WTD: Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed Legends Pack DLC

Totally Worth the Dough is the Shift 2 Unleashed Legends Pack DLC.
Shift 2 Unleashed has become my favorite driving game ever. Well after tweaking some steering wheel settings for the PS3 Logitech Driving Force GT wheel. Go to the GTPlanet Shift Forums and set up your steering wheel as noted because the default settings are horrible.

Someday I will put together a review but I just wanted to proclaim it in this post that if you love racing games and want to understand what it feels like to drive a souped up racing car, Shift 2 Unleashed is at the top of the list. Better than Gran Turismo 5 in my opinion. GT5, while amazing as a driving simulator, sucks as a racing simulator. And it’s in-car view pales in comparison to Shift 2. Helmet Cam FTW!

Shift 2 Unleashed should claim itself as the “Racing Simulator”

And now the Legends Pack just made the game that much more awesome. For just $9.99 it comes with a bunch of classic racecars and 5 classic tracks. Worth the Dough for just $10. Get it! Get both Shift 2 and the Legends Pack. You won’t be disappointed.

Check out the Speedhunters post about the Legends Pack and for more pics.
Porsche!

iPad 2: Not Quite the Magazine Experience

Engadget published a first hands-on about the iPad 2 and what piqued my interest was this:

“The design feels great in your hands. Sleek, super thin — much nicer to hold than the previous version. Definitely has more of a magazine than book feel. Everything is tight and solid. It is pretty amazing how thin they’ve gotten the device.”

I’m an avid magazine reader and if the new iPad 2 has more of a magazine than book feel like they said, I’d be very happy with the iPad 2. However, I’m still reluctant because the magazine experience I think is still better with the print copy than a digital copy on an iPad. I will have to spend more time using an iPad 2 to read magazines, but from my experiences so far with the original iPad (which has the same form factor anyway), I would rather stick to traditional print magazines. The biggest issue is that the iPad 2 is basically only half the size of an open magazine. You can’t look at the iPad as a 2-page spread, but rather as a single page. On an iPad it’s hard to read an article and quickly glance at the pictures like you can with a print magazine because you have to zoom in to read the article. You almost need to have 2 iPads with a spine. And I don’t see that happening with future generations of the iPad or with other tablets in general. Steve Jobs joked how 2011 is the Year of the Copycats. And he’s right. What a shame. Unfortunately, Microsoft cancelled their Courier concept which I think could’ve been a great competitor to the iPad. It could’ve been a great alternative as it would meet the needs of different users. But like everyone else, they’re instead probably going to try to copy Apple’s iPad if they eventually try to join the tablet wars.

The cancelled Microsoft Courier Tablet concept. Picture courtesy of Engadget:
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WTD: iPad 2

Hmm with the release of the iPad 2 next week, is it time for me to get one? Good question!

I want to reward myself for being patient and holding out from buying the original iPad by getting the iPad 2. But I’m on the fence still. TUAW and John Gruber both believe that there may be another iPad with a retina display coming out later this year. I kind of agree. I want to wait for a retina display and legitimate cameras. The iPad 2′s cameras are pretty crappy. The iPhone 4 has a pretty good camera so you know Apple has the capability to include a decent camera. I think that’s an indication that Apple is still holding out on the iPad. Therefore I can see Apple coming out with an iPad HD in September with proper cameras and a high resolution display.

So I held out on the iPhone until Apple put in a good camera and I may do the same with the iPad. Besides, I spent a bit of money on my turbo! Plus, I don’t really need the iPad 2. It’s just a toy. Well, a beautiful toy.

The other idea I have is to wait for the refurbished iPad 2′s. It took the original iPad 5 months before refurbished models started showing up. So that means by August there should be some showing up. And by then, if the rumors grow stronger of a September iPad 2 HD release, I can either wait to get a new iPad 2 HD or just get the refurbished iPad 2. I bought my Macbook refurbished and it’s been great so far so I’m happy buying refurbished Apple products.

So is it Worth The Dough? Yes it is! There isn’t a better tablet out there. But I think I’m still going to wait.

My Corrado: Pounds Per Horsepower Comparison

The new turbo and the talk of the HP numbers got me thinking about the gains I’m about to get in the performance of my Corrado. Although buying the turbo kit was pretty much an impulse buy, I have been thinking about how cars today are getting faster while my Corrado is just sitting still. The horsepower numbers of cars straight from the factory today are steadily increasing. I mean cars are getting bigger and heavier due to more safety restrictions, but the increase in horsepower is increasing faster than the cars are getting heavier. Thus cars are getting faster every day and my Corrado is comparatively getting slower and slower. I’ve been thinking for awhile now that I need to do something to keep pace. Hence, the turbo kit.

I believe that a good indicator of how well I can keep pace with the newer cars is in the weight-to-power ratio. How much weight does 1 HP have to put into motion? So I decided for fun to put together a chart as you see below. I’ve gathered most of my data from Road & Track’s Road Test Summary. For some of the older cars I used various other sources. I’ve gathered the Curb Weight (the manufacturer’s published weight of the car with all fluids minus the driver and passengers), Horsepower, 0-60 times, and calculated the Pounds Per HP Ratio (Curb Weight/Horsepower). I’ve included the torque and F/R/AWD drivetrain info for completeness’ sake. The dark green rows highlight my Corrado’s numbers (stock and theoretical numbers for the turbo kit). The light green rows are cars I’ve owned, and the yellow rows are some cars my friends own. I tried to put together competitors to the Corrado and also other more expensive sports cars for fun. Here are the results:

So my high school experiment shows that there is a direct correlation between Pounds Per HP and speed. The less weight 1 HP has to pull, the faster the car. Of course there are other factors involved, like the drivetrain which affects how well the cars launch and the gearing of each car. AWD cars generally launch better than RWD and RWD better than FWD. But as a reference these numbers tell alot.

What’s the conclusion? Well look at where my stock Corrado sits on the list. Near the bottom. And with the turbo kit it’s theoretically near the top against other stock opponents. That’s even thinking conservatively since the turbo kit is supposed to get 280 to 300 WHEEL horse power. So I would say that the turbo kit is WORTH THE DOUGH!

My Corrado Build: Kinetic Stage 2 Turbo

I never thought about getting a turbo for my Corrado but got this anyway! The VR6 in my Corrado was not designed for a turbo, but with the low boost (7 psi) I’ll be running I think and hope it should still be reliable. Here comes 280 front wheel horse power!

The last time I dyno’d my Corrado was in Sept 2004 at H2O in Ocean City, MD. I had just a Garrett Chip, ABD Intake, and Techtonics Tuning 2.5″ Exhaust and put down 166.0 hp and 171.6 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. There is a theoretical 17% drivetrain loss so at the crank I was running 194.2 hp and 200.8 lb-ft of torque. I will scan and post the dyno chart in an upcoming post. I’ve since added a Schrick Manifold, but that only really increases the low rpm torque. Now with the turbo I can sell the manifold and recoup some of the cost of the turbo kit.

I can’t wait to install this and see the new numbers. It’s going to take some cutting to fit the Front Mount Intercooler, but I’m ready for the challenge. Without an intercooler I’d be losing at least 30 hp. There are other items needed to ensure a good reliable install (Wide Band O2 Sensor, 3″ exhaust, all new gaskets) so if you’re thinking of getting a turbo for your car remember there’s more to buy than just the turbo kit!

Kit Features:
- Rotomaster 60Trim T3/T4 Turbocharger
- Kinetic Motorsport VR6 Manifold
- Precision 39mm Wastegate
- 3″ Stainless Steel Downpipe
- 3″ Stainless Steel Intake
- Stainless Steel Braided Oil Feed/Drain Lines and OEM Oil Pan with fittings
- AFE Re-useable Air Filter
- Kinetic Motorsport 4″ Black Anodized Aluminum MAF Housing
- Kinetic Motorsport Silicone Hoses and Stainless Steel Clamps
- 30# Injectors (Distributor)
- C2 Motorsports 30# Chip Software
- Kinetic Motorsport Aluminum Intercooler Core
- Stainless Steel Intercooler Tubing
- 4-Ply Silicone Hoses
- Stainless Steel T-Bolt Clamps

VW Corrado Successors: 2010 Audi Quattro Concept

If you haven’t noticed already, my favorite car is the VW Corrado. It ended its production in 1995 so it’s been over 15 years since the last Corrado rolled off the assembly line. There was never a new Corrado made by VW and no real spiritual successor. Corrado owners are always wondering if there will be another Corrado. Some argue there will never be, while others remain hopeful. I for one don’t think there will ever be another Corrado. And I’m happy about that. However, there will always be cars that have a similar hatchback coupe profile that remind people of the Corrado.

This list includes the Mercedes C-Coupe, BMW 318ti and the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that I wrote about in an earlier post. Also on this list are the hatchback coupes with a movable spoiler like the Corrado. For example the Chrysler Crossfire and the VW gruppe’s own Audi TT. But the latest on this list is the Audi Quattro Concept introduced in late 2010. Although it is really inspired by the original Audi ur quattro, many see the concept’s design as a modern Corrado. I agree. However, if it’s produced, Audi says that it’s cost would be 6 figures. I hope that they make a VW version with a more affordable price tag! Check out autoblog’s impressions of the Audi Quattro Concept by clicking on its picture below:

Look at the similarities! (Thanks to Rento_VW for the side profile pic)

Random iPhone Snaps: Brooklyn Bridge

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from the NYC side I took this picture with my iPhone 4. What an impressive camera it has! This was my favorite pic because I think it captured the raw engineering of the bridge and the view from the bridge all at the same time. The Brooklyn Bridge has aged nicely!