| F r e q u e n t l y A s k e d Q u e s t i o n s |
|
|
Official Membership |
|
| Q. |
How do I become an official member? |
|
| A. |
Join online using the "Join Now" link at the top of the page or ask any VCC Staff Member for help at any of our events.
|
|
| Q. |
How much does membership cost? |
|
| A. |
Currently membership is now only $15.00 CDN per year.
|
|
| Q. |
What do I get with my membership? |
|
| A. |
- An Official Vancouvercivics.com Membership Card
- A pair of "Vancouvercivics.com" vinyl stickers
- Lordco Discount Card
- Forum title "Official Member"
- Discounts with all of our sponsors
- Access to amazing group buys
- Discounts on VCC merchandise
- Free prizes!
|
|
| Q. |
Where does my mebership fee go? |
|
| A. |
It gets used for our operating costs, fundraisers, shows, etc...
|
|
| Q. |
Do I need Official Membership to post on the forums? |
|
| A. |
No. Access to post onto the forums is free. Click on the Forums link above and then the "Take me into the forums!" link to access the forums.
|
|
|
The Forums / Posting Etiquette |
|
| Q. |
Why should I search first before asking my question? |
|
| A. |
To prevent clogging the forums with redundant and less informative information...
|
|
| Q. |
What are the forum rules? |
|
| A. |
This applies to most forums. Please respect the actions of the Moderators and Administrators. They volunteer their own personal time to help keep the site and club operational. We’re pretty reasonable people, if you have a question - please U2U message us.
Please respect other members of the forum. This is a positive club within the local import community, let’s contribute in a positive way.
Do not take things off topic. This is known as “hijacking”. In the case of buying and selling, if you’re not buying something, don’t jump on to someone’s buy and sell thread and hijack it.
Start your own thread about a seperate topic (after you have done a search to make sure it’s not been discussed many times before).
Please do not flame other people’s threads. You may not agree, feel free to express your opinion, but please try to respect others opinions too.
VCC does not tolerate street racing, driving while under the influence, or any other dangerous or illegal behaviour. You will find out quickly that members do not respect anyone conducting themselves in this manner, you won't look to cool if you're doing stuff like this and bragging about it.
Buy and sell forum. Please read the full rules in the buy and sell forum. This is not a forum for commercial shop sales. VCC’s buy and sell forum is for privately owned used parts. Shops selling items will be asked to stop and the threads will be moved. Repeat offenders are banned.
THIEVES: Thieves and theft are not tolerated on VCC. Those caught buying or selling stolen items will be banned, and have their IP’s reported to the proper authorities, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
|
|
| Q. |
Why do people say “do a search” for a topic? |
|
| A. |
VCC has been around for a few years now. Many people have likely discussed most of the basic questions or common topics and they want to learn more. Try to search for your info or question on VCC before posting a question. If you’re new to car forums or car tuning, likey most basic questions have been answered. Let’s not try to add to the clutter and repeat topics! Use the search function before posting.
|
|
| Q. |
What does TTT, or UP or Bump mean? |
|
| A. |
On a forum like VCC, this means the person posting the last message wants the topic bumped up to “most recently” posted status. They may have asked a question a few days ago, and no one may have noticed. Bumping the posting up to the top may get more attention, but it’s only necessary to do it every few days, not multiple times in a day! That’s general forum etiquette.
|
|
|
Security |
|
| Q. |
What is your position on auto-theft / stolen parts? |
|
| A. |
We pride ourselves in our strong relationship with ICBC, RCMP, VPD, etc... We will gladly report any evidence of illegal acitivity of any kind to the authorities. Vancouvercivics.com has a ZERO tolerance for illegal activity of any kind.
Trust me, if you're caught selling stolen goods, you will be reported.
|
|
| Q. |
Someone has threatened me or made me feel concerned... What do I do? |
|
| A. |
You need to tell an administrator or moderator right away. We do NOT tolerate bullies, threatening remarks, fighting, etc... If you don't tell an administrator or moderator we can't help solve the problem. We consider this type of behaviour unaceptable especially among fellow VCC members. This type of behaviour will most certainly result in either a serious warning or the loss of membership privileges.
|
|
|
Who Are We? |
|
| Q. |
How long has VCC been around? |
|
| A. |
VancouverCivics.com first went online January 10, 2001.
|
|
| Q. |
What does VCC do throughout the year? |
|
| A. |
- General meets about 10 a year (weather permitting, usually every month or so - some official some spontaneous. The goal is to have more regular scheduled meets)
- Co-meets with other local clubs
- Annual VCC show and shine. Our biggest meet of the year! Meet some of our sponsors, check out some cars and win some cool prizes! Tech demo by Garage Five Performance. Attendance by the Vancouver Police Dept. and the P.A.C.E.R. Program. We have had the VPD attend a few meets to do talks, and had the P.A.C.E.R. Wings West Civic attend our 2003 Show and Shine.
- Organized cruises. Cruises to meets, and road trips.
- Car shows. VCC has a booth at the major car shows throughout the year. Drop by and say hi!
- Charity events / fundraisers. We have held food drives for the foodbank, toy drives for Childrens hospital and more!
- Competitive driving schools: attending lapping and track days, etc..
- Go kart meets
- Mission Raceway street legal drags
- Lots of other fun stuff!
|
|
|
Car Modifications - Exterior |
|
| Q. |
Is it illegal to remove my front license plate? |
|
| A. |
Yes, you must run a front plate. You are not supposed to have it on your dash, it must be on your bumper. According to ICBC you cannot cover the plate with anything, and you can't modify it in any way. Some say it’s safe to bend or fold the plate as long as you don’t cover the numbers. In our opinion, leaving the front plate stock is a good way to not to get stopped. See RCMP guidlines for more details.
|
|
| Q. |
What are carbon fiber hoods for? |
|
| A. |
Carbon fiber hoods are much lighter than OEM (original equipment manufacturer) hoods. Most often, good quality CD hoods can be half the weight or less! Any weight savings on a car is great, but since the hood is in the front of the car where a heavy engine already is, it will usually improve the cars weight distribution, and help lower the car’s top heavy center of gravity.
|
|
| Q. |
Is it illegal to run colored bulbs? |
|
| A. |
Technically unless your car came with colored bulbs, its illegal to change the color. It’s distracting for other motorists on the road and it should only be used for shows, etc.. Replacement / aftermarket headlight bulbs are only permitted if the meet the D.O.T. (Department of Transportation) guidelines and are D.O.T. approved.
|
|
| Q. |
What are good brands for headlight bulbs? |
|
| A. |
Piaa’s are quite white, bright and street legal but expensive. Some popular alternatives are: Eurolite, Sylvania Silverstar, Sylvania Cool Blues. Only headlight bulbs certified and approved by the D.O.T. (Department of Transportation) are considered street legal.
|
|
| Q. |
Are HID (high intensity discharge) light systems illegal? |
|
| A. |
Technically if it’s not OEM, it is illegal for street use. At this time, to our knowledge there are no known aftermarket HID kits which have been D.O.T. certified for use on a car which did not originally have an HID kit installed from the factory.
|
|
| Q. |
Where do I buy bodykits / hoods locally? |
|
| A. |
For shops, try Rev Competition, A&J Racing, Garage Five, Revolution, Overseas Auto, Customauto.ca, Kartoyz, Gemini.
Always ask to fit body kit pieces before buying a body kit. Unless the body kit is an original JDM kit (Bomex, C-west, Buddy club, etc..) or it’s made by Wings West or some other big manufacturer of kits, chances are it’s a replica. Most of the time, replica kits have poor fitment issues. They will undoubtly be slightly off and need trimming and fitting. Avoid body kits that look distorted / warped. Body shops may charge more for custom fitting body kits, since it’s more time consuming than a straight bolt on and paint.
|
|
| Q. |
How much does it cost to paint a car? |
|
| A. |
The old adage comes in here - you get what you pay for. If you want someone to scuff up your old paint, masking tape off your windows and paint on top, sure you could get a paintjob for a few hundred dollars. But expect runs, sags, chipping paint, bumpy surfaces, cracks, unpainted areas, fading, etc..
A good quality paint job involves a lot of prep work and repair to the car, even if there is no real “body damage”. Paintable surfaces must be carefully prepared to accept paint so that it bonds properly and lasts. This is a time and labour intensive process. Also, most body shops will try to remove whatever parts are necessary (eg: trim, headlights, tail lights, etc..) before painting, This takes time and care too.
A quality paint job can be easily in the $2000 - $3000 range, give or take. If there’s a body kit or spoilers involved, this may cost even more. There is a lot of fitting to be done before a kit is installed.
It’s always best to go to a shop directly and get a quote, not just go by what you’ve heard, etc.. Look at the shops customers cars and check for quality, check references, etc.. It can easily take a few weeks to a few months to prep and paint a car, so be prepared for some downtime.
A bumper or spoiler or something of the like usually costs around $200-300 depending on size, prep, etc.. Again, these are just estimates, go bring your parts to the shop for real quotes.
|
|
| Q. |
How should I paint my side trim moldings? |
|
| A. |
The “best way” isn’t always the cheapest. I have seen home made jobs using masking tape and a rattle can of touch up paint and the trim looks horrible.
The best way to paint your side mouldings is to take your car to a body shop. Alhtough it can be done by yourself, the side mouldings are a highly visible portion of your car. A body shop will remove the mouldings, prep the surfaces, prime and paint / install them professionally. This will insure a smooth OEM paint look / finish. If you decide to paint it yourself, it may not come out as clean as an OEM finish and the trim might suffer from paint runs, dust /lint, cracks, etc..
|
|
| Q. |
How do I paint eyelids / eyebrows? |
|
| A. |
The most important thing is prepping: make sure there are no imperfections, sand the surfaces, wash them with dish detergent to remove oils and finger prints, primer, wet sand, then top coat with several coats of body matched paint, (wet sand if necessary) and clear coat if necessary. Always paint outside with a mask to prevent inhalation of fumes, and keep paint away from open flames. Never paint next to your car: overspray from painting can travel very far. Overspray will stick to many surfaces and can ruin your car’s expensive paint finish. Paint outside in dry weather away from your car.
|
|
|
Car Modifications - Interior |
|
| Q. |
Is tinting windows illegal? |
|
| A. |
No, but you are only allowed to tint windows behind the driver’s view (eg: 2 rear side windows and the rear window). It’s illegal to tint the front side windows or the windshield. Please see the RCMP guidlines for more information.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good alarm to buy? |
|
| A. |
Everyone has an opinion. Most alarms are reliable deterents, but they only delay thieves. Quality installation plays a major role in alarm efficiency. Back up sirens, back up battery supply, hidden alarm brains, they all help.
Clifford, Alpine, Compustar and Ungo are common brands. Alarms with pager features and or GPS tracking systems also help, but both can be expensive.
|
|
| Q. |
What is the most effective way to stop thieves? |
|
| A. |
You will never stop thieves, that’s the sad truth. Although some thieves are after cars, others may only be interested in car contents or parts. Most alarms and locking devices stop the casual thieves. If a thief really wants your car, they will take it and tow it if necessary. Sometime the best bet is to make it as difficult as possible and buy yourself some time. Here are some suggestions to help prevent auto theft and make your car difficult to steal:
- Always park in a safe, secure, well lit area
- Use a combination of anti-theft devices
- Use a steering lock (The Club)
- Pedal or clutch lock (Autolock)
- Install an after market alarm
- Upgrade your existing alarm (hood pins, trunk pins, tip sensor)
- Install an immobilizer, fuel cutoff, and / or starter kill
- Locking hood pins
- Use locknuts for your wheels
- Never leave your faceplate / valuables in your car
- Leave your glovebox and change drawer open and empty
|
|
| Q. |
How do you repaint interior pieces? |
|
| A. |
Interior pieces like dash vents, dash trim, and others can be painted. you must take special care in prepping and cleaning the surfaces before painting. Go to a shop and see if they carry special interior paint. This paint is specifically designed to paint and adhere to interior plastic pieces.
It’s always best to remove the part you plan to paint from the car before painting. Always wash the parts with detergent to remove grease and fingerprints (your hands secerete oils that may not be visible). Paint in overlapping light strokes as opposed to heavy strokes to avoids runs and sags. Let pieces dry thoroughly before re-installing.
|
|
|
Car Modifications - Engine / Performance |
|
| Q. |
What does SOHC and DOHC mean? |
|
| A. |
Single overhead cam (1 camshaft, exhaust only) and Dual overhead cam (2 camshafts, intake and exhaust)
|
|
| Q. |
What is the difference between DOHC and SOHC engines? |
|
| A. |
Generally speaking, DOHC engines have higher displacement and dual cams (one for exhaust timing and one for intake) which can be tuned independently for a higher range of performance. They are also usually more “stout” engines than single cam engines.
It is however also possible to tune single cam engines as well. They have been around for some time and the same number of modifications exist for single and dual cam engines. As well, since SOHC engines often have a lower displacement than DOHC engines they are very well suited to forced induction.
Anyhow, the point is that you should always clearly define and research your plans before spending your hard earned money on an engine swap or any major modifications for you car.
|
|
| Q. |
What’s the difference between horsepower to the flywheel and horsepower to the wheels? |
|
| A. |
Horsepower to the flywheel is usually what you see manufacturers stating about their cars. This means an engine without the transmission, wheels, etc.. is strapped to an engine dyno and the flywheel horsepower is measured.
In the case of a 2000 Honda Civic Si, the motor is a D16Y8. The motor is rated at 127HP. This is the horsepower rating at the flywheel.
On the other hand, if the car was put on a wheel dyno (which is what most tuners use and what you see in magazines) there is a loss in power since the engine has to transmit its power through the transmission, axles, wheels, etc.. On most cars this results in approx. a 15% loss in power.
In the same D16Y8 engine, the wheel horsepower is now about 109HP. These types of figures can be very deceptive when you read reviews in magazines, etc.. Manufacturers may boast of high HP ratings when in fact they are low. In some rare cases, horsepower ratings are a bit higher than they are stated, in order to bypass regulations.
|
|
| Q. |
What's the difference between ceramic and stainless steel headers? |
|
| A. |
Ceramic is generally thought to contain heat better than regular steel, thus keeping the hot gases moving through the exhaust system faster. However, a chip or abuse of the header may result in chips in the protective coating, exposing the steel underneath to water and corrosion which may lead to rust. The steel underneath the ceramic coating is generally mild grade steel. Although this is great in California, it’s not that great up North.
Stainless steel of course looks great due to it’s polished looks, but it also resists rust. the cost is generally higher for stainless headers. It is commonly mentioned that stainless steel actually retains heat more than regular steel, thus helping with the expulsion of hot gasses as well as ceramic coatings.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good oil to use? Regular or synthetic? |
|
| A. |
Generally speaking, synthetic has better properties over regular oils. It doesn’t break down as easily and can handle higher temperatures and lasts longer, but you should still do regular oil changes. Once people change to synthetic, most people stick with it due to it’s ability to protect engine parts.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good spark plug to use? |
|
| A. |
On a Civic, the stock plugs are made by NGK and the performance is fine even for tuned applications. Unless you are doing serious modifications such as forced induction, etc.. there is not need to change the plugs to aftermarket ones. They may offer more spark, etc.. but it’s unlikely that you will notice a difference.
|
|
| Q. |
Do spark plug wires make a difference? |
|
| A. |
The thicker the wire, generally speaking the more conductivity you will get. But in mildly tuned applications, you will not likely notice a difference. More often than not, people change them more for looks.
|
|
| Q. |
Do I need an MSD device? |
|
| A. |
Some say if offers upgraded performance. I would say it only makes a difference if you’re doing more advanced tuning. Slapping an MSD device onto a stock car probably won’t ramp up your performance much at all. Adding one to a turbo application could help ensure more spark when you need it.
|
|
| Q. |
How often should I change my timing belt? |
|
| A. |
In most service guides, it’s recommended for 100,000KM, sometimes, 100,000 miles.
|
|
| Q. |
What does FI / NA mean? |
|
| A. |
FI: forced induction. This generally means a turbocharged, supercharged or nitrous equipped car.
NA: naturally aspirated. Usually a motor that does not feature forced induction, it’s power is based on displacement, engine building, fuel and air tuning.
|
|
| Q. |
What's better, short ram or cold air intakes? |
|
| A. |
The debate will always rage on. instead of saying which is better, it’s good to address what each one does and the advantages, and leave the choice up to the application.
Short RAM style intake
- short metal pipe about 3” in diameter
- open element filter at the end
- bolts to your throttle body
- filter can be a cone, etc and usually fabric mesh soaked in oil, or a foam filter
- easy installation
- best for low to mid range power
- usually only get gains of maybe 3-5 HP
Cold air Intake or CAI
- piping extends from throttle body to in front of the front wheel behind the front bumper
- requires removal of bumper and other parts (trickier install)
- cold air is denser than warm air, more oxygen = more HP
- high end HP, not much low end
- average gains on a Civic of 4-10HP
- be careful of deep puddles (water may enter into the filter resulting in hydrolock of engine)
- bypass valve may prevent this
|
|
| Q. |
What is a CAI bypass valve for? Does it work? |
|
| A. |
In the event of the CAI filter being completely submerged in water (eg: deep puddle) this gives the CAI a seperate “bypass” area to draw air into the engine, without taking in water to the engine - resulting in hydrolock (your engine is pooched due to ingesting water). Cheap insurance for CAI.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good exhaust? |
|
| A. |
There are lots of choices, but some of the things to look for are:
- mandrel bends instead of crush bends
- free flowing, but not too big piping
- generally speaking: 2 1/4” piping for NA applications and 2 1/2” or 3” for FI applications
- too big of an exhaust piping MAY take away backpressure, actually reducing performance
- look for stainless construction, smooth bends and a muffler / tip
- doesn't hang too low
- Some popular and quality brands: Greddy, Apexi, HKS, Skunk2, TypeOne, 5Zigen, Borla, Magnaflow
|
|
| Q. |
What's crush bent and mandrel bent tubing mean? |
|
| A. |
Instead of crush bent piping, mandrel bends are smooth - the diameter of the piping is always round even though there are bends. Crush bends shrink the diameter of the tubing in the bends. Mandrel bends involve using a special machine to bend the tubing to maintain it’s round shape in the bends. This usually costs more than crush bent tubing and allows exhaust whatever to travel much more freely through the pipe.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a straight pipe? Are they illegal? |
|
| A. |
A straight pipe takes the place of the catalytic converter portion of the exhaust system. A catalytic converter is usually a restictive part of the exhaust, but it’s purpose is to reduce some of the harmful emissions expelled by the engine. Straight pipes are NOT street legal and are only generally used for track purposes. A side effect is that they can also make your exhaust much louder as well as emitting a slightly foul ouder from your emissions. However a straight pipe will help you to remove unnessecary exhaust restrictions and is very useful for racing applications.
|
|
|
Car Modifications - Suspension, Wheels, Tires |
|
| Q. |
How low can you go on a Civic? |
|
| A. |
You can go as low as you want, if you don’t care about your car scraping! Most people wouldn’t go lower than a Race drop (about 2.25”) since it makes the ride really rough and getting over speedbumps is a pain. It’s also illegal to go TOO LOW. The general rule is that you should have a 2 finger gap between the wheel wells and the tire. Please see RCMP guidlines for more information.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good spring / shock / suspension setup? |
|
| A. |
If you’re lowering for street use, maybe a lapping day or trying autocross, a basic setup like H&R Sport springs (about 1.5” drop) and KYB shocks or Koni Reds or Yellows are good. This setup feels and handles quite well, and at 1.5” it’s usually legal. (Check RCMP / motor vehicle act for details)
Coilovers would be the ultimate setup, but sometimes the upfront cost is an issue. If you plan to track your car and tinker with ride heights, coilovers offer the adjustability you want.
|
|
| Q. |
Why do I need shocks? |
|
| A. |
Some people only upgrade springs, but the problem is that the car may become bouncy, and you may prematurely wear out or blow the shocks. OEM shocks are not engineered to handle the stress that aftermarket springs will give them, so if you are planning on adding aftermarket springs, eventually you will need to replace your shocks. As well, if you change the springs and continue to use the OEM shocks that your car was manufactured with, you are using your suspension in a way that the manufacturer / engineer never intended. This could be considered grounds for a VI and could have dangerous consequences for your own safety.
|
|
| Q. |
What are strut tower bars, tie bars, and sway bars for? |
|
| A. |
In essence, extra bars are used to stiffen up the chassis or suspension of the car, making it more stable and less flexible. This makes it easier for the driver to “feel” the road and control the car more effectively.
A strut tower bar is a bolt on bar that can be placed in the engine bay or trunk / hatch area to tie the 2 upper portions of where the suspension is connected to the chassis. Since these areas are like an open box, they can flex. The bars keep the chassis flex to a minimum.
Tie bars can be attached to suspension points at the front and back of the car to “tie” the lower portions together, again to stiffen up the suspension.
Sway bars act like springs to help the suspension “push back” on the chassis as the car leans, thus reducing the car’s tendency to roll from side to side as easily.
Adding bars can be taken too far as well, as they can make the ride comfort quality level of the car to be too stiff. This may feel great on the track, but they are often too stiff for road use. It may also be illegal to modify your suspension and chassis for street use.
|
|
| Q. |
What size wheels should I get and why? |
|
| A. |
Most people will notice handling improvements with a “plus sized wheel”. This means that the outer diameter of the rubber tire is the same as the stock size, but the rim is bigger. It’s important to keep the rubber diameter the same size because changing it will affect your cars handling and mileage. Too big of a tire and the car will be slow to pick up. Too small and the wheels will spin like crazy, resulting in higher odometer readings. If your tread is too thin (low profile) your tires may not be tall enough to absorb bumps in the road, etc.. This can be dangerous too. \r\nMost people with stock 14” rims go up to at least 15”, some 16”. 17” is in my opinion, as big as you should go for street. Any bigger and you are looking at dented / warped rims due to poor road surfaces.
|
|
| Q. |
What is wheel offset? |
|
| A. |
Wheel offest is measurement of how far or close your wheels are to the car. It’s measured by where the wheel mounts to the hub, and where the outer and inner edges are in relationship to that mounting location.
For example, if your wheel was perfectly centered, and the inner edge of the rim was 3” from the mounting face of the wheel and the outer edge was 3” away, the wheel would be considered a “zero” offset. This is usually indicated by 0+/-.
Most Honda wheels are about +40 to +45 offset. This means that the wheels inner and outer edges are positioned 40mm towards the center of the car.
Different car and wheel manufacturers use different offsets for different purposes. The closer to zero or even negative (-) *minus symbol the offset is, the further out the wheels sit on the car. This is usually done to make the track of the car (distance between the wheels in relation to the car) wider, making it more stable in turns. This can have diminishing effects in that it may affect the way the car handles.
|
|
| Q. |
What’s the bolt pattern of a Civic? |
|
| A. |
Almost all Civics have a bolt pattern that is 4x100. That is: 4 bolts spaces 100mm apart. The rare case is a 5 lug conversion from a JDM Civic Type R or Integra Type R where the pattern is 5 x 114.3.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a five lug conversion? |
|
| A. |
A five lug conversion converts your wheels / brakes to 5 lug nuts instead of 4. The lugs are spaced further apart 5 x 114.3mm and there is one more wheel stud. This is a stronger setup than the narrow 4 x 100mm bolt pattern. This also means an upgraded braking system as well, since a 5 lug conversion usually comes from an Integra Type R, or a JDM Integra R or Civic-R - which all have better brake setups than lower end Civics or North American models. This also means that all the brakes are 4 wheel disc brakes, since many Civic rear brakes are drums. There is more stopping power with 4 wheel discs, even though most of the braking is done up front.
|
|
| Q. |
What are differences between cross drilled and slotted rotors? |
|
| A. |
Cross drilled rotors have little holes all over them. The idea is that the holes allow the rotor to help cool down faster, since a hot brake rotor causes less friction, resulting in longer stops (brake fade).
Slotted rotors have grooves cut into the rotors in order to remove some of the brake pad material, to prevent glazing. This is effect gives the rotors a clean pad surface to bite on to as well as helping hot gas to escape.
Both types of rotors work for different reasons.
|
|
| Q. |
What's a good brake setup for street use? |
|
| A. |
Most people can change to better pads and they are good to go. OEM manufacturers tend to make their pads last longer, rather than give them great gripping power which results in faster pad wear and brake dust. Switching to a performance pad will generally make a difference.
You could also try better brake fluid, and steel braided brake lines.
The idea is that rubber brake lines will flex under pressure and high heat transmitted from the brakes. Steel lines prevent this but rarely are you doing that kind of excessive braking on the street. Unless you have worn / cracked brake lines, chances are that OEM brake lines are fine.
Cross drilled and slotted rotors are more for track use than street use. You actually have less rotor surface for the pad to grab on to! But in race conditions, there’s lots of repetitive braking and threshold braking, so avoiding brake fade and keeping things cool is more important. That and race cars aren’t so worried about the costs of replacing pads.
|
|
| Q. |
Where can I get my wheels fixed / repainted? |
|
| A. |
Rim repair and finishing can be very expensive. In the case of a cracked or chipped / dented rim, it may involve special aluminum welding and machining / truing to get the wheel spinning correctly. The wheel then needs to be painted, finished, polished, etc..
There are several shops locally that repair wheels. Refinishing / repairs generally run about $100 and up per wheel.
Try Panther Wheel, Greens and Nu Brite in the local 604 area.
|
|
|
General Questions |
|
| Q. |
Why should I go to the track when I can just street race? |
|
| A. |
The street is not a good place to test your car or driving abilities. You may think you have control of your car, but there are many factors that could cause an accident. The safest and best place to test your car is at the track. It’s a designated facility, there are safety measures such as emergency equipment, first aid, etc.. And if you’re taking a driving course, you will learn a lot more about cars and racing than on the street. Best of all, there is no traffic, no pedestrians and you can go as fast as you want (within reason and with safety in mind) and you won’t get a speeding ticket!
Most importantly though many innocent people have died in the past few years because of many drivers and their ignorance or inability to handle their own cars in a responsible manner. The result of their ignorance is often their own death as a driver, as well as the death of innocent victims and passengers. Please don't ever be someone who contributes to growing statistics of death, street racing, or anything that negatively impacts the import / tuner scene. Please be safe!
|
|
| Q. |
Why is street racing stupid? |
|
| A. |
People get hurt or even worse - killed. There have been far too many losses to local families, friends, personal effects and property damage. In the end, street racing hurts all of us. Our insurance rates go up, and it ruins the image and reputation of the local car communtiy. Cars, tuning and racing can be done legally and safely. Check the RCMP / Motor Vehicle act for guidelines and take your car to the track. It’s the safest place to race.
|
|
| Q. |
What's autocross? |
|
| A. |
Autocross is a type of supervised racing where a course is set up in a safe area (usually with cones) and drivers take turns running through the course. It’s a timed event and it tests driver skill and car tuning. There are many levels of autocross, these are dependent on the drivers experience and car tuning level. There are many local clubs that participate in autocross events. Autocross isn’t always about “the fastest car with the most power”, it’s usually about car balance and driver skill. Most autocrossers put more attention to their suspension and brakes as opposed to power. Horsepower means nothing without control.
|
|
