Readers's Rides - July 2008 Grassroots
07-12-2008, 01:10 AM
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Readers's Rides - July 2008 Grassroots
Readers's Rides - July 2008 Grassroots
WHO/WHAT/WHERE?
Colin Malony; '97 Integra Type R; Daytona Beach, Fla.
THE GOODS:
There are builds that are well thought-out, full of parts that make sense, and flow well with one another. There are also builds that are more of a hodgepodge of everything the aftermarket has to offer and then some, none of which really sync with one another. Colin Malony's ITR build coincides with the former. The underlying theme is Mugen, with a slight hint of OEM JDM-ness. The excitement begins outside with the 16-inch, bronze Mugen MF10 wheels complete with Mugen center caps and lug nuts. The ITR is lowered by means of Mugen NZ dampers paired with Hypercoil springs. Mugen front and rear shock tower braces as well as a 26mm rear stabilizer bar ties up the chassis and help fight flex. To bring the MF10s to a halt Colin opted for Hawk HPS pads that are cooled through a King Motorsports brake duct kit. Also, outside the ITR is fitted with OEM Honda Access window visors and is sleeked down with the removal rear wiper package.
Most of this ITR's mods are inside though where you'll spot a Mugen steering wheel and boss, shift knob and pedal assembly, and meter under visor. Colin also opted to remove the airbags and SRS controller and harness. The factory ITR power lock switches were swapped in favor of LS ones while a dual-DIN block-off plate, center console, clock block-off plate, and rear seats were sourced from the JDM market. Floor mats happen to be Euro-spec while the airbag block-off tray is courtesy of the Canadian market Integra. Colin's B18C5 remains relatively stock but that's OK-it is after all, a B18C5. Of course, a Mugen airbox, thermostat, and radiator cap find their way underhood along with an Odyssey battery and Vision carbon-fiber spark plug wire cover. Colin also opted to ditch the A/C for further weight savings.
HOW IT WENT DOWN:
Colin saw his first Type R when he was 15 and from that day forward knew he had to have one. It took him five years worth of crappy jobs to save up the cash to buy one but he tells us it was all worth it. But Colin didn't just search the classifieds and drive across the city to pick up his ITR. No, he and some friends packed up one of their rides and made the 2,000-mile trip to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he picked up his dream car. Colin has owned the Type R for nearly two years and plans on attending the '08 ITR Expo. Plan on being there? Look for him and his ITR.
LOVE AND HATE:
What makes a great Type R isn't necessarily what's been done to it but is oftentimes what hasn't been done to it. The balance is crucial.
WHO/WHAT/WHERE?
Miles Enyeart; '06 Civic Si; Grand Island, Nebr.
THE GOODS:
Maybe it's the cost of getting into one or maybe it's the lack of aftermarket support when compared to older Civics but the '06-'08 Si coupe isn't exactly the most popular Honda out there. It's a shame though really. The FG2 Si is K20-equipped, which means engine swapping isn't exactly on the to-do list. Why would it be when you've got 200 hp on tap? Its MacPherson strut suspension, four-wheel disc brake package, close-ratio six-speed transmission with 4.765:1 LSD-fitted final drive are all high-performance goodies generally reserved for top-of-the-line ITRs, RSXs, TSXs, even Accords-but not Civics. Sure, these are all good things but all good things come with a price, which doesn't exactly make the latest Si cheap.
None of this matters to Miles Enyeart all that much. He knew he wanted an Si and he knew what he wanted to do to it. Miles decided to forego flashy body mods and instead added nothing more to the exterior than a VIS carbon-fiber hood along with special headlights and taillights he found online. The Si rides on factory dampers but is dropped with NEUSPEED race springs and aligned properly with the help of Skunk2 camber arms. Miles also added a Comptech short-throw shifter and Skunk2 shift knob in for good measure. The real fun starts underhood where you'll spot a GReddy bolt-on turbo kit complete with the company's T517Z turbocharger and e-Manage Ultimate piggyback computer. The kit includes a GReddy front-mount intercooler, which is one of the few things that sets this Si off as not stock-along with a GReddy cast-iron exhaust manifold and 370cc/min fuel injectors. Miles tweaked the kit by adding a Turbo XS blow-off valve and manual boost controller set to 12 psi. An assortment of Auto Meter gauges and a Skunk2 exhaust system round off the mods and keep this Si relatively simple. Miles plans on adding a Hondata system should the Honda ECU geniuses develop something for the FG2 as well as a K24 engine block swap and a few more pounds of boost.
LOVE AND HATE:
The FG2 Si is arguably Honda's best U.S.-spec Si to date. What's not to like about K20-swapped Civics right from the factory?
WHO/WHAT/WHERE?
Kristyn Speer; '00 Civic EX; Paducah, Ky.
THE GOODS:
Despite what some may think, Honda enthusiasm holds no boundaries when it comes to age or gender-18-year-old Kristyn Speer is proof of this. No, her EX buildup isn't chock-full of a K- or even a B-series engine swap, it doesn't have a pair of Recaros, and it doesn't have authentic Mugen or Spoon wheels direct from Japan. Instead Kristyn built up her EJ8 coupe in the best way she saw fit: her way.
Kristyn's way revolves around any typical 18-year-old's budget. It began by dropping her EX with KYB GR-2 shocks along with no-name adjustable coilovers. The no-name trend continues with a carbon-fiber hood, a Mugen-replica front lip, and 16-inch mesh wheels coated pink. The pink theme continues with the addition of OEM foglights along with a few interior bits, and CTR headlights also fitted with a pink HID kit. Power is addressed by means of an AEM cold-air intake along with, you guessed it, a no-name axle-back exhaust system. Kristyn tells us that her dream is to fit the EX with a GReddy turbo kit complete with a front-mount intercooler.
LOVE AND HATE:
You either like pink or you don't. Enough said.
Photo Gallery: Readers's Rides - July 2008 Grassroots - Honda Tuning Magazine
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WHO/WHAT/WHERE? Colin Malony; '97 Integra Type R; Daytona Beach, Fla.
THE GOODS:
There are builds that are well thought-out, full of parts that make sense, and flow well with one another. There are also builds that are more of a hodgepodge of everything the aftermarket has to offer and then some, none of which really sync with one another. Colin Malony's ITR build coincides with the former. The underlying theme is Mugen, with a slight hint of OEM JDM-ness. The excitement begins outside with the 16-inch, bronze Mugen MF10 wheels complete with Mugen center caps and lug nuts. The ITR is lowered by means of Mugen NZ dampers paired with Hypercoil springs. Mugen front and rear shock tower braces as well as a 26mm rear stabilizer bar ties up the chassis and help fight flex. To bring the MF10s to a halt Colin opted for Hawk HPS pads that are cooled through a King Motorsports brake duct kit. Also, outside the ITR is fitted with OEM Honda Access window visors and is sleeked down with the removal rear wiper package.
Most of this ITR's mods are inside though where you'll spot a Mugen steering wheel and boss, shift knob and pedal assembly, and meter under visor. Colin also opted to remove the airbags and SRS controller and harness. The factory ITR power lock switches were swapped in favor of LS ones while a dual-DIN block-off plate, center console, clock block-off plate, and rear seats were sourced from the JDM market. Floor mats happen to be Euro-spec while the airbag block-off tray is courtesy of the Canadian market Integra. Colin's B18C5 remains relatively stock but that's OK-it is after all, a B18C5. Of course, a Mugen airbox, thermostat, and radiator cap find their way underhood along with an Odyssey battery and Vision carbon-fiber spark plug wire cover. Colin also opted to ditch the A/C for further weight savings.
HOW IT WENT DOWN:
Colin saw his first Type R when he was 15 and from that day forward knew he had to have one. It took him five years worth of crappy jobs to save up the cash to buy one but he tells us it was all worth it. But Colin didn't just search the classifieds and drive across the city to pick up his ITR. No, he and some friends packed up one of their rides and made the 2,000-mile trip to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he picked up his dream car. Colin has owned the Type R for nearly two years and plans on attending the '08 ITR Expo. Plan on being there? Look for him and his ITR.
LOVE AND HATE:
What makes a great Type R isn't necessarily what's been done to it but is oftentimes what hasn't been done to it. The balance is crucial.
WHO/WHAT/WHERE?
Miles Enyeart; '06 Civic Si; Grand Island, Nebr.
THE GOODS:
Maybe it's the cost of getting into one or maybe it's the lack of aftermarket support when compared to older Civics but the '06-'08 Si coupe isn't exactly the most popular Honda out there. It's a shame though really. The FG2 Si is K20-equipped, which means engine swapping isn't exactly on the to-do list. Why would it be when you've got 200 hp on tap? Its MacPherson strut suspension, four-wheel disc brake package, close-ratio six-speed transmission with 4.765:1 LSD-fitted final drive are all high-performance goodies generally reserved for top-of-the-line ITRs, RSXs, TSXs, even Accords-but not Civics. Sure, these are all good things but all good things come with a price, which doesn't exactly make the latest Si cheap.
None of this matters to Miles Enyeart all that much. He knew he wanted an Si and he knew what he wanted to do to it. Miles decided to forego flashy body mods and instead added nothing more to the exterior than a VIS carbon-fiber hood along with special headlights and taillights he found online. The Si rides on factory dampers but is dropped with NEUSPEED race springs and aligned properly with the help of Skunk2 camber arms. Miles also added a Comptech short-throw shifter and Skunk2 shift knob in for good measure. The real fun starts underhood where you'll spot a GReddy bolt-on turbo kit complete with the company's T517Z turbocharger and e-Manage Ultimate piggyback computer. The kit includes a GReddy front-mount intercooler, which is one of the few things that sets this Si off as not stock-along with a GReddy cast-iron exhaust manifold and 370cc/min fuel injectors. Miles tweaked the kit by adding a Turbo XS blow-off valve and manual boost controller set to 12 psi. An assortment of Auto Meter gauges and a Skunk2 exhaust system round off the mods and keep this Si relatively simple. Miles plans on adding a Hondata system should the Honda ECU geniuses develop something for the FG2 as well as a K24 engine block swap and a few more pounds of boost.
LOVE AND HATE:
The FG2 Si is arguably Honda's best U.S.-spec Si to date. What's not to like about K20-swapped Civics right from the factory?
WHO/WHAT/WHERE?
Kristyn Speer; '00 Civic EX; Paducah, Ky.
THE GOODS:
Despite what some may think, Honda enthusiasm holds no boundaries when it comes to age or gender-18-year-old Kristyn Speer is proof of this. No, her EX buildup isn't chock-full of a K- or even a B-series engine swap, it doesn't have a pair of Recaros, and it doesn't have authentic Mugen or Spoon wheels direct from Japan. Instead Kristyn built up her EJ8 coupe in the best way she saw fit: her way.
Kristyn's way revolves around any typical 18-year-old's budget. It began by dropping her EX with KYB GR-2 shocks along with no-name adjustable coilovers. The no-name trend continues with a carbon-fiber hood, a Mugen-replica front lip, and 16-inch mesh wheels coated pink. The pink theme continues with the addition of OEM foglights along with a few interior bits, and CTR headlights also fitted with a pink HID kit. Power is addressed by means of an AEM cold-air intake along with, you guessed it, a no-name axle-back exhaust system. Kristyn tells us that her dream is to fit the EX with a GReddy turbo kit complete with a front-mount intercooler.
LOVE AND HATE:
You either like pink or you don't. Enough said.
Photo Gallery: Readers's Rides - July 2008 Grassroots - Honda Tuning Magazine
Read More | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us
More...
