To mark the 100th issue of 2nr, we've spent the last few weeks scouring through each and every issue of Import Tuner to show you, the reader, the best performance parts to find their way into the pages of Import Tuner over the years.
So many great products have filtered through our office that it was hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number. Since we can't fit them all in one issue, we've brought you the most innovative and trend-setting aftermarket performance products of the last 100 issues.
All of these products have had a great impact on what is available to the average consumer and what an enthusiast can do in their ride, and in their own way, guided the tuner market into the direction it's gone; offering more hardcore performance parts to the average consumer.
Aftermarket suspensions, engine internals, forced-induction kits, programmable engine management and wideband o2 sensors may have been around before 2nr hit the scene. But over the years, we've watched the once-astronomical prices on these gizmos come down to the level where the average consumer can pack the kind of power and suspension that was previously reserved for the wealthy. And thanks to these advancements, tuning has blossomed. These are good times for the tuner, and these parts are to thank for that.
One of the first to offer tuned headers for just about every popular platform, they've become a staple in the industry. DC Sports puts lots of research and development into their header designs and the outcome is a line of products that consistently make more power than stock and are durable. It's no wonder their headers have become an industry standard.
Modern, fuel-injected engines are a marvel of efficiency, and to reliably get more than 20 percent more horsepower out of them without expensive internal engine mods is extremely difficult and expensive, if not impossible. On the other hand, a mild forced-induction kit running 6-pounds of boost will make around 40 percent more power without sacrificing any drivability. So, it's no surprise that when Jackson Racing introduced a line of smog-legal supercharger kits, people snatched them up like hotcakes. The offerings started with kits for the Honda 88-91 CRX/Civic and 90-93 Miata, and the line quickly expanded to cover all the popular import platforms. Today, there is a Jackson blower for almost anything out there. For some cars, like the RSX and Civic, multiple kits are offered; with both street and race versions available. Jackson Racing helped show us that blowers aren't just for Chevys, and their ubiquitous line of superchargers finally gave us import guys the power to put those pesky V8 muscle cars in their place.
Before the days of the affordable air/fuel controller, leaning out or richening up the air/fuel ratio meant resorting to expensive standalone engine management systems, or hack methods like changing the base fuel pressure or injector sizes. While these methods may result in a car that runs, OK at full throttle, it will almost surely run like crap the rest of the time. The APEXi AFC was a godsend, because it allowed the average tuner to make adjustments to air/fuel ratios depending on engine load and speed. Proper air/fuel ratios are necessary to make all the power an engine is capable of, especially with mods like intakes, exhausts, etc. The AFC finally gave us the ability to tune for all operating conditions, not just full throttle. The AFC was designed to be straightforward and intuitive, and often does not require a professional to tune it (although it is recommended).
With at least one system for any tuner car you can think of, AEM's got the bases covered in the intake market. What sets them apart from all the other intakes out there? Making a quality intake isn't simply a matter of slapping a cone on a piece of tubing. There's a science to engineering an efficient intake and it takes lots of effort to be constantly improving product lines and coming out with even better products, and that's just what AEM does. Each intake is tested to actually make the power they claim. Not all intakes can make that claim.
When these hit the market a few years ago, they were all the rage. And it's no wonder why. Costing less than a tank of gas and offering the promise of a few extra horsepower, it's hard to beat the bang-for-the-buck factor. Plus, any monkey can install them in no time. They work by providing better grounds to the engine and chassis, which helps the ECU receive and send clearer signals to and from the car's sensors and actuators, helping the ECU operate the engine more smoothly, hopefully resulting in increased power output. Cheap and easy power is truly timeless.
A popular upgrade since it hit the market,
these engine crank and accessory pulleys
(alternator, power steering, etc);
add cheap horsepower by spinning all the
accessories more slowly,
taking load off the engine
and adding power.
Like the AFC before it, the EMS is revolutionizing engine tuning. With the first plug-and-play standalone engine management system for multiple applications, gone are the days of hard wiring in a new ECU and swapping out all the stock sensors for whatever that particular ECU was designed to use. The flexibility of the ECU means it can do anything. With software that is constantly updated and an active Internet forum dedicated to tuning, AEM is there 24/7 to provide top-notch technical support for their EMSs, which makes all the difference when compared to other standalones.
With the introduction of OBDII, tuning got a lot harder. While it's a breeze to throw an AFC on an OBDI car to do some mild tuning, it's a lot harder on OBDII cars.