Posts made in July, 2012

I admire quiet brilliance. It is what I strive to produce as the end result of every project. While pondering my fundamental motivations for doing the things that I enjoy, I remembered a great example of this ideal result. Its brilliance appears effortless. It could be truly effortless, or it could be the result of an infinitely diligent effort that turned a common rock into a flawless gem. Either way, the end result is so powerful that its excellence is self evident. Take a couple of minutes to enjoy this, then come back. It’s my favorite moment from Fiddler on the Roof. That may seem to be an odd example of an ideal result for a motorsports-oriented blog, but I think it’s a great one because it’s a perfect example of quiet brilliance. While...

The power that an engine produces varies with the temperature and pressure of the air going in. Lower temperature and higher pressure result in more power. The pressure increase from a ram air intake hardly makes any difference in power output below 150 mph or so, and the drag that it creates wipes out some of the power gain unless it is located and shaped really well. That leaves temperature and the pressure drop through the air filter as the two things that are worth doing something about. The AIM EVO4 data logger in Freddie records the inlet air temp sensor output and the data logger internal temperature. The logger is located low in the car, forward of the dash bulkhead. Because it is in the shade, the data logger temp is a reasonable substitute for ambient...