowded at times. You can see the traffic and congestion in the video below taken the day after Christmas.
Red Rock Canyon is the most visited park in the country with over 2.5M visitors each year. There is a scenic drive and many hiking trails but you must get a reservation to enter.
On the way to Red Rock Canyon there is also Calico Basin which is very colorful and has several trails as well.
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is less than 3 hours away. There are great hiking trails and camping as well as hotels and lodges.
Mountain Biking
The Las Vegas area has many mountain bike trails. I use Trailforks to find most of them: https://www.trailforks.com/region/las-vegas/?activitytype=1&z=9.2&lat=36.19202&lon=-115.28210 . In the winter the lower elevations are great. When it gets hot in the summer, go to higher elevations like Mt Charleston. Some bike shops offer bike rentals, including some offering electric mountain bike rentals. Las Vegas is also a bike friendly community with many paved road biking paths.
A friend of mine bought a 2018 Porsche GT3. His has the PDK trans and PCCB brakes, along with many other options as Porsches often do. We took a short trip to a car show about 90 miles away. Our drive was all freeway. He let me drive the car on the way back. Here are some of my thoughts about this car.
On the trip there we were cruising along with traffic. The GT3 lacks a back seat and sound dampening so it is louder than other 911s. However, it is not bad at all while cruising. I could take this car on long trips just fine. The ride is very firm of course but even on our terrible roads it was quite livable. On the trip back I drove the car. When I started merging on the freeway was the first time I had used much throttle and that is when I noticed the sound. I only used about 1/3 throttle maybe but the engine responded with a very crisp wail. I had very high expectations for this car as far as the engine sound and was shocked that it far exceeded them already. It is addicting. It makes you want to hear it again and again. The engine is so responsive and the sound so fantastic. Every time I would give it a bit of throttle I was rewarded with that fantastic sound. This is the pinnacle of Porsche flat 6 sound right here. It is something you can't record and play back. I heard all the professional in-car videos from GT3s at tracks but it does not come close to the real experience. You not only hear it but you also feel it. I also noticed the difference between being the passenger and driving it.
Since we were driving on the street I was not able to get anywhere close to this cars potential. You really need a good road course for that. I was able to do a few short bursts of acceleration and a few on and off ramps though and that gave me a hint of what this car can do. The high revving, high compression engine has a solid punch with zero delay. The bite matches the bark too. I found myself really wanting to take this car to a track. Luckily Speed Vegas has a GT3 and a GT3RS so I will add that to my to-do list next time I am there.
The GT3 is a car that is not only focused on delivering fantastic lap times on a road course but also engaging the driver in a way very few cars can match. It is the total experience.
We visit Las Vegas about once a year or so. I don't gamble and I am not much into the night life either but Vegas has many more things to do than that. One great example is Speed Vegas. I found this a few years ago and it has been on my list to try for a while. I finally did it. I would recommend it to others. They have a nice selection of cars and you get to take them on a track at speed, where these sports cars belong. While you can rent cars like these and drive them around on the street, that is actually more money and you will never (legally anyway) feel what they can really do. At Speed Vegas though you do get to feel the car at speed on a track. They have great instructors and the process is simple. If you have never been on track at speed, this is a great way to get introduced to it. If you have done track days, this is a great way to see what those cars you have been pining away for are really like without having to buy one. While the cost is about the same as entry to a track weekend, this is a different thing being able to drive their cars.
Looking at the selection of cars the two I wanted to drive most were the Ferrari (458 or 488) and the Porsche GT3 RS. Since I had never even driven a Ferrari, I chose the 488 with their 5 lap package.
They start with a drivers meeting like any other track event. There they explain the track layout, basic cornering and braking, explain the cones, passing, etc. They fit you with a helmet, pair you with an instructor and out you go to the car. Heading out to the track you test the brakes, wait for clearance, and enter the track. The instructor talks very quickly showing you the line, braking and turning points, shift points, etc. For the next 5 laps you just keep correcting mistakes and improving. At the end you get a photo of you with the car you drove.
The track is a collection of small corners along the back and a decent mostly straight on the front.
Its not my favorite track but it does the job well to let you feel the cars. The first time to drive a track it is clumsy. It takes a while to learn the track and get good at it.
If you have never done track days before, I would recommend starting Speed Vegas with the Cayman. It is less money and it would be a blast at this track. When I was there they had a Cayman GTS and 5 laps in it was under $200. I would think this would be the best bang for the buck your first time here. Then once you are familiar with the track in the Cayman, try one of the more exotic cars next time, or add another car right after (which has a discount). For me I plan to try the GT3 RS next time, presuming they still have it then.
If you are interested in cars that Speed Vegas does not have, or you want to try a different track, there are another places very similar at the Las Vegas Speedway Commerce Center North if Las Vegas. For instance Exotics Racing and Dream Racing.
This is the first Ferrari I had ever driven. I rode through town in a 430 once but that was my total time in a Ferrari up to now. This car makes about 660HP. My Cayman S makes less than half that. The Ferrari does weigh about 300lbs more than the Cayman S though. The brakes were great. They were steel rotors for track duty but had a solid feel and you could push them very hard. They were easy to modulate and not prone to lockup. Honestly, it was similar to my Cayman S with moderate track pads. We had it in sport mode the whole time. The traction control was too aggressive in this mode. I am pretty sure the delay in power was much more than turbo lag. At times under hard cornering when you wanted to apply the power and track out it was very slow to respond. It had more under steer than I like too. As far as cornering, it did not feel like it had anything over my Cayman S. In fact, the Cayman feels more connected and agile. Once the power came on full it accelerated nicely but was never a handful. The car was great to drive but honestly I still love my Cayman S. Maybe if I drove the car much more, and took it to a few track weekends I would change my mind but I doubt it. I left still loving my Cayman S which is a good thing.
When I bought my Cayman S it had a check engine (MIL) on because of a catalyst efficiency fault, meaning the catalyst was no longer passing a test the OBDII system does to ensure it is working properly. I was able to trick it by moving the downstream O2 sensor but that would occasionally give another fault. I researched what options I had for replacing the catalyst. On this car the catalyst is part of the header assembly. I started looking into high performance headers. There are some options out there from a few different manufacturers but the best appeared to be Fabspeed. They were also the most expensive. When I started looking in 2014 they were $3500 a set. Yikes. That seemed pretty high so I waited. They finally dropped to $2,895 a few years later. Then I got a coupon for 10% off through Pelican parts and I was very close to buying. Then one day in early December 2018 I saw an ad for a Fabspeed sale right at the Fabspeed website. I figured it would be hats and shirts but my headers were on sale for 15% off. I immediately added to cart and bought them.
I made a short video to hear the old exhaust as I started the car cold to compare later.
They came in after Christmas and I made an unboxing video.
I was impressed with what I saw. They were like art, but much more useful. It was cold and the roads were salty so I waited to install them. Finally March began to warm up so I put them on. It took me an afternoon. I had a few complications as can be expected when working with older exhaust. I had to cut the bolts for the 3-bolt flange and I had to replace one of the downstream O2 sensors (longer story). Since I had taken the right side muffler off before, the rusted flange bolts had already been replaced. I had the right side out in 30 minutes. The headers fit very well. I did not upgrade the rest of the exhaust, except the muffler outlets I had done just after buying the car.
While most cars are a big hassle to replace headers, the Cayman is very simple since everything is really under the car with nothing in the way. You can easily see and access all of the head flange bolts.
The other end has a simple 3-bolt flange which is easy to access after removing the wheel and the small plastic panel.
The factory nuts rust to the bolts and almost never come out. Some will break off, others you have to get out the cutting tools. That is the hardest part of the whole job.
Here are some shots comparing with the factory headers.
Notice the equal length mandrel bent primaries going into a nice 3 into 1 collector on the Fabspeed headers. The factory has each tube connecting into a single tube into the catalyst. Also notice how the Fabspeed has a more straight shot through the catalyst whereas the factory hits it at an angle. I also noticed the inlet side of the factory headers looks very restrictive.
I am surprised how bad the factory headers look for performance. The Fabspeed design is far better.
Here is what they look like installed.
Here is a video of the very first cold start after the header upgrade. Since I changed only the headers you might expect the sound to be about the same.
It could be my imagination but it seems to rev quicker now. It does seems to have slightly different sound on acceleration too. At idle is seems about the same (as expected). Driving the car after the header install is only slightly different than before. It seems smoother and it does feel like the power is smoother and a bit higher everywhere. Some have said they lost a bit down low and gain at the top. In my case it seems like it gained a bit everywhere. My case is unique since I left the stock mufflers and downstream cats in place. As I mentioned before, I had already replaced the very restrictive outlet "T" with mandrel bent tubes back when I got the car. I also removed the intake sound snorkel and panel and installed a K&N air filter around the same time so both of those mods were done well before.
I plan to install an intake plenum and 82mm GT3 throttle body next. I am also considering what to do with the mufflers. Sound is a personal thing. I don't like a raspy sound or a drone, nor do I like cracks and pops, so I want to be careful to not do that. I like the sound I have now but would not mind turning the volume of it up a bit. I am more interested in power than loud. I also like the induction sound at wide open throttle more than exhaust sound.
Update 3/24/2019: After driving the car a week through several warm-up cycles and some good highway runs I re-torqued the headers per the instructions. Some bolts were a tad loose so this is a good thing to do and it is very easy (literally a 15 minute job). As expected the headers do change color with use. Now they look gold (aligning with the price I suppose).
Update 3/29/2019: Now that I have been driving it for a couple weeks I have noticed more about the performance and driveability. There is a hill on my way home that has a 45mph speed limit. Before the headers I would have to downshift for that hill, now I don't. The performance at low RPM is smoother and it has more power there. Light throttle operation is crisper than before. The engine is a bit more responsive to throttle input. The power seems to be a bit more everywhere. The difference is not huge but it is noticeable.
My 2010 E350 does not have the HID option. It has the old halogen headlights. My other cars have HID and now I am spoiled. I had upgraded to brighter halogens but that also means shorter life. LED headlights are now becoming more common so I looked into converting the E350. Unfortunately I was not able to find a reputable light manufacturer that makes these yet. I was hoping for Osram, Hella, GE, Philips, Bosch, or someone to make these but could not find any from them. I ended up on Amazon and after reviewing ratings I settled on these:
Lasfit H7
I also had to get some Tomall adapter clips to put them in (these clips were awful). It took a bunch of bending and modifying to make this clips work and they still don't work well. I later replaced them with a set from Lasfit directly which were somewhat less bad. I ended up taking the retainer from the bulb and welding it to these adapter clips to hold the 2 pieces together so I could install them, and then insert the bulb.
The E350 uses H7 bulbs. They are unpleasant to work with as they have these metal retainers that cut you to ribbons when you work with them. The factory integrates this retainer into the connector making it easier. The passengers side is easy to access but the drivers side is very tight. I am able to get my hand in there somehow but its hard to work with the retainer. To make it easier, I welded the retainer to the collar that comes with the Lasfit bulbs, installed the retainer clip and collar assembly, then pushed the bulb into place.
I had my passenger side headlight burn out so I changed it first. It was cold so I did not spend the time to change the drivers side at that time. This gave the opportunity to compare them though. A week or so later I finally changed the drivers side too. The videos below were shot with an inexpensive Yi Compact Dash Camera.
Here is a video of the old headlights.
Here is a video with a mix of headlights. At this point I had upgraded the passengers side (right) to Lasfit LED but the drivers side was still halogen.
Finally, both headlights upgraded to Lasfit LED.
I am interested to see how these last. I will post an update later.
We finally sold the aging Volvo XC70 and upgraded to a 2013 Mercedes GL450 in the fall of 2018. We wanted a vehicle that could comfortably travel 5 adults and luggage, be able to tow the Cayman on a trailer for track days, drive great in the Illinois winter, and haul stuff. While I am not a fan of SUVs generally, they do have their purpose and the U does stand for utility (although I often refer to SUVs as silly urban vehicles). We bought it certified pre-owned (CPO) from Isringhausen in Springfield with 64k miles. We had considered several vehicles including Audi Q7, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Raptor, Volvo XC90, and more before deciding a GL fit us best. We had been looking for a GL for about a year. We came close to buying a 2007 in 2017 but found it had issues. Most of these prior to 2013 also had the air bag recall and no fix in sight. While I was hoping to spend less on an SUV we went ahead and stepped up to the 2013 and I think it was a good choice. While we were looking at this one, Isringhausen also had a 2012 GL550 and we drove that one as well.
Left: 2012 GL550, Right: 2013 GL450
The 2012 GL550 (X164) is the last of the older design and we really liked the improvements that came with the 2013 (X166). The 2012 had around the same miles and was also white. We did not want black (which over half seem to be) and silver was not our favorite color either. It was nice to have 2 while ones that were both in the year and price range we were looking for. While the GL550 always gets more power than the GL450, the GL550 has other nice features like real leather and heated rear seats. Between these 2 vehicles, the GL450 has a wider powerband and more torque due to turbocharging and direct injection. It has only 20HP less than the 2012 GL550. Acceleration to 60 is actually the same for these 2 vehicles but fuel economy is 2mpg worse for the GL550. I also preferred the 19 inch rims of the GL450 to the 21 inch rims and wider tires of the GL550.
Ours has the panorama sunroof (3 glass sections) which makes for a very open feel. We also have lane tracking, Parktronic, trailer towing, lighting package with Bi-Xenon adaptive headlights, Keyless-Go, and more. While it did not have heated back seats, we just put a regular heated blanket back there and plugged it into the existing 115V outlet under the back seat. Works great actually.
Ours has the 4.7L twin turbo intercooled direct injected V8 engine (M278) which was only in the GL450 for 2013 and 2014. Later models used a 3.0L V6 twin turbo and ealier models had a naturally aspirated 4.7L. This powertrain is the same as the GL550 in 2013 and 2014 which was rated at 429HP but in the GL450 it is derated to 362HP. I can get a flash file and rate this GL450 up to 500HP and 580ft-lbs if I really wanted more power. No hardware changes needed. However, I am very satisfied with the power it has. The nice thing is that this powetrtrain should be very robust and durable with this lower rating.
Just shortly after buying it we took a 1000 mile trip in it. Gas mileage was as expected, 19.9 on the highway but we were moving along briskly with 70MPH speed limits the whole way. The total trip also included in-town driving as we made many stops and spent time at the destination.
It drove great for an SUV. Like our E350, there was very little driver fatigue. Very comfortable.
