Suspension technology has come a long way since 2nr first hit the stands. Back in the day, rocking a set of stock dampers and some lowering springs was the typical "performance" setup. This almost always resulted in a car that looked good, but rode and handled like crap. Full coilover systems were available, but were so few and expensive that most enthusiasts couldn't find or afford them. Things have changed a lot since then. There are countless numbers of companies out there that offer affordable race-tuned coilovers. And the result is that we no longer have to suffer the poor ride quality and lousy handling of mismatched springs and dampers.
Before the days of the electronic boost controller, the manual boost controller ruled the earth along with the dinosaurs. While they worked, they were often inconsistent and caused issues with boost spikes. The electronic boost controller was a huge leap forward from the manual type. The problem with most electronic boost controllers is that they use solenoids that are too small, which can cause boost spikes just like the manual types. The Blitz uses two separate, beefy solenoids to eliminate boost spike and creep. Some people say size doesn't matter, but when it comes to boost-control solenoids, we know better from first-hand experience.
We've told you air/fuel controllers have revalorized tuning, but they're no good if you don't know what the air/fuel ratio is. A wideband 02 sensor is vastly superior to a standard narrow band sensor, which reacts too slowly and has too narrow of a range to tune with (almost all OEM o2 sensors are narrow band). Not too long ago, the cost of a wideband was close to that of a used car, which meant only shops could afford them. This meant a trip to the dyno every time a change is made to the engine or tuning to check the AFR. Since the price of WBo2 sensors dipped below $500, the average tuner can now tune without a trip to the dyno. And with dyno time costing around $80 an hour, a WBo2 will quickly pay for itself.
As anyone who has lowered their car significantly without re-setting the alignment (especially the camber) can tell you; it destroys tires. As a car is lowered, the wheels tilt in at the top. This is called "negative camber." While good for road racing, it will chew up the inside of the tires on a street-driven car in no time flat. Camber kits allow the camber to be set back to stock levels and prevent abnormal tire wear on the street. The best part is that when you go to the track, you can add some of that negative camber back in for more grip in the turns, and put it back to stock for the street.
Without a proper foundation to work from, even the best suspension system is no good. Sway bars, coilovers and any other mods won't do much good without good bushings. Stock bushings are made of soft rubber and wear out quickly, leading to a sloppy suspension. Poly bushings are stiffer and provide a more solid base for all your suspension mods to work from, not to mention, last a lifetime.
Not all turbos are not created equal. Many of the turbos out there are living on borrowed time. Based on 1940s technology, they aren't exactly models of efficiency. About 20 years ago, ball bearings were first on racecars with very impressive results. Able to spool more quickly, thanks to the lower friction if the ball bearings versus the older sleeve bearing technology, and still make more power, there's no arguing their inherent superiority over the older-style, sleeve-bearing turbos. Manufacturing costs kept the price of these killer turbos out of the price range of most people before, but prices have come down significantly in the recent past. Some ball bearing turbos now sell for around $1,000. It may sound steep compared to $600 for a similar sleeve-bearing turbo, but trust us; there really is no comparison.
The Civic is undoubtedly the bread and butter of the aftermarket import world and GReddy was the first to offer a CARB-legal turbo kit for the ubiquitous Honda Civic. Before that, the options for forced-induction carried a hefty price tag and could get you into trouble with The Man. Since that first smog-legal Civic kit hit the streets, other companies have followed suit with their own offerings. But, this kit is the one that really got things rolling for Civic turbo kits. GReddy is still leading the charge for Civic turbo kits, with virtually all models included, including the newest Si.
Thanks to these, anyone can be a tuner. How a camshaft is set up in relation to the crankshaft can have a noticeable effect on ultimate power output and what point in the RPM range the engine makes the most torque and power. Retarding the cams will move the power up in the RPM range and advancing it will move it down. If the engine is twin-cam, both can be adjusted to different settings (measured in degrees) for nearly infinite adjustability. Perfect for dialing in an engine for any conditions.
When the time comes to make serious power, it takes some seriously strong engine internals to handle the extreme forces. Most stock pistons and rods are made of cast aluminum, which is more porous and weaker than forged. In addition, forged internals can survive detonation better than cast pieces. Without these two things, building 500 wheel hp inline-fours simply wouldn't be possible.
The sleeves in a stock Honda engine have their problems, Firstly; they don't leave much room for increasing displacement. A 1.8 Honda engine can only be punched out to around 2-liters with the stock sleeves, and at that level, they are more likely to break. Even at the stock displacement, stock sleeves are prone to breakage at high-horsepower levels. Aftermarket ductile sleeves have allowed people to make 500-plus wheel hp on 1.8-liter engines-something that just can't be done with the stockers.