Everything you wanted to know about changing brakes on your Mustang. Click the link on your right to watch the 45 second preview!

Earlier this week I officially launched the second volume of the Maintain Your Mustang series.  This DVD course shows you how to change the brakes on your Mustang, and much more including how to install the Cobra caliper upgrades.  I wanted to say thanks again to all who have ordered over the past few days and I hope you enjoy your copy.

If you do not have a copy and would like to get more information visit: http://maintainyourmustang.com

You’ll get to see everything covered in the course and I even put together a 45 second commercial if you don’t feel like reading!

As always, your support of the site keeps the free videos coming too.  Speaking of which, keep an eye out for a new episode before this weekend!

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I hate the hassle of using jacks and jack stands for quick jobs like oil changes or exhaust checks.  In the past I have used different ramps including metal ones and even the Rhino ramps which are pretty decent.

But metal ramps will destroy your driveway and I have had the Rhino Ramps slide out from under the wheel on certain surfaces–thankfully, no damage but it will give you a good scare!  And as you may have seen in my oil change video I still had to use some planks to keep the front end from scraping!

Finally, I can get under the car in less than a minute or two...

So recently I decided to invest in some of the best ramps around.  They are called Race Ramps.  They are expensive.  And they are worth every penny.

I went with the 56″ set from SummitRacing.com.  They do everything they claim and I have decided they are the only option for serious enthusiasts with low or lowered cars.

Each ramp is completely solid which means a lot more grip between the ramp and pavement.  As you can see in the pic I don’t have the most perfectly clean spot to place ramps and they work just fine.  They also work on grass and even sand.

Now the ramps are fairly large but incredibly light.  By some miracle I was able to fit them in the Z with all of my tools (the Z has no backseat or real cargo room!)

Now this next paragraph may blow your mind.  This set of ramps actually splits into two.  I can drive up onto the ramp, pull the e-brake, place a wheel chock behind the back wheels and then remove half of the ramp!

For a few extra bucks you can opt for the ramps that split in two. Awesomeness.

This allows you to have full access from the side of the vehicle which is extremely convenient.  Again make sure the car is properly blocked when doing this.  And if you happen to drive off the ramp without replacing the second part your car should make it okay.  At least mine did when I made the mistake…whoops.

Overall, a great buy.  Highly recommended.

Advice, Products

The right side of the right shoe has an extra bolster to help with heel-toe shifting.

For years I have seen the same advertisement in the back of my favorite car magazines. The one by Piloti (pee-lo-tee) stressing the importance of the proper driving shoe.

Well I decided to give the Piloti shoes a shot because my regular shoes were not great for heel/toe down shifting, and I wanted to see if all the hype was worth it.

The best (and probably only) place to order them is online. But they were deliverd in about a day–see the link at the end of this article if you want to know where I got them…

My biggest fear was that people were just buying them because Leno, Seinfeld and other famous car enthusiasts wore them. Were they worth the money?

My Verdict

I still have to get some more driving time with the shoes but they are probably the most comfortable sneaker-type shoe I have ever worn. They feel extremely light and are great for walking around. Even if I was not obsessed with cars and driving, I would buy these shoes again!

As for driving, I like how the heel is rounded: it makes it easier to roll from the gas to the brake and back. The little extra support on the right side of the shoe does help with heel/toe downshifting but it will take me some time to adjust to the shoes.

Overall, I’m a fan. Interested in a set? I found the cheapest price here: Piloti Men’s Prototipo Driving Shoe

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