Modification Harmony (Yin and Yang)

I've talked about whether or not to boost in a previous post and perhaps I might elaborate on the consequences and compensations of modifications.

A lot of people think that modifying a car from it's original design (without compensating its effects) will always better for the car. I believe this isn't the case.

Fried Rice: Sinangag

As promised, here's the first of many fried rice related articles! So, let's start with something super simple!

To Boost or not to Boost?

Ever since owning a car I've been wondering whether I should boost it or keep it Naturally Aspirated (NA). Boosting is the pressurisation of the intake (boost pressure) to force more air (forced induction) into the motor to increase the motor's power output (through combustion). NA is simply that, the natural aspiration of the motor without forced induction.

The main reason for boosting is for more power. As more air is available for combustion, the motor can create more power when the correct amonut of fuel and timing is applied.

But there are also some hinderances including but not limited to:

Echo Sportivo Inspiration - YASHIO Factory

via Super Street Online

One of my inspirations to purchase an Echo Sportivo is the YASHIO Facotry's Vitz RS!

I first saw their touge (mountain pass racing) spec in Best MOTORing International Volume 7: The EVO Strikes Back! in Touge Showdown 3 - Touge 200 Class. Boosted with a Blitz Supercharger and decked out with YASHIO Factory goodies, the Vitz made a surprising performance package!

Fried Rice, BANZAI!

Okay okay, I do apologise for misleading some visitors who may have thought that this blog is about fried rice, instead of me, Fried Rice... Luckily, I love cooking as I do cooking motors (of course not, but you know what I mean)!

Fried rice is simply that, fried rice! It's usually tossed with a number of flavour enhancing ingredients from vegetables, fruit, fish, meat to poultry. It can be savoury or even sweet! There are so many combinations you can make with fried rice!

As time goes by, I'll post a few fried rice recipes that I've tried or heard about!

So after a hard days work tinkering with your tech (no, not that tech), cap the day off with the fresh sizzle of fried rice!

The Monster Egg: Echo Sportivo

My first car was a Toyota Paseo. Once I saved up enough money for an aftermarket exhaust kit another fellow driver failed to give way and I was forced to bid farewell to my automotive cherry popper.

A huge shadow loomed over... Enter the naturally aspirated R33 Nissan Skyline GTS. An entry level R33 sports coupe lacking the doubled edged sword that is the High Capactiy Actively Controlled Steering (HICAS). It drove like a beast. It felt like a tank. After fitting an aftermarket Xforce exhaust, it turned heads to say the least. But after awhile, costs seemed to stack. Fuel was getting expensive, maintenance grew and after focasting my budget; a lot of the costs came from the car...

So I was in the market of something more economical.. But I didn't want to lose the joy of zipping in a sports car. The first few cars that came to mind was the Toyota Starlet GT, Suzuki Swift GTi and the Toyota Echo Sportivo. I wanted something different. I wanted a sleeper. A car that looks totally pedestrian but under the hood a samurai. The Starlet GT and Swift GTI were crossed from the list.

After doing some research on potential mods that you can do to an Echo, it made my choice clearer and clearer. One major aftermarket part that caught my eye at the time was the Blitz Supercharger. Could you imagine a supercharged Echo? How unique would it be!