When we found out that Cobb Tuning was moving to good o’l Austin we just had to come see what all the fuss was about. For those who don’t know, Cobb is a company that specializes in performance tuning, parts, and software for Subaru, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda, and Mazda models.  Since they started out with Subaru performance you can guess the number of Subarus that showed up to this event!

Of course you can’t have a decent car show without a couple of skylines in the mix:

Scoops and wings for miles!

The event was very cool, we showed up in time for a free T-shirt as well as free BBQ from the Salt Lick which was astoundingly good as always. Great grand opening and really cool to get to see the inside of their shop and offices. Nograde nearly applied for one of their programming jobs they have open, which would have been pretty cool. Who knows, maybe sometime in the next year we could have a Dyno Day out there! (they have a mustang dyno for 2 and 4wd)

Cody and I went out to the 512project this Saturday hosted by Stanceworks and Hellaflush. This was by far the most well organised and well planned meet I’ve ever been to so far. Cars from all over the country were there in all shapes and styles. Of course, there were rules to have your car entered – you had to meet their standards of “wheel fitment” which varies from car to car. There was maybe two whole ricey cars there but they were expensively done rice. The only thing this event had going against it was the heat. I swear I’ve never sweat so much in my life but it was totally worth it.

I would have to say about 35% of the cars out there were a 350z or variant of such. There are over 200 photos here if you want to look through ALL of the cars, I tried to get a pic of each one.  There was one e30 and I took pics of it 4 different times. If it wasn’t so hot and I wasn’t so pregnant they would have had to escort me out XD.

In the end the meet was great, Cody and I got some stickers and t-shirts. I got the T-shirt cuz it’s limited edition, Cody got his only because by the end of the day we were both soaking in sweat and needed a fresh shirt!

Here is a short video of basically me walking around looking at all the cars, nothing special, no fancy camera angles or lenses (don’t have em) so you can deal with my shaky-blair-witch video taking.

What are your current hobbies?

Drifting, racing, anything to do with cars and trucks, if it has an engine, there’s away to make it faster and better!

What is your favorite car and why?

For road racing it’s a e46 M3! The E46 is a stock race car ready to be raced! For drifting, it’s a e36 M3 for non lean and to the t in the conrers, 350′s for feeling like it’s on ice 24/7 or 240sx for great control while getting side ways!

What was the first car you ever had?

1980 Celica GT, back when they were fun RWD cars!

What got you interested in cars?

When I was about 12, I seen a tricked out civic that had the loudest subs I ever heard! It had a body kit and paint job, and sounded really nice… Ever since then I promise my self I would have a cool car like that some day.

What do you think about ricer kids and street racers?

My heart still begins to rush when I’m at a stop light next to another car, but young kids need to keep the racing off the streets! Too many young kids have lost there lives due to street racing… We need to keep it safe as well as fun! More drifting and drag racing events is what we need!

What is a car pet peve you have? Big ASS spoilers/Wings on front wheel drive cars! lol!

How long have you been driving? Since I was 15! (9 years)

What do you think about paddle shifters and the new automatics?

They sound nice for track racing, but for good old drag and drift racing, they suck!

n/a v8 or turbo i4? N/A v8 from an M5!

When do you change your oil?every 2k!

What is the hardest upgrade/repair/modification you have ever done to your car?

Complete engine rebuild for my 89 240sx, everything was replaced!

Have you taken your car to the track? If so whats its best time?

Haven’t taken my latest e36 M3 to the track yet, have taking the old e46 and red e36 m3 tho’ E46 got 12.5 with very bad 1st and 2nd wheel spin…. the e36 auto got 14.40…

What is the dumbest thing you have ever done in/on/to a car?

Gave my E36 to my Ex for a birthday gift…..

Thanks to James for filling out the interview for this month, if you would like to keep up with his e36 build you can do so on our forums!

As you may or may not have read earlier in the week and on other forums that due to the overwhelming response to our facebook event we posted for this meet we would end up getting kicked out of the parking lot and the cops would run us off before we ever sat down to eat. Well, all I can say is after a few last minute phone calls to local authorities, store owners, and Mighty Fine Burger the entire thing went off without a hitch.  Even with a few louder cars and some super-fun light up Scions we had no issues what so ever.

The meet was the largest we have had hosted by our forum members and along with the help of the CupCakeMeet crew we had great fun meeting new car folks in our area. Our core group, Avendi, Nograde, Jetgirl, UnclePow, Adrenalinerush, etc. were all there as well as a great deal of our new friends from the CCM. It was great to meet everyone!

The weather was great and thank God it didn’t rain on us or that would have been a disaster. We all sat outside on the patio tables while we ate our burgers and talked cars. After dinner we all headed out to the parking lot to check out everyones cars. When we had arrived the lot was pretty packed with shoppers and such so parking all together was a small issue that was resolved by the time we were done eating and most simply moved their cars all into one nice group.

We had a good mix of cars show up including a handful of Subarus, Hondas and Nissans. There was a couple of Tiburons that made an appearance as well. One awesome BMW, a blacked out Audi, and most of the Nissans were 350z’s. A couple of modified Scions with custom sound systems and lighting were also present.  There was one very well done turbo 700+ turbo setup that was down right incredible. However, I think the one car that everyone was gathered around for most of the night was the GTR. I know this because out of half the pics I got off Nograde’s camera were of it, and it was awesome.

Thanks again to everyone who came out and ate with us, even more to those who stayed around to check out the cars! We really appreciate everyone who supported us and made the night a success even if it was a tiny one to them it was a big deal to us.

Sure, Round Rock is a bit of a drive but this spot has TONS of parking space and there is more than enough seating to go around at this location. Starting this meetup a tad earlier than last months, bring your buds, your friends, people you can’t stand, etc.  Not to mention RR is a hop skip and a jump from a certain limey creek type road that you could totally take on your way back home. Just sayin’.

Where?
Mighty Fine Burger, Round Rock, Tx

When?
Saturday, February 20, 6pm – 8pm

How do I get there?

Click this for Google Map

Our newyear’s resolution for 2010 is to have more meets! Unlike the like…four we had last year, 2010 brings us small meetups once a month in various places around the Austin area. We will be trying to find affordable places with large parking lots to accommodate folks, as well as places that don’t require reservations or a set-in-stone commitment from anyone to go or not. You don’t even have to eat just show up and say hi or something, the point is to bring the members together to talk and hang out.

Our first meetup is going to be at Pho Van off 183. Check the forum for more updates as they happen!

Hey everyone, just added a new photo gallery to the site. This will hold photos of events and such that members attend. Since we don’t have the man power to host our own stuff (very well) these will be pics of meets and such around Texas or wherever your from. We are all about getting all the little groups around Austin together so the more the merrier!

Also, the video JetGirl took while there:

If you have any photos of your car, meets, events, or anything you would like to share feel free to shoot it to us in an email or link or whatever austintuners@gmail.com. These photos will be public so feel free to shop out faces of your mom or shop out your plates before sending to me. If you have your own watermark please add before sending, any pics without watermarks will be given the default AT logo.

It’s that time again! Get out your best cosplay garb or larp gear, a case of beer and find a parking spot because its our second ever Halloween party!

Last year was a blast and everyone had way too much fun! Come hang out and have a turkey leg and some candy.

Real Name: Devaasheesh  How many cars do you own? 2  Current Location: Austin,TX     Age: 24    Favorite Beer: Shiner Bock

Whats your favorite car and why? Silvia (240sx), I fell in love when I saw the s14 in Trinidad and after the s15 came out, I decided I had to have an S chassis.

What is your current project car? The 240sx (but lately I find myself doing wayyy more work on the 300zx)

What got you interested in cars? I have an older cousin who was into racing and had a first gen rx7 and after I got a ride in his car…as soon as boost kicked in, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face..that was all it took.

What is a car pet peve you have? When it’s dirty, internally and externally…I like clean cars.

How fast have you driven in a car? 190km/h *in Trinidad in my cousin’s evo 7.

Where do you get your car parts? South Point Nissan or Autozone…or online.

What is the hardest upgrade/repair/mod you have ever done to your car? well, I’d have to say slotted rotors…but thats the only mod done to my car lol.

What do you think about hybrid or electric cars? I think people who drive hybrids are idiots…if they’re so concerned about pollution, why don’t they get a friggin horse or stop breathing or something?

How long have you lived in Austin? 2 years.

What do you like most about the city? Its Diversity…*and HOTTT chicks

What is the dumbest thing you have ever done in/on/to a car? Tried to go around a corner doing 140km/h on a wet road…

Real Name: Ashley.  Cars Owned: 4.5. Current Location: Austin,TX Age: 21 Favorite Beer: Smirnoff Ice Occupation: Student/Media Producer

Hobbies: Flying r/c airplanes and helicopters, r/c trucks, powerkiting, kiteboarding, sailing, photography, video editing, target shooting, drifting, working on cars, starting businesses, graphic design, etc.

What is your favorite car and why?:

Nissan 240sx – cheap, easy to mod, drives amazing, fits me well.

What is your current project car:

1991 Nissan 240sx w/ RB25det swap, full coilovers and adjustable suspension links, lots of bolt on engine mods, 5 lug swap, carbon fiber body parts, the list goes on and on.

What got you interested in cars?

My father was an ex-street drag racer from the country turned police officer. I spent a lot of time with him when I was young while he welded and built things and talked to me about cars. Then I met my boyfriend and he was a car guy and it just went from there.

What do you think about ricer kids and street racers?:

Hate the ricer scene and street racing. Keep the racing off the street away from innocent people who you could be taking their lives into your own incapable hands. Yes, good that people are interested in cars, but its all about the attitude and the ricer/street racing attitude is lame all the way around. If you must street race do it out in the country to limit involving other people.

Have you ever gotten a ticket after being pulled over/why?:

Yes, in 2008 I got two tickets. One towing a trailer going to Mineral Wells, TX for a drift event. It was 5am going through small town Leander, TX and nobody but me and my boyfriend in a Miata were on the road. The speed limit was 35 and I was going 35mph, light turned yellow – I could stopped the truck/trailer rig or go through. I chose to go through and it turned out the trailer hadn’t made it over the line before it was red – “failure to heed red light”. The other was in my boyfriend’s Miata in morning traffic on I-35. Drove by a cop and he flashed his lights. Pulled over and he said the inspection was out. Got a ticket for that.

What is your favorite brand of motor oil?:

Mobil 1 Synthetic, Motul.

What is the hardest upgrade/repair/mod you have ever done?:

RB25 engine swap into my Nissan 240sx

Would you rather have an awesome ragged out drift car or a clean show stopper?:

Ragged out drift car all the way. Function over form, I’d have way more fun in a drift car than I would in a car that sits around looking pretty.

How many drift events/car shows have you been in or attended?:

Drift events, hmmm, 20 or more? Hard to count, but been in the scene since early 2007. Car shows, probably around 10.

Where do you like to drive in Austin?:

Out west on 620, 360 and 2222. Extremely pretty and fun to drive the hills.

Describe your ultimate road trip:

A road trip to the salt flats, around the USA hitting up all the D1 drift events, or just to somewhere cool. I love to drive long distances, something about the hum of the road, the radio playing your favorite tunes, and driving a vehicle you love just gets me going. Its a bonus to have nice scenery and fun roads to drive.