For Steven Leerentveld, president of RDP Motorsport in Painesville, the decision to move his business to Ohio was simple.
“Quite simply, Ohio has the second largest car enthusiast population on the planet,” said Leerentveld, who founded the company in Australia in 1997. “California is number one, and Germany is number three.
“But on top of all of that, just about all of the performance auto industry started in Ohio. There are five racetracks within about an hour drive from our headquarters in Painesville. And if you go back in drag racing history, even legends like Big Daddy Don Garlits got his racing license at Thompson. All major players in the performance industry came from Ohio or started their businesses here. (Read post…)
After rebooting the franchise with Need for Speed Underground, EA has continued to produce some solid street racers under the Need for Speed banner. Last year’s Need for Speed Most Wanted, which featured hilariously over-the-top live-action cutscenes and seriously tense police pursuits, proved to be a high watermark for the franchise. Now it’s being followed up by Need for Speed Carbon, which downplays the role of the police chases, introduces some simple team-racing mechanics, and occasionally takes the action off the city streets and into the outlying canyons. The new gameplay doesn’t always improve the experience, but the racing can still be quite intense and still has a pronounced sense of style. (Read post…)
It can’t be easy to be a game developer in charge of releasing a new game in a series every year. People don’t want the same game over and over, yet they’re unhappy if the game strays too far from the established formula. EA deserves credit for trying something different with Need for Speed ProStreet, but the new direction of the series fails to live up to the level of the previous games. There’s still a solid racing experience here, and the online component of the PC version is quite good. But the game’s premise is uninteresting, the in-game advertising is over the top, and it doesn’t run particularly well. In the end, ProStreet is just another decent but uninspired racing game.
Unlike the last two Need for Speed games, which told the story of an underground street racer through campy yet entertaining cutscenes, ProStreet follows the legal street racing career of Ryan Cooper. The game still uses cutscenes to try to instill some story into the proceedings–something about Ryan getting dissed by a big-time street racer–but it’s uninteresting thanks to terrible voice acting and unlikable characters. Ignoring the story, it’s your goal to head to different events, dominate them, challenge the best of the best, and then take on Ryo, the man who disrespected you after your first race. (Read post…)
For the most part, the reaction to the last few Need for Speed games was the same: “Why aren’t they more like Need for Speed Most Wanted?” “Where are the cheesy cutscenes and the over-the-top cop chases?” It seems as if EA heard those cries, because for better or for worse, Need for Speed Undercover feels like Most Wanted.
In Undercover you play the role of…wait for it…an undercover officer. Along with agent Chase Linh, played by the attractive Maggie Q, your job is to take down a group of street racers that have somehow become involved in an international smuggling ring. The story is told via campy cutscenes that fail to capture the charm of Most Wanted thanks to uninteresting characters and a predictable plot. Having a story provides incentive to make it through race after race, but the whole “this is cheesy so it’s cool” thing feels kind of forced this time around. (Read post…)
Automobile transmission repair is a very costly affair whether it is an automatic transmissions or manual transmissions repair. For the same reason you should take special care in finding out a perfect automobile transmission repair center for your vehicle. There are some tips to cut you expense on such repairs. One way is to directly approach the automobile transmission repair shop, which can avoid the additional expense by way of cost of door to door service. Another way is to look for centers which offer competitive pricing. Through this you can be aware of the different rates for automobile transmission repairs existing in the market and to select the centre where you can have your work done without any extra cost. (Read post…)
There are many misconceptions when it comes to synthetic motor oil:
1 – It is not as good as traditional oil.
2 – It is too expensive.
3 – There are no added benefits to using synthetic oil,
4 – And so on.
In the early 90’s Consumer Reports attempted to resolve some of the misconceptions with a two-year study, which used a fleet of 75 New York City cabs. According to their study they concluded that there was no noticeable advantage using synthetic oil over traditional dino oil. However they noted that taxicabs in New York City do not see many cold starts or long periods of high speed driving. In fact the test was better for typically driving conditions, that being stop-and-go traffic. They concluded that synthetic oil would be most beneficial in cars that are used in extreme driving conditions, such as high temperatures, very low temperatures and long periods of high speed driving. However there are many pros and cons for the traditional driver when it comes to using synthetic motor oil over traditional dino oil. Here are just a few: (Read post…)
Many people prefer luxury cars for their plush interiors, elegant exterior and the technology that comes with it. But let’s face it, how many among us can purchase a luxury car? Not many, those of us that still want to “ride like a king” have the possibility to rent a car for a couple of days. With this article we will present 10 of the most popular luxury cars in 2009. Keep in mind that the following ranking is random.
1. BMW 3 Series – it is offered in sedan, coupe, convertible and even a wagon version. The 2009 model comes with a face lifted exterior and here we include new tail and head lights. New for 2009 is the 335d model that has a 6 cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine. It is not only nature friendly but quite sporty. (Read post…)
If one is planning to visit Dublin then it is the best choice to go for vacations. Dublin, the capital of Ireland is the most amazing old city and there are many attractive sites to see as it has rich history in literature, art and theatre. It is an ideal destination that one would love. Once one land up in the Dublin airport the car hire is the best way to visit the places in this city. Dublin car hire service is the convenient way to travel around and enjoy the visit to the incredible sea coast.
Dublin car rental provides the best service to the visitors so that they can enjoy the trip to Dublin. Dublin car hire service provides the best option for one which fits in one’s budget and they can enjoy the trip without any inconvenience caused to them. Many Dublin car rentals online companies offer services and help visitors in renting a car which are cheaper in rates and they don’t have any hidden cost in it and provide excellent deal. (Read post…)
The Mercedes C Class vehicles are considered to be a compact executive car that is produced by the Mercedes Benz Corporation. The C Class was first introduced to the market in 1990, and was supposed to be the vehicle to replace the 190 range. When the vehicle was introduced to the market, it was coincidentally named the Baby Benz.
The Mercedes C class is manufactured in different factories throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. The manufacturing plants for these vehicles include Bremen, East London, South Africa, as well as Sindelfingen. In the United States the C class Mercedes vehicles are the base car. (Read post…)
Auto emergency kits are an essential tool for any vehicle. Emergencies happen when we least expect them – and the best way to avoid being stranded for long periods of time on a deserted road is to be equipped with an auto emergency kit. The kit should include tools for car repairs as well as essentials such as a first aid kit, blanket, water, and food. Granola or energy bars are the perfect food for roadside emergencies. The first aid kit should contain basics such as gauze, bandages, adhesive tape, antibiotic ointment, scissors, instant ice pack, instant heat compress, and aspirin or other pain reliever. (Read post…)