The Manila International Auto Show, or MIAS as most call it, has always been a manufacturer centric show, with the big names always showing up with massive displays and floor space. This year’s MIAS had all that as expected, but also offered a healthy doze of the aftermarket car culture.
This first set of photos covers the manufacturers exhibits in the main hall.
Guest Blog by Sam Mauzy
Lowering your vehicle (if done properly) will result in a street machine that catches the attention of all
who see it. A modified street rod is meant to hug the ground, but if done in the wrong way can cause big
problems. There are many ways to accomplish lowering your ride of course some are better than others. When thinking about lowering a vehicle, take into consideration the end results. With the look you gain, you will lose ground clearance. Depending on the roads that you travel, this can be an issue.
A properly lowered machine will have a lower center of gravity which will vastly improve steering and reduce body roll. The ride might be a little stiffer, letting you feel more of the road improving handling. If done improperly, the ride you have will be rough and hard to control to the point of being unsafe to have on the road.
There are several lowering kits that can be purchased from different sources. After market springs are
manufactured, to lower your vehicle safely. When selecting your springs, keep in mind your entire suspension and not just the look you are after. Too much spring rate will cause your tires to lose contact
with the road, but too soft of a spring will let your vehicle hit the bump- stops. Either condition can be
dangerous and uncomfortable. There are companies that have invested a great deal of time and money, into research to help you select the proper spring package for your vehicle.
March 17 saw drift cars heading towards Clark International Speedway to compete in this year’s most definitive drift event yet. The Car Porn Racing Team, led by Ian King, started the event with practice laps, and suddenly I was thrown into drift heaven. The all important ingredient to every great drift event, freshly burnt rubber, was more than abundant.
Interestingly, for the Honda Integra DC5, also known as the Acura RSX, the acronym “RSX” actually stands for “Rally Sportscar eXperimental”. Looking at this heavily modified RSX, it seems like they put the term RSX to good use, as it looks like it’s ready to climb Pikes Peak! Would you agree?
I could imagine that air filter sticking out of the front bumper sucking in all the clean and cold air into the engine before the front tires start kicking up the dust. That front air dam is also the perfect place to mount the infamous JDM Tilting Plate Holder correctly.
I’m digging the INGS style front bumper, with the additional aero parts that blend nicely into the widened front fenders. The rear end looks like it also got a dose of widening, and combined with the livery and colors, really really gives it the Rally Sportscar eXperimental look, or RSX, giving justice to the name this car was given from the factory.
Pretty cool ain’t it?
You might recognize this Honda Civic EK Hatchback as something that’s been featured quite a while back here at Custom Pinoy Rides. And if you’re a fan of the Circuit Showdown events, then you must have seen this ride in person or through photos on the internet. If you’re used to seeing this car at speed, I wouldn’t blame you because it has won there quite a number of times before.
Now, we get to observe it standing still. What you see right here looks to be the latest iteration of this compact rocket, as displayed during the 2012 Hot Import Nights show.
Read on as we go into some details about this special ride, and also take a look at what’s up under the hood. Check it out…
Went to the recently concluded, and first ever Hot Import Nights, last March 24-25, 2012. Since it’s inception in California, Hot Import Nights was an auto show featuring compact and tuner import cars – supposedly cars from outside the USA.
Now that Hot Import Nights has been franchised by the Bumper2Bumper crew here in the Philippines, I’d like to start off the car features from the event with something that, had this event occurred in the USA, would not have been considered an import. But since I think it’s an awesome car nonetheless, I bring you Bumblebee’s albino brother – the white Chevrolet Camaro SS by R33 Car Exchange.
By the way, it’s for sale. Any takers?
Since I think the Bumblebee yellow color scheme is quite cliche nowadays, I think white with red racing stripes is an awesome color scheme for this Camaro. How about you guys? If you were to get your own Camaro, what would you like the color scheme to be?
I’d like to apologize to you guys for the long hiatus. Been real busy lately as, since I’m also human, I also experience changes in life like all of you do. Don’t worry, it’s nothing negative and it doesn’t mean you’ll see less blogs from me or from Custom Pinoy Rides. My wedding is coming up next month, so my time has been a bit more divided the past few weeks. But not to worry, things will be looking up for Custom Pinoy Rides and this year will be even bigger than last year. In the meantime, let me catch up on some stuff I need to post up…
In Part 2 of this series, I’ve featured the Invasion of the Old Schoolers. Today, I’d like to show you some of the more modern vehicles wearing the blue oval, and what their Pinoy owners have done to customize and personalize them.
See the rest of the gallery below…
Photo by www.scion.com
Featured Writer Leslie Branch shares her views on The Coolest Car she’s Ever Seen. Take it away Leslie…
2011 Scion tC Tuner Challenge Winner by Shawn Baker
Believe it or not, the coolest car I’ve ever seen is the 2011 Toyota Scion TC. This car is available in a variety of colors, including a light, smoke gray, ebony, as well as a a darker shade of gray called, appropriately enough, magnetic gray. One of the best things about this car is it’s decidedly at variance with the conventional, “box type” Scions that Toyota unveiled close to 10 years ago. Its shape has been refined to resemble a sleek sports car. In fact, at just above or just under $20,000, the TC is just about the cheapest two-door coupe that is available. Depending on how good a customer’s credit score is, this vehicle can be financed (either as a lease or as a purchase) for approximately $250 a month. It’s not easy to find a brand new car that only costs $250 a month. Although it takes conventional unleaded fuel, there’s plenty of info to learn about diesel vehicles at www.DieselMechanicSchools.org.
What’s great about the Scion TC is it comes loaded with several valuable accessories that transforms typical driving experiences into decidedly pleasurable ones. It comes with a panoramic glass moon roof with both power tilting and power sliding, which can be used to soak the sun’s rays or the moon’s shine—depending on one’s own personal preference. The stereo system is designed to handle just about anyone’s musical needs or wants, as it comes with a 300 watt AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA player that’s augmented by eight speakers (including a sub-woofer that has plenty of bass). There are also ports to connect auxiliary players through both USB as well as for conventional iPod adaptors. Backseat passengers have their very own roof window as well, which also leads into another point that despite the fact that this vehicle is a coupe, it has a backseat that is fairly roomy.
Those who might want to test drive this vehicle will be surprised at how much more spacious it actually is on the inside, as opposed to how moderate-sized this vehicle looks on the inside. In fact, the trunk of the TC raises up like a hatch, and there’s more copious space to store an assortment of items. Furthermore, the back seats can also be pushed down to allow for more room to fit stuff in. It’s actually possible to load up one’s entire belongings (for a bachelor or a bachelorette) and move everything but for the heavy furniture—beds, futons, etc..—and have a good time while doing it. Also, the bucket seats in the front of the car have a type of muscle memory where even if you adjust them by moving the up or back, they’ll still remember their original position if one wants them to. Those interested in learning more about cars have plenty of options for an automotive education.
Photos copyright of their respective owners
Before I begin, let me just say that it took me several days to come up with this 2,705-word article. But I’m pretty sure this is something that would “make a difference” to the automotive industry. So I’m pretty happy that it was worth my time. Here goes…
Yeah, I know. There are many wheel whores out there who can talk all day about anything and everything to do about wheels (a.k.a. rims, mags, or magwheels). When wheel whores start to talk in their language, you start hearing words like offset, diameter, PCD, and all that. As they start to get more involved in the conversation, it starts to drift into talks about engineering, design, weight, and even metallurgy. More often than not, the conversation eventually goes to Forged versus Cast wheels. Once the topic dwells on that, you can almost be 100% sure that they will start talking about the “Durability of ROTA Wheels”.
Why does the conversation lead specifically to talking about ROTA Wheels? Why not any other brand? Well, let’s just say that ROTA is to wheels as Manny Pacquiao is to boxing. They’re both made in the Philippines, famous worldwide, and known to perform in their respective fields. And along with being famous comes a huge fanbase, as well as the distinctive crowd of haters. So after posting this up, I’ll probably put my flame suit on because it’s a given that you ROTA haters out there will be flaming on me in full force.
What is it that these ROTA haters are so angry about? The argument in all of the many different forums are always the same – they question the durability of ROTA Wheels.
Let’s make a deal. Before you start digging up some random photos of broken wheels (which are more often than not the same photos posted over and over again), and using it as an “I told you so” argument to counter this post, please back it up with proper data, as well as history behind the broken wheel incident first. Otherwise, your argument is of no value. We good?
I, on the other hand, will be talking about facts. Here goes…
Hi, I’m Philip Aragones, and as an introduction to myself here in CustomPinoyRides.com, let me introduce you to the 2013 Hyundai Genesis.
CustomPinoyRides rode to Clark, Pampanga to get a taste of what this beast had to offer. With 345 horsepower under its hood, 39 more than its predecessor, this sleek ride is certainly no slouch. The prominent frontal design elements seen in the Tucson and the Veloster are now seen in the new Genesis Coupe, and it doesn’t disappoint.
