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Product Review: Tufoil Engine Oil Treatment

THE aSTIG — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:17:32 +0000

Tufoil Philippines recently sent over a bottle of Tufoil, so we can put it to the test. And since this is supposed to be a “test”, well then why not test it in the harshest environment you can find? Now rather than testing it on the track where you’re pedal to the metal and pushing to the limit, I figured there would be no way you can test fuel economy as one of the claimed advantages of this engine oil additive. So probably the best way to review it is through a long drive, and using an old engine. With Tufoil being awarded the world record for the “Most Efficient Lubricant” in 1996 by the Guinness Book of World Records, and still holds the title to date, this type of test should be no tall order.

Hence, our test vehicle is a 1993 1.6L Daihatsu Feroza 4×4. The only modifications done to it are a Simota Air Filter, some engine waterproofing to make it more capable for flood and river crossings, larger 237/75R15 All-Terrain tires, removed the anti-sway bar for better suspension articulation when offroading, HID Headlights, and 8 ounces of Tufoil engine oil additive mixed with Castrol GTX 20W-50 motor oil.

We take this Mini SUV on a long drive from Manila to Quezon Province going the long route via Laguna, through various churches along the way, since the trip doubled as a Holy Week Visita Iglesia and Outing. The trip had been made after consuming 1 full tank of gas since the oil change was done, to make sure the Tufoil had already settled in with the engine oil.

Our first stop over.

The next church on our route, Liceo de Pila in Pila, Laguna.

Snapped this at the back of the church in Pila.

Church of Santa Cruz.

The last church we visited, the Church of Lilio.

Our next stop was LeahChar Resort and Liesure Park in Brgy. Sampaguita, San Antonio, Quezon, for some rest, relaxation, and swimming.

The Hulk on the lookout for evil doers while you do your night swimming thing.

Iron Man was out in the middle of the night to fight crime.

The cottages.

Waking up to a scene like this in the morning isn’t bad at all!

As far as I know, that’s supposed to be a herbivore. Why does it look as if it’s about to attack a cow?

Birding?

For some reason, this reminds me of Aquatico…

The whale’s mouth doubles as a shower head.

Preparing to go home.

All in all, the trip distance was 285km. I hope you liked viewing the photos, as much as I enjoyed sharing them. Now since this is a product review, back to the matter then…

Tufoil claims that by using their Engine Oil Treatment, you will reap the following benefits:

- Better Gas Mileage – After the trip, I continued using the Feroza on my daily 70km drive to and from work. Prior to using Tufoil, I was averaging 7.70km/L fuel consumption. With Tufoil, it has improved to a mere 7.98km/L. It might not be much, if you look at the numbers, but that’s about 3.51% improvement. Tufoil claims “up to 5%”.
- Increase Horsepower – I have not put the vehicle on a dyno before and after using Tufoil, but judging on “feel”, prior to using Tufoil I had to downshift to 3rd gear going up the Ortigas Flyover from C5 to Libis, following the normal after lunch traffic flow. With Tufoil, I can take it all the way to the top on 4th gear. There’s also less hesitation in acceleration now. Prior to using Tufoil, I had to step on the gas pedal well in advance when I want to overtake, much like driving a van. Now, it feels much like a car. Actually, if it’s center of gravity wasn’t so high, I’m inclined to try to drift it at FTI! LOL!
- Cut Friction and Wear – Well, the engine now revs happily all the way to the redline, as compared to before. Maybe that’s why my fuel efficiency improved only by 3.51%? Perhaps if I go easy on the gas pedal, I’ll get even more.
- Get easier cold starts from gas and diesel engines – Now that it’s the rainy season, I can clearly remember that last year, cold starting had been an issue. But with Tufoil, it has always been a one-click wonder everytime I start the engine up, regardless of the temperature. A friend of mine bought a different brand oil additive at Concorde which claimed to solve cold starting problems. It worked, but only for a few weeks. With Tufoil, it still feels as if I just changed my oil yesterday!

So was I impressed? Yes I was. Will I use it again on my next oil change? I would love to. Will I recommend it to my friends and family? I already have. Should you use it? Why not!?

I know you may have a lot of other questions about Tufoil and how it works. So here’s the link to the Tufoil FAQ page. Check out the rest of the site on that link as well to learn more about it.

There’s also a local site owned by our local distributor – Tufoil Philippines. For orders, call or text Gie Aparicio at 09178132428.

Coolest-Looking Toyota Corolla AE86 Body Kit

THE aSTIG — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:25:45 +0000

Nowadays, it’s been pretty hard to find extremely good looking off-the-shelf body kits for the venerable Toyota Corolla AE86. And since it’s been hard to find good examples here in the Philippines, we’d sometimes have to resort to looking for ideas elsewhere.

Enter Origin USA – The Design Laboratory. In my opinion, they have some of the sickest body kits you can find for the AE86 a.k.a. Hachi-Roku. Check it out!

Origin Stylish AE86 Trueno Body Kit

Origin Stylish AE86 Levin Body Kit

Origin Stream AE86 Trueno Body Kit

Origin Stream AE86 Levin Body Kit

Origin AE86 Coupe Rear

Origin AE86 Fastback Rear

These kits also come in individual pieces if required. Prices and other details are available via Enjuku Racing.

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AC Schnitzer Tunes The New BMW X1

THE aSTIG — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:18:40 +0000

“Joy Is The New BMW X1″ – That’s what the folks at BMW say about their latest creation. But really, what is the BMW X1? By the looks of it, it’s not like any vehicle we’ve ever seen out there.

They say it’s an SUV, but I know what an SUV looks like, and it isn’t like this. It carries the 1-Series badge, but it sure ain’t a beefed-up 1-Series, as it rides on a 3-Series platform, made into a wagon, with higher ground clearance. It sure ain’t no offroader, but it sits high enough to suck up the bumps and potholes in the urban jungles of the Philippines.

It seems BMW has created a whole new type of vehicle with the X1. With a cargo capacity of up to 1,350 liters of storage space, it’s the ultimate grocery getter and lipat-bahay machine. With a semi command sitting position, performance control, the handling of a 3-Series Tourer, acceleration that will definitely beat any SUV and most cars at any given day, and suspension that seems to be meant to tackle the unruly roads of the Philippines, and fuel economy of 15km/L (combined) that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, you have yourself a Swiss Army knife for the Philippines.

But going back to the looks, since it really is DIFFERENT, what if you can turn “Joy” into “Ecstatically Euphoric Bliss”?

Enter BMW tuner AC Schnitzer.

Just take a look at these pictures, and try to tell me you wouldn’t dare to be DIFFERENT in the BMW X1 with AC Schnitzer wheels.

AC Schnitzer Type VI Wheels

AC Schnitzer Type IV BiColor Wheels

AC Schnitzer Type IV Silver Wheels

AC Schnitzer has been kind enough to provide a list of available wheel sizes for these three models.

So tell me, if you had the chance to get one, which would you choose?

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Top Gear Car Review: Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

THE aSTIG — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:17:16 +0000

“They say his mere presence at the Camsur Watersports Complex, which is 180 kilometers from the Province of Albay, induced fear in the Mayon Volcano that it eased its magma pressure. All we know is… he’s called THE aSTIG.“

We have recently featured the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 from the 2009 Manila Auto Salon here at CustomPinoyRides.com.

And I have mentioned that “I’ve seen the Ford GT500 at Santa Rosa going towards Tagaytay, and though it has already passed you, you can still hear it as it fades away in the distance.”

That has gotten people wondering, just how good is the GT500 from the eyes of the experts? Well ask no more. Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear crew have reviewed this baby, and it’s here for your viewing pleasure. And if you were looking to get one for yourself, at least now you know what it’s capable of. Enjoy!

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SoundRacer – Make Your 4-Cylinder Engine Sound Like A V10

THE aSTIG — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:16 +0000

Plug the SoundRacer into your cigarette lighter and get rev-matched V8 or V10 engine sounds transmitted to your FM radio. It makes your car sound as if it has something else underneath.

What do we think? Well, this if you pull up next to a real tuned car of the same kind you’re using, you’re gonna get your ass kicked for sure. Plus the sounds would have to come from your speakers, so if you really want to fool people into thinking you have a big engine underneath, you’d have to go through the difficult task of installing speakers in unconventional locations to make the sound come from the engine and by the exhaust. That is of course unless you just want to hear cool car sounds coming from your own speakers for your own enjoyment as you drive around town.

Specifications:

SoundRacer
Built–in FM transmitter with LED display
Frequency range: 88,1 to 107,9 MHz
3,5 mm stereo plug line input for MP3 players (cable included)
Transmits music from an external audio player to the Car FM Stereo radio
Power supply: 12V/24V from cigarette lighter socket. Current consumption max 50mA. Fuse 100 mA.
V8 engine sound:
Item number: SR0101V8AA EAN 07340051901011
V10 engine sound:
Item number: SR0102V10A EAN 07340051901028
CE FCC RoHS
Weight 27g.
Complete with Gift Box, User Manual (in English), 3,5 mm stereo cable and SoundRacer checkered flag: 180 g.
More details in the SoundRacer website.

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TricPlate Switchable License Plate Cover

THE aSTIG — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:46:52 +0000

The TricPlate won the 2008 SEMA show’s Best Technology award. It was meant to be a simple way to protect the privacy of show cars during shows and events.

The TricPlate currently comes in 2 variants: The Motorcycle TricPlate which costs USD 449.00, and the Automobile Tricplate which costs USD 549.00. Both kits are in US sized plates.

Both kits come with the Plate Frame Assembly with Switchable Film, a 12 Volt DC Power Conditioner, Green LED for remote mounting (to let you know if it is active or not), Wire Harness, and the Keychain Remote. See more details on the TricPlate website.

What does CustomPinoyRides think about this product? Well first off, it’s unfortunate that TricPlate hasn’t released a version that fits Philippine plate numbers. Though they said “Coming Soon: TricPlate for International License Plates”, they didn’t say when it will come out.

Second, if it did come in a size available for plates in the Philippines, are you willing to spend 1,098 US Dollars plus shipping for a pair?

Third, if it did come in a size available for plates in the Philippines, this would most likely be used by vehicle owners to protect themselves from getting caught by MMDA people during coding days. Or worse, this will be used by snatchers on their motorcycles or fugitives on their getaway cars.

Lastly, this is ridiculously overpriced. You can make a similar version by using the same material used in clock Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD). It’s just that instead of programming it to display letters and digits, it activates and deactivates all the LCD pixels to turn it on or off, concealing the plate, or displaying the plate. There’s no complicated programming required to do that. Then hook it up to a remote infrared switch, and viola!

Hey if you get this idea from me, and start building your own and selling one, it would be cool if you can share some of the profits with me hahaha! Or if you’re interested in sponsoring the manufacture of TricPlates for the Philippines, but don’t know the technical how-to, let me know. I have the technical know-how to create these things.

Now you see it… Now you don’t.

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The MotionLite Wheel Illuminators

THE aSTIG — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:09:56 +0000

The MotionLite Wheel Illuminators were showcased in the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas last November 3-6, 2009. They call this the ultimate in wheel illumination.

It fits most cars, trucks, and SUVs via included universal mounting brackets included in the package. It is operated by remote control, and switches it’s illumination between seven colors.

Now you guess how much these MotionLites cost? USD 499.00!!! The package comes with 4 units of the High Power LED illuminators, 1 Control Unit, 2 Remote Controls, Weatherproof Cables, 5 Universal Mounting Brackets, Stainless Steel Mounting Hardware, and an Allen Wrench for the installation. And yes, they can ship to the Philippines. You can see more details in the MotionLite website.

What do I think about this? Well first, let me guess… These guys have been to the Philippines before they came up with this. Perhaps they were inspired by something like this?

To be honest, it’s kinda ricey. They released this too late in time. Probably this could have been a hit had they released this the same time the very first Fast and the Furious movie came out. But now? It’s just so uncool. And try driving around the crowded streets of Metro Manila with these things protruding from the fenders, and you can kiss your 500 dollars good bye.

So do you think this will be the next wave in car customization next to chrome dub wheels? You might feel differently. So you are entitled to be your own judge. Do you think this is cool (thumbs up) or uncool (thumbs down)? Share your views.

Cool (thumbs up) or Uncool (thumbs down)?

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Shop and Read Product Reviews: Speakers

THE aSTIG — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:18:10 +0000

The CustomPinoyRides.com online store is powered by Amazon.com. If you have any hesitations about purchasing our products online, read on about how to buy at Amazon from the Philippines.

Clicking on the items below will also give you descriptions of the Speakers and Speaker Enclosures, as well as product reviews. Items are listed from most to least popular. Enjoy!

Shop and Read Product Reviews: Subwoofers and Sub Enclosures

THE aSTIG — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:03:23 +0000

The CustomPinoyRides.com online store is powered by Amazon.com. If you have any hesitations about purchasing our products online, read on about how to buy at Amazon from the Philippines. Clicking on the items below will also give you descriptions of (More...)

Shop and Read Product Reviews: Amplifiers, Crossovers, and Equalizers

THE aSTIG — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:46:39 +0000