Maxxd.com – Modified and Performance Car News

  • FORZA HORIZON 5 TRAILER: FORZA GOES TO MEXICO

    Forza Horizon 5, the latest iteration of the fabled Forza franchise, has confirmed its open-world location as Mexico in the upcoming game out in November!

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    Built for next-gen consoles Xbox Series S and X, the new Forza Horizon 5 game takes to southern America and the breath-taking sites of Mexico. The open-world driving game will explore “living deserts, lush jungles, historic cities, hidden ruins, pristine beaches, vast canyons, and a towering snow-capped volcano – the highest point ever in a Horizon game.”

    Forza Horizon 5

    While its been optimised for Xbox Series S and X, users on the older Xbox One generation console will still have the opportunity to play the game, as will PC players.

    Sadly, gameplay is said to operate at 4K @ 30FPS (60FPS in performance mode) for Xbox Series X and 1080p @ 30FPS for the Series S model; given the game was built for the more advanced consoles, you would have expected the option of support for 120FPS for a more fluid and truer gaming experience. That being said, those skies you see in the trailer above is genuine Mexican sky as the team recorded the sky over a 12 hour period in Mexico at 12K resolution.

    Forza Horizon 5

    Thanks to the inclusion of more modifications, you’ll be able to tweak cars to a level you’ve not been able to before on a Forza Horizon game, like the inclusion of 100 new wheel designs, new body kits, paint options and “thousands of performance upgrades”. Sounds promising!

    Forza Horizon 5

    We don’t know how many cars the game is getting but from what we can see in the trailer, you can expect to be driving some epic machinery, from the Mercedes-AMG Project One and McLaren Senna to Ford Broncos and Land Rover Defenders, there’s something for everyone’s taste!

    Forza Horizon 5 officially releases on November 9, although you can get early access from November 5.


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  • Should you use racing oil in your road car?

    Every part of a modern race car is optimized to extract maximum performance—including the fluids that go into it. Specialized racing oil is a must in the paddock, but is it a good idea to use that in your road car?

    “Engineering Explained” host Jason Fenske answers that question in this video, talking to engineers from Mobil1 (which also sponsored the video), engine builder Roush Yates Engines, and NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing.

    First off, Fenske emphasizes that racing engines don’t have much in common with road-car engines. Pushrod V-8s like the ones used in NASCAR disappeared from the average American car decades ago, and racing engines in general have a very different duty cycle. They’re flogged (a NASCAR V-8 can rev to 10,000 rpm and spend 90% to 95% of a race at full throttle), but also have fairly short maintenance intervals. NASCAR engines have their oil changed about every 500 miles and are only expected to last about 1,500 miles, Fenske noted.

    Ford Mustang NASCAR Xfinity Series race car

    Ford Mustang NASCAR Xfinity Series race car

    NASCAR oil is also fairly unrestricted (rules can vary by race series), giving teams more leeway to look for competitive advantages, Fenske said. Teams tend to use thinner-weight oils to reduce frictional losses and maximize power. That’s not great for longevity but, remember, the engine only needs to last 1,500 miles. Road-car engines, on the other hand, are expected to last hundreds of thousands of miles, so that kind of tradeoff isn’t possible.

    Racing oils and road-car oils do have some commonalities, though. They use a lot of the same additives, such as detergents, dispersants, anti-foaming agents, antioxidants, and rust inhibitors, Fenske noted.

    However, the difference is in the details. Oils used for road cars are designed to meet a long list of regulations and requirements set down by individual automakers. In NASCAR where, again, rules governing oil are fairly loose, teams can optimize an oil for one specific engine design. It’s really that process that makes racing oil work, and it’s just not practical for individual road cars. Unless you have your own laboratory and a lot of patience, at least.

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  • Princess Diana’s 1981 Ford Escort heads to auction

    A 1981 Ford Escort sedan previously owned by Princess Diana is headed to auction with Reeman Dansie, which plans to put the car under the hammer on June 29.

    The car was given to Diana by Prince Charles as an engagement present in May 1981, two months before their wedding, and was used by her until August 1982, according to the auction house, adding that the Escort has been out of public view for 20 years.

    An Escort might not seem worthy of a princess, but this is the upmarket Ghia version, at least. It also sports a silver frog hood ornament, a copy of a gift from Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah Spencer, inspired by the fairy tale of a beautiful girl whose kiss turns a frog into a prince, per the auction listing.

    Princess Diana's 1981 Ford Escort - Photo via Reeman Dansie

    Princess Diana’s 1981 Ford Escort – Photo via Reeman Dansie

    The current owner is a “great admirer” of the princess, and has kept the Escort’s history secret until now, according to the listing. Auctioneers verified the car’s authenticity from its vehicle-history file and registration number, according to a BBC write-up of the sale. The auction house also claims photographs of Diana in the car—with the same WEV 297W license plate it wears now—confirm the royal connection.

    The Escort still sports its original paint and upholstery, and currently shows 83,000 miles on its odometer, according to the listing. This was the third generation of Escort, marked by a switch from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive. Ford eventually devised some performance versions of the third-ten Escort for the European market but, despite having one of the larger 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engines, this isn’t one of them.

    Reeman Dansie expects the royal Escort to fetch between 30,000 and 40,000 British pounds (approximately $42,000-$57,000 at current exchange rates) at auction, and noted that Diana’s Audi 80 cabriolet sold last year for 58,000 British pounds.

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