The Fast & Furious franchise has given us two decades of high-octane action, family drama (because nothing says "family" like stealing vaults with muscle cars), and, of course, some of the most ridiculous car stunts ever put on film. As an auto shop in O'Fallon, Missouri, we at Hillside Auto Repair have a deep appreciation for cars—both in movies and in real life. So, let’s break down what these films got right (sort of) and what had us laughing harder than a Honda Civic trying to outrun a submarine.
What Fast & Furious Got (Kinda) Right
1. Nitro Does Give You a Boost… But Not Like That
The movies love their NOS (nitrous oxide) moments—hit the button, and suddenly your car goes from 60 to 200 mph in half a second. While nitrous oxide does provide a power boost by injecting extra oxygen into the engine, it’s not an infinite "go fast" cheat code. Real-life nitrous systems require careful tuning, and if you overdo it, you’ll be calling Hillside Auto Repair for a new engine.
2. Some Cars Really Are Built for Speed
The franchise isn’t wrong about certain cars being performance beasts. The Dodge Charger, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and Toyota Supra are all legit speed demons. But here’s the thing: unless you’re Dom Toretto (or have a Hollywood budget), your daily driver probably can’t handle a 20-car pileup and keep going.
3. Shifting Gears Does Sound Cool
The rapid-fire gear changes in Fast & Furious sound awesome—and in real life, a well-tuned manual transmission does deliver that satisfying mechanical symphony. But if your car sounds like it’s grinding rocks every time you shift, maybe bring it to us before you try any Tokyo Drifts in the Schnucks parking lot.
What Fast & Furious Got Hilariously Wrong
1. The Never-Ending Gear Shifts
How many gears does Dom’s Charger actually have? In some scenes, he shifts 12 times in a single race. Unless he’s driving a semi-truck, that’s… not possible. Most performance cars have 5-7 gears, not an infinite number.
2. Jumping Cars Between Skyscrapers (And Surviving)
We’re looking at you, Furious 7. Even with the most advanced suspension, landing a car after a 200-foot drop would turn it into a pancake—and the driver into jelly. If your ride survives that, it’s not a car; it’s a Transformer.
3. The 10-Second Engine Rebuild
In Fast Five, Dom and Brian rebuild an engine in 10 seconds while it’s still in the car. As mechanics, we can confirm: that’s like performing brain surgery with a wrench while jogging. Possible? No. Entertaining? Absolutely.
Real-World Car Care at Hillside Auto Repair
While we can’t make your car fly (yet), we can keep it running smoothly with comprehensive auto repair services. Our technicians use the same tools and equipment as dealerships, and we back all our work with a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty—because unlike Fast & Furious plot twists, we believe in reliability.
From oil changes to major overhauls, we’ve got you covered. Because in O'Fallon, the only "family" you need is a trustworthy mechanic.