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Speed Addicts or The Cool Factor
Power is an interesting and cruel mistress: Get a taste of it and not only do you want more, but you often spend valuable brain cells and neurons scheming of a way to get it. Call it lust -- and an addiction if you will. Power can come in many forms, but I'm of course thinking of horsepower. Being who I am, where I've worked and what I'm surrounded by on a daily basis, it's no wonder I have these thoughts fermenting in my skull. Be it for work or for personal gratification, I can't stop thinking about the mechanisms that can bring about "more."
Posted by John Espino on June 13, 2008Diesel Roundup or Bosch’s Armada
Howdy thar, partners. A couple of blog entries back I gave the lowdown on Gale's and my venture with Bosch in Las Vegas during the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference, but I didn't get to write much about the demonstration vehicles we had there for our Ride & Drive event. Bosch has corralled a pretty impressive array of diesel steeds for the press to drive and write about. The idea is to get out not only the word but also the feeling one gets from driving any one of the examples of modern-day diesel - and to let people know that they're available on the market today.
Posted by John Espino on June 02, 2008Accelerated Breathing or Product Evolution
You know the feeling when you have a cold and your nose is all plugged and it's a doggone burden to even breathe? Well, I imagine that is kinda how your vehicle must feel day after day with the stock intake and exhaust system that it was born with. It doesn't stop there, because if it's turbocharged, it just might have a terribly restrictive intercooler to boot. With all of the backup in airflow, it's a wonder your vehicle even moves, and with you behind the wheel demanding more performance to move around that Sunday driver in front of you, the situation is only exasperated. It's no wonder why the mileage is not really quite what that window sticker said your ride was supposed to get.
Many moons ago, when I worked in the Installation department here at Banks, folks would often ask what we do to get more power and economy out of a vehicle. I simply explained it like this: You have a fantastic athlete under the hood, that being the engine, which is designed and bred to be a winner. The factory tells that athlete that he has to wear an extra heavy backpack and carry arm and leg weights. Next, they tell him to run a marathon, but he has to run the race with a piece of tape over his mouth and an index finger up one nostril. What do you think will be the outcome of the race for the poor fellow under these conditions?
Posted by John Espino on May 29, 2008Gambling on alternative fuels or A mighty wind
I spent last weekend (not this one that just passed but the other one) in Las Vegas with my buddies from Bosch. We were in the city of sin to set up Bosch's Learning Center for the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference that was being held there. It's kind of hard to think of diesel as an "alternative" fuel since it's been around for such a long time, but it's lumped into the same category as all of the future fuels that are making headlines these days. I'm going to list these different fuels in an upcoming blog and go over what makes them real - or just plain wishful thinking - but right now I just want to share a little about the event we were getting ready for on Monday, May 12.
Posted by John Espino on May 22, 2008Fuel-injected childhood dreams
It's Friday, but not an ordinary Friday by any means. It's actually a day that I have waited for most of my life. I've never kept it a secret that I'm somewhat of a nerd and a child at heart. Today, both of those traits are in for a treat as I use up a half day of vacation and split work early to catch a showing of Speed Racer! Yep, the show that gave me the automotive bug when I was just four years old is finally a movie!
I'd have to say I'm kinda lucky that my parents didn't really pay too much attention to me as a kid. There was TV, right, so why interact? No hard feelings; after all, I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been that way. I had great playmates and teachers: Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, Johnny Sako and his Giant Robot, several Japanese super robots, Spider-Man, Batman, Ultraman, and Speed Racer.Posted by John Espino on May 09, 2008Hoist the colors! or With great power comes great responsibility!
I'm on my way back from Tampa and the Truck U shoot. I'm on the plane and just finished watching the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time (a truly bitchin’ movie no matter what anyone says! Naysayers can walk the plank) and I feel compelled to finish my story from my first entry. Arrr... Ye sees me hardies me thinks the show is going to be pretty neat, says I. It focuses on safe towing power (that's where Banks comes in). Apparently the truck they borrowed for the taping was an '08 Chevy Duramax that was used to tow a five-car hauler. That alone takes a lot of grunt, and while the D-max is up for the job, it still could use some help by infusing it with Herculean power. So what we did was put a full Banks PowerPack on it, which if it was FDA recommended would come with a prescription.
Folks are jittery about doing something to a new truck with a particulate trap on it, and why shouldn't they be? You see, there are a lot of choices out there in Performanceville, but not all products are created equal. Sure, I work for Banks and am going to say my stuff is the best, but really it's true and not an overbiased opinion. At Banks, we spend a bundle getting everyone’s offerings and then proceed to test the snot out of 'em with equipment that rivals the original manufacturers. You see, companies rushing to get their products to be "first to market" aren’t really that good for you if quality and efficiency go out the window or, more importantly, out the window goes the safety factor that the stock system afforded you. What will it do to your rig while it unleashes its rush of power? You see, that smile on your face from the extra speed only lasts so long when your investment starts to puke parts like an anorexic model after a hardy meal. Three words can bring confidence to your choice of go-powerful parts: CleanTune™, ActiveSafety® and AutoRate®.
Posted by John Espino on May 07, 2008What's my motivation? or Trucking in Tampa
For the plane ride back, I've got to remember to at least try for a window seat. It was bad enough being the middle child in my family, but it was torture being in the middle on a plane ride across the country. Heck, I even ran out of mints! At least sitting by the window on the plane trip back I can spend the hours looking for the gremlin that crawls on the wing and jacks around with the engine. I'm going to get that little jerk some day! Some day!
Anyways...
So here I am in Tampa, on the set where they film Two Guys Garage and Truck U. It's always cool visiting where TV and film magic happen. Most people think that it all happens in sunny California, but really it can happen anywhere. For example, the set where I am now happens to be in a very inconspicuous area next to what looks like an auto repair joint. Inside this bunker is everything you need to film whatever you want, really, and through the magic of HD recording gear, the process is a short one. Edits and all the other film stuff can be done on the fly, saving huge amounts of time. The shoot is expected to wrap up early this evening.
Posted by John Espino on May 06, 2008Being the middleman or Fire-breathing exhaust
Wouldn't you know it, I'm trapped in the middle seat on this leg of the flight to Florida. It's not a good situation due to the fact that the gents on either side of me are asleep with their mouths open, a trait I deplore among sleepers. That and folks whom you can hear chomp, slurp and downright overly masticate their sustenance - be it gum or a meal. Worse yet is their lack of understanding for my personal boundaries as their lifeless appendages rest on me. Under these circumstances, I can't use my laptop and have to write this on my trusty pocket PC using a tiny keyboard. Urgh...good thing I'm a techno-geek.
Anyways, so I'm flying to Tampa. I've never been there, maybe because I've never needed to or the fact that it sounds like a medical condition. But now I'm headed there as a technical representative for Banks Power during a shoot for an episode of Truck U, which airs on Speed Channel. It's a companion show to Two Guys Garage, which is a pretty good show in its own right. The episode will cover safe power for DPF-equipped diesel trucks. (Aw geez! The guy next to me has frequent spasms while sleeping. Maybe he's dreaming about being in school again and not having his homework turned in...that or cobras.)
A diesel particulate filter, or DPF, is something relatively new to a diesel's emission system, and it is both misunderstood and feared...kinda like the Hulk. Unlike the green goliath, however, a DPF unit isn't infused with gamma radiation and can't tear up a city, but it can breathe fire and destroy property if provoked. Let me explain: The filter is in place to load up with soot particles that would normally make their way out of the tailpipe. After a certain amount of miles, the DPF goes through a regeneration cycle to burn itself clean. In order to do this, the ECU commands the injectors to spew an extra amount of fuel and plays with the timing so that it can be ignited, causing an afterburner effect. This event effectively makes the trapped soot burn to ash and makes the DPF clean again. The byproduct of this "event" is a stunning EGT level. This same exhaust that burns the soot into ash also blows out of the tailpipe, bringing about the need for a special kind of exhaust system that draws in colder outside air to mix with the blowtorch-hot exhaust.Posted by John Espino on May 06, 2008I'm ready for my close-up or Alpha Male sighting
Hollywood is at it again: they're filming a movie in my neighborhood, but down the street from me. So close, yet so far away. The movie and television companies always seem to do this to me... they tease me knowing full well that I was meant to be immortalized on screen. I personally think that they're afraid of my vast talent. I mean, why else would I always get picked from the audience at one of those shows at Universal Studios? I do a mean falling off a building, and I was even a "Red Shirt" fighting a Klingon in a Star Trek stage show once. I have the VHS tape to prove it.
Posted by John Espino on August 22, 2007Atom is da Bomb! or How to Distort Your Face in Under Three Seconds
I have to tell you all that Ginger Ale is just about my favorite drink... period. It brings back fond memories of days long past. I'll usually partake in a plastic Dixie cup of Canada Dry's version of the beverage on business flights, but on recent trip to Oregon I was treated to a Verner's. Ain't that a something? I mean I thought that brand went away when I was a kid, at least that's the way it is in California anyways. Then another blast from the past... I got on a plane with propellers. Yes folks, the futuristic world of the 21st Century is here... and without the flying cars, robot butlers, an Astro-Base on the Moon or the rocket-pack I was promised as a boy. Airplanes still have propellers.
Posted by John Espino on April 17, 2007Smile, You're on Candid Camera or You Tubed
Some of you nice folks have been asking me "why the heck haven't you written anything lately?". The answer: aside from the massive amount of things I have to do on a daily basis... I've had writer's block. I mean I have plenty of ideas for cleaver, witty and informative blogs, but getting the time to write is almost impossible. Whenever I do get a chance to get in front of a keyboard to input my tails of wonder I get a blank stare and frozen finger syndrome. It's kinda like vapor-lock of the brain. But, with the help of ancient medicine, leeches, voodoo and vitamins I'm on the road to recovery. So here it goes...
Posted by John Espino on March 30, 2007Boomerang Effect or Strange Bedfellows
I may have mentioned this in an earlier blog, and then again maybe I didn't. Things have been pretty wild for me at GBE lately and I've had to increase my doses of Ginkgo Biloba. Ok... here it is: folks, we are finally getting back into the engine business. Back in the past we were pretty well known for our high performance marine and street machine engines, but like I said... that was in the past. Now I know we have our mighty twin turbo small-block, but we haven't really been pushing that as well as we could/should. The rest of this stuff that's coming will make real waves quite literally.
Posted by John Espino on September 25, 2006So did they win? or When we last left our heroes...
It's been a while (again), but here's my latest entry. I've got about four more in the can, only it's just that they're only half done each. Since the last time I wrote I've been to pulled over, went to visit a guy we're selling engines to, went on vacation, went to Indy for the big race, and met with GM a few times. Although those "adventures" are something to write about... I bet your wondering how we did with the truck this weekend?
Posted by John Espino on June 20, 2006Sidewinder Type-R: Ready to Race! or Ready to Race?
Hi Folks,
Some of you might know (and most of you didn't have a clue) that we actually went out and put some miles on our little red pick-up a couple of weeks ago. "What, you went out and raced without telling me?" you say. Well, the answer is "yes", I guess. We didn't really want to make it a big production since she was going into combat for the first time, and in all reality we are still in the testing phase of this grand experiment. I mean we all like being in the spotlight, but who wants to get burnt? I'd kind of say it was like being a great singer and going to a Karaoke contest at a local club, rather than going on American Idol and bombing out on national TV while getting crushed by Simon (not that I ever watch the show... I hear things about it. Really).
Posted by John Espino on May 02, 2006M.I.A or Jane, stop this crazy thing!
Good golly Miss Molly! I realized that I've been lax on getting my Blog entries in as of late, but I honestly didn't think I was that over due! Sorry guys and gals (Umm... and Gale especially!). I looked at the site the other morning and saw the date of my last Blog. Shameful... just plain shameful.
Posted by John Espino on April 17, 2006More SEMA wrap-up
Well, being that I worked the booth most of the time I didn't get to wander around like I had wanted to. I did meet some great folks who had great questions about our products... and even their own vehicles. One guy came to me a little frustrated and confused saying that the guys in the GM booth couldn't answer any of his questions on the changes to this year's iteration of the Duramax LLY or LBZ, and get this... they told him to go ask Banks because they know more about it than they did. Wow, it's nice to be recognized by your peers. Turns out they were right and the gent and I went over the changes from the cooling system to the block. He left pretty satisfied.
Posted by John Espino on November 07, 2005The notes from SEMA: Day 1 or Crazy Town
Guess what I'm doing? Gambling? Nope. Checking out the wom... um... sights? Nah! You got it: sitting in my hotel room on a Halloween night in Vegas watching the cinematic great "Catwoman". Man... isn't life great? How on Earth did I miss this gem? I mean, this has got to be one the finest films of our time. Who cares about the words of attractive females dressed as doctors, Indian maidens and showgirls when you've got something with such a gripping storyline?
Anyway, we're here and so far so good. Our new booth is better than it looked on paper. A two story structure that blows away anything we've done in the past. I'll post some photos tomorrow when the background isn't so full of empty crates and union workers "working". Nothing else really to report yet since the fun starts tomorrow.
Posted by John Espino on November 01, 2005Wild Kingdom or Fuzzy Memories: Take 1
Ok... let me start off by saying that one of the things I wanted to do when we first started out with this "blog" thing was to kinda open the vault into the company and the cool stuff we're doing and planning. A novel idea in theory, but when you do actually do that you let the cat out of the bag on things you really shouldn't. Products and projects wouldn't quite have the same effect if everybody knew about them, and then sometimes you end up sounding like a commercial... which is far from what we want to do.
So, what do you do when you're supposed to write stuff? Ah, the answer I've come up with is to reach into your mind and pull out the first thing your fingers squish. Hence you have my latest offering which won't make sense at first, but will later... maybe even leaking into another blog here and there.
One of my best fuzzy memories growing up was watching the incredibly kid-friendly Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. The reason I say "fuzzy" is because it was a long time ago and remembering it is like watching an old UHF television channel: no matter what you did to those rabbit ears the picture always had snow and occasional lapses in viewing pleasure. It's not like trying to watch ON-TV or Select TV on channel 22 or 52 (first cable stations for those of you too wee in years to remember). I mean with those you could spend hours just staring at a green, red, blue and yellow swirl of squiggly lines just to see a leg or something. Hours into it you may even see a clear picture, only to have it replaces with the color blob. Oh, but those few moments of victory over "the Man" provided bragging rights at school the next day.What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Wild Kingdom! What a great show! For those of you who never watched this wonder each show was introduced by the host, Marlin Perkins, in his office. The office was filled with books and maps and souvenirs brought back from what could have been great adventures and expeditions to parts unknown. Sometimes he'd have an animal guest in the office, a monkey or tiger, which added to the fascination. The introduction usually started with an explanation of what we were going to see during the 30 minutes of adventure with the host pointing to a zone on a globe. Sometimes it was something adorable like watching cubs play around, but mostly we were treated the raw, savage rules of the jungle where the Alpha Male ruled his territory. The cool thing is that they would trank and tag an animal and follow it when it woke up to see how it interacted with the rest of the jungle world.... always watched and never being seen. Kinda like jungle ninja. By doing this they learned all kinds of valuable info.
So where am I going with this little portion of my childhood? One can put to good use what I learned from that show in the world of automotive progress and design The funny thing is that the sometimes from where I am I feel as if I am on that TV safari... observing the alpha male pound his chest and roar to show his supremacy, or seeing the bloody battle to see who rules the pride. Examples: at an auto show listening to folks in the crowd, or better yet the most dangerous place on the net... the "forums". I mean, where else can you see nature's wildest beasts tear into each other with such venom and fury? Have an opinion or a question and who takes the lead of the thread: none other than the Alpha Male. What's better is when there is a challenger or two... and then the fur flies as they claw, bite and ram each other into oblivion. The funny thing is that the loudest, I mean "strongest" Alpha Male is usually wrong with his stance, but he is the leader of his land none the less.
Next time you're bored and hankering for action, put on your adventure gear and let your fingers guide you to some of the best fights in the animal kingdom by surfing your favorite forums. It's a jungle out there.
Posted by John Espino on October 04, 2005Vacation... all I ever wanted? or "Dude, where's my car?"
(Please note: there is a car story here... really.)
The word "vacation" has never been one that has meant much to me. Growing up time-off from school or work was an opportunity for my loving family to work on the house, an exercise in perpetual futility. Tear down a wall, build it back up. Paint the inside, outside, walls, parakeet and dog. Backyard flat? Hell, the kids can dig that fish pond. Oh, and it needs to be 4-ft. deep. I'm not really complaining... just unlocking the door so you can understand my malfunction. To me a vacation is really just a time to get things done, even if it is work related, and really not to lounge on a deck or vegetate. Not that something like that is wrong mind you... I'm just damaged in my way of thinking compared to most of the human race. Thanks for another thing, Mom and Dad.
Posted by John Espino on August 15, 2005Alpha Booster or H1: Sith Lord
There are certain vehicles that are automatically associated with certain people. Let's try a few:
Batman
James Bond
Steve McQueen
The Green HornetGet the idea? Now tell me what comes to mind when I say Arnold Schwarzenegger? Hmmm... it has to be a Hummer, the really big kind. Everyone knows that association, even my grandmother. Well, maybe she isn't the best example, but you get the idea.
Posted by John Espino on August 11, 2005Time Travel or Power Tour Epilogue
And so here is yet another late entry in my log of blogs. Let's set the clock back... back... back... to June 8th...
... So this is my first time flying Southwest... and I have to tell you it ain't bad. Oh, I'm sure that if it was packed like my flight to Milwaukee I would have much more to say. But hey, airlines don't always smash as many folks as they can into a tiny plane like it was a dare or something like that... do they? The thing I thought was funny was that there are no assigned seats on Southwest, and it was every person for themselves. What a hoot it was to see everyone running to be first in line. I even got caught up in the rush. Hah... that little old lady never knew what hit her.
Well, if someone were to ask me if the Power Tour was worth it I'd have to answer "hell ya"! Where else could you go where there is a sea of pure power on four wheels, with some of the friendliest folks around? I mean it, not a jerk among them. The best part was that they were totally accepting of us and our vehicles, and let's face it... we were the invaders. When you think of "hot rods" you don't really think of a 4X4 with a diesel engine in it, but truth be told the times are a changing. Our mini fleet were hot rods in every way: they were over kill, flashy and could spin the tires till the rubber became molten shards of rage. The difference between our versions and the traditional idea of a hot rod is that you can haul lumber, groceries, a TV and the family... all at stupid speed. Yeah! Of course, if you're not careful in ours you may eventually run over a Chrysler Crossfire or something (whistles innocently).
There's something else I learned on my travels: some of the states we went through aren't allergy friendly. Chicago and Milwaukee both looked as if there was a horrible simultaneous accident on every street involving chicken trucks. I've never see so much junk floating through the air for so long! Sneezing for days... what a drag.
And now here we are in the futuristic time of the present...
Anyhow, it's good to be home and back at the grind. Hopefully I can get caught up with my blogs dazzling you all with wisdom, insight and dumb laughs.
... one can only hope.
Posted by John Espino on June 29, 2005Running After the Ice Cream Man, or Picking up the Sidewinder
Remember when you were a kid and you heard that sound? You know, the sound that could motivate the dead to rise and you to drop whatever you were doing and run like hell screaming with whatever coins you could find clinched into your tiny hands? It was a melody that seemed to carry through the air even from miles away and could interrupt anything that was going on in your life at the time making you swing your head it the direction it was coming from. Yeah... that sound: the Ice Cream Man's theme. It wasn't the same theme every time and there were different vehicles, some yellow and some white... but they all had the same wonderful junk. Where else could you get an ice cream with gumballs for eyes for one hand and a giant Pixie Stick for the other hand? Ah, the rush.
Anyway, I can honestly say that vision is the only thing I could use to describe the excitement that quickly spread at the Bosch Technical Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan when Jim and I arrived to pick up the Sidewinder after the DCX Tech Fair. As we fired up the engine its sound traveled through the plant like the Ice Cream Man's theme, pulling people from their desks and stations. We had a long drive ahead of us traveling from Michigan to Chicago so we let the Sidewinder warm up for a while, and the crowd grew. The Bosch folks were genuinely excited to see the truck. Good. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see the people who are responsible for some of the most advanced automotive systems on the planet impressed to see our "little engine that could." These folks are our peers, and partners in our upcoming Duramax race efforts. For them to be that thrilled says a lot about what we do, and what we can accomplish together.
Wait till the Type-R is done. We might have a riot on our hands.
Posted by John Espino on June 29, 2005Bosch DCX Tech Fair or "Drive Sample Vehicles Like You Stole Them!"
I know... it's been a while since I've written, but I've got a good excuse. No, really... I do. See, I went on the Hot Rod Power Tour and before that, Bosch's DCX Tech Fair. Vehicles, meetings, logistics, details and way too many "what ifs" make Johnny a dull boy. It's as if I've been a cross between the proverbial one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest spliced with a chicken with its head cut off. Sort of a one-legged chicken-man with no head trying to kick some butt if you will. See the problem?
Posted by John Espino on June 24, 2005Cooling That Powerful Itch
Some tough questions should be asked when venturing into the world of diesel power: Are you shopping for a product to speed up your truck for quick 0 to 60 sprints and quarter mile bragging rights, or are you looking to enhance its towing brawn? Is there a way to get both? Just why does my truck need to blow plumes of black smoke to make power, and what is it really doing to the engine?
Posted by John Espino on May 09, 2005Shhhh... we're working on some future stuff!
A little while ago, I wrote in my first blog that we get our hands on some really neat, future stuff. A good example from the past was the powerplant for our Sidewinder Dakota truck. You know... that little red pickup that ended up smashing a number of speed records and went 222 m.p.h.? Well, that engine was a '03 common-rail Cummins that we just so happened to get in 2001 from the Cummins Skunkworks for our project.
Posted by John Espino on April 27, 2005Turbo Lover: Part One
Have you ever heard a sound that gave you goose bumps just by hearing it? Ever since I was a kid that magic tone for me was that of a turbine whine. To me it just sounds like power incarnate. I mean...what's more powerful sounding than a jet taxiing and taking off? That is the sound that suckered me into buying my first turbocharged car: the underrated Merkur XR4Ti. I like my vehicles to be different, and this one sure fit the bill. Aside from looking like the forbidden love child of Saab and a Ford Escort, it had a blown Pinto 2.3 liter engine that whined louder than a dentist's drill. Turbo lag was BIG, but when it finally built up the power its demeanor turned from that of a timid koala bear to a raging donkey and squished my unassuming passengers deep into their seats. Sweeeet! From then on I was bitten by the beast known as the turbo, and its venom went straight to my brain. The true journey to the Dark Side had begun.
Posted by John Espino on April 20, 2005Beware the Blog!
"The Blog!" Blog this and blog that -- that's all I've been hearing for the past month. Up until recently I thought folks were talking about the anamorphic amoeba with the voracious appetite that terrorized a small town back in the '50s flick. They tried to stop it by burning it, shooting it and then blowing it up. Just about the only thing that'd stop it was freezing it. After all was said and done the thing grew from about the size of a pea to a giant glob.
Posted by John Espino on April 14, 2005
