Why worry about top speed, when most cars spend a very small percentage of their lives anywhere near maxed out? Instead, why not use acceleration as a benchmark of performance, since that’s something we enthusiasts tap into every time we get behind the wheel? That’s the premise behind the latest video from Road & Track, which introduces us to the “Two Second Club.”

Membership is open to any stock, production car that can sprint from 0 to 60 in under three seconds. That’s a short list, although I’m guessing that Road and Track may have missed a few possible candidates. The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, for example, can make the trip in 2.8 seconds, as can the Lambo Aventador. The McLaren MP4-12C can reel off a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds, and the Ferrari 458 Italia just misses out, clocking in at 3.0 seconds flat. In other words, the cars in the video aren’t the only ones capable of a sub-3.0 second 0-60 run.

I’d love to see a video database of 0-60 times and quarter mile times, since it would give you a benchmark when building a car or sizing up your on-track competition. Sounds like a great idea for a website project to me.

Source: You Tube

Image: BMW AG

Here’s a cold, hard fact of life that most of us try to ignore: if you reflash your car’s ECU, then swallow a valve or put a piston through your engine block, don’t expect that to be covered under your car’s warranty. In fact, any changes to your car’s ECU will generally void the powertrain warranty granted by the automaker, unless there’s some other pre-written arrangement between the automaker and the tuner. That’s not to say that mods will void your entire warranty, but if a manufacturer can prove that a failure is a direct result of modification, you’re on your own.

The best tunes, therefore, are the ones that come directly from a manufacturer. Last July, BMW offered a factory tuning program for buyers of the 2011 335i; for a very-reasonable $550 (plus installation), BMW would reflash the ECU to give you the same level of power as a 335iS. That meant a power increase from 300 horsepower to 320 hp, with a subsequent boost in torque up to 32 ft-lb (automatic transmission) or 17 ft-lb (manual or DCT transmission).

Now BMW is taking what they’ve learned and offering the same tune for owners of any year 335i, as well as any year 135i. For $599 (plus installation), BMW will sell you its Version 1 Power Kit, which consists of an ECU reflash. For those that track their cars, a Version 2 Power Kit gives you the added horsepower, plus added cooling in the form of an auxiliary water cooler and a higher flow fan.

The good news is that the kits retain all applicable BMW warranties, as well as emission certifications and stock fuel economy. The bad new is that the kits should only be installed on cars ordered with BMW’s option code S840, which includes a higher speed limit and an additional oil cooler.

Source: BMW

APR's 34,000 square foot headquarters in Opelika, AL. Image: APR

When it comes to cities with ties to world-class tuners, what comes to mind? If Mercedes is your thing, you’d probably say Affalterbach, Germany, home to AMG. Perhaps you’d say Asaka, Saitama, Japan, home to Mugen, if fast Honda’s are your passion. Closer to home, Livonia, Michigan, home of Roush Performance, may come to mind if you’ve got a penchant for fast Mustangs.

If you’re a Volkswagen or Audi fan, your performance mecca is Opelika, Alabama, home to APR, LLC and one town over from Auburn University. Founder (and Auburn grad) Steven Hooks simply wanted to create a shop where VW and Audi owners could go for repair and tuning services, without fear of getting ripped off. What started as a hobby has grown into a worldwide business that includes both street and track performance for Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat, Audi and Porsche vehicles.

APR's lobby, with the SEMA VW GTI - nice digs.

In the early days, APR’s specialty was remapping the Bosch Motronic ECU to get more horsepower. Unlike many other tuners, APR never went for just peak power, instead aiming for a balance of both power and real-world drivability. Even their dyno charts aren’t “padded”; instead of using a worst case run as a “stock” starting point, followed by the best run as a post-tune “after” example, APR’s dyno charts are usually an average of multiple runs. Spend some time talking to their employees, and you get the feeling that the company has nothing to hide.

APR's Dynapack chassis dyno.

While much of their business still consists of ECU tuning services for Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche clients, APR’s capabilities have increased substantially over the years. They employ a full time staff of both mechanical and electrical engineers, and have the capability to design, prototype and test parts in-house. Rapid prototyping allows the company to go from an engineering representation on a computer to a plastic resin part, perfect for test fitting, in a matter of hours. They even do their own CNC work onsite, which allows APR to maintain a high level of quality control on every part that goes through their doors.

APR's CNC system. Image: APR

APR's rapid prototyping area.

Final part (L) versus a resin test part (R).

The company has a “do it yourself” attitude common with businesses founded and staffed by engineers. To test their high pressure fuel pumps, for example, APR built their own test rig at a cost of around $60,000; that may sound expensive, but commercial units designed to do the same thing cost in the neighborhood of $500,000. APR is the only company, aside from manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, to have such a fuel pump test rig in their facility. If you get the feeling that they’re obsessed with quality, you’d be correct.

APR's fuel pump test rig.

Testing components as part of the design process allows APR to keep tight control of quality, something that their customers have come to expect. If you drive an Audi A6 and want a bit more power, you probably won’t have a sense of humor if your upgrades continually produce a “check engine” light or regular component failures.

An Audi S6 being built for the GrandAm Continental Tire Challenge

One of APR's GTI racers from the Continental Tire series.

Although APR’s 34,000 square foot facility allows them to design and build many parts in house, work that can’t be done economically is farmed out. Their intakes and exhausts, for example, are built by third party companies, since APR doesn’t want the expense or hassle of laying carbon fiber or bending stainless pipe to form exhausts. The secret to any well managed business is knowing both your strengths and your weaknesses, in order to maximize the former and minimize the latter.

'Darth Vader', a new Jetta that APR is building for VW of America.

My visit to APR was two-fold: I wanted to see the facility, but I was also on-site to get more horsepower from my 2011 VW GTI. In the words of Mark Twain, “Those that respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made,” and the same could be said of reflashing an ECU. Removing the actual ECU isn’t terribly difficult, although it does involve the use of a cut-off disk, which poses it’s own risks. If you’re pulling out your own CPU, be sure to cover the windshield with a fire-resistant cloth since sparks can etch the finish of the windshield.

Once the ECU is out of the vehicle, the real fun begins. The cover must be removed to allow access to the circuit board, since this is the only way to allow programming. Removing the ECU cover is best left to a professional: there’s a lot that can go wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing, and you really don’t want to write a check of your own to replace an ECU. APR has quite a bit of experience in reflashing ECUs, and the company made quick work of mine. Less than an hour later, my car was buttoned up and I was back on the road (in the middle of a tropical storm, complete with tornado warnings).

Is there a difference between stock and a Stage 1 tune? Yes, in much the same way that there’s a difference between Rosie O’Donnell and Keira Knightly. While I didn’t have a chance to dyno the car before and after, APR’s numbers claim that a stock GTI, running 93 octane gas, produces 216 horsepower and 227 ft-lb of torque. With a Stage 1 tune and no other modifications, the car makes 254 horsepower and 303 ft-lb of torque.

As you’d imagine, the difference in acceleration is substantial, but the GTI never exhibits the puckering amount of torque steer that the Mazdaspeed 3 does. In fact, the tuned car feels very much like a factory-built car; there’s no sudden buildup of explosive power at top-end only, and the car just seems to pull harder across the entire range. If you use you new-found power wisely, there’s even a slight gain in fuel economy compared to stock.

So now that my GTI goes fast and isn’t electronically limited to 130 miles per hour, it’s time to start shopping for lighter wheels and stickier tires. A highway encounter with a pair of cell-phone addled drivers has convinced me that a stiffer rear-sway bar would be a worthy upgrade, and the stock brake pads don’t exactly give the car world-record stopping distances. Look for these changes coming soon.

Image: APR

I’d like to give thanks to Keith Lucas, APR’s director of sales and marketing, and Arin Ahnell, APR’s marketing manager, for the time they spent with me during my visit. If you want to see APR products in action on the racetrack, be sure to catch the APR-tuned Volkswagen GTI’s running in GrandAm’s Continental Tire Series. To find an APR dealer near you, check out the APR website.

Like a sea of ghostly white the Bonneville Salt Flats stands out as one of Earth’s great wonders. Its miles and miles of wide open space have become home to the place where mankind has tested the limits of land-based speed. Here records have been broken, hero’s have been made, and in some cases lives have been lost. That however is all part of racing and the quest for going faster then any human has gone before. Some people think chasing speed is crazy, for others though it’s a way of life that has been made possible by the Salt Flats. “A Pinch of Salt” is the final video in the “Depth of Speed” series and gives us a little insight as to why the “Salt” calls upon those who simply want to go fast.

Source: RalfBecker.com

When you’ve got 100 years of history to choose from, it’s hard to pick just six cars as the “most significant” performance cars you’ve ever built. GM’s Dr. Jamie Meyer gives it a shot in this video tour of the GM Heritage Center, picking just six cars as “most significant,” although not necessarily the fastest or best-handling. I’d take any of the six cars highlighted in the video below, but if I had my choice of any one, It’d be the 1963 Corvette.

If you’ve driven a Corvette from that era, you know just how crude and punishing the cars were. They went like hell in a straight line, assuming you could get the skinny rear tires to bite, but handling and braking were nowhere near as good as we’ve come to expect today (and yes, I learned that lesson the hard way in a 1965 Corvette Roadster).

In honor of this week’s Woodward Dream Cruise, enjoy the video below.

Image: 1poppystudios

Flyin’ MIata has been the go-to site for the Miata enthusiast looking for more power or better handling since the early 1990s. What started as a European specialty repair shop in New Jersey evolved into a Miata specific parts and tuning operation based out of Palisade, Colorado. Want better handling from your first, second or third generation Miata? The staff at FM can hook you up with everything from components through suspension kits. Want to go faster? They’ll sell you fully sorted and developed turbo or blower kits. Want to go a lot faster? They’ll even build you a second generation Miata with an Chevy LS3 V-8 stuffed under the hood.

Now, when you buy a FMII Turbo Kit, or place any other order with FM for $5,000 or more, the company will donate a goat to a needy family via Heifer International. Goats are the ideal animals for families in developing countries, since they provide up to seven quarts of milk per day and yield an endless amount of fertilizer. They can survive by eating almost anything, and reproduce with alarming regularity, which means one goat can be turned into a herd of goats in short order.

I’ll admit that this isn’t your typical “buy a turbo, get a free company t-shirt” promotion, but how often would you wear a logo t-shirt, anyway? If you’re going to drop coin on making your Miata go faster, you also get the chance to do something noble for a family in need. If that’s not a good return on your investment, I don’t know what is.

Source: Autoblog

It holds 23 gallons of fuel, goes 268 mph and if you mash the throttle and keep it pinned, you’ll be out of juice in 8 minutes. It also cost and est. $3 million and comes with two keys; one for go-fast mode, and the other for super-go-fast mode… awesome right? Car guy extraordinaire Jay Leno is one lucky SOB as not only does he get to drive just about everything under the sun, but he also OWNS just about everything under the sun. In this episode of Jay Leno’s garage, Jay is visited by the boys from Bugatti and they just happen to bring along a their new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport for Jay to play with. The video itself is quite long at over 24 minutes and the Bugatti rep is about as exciting as dry toast, but heh, it is a Veyron so I suppose some of the video had to be uptight. If you want the action fast forward to around the 19 minute mark and see what Jay’s thoughts are on one of the most expensive cars the world has ever seen.

Earlier today, I gave you my take on the 2011 Camaro Convertible, which I found to be good fun with the 312 horsepower V-6. As a public service, I’m bringing you an alternate opinion from Henessey Performance Engineering, where the words “too much” are never spoken in regards to horsepower. If 312 horsepower doesn’t do it for you and even 426 horsepower isn’t enough to keep your interest for long, how does 755 horsepower in an open top Camaro sound? It sounds plenty angry, as you can see in the video below.

Ducati, Laverda, Honda, MV Agusta, Yamaha and Bultaco are just some of the names that come to mind when I think about vintage motorcycles. Classic bikes are a labor of love. They’re finicky, sometimes unreliable, but in the end, they provide their owners with a kinship that is seldom matched in the realm of motor sport. Owners of these classic machines tend to know them inside and out. They’re attune to every noise, rattle and smell that these wonderful machines emit and strive day in and day out to keep these rolling pieces of history on the road. This video was shot by Squadra Sutge, a group of classic racing enthusiasts at the Classic Moto 2011 event on the Jarama circuit in Madrid, Spain. The footage, music and gray feel of the video brings forth the true essence of these classic machines in a way that will make you want to start scouring your favorite sales publication for a two-wheeled classic. Click through for the video.

Source: RalfBecker.com

Image: Callaway SportTrucks

What do you do if you like to go fast, but still need the ability to haul stuff? You could buy a Ford Raptor, but the truck is set up for desert pre-running, not on-pavement fun. Dodge no longer makes the V10 equipped SRT-10, and the Chevy 454 SS is a distant memory. If your pickup tastes run to something with a bow tie on the grille, Callaway has a bolt-on kit for the Silverado 1500 that adds 135 horsepower and 115 ft lb of torque to the stock 5.3 liter V8, bringing it up to 450 horsepower and 450 ft pounds of torque. In case that’s not good enough for you, Callaway also offers a kit with 540 horsepower and 522 for pounds of torque, which should ensure you get the mulch home from the garden center, pronto.

Both kits use a Roots-type blower, manufactured by Eaton, to generate the bulk of the additional thrust. The kits include an intercooler, higher flow fuel injectors, custom intake, low restriction exhaust and Callaway badging, and each kit comes with a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty. Callaway claims that the kits have no penalty in fuel economy, but that assumes the driver has the self-restraint of Mahatma Ghandi; I’ll go out on a limb and guess that I could burn though a tank of gas (and a set of rear tires) a lot quicker in a Callaway tuned Silverado than in a stock one. Prices start at $15,995 (plus your donor Silverado), so check out Callaway’s SportTrucks page if you’re interested.

Source: GM Authority