zoomvroom Car Culture, Humor, I Challenge You!, Random

Can You Text and Drive in This Great New Game?

I’d like to say sorry for this post coming out today.  As I had to attend a friend’s graduation yesterday, I was unable to post.  I do think however, that this post will make up for the delay.

Before we get down to business, let’s get one thing clear: texting and driving do not mix well.  If you get caught by the police, you get a big ticket, and could possibly lose your license, depending on if you’re a repeat cell phone law violator.  It’s incredibly dangerous, and can kill or injure a lot of people because you just couldn’t wait to respond.  Never, ever pick your phone up while driving!  Let’s all get one thing clear: texting and driving in the real world is much different than texting and driving in this hilarious new game called SMS Racing.

It’s a total remake of the 2013 browser game that had the same name.  The 2015 version uses all new material, and it shares only a name and a concept with the original game.

It was built for the 2015 Oculus Mobile VR Jam, where many app and game developers are teamed up to create the most captivating VR experience possible.

We’ve all seen or heard of the dozens of texting and driving games out there, many of which are dry, boring attempts to teach teens the dangers of texting and driving at the same time.  Enter SMS Racing.  It’s a whole lot of fun.  Let me tell you why.

When you start the race, you’re told to finish a lap as fast as you can while responding to text messages without crashing, all within a limited time frame.

An instructor talks to you during the race.  She encourages you to keep up with all of your social connections, and to focus less on the road.  This is when all of the sarcasm that the developers have kicks in.  She tells you that texting is an important part of driving, and that it would be rude not to respond to your friends.

Should you fail to respond to a message within ten seconds, you are told to “…restart, or keep driving and reflect on how it feels to have no friends.”  That’s cold.

The game has several features that were not in it previously.  It has a Time Trial and a Race mode, a head tracking feature to change your view based on movement, artificial intelligence rivals who also text and drive, and city and suburb maps.

This review is based on various user reviews, plus video recordings of the game.  I haven’t played it…yet, but if and when I have a chance, I will do a full review of it!

Users of the game say that the constant need to text can become frustrating at times, which only further demonstrates the sole purpose of the game.

They also say that when you finally get a lap in, you’ve probably cursed the game to hell and back, but you’ve probably crashed just as many times.  In the end, it’s all smiles and a good chance to laugh at how ridiculous it is to put texting before driving.

Please don’t. Driving requires a lot of attention, and you could kill yourself or others because you just had to glance down at your phone.  It can always wait.  If you can’t wait, pull over in a safe spot and read the text or social media alert.

Here’s some video from the VR Jam.  https://youtu.be/07hY2JenhMQ

You can check out the game, and even download it at http://vrjam.challengepost.com/submissions/36780-sms-racing

However, you need the proper VR gear, but if you do, it seems like it’s worth a shot.

zoomvroom Humor, I Challenge You!, Random

The World’s Hardest Car Quiz!

No, I haven’t passed it yet.  I recommend taking it…over and over again.  My best score to date on this has been 60%.  And I thought I knew a lot about cars.  Go figure.  Try to take the quiz and pass – it’s harder than you’d think (even if you ARE a natural test-taker!).

http://www.carwow.co.uk/world-hardest-car-quiz

Tell us your score(s) – we won’t make fun of you for failing (I’ve done that a few times with this quiz)!

The whole point of this quiz is to have fun…so do that!

zoomvroom Car Culture, Humor, I Challenge You!, Random, World News

The World’s Craziest Go-Kart!

Go-karts are fun little vehicles.  Some of them can go up to 70 mph – in just a few seconds!  Others can climb up hills.  Most don’t have Chevy big-block V8 engines, though.  Dirt Every Day, a fun off-road show on the Motor Trend Channel has a go-kart with a 454 big-block.  I’m pretty sure that that just elevated the host, Fred Williams, to the crazy-maybe-stupid category.

In the previous episode of Dirt Every Day, Fred had an off-road club of college kids called the Poly Goats come and demolish a 1986 Pace Arrow motorhome.  For those of you who don’t know what makes it so special, I have one number for you: 454.  Nothing else needs to be said.  The Poly Goats made mincemeat of the Pace Arrow.  By the end of the episode, it was a bare chassis with a 454 cubic-inch V8, a Turbo 400 transmission, and a beefy rear end.  That’s a good start for a monster go-kart.

However, Fred needed to build and install all of the necessary components to ensure that this crazy contraption starts, stops, turns, and shifts.  However, every go-kart needs to be safe, so Fred turned to his good friend, Frank, who is an engineer.  Frank helped Fred out by giving him tips about the rollcage.

After Frank, some of the Poly Goats come to help Fred get the crazy kart good to go.  After a long day wiring the pedals, steering column, and shifter, fabricating the wide wheel set, and wiring the engine up, the go-kart is good to go.  Fred wisely decides to not drive the go-kart around his neighborhood.

The next morning, Fred trailers both his mini go-kart and his recently built monster go-kart out to a remote ranch for some off-road hoonage.  He is going to have a shootout.  Instead of him driving both go-karts, he has a couple of Poly Goats come and assist him.  They are brave souls.

One of the contests is where the contestants have to see who starts their engine first.  The big go-kart wins by a mile.  The next contest is a timed obstacle course where the drivers have to go around one or two trees depending on kart size, moving around bottles, and going in between cattle skulls.  The tiny go-kart wins.  Then, a drag race, as drag races have proven to be popular on the Motor Trend Channel.  The big go-kart wins.  You just don’t expect a tiny gas-powered go-kart to win against something with a 454.  Then, Fred decides to have a tug-o-war competition.  Yeah, we all know who won there.

After all of the contests, Fred takes the monster go-kart off-roading.  It looks like a lot of fun.  Don’t do this at home, kids.

zoomvroom I Challenge You!, Website Reccomendation, World News

Tell Nissan What to Do With That 1996 Maxima from That Great Craigslist Ad!

For those of you who missed that awesome Craigslist video ad that was filmed and edited by Luke Aker of Ikonik Films, for his rather heavily used 1996 Nissan Maxima, you can watch it at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6FklMc6B0

After that, continue to read my equally amazing post!  Nissan USA re-purchased the car from Luke Aker for $1,400, and they want to know your opinions on what to do with the car.  Yep, that’s right!  Nissan is letting all of the people who read Motor Authority to tell Nissan USA what to do with the car.  Do you want to put the high-performance, high-tech GT-R engine, transmission, and AWD into the car?  Do you want to restore the car to Concours-levels of restoration and have Nissan USA tour the car?  Should it be donated to charity as-is?  Should they light it on fire and hurl it across an empty field?  Put on your thinking cap, and think of the most awesome thing Nissan USA could do to the car?

Submit your suggestions for Nissan in the comments section of the Motor Authority article.  Nissan will pick its favorite handful of suggestions, which they will have Motor Authority put up on their website for a vote.  The favorite vote will decide what to do with the car.

I know that I usually don’t talk about things from another car enthusiast magazine, but this just sounded like too much awesome to resist!

My idea for the Maxima?  Restore it to brand-new condition and then put GT-R running gear in it.  But, they should make it RWD for pure burnout factor!

Tell me your idea, as well as posting your idea on the Motor Authority article.

You can post your ideas on the Maxima at:  http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1089244_nissan-bought-the-maxima-from-that-brilliant-craigslist-ad-now-tell-them-what-to-do-with-it?ref=chrome-app

zoomvroom I Challenge You!, Vehicle repair

Help, I Need Somebody – Help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8MeE8Ik4Y

Help me!  Please?  Pretty Please?  Okay, I’ll stop whining and cut to the chase (Zoomvroom, blog, take 37!). . .  So, however hard I look, I can’t seem to find a Chilton’s manual for my Baby!  This is a challenge to you!  If you can find a link or Chilton’s Repair Guide for a 1982 Chevrolet S10 Tahoe with the 4.3 liter V6.  I’ve looked everywhere: eBay, the Chilton’s Repair Manual for the 1982 Chevrolet S10 Tahoe with the 4.3 liter V6 and four-speed automatic is nowhere to be found.  As I said, I have thrown the gauntlet.  You can chicken out, or find a link and/or a manual for me. . .