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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black series is based on the official F1 safety car and incorporates the pinnacle of Mercedes' performance technology therefore any tuner wishing to enhance this package has a challenge on their hands, a challenge Renntech was more than willing to take with the release of their latest tuning program.
The monstrous 6.2-liter AMG engine already pumped out 507hp and 630Nm of torque but the Mercedes tuner has managed to pump this up up to 550hp with an additional 60-80Nm of torque. Achieved with a bit of ECU tuning and the addition of long-tube headers and a motorsports style exhaust sharpening throttle response.
"Real-world performance is all about torque, not so much about a peak horsepower number at very high rpm," explains Hartmut Feyhl, company founder. "It can be very easy to build high rpm horsepower, but to get instant throttle response and mid-range acceleration it is more difficult, and this is where customers really want to feel that improvement."
For additional drivability Renntech has intsalled its own sport suspension system lowering the car by an extra ¾ inch and added carbon fibre stut braces to both the front and the rear along with fully-adjustable camber bushings at all four corners which enhance mechanical grip in fast corner. The Aerodynamics are enhanced with the addition of a front splitter and rear diffuser along with the striking carbon fibre rear wing.
The Volkswagen Touareg may have had a minor facelift last year, but that doesn't mean there isn't any more room for improvement. At least, according to German tuning house Hofele who designed this package for both the pre-facelift and facelifted Touareg.
They fabricated for the Touareg a new body kit consisting of a new front bumper, new rear apron with trapezoidal tailpipes, sides skirts, roof spoiler and removable under ride protection.
This particular package may not include a power boost but it does come with a new 'Power Dome' hood scoop and the car rides on 22 inch Reverso 22 (295/30 R22) wheels. Either a sport springs or ETS module for the air suspension lowers the car by 40mm.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
If you are told about a widebody kit for the Smart forTwo Cabrio, you could be forgiven for having that quick glance over to the calendar checking if it is April 1st, but we have to say the experts over at Austrian tuner Konigseder have pulled it off with a great deal of success.
The kit widens the model by an additional 30mm in each direction and consists of wheel arches housing new 17 inch wheels, side skirts and a restyled front bumper with larger air intakes and an additional lower spoiler.
The rear stays largely unchanged but the rear wheel arches get extra air intakes for additional cooling for the brakes, the look is completed with a flowery (yes, that's flowery) exterior body artwork on its white livery. Beneath the bodywork, the forTwo has been left alone apart from a set Eibach sport springs which lower the overall ride height of the vehicle thus improving the driving dynamics.
The Lexus IS F was recently launched in Europe and the States following the successful introduction to its native Japan last year where it is going head to head with the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG. Despite a pretty formidable package under the hood where you will find the 417bhp 5.0-litre V8 engine mated to an eight-speed paddleshift transmission, the exterior styling does not show the aggression to match.
This is where renowned Japanese tuner Wald International comes in with this new tuning program for the high performance machine. The most notable feature on these newly surfaced photos is the addition of a new huge rear diffuser which optimizes air flow under the car, other features on the rear include additional air vents on the sides of the apron and a new rear wing. The front fascia gets small modifications with the a new front spoiler lowering the ride height and additional air-intakes on the sides.
Back in April, Porsche tuning specialist, 9ff , made a world record attempt for the fastest production car with their 987bhp GT9 but came up a bit short at 409 km/h. Currently the record to beat is the SSC Ultimate Aero TT with 412.28 km/h ( 256.18 mph). However, it seems 9ff's work with combining high performance Porsche's with alternative fuel, as displayed with their E85 bio-ethanol fuel 9ff Porsche Cayman CT-78 with 780 hp could be a more successful road worth traveling for the Dortmund based tuner. German car magazine SportAuto conducted a readers polls which contained 14 categories for series-production vehicles and 11 tuning classes. With more than 10,000 readers taking part, they awarded the CT-78 as the sportiest tuned coupe beyond EUR 80,000. In times of the CO2 discussion, this is a particularly valuable distinction.
Monday, June 16, 2008
As one of the first Mercedes tuners to come forth with a comprehensive tuning package for the new Mercedes C 63 AMG, German tuner Väth have put together a tasty package. With a modestly redesigned front bumper fascia that closely resembles the original, the rear gets more dramatic with three prominent diffusor vanes protruding outwards plus the boot spoiler gets another boot spoiler on top of it.
For performance Väth has reprogrammed the engine control unit, added a freer flowing exhaust manifold, and stainless steel sport exhaust. The result is an earth pounding 585 hp (430 kW) and 690 Nm of torque compared to the already potent 457 hp (336 kW) with 600 Nm of the stock 6.3 liter V8 engine. With the speed limiter removed top speed climbs to a lofty 202 mph.
Other upgrades include sport suspension, bigger brake rotors (390mm), sport brake fluid, 19-inch wheels, new sport seats, revised instrument cluster, TV/DVD unit and many other customizations. The V63RS Clubsport can be yours for approximately EUR 125,000.
Arden have already tackled the Range Rover LM last year when they initially released the AR7, but clearly they felt they had unfinished business by going back to the drawing board and pumping yet more power out of the SUV and with more power comes a longer name - "Highlander" has been added.
Tata's favorite tuner who specializes on the Jaguar and Land Rover brands originally took the standard 400hp supercharged Jaguar sourced V8 engine and increased its displacement up to 4.5 liters to bring total power output to 480hp and 650Nm of torque – but that was soooo last year. Now in 2008 Arden have added a new high-performance twin-screw supercharger which brings the power up to 520 hp and 701 Nm of torque, although the performance figures remain the same with the0-100km/h time staying at 6.5 seconds whist top speed remains at 240km/h.
Press release:
- superior 520 HP and powerful 701 Nm
- Compressor motor with increased cubic capacity
- High Performance Twin Screw Supercharger
- sporty aerodynamic kit
- resonant sound with stainless steel exhaust system / extravagant exhaust tailpipe design
- 22” or 23” wheels, high performance braking system
- elegant sporty interior
Elegance, discreet sportiness and understatement have always been the characteristics of British cars. The car enhancement specialist and registered automobile manufacturer from Krefeld was unable to resist the attraction of these vehicles over 30 years ago. It has for many years been a refuge for customers wanting it to individualise their Jaguar or Range Rover and emphasize its typical characteristics. Arden’s latest development is the AR7. It is based on the Range Rover LM, which Arden completely converts and provides with more overtaking prestige. The base vehicle which is impressive due to its sheer size becomes captivating with its extraordinary sporty look. Meanwhile enhanced performance of the Range Rover compressor motor contributes to the sporty driving performance.
Superior performance
Arden obtains not less than 520 HP from the from the supercharged V8, its cubic capacity having been raised to 4.5 litres and a high performance twin screw supercharger was added. Together with the torque which has been increased to an ample 680 Nm, this provides the not exactly light Range Rover with an appealing driving performance. The sheer power catapults the British SUV from nought to one hundred km/h in 6.5 seconds. Outstanding engine power goes without saying. Even if speeds beyond 200 km/h do not happen often due to the flow of traffic, the Arden AR7’s 480 HP make over 240 km/h possible.
Arden bodykit: better look, better driving behavior
Arden adapted its aerodynamic components to the Range Rover’s basic design in a masterly fashion. As usual with Arden, the kit looks as though it fits seamlessly. The completely re-designed, in total 6 cm wider front apron, which replaces the production part, features a hand-made stainless steel grill and air vents. These features emphasize not only the dynamic and powerful appearance, they also provide more effective air supply to the cooling units behind. Arden has made substantial improvements to the aerodynamics, effectively reducing lift to the front axle; this has a lasting benefit on handling performance at higher speeds. The LED daytime running lights deserve special attention. They comply with the future European standards and are harmoniously integrated right and left above the large air intakes. To complete the powerful appearance, Arden also enhances the Range Rover with wheel arch extensions, side skirts and a newly developed rear apron, which like the front apron features several grill inserts.
With regards to harmoniously designing the rear area, Arden adapted the design of the exhaust tail pipes of the stainless steel sport exhaust system, which was exclusively hand-made for the new AR7, perfectly to the design of the rear apron. The system which produces a marvellous resonant sound ends in rectangular tailpipes, with its openings characterized by a horizontal center bar, so that they do not appear too overpowering and meet Arden’s standards for understatement.
“Bigfoot”
The “Sportline” wheels have a large share in the appearance of the Arden AR7. Arden offers the three-part forged wheel in 22” or 23”. The increased size compared with the production Range Rover clearly improves the handling of the SUV and gives the driver more driving pleasure.
Whoever decides on enhanced power should also think of suitable braking performance. So that the Arden AR7 comes to a standstill as quickly as it accelerates, Arden incorporates at the front a 6-piston and at the rear a 4-piston braking system which distributes its power emphatically on the internally ventilated and perforated brake disks.
Elegant interior
The interior does not come off badly with Arden either. In the in-house saddlery all of the interior work is carried out to the highest precision and converted into the customer’s requirements with great attention to detail. Leather and alcantara are made to measure in any colour desired, a wide variety of high-grade woods are processed and also chrome, carbon and aluminium applications are made for customers.
