GT5: 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Eclipse is my benchmark for how accurate GT5 is since I drive it in real life. When I use it in this game with the Logitech steering wheel, it really feels like my car. I rarely make mistakes when using this one in the game. It's too bad the model was built with "standard" details though. I would have liked to give it black rims to match my real life one. 

I've purchased this car in all of the GT games as soon as I could afford it, typically starting with a Civic or FC3S to earn cash.

Battery Upgrade

Today was a good day to work on the car. I didn't really use it over the Winter and my battery reached the end of its 5-year life, so it was time for a new one. The Eclipse is now 18 years old and on it's 4th battery. So things are working out mathematically. I think the first or second one went over 5 years. The others were right on target.

To change a battery, it's always best to consult your vehicle's manual as every car has a slightly different battery enclosure. But for general information, the book to the right is a good reference. It'll give you tips safety as you need to be careful of any loose acid.

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Driving Simulator

Originally, I said to myself that I wasn't going to go crazy and setup a steering wheel for Gran Turismo 5. The setup takes up too much space and the steering wheels start at $150... almost the price of PS3 itself. Premium wheels that have more weight and are life size cost around $300... a hefty price for a controller that will only be used for one game. The best low-end wheel, the Logitech Driving Force GT went on sale a couple of weeks ago at CompUSA though. It went from $150 to $100. I had plenty of Amazon rewards credits too, so I basically got the wheel for free on years of accumulated credits. The rest of the items I already had.


This weekend, I checked out my real car to see where everything was placed. I replicated the setup as best I could, placing the pedals about 2 ft diagonally away from the wheel. I aligned the brake pedal with the center of the wheel. It's funny that we never think about these things while driving. Just placing these items in the right spot made the game easier to control and the driving feel very realistic. The only thing I should fix is the table the wheel is on though. I just put this together with things I already had. So the only table I had of the right height was a laptop stand. It really needs something more stable because the force feedback on the wheel is strong, even on the lowest setting. And of course the sharp turns require big wheel movements.

Other items in this project include a Hannspree 28" monitor and iLive Soundbar. For the monitor, you'd want to stick with something from 28"-32"... not too small and not too large because it's supposed to look like a driver's view of the front window. It should be placed about as far from the wheel as the end of the window on a real car. The soundbar is must for any small LCD just because they need speaker upgrades. If you want to go overboard, then a 5.1 system will make the sounds more realistic.

Moon Rocker Adventures

Our second trip outside of Hard Rock's walls wasn't very far, but it was fun. We signed up for an ATV tour to another Dominican home. I originally thought we'd be driving around on an empty piece of beach, but it was a lot more than I expected. The tours started around the hotel and beach at first. But we eventually left the premise, crossed the highway and went onto real dirt roads. The course included a variety of surfaces that really showed what the vehicle could do.

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Get your own

This is one tour I'd like to do again on a future return trip. Next time, I would be more prepared though. The ride is extremely dusty. Every piece of clothing will be covered in sand by the end of this. Protective goggles and a nose/mouth guard would be good too.

NY International Auto Show

I made it a point to go to the NY International Auto Show this year because it's been a while since the last time. So despite the rain, my longer-than-expected doctor's visit and train delays, I made it there at 1pm. It was crowded, but not as packed as past events (probably due to weather & the holiday weekend). The cars that were fenced off were easy to shoot. Thefully exposed ones were a little harder to get pictures of, but all I had to do was wait a few minutes until they cleared up.


The theme this year seemed to be hybrid and electric cars, but I went to get a closer look at all of the muscle car remakes... Shelby GT 500, Camaro SS, Challenger, etc. Most interesting of all was the Camaro exhibit because of the life-size Bumblebee replica from Transformers.

Click here for photos and details about each of the cars I looked at.

Related: NY Auto Show, Jacob Javits Center, Transformers Movie

Death Race

Story: 6
Action: 8
Acting: 7
FX: 8
Durability: 7

The plot for Death Race was simple. There's a racing circuit involving prisoners and over time, it has become the most popular sports program on cable/internet. When one of the stars dies on the track, the warden needs to replace him to keep the myth alive. So she gets Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) in jail by killing his wife and framing him for the murder. I did enjoy the twist in the end though. The hero prevailed in the end, but it's a bit of a surprise how he does it. I won't give that away.

I wasn't actually interested in the movie for the story though. I just wanted to see battle-ready versions of the cars. I love Mustangs. To give you an idea of how much... I watch Knight Rider, which is terrible, just for the nice shots of the GT500KR! Death Race featured the same car too, but it was armored up and fitted with guns. As an artist, I enjoy seeing original interpretations of an already well-designed car. Each car in this movie kept its own defining characteristics, but are customized to fit the theme of the movie.

I thought Death Race was entertaining as the explosions and automotive stunts carried the movie. But the simple storyline makes me think that this would've made a much better video game than a movie. I also wish there were more vehicle shots (like they did in Gone in 60 Seconds.

Old School Rules

Ryan and I were talking about cars like we always do. Since it's his line of work, he changes cars nearly every year. We both agreed that we would always prefer to go with used cars rather than new ones. New cars are nice, but changing a simple engine part would void the warranty. There's also a tendency to "baby" a brand new car. There's just more freedom with an old one. You can change parts, cut up pieces and drive more relaxed without the guilt of ruining something new.

I sort of feel the same way about computers... well, desktops anyway. They're very similar to cars. We customize them and try to make them perform faster. I have a lot more fun when I start building from on older system. The parts are cheap and I don't mind hacking up the chassis to fit custom parts in.

Knight Rider (NBC 2008)

Story: 7
Action: 6
Acting: 6
FX: 7
Durability: 7

I missed the original airing of the new Knight Rider because it was during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Luckily NBC has the movie in its entirety available on their website as a steaming video.

The star of the show is KITT, the AI controlled sports car. My favorite part about this movie was that they really featured KITT. He was the main hero and got the most screen time. Unlike the classic version, which was a Camaro, the latest KITT is the new Shelby GT500KR, one of my favorite cars. It would have been interesting to see a version of KITT as the 2009 Camaro, but I have no complaints about the change in models. The GT500KR is the perfect combination of speed and a powerful looking shape. The voice of KITT was Val Kilmer. I never made the connection before, but Kilmer really sounds like KITT. He has a calm, cool voice which is perfect for the personality of the car.

The acting was probably at the level of a regular TV movie... OK, but not as good as a full blown motion picture. The story continues off of the original series with the same amount of time passing by as real life, to put the long-time fans in perspective. The hero of the new movie (and upcoming series) is Mike Tracer, son of Michael Knight. The FX were pretty good for a TV movie. They also did a good job of building up the action, but I just didn't feel it ended in a bang. Maybe it's because they want to ease into the series. More to come in the Fall.

Related: IMDB, Knight Rider (streaming video), NBC Official Site

Eclipse Evolution (Part 4)

Original Dates: Nov-Dec 2004

2004, the 10-year anniversary marked the rebirth of my Eclipse. I added a turbo kit which basically converted it from a GS to a GST. This upgrade changed almost the entire insides of the car... the entire exhaust system from the throttle body to the muffler was replaced. The front bumper area had to be modified to make room for the intercooler. Along with the power increase, I also had front and rear sway bars added for improved suspension.

After 10 years, most cars should be breaking down, but mine felt like a completely new one. Without the turbo, I felt like I couldn't get the car to do what I wanted at the particular moment. With the turbo, if I want to go a certain speed, I can do it almost instantly. My friend Warren once told me, "once you drive a turbo car, everything else feels like its broken."

Eclipse Evolution (Part 3)

Original Date: 2000

The Pacesetter system looked and worked great for a few years, but the ceramic material wore out quickly. The next step was to replace a few damaged parts... mainly from the down pipe to the muffler. A custom, mandrel-bent system replaced the Pacesetter pipe. A new stainless steel muffler replaced the blown-open Pacesetter and a hi-flow cat was also added for a bit more power. On the defensive side, power stop brakes were added.

Eclipse Evolution (Part 2)

Original Dates: 1997-1998

When a car is four years old and has traveled multiple trips from NY to Savannah, it's supposed to get worn down and become weaker. In the case of my Eclipse, this was the beginning of a quest for power. The air filter was upgraded to a K&N and the aircan was hacked open for maximize the air flow. This wasn't much of a power upgrade... maybe 5 hp (although the ads say 15-20 all the time), but I knew my car well and felt the slight change in power and engine hum.

Shortly after, the exhaust system and headers were upgraded to high-flow (2.25") products by Pacesetter. Back then, they were one of the only manufacturers to make them for the Gen 1 Eclipse. After looking at the parts, it was obvious that they were made for the '89-'91 model because some of the measurements were off by a little. The mechanic had to make a few modifications, but it worked out and still looked good. More importantly, this was the first significant power upgrade. I easily felt the extra 20 horses.

When building a car, defense must be upgraded whenever offense is increased. With the entire exhaust system changed, I had to add something defensive (brakes, suspension, etc.). So I installed an Extreme Motorsports front tower bar. It was a simple bolt-on that only took a few minutes, but I felt a huge difference especially on downhill corners. There was almost no swaying and the grip on the road was better.

Eclipse Evolution (Part 1)

Original Date: Spring 1994

I'm looking to post some entries about automotive performance, so I'll start by writing a bit about my own experience. This will be a series of flashbacks covering the evolution of my classic '94 Eclipse.

During my sophomore year in the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment. So I needed a car to get around. My Dad's old 80's Chevy Celebrity wasn't going to cut it. It was on its last legs and probably wouldn't have survived a trip to Savannah. It was time for a new vehicle. Back then, I didn't know anything about cars. So my decision to go with the Eclipse was only based on the looks and the large number I saw on the street. I didn't know that I should've gone with the GSX trim, but lucked out and didn't get the base model! Back then I just needed something practical to get around and good looking because I'm an artist and believe that cars should also be sculptures!