Suzuki LTR450 Quadracer

Since the Suzuki LTR450R Quad racer was introduced in 2006, it has been one of the most successful race quads on the market. It has a low profile and a wider stance that makes it stable which makes it ideal for motocross racing, which Suzuki had intended. In 2008 Suzuki made upgrades that were done in order to mean business out on the track. It is said that in 2008, Suzuki made 100 different changes between the motor, transmission, and suspension. A known problem with the 2006 and 2007 LTR450s is that they have transmission issues. In 2008 Suzuki changed the transmission to fix this problem and so far they haven't had any problems so far. Suzuki also changed the bore displacement and the stroke displacement in 2008 that increases power. Suzuki finally got all of the problems worked out of their quads that make them very dependable. Out of the competitors in the 450 class, the YFZ450 is the least dependable quad available.  Even through the whoops and big jumps, the LTR450 never bottomed out and the suspension was also smooth even on big jumps. The suspension that they test was the stock LTR450 suspension, so there is no need in changing the suspension if you are going to race it. The suspension is one of the many things that make the Suzuki LTR450 Quad racer such a good race bike and the good suspension also improves the handling. Neither the YFZ450 nor the TRX450R, have as good of handling, especially the TRX450R because the wheel base is so narrow and it sits so high. One thing that Suzuki didn't change in 2008 was the steel frame. Can-Am and Kawasaki have started making their frames out of aluminum which makes the quad lighter weight for racing but it wasn't a necessary change that had to be done to the Quad racer. The changes to the suspension makes trail riding enjoyable because it is soft to soak up the terrain but is still stiff enough to absorb hard impacts from jumping. The 2008 LTR450 has three more horsepower than the 2007 and it also has a ECM Logic System that monitors throttle position and the RPM's and the speed that the throttle and RPM hit the quickest. The ECM also helps get better traction so the tires don't spin as much and to get better traction. Suzuki also added larger tires that are 18.5 inches that help reduce wheel spin and adds more ground clearance. Putting larger tires on the LTR450 Quad racer was a great idea because they are able to get up and go much faster when they aren’t just sitting there spinning. This will make many racers happy because they will be able to do better racing. Anyone who races quads should consider buying a Suzuki LTR450 because will little work, you can add more horsepower and Suzuki has one of the best suspensions in the market. The Suzuki LTR450 Quad racer is an all-around good quad for both casual riders and racing.

KTM 525

The KTM quads were initially aimed at cross country racing and it is apparent when you ride one. The KTM 525 is comparable to a 450 quad that has been heavily modified and the KTM only produces 94 dB of sound. The KTM 525 is faster in a drag race than a big bored, ported, TRX450R that has ignition mods and a full exhaust. The KTM 525 doesn't need a quick fire button. The YFZ450 starts better when the engine is hot than the KTM 525 and all other manufacturers. Riders like to have plenty of power but they like dependability even more. KTM has a plush seat that is soft and comfortable even after ride for long periods of time. KTM’s have a 3.5 gallon fuel tank so the rider will not have to stop as frequently for fuel unlike the competitors. All of the 450’s that compete against the KTM 450 are behind KTM when it comes to racing and power. Honda has the most reliable quad than anyone else but KTM is giving Honda a run for their money. The suspension that KTM uses is better than the Japanese 450's, the YFZ is the closest and the LTR450 is an much better MX track than the KTM. The CanAm DS450 is comparable to the KTMs high speed MX-style conditions. The weakest point is the skittish front end. Changing the caster adjustment, shock setup, and an additional steering damper makes a large difference. The rear shock on the KTM 525 is flawless and the front brakes are outstanding and are better than any other OEM stoppers. KTM has experience in manufacturing, technology that is cutting edge, and they have such a passion for four wheelers that has helped them produce two powerhouse machines that are a new benchmark for performance. KTM has a proven engine that can be fine-tuned for racing. KTM's engine features a single overhead cam four valve system that offers reliable performance in many racing bikes. KTM has opted to use an effective 39mm Keihin FCR carburetor on both their 450 and their 525 models, even in the era of fuel injection. The exhaust is California Green Sticker and emits only 94db of sounds. It is quite but also offers good performance. Since many of the riding areas and even the at the race track they are making noise restrictions, so your four wheeler has to be lower than a certain dB and the lower dB you go the less power you will have. KTM has a great exhaust for noise restricted areas. KTM uses a large curved aluminum radiator with an electric cooling fan and a thermostat that helps maintain the motor temperature. There is no oil cooler so the problematic oil lines are eliminated.  For every rider that likes plenty of power, the KTM is suitable for them. If you want a drag bike that will be one of the fastest at the sand dunes but is also dependable, the KTM is the idea bike.  

John Deere 925a EFI

The John Deere Z925a Electric Fuel Injection is a new kind of mower. The Z925A EFI is the first fuel injected motor that John Deere has ever offered on their mowers. One of the options that is standard on the John Deere Z-series is a 7 iron mower deck which is stamped out of metal instead of welded so it is supposed to be stronger. The Z925 EFI is a commercial grade zero turn mower that has an engine that maximizes power, performance, and efficiency in every mowing condition. It is more reliable, offers less downtime and saves on fuel. A convenient option available on the Z-series mowers is a feature called Mulch-On-Demand which lets you mulch at any time so you don't blow grass in flower beds for example but also allows you to blow it out the side when it is suitable. The Electric Fuel Injection saves you time and money that will maximize the time you can spend mowing every day. The Z925 EFI allows just the right amount of fuel and spark to be used with the engine at the right time that will improve the engine performance. The EFI has sensors that monitor and guide the engines performance. This offers optimal performance from the engine by providing the right amount of fuel. One way that the engine saves fuel is by sensing unused oxygen in the exhaust multiple times per second. The engine can vary the amount of fuel to inject appropriately and ensues that no excess fuel is injected. This results in better fuel efficiency. For any mowing services that have multiple mowers, they could save lots of money by buying multiple Z925 EFIs. The Z925 EFI is the ultimate mowing machine that delivers performance and durability that people expect from the ZTrak Pro 900. It gives the operator greater fuel efficiency and more reliable starts. The John Deere Z925 Electric Fuel Injection is a great asset to have in a company that will give you up to 25 percent better fuel economy that the non-fuel injected Z925. The total fuel tank capacity of the Z925 EFI is an impressive 11.5 gallons that has a forward travel speed of zero to 12 mph and a reverse travel speed of zero to 4.5 mph. The blade tip speed of the John Deere Z925 EFI of 18,000 fpm and a cutting width of 54 inches and 60 inches. The 60 inch John Deere Z925 EFI has a weight of 1316 pounds which is pretty heavy. The Z925 EFI’s motor is a Kohler Command Pro that has a gross horsepower of 27. Any mowing service or lawn care business would benefit greatly from buying more than one John Deere Z925 EFI because they would save on fuel and save on time. The more fuel the business can save, the greater the profit will be. Plus if it saves the business time mowing, they will get more mowing done in less time and be able to do more jobs in the same amount of time.

Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

The Cadillac CTS-V wagon is the fastest production wagon ever made, a model based of the Cadillac CTS-V sedan which is the fastest production sedan. The CTS-V wagon’s engine is at the front, it is rear wheel drive, has five doors, and has enough seating for 5 passengers. The CTS-V wagon can do it all such as, taking sharp corners, devastates the ego of others at a stoplight, hauling kids, and anything that you can put in through the hatch or on the roof. The CTS-V wagon gained three consecutive ten best trophies. Everyone with a coupe should look out because if you are at a stoplight next to a Cadillac CTS-V wagon and think you will beat it, think again because the only thing you will see is the taillights of the wagon. They decide to build the car a different way to try it out and see if their changes made much difference to the car's performance. The seats that are in the CTS-V wagon ar Recaro seats that cost $3400 and the faux suede wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob were $300. The midnight sapele wood trim that was installed was $600. It then got a set of Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero tires that cost $1222. The CTS-V offered a large abundance of power, a smooth ride, and has a very eager to corner chassis. Going from standstill to 60 mph, it only took the wagon 4.1 seconds and the quarter mile was a 12.3 seconds at 119 mph. That is very quick for a wagon but the Cadillac CTS-V wagon was based on the Cadillac CTS-V sedan so the motor and transmission are the same but the design is different. Cadillac has such a good chassis design that Ferrari actually borrowed ideas from Cadillac for their upcoming cars.  The 4393 pound wagon was able to stop in 158 feet from a speed of 70 mph. Every 2011 and newer Cadillac comes with a four year or 50,000 mile free scheduled maintenance. On the onboard computer it said that they needed five services over a 40,000 mile test. The scheduled services were basic and included a multipoint inspection and an oil change and filter change. The air filter element never came on in the 40,000 mile test. Due to the potholes in Michigan, when they switched from the winter to summer tires they found that there was a bent wheel which cost $625. The dealer had to inspect a clicking noise that ended up being in the steering. The upper intermediate shaft in the column was bad and needed to be replaced but warranty covered the fix so there was no out of pocket expense. After spraying off 2500 miles' worth of road trip bugs in a carwash caused the right rear window to roll down and refused to go back up. At the local dealer, they got the glass closed and they disconnected the window motor so that the CTS-V could make it back to Michigan. The dealer at home then reconnected the wiring and found that a faulty window regulator was the problem, which was replaced but came back. After another 3000 miles, the window problem reappeared. The carwash activated the problem again and the dealer regreased the electrical connections in the door's wiring, and the operation returned to normal. Then it rained and the problem reappeared yet again so the dealer replaced the wiring harness in the right rear door when they discovered that there was corrosion on some of the connections. None of the fixes cost them anything because they were covered with warranty. The CTS-V wagon's fuel tank only holds 18 gallons and the typically refill was after every 200 miles of travel. The wagon has 556 horsepower that averaged 15 mpg which is 6 mpg worse than the 2008 Lexus IS F that netted 416 horsepower and only 1 mpg better than the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 over a 40,000 mile test. The clutch return spring broke which didn't cost anything but the summer tires wore out quicker and cost $2072 to replace. The wagon was tested at Virginia International Raceway and performed almost as well as the CTS-V sedan that was tested in 2008. The wagon showed the wear when the wagon was 0.1 seconds slower from zero to 60 and the quarter mile speed was 1 mph slower. The braking distance grew by a yard from new to 40,000 miles. The wagon has a supercharged 376 V8 that produces 551 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm and 556 horsepower at 6100 rpm. It has a six speed manual transmission. Zero to 60 mph was 4.1 seconds and the zero to 100 mph in 9.1 seconds. From a 5 mph roll, the Cadillac CTS-V wagon got to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. For the people out there that like speed, the zero to 150 mph time was 21.3 seconds, which is pretty quick for that heavy of a car. The top speed of the wagon is 190 mph which is very quick especially for a wagon. Getting the wagon to a stop from 70 to 0 mph takes 158 feet. The wagon only gets 15 mpg and runs on premium gas and if premium gas costs an average of $3.50 per gallon, the owner will end up spending around $9333 in a matter of 40,000 miles of driving. If you want a family car that has plenty of power, the CTS-V wagon is a good car for you if you can afford the base price of $64,340. Also if you want a car that people at stoplights don’t realize the power and you want to surprise them, the CTS-V wagon is the car for you. People should respect this wagon especially since it has 556 horses because it will dominate them. Though it seems that after the Cadillac CTS-V wagon for 40,000 miles, it may be a good idea to go and buy a new one that way you don’t have to start putting money in repairs and replacing tires.

2012 Camaro ZL1

For years the Camaro has had to compete against the Mustang. The Shelby GT500 is power packed with 550 horses which will be topped by the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1. The ZL1 will have a 6.2 supercharged V8 that will produce above the 426 horse SS model. Most people assumed that it would wear the legendary Z28 badge; instead it will be wearing the reclaimed ZL1 badge. The 1969 Camaro ZL1 was one of the best machines produced in Detroit. It looked like a base Camaro including hubcaps which made it look like a wimpy six cylinder because it had no engine-designation badge. The only giveaway was the factory-installed cowl-induction hood plus when you started the 427 big block. The car was only available through the Central Office Production Order (COPO) which installed the 427 big block in it. ZL1 officials figured the output to be 430 horses which was underrated mostly due to insurance purposes. It was among one of the quickest factory built and street legal car that was the king of the quarter mile. The 2012 ZL1 is planning on growing the legend by using a supercharged LSA 6.2 V8 that was borrowed from the Cadillac CTS-V. Chevy estimates that it will produce 550 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. The Camaro ZL1 is built more for tearing up the drag strips instead of road courses. The only transmission that will be offered with the ZL1 is a six-speed Tremec manual. The driveshaft and differential have both been beefed up to hand all the torque. It will sport 20-inch forged wheels that are wider but 22 pounds lighter than the narrow 20-inch setup on the Camaro SS. The ZL1 is estimated to do zero to sixty in four seconds flat and go zero to one hundred in 9.9 seconds with a quarter mile of 12.5. They put large rotors on it to stop it quicker which includes slightly larger rotors in the front. The shocks are a new design that offers the choice between Tour and Sport settings. It will sport a new electric power-steering system. The ZL1 will be about the same weight as the Camaro SS, roughly 3900 pounds, but the ZL1 has stronger driveline that adds weight. The ZL1 will have four fog lights, a large splitter, and a wide-mouth intake. The hood is made of aluminum that has a carbon-fiber center section that is supposed to help with down force and the rear end has a larger deck lid spoiler and quad exhaust finishers. The exhaust system has a actuated flap, like a Corvette, that will open when the engine reaches higher engine speeds to both reduce back pressure and deliver an aggressive growl. The interior of the ZL1 will get a few upgrades such as alloy pedal covers, head-up display, new flat bottomed steering wheel and front seat inserts. The head up display shows how fast you are going on the windshield so you don't have to look down at the speedometer. The auxiliary console gauges are a standard option on a ZL1 and boost readout will also be standard on the ZL1. The Camaro ZL1 will have a starting price of around $47,000. Back in the day, the Camaro ZL1 was hard to beat and was king of the road so Chevy shouldn’t have a problem dominating the Ford Shelby GT500.The Chevy Camaro ZL1 is a great competitor to the Shelby GT500 but most believes that the Shelby GT500 would have to try to keep up with the Camaro ZL1. Eventually Chevy will come back out with the Z28 model, which won't be able to keep up with the ZL1 but will compete with Ford's Mustang Boss 302.

Chevy Avalanche

The Chevy Avalanche which started production in 2001 will be no longer produced after 2013 due to a drop in sales. The Avalanche is a very smooth riding truck that is placed on a Suburban chassis. One of the standard options on a Chevy Avalanche is a solid plastic tonneau cover, which is nice because many people have to go and buy one after they buy a new Chevy Silverado. The Avalanche also has a tailgate that locks when the truck is locked, which makes anything in the bed secure since it has both a tonneau cover and an automatic locking tailgate. It offers a bed that will extend into a long bed by using a "midgate" that uses the back seat flipped down to turn it into a long bed. The Avalanche is a nice truck that offers the usage of a truck but also the smoother ride of an SUV. It was a great idea and design but unfortunately it will not be resurrected when GM changes the body style of the Tahoe and Suburban, which it is based off of. To honor the Avalanche, Chevy is offering the 2013 model only in a special Black Diamond guise. When the Avalanche first came out it wasn't too popular but as time went on its popularity began to increase quickly. The problem with the Avalanche is that it is too similar to the crew cab Silverado so people have been asking the question of what the difference was from the two. The Avalanche sales peaked in 2003 and ever since then they have continued to decline. The peak number of Avalanches sold was a little over 90,000 units and last year Chevy only sold 20,000 new Avalanches which is a huge difference. They used to be popular and now with all truck options, they have lost their popularity. The 2013 Chevy Avalanche will have more standard equipment than last year including a backup camera, rear park assist, power adjustable pedals, fog lamps, and remote start. They have also decreased the price of the Avalanche by $820 but the new Avalanche has more standard options than before. Going to the gravel yard with the Avalanche will more than likely be Cadillac's version of the Avalanche, the Cadillac Escalade EXT. The Cadillac is fancier than the Chevy Avalanche but both are basically the exact same truck just the grilles are different and the Cadillac Escalade EXT has more standard options such as leather. Both the Cadillac Escalade EXT and the Chevy Avalanche are produced at a plant that builds both the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra so by shutting down the Avalanche and the Escalade EXT, it will help GM produce more of their next-gen GM pickups. Many consumers will miss the Avalanche because it offered a smooth and comfortable ride but also had a bed that you can access like a truck. Hopefully someday GM can bring back the Avalanche and all of its beneficial features.

F-150 Ecoboost vs 5.0

The 3.7 V6 turbo charged Ecoboost is direct-injected and has twin turbo. The Ecoboost offers more power than any eight cylinder motor from the other competitors including Chevy’s 5.3 V8 and Dodge’s 5.7 Hemi V8. Ford also offers a 5.0 V8 that is topped by the Ecoboost. The twin turbo V6 is quick and responsive and the power is abundant through all the rpm ranges. The Ecoboost offers more torque to the ground than the 6.2 V8 up to 5,000 rpm and more than the 5.0 V8 at 6,000 rpm. When the 5.0 V8 was tested in loaded, towing, and uphill test, it had to work hard and they had to keep the throttle mashed. At first the testers of the 5.0 were big fans until they tested the Ecoboost. The testers said that it is the boss of trucks and ran with ease when testing loaded, towing, and uphill testing. The Ecoboost is centered around fuel economy. When tested, the Ecoboost had similar numbers for torque and horsepower as the 5.0. The people that tested the Ecoboost, they said that it performed closer to the 6.2 V8. The ride of the new F-150 is smooth even with a load. Also the F-150 handles even better when it has payload in the bed. Ford assures us that there are about 650,000 different ways to equip a new F-150, which includes engines, cabs, beds, wheelbases, and other options. Ford also offers a six-speed automatic that has two options. The Ecoboost has 365 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 420 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm, compared to the 5.0 which has 360 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 380 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm. With a towing capacity of 11300 pounds, the Ecoboost beats the 5.0's towing capacity of 9400 pounds. Zero to 60, the Ecoboost's time is 6.4 seconds and the 5.0's time is 7.1 seconds. In every acceleration to mph test done, the Ecoboost beat the 5.0 by a few tenths of a second. The Ecoboost only produces 1.06 pounds per mile of CO2 emissions and the 5.0 produces 1.22 pounds per mile of CO2 emissions. The Ecoboost also has an EPA estimated 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. The 5.0 is EPA estimated to get 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. The Ecoboost is a step forward in performance and will cause the competitors to change their engine options. Ford’s Ecoboost has been the main talk among all truck enthusiasts; there are those who are fans and those who have doubts about the longevity of the motor. The competitors should worry about the Ecoboost because it gets better fuel economy and has more power than the competitor's V8. Look for Chevy and Dodge in the near future to follow in Fords footsteps and start producing a turbo charged V6 that will compete with the Ecoboost. The Ford F-150 deserved its Motor Trend's Truck of the Year for 2012 because they are well build and well designed.