After years of careful study, we’ve modified a 1992 Mazda Protege to run on a special blend of antifreeze, used ATE superblue brake fluid, and waste oil. We have no doubt that MIT will come calling once we finish the project. Here are some photos of me filling the tank:
The Funnel
Adding the Superblue
Adding the antifreeze

We’ve gone to great lengths to lighten the car, as only the Pansy Patrol knows how to do:
Lightening the back of the car
A side view of some of our specialized delete work
And a view from the front
One of the amazing things about using this alternative fuel is that we don’t need to run a radiator because coolant is part of the fuel blend. We don’t need a master cylinder for the brakes either. Why? You guessed it, it’s in the fuel blend! And oil? It’s in the fuel blend, dummy.

We have to admit though–and we are very embarrassed because we know everything there is to know about cars–that we can’t quite get it to idle smoothly. We’re thinking that maybe there’s a leak somewhere, or that we forgot to install a part. We were hoping that one of you readers could take a look at this picture of the engine bay and tell us what we’re missing. It has to be just some small thing, and once we get it to idle right, we’re going to be rich. Please help us. The last thing we want is to have to give up and just have the car towed away.

My 1991 Stealth belongs among our formative car experiences. It was the first turbo or AWD car among us, the first to require an engine rebuild, the first to hit 150mph (and later 160mph), and the first car that simply required one to own a beater.

That picture was taken in early 2003 before the sanding left over from winter had been cleaned up. Clint and I got out in the widest space we could find, drove a wide circle and throttled into oversteer. Our friend Toby captured it on camera, yielding one of the first action shots with us at the wheel.

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The Lethal_vr4 manual steering rack is a converted stock hydraulically assisted rack. The rack is disassembled and all ports, fittings, and internal components specific to the hydraulic system are removed. Then the rack is greased and resealed, and new tie rods are fitted. The end product is exceptionally simple and clean. Installing the rack is more of a tedious process than a difficult one. The supports running from the front to rear crossmembers of the front subframe must be removed to swap the rack, as must the downpipe, transfer case, and front sway bar. At the time of my install, solid bushings were not available so the stock rubber pieces were reused. On 3/S with all-wheel steering (AWS), the signal lines to the valve for the rear rack will have to be disconnected.

I find the rack to be manageable during regular street driving and a worthwhile tradeoff for the benefits at the track. Effort at very slow speeds is high, which is to be expected, but it is not oppressive. I can fairly easily turn the wheel with two hands while the car is not moving at all, and though I wouldn’t want to parallel park regularly, it is not impossible. Palming the wheel or making significant one-handed changes to wheel angle at speeds below 5mph, however, is a thing of the past.

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Here at the PansyPatrol we like to make fun of ricers. This is no secret. But, to be fair, rice is a fairly complex concept. It’s more than huge spoilers, fart cannons, and cut springs. Let’s look at two BMW ricers and, without passing judgment, notice that two very similar cars can be riced in very different ways.

Here we have subject 1, a white BMW 323 that is unmolested save the horribly tacky Altezza lights. As most of you know, this type of rice is most common on Japanese vehicles and has its roots in the Toyota Altezza, an actual vehicle that sported clear tail light clusters from the factory. Somehow it cross-pollinated, mutated, and made its way to this BMW, which is a remarkable lateral cultural move if we stop to think about it for a minute. The typical Altezza ricer exists within the automotive culture that created the Altezza, but this ricer has executed a peculiar cross-cultural offense.

And here we have subject 2, another BMW 3 series driver. Look quickly and you’ll note the M3 fender vents and flares. Look too quickly and you’ll think it’s an actual E46 M3. Now, look at the wheels. It is an entirely stock (or stock-appearing) regular 3-series, with cleanly installed M3 fenders. The paint is nicely matched; the fitment is good; the rice comes from a higher-end version of this car, and not from an entirely different manufacturer.

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I saw this desecrated Mitsubishi Galant while leaving the supermarket yesterday. Too bad the owner doesn’t realize his car looks like a moose.

Trailbraking is not very well understood or practiced, but when used correctly, it allows you to squeeze additional performance out of your car and greatly improves your car control abilities. Trailbraking is when you extend the braking zone into the first part of a turn. Yes, this means that you are both braking and turning at the same time, all at the limit of your car.
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So you want to get into tuning for power. Before you do any real tuning on your car, a wideband Oxygen (O2) sensor should be considered essential. Knowing your engine’s air/fuel ratio (AFR) and understanding what that information means for producing horsepower is among the most fundamental concepts in engine tuning. Turbo vehicles stand the most to gain from upgrades, but as a result are more sensitive to errors. A wideband O2 sensor can help you to make power safely.

A few facts:

• The O2 sensors found in production cars will not give you reliable information and are not sensitive enough for tuning.
• Wideband O2 sensors are cheaper than ever. A decent controller, sensor, and gauge/display can be had for about $300.
• Understanding the readings the wideband gives is pretty easy — anyone can learn how in a few minutes of reading.

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When I was 5, long before I had any interest in cars or could tell the difference between a 1994 and a 1995 VR4 just by looking at the headlights, I remember riding in my father’s 1978 Chevy pickup. It was a beater truck that he used as a daily driver and a utility vehicle, and it was a 4-speed. I remember the long, spindly gearchange, the black knob, the rubbery boot, and the motion of the throw. It was just a curiosity at the time, and after he junked that truck I didn’t ride in another manual transmission car until about 10 years later.

For whatever reason, I decided that day in my father’s truck that manuals were better and more interesting than automatics. Today, few things give me as much pleasure as driving stick. Of course, I know now that manuals have certain performance advantages in the types of motorsports I like. I know what the inside of a transmission looks like, how it works, and where advances in design might be made. But I drive stick for the same reason it caught my eye when I was 5: the aesthetics of the motions and the knowledge that I was in direct communication with the car.

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As you know from reading Oversteer, Understeer, and 4 Wheel Drift, Oversteer is what happens when your rear tires lose traction before the front tires while the car is turning. This causes the car to begin to spin and, if not corrected, the car will spin out completely.

Power Oversteer
When most people think of Oversteer, they think of a very powerful rear-wheel drive vehicles spinning the rear tires by the sheer power of the engine. This is known as Power Oversteer. This is a typical (and amusing) means to induce Oversteer, but it is only one way to get your car sideways.
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