EVOLUTION OF SPEED

It’s May in Indianapolis so I slip on my driver’s suit and racing helmet and wedge into the cockpit. Oh, wait, that didn’t happen. The first two things, anyway. There’s no driver’s suit or helmet needed to get behind the wheel of the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. But only fashion ...

• 2:56 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2013

Oil barrel needs to be properly disposed

Dear Tom and Ray: Back in the ’80s, when there wasn’t anywhere he knew of to take used oil for recycling, my dad started pouring it into a 55-gallon drum in the garage. Not just oil, but anything sort of like it: transmission fluid, brake fluid, you name it. That ...

• 2:51 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2013

FINAL CURTAIN CALL

A curtain call is warranted when a performance has been superior. The performer then comes out and takes one last bow. That’s sort of what’s going on with my tester for the week — the 2013 Chevy Avalanche. Whether this light-duty pickup’s performance since 2002 has been superior enough to ...

• 2:38 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2013

MAZDA6: Fresh look for an old standby

The midsize sedan that can pass the eye test, though, is the Mazda6. But not just any Mazda6. Make it the redesigned-for-2014 version. This is the third incarnation of the front-wheel drive, 5-passenger Mazda6 and is far and away the best visually. Front wheel wells closer to the bumper and ...

• 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

ARCA Reunion

Dayton Auto Race Fans club president Rick Monroe thought it might be a good idea to hold a reunion for the ARCA stock car series at a meeting and made the call to ARCA president Ron Drager. “I didn’t think about it all. I said, of course,” Drager said. “My ...

• 1:22 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

Wheels of the Week: ARCA Reunion

• 1:20 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

Mechanic was right about ceramic brake pads

I recently needed to replace my brakes, and the shop sold me on ceramic brake pads. The pads have a lifetime warranty, which is very appealing. I also was told that ceramic pads will generally prevent rotors from warping, eliminating the pulsating affect that one feels when braking with warped ...

• 1:07 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

BREAKING THE MOLD

In the world of family sedans, there’s plenty of competition. Most blend in with the crowd. Even the leaders of the pack, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, struggle to differentiate themselves from the crowd. For years, Ford’s family sedan offering, the Fusion, fell into the same-old, same-old mold. My tester ...

• 12:45 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

Reader asks about gasoline for boats

Wheels: Paul M from Dayton writes by e-mail: “With the approaching boating season, I am concerned about using gasoline that contains up to 10 percent ethanol. My boat, as well as most boats out there, were never designed to run on ethanol. The way this alcohol-blended fuel attracts water and ...

• 12:35 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2013

Wheels of the Week: Dick Lang’s 1963 Corvette

Xenia’s Dick Lang not only owned Lang’s Chevrolet, he was a very successful race car driver behind the wheel of the early Corvette. In a career that spanned 1958 though 1971, Lang raced a Corvette 59 times, won seven races and placed in the top three in 27 events. He ...

• 9:58 a.m. Friday, April 26, 2013