The World's Greatest Motor Mysteries...Solved!

SIX MEN WITH THE GARAGE WISDOM TO TROUBLESHOOT THE TOUGHEST CAR QUESTIONS

Any grease monkey worth his coveralls can tell you if your engine needs a tune-up or a teardown. But when the shop talk turns to bigger motor matters, you have to go to the men who've made a living out of loving cars.

What are four ways to make your stock sedan even faster? Kyle Petty:
Change your spark plugs to a higher grade. They'll burn hotter and faster, and will prevent residue from building up.
If it's not snowing outside, use thin oil. I like 10W-20.
Buy the highest-octane fuel you can find. Try buying a tankful of the really premium juice at a local racetrack.
Rip out the backseats.

Q: How can you apply NASCAR driving strategies to your morning commute?
A: Pick your lanes well. When you're pulling up to a red light, don't get stuck behind something slow, such as a delivery truck or an older-model sedan. Also, when you want to move into another driver's space, glance at his car, but never make direct eye contact with him. Just move into that space like you own it.

Q: What's the coolest-looking production car on the market today?
George Barris: The Dodge Viper, no question. It's powerful, it has a real classy aerodynamic design, fenders flaring off into the doors, big V-10 engine. Wide and high 19-inch tires. It's a macho car.

Q: What's the most overrated?
A: The Rolls Royce. I own one that's 8 years old, and it keeps breaking down on me. It has only about 40,000 miles on it, and I spend more money having it towed than most people spend on repairs. It's gotten to the point that I'll only take it to movie premieres.

Q: What puts the muscle in a muscle car?
Carroll Shelby: Unrefined power. Sheer brute force without the frills and trimmings. They're manly cars, not for the ladies. I'm talking about 427 Fords, 427 Chews, Pontiac GTOs, Dodge Super Bees.

Q: What is the future of cars?
John DeLorean: There are some exciting things going on with hybrid technology (an internal-combustion engine combined with a second energy source). But don't count out gasoline as the main fuel--because of the multi-jillion dollars that have been invested in its production. The resources for the foreseeable future are out to 60 years. So, I don't think cars are really going to change all that drastically; after all, they've hardly changed at all over the last 60 years. The major innovations have been very few--air-conditioning, power steering, power brakes, and the microchip.

Q: How can you make your car last 500,000 miles? Irv Gordon, owner of the world's highest-mileage car, a 1966 Volvo with 1,753,000 miles:
Change the oil every 3,000 miles.
Check the tire pressure weekly.
Switch to 15W-40 oil in the winter.
Inspect the belts and hoses for cracks every single time you buy gas.
Keep it clean. If you take pride in your car, you're going to do a better job of keeping it up mechanically.
Powerwash the undercarriage to clean off the road salt in the winter. That stuff will corrode the body if it stays on too long.
Degrease the engine once a year.

Q: What car will get you laid?
Public relations representative for Scan Connery: We have received your letter requesting an answer from Scan Connery to the question, "What kind of car will get you laid?" Mr. Connery has declined to respond, although frankly, I don't believe that he needs a car to accomplish the act.

By: Zoellner, Tom, Men's Health (Rodale Inc.)