Whether racing professionally or simply enjoying the pace of a race, sports car racing is an activity for just about anyone with the drive.

However, as all races are competitive, you’re always on the lookout for ways to improve your time. Here are some tips you can take with you next time you hit the asphalt.

At the start-up
– If you’re a beginner, try not to floor the accelerator at the starting line. You may still not be used to controlling all that power.

– For advanced racers, rev your engines as high as it can go within safe limits. When the signal is given, ease off the clutch, letting the engine go.

On the straight-aways
– You should be close to your maximum speed on straight-aways, but be very mindful of your steering.

– Beginners should use both hands for the steering wheel placing them at the “10” and “2” positions.

– Advanced racers should know how to steer by accelerating and decelerating. Acceleration will bring the car towards the outer track while decelerating pulls it inside. Steering with the wheel is minimal and should only guide the direction of the pull.

Making the turns
– Racers approach turns in two ways: gradual and sharp.
Gradual turns apply towards the outside of the track making for a slightly wide approach. Beginners should get used to this kind of turn first.

Tight turns tuck in towards the inner track, allowing the car to drift around the corner. This is for more advanced racers as it requires a lot of maneuvering with the steering, brake and throttle.

– Approach a turn slowly and pull out fast. When nearing a turn, ease off the accelerator, letting the car slow down to a speed that’s easier to steer. Resume acceleration as you reach the apex of the turn.

Racing attitudes
– Assess your performance every time. Take note of how you performed each time and determine how you can improve on them. Did the lines you take improve your times? Did you accelerate smoothly or did you race in bursts? This will take patience on your part, but will pay off in the long run

– Finally, although it is a race, develop the attitude of working on improving your technique, rather than beating other drivers’ time. Focusing on being faster than the other guy takes away your concentration on what you need to do right. Remember that you’re running at speeds around and over 100 mph. Small mistakes can make for big accidents.

With these racing tips, you can be well on your way to sports car racing with satisfaction and in safety.

Porsche and Ferrari are German and Italian sides of the same coin, interpretations of the sports car idea. Both founded by a dominant patriarch, both honed in racing, both more than 50 years old, both with engineering and styling integrity. Whether on the track of Le Mains or on the streets, the two have always been put head-to-head and compared. Even the most naive motorist associates these two names with both performance and style.

We’ve decided to compare the methodical Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and the passionate Ferrari F430 because both of them astonish with their performance while attempting to maintain a reasonable amount of practicality but do not pretend to be anything other than sports cars.

A modern sports car should feature these characteristics: it should be started easily, maneuvered around town, blasted on a couple of country roads, it looks and performs the part on a racetrack but at the same time it is very safe.

The easier way to separate the two cars is by measuring figures since both of them have mastered the modern sports car requirements andbasically there’s no other way to choose between these two phenomenal cars.

What initially impresses is Ferrari’s lightning fast 4-second 0-100km/h acceleration and thrilling exhaust tone. As the occupants are pinned to the seats, the new generation 4.3-litre V8 pushes out 368 snarling kilowatts. Porsche’s acceleration also offers that kick in the pants a super car should deliver, although it is 0.8 seconds slower at the 100 km/k mark.

With such acceleration performance, it comes natural for both cars to excel in the braking department. The two cars offer optional ceramic discs for impressive stopping.

Porsche’s engine gets the upper hand as it is more refined and on the economy rank leaps ahead Ferrari with a 11.8 liters per 100 km as opposed to 18.3 liters. Both cars deliver the power through impressive 6-speed gearboxes and offer top rate handling performance.

Both F430 and Carrera4S offer great interior comfort and even if the space is limited, the occupants don’t feel claustrophobic and flustered. Although an impressive mix of suede, carbon fiber and aluminum abound in the Ferrari, the Italians stand no chance when it comes to the high finish level attained by the Germans.

Speed and silence are key elements for any super car. The look and appearance is the biggest draw card. The Carrera 4S is a typical Porsche, despite the new proportions. It is a great looking car, like any other 911 but somehow the styling no longer creates the jaw dropping reaction that the Ferrari does. Indeed, traditionalists may say that Porsche pays homage to its roots, but the truth is that Ferrari F430 simply draws the attention.

However, even if Ferrari F430 takes your breath away with its appearance, the super car title goes to the Porsche Carrera 4S with a more complete all round package.

There’s more to renting the car than just reserving it and paying for it, to make sure that you get the best deal follow these steps and tips.

STEPS:

1.Choose three to four car rental firms that fit your wants and needs, do this either through the phonebook, or through the internet, remember to scan every possible firm before you make a choice, you don’t want to overlook the best car rental because you got bored from looking.

2.Contact the agency and ask about their special offers, location, availability, pickup sites, rates, special rates, hotel and airline partnerships, extra charges, insurance, everything you can think of that can help lower what you have to pay for your car rental, or what would make the car rental more convenient for you.

3.Choose a pickup point; find one that is near you so it won’t be a hassle, some car rental companies pay for the cab ride you have to take, some pick you up at your home or at the airport to take you to your rental.

4.Pick a car, depending on your needs, find a car that could fit all the people you’ll have in it, and if you’re alone just use a compact, some rentals charge higher for larger vehicles.

5.The next thing to do, after you’ve totally decided on which to take, remember to reserve it, some car rentals include the reservation fee on the overall rent, some make it out to be an extra fee, you should also look out for this when get a car rental.

TIPS

For the best deals for your money here are some tips when looking, finding and taking out a car rental.

1.When getting a car rental check for available upgrades at no charge, you’d want the best deal so you’d want the best car, to do this, you should go pickup your car early in the morning, when the other cars haven’t been returned yet, this way there would be a shortage on economy cars and the firm might just give you an upgrade for a lower price.

2.Get an internet car rental. These types of rentals offer internet only discounts, and sometimes even accepts find a car at your own price methods where you just give them your budget and they’ll find the best deal for you, plus you wont have to go anywhere to get a rental.

3.Fill the gas tank before you return your car, car rentals will charge you, at an inflated price, the cost of the gas needed to fill the tank.

4.Look for packages like fly-drive-stay or fly-drive, these will get you great discounts on rentals, and what’s more you won’t have to worry about other details like a hotel or an airline, everything’s there. You can find these packages on must travel agencies.

5.If your frequent flyer discount or free flight is about to expire, there are some car rental companies that offer to exchange these discounts to discounts on your car rental, although its more cost effective to just fly with your frequent flyer discount, if its going to expire anyway, why wait?

These are just a few of the things you’ll need to know, but always remember to be pesky, ask questions, ask for discounts, the only reason why people don’t get better value for the things they buy is because they’re too shy to ask.

Environmentalists and the government have been searching for a way to reduce air pollution for a very long time now. If you take a look at big cities, such as Los Angeles, you will see that the city skylines are already engulfed in smog. People all point at the gasoline engines from cars as the main cause of the problem.

It’s already a common knowledge that the smoke coming out from cars is one of the most destructive factors that affected and still continues to affect the ozone layer. Also, it is one of the main contributors of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere which is the cause of global warming and climate change.

Combine this with the global financial crisis and the unstable price of fuel you will eventually see why people prefers electric cars.

Because of the growing concerns in air pollution and the current state of the economy of the country today, more and more people are now getting rid of their old gasoline powered vehicles and are now buying electric cars.

At its most basic, electric cars works very much like your conventional car. The only difference is that instead of having an internal combustion engine that uses gasoline to power the car, this particular car runs purely on electricity, which means that it produces no harmful emissions at all.

Because it doesn’t use any kind of fossil fuel to power the car, this also means that you don’t have to buy gasoline ever again in order for you to power the car. All you need to do is charge the batteries in the car from time to time in order for you to keep it running.

This means that instead of filling it up with gasoline, all you need to do is plug the car in your home electricity outlet and you will be charging the batteries in no time at all.

You need to understand that the electric car concept have existed ever since the first car was invented. The only problem back then was the technology. The materials for the body of the car were too heavy, the batteries were not efficient, and it was simply expensive to build and run.

Today, thanks to the advancement of technology, electric cars are far more advanced than it was before. Equipped with the latest battery cell technology along with light and very strong materials, electric cars have overcome its major drawback which was the distance it was able to go. Today, a single charge can take you a hundred miles or even more.

And, the best part of all this is that the batteries can be fully charged rather quickly. You can even go on a road trip across the country and when you have lunch, you can easily charge the batteries and get you ready for your trip after you eat your lunch.

However, you have to remember that the electric car technology is still in its infancy. It will still need to come a very long way before it is accepted by society as an alternative to gasoline powered cars. Despite the fact that electric cars still needs to go a long way before it becomes the primary choice for personal vehicles, you will see that there are already increasing numbers of people who are now using electric cars.

With electric cars, you will be able to save money on gas and also contribute in to stopping global warming. It’s really not that far in the future before you start seeing almost all people using electric cars.

Too often when it comes to auto-leasing, people get so dazzled by the myriad terms and the jargon thrown their way that they end-up paying through the nose, relying on a dealer’s ‘help’ than their own informed decision.

Here is a look at some of the tricks dealers use to pad their profits and leave the customers shelling hundreds of dollars more than the deal should be worth.

Trick 1: Leasing always a better deal than buying

Dealers use the lure of lower-monthly payments to entice customers to sign for long-term loans, with terms stretching for five years or more, making the payments even lower.

There are two catches with such lengthy contracts: higher mileage, exceeding the prescribed limit, and hefty repair costs.

With leases charging on average 10 to 20 cents a mile for any extra mile over the agreed amount in the contract, and warranties only covering three years, you leave yourself wide open for hefty charges for excessive mileage and wear and tear.

Trick 2: Cheap 2-3% APR rate on your lease

The dealer is not quoting the interest rate you would be paying on your lease; he’s rather giving you the lease money factor. Whilst similar to an interest rate and important in determining your monthly payment, a more accurate rate is calculated by multiplying the money factor by 24. For example a “cheap” 3% money factor is 24 X 0.003 = 7.2%. This gives you a better sense of what your annual interest rate on your lease contract is.

Trick 3: Stress-free early lease termination

Dealers know consumer driving needs change and they would like to have the option of getting out of a lease commitment sometime down the road, before their lease ends. Truth of the matter is, when you sign for a lease, you are effectively saddled with monthly payments for the remainder of the lease term and there is little-choice of getting out early. Lease contracts carry hefty financial penalties for either defaulting on monthly payments or terminating the lease earlier than the scheduled term.

To avoid being on the receiving end of such tried-and-true tricks, educate yourself about leasing. Get down to the nitty gritty and understand what the leasing terms used by dealers mean. Crunch the numbers along with him and understand how they arrived at the monthly payment figure. Don’t sign anything until you’ve understood all the terms and your numbers much those of the dealer. Do not let the dealer pressure you into signing; you are the one to determine whether the agreement is right for you.

Sometimes the best buys are made with pre-owned products. This is particularly true in the case of sports cars. Many people would like to have a sports car mainly for the performance but some may want to simply experience the sheer enjoyment that only a sport’s cars can give. Buying a brand new sports car may be too much expense for many people, that’s why a pre-owned or second hand sports car should be considered.

Here some good advice in the purchasing of pre-owned sports cars.

1. Set expectations
Many people go out to buy a pre-owned sports car with a brand new car in mind. Buying pre-owned sports cars is about getting the best value for your money. Knowing your needs and preferences is also a must in buying pre-owned sports cars.

2. Set a budget
Buying a sports car, even pre-owned ones can be expensive Researching through internet browsing or buying “buy and sell” car magazines can give a buyer a general feeling about the current prices of different sports car models.

3. Examine carefully
A buyer must be careful in inspecting the pre-owned car and take his time doing so. There are four essential elements of the car that should be thoroughly inspected: the interior, the body, the engine, and the papers. A well-maintained sports car is worth buying.

Open the hood and examine the car’s engine. Many people may not know too much about car electronics but inspection will give a buyer a general feel of how the car has been maintained by the previous owner.

Check the inside of the tailpipe. If it is greasy, that means that there is a problem with the engine compression.

Check for scratches or dents on the cars body. Of course, do not forget to check the car’s title, etc. Missing papers will cost the buyer additional money or prevent the purchase.

4. Test Drive
Before a purchase, the buyer should take the car for a test drive. This is a “must” for all cars, not only for pre-owned ones. An assessment of the over-all handling and performance of the car should be made during the test drive.

Buying a pre-owned maybe the best choice in purchasing a sports car, especially when one is faced by budget constraints. Pre-owned sports cars have the potential to give the same excitement and fun that brand new ones can give. Choose and buy wisely and have fun while doing so.

First, before going to a car dealership, buyers should already have an idea of the type of sports car they will be looking for.

Do they want a convertible, a two-seater, a mid-engine sport car, or a luxury sports vehicle? These are questions prospective car buyers need to ask themselves before they start their search. This will make the selection process much easier.

Buyers need to do their homework

It would be best for prospective buyers to do some research ahead of time. Read car magazines, talk to friends and memorize information on those sports vehicles buying guides that they might be interested in buying.

Don’t forget to surf the net to get the latest news and information about the various models of sports cars that are on the market.

Compare prices

Pay a visit to a number of car dealerships. Look for special deals and discounts that they might be offering. This way a prospective buyer could get the best possible deal by comparing prices.

Budget

If money is a concern, prospective buyers should set a limit on how much they are going to spend, and stick to it!

Insurance premiums for sports cars tend to be relatively higher. This is reason prospective buyers need to set aside a portion of their budget for insurance. They always need to take into account the cost of: maintenance, operation, and repairs.

Timing is everything

The best time of the year to purchase a new sports car is near the end of the year when car dealerships are holding their annual end of the year sales. This is when dealers try to get rid of old models and try to replace them with new ones. The car dealerships offer especially low rates that they would not normally offer during these ‘end of the year’ sales. So it would be best for customers to take advantage at this time.

Warranty

The warranty is an important part of your decision when buying a car. It is a part of the cost that customers pay for when they make a purchase, they must be sure that the terms of the warranty are satisfactory.

Buying a new sports car doesn’t have to be a big headache. It can be fun and exciting, as long as buyers know what they are doing.

This is why they need to prepare ahead of time, before going on a car hunting expedition so that they can own the sports car of their dreams.

A lot of people today are fascinated with the idea of driving an electric car. Besides, with an electric car, you will be able to save a lot of money on gas and also contribute to the overall well being of the environment.

Although the electric car technology is still in its infancy and not a lot have been developed for personal use, there are some electric cars that already exist today and are being driven by regular people like you. Electric cars are still very expensive and research and development is still on-going in order to develop an electric car that is really cost effective and one that will be able to satisfy the needs of the average person.

At its most basic, electric cars are generally cars that are powered by electric motors. Some developers even used conventional cars and converted them in to electric cars by removing the gasoline engine, muffler, tailpipe, catalytic converter, and the gas tank.

Electric motors are then added to power things that used to get their power from the gasoline engine. This means that the water pump, power steering pump, air conditioner and other essentials in the car is now powered by the electric motor.

To power the motor, batteries will be installed in the car. In the past, this required a lot of batteries in order to power the car. However, thanks to the latest innovation in battery cell technology, you will find that the batteries used in electric cars today are now a lot lighter, have more power, lasts longer, and it can also be charged at a very fast rate.

This means that electric cars can now be used in long trips. In fact, you can even charge your car while you eat lunch and have it fully charged after your meal.

As mentioned before, the electric car technology is still in its infancy. So, don’t expect to find a high performance electric car just yet. This means that you shouldn’t expect finding an electric car that goes from 0 to 60 in just a few seconds.

Electric cars being developed today are for city driving. Although it may be a little slow, you will find that electric cars will really enable you to save a lot of money. In fact, the federal government today is now encouraging people to buy electric cars by offering tax incentives to people who owns and drives electric cars.

In some states, electric cars are offered free parking on pay parking lots and are also excluded in the car pool lane rules.

The best benefit that electric car can ever give you is that it will help keep the environment clean. Because electric cars are purely powered by electricity, this means that it will not emit anything harmful to the environment.

So, if you are planning to get a car, you may want to consider buying an electric car. Aside from the fact that it will allow you to save a lot of money on gasoline, it will also allow you to contribute to the environment.

These are the basics of electric cars. Because it doesn’t use gasoline or any other fossil fuel to run, you will be able to have a quieter and cleaner running car. Electric cars may still be expensive today but it won’t be long when you will find that electric cars will start rolling off from production lines.

Ever wanted to terminate your auto lease early, comfortable with the thought you weren’t going to be hit with hefty fees? You can if you transfer your auto lease to someone else.

Trading an auto lease may be the best option for people who want to terminate a lease early and don’t want to pay the large termination imposed by most lease agents. It can also be an alternative to get out of a lease for far less than you would otherwise pay your original lease company for extra mileage and wear-and-tear charges that can run into the thousands of dollars. For a small fee, you can advertise your car lease for assumption to a large number of potential buyers on the look-out for leases on the Internet. Such services include LeaseTrader.com, the originator of online lease-trading and the biggest online marketplace where most lease transfers take place, and smaller marketplaces such as BreakAlead.com and TradeAlease.com

Before swapping your lease, make sure your leasing company approves lease transfer transactions. Caution must be exercised in choosing a lease swapping service: make sure they facilitate the whole lease transfer process, offer online or telephone customer-service help and registered buyers undergo stringent credit checks.

For auto-consumers, crunching the numbers is one of the most difficult and confusing aspects of leasing.

Take the finance charge on a lease for instance. Most people just don’t understand how this is calculated on capitalized cost AND residual value instead of just the capitalized cost. For most, it seems plainly obvious, just as is the case when purchasing, that a charge should be levied on the capitalized cost of the vehicle.

Well, no quite! When you lease a car, you’re only using the car over a specified period of time with the option of buying the car. The residual value represents the ‘loan balance’ at the end of the lease. If you add it to the capitalized cost and divide by two, you’ll get the average capitalized cost outstanding over the lease term. Let us suppose you’re leasing a car with a capitalized cost of $25,000 and a residual value of $15,000. You average balance over the lease term, irrespective of how long it is, is $20,000 – the sum of the two divided by two.

Using this sum works because the money factor is the annual interest rate divided by 24, rather than 12. Continuing with our example and assuming an interest rate of 6% APR:
$30,000 X (6 per cent / 24) = $75
(Capitalized cost + residual value) X (interest rate / 24) = Monthly finance charge

This finance charge is added to the depreciation charge to calculate the monthly payments on your lease.