The show wrapped up yesterday, and here are the eight best cars that were there:

Delta Tech Engineering’s Suzuki Kizashi

While the stock Kizashi looks pretty darn good (for a Suzuki), this version makes it look downright hot. It was given a big open grille, a cold air intake, custom exhaust and all LED or HID lights. Sweet!

Carbon Fiber Mustang

Carbon fiber use was a bit of a theme this year, and no one used if better than Vaughn Gittin Jr. His carbon fiber RTR-C Mustang uses real carbon fiber panels, cutting about 500 pounds of weight. Only 10 cars were made, and each will cost you about $135K. But you also get a supercharger, if that helps make your decision easier.

Hennessey HP700 Camaro

Take a Corvette ZR1 LS9 engine, stuff it into a Camaro and tune it to deliver 725 hp, with 0-60 coming in 3.5 seconds. Flat-out coolest thing ever? Quite possibly.

Rhys Millen mid-engine Hyundai Genesis Coupe

We gave you a teaser of this thing a little while ago. Here’s the finished product! Car mods don’t get much more extreme than this: A 4.6-liter V8  producing 500 horses has been mounted where the back seats should be. Add a carbon fiber roof (why not, everyone else is), a body kit and before long you’ve got yourself a Ferrari-fighting Hyundai. Imagine that!

1959 Fiat 500 Funny Car

I don’t know whether to laugh or be in awe of this thing. Either way, it’s the epitome of why the SEMA Show exists. Legacy Innovations took a 1959 Fiat 500 and gave it a 725 hp (!) 427 small block. Go, little Fiat, go!

2010 Ford Raptor 6.2

Drool drool drool…

Of all the cars and trucks at SEMA, here’s one you could potentially buy from your corner Ford dealer. Even by Raptor standards, this is one extreme truck, boasting a 6.2-liter engine rated at 411 hp and equipped with more off-road capability than any one human ever needs. And it’s a bargain too… coming in at about $42K.

Pagani Zonda R

Any of the world’s most exclusive supercars get an automatic spot in my lists. Especially when outfitted in exotic carbon fiber. You kind of have to wonder though, now that carbon fiber has shown up on a Hyundai, how long before the material is remembered as sooooo 2009?

Local Motors Rally Fighter

Local Motors is showing us that a different way of building and selling cars is possible. The Rally Fighter was designed using an open-source model and will be sold by the company directly. Buyers even get to travel to a factory and help build the car with their own hands before driving it home. The Rally Fighter uses a BMW 335d drivetrain and is said to achieve 30 miles per gallon.

If you could have one of these, which one would you drive home from Vegas?

-tgriffith

It's coming... are you ready?

We bought a car this summer that has beautiful 18″ chrome rims, and the first thing I thought when I saw the snowflakes this morning was how quickly I could get those babies stored as far away from road salts as possible. I have a firm “no pitting” rule at my house!

I’ll definitely be making some preparations as winter descends. I advise you to do the same:

Whip out your snow wheels now and wrap ‘em with the best snow tires you can afford. Naturally, there are many choices in snow tires: studded (if your state law allows), studless, and my favorite, Norwegian. I tend to prefer a brand like Nokian, since those Norwegians tend to know a thing or two about winter driving.

Speaking of tires, keep an eye on your tire pressure, too. It tends to drop as temperatures dip below freezing.

It’s also a good time to invest in some heavy duty all-weather rubber floor mats (unless you own a Toyota). Heck, even if you do have a Toyota, keeping your carpets clean and dry might be worth the risk of uncontrollable acceleration. Probably not, but your call, of course.

Then there’s the rest of the typical winter stuff:

• Get your battery checked. This will help you avoid having to asking a stranger for jumper cables in a dark and scary mall parking garage.
• Add wiper fluid.
• Get your antifreeze checked.
• Make sure yours isn’t one of those cars driving around with one headlight out.

I know, I sound like your dad, but I care about you, so I’m going to keep going.

It’s also important to pick up some winter wiper blades. A full tank of fluid isn’t going to help if your wipers just smear it all into the mud already caked on your windshield. Once that happens you’ll be driving with your head out the window, and let me tell you, snow coming at your face at 40 mph really stings the eyes.

You should also take the time to wax your car one last time before spring. Putting down a protective layer will help spare your paint from the horrors of road-sanding trucks.

As winter sets in and temperatures plummet, even starting your car’s engine can be a challenge. Park in a garage if you can, or try an engine block heater if you live somewhere really cold. And don’t forget to switch to a lighter weight oil (consult your owner’s manual) or even a synthetic, since it tends to stay liquid in colder temps.

Finally, I’m going to mention something I would think everyone knows, but apparently they don’t. All-wheel drive or four-wheel drive will help you get going in snow and ice. It will not help you stop.

Tell that to the moron in the Jeep who gets stuck in a ditch on the highway. I promise you’ll see him this winter.

Do you have any special winter preparation or driving tips to share?

-tgriffith

Go ahead, try to change the spark plugs

Days like yesterday remind me just how intertwined our cars are with daily life.

First, as I was making my way down a winding and perilous dirt road, the brake light illuminated on my Suzuki’s dash. That’s never a welcome sight, especially when I can look over the edge of the road and see the rooftops of houses. Needless to say, I ended up at the brake repair shop instead of the coffee shop.

My local brake place is an independent shop I’ve used many times over the years. They are always honest and charge fair prices. As I waited for my car, I pulled out a copy of Car and Driver and read a head to head test of a Ferrari California against a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. Good reading.

Before I could find another article to read, the brake guy informed me that the fluid was a little low, but the system otherwise checked out A-OK. The tab? Nothing. Had I gone to the dealer I know I would have been out at least $65 for that diagnosis and would probably still be trying to prove to them that I don’t need new rotors.

When I got home (with my coffee, finally) I read about an iPhone app that can remotely start your car and a car that is controlled by an iPhone. Then I saw this blog about a renewed interest in the Right to Repair Act. That’s when my day of car repair fun came full circle.

We all know that the days of diagnosing our own engine problems are long gone. Even changing spark plugs is a job for a NASA engineer. So when it’s time for maintenance or repairs, dealers are often the only ones who have the info needed to decipher the diagnostic codes our cars spit out.

I’ve said before that those codes should be made available to all mechanics (even to the general public), so schmucks like me don’t get bent over when we need our cars fixed.

The people at righttorepair.org are making a push to get a bill through Congress that forces manufacturers to release proprietary diagnostic codes to the general public. The full press release is here, but the main point is this:

Cars, trucks, motorcycles and all other vehicles are becoming increasingly complex with the addition of more computer technology. Without Right to Repair, millions of vehicle owners will be forced back to the dealership for service because they have been denied access to non-proprietary information and computer codes from the manufacturers. Rural communities where there is no dealership in the area are particularly vulnerable and could be forced to tow their vehicles longer distances, adding significant cost to the repair.

Today, I was lucky that everything was okay and no dealer-specific repairs were needed on my car.

Tomorrow, it’s my hope that diagnosing a car’s troubles will be as close as my iPhone. Surely someday, there will be an app for that, too.

If diagnostic codes were available, would you use them to try and fix your own car before going to a mechanic?

-tgriffith

Ever see a gold-plated BMW?

Here in the good ol’ US of A, we like to brag.

We want our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and random strangers to know what we’re packin’. We arrogantly flaunt whatever it is we have… whether it’s a new $600 Arc’teryx jacket or the V8 version of a 4Runner.

Status symbols are huge on this side of the Atlantic… especially when it comes to cars. The bigger the engine we have, the more money someone might think we have. It’s not even uncommon in these parts to see AMG badges on Mercedes vehicles that aren’t. Or M logos on a standard BMW 3 Series. It’s sickening, actually, and must be embarrassing for the owner when challenged at a stop light by the real thing.

That’s why I was intrigued to read this New York Times article about the exact opposite happening in Europe. It seems a sizable minority of car buyers check the badge-delete option box on luxury cars, making a $90,000 Mercedes-Benz S550 and a $200,000 S65 AMG visually indistinguishable, at least to the (really) untrained eye.

So why would a guy in Germany want the V12 badge taken off his car when someone might think he bought the less-expensive and less-powerful version?

Christian Bokich, a spokesman for Audi of America, told the Times:

If a director of a medium-sized company purchases a V-12, he doesn’t want to show it to his colleagues and have people judge him incorrectly.

Remove the badge or leave it on?

Bokich goes on to say that it’s a very German thing to hide your wealth. I for one think Americans could learn a lesson from those Germans. While the badge-delete option isn’t offered by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, or BMW in America, dealers can remove badges if requested.

Frankly, I don’t think America is far from seeing gold-plated cars, like this one in Russia, pop up as a way to show off ultimate wealth.

If I see that, I’ll probably try to drop-kick the driver all the way to Dubai.

So let me ask you: If you’re buying a top-shelf luxury car, do you want the badging or not? Conversely, if you get a base model, would you want the badge telling the world you didn’t pony up for the bigger engine?

-tgriffith

Now try confining them to a car

Sometimes I just wake up in the morning full of ideas and wisdom.

Of course, most mornings I find myself in a blurry fog while doing things like accidentally pouring cough syrup instead of creamer into my coffee. Lucky for me, and the entire auto world, today wasn’t one of those mornings.

Today I woke up with brilliant ideas swirling in my head about how to build cars more parent-friendly. I was equally delighted when I saw that Ford would be hosting a chat with marketing manager Amy Marentic about automotive technologies important to moms.

I’ll tell you what Ford, you don’t even need to have that chat. You just need to read this; because this is what all parents, not just moms, need in their cars:

Invisible force fields separating all seating positions.

Any parent will tell you that kids fighting in the car is an instant mood changer. I don’t care if you’re driving with your freshly bathed children to meet the pope on Easter morning while listening to The Wheels on the Bus, if one kid reaches over and pinches the other, suddenly your fuse explodes and you’re screaming like Glenn Beck discovering his kids are democrats.

All parents know: kids touching each other equals fights. Automakers: figure out how to make it impossible for kids to touch each other. Parents will buy your cars.

Sound deadening glass separators

This would be kind of like what you see in a limo. Even though the force fields are installed in the back seats already, we all know a kid determined to pinch his brother will break through all known technology. When this happens, a parent should be able to push a button (not unlike closing a sunroof) and become encased in a soundproof cockpit, along with the sounds of soothing jazz and the scent of sizzling bacon. Because bacon makes everything better.

Built-in customizable booster seats that self clean

This is so obvious I shouldn’t even have to mention it. Why do parents still have to mess with infant seats that never fit correctly then move on to booster seats that always sit too far to one side and cover up the seat belt attachment? If an automaker developed a seat that was:

• Comfortable and safe for the kids
• Able to adapt to infants, toddlers and big kids
• Could be removed when no longer needed
• Resistant to crumbs

Every parent in the country would be knocking on dealer doors to get one.

Parents don’t need much in their cars. All they need is a safe place for the kids to sit and a way to keep kids from fighting. That’s it. DVD players, video games, refrigerators… those are all just modern conveniences getting in the way of our commute while training kids to believe that they must watch TV at all times while always being within reach of a cold drink.

That shouldn’t be expected until marriage.

What parent-friendly features would you like to see in a car?

-tgriffith

Covering the bald spot on your dashboard

So I’m reading the paper this weekend and see an ad touting new accessories offered for the Nissan Cube. Wow.

The Cube is, in my opinion, the most homely of the box-shaped cars. Even the Honda Element looks sexier than the over-funked-out Cube. (If I had to choose the best looking of the bunch, my vote would go for the Kia Soul.)

In its apparent quest to create the weirdest car accessory ever offered by a manufacturer, Nissan now offers a toupee for your Cube’s dash – a round piece of shag carpeting that sits front and center that serves no purpose at all. The CarTech blog even said,

The dash-topping shag rug may serve as a conversation piece, as one Nissan spokesperson explained it, but there probably would be even more to talk about if the rug were able to grip the personal electronics that don’t really have a home, like cell phones, iPods, and those keyless keys that are still required for push-button ignition.

So, we have an accessory that looks idiotic and doesn’t even do anything. Sweet.

I also started noticing that it’s cars like the Soul, Cube, and Scion xB that offer a huge array of accessories, ranging from headlight eyeliner for your Soul to 20-color LED mood lighting for your Cube.

We’ve already covered the absolute worst aftermarket mods people make to their cars… now tell us what you think of accessories that are coming straight from the manufacturers. Cube owner or not, would you buy shag carpeting for your dash?

-tgriffith

Unfortunately, some people modify their cars to the point where the only personality trait we see is a complete lack of common sense.

Some of the most pointless and all-out worst mods ever made to cars are:

LED ground effects

“Headlights aren’t good enough for me. In fact, I don’t just want to project light forward, I want to ride on a cushion of light… yeah, that would be cool….”

Umm, no, it isn’t. It just looks like you’re trying to impersonate a low-flying starship. It’s only okay if you’re on a mission to find the guy who invented these ground-effect lights and administer a very uncomfortable exam to him.

Wings and spoilers

Does high school teach nothing about aerodynamics these days? Probably not. Even if it did, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t stop kids from gluing what appear to be park benches to their trunks. Here’s a quick lesson: True spoilers and wings direct force downward at really high speeds. This helps keep tires stuck to the pavement. I’m talking really high speeds… speeds higher than your Civic or Camry is even capable of reaching. All your “wing” does is make it look like you don’t know anything about cars.

Exhaust systems on 4-banger imports

It’s really bad when the guy with the wing adds an exhaust system that makes his car sound like a weed wacker. Why would you want to accelerate away from a stop light only to sound like you’re doing yard work?

Rolls-Royce grille on a Beetle

At least you don’t see this one anymore. I’m just waiting for the day when I see a New Beetle rolling around with a Rolls-Royce grille.

Camo on a Bentley

This is what happens when rednecks get money.

Spinners (even worse are hub-cap spinners)

Spinners are so turn-of-the-century. The first time you saw them, they were a cool novelty. These days it’s like, “Okay, you’re stopped, and your wheels are still spinning. Got it. Glad you spent $2K each on a sight gag.”

The guys with hub-cap spinners… you almost have to feel sorry for them. At least they are disposable (the hubcaps).

And whatever this is…

Some guys make a choice in life: Pursue a love for R2D2, or meet girls. This guy went the droid route. Ouch.

Have you made any modifications to your car? What are some horrible ones you’ve seen?

-tgriffith

It seems that certain unnamed members of Congress, including members of the House Appropriations Committee, pressured NHTSA officials into withholding their research, even though it found that cell phone use (even the hands-free kind) and texting were deadly. The researchers “estimated that cellphone use by drivers caused around 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents over all in 2002.” Hands-free headsets didn’t eliminate the risk, since the conversation itself caused distraction.

Another study

found that drivers using a hand-held device were at 1.3 times greater risk of a crash or near crash, and at three times the risk when dialing compared with other drivers.

Texting? Forget it. You might as well be driving from the passenger seat.

Whether pressure came from the cell phone industry or not is unknown, but Congress has once again worked to promote a special interest at the expense of the general good. And those in the Bush administration, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, should be held accountable. This time, these guys actually have blood on their hands.

It will take a massive campaign to get people to stop phoning while driving. Is that possible? Is it desirable?

—jgoods

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, recently took personal delivery from Alan Mulally, Ford CEO, of a new Fusion, all Synced out and with media coverage to boot. Steve was so excited that he reportedly exclaimed, “Hehehe! Hahaha! Beautiful, man!” and ran to greet Mulally and the press, assembled for the self-effacing sales pitch you’ll see and hear below.

Don’tcha just love Alan talking about “another node on the big Internet in the sky”? And, as he further said, “We all want to be connected.” Well, pretty soon we will likely have not just the “hands-free functionality” of Sync, but the functionality of hands-free driving—the next step on the road to mass distraction.

Okay, I’m jaundiced, but don’t you think Sync could contribute to driver distraction? Give us your thoughts.

—jgoods

Expensive car, inferior tires?

I think car manufacturers and tire makers have a deal with each other. Here’s why:

I bought a 2007 Suzuki SX4 two years ago to serve as a commuter car. Today it has 22,000 miles on it, and last week I had to replace all four tires, because the front ones were nearly bald.

I figured I just had a case of bad luck and partly blamed myself, since I failed to rotate the tires on a regular basis. But the guy at the tire shop said he’s noticing a common trend: People are coming in for new tires with about 20,000 miles on the odometer. 

I got home and started searching online, and sure enough I found forums where people complain that their new cars need new tires after only 14,000 to 20,000 miles. A guy here made it 18,000 miles with a 2007 Lexus ES 350. Same thing here on a Mercedes GL450.

What’s the deal? Are car companies cutting costs by putting inferior OEM tires on their vehicles?

While I don’t doubt that could be a possibility, I think the bigger picture is a lack of proper tire maintenance. The guy who sold me the new tires for my Suzuki recommended having them rotated every 5,000 to 6,000 miles; maybe if I had done that in the first place the originals would’ve gone another 10K or so. 

Also, please keep an eye on your tire pressure. As temperatures rise, tires that were properly inflated in cold weather could suddenly be overinflated. Measure your tire pressure “cold.” If possible, park the car in your garage overnight, and check the pressure in the morning.

Even with proper maintenance, tire life is another thing to consider when buying a new car. Check to see if the tires come with a warranty, and if not, use it as a negotiation tool to inch your price down.

When selling a car, consider doing what the guy who traded in the car my wife bought did: He felt bad getting rid of a car with used tires, so he put on brand-new 18″ Yokohamas before getting rid of it. Sweet!

Has anyone else noticed a short life for tires on new cars? How many miles do you typically get out of a set of tires?

-tgriffith