Coilovers any good?

Advantages of a Coilover Suspension

• Good handling. Some enthusiasts point to improved handling with coilovers as opposed to some of the stock suspension systems that come from the factory. Setting up a custom suspension can help that system do more of the work in cornering and other parts of the drive.
• Adjustability. Drivers love that these custom suspensions are adjustable. That's great for anyone who wants a "low ride" for their car. On the other hand, for off-road coilovers, a high setting will often be preferable. Being able to set your suspension any way you want to is a huge plus for these kinds of systems.
• Prestige. Telling your auto-buff friends that you installed a coilover suspension will probably get you some points. The better kinds of coilovers are well regarded in the car community as useful custom aftermarket parts, and some of the best cars around run on these kinds of specialized setups.

Cons of a Coilover Suspension

• Stiff ride. Some drivers report that coilovers lead to a stiff, uncomfortable ride. In some cases, this is because poor quality coilovers were not able to be configured correctly. Buying cheaper coilovers can really compromise ride quality and even safety, so experts recommend springing for a set with a good reputation.
• Possible failure. As mentioned, cheap and poorly made coilovers can be a real liability on the road. Some "sleeve type" designs can fail in certain kinds of driving. Read up on various kinds of coilovers before buying, to make sure they're not getting into a situation involving added risk on the road.
• Space hogging setups. There's only so much room under the frame of your car, and for some drivers, coilovers tend to eat up more than their share. Coilovers can come into contact with parts like a sway bar, tangle up wires and cables for systems like antilock brakes, or even end up in contact with tires, chewing off the sidewall. These are serious issues, and you should look carefully at your particular wheel area before trying to fit another item into your car.

Leaf Springs

Leaf spring suspension is a simpler system because the vehicle's axle suspends the spring. This makes it sturdier, with higher load bearing limits. It also comes in useful when jacking a car or truck up because the leaf springs respond better to being lifted. They are also less expensive. There are downsides to a leaf spring suspension. They are less adjustable and having fixed points around the chassis of the vehicle offers far less movement, making them slightly more bumpy.

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Common Spark Plug Conditions

Click image to enlarge

Dyno Tech

Dyno Preparation Checklist:

1. Have sufficient fuel in the tank
2. Ensure your engine is free of all oil and water leaks
3. Have sufficient engine oil, transmission oil, and coolant levels
4. Have a good set of spark plugs installed in your engine
5. Do not bring your vehicle to the dyno with a weak battery, failing alternator, or bad starter
6. Do not bring your vehicle to the dyno with one or more check engine lights
7. Ensure that you have a clean fuel filter and properly operating fuel system
8. Set your tire pressure to the recommended setting
9. Bring your vehicle to the dyno with a good set of tires
10. Avoid bringing your vehicle to the dyno on racing slicks or sticky drag radials
11. Bring your vehicle to the dyno properly aligned
12. Ensure all vacuum hoses, coolant hoses, and pipes are tightly secured
13. Bring a vehicle to the dyno with a healthy engine
14. Tell the dyno operator what your goals are for the testing

Chassis Dynamometer Differences & Testing Goals:

Much debate revolves around measuring the power and torque levels of your vehicle and engine on a chassis dynamometer (dyno). One machine may give your measurements drastically higher than the next. My first objective is to explain some important differences amongst the most widely used dynos. However, my main objective is to discuss the importance of setting dyno testing goals.

Inertia vs Eddy Current Dynos

There are a variety of different types of chassis dynos; however, the two most common machines are either based on inertia or eddy current magnetic retarders.

Inertia dynos calculate power by measuring the power required to accelerate a drive roller. The drive roller has a known mass. There is no load that is moved, in turn there is no measurement of load. The most common inertia dynos in use are manufactured by DynoJet and Mustang Dyno.

Eddy current dynamometers have an electrically conductive core, shaft, or disc. It moves a across a magnetic field to measure resistance to movement. The eddy current magnetic absorber allows for quick load change rates. The best models enable the operator to conduct true steady-state and controlled rate operation. The most common eddy current dynos in use are manufactured by DynoDynamics and DynaPack.

Roller vs Hub Style Dynos

There are also two main types of design used in chassis dynos.

Most dynos consists of rollers mounted in a frame or in a pit in the floor. The vehicle is strapped to the frame or floor and driven on the rollers. The most popular manufacturers of roller style dynos are: DynoJet, Mustang Dyno, and DynoDynamics.

Another type of chassis dyno is one that is mounted to the hubs of the vehicle after the wheels have been removed. A popular brand is DynaPack.

It is obvious that a roller type dyno will deliver lower measurements of power and torque, since the drive train loss is carried further. This loss is increased the further we move from the engine's flywheel, to the transmission, to the axles, to the wheels, and finally to the tires. A dyno that measures at the hubs does not suffer from drive train losses at the wheels and tires. Therefore, it will measure higher power and torque numbers that are closer to those measured at the flywheel.

Correction Factors and Smoothing Factors

Dynamometer manufacturers also incorporate different features with regard to atmospheric correction and smoothing. DynoJet uses a smoothing factor to average out the bumps and spikes to compensate for the fact that the raw data from the DynoJet's acceleration sensors is very jagged and noisy. The scale runs from 0, least smoothing, to 5, which eliminates nearly all spikes and dips. You can imagine that the spikes and dips can significantly distort the mesured power and torque numbers. Atmospheric corrections are handled by incorporating dyno room temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure in to the dyno's software. With these variables, the dyno operator ensures that the measurements are equivalent during widely varying seasonal conditions.

Testing Goals

All types of chassis dynos share one common characteristic: they are tools to measure output levels and to prepare appropriate tunes for the intended purpose of the vehicle. Therefore, it is of lesser importance what type of kind of chassis dyno is used, than what the dyno professional does with the machine.

A good tuner will prepare your street vehicle with a consistent combination of air/fuel, ignition timing, and cam timing. The tuner's focus will be on safety and reliability, not power numbers. On the other hand, a good tuner will prepare a track oriented vehicle for the highest power and torque results that are necessary for the type of racing intended. A much more aggressive tune is justified in race vehicles, with a greater focus on power numbers. Regardless of what the intended purpose is of the vehicle, the tune should reflect a repeatable, lasting combination of air/fuel, ignition timing, and cam timing.

In conclusion, considering the large amount of differences from one dyno to another, it may seem difficult to determine the best approach when you want to put your vehicle on a chassis dyno. However, your decision will most likely depend on the proximity of the dyno shop, their rates, their customer service, and their availability.

Here are some useful tips for successive dyno testing sessions:

1. Use the same dyno for all your testing
2. Ask the dyno operator to use the same smoothing factor (DynoJet)
3. Ask the dyno operator to use the same correction factor or method (all)
4. Establish a baseline first, which can be a stock vehicle, a stock engine, or just the start of a new project on your already modified engine
5. Compare your baseline results to the results of the next trip to the dyno and every subsequent one
6. Ask the dyno operator to attempt to conduct successive dyno pulls within the same range of engine and intake temperatures
7. Be consistent with gear selection, dyno pulls in different gears will produce different power and torque measurements
8. Always check with the dyno operator how to properly prepare your vehicle for your visit

Context courtesy of Import Hot Rod Garage

Fuel Pressure Regulator

Universal Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator

Installing aftermarket fuel pressure regulator is to make sure injector receive enough fuel. Fuel pump is to pump more fuel into injector and by installing a fuel pressure regulator does not increase horse power.

Some say more fuel + more air = more power after tuning.

The answer is NO.

Fuel pressure regulator is to maintain fuel line pressure but not to increase fuel. Bigger injector (cc) + fuel pressure regulator + fuel pump = more power and by changing only one part is no use at all.

With a proper tuning on a dyno for optimum level, owner can get at least 8 WHP increased on normal aspiration by doing proper tuning to fuel pressure regulator for better air fuel ratio.

Fuel pressure regulator doesn't increase horse power actually unless fine tuning the injector timing to maintain A/F ratio. The benefit of higher fuel pressure regulator, apart from ensuring the engine will not run lean is possibly finer fuel spray which aid mixing, evaporation, and enhance combustion. But this is provided the injector holes is small enough so it will spray very fine droplets, else its useless. AFAIK, only those with multiple holes benefit from this.

Be careful when tuning fuel regulator with stock injector as they will defect more quicker. Try to study or Google regarding fuel pressure is suitable for turbo, supercharge, or normal aspiration. Learn without guidance sure will make you astray, so basically learning using Google doesn't prove that you good enough too.

Logically figure influenced a number of reasons:

1. Power to weight ratio (weight of car engine).
2. Type of tires used.
3. Every car has a different gear ratio.
4. Weight mass of the roller may vary between each roller dyno machine.
5. Different units of measurement used, HP, BHP, WHP, PS, etc.

Tips:

Usually do a dyno before and after mods. Do a comparison with a friend with a same mods and finally do a side by side test on the road against factory stock and your question may be answered.

Beginners Guide to Tuning by HKS

Beginner's Guide to Tuning by HKS! is absolutely just for you. It lists articles on basic tuning as improvement of vehicle overall performance in response to user needs, but this is a good reference material by HKS for beginners available on the Internet for those who want to better understand the concept of basic tuning.

Click on the image above to go to their website
directly www.HKS-Power.co.jp
"Beginners Guide to Tuning by HKS"

Car Care and Do-It-Yourself Projects

I will share with you about the discovery of the website from our Facebook friends. It's not a new discovery, but we just need to work hard to find useful information to be shared to others in need. This website provides a lot of interesting information about car care and especially a Do-It-Yourself. In this section full of guidelines, advice and level of difficulty How To and DIY where those people share useful projects.

Click on the image above to go to their website
directly www.MobilOil.com Car Care section

OEM vs Aftermarket Parts

You may have heard other parts companies and even a sales staff say "we have an OEM part in stock." This refer to a part that is made by the same manufacturer as the genuine part you would receive from your local automotive dealer. Believe it or not most car makers do not manufacture and produce the parts they use to build their automobiles. Most car makers use outside independent companies to help them design the parts used in your car. Car makers then put them in their own boxes with their logos to make you believe that you are buying a part that the car maker made itself. This could not be further from the truth. How do these parts become available to companies to be sold to the general public? After a certain time frame the actual manufacturers of these parts are allowed to sell them to other wholesale distributors for resale. This time however they come packaged in a box with the name of the actual manufacturer of the part. Its not an inferior part its just put into a different package and usually sold up to 70 percent cheaper than the dealer originally sold it for and continues to sell. In most cases the part will be identical with the exception of the packaging.

Aftermarket parts are just the opposite of OEM parts. These parts are produced by companies other than the original manufacturer but are made to fit and perform as well as the original. Aftermarket companies buy the rights to produce these parts and supply them to the same wholesale distributors as the OEM parts. These parts are generally produced with the same machinery and materials but because they were not designed in the same manner the part may have minor differences in appearance and feel. Some aftermarket companies, upon getting the right to produce a part, may indeed find a way to improve a part by redesigning it. This results in a better part and quite possibly a less expensive one. They are a variety of high quality aftermarket parts that can be purchased and live up to all the expectations of the original at a much lower price.

In both cases, OEM and aftermarket parts, the part should serve its purpose and perform the function it was designed for. As the car owner it is your choice that ultimately decides which part is chosen. By knowing these few things you can more easily determine which is best for you and your car. Remember in most cases buying a part from the car maker or dealer does not mean you get a better quality part. The same part can be purchased at a fraction of the cost still give you that same piece of mind feeling.

Text courtesy from www.ThePartsBin.com

Short Shifter

A short shifter, also known as a short throw shifter, is the result of an automotive aftermarket modification of the manual transmissions stick shift either by modification of the existing stick shift or, alternately, by the replacement of the entire part.

The purpose of the modification is to mechanically reduce time between the changing of gears while accelerating or decelerating, thus improving the automobiles performance. The modification of the existing stick shift, also known as a manual gear stick, can take two forms: either the physical shortening of the existing stick shift, known in the industry as 'chopping' or bending.

Comparison between a stock shifter and a short shifter

Text and Photo courtesy from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Top Tips For Improving Performance

Muscle cars came from the factory with a high level of performance. However, to those not content with factory performance, one can improve their muscle car's performance. More power can be coaxed from the engine and/or that power can be harnessed and put into forward motion more efficiently. Either approach will increase your car's potential.

9 WAYS TO INCREASE ENGINE POWER

Engine power can be increased by good tuning of the fuel mixture, proper ignition timing for the engine and fuel combination you will use, properly adjusted plugs of the correct heat range, a good dual exhaust system, a clean and efficient air intake system to the carb, proper operating carb, and good engine condition. If the engine is to be overhauled, do it exactly like the shop manuals specify. Relatively minor changes in cam selection, fuel mixture, ignition timing and advance, rear end gear ratio, compression ratios, and carb type can provide some performance increase without substantially degrading driveability. However, large changes to any part of this balanced setup will almost always cause a loss in actual measured performance. The advantages to this approach include reasonable cost, noticeably better performance in normal driving, and measurably quicker times at the drag strip.

1. INCREASE DISPLACEMENT

More displacement means more power because you can burn more gas during each revolution of the engine. You can increase displacement by making the cylinders bigger. As displacement is a function of an engine's bore and stroke, one can either increase the bore (widening the cylinder chamber) or increase the stroke or both. Increasing the bore is usually easier and cheaper.

2. INCREASE THE COMPRESSION RATIO

Increasing the compression ratio produces more power by creating a larger "explosion." However, the more you compress the air/fuel mixture, the more likely it is to spontaneously burst into flame (prior to the spark plug igniting it). The use of higher octane gasolines prevent this early combustion.

3. STUFF MORE AIR INTO EACH CYLINDER

Increasing the amount of air (and therefore fuel) into a cylinder of a given size, increases the amount of power from the cylinder (in the same way that you would by increasing the size of the cylinder). Turbo chargers and super chargers pressurize the incoming air to effectively cram more air into a cylinder.

4. COOL THE INCOMING AIR

Compressing air raises its temperature. You would like to have the coolest air possible in the cylinder because the hotter the air is the less it will expand when combustion takes place. The most common method is to draw cooler air from outside of the engine compartment, usually through the use of hood scoops. Therefore, "Ram Air" systems generally are design to draw in cooler outside air, rather than truly "ramming" the air into the engine. In addition, many turbo charged and super charged cars have an intercooler which is a special radiator through which the compressed air passes to cool it off before it enters the cylinder.

5. LET AIR COME IN MORE EASILY

As a piston moves down in the intake stroke, air resistance can rob power from the engine. Air resistance can be lessened dramatically by putting two intake valves in each cylinder. Some newer cars are also using polished intake manifolds to eliminate air resistance there. Bigger air filters or more efficient air filters (such as K&N Filters) can also improve air flow.

6. LET EXHAUST EXIT MORE EASILY

If air resistance makes it hard for exhaust to exit a cylinder, it robs the engine of power. Air resistance can be lessened by adding a second exhaust valve to each cylinder (a car with 2 intake and 2 exhaust values has 4 valves per cylinder, which improves performance). If the exhaust pipe is too small or the muffler has a lot of air resistance then this can cause back-pressure which has the same effect. High-performance exhaust systems use headers, big tail pipes and free-flowing mufflers to eliminate back-pressure in the exhaust system. Dual Exhaust systems improve the flow of exhaust by having two exhaust pipes instead of one.

7. MAKE EVERYTHING LIGHTER

Lightweight engine parts help the engine perform better. Most engine parts are made of iron - which is cheap but heavy. Switching to Aluminum parts is a bit more expensive, but can reduce engine weight by up to 100 lbs. In addition to losing weight in the best place (up front and up high), lightweight engine parts results in a more efficient engine. For example, aluminum pistons are more efficient because each time a piston changes direction it uses up energy to stop the travel in one direction and start it in another. The lighter the piston, the less energy it takes.

8. INJECT THE FUEL

Fuel injection allows very precise metering of fuel to each cylinder. This improves performance and fuel economy.

9. KEEP IT IN TUNE

Even the most powerful engine will not perform if it is not properly tuned. Tuning an engine is an art and involves fine-tuning the carbs, distributor, timing belts, and other engine internals to achieve the best performance over the RPM band.

6 WAYS TO INCREASE PERFORMANCE 

Increasing power is just one side of the coin. Optimizing the use of that power is the other. Here are some tips to best utilize that power.

1. LEARN HOW TO DRIVE CORRECTLY

No modification to your engine or car will result in a greater performance improvement than training your self how to drive correctly. Whether it is on the drag strip or through a road course, driver skill is the most important factor between winning and losing. So practice and constantly try to improve.

2. LOSE WEIGHT

Vehicle weight hurts all areas of performance: acceleration, top speed, and handling. Replacing heavy pieces with lighter pieces or removing some pieces all together will greatly improve vehicle performance. For every 100 lbs. of weight loss, your quarter mile time will drop by 0.1 seconds.

3. INCREASE TRACTION

For maximum acceleration, traction is key. Larger diameter and wider wheels and tires will improve traction and greatly improve your launch times and thus quarter mile times. For drag strip runs, consider drag slicks to maximize traction.

4. REAR END

Also consider the rear end for maximizing traction. Adjust your suspension to ensure that the weight transfer upon launch cleanly puts the weight over the rear tires. Also, adding a differential (especially a locking one) will defintely help your launch. Performance differentials are usually in the 3.90 to 4.11:1 range.

5. BETTER AERODYNAMICS

The aerodynamics of the vehicle only comes into play at high speeds. However, for truly fast cars, the right combination of functional spoilers (front and rear), and underbody modifications that reduce the car's drag coefficient and increase the downforce on the rear of the car will help. Note that on most street cars (going less than 125 mph +), most body pieces just add weight and increase aerodynamic drag, thereby slowing your car.

6. BETTER BRAKES

Don't forget stopping your car. Replace your tired drum brakes with disc brakes and/or install performance brake pads. Never skimp on your brakes - they could save your life.

COMMON MISTAKES

Unfortunately, the usual approach to increased power consisting of installing a larger cam, race manifold and carb, big tube headers, etc., will always degrade low end power, and if you are really lucky, some increase of power may occur at the upper RPM range. Unfortunately, to utilize it, you would then have to run your engine to top RPM in every gear, because low-end power will always be lost with such changes. The engine will no longer idle properly, will waste fuel, probably overheat, and generally be difficult to drive in city driving.

Also note that there is no mention of light weight rods, light weight or other types of trick pistons, super mega ignition systems, huge headers, big cams, race intake manifolds, 1000 CFM carburetors, align boring, porting or even hardened valve seats! These kinds of changes or modifications might help the performance and reliability of high RPM race engines, but are not necessary and will not help performance on stock type engines operated in the factory designed RPM range.

Remember, if you add something that doesn't improve performance, all it is adding is weight and cost. 95% of body pieces fall into this category.

Courtesy from MuscleCarClub.com

Knowledge: Spark Plug

Typically the heat range for NGK Spark Plugs varies from 2 – 11. This number indicates the thermal characteristics of a spark plug, or how ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ a spark plug is. The term hot/cold is commonly used to describe whether a spark plug heats up easily (hot) or whether it provides resistance to heating up (cold). Generally, low power engines such as lawn mowers don’t produce a large amount of heat, hence use a low heat range (or hot) spark plug such as a 4 heat range. This means the spark plug will heat up easily and reach its optimal operating temperature. High performance engines on the other hand produce a large amount of heat, hence a high heat range (or cold) spark plug such as a 10 heat range needs to be used to resist the heat developed by the engine.

Several factors influence the heat range of a spark plug, although typically the insulator nose design provides an indication of the heat range of a spark plug.

When a spark plug absorbs heat produced from combustion, the heat is transferred through the centre electrode and insulator nose to the metal shell, which then transfers the heat into the engine casing and circulating coolant.

A low heat range (or hot) spark plug typically has a long thin insulator nose which will heat up easily however will not dissipate readily to the metal shell (above left). Conversely, a high heat range (or cold) spark plug has a short thick insulator nose which will dissipate heat much easier (above right).

When the heat rating is too high:

The spark plug temperature remains too low and causes deposits to build up on the firing end; the deposits offer an electrical leakage path that gives rise to loss of sparks.

When the heat rating is too low:

The spark plug temperature rises too high and induces abnormal combustion (pre-ignition): this leads to melting of the spark plug electrodes as well as piston seizure and erosion.

NGK Spark Plugs pioneered the use of a copper cored electrode in 1958, which enables a spark plug to heat up quickly and also dissipate heat quickly giving an ultra wide heat range. It is essential to use a spark plug that fits a specific engine and its conditions of use.

As spark plugs are positioned in the head of an engine, their analysis can give a good indication of how your engine is operating.

You wanna know more?

Log on to

NGK Spark Plug

Not Aware: Lug Nut

Last week i was driving beh Lil Munsta back to work, i was too tired that day.. on my way back from work, there was strange knocking noise coming from the wheels, at first i thought it the driveshaft, But Beh told me that was change into new ones, so i decided to stop beside the roads and have a quick look.. the strange noise came from the wheels due to the bolt wasn't tighten..yup not tighten.all bolt are okey and nothing were damage hehe. the moral for today is have a quick check around your car before starting on your journey

Turbo Shop

Our last Project issue was the turbine fin was damage from
our project 180SX ,so we bring it up to richard
Turbo shop which is located in lambak and see
what he can do to help.

it was like college for us studying in class
and richard as our tutor explaining how it damage
the fins.i am kinda impress because richard explain
was quite easy to understand,two thumbs up for that man.

SHORT SHIFT GEAR KITS

A fast gear change is an essential in any form of competitive driving. One of the easiest modifications to allow you to achieve this is a quick shift gear change kit. We look at what a quick shift gear kit does and how it will help to improve your car performance.

A gear stick is pretty much just a simple lever. As you move the gear stick the gear selectors in the gearbox move as your motion is translated via a set of levers and rods.

A short shifter or quick shift gearstick essentially alters the throw distance between gear changes by changing the angle/pivot of the lever. They are typically shorter than a conventional stick and can reduce the amount you have to move it by around 40%.

This makes for a much more positive gear change action with each gear slicking into place in a shorter time. With practice the racing gearchange becomes second nature. Every twisty road that requires frequent gear changes will just melt away and you will greatly enhance your driving pleasure.

Most quick shift kits come with full fitting instructions and various, washers, lubricant and bushes. Essential you just remove your gear gaiter, release the old stick mechanism and insert the new shifter and refit. Some cars will need to be jacked up to make the job easier and gives access to the gearbox and underneath more easily.

The downside that comes with a quick shift is that it requires a little more effort to change gear but most drivers will not notice this. If you have a sloppy worn gearbox you may notice that because gearchanges happen more quickly it is a little more crunchy. After you fit a quick shift gear stick you will not want to go back to a conventional one again.

STREET RACING

Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and using police scanners and GPS units to mark locations of local police hot spots.

TYPES OF STREET RACING


DRAG RACING

Drag racing is a race which involves two or more competitors who drive in a straight line for a specified distance (usually a 1/4 mile). The driver that covers the most distance between the two cars or reaches the end first is the winner. Fundamental skills in drag racing are the ability to launch with ideal wheelspin and shifting as fast as possible. Such competition on organized tracks associated with a sanctioning body are legal.

A form of racing on public roads that is only legal with a city permit. When two or more cars compete until one party is the clear winner. This differs from the above mentioned drag race, in which a set distance on a straight road is traversed. Drivers typically line up while moving under the posted speed limit. Once all the cars are ready, one car will sound its horn three times; the third time is the final signal to start the run. Another method of starting the race is to have a spectator acting as a starter. Normally he/she will use hand signals (also called flagging) to start the race. A car simply outruns the other vehicles by a considerable margin in order to win. If the winner cannot be determined, it is usually decided upon a mutual agreement, or having another race. Another way to signal a race is by flashing the vehicle's high-beams.

TOUGE RACING

The sport of drifting and touge racing from (primarily) Japan has led to its acceptance in other parts of the world. Touge (Japanese for "mountain pass", because these races are held on mountain roads and passes) generally refers to racing, one car at a time, or in a chase format through mountain passes (the definition of which varies per locale and racing organization).

However, street racing competition can lead to more people racing on a given road than would ordinarily be permitted (hence leading to the reputation of danger inherent). Touge races are typically run in a best out of three format. Opponent A starts the first race with Opponent B directly behind. The winner is determined by the time difference between the cars at the finish line. For instance, if Opponent A has pulled away from Opponent B at the finish line, he is determined the winner. If Opponent B has managed to stay on Opponent A's tail, he is determined the winner. For the second race, Opponent B starts off in front and the winner is determined using the same method. This is referred as a "Cat and Mouse Race."

CANNONBALL RUNS

"Cannonball Runs", more commonly known as "Sprints", are illegal point-to-point road rallies that involve a handful of racers. They hearken back to the authorized European races at the end of the 19th century. The races died away when the chaotic 1903 Paris-Madrid race was canceled at Bordeaux for safety reasons after numerous fatalities involving drivers and pedestrians. Point-to-point runs reappeared in the United States in the mid 1910s when Erwin George Baker who drove cross-country on record breaking runs that stood for years, being legal at the time, and the term "Cannonball" was penned for him in honor of his runs. Nowadays drivers will race from one part of a town or country to the other side; whoever makes the fastest overall time is the winner. A perfect example of an illegal road race was the 1970s original Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, aka "The Cannonball Run", that long-time automotive journalist Brock Yates founded. The exploits spawned numerous films, the best known being The Cannonball Run. Several years after the notorious "Cannonball", Yates created the family-friendly and somewhat legal version One Lap of America where speeding occurs in race circuits and is still running to this day. In modern society it is rather difficult if not impossible to organize an illegal and extremely dangerous road race, there are still a few events which may be considered racing, such as the Gumball 3000, Gumball Rally, and Players Run races. These "races", better known as rallies for legality's sake, mostly comprise wealthy individuals racing sports cars across the country for fun. The AKA Rally however, is designed for individuals with a smaller budget (approximately $3000). Entrance fees to these events are usually all inclusive (hotels, food, and events). Participants 'rally' together from a start point to predetermined locations until they arrive at the finish line.