Jofftastic

In the UK we are fortunate to have some of the very best aftermarket parts manufacturers right here on our doorstep, all fighting for our custom by offering state of the art products at cracking prices.

Scorpion Exhausts are one such company.

The brand Scorpion has been synonymous with high quality stainless steel exhausts for as long as I can remember. Back when I used to drool over the modified Nova GSi’s in Max Power, the only exhaust system worth having came with a nifty laser-etched Scorpion on each tailpipe (if you were fortunate enough to have a twin-tailpipe system that is!).

Fast forward nearly 14 years and the company has grown to produce exhaust components that are still as highly sought after today, if not more so. The sound from the tailpipe never the deafening boom associated with lesser-quality exhausts and the infamous boy racer culture, but a sweeter exhaust note that gives the kind of growl you’d expect from some kind of exotica.

Each system is designed and tested on the vehicle, not from pattern parts so you can buy safe in the knowledge the exhaust is going to fit first time, every time. For those whose budget or requirements don’t warrant a full exhaust system, Scorpion make a massive range of backboxes (rear silencers to those in the business) which fit to the standard exhaust system and serve to tidy up the rear of the vehicle and give a more distinctive exhaust note to that of the standard pipework.

Perhaps the number one reason anyone buys a performance exhaust system is for the lucrative power gains the product can offer. Some standard exhausts are notoriously restrictive and replacing them with an off the shelf Scorpion system can see a massive improvement in the way the vehicle drives.

No CAT? No problem!

Fitting a de-cat (CAT replacement) pipe has been common practice since cars came equipped with the power-sapping devices, however it has meant that for thousands of motorists every MOT test requires a swap of the pipes to refit the Catalytic Converter.
These days, it’s possible to have your cakes and eat it in the form of a Sports Cat. These cleverly designed CAT’s allow the vehicle to remain street legal, passing all MOT emissions tests whilst still providing the power gains we all love.

As well as their massive range for cars, Scorpion also manufacture exhausts for Motorcycles – bikes, ATV’s, scooters and off-road.

View the websites for yourself at www.scorpion-exhausts.com and www.scorpiondirect.com

The official dodo juice forums are now open for business (nothing of the website itself yet) and should hopefully become a good resource of vehicle detailing as well as all things Dodo Juice!

Head over there, register and wax lyrical… sorry!

Dodo Juice forums

The Powertec website is done! Now you’ve got no excuse for not trotting off to your local Carnoisseur or Motor World (other Powertec dealers are available) and handing over a fistful of fivers in return for a lovely shiny stainless steel mesh induction kit.

The difference between Powertec and other air filters out there is the stainless steel mesh each Powertec uses. Air passing through has hardly any restriction so doesn’t lose any of it’s velocity. That means you get fast air and lots of it. More air = more power, plus the metal mesh resonates to guarantee you turn heads when giving it some beans.

Sounds good?

I had the pleasure of hearing a Powertec SL1 induction kit fitted to a Vectra 3.2 V6 GSi and my god it sounded amazing. You’d be forgiven for thinking some kind of high-revving V10 exotica was screaming past you, only to see a great big Vauxhall where there should be a sleek Italian supercar.

The Powertec air filters fit just about everything from Alfa Romeo through to Volvo and universal kits cater for anything else.
No longer do you need to bodge on a shitty fake Tesco value filter with a handful of zip ties, some gaffer tape and some B&Q tumble drier hose – do yourself and your car a favour, Powertec’s come with full fitting kits so you know what’s in the box is DESIGNED for your car.

The Range…

There’s a few different types of kit in the Powertec range, starting off with the original Powertec, the SL1.

Next up is the SL1x, measuring in at an eye-watering 200mm diameter. Huge is not the word for this beast of a filter and best of all, they even do one for the Vauxhall Corsa! Martin Hadland has one fitted to the famous Reyland Escort – after all, what other filter is capable of filtering 1000bhp of air without restriction!

Last but most certainly not least is the SL1000. These kits are reserved for something special and include some of the best looking intake components we’ve ever seen. Polished alloy air intake pipework and powder coated heat shields make for one impressive air filter.

Enough reading, all that’s left for you to do now is buy one.

www.powertecfilters.co.uk

It seems everyone and their Nan has a forum these days so it’s rare for one to become as popular as VAGweb in such a short space of time.

What more could enthusiasts of the VAG (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, et al) scene want but a friendly meeting place where they can swap ideas, get technical help and enjoy a bit of friendly banter.

If the Cheers bar was a forum, I think it would be something like VAGweb – it’s got the bartender with a funny shaped head, a grumpy Scot at one end of the bar like Dr Crane and some fat bloke at the other end. All it needs is a bit of Kirsty Alley in her younger years and it’s got it made!

So what has made VAGweb so popular? The success could be down to a few things:

• The alternatives are a bit too dry with Nazi-like moderators
• The site as a hobby instead of charging a membership for premium services
• Other sites are *too* niche and need to cover a broader range of topics
• Other sites are based on stale forum software with admin unable/unwilling to commit any redevelopment time

So maybe VAGweb isn’t that good after all, it’s just the competition that are slacking. The true test of a forums worth is if it’s still around in a couple of years, so only time will tell.
Watch this space!

Based on a first generation Fabia, the RS 01 WRC gets a coupe-style body that actually doesn’t look half-bad and a tuned 2.0TFSI engine, producing 500Hp @ 7.800 rpm and 600Nm @ 3.700 rpm.
All we need is this engine to find it’s way into the road cars to really put Skoda on the map for hot hatches!

Sceptics would say that Audi/VW would never allow this as it would affect sales of their cars, but in reality, people that buy Audi and VW would never consider lowering their standards to buying a car with a Skoda badge. This just leaves Skoda enthusiasts and Skoda converts – exactly the market Skoda would want to sell to.

The 500bhp engine’s never going to be seen in a road car, so keep it at it’s standard (and still healthy) output of 170bhp. This leaves enough room for tuners to play with the engine, which makes it more attractive to buyers plus it gets Skoda UK out of paying for warranty claims.
Price the car up to compete with the VXR / ST / Renaultsport and you’re going to make a lot of happy Skoda customers. Ok so the Octavia vRS already exists with this engine at this price level, but what’s the danger in selling the Fabia vRS at this price too? If customers want a larger sensible car, they’ll get the Octavia, if they want to sacrifice comfort for a pocket rocket then they’ll get the Fabia. Either way, Skoda get the sale.

Go on Skoda – you know it makes sense!!

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