Grand Prix Performance - Costa Mesa, CA

Before driving a car, do a simple safety check. Turn on the lights and walk around the vehicle to ensure that all lights are in working order. Also check your blinkers for proper operation. Look for any fluid leaks or things hanging from the vehicle. Check that the tires are properly inflated.

The enemy of automotive greatness is weight. Yes, it's possible to make a Porsche Panamera or big Mercedes sedan slalom down a country road, but it requires vast amounts of horsepower and a slew of adaptive this and that — suspension, brakes, steering — all frantically chattering away in code, trying to keep the damn thing on the road. And the more semiconductors between you and the asphalt, the less you can feel a car's raw, unvarnished power.

Meet the antidote: the Lotus Evora, a small, fierce, featherweight midengine sports car that makes other sports cars feel like square-wheeled oxcarts.

Lotus was founded after World War II by an English aerodynamicist named Colin Chapman who was obsessed with reducing the mass of his cars to the absolute minimum — "add lightness" is how he put it. Chapman died in 1982 and the company staggered through decades of money troubles, but in 1995 it hit gold with the Lotus Elise — a tiny midengine, aluminum-chassis two-seater weighing about two thousand pounds. Powered by a screaming little Toyota engine, the Elise is a complete joy to drive hard — crazy, laughing-like-a-lunatic fun. Its chassis-dynamics engineer ought to be the fifth head on Mount Rushmore.

The problem: The Elise is a shoe box, impossible to get into. Parking valets have been known to quit on the spot.

This year Lotus rolls out the Evora — bigger than the Elise but still small, about five inches shorter than a Porsche 911 and just over three thousand pounds. It's a midengine two-plus-two — which is to say, it has tiny little backseats like the Porsche 911 — and unlike the Elise, it has a beautiful, finely crafted interior of French-stitched En-glish leather and brushed aluminum. But in all the scaling up and civilizing of the Evora, the Lotus gospel of elemental function and light weight has been preserved.

Powered by a feverish 276-hp Toyota V-6 mounted transversely and a six-speed manual gearbox, and strung on a race-car-pure suspension of coil-overs and wishbones — not a computer in sight — the Lotus covers the ground to 60 mph in under five seconds and flits and dives from corner to corner like Rimsky-Korsakov's bumblebee. This thing corners so hard, it could peel the bark off a tree.

Lotus has patented a kind of easy, predictable balance and directness so even average drivers walk away from the car feeling like Mario Andretti. At $73,500, what you have here is the everyman's Ferrari.

Expect the other drivers to make mistakes and think what you would do if a mistake does happen. For example, do not assume that a vehicle coming to a stop sign is going to stop. Be ready to react if it does not stop. Never cause an accident on purpose, even if a pedestrian or another vehicle fails to give you the right-of-way.

Carry in your vehicle, in an easy to find place, all contact numbers that you may need as well as Emergency contact information, personal information and any outstanding medical needs that you may have.

Michelin is currently working on their fifth generation of green tires and they have proved an improvement of at least 2 percent in improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions with each successive generation. This has been, in their own way a silent revolution, reducing global fuel consumption by more than 3 billion gallons and avoiding 30 million metric tons in CO2 emissions since 1992.

The lesson learned from the past decade and more critically the last 15 months is that together, we as an industry must commit to a new, more sustainable road mobility focused on new realities:

 * Must increase fuel efficiency and thereby reduce CO2 emissions.  The transportation industry is no exception and will not escape this necessity.
*We must improve road safety. This past November, the United Nations hosted the first global ministerial conference on road safety in Moscow. Michel Rollier, the CEO of the Michelin Group, was the only tire executive to participate. Michelin fully supports the roadmap that resulted from this global conference, which aims to curb the number of road fatalities (1.3 million today) and serious injuries (50 million today) by 2020. We know the crucial role that tires play in this fight, particularly in reducing stopping distances and improving vehicle handling.

Ok, not every girl needs to know how to tune up her car's engine. Heck, some of us don't even know that we need to tune our car's engine. Nonetheless, here are three basic components of car maintenance that every girl SHOULD know before she hits the road.

This guide will help you know what things to keep an eye on. You won't be able to fix everything that can go wrong, but at least you'll know that something is wrong and will know when you need to seek help.  At Grand Prix, we're committed to being a place that a girl feels comfortable walking into.  You will be treated just as we would want our own mothers, sisters, daughters and wives to be treated- with respect!  Ok, now onto the good stuff...

1) First things first, a girl should know how to check her tire pressure. It's one of the easiest parts of car maintenance but can make a huge difference in how your car performs. Your tires will last longer, and function to their maximum potential, you will save gas and therefore help the environment, you will have less wear and tear on your engine (saving you money long term) and just be all around safer if your tires are aired up correctly.  Believe me; no girl wants to experience a tire blow out on a major interstate just because she drove on over or under inflated tires.

For a few dollars you can buy a basic tire pressure gauge.  Once you have your tire gauge in hand, unscrew the valve stem cap on your tire (it's the little short thing that sticks out by the wheel). Now press the end of the gauge over the end of your valve stem. As you do, you'll hear a little air escaping the tire. It's ok as long as you move quickly. When you have the gauge positioned right, the stick inside it will pop out indicating your tire pressure. The last number visible (the one closest to being hidden) is your pressure. Most car manufacturers have the recommended psi on the inside of the driver's side door jamb.  If you are having trouble, come by Grand Prix, and we'd be happy to do it for you.


2) Another important part of car maintenance every girl should know about is engine temperature. Some cars have a gauge in the dashboard. If your car does, look at it occasionally while you're driving around. Now you'll have an idea what the gauge normally shows. If it goes a lot closer to the hot side than normal, give us a call or just come by the shop so we can take a look for you.

If you don't have that temperature gauge, don't panic. Some cars have a light in the dash that only lights up when the temperature has gone too high. If that light comes on and doesn't turn off, you'll know that it's time to look for help. Don't drive an overheated car. It can cause expensive damage. Under no circumstance, should you raise the hood on a car that has overheated and has steam pouring out of it! That's just asking to get burned.

3) Finally, this would be a very sorry guide to car maintenance if we didn't tell you that every girl should know to take care of her normally scheduled car maintenance. That means, every 5,000 miles or so (every car is different so check your owner’s manual and follow the manufacturer’s recommendation), you should plan on taking your car in for an oil change.  Did you know that we can do that for you at Grand Prix?  Anywho...Once you're in the shop, we can do a once over to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.

Following this guide won't guarantee that nothing ever goes wrong with your car. No one can make that promise. Taking care of these basic car maintenance issues will, however, go a long way towards guarding against surprise breakdowns. And every girl likes that!

Stay tuned for more helpful tips...

Since it seems the rain may never stop here in Southern California, we figured you might be up for some more safety tips while driving out there in these crazy conditions.  So here you go. 
Part Two of our Rainy Day Driving Tips:
1) Sloooooooow Dooooooown!  It takes longer to stop in wet weather.  Take your time so that you can avoid hydroplaning.  In the event that you do hydroplane, follow these steps-  first, take your foot off of the gas, and DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT stomp on the brakes. Instead, if you have a manual transmission, push in the clutch and let the car slow down on its own. If you drive an automatic, hold the steering wheel steady and lightly apply the brakes.
2) Avoid puddles whenever possible, but if you must drive slowly especially when you aren't sure how deep it is.
3) If you see moving water ahead of you, do not proceed if you aren't able to see the road beneath it.  You could easily get swept right off the road!
4) Drive in the tracks of a car ahead of you.
5) Replace old wiper blades.  It's an easy and inexpensive way to make your vehicle so much safer.  Also remember to keep your washer fluid topped off.
6) And please avoid splashing pedestrians!



Be cautious, be smart and take your time.  Give us a call if you have any concerns or questions about your vehicle's safety.  Be safe friends!!

Getting your car serviced regularly is one of the most important things you can do to minimize emissions and maximize fuel efficiency.

Regular service can spot lots of problems that reduce gas mileage and increase pollution, such as a broken thermostat, low transmission fluid, sticky brake calipers--or even something as simple as a dirty air filter.

If you can't remember when the last time was you had your car serviced, take it in. In extreme situations, you might increase your mileage by up to 10 percent. So what? Well, if you drove 20,000 miles a year, you would save $145--enough to cover the cost of the service and then some!

POPULAR COSTA MESA TIRE CENTER NEVER TIRES OF HELPING CHARITIES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY

 

COSTA MESA, CA—Here in the heart of Orange County, Grand Prix Performance is a popular tire, wheel and service center that Southern California residents turn to for their diverse automotive needs. It’s also a family-run business that firmly believes in the importance of actively contributing to the community. Beyond helping Southland drivers stay safe on the road with the proper equipment and repairs, this customer-focused company regularly gives back by supporting local schools and sponsoring important charitable events, including the Corona Del Mar Coastline Car Classic benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

 

Grand Prix Performance is once again a committed sponsor for the Toshiba Classic, a seven-day professional golf tournament held this March 2–9 during the Champions Tour that has now raised over $11 million for more than 45 different charitable institutions. With the Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian as the tournament’s primary beneficiary, Grand Prix Performance is proud to help raise funds for a nationally renowned nonprofit medical center that is steadfastly devoted to bringing nothing short of world-class healthcare to the region.

 

Numerous golf legends have competed in this annual Newport Beach challenge, including the who’s who of the golf world: Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Bernhard Langer and many more.

 

“This tournament has been such a natural fit for us because of the charity aspect plus such a large portion of our customers are avid golfers.  The Toshiba Classic is a nationally acclaimed tournament that brings much-needed funds to important local charitable organizations. It’s a true pleasure for us to support such a vital and influential community event.  And for the month of March we are giving our customers the opportunity to join us in raising funds for Hoag Memorial Hospital via in-store donations.” said Jessica Palanjian of Grand Prix Performance.

 

We were happy to get a visit from the folks at Whipnotic, a weekly television program covering SoCal car culture.  It aired on NBC this past weekend, but here is the video in case you missed it!