McLaren 675 LT Spider review - manic limits

Last year when the Powerball lottery hit one billion dollars, I sat down that night and spec’d out a dream car online. It just happened to be a McLaren 675LT Spider in the same blue color as the one I was able to review. There’s something about a Spider, in this case a hardtop convertible that has a strong appeal even when you have to protect yourself from the sun. This one is truly two cars in one, and as I discovered, more than just because of looks or catching a breeze.

This 675LT Spider is the owner’s fourth McLaren. He had good experiences with the 12C’s he owned and his P1 that I reviewed is somewhat famous, especially among Motor Trend readers. Being a fan of carbon tub (passenger compartment) convertibles, partly because the minor weight penalty for the roof coming off, the 675 LT is still a track oriented machine, said more so than their Ferrari 458 Speciale. Comparing to the 12C, which the 675 LT is an evolution of, the engine, engine tuning, transmission, and braking are all noticeably different and improved.

Also inevitable is a comparison to the wild McLaren P1. Leagues quicker with 903hp with better throttle response due to the hybrid system, the lighter 675 LT has a quicker turn-in and more grip. Of course the question of weight comes up. The owner’s experience is McLaren’s stated weights are spot-on, his P1 weighing 3300lbs, giving him no reason to doubt the 3,016 lbs stated by McLaren for the 675 LT Spider. This is a very light car by modern standards, especially combined with the output of the 3.8 liter twin turbo V-8 of 666hp. To put that into performance numbers, what has been reported in the quarter mile is low-mid 10s in the mid-upper 130mph range. Put it another way, if the NHRA observed it exceeding 135mph, McLaren could request a letter from the NHRA that that the observed vehicle was banned unless a safety cage was installed….

Acceleration is manic with a rush towards redline that makes your stomach go light and nearly instantly exceeds the speed limit with a mechanical roar properly placed behind you. A hard acceleration upshift cracks like a gunshot. The lateral grip available approaches the “No way!” internal meter in incredulity, the fully bolstered seat keeping occupants in place. The hydraulically controlled suspension has hardly any body roll and braking is just ridiculous, requiring checking for traffic behind you before hammering the pedal for a non-nose dive, torso-leaves-the-seat extreme deceleration.

The suspension, in all McLarens, widely considered superbly riding with the hydraulic system replacing the anti-roll bars.  In the 3^rd mode, called track, is incredibly stiff. We hit some visible bumps and they were definitely felt, but not heard at all. No crash, creak, thunk, nothing. It was weird and amazing not hearing the vehicle reaction, only feeling it. 

Entering the car, a button under the edge of the door engages the scissor lift opening very smoothly. It’s not a wide opening so enter butt first, then swing in the legs with knees bent.  Pulling down the door requires very even effort from the top to bottom, an obvious attention to detail and superior design. The seat is very snug yet instead of feeling pinched, you settle and seemingly mold to it. It’s another example of one that I never adjusted once sitting in it, whether in height, back angle, bottom angle, etc.

 In one of the videos during the top opening/closing process, the hardtop can observed storing neatly into a carpet lined box behind the passenger compartment in front of the engine bay. Driving with the top down at highway speeds was extremely pleasant, wearing a brimmed hat wasn’t an issue. The rear window also goes down, and the owner says this allows for more engine noise in the cabin when the top is up, which can be a treat.

It’s a different vehicle with the top up. The tire and road noise, thwacks from the pavement and gravel hitting the wheel wells are all heard. With the top down none of that is heard as if it all goes away. The hardtop may be the ultimate track weapon and seeing one with a roof scoop was way cool, but the Spider has got to be so much better off the track and more variety in experience provided.

Front trunk space is quite impressive, more than enough for a weekend. The owner said he likes the sound system and that it’s quite good. Another improvement reported versus past models is the infotainment system works much better than past units. 

Negatives that I observed are few and far between. Getting in and out is rather difficult. And the engine cover/hood isn’t easily removed and doesn’t have an option to simply press or pull a release and lift it open. Those were my observations but the first wouldn’t stop me and the second is just to show it off. Despite all his track time, the lack of a limited slip differential has never been a problem. It’s not driven in inclement weather, uneven surface transitions are taken slowly and with the front axle lift system activated so slippage there isn’t noticed. Maybe exiting turn 11 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca might exploit the open differential but a mid-engine weight distribution and wide, extremely sticky tires also make up for an open differential  When I asked the owner what negatives there were, he had an uncharacteristically long pause, which was the answer right there. This car is spectacular.

McLaren has brought to market a blazingly quick, extremely light super sports machine that is a borderline hypercar yet lighter and more powerful than both the Ford GT and Ferrari 488 GTB. With an MSRP of $372,600, versus the supposedly quicker lapping Ford GT, it is lighter, makes more power, probably was easier to obtain, and is a convertible that isn’t too cramped for two occupants. The styling is stunning with the top down and surprisingly the owner doesn’t have any photos with the top up, nor did I take any.  Yet with the top down, it is a very livable hyper-exotic car with looks and performance to match. Now the even more powerful McLaren 720S has hit the market, presenting still another choice. And I still play the lottery. 

The complete picture album is on my San Jose Cars Examiner Facebook page:

The Dodge Demon is not banned and other facts

It’s time to straighten out the misconceptions, ignorance and fake news about the Dodge Demon. Dodge conducted an extensive marketing campaign to introduce the Dodge Challenger based Demon. There was much speculation but the bottom line is it is the quickest production car ever made, only potentially beaten by the all-wheel drive Bugatti Chiron. Further furor struck when Dodge announced the NHRA letter this Demon was banned from their tracks because it was too quick and too fast without a roll cage. Notice the letter stated “this vehicle”.  There is no blanket ban on the Dodge Demon at NHRA member tracks.

There are no letters about the Veyron, La Ferrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1? That’s because despite their potential to exceed the NHRA 2008 model year production car limit of a 135mph trap speed or 10.0 second ET, those numbers have to be exceeded and witnessed at an NHRA member track first before the singular, observed vehicle is banned. And not a blanket ban. Not every driver of those cars will exceed those limits and who’s to say they can’t back off in order to stay eligible? Happens all the time with other built cars.

Let’s look at the demonic numbers. The pump gas, emissions legal horsepower rating is 808hp and 717 lbs ft torque. With the optional 100 octane race gas tune Engine Control Unit (ECU), those levels go up to 838hp and 770 lbs ft torque. The race gas tune does not void the powertrain warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles either. This optional ECU equipped Demon ran a 9.65 ET at 140mph quarter mile with a 2.3 second 0-60mph time, all NHRA certified. It also has a production car record wheelie distance of 2.92 feet per Guinness World Records. However Motor Trend reported the new Porsche 911 Turbo S also lifts its front wheels.

The stock tires are Nitto drag radials (DRs), 315/40/18s, front and rear. Of course they are not recommended for temperatures below 15 degrees but that is the case with virtually every summer tire designed for maximum fair weather grip as opposed rain, snow, etc. While many scoff at the choice of DRs, there are plenty of users on the internet that report using them during track days on road circuits with the appropriately raised air pressure. Surprise! Dodge reports a 60-0 braking distance of a world class 97 feet as well.

This is not just a supercharger pulley swapped Hellcat. It has a larger supercharger, upgraded connecting rods, pistons, and valvetrain as part of 25 upgraded engine components. It also has a higher stall torque converter, more aggressive final drive ratio and twin dual-stage fuel pumps. The only transmission, an 8 speed automatic, has been strengthened along with an upgraded drive shaft, rear axle and larger half shafts. There is also equipment specific to drag racing such as a Line Lock which allows the rear tires to spin with the front brakes engaged in order to warm them up for more traction off the line. The Mustang GT was the first production car with this feature.

There are some production car firsts. One is a transbrake that engages first gear and second gear simultaneously to allow the engine to build supercharger boost for more power during the launch. Aftermarket transbrakes engage first and reverse, but in case of a failure of first gear, the Demon won't suddenly go backwards. A clever step in avoiding potential liability. An "After cooler" uses air conditioning coolant in a chiller system to drop the intake air temperature up to 45 degrees to make sure the engine produces optimum power, more consistently, and offset the power robbing effect of hot weather. It also helps cool the engine after a run as well. There is a torque reserve system that builds supercharger boost in preparation for a hard launch with the transbrake.

The front shocks are designed to allow for front end lift under acceleration for better weight transfer to the rear while the rear shocks have firm compression and damping for optimized rear traction. The traction control is also optimized for acceleration and stability control kicks in if the vehicle is no longer traveling straight, further shutting down the jokes about being wrecked immediately leaving Cars and Coffee events.

There are equipment packages available with the Demon which has an MSRP of $84,995 by itself. You can add air conditioning and a radio. Otherwise two speakers are standard, required for seatbelt and key in the ignition chimes. However the two most discussed options cost $1 each. The first one is passenger and rear seats. The second one is a tool crate that includes the aforementioned ECU, skinny front wheels but not the tires, a floor jack and electric impact wrench for removing and installing the wheels. It also includes a tire pressure gauge, fender cover and a tool bag, most of which supplied by Snap-On.

The Challenger platform, while large and heavy, is still relevant today. Can you think of another coupe with room for four that has, say, six hundred horsepower or more than weighs less? What about under $100k? What Dodge has done is for the history books. There has never been a car like the Demon, and in the age of hybrids, environmental concerns, electrification, and more; there will probably never be anything like it again that is street legal. Well done Dodge, you’ve created a modern legend.

For an even more in-depth summary of the equipment levels and features, check out this link:

http://www.newson6.com/story/35127512/2018-dodge-challenger-srt-demon-pulls-the-wheels

Photos courtesy of FCA US media:

BMW M760LI xDrive quick review

2017 BMW M760LI XDRIVE – LUXURY ON OVER-DRIVE

Originally published on the new performance oriented website, Fuelcurve.com:  https://fuelcurve.com/2017-bmw-m760li-xdrive-luxury-over-drive-review/

Seeing a factory matte finish BMW raises the eyebrows. Strolling nonchalantly toward it, spotting the V-12 emblem puts a pause in your pace. Then reading the back emblem and seeing “M760i” denoting BMW’s 601hp technological tour-de-force definitely raises both eyebrows. Who knew a 2017 model year V-12, twin turbo sedan was available anywhere for nearly $172,000.

This is a CEO car. It’s for the business owner who, nicely put, gives zero cares about what anyone thinks about his or her 16mpg highway Q-ship. They worked hard, employ many, and get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Or maybe wants something that is extremely modern, smooth and quiet and not care where the charging station may or may not be.

Start-up and driving is like any other car in the basic sense. But extra attention is given to the passengers both front and rear. Like it’s a perfect host or hostess for wheeled travel. Maybe that would be a coastess? The rear passengers share a center tablet and there are display screens behind each front seat. Each passenger can set their own seat adjustments in the rear as well.

BMW’s flagship is a first-class experience matching the turbine-like power plant under the hood. Calling it a motor or engine is just too mundane. Acceleration is swift, it leaps when need be and effortlessly closes gaps in traffic with a slight provocation of the foot. Turn-in can be surprisingly quick when manhandling the steering wheel. With the all-wheel drive, traction is never really an issue despite the V-12s best attempt to smoke the tires. Of course it’s heavy, but BMW’s new Carbon Core technology resulted in a massive 285lb weight reduction from the previous 7-series. Granted, adding four cylinders puts some weight right back, but you don't argue with a V-12. Nuff said.

Of course the suspension has adjustments but even in the comfort setting it couldn’t iron out some of the bumps on a backroad, but they were minimized greatly.  Regardless, the sheer insulation and isolation is instantly apparent. As soon as we turned onto the main road my wife immediately looked at me and said, “This is a really nice car!” With particular emphasis on the “really” part. 

It’s the technology that demands time to get familiar with the car, reading the manual, and spending hours learning it but the payoff is priceless. The gesture control seems to work in front of the steering wheel. Perhaps doing so unintuitively, performing gestures in front of the infotainment screen just made me look inept. But in describing this car, inept is not a word that comes to mind, ever.

Be sure to check out the new performance enthusiast website Fuelcurve.com where this article was first published:  https://fuelcurve.com/2017-bmw-m760li-xdrive-luxury-over-drive-review/

The Absurdity of Fastrak and the HOV lanes

The state of California continues with the ridiculous HOV or High Occupancy Vehicle lanes that are intended for Electric Vehicles, hybrids with limited issue permission stickers, motorcycles and multiple occupant vehicles. As you can guess, eventually these lanes won’t move any quicker than other full access lanes. That’s how stupid they are. They are so poorly thought out that there are multiple scenarios that the system can be foiled.

Of course, not everyone can use these lanes which I covered in a previous article here: http://cartruthblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/abolish-wasteful-and-unfair-hov-lanes.html so they are patently unfair. Now in the infinite wisdom of CalTrans and others, the Fastrak was introduced in order to charge a fee for solo riders who want to use the lanes. This meant adding sensors to detect vehicles but still no cameras for reading license plates. Of course cameras came next along with a revised Fastrak that has a switch to indicate how many passengers are in the vehicle. Now imagine the infrastructure needed to support all this.

The cameras cannot see occupants such as children behind the front seats, especially in vehicles with tinted or covered windows. Lighting and windshield angles with reflections can come into play as well. Will cameras with those abilities come next? How will they be monitored? There’s talk that sensors will be incorporated to somehow detect how many occupants are really in the vehicles. When will this madness ever stop? Until then the poorly conceived notion of the HOV lane, the Fastrak and lanes monitored with license readers can be cheated in multiple scenarios.

Finally, how silly to have to manipulate a essentially a cell phone sized object to adjust for the number of occupants, or keeping it covered in its ESD bag so the sensors can't pick it up. And keeping it glued or velcro'd on our dashboard? That's absurd. Here's another problem about the Fastrak system. A couple lines of code can easily determine the speed traveled between the sensors. And finally, if tolls must be collected, it should be in every lane, the same amount, for everyone and done by a bar code sticker on the windshield or by license plate.

Below are the numerous situation that can be encountered and bluffed. Lie at your own risk.

Solo or Multiple occupants, no vehicle sensor, no license plate reader. Example: San Tomas Expressway:
No Charge

Solo occupant, vehicle sensors but no license plate reader. Example, 680 Southbound, Sunol to San Jose
1. No FasTrak – No Charge
2. FasTrak covered – No Charge
3. FastTrak displayed – disputes charged claiming passenger(s) in vehicle – Account Credited

Solo driver on a license reader equipped road. Example:  580 Eastbound, Pleasanton to Livermore
4. FaskTrak displayed, disputes charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle - Account Credited
5. FasTrak covered, disputes charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle – Account Credited

Solo driver with FasTrak Flex on a license reader equipped road. Example: 580 Eastbound, Pleasanton to Livermore
6. FastTrak Flex set to 2-4 people – No charge
7. FastTrak Flex set to 1 person - disputes charge claiming passengers in vehicle – Account Credited
8. FastTrak Flex covered – charged, dispute charge claiming passengers in vehicle – Account Credited

Multiple Occupants with vehicle sensors, no license reader:
9. No FasTrak – No Charge
10. FasTrak covered – No Charge
11. FasTrak displayed – charge is invalid, disputes charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle - Account Credited

Multiple Occupants with FasTrak and license reader equipped road:
12. No FasTrak – dispute charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle  – No Charge
13. FasTrak covered – dispute charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle - No Charge
14. FasTrak displayed – dispute charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle – No Charge

Multiple Occupants with FasTrak Flex and license reader equipped road:
15. FastTrak Flex set to correct setting – No Charge
16. FasTrak Flex set to incorrect setting – dispute charge claiming 3 passengers in vehicle – No Charge
17. FasTrak covered – dispute charge claiming passenger(s) in vehicle – No Charge

It’s been said, and a Google search indicates that an HOV lane violation is not a moving violation and doesn’t add points on a license in California. They key is to contest the ticket in court, if the officer isn’t there to testify, conventional wisdom says to plead not guilty and no witness present means the ticket will be tossed. If the officer is present, I would ask for forgiveness and a reduced fine. It’s a travesty that a texting ticket is less than a carpool violation ticket. The travesty of the existence HOV lanes and the Fastrak system also needs to be fixed. As in abolished.

Do you really think putting more vehicles in fewer lanes is a good idea? Don't be absurd.