Lateral and longitudinal forces from turns, acceleration, and braking, especially in drifting and road race vehicles, could push oil around the floor and up the side of the pan, starving the pickup under high-rpm/high-lateral g conditions. This is a common problem for high-performance engines. The Subaru EJ engine is notorious for oiling problems. From spun rod/crank bearings to occasional faulty oil pickup units, this engine has been begging for an aftermarket fix to prevent such mishaps from occurring. Killer B Motorsport out of Waynesboro, VA, specializes in aftermarket Subaru components. KBM offers a number of upgraded oiling parts, including a more robust oil pickup, oil pan baffle, and larger-capacity oil pan.

Got a burning question or simply need some advice with problems you’ve encountered while wrenching on your current/future projects? Ask our automotive guru Eric Hsu anything—literally, he’s going to answer every single question, as long as it’s automotive related.

HKS celebrates the 24th anniversary of the original Electronic Valve Controller (EVC) with an all-new EVC Boost Controller model. The HKS EVC 6 Boost Controller is the latest version of the popular EVC lineup and is considered by many as one of the best boost controllers currently on the market. The original EVC released in ’87 was the first commercially available electronic boost controller that helped revolutionize turbocharged vehicles.

After more than a year of development and testing, Stillen announces its CARB approval of their Nissan 370Z (Z34) G37 Supercharger system. The 50-state legal kit goes without notice as the company that has brought many “firsts” in our industry including the first CARB-legal forced-induction solution for the Z33 350Z is among one of many groundbreaking accomplishments Stillen has achieved within its 25 years of business. The Nissan/Infiniti VQ37 supercharger system helps add some serious gusto to your ride by increasing horsepower from 282 to over 416 whp (depending on vehicle and modifications) on 91-octane pump gas. Unlike Stillen’s supercharger kit for the old VQ35 engine that required a custom cowl-type hood for clearance, the new supercharger kit is compact enough that all the hardware squeezes within the confines of the engine bay and is designed to fit with a stock 370Z or G37 hood to give the car a factory appearance. Each kit comes with a quiet, self-lubricated Vortech V-3 centrifugal supercharger, custom cast-aluminum intake manifold, complete air-to-water intercooler system, as well as an ECU reflash, datalogger, and diagnostic scanner. The supercharger system is designed to work with both automatic and six-speed vehicles, including convertible and all-wheel-drive models. This kit is designed for specific owners who want big horsepower gains and are not worried about legality or warranties.

Mazda Motorsports has just released their B-Spec kits for the Mazda 2. This means that you can buy an affordable car from the factory and compete in a more affordable race class within SCCA. Limited modification of the cars will allow for drivers to really test their skills against others. Honda Performance Development has also released their Fit B-Spec to compete in the race as well. The Mazda 2 B-Spec kit will come with Bilstein shocks, stiffer springs, rear sway bar, exhaust, Hawk DTC-60 brake pads, high-performance air filter, oil cooler, and A/C delete. The kit from Mazda is $2,600. Safety equipment like race bucket seats, rollcage, and harness will be an additional cost. Other B-Spec segment cars would be the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa. We might not have the N1 race like in Japan, but the B-Spec class might be the ticket for small compact car racers.
www.mazdamotorsports.com

Eric would like to wish everyone belated happy holidays with his friendly smile and cheerful demeanor. Technically, this issue hits newsstands in February, but in the magazine world . . . we’re still stuck in December—the month to be joyous and festive. Eric forewarns those in the gift-giving mood to resist buying knock-off parts for friends and family. “If you’re going to buy cheap Chinese knock-off crap, buy an egg timer or chopsticks. Not engine components. Happy holidays!”

Car enthusiasts aplenty, it seems as though many women feel the need to proclaim they work on their cars themselves to prove that they are one among men. Much of this stems from the way guys argue that working on their ride is a key part of being a car enthusiast. This is a popular topic on many online forums, e.g. discussions on the latest mods being done and responses including: “Did you do this yourself?”

Do you need brake pads?

Amazing and unknown facts on Eric Hsu:

No vehicle within my 4½-year tenure of working for Import Tuner has required as much time and devotion as the masterpiece you see in front of you today. The daily grinds of hardship were magnified tenfold as 2NR and Skunk2 Racing joined forces. We shed and shared the same blood, sweat, and tears, transforming an average, run-of-the-mill Acura RSX Type-S into our latest and greatest creation.

My Project S14 has been in its “build” process for the past six years of ownership and I have—for the equivalent number of years—said my next step was motor work. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to retire the car from daily duty and put some serious thought into the direction I want to go with the car. The decision to turn the car into a fully race-prepped one allowed me to consider more serious engine modifications.

Are you embarrassed every time you open your car’s hood, only to be greeted by a visually disastrous rat’s nest of hoses and fittings? If you’re looking to clean up your vehicle’s engine bay whether it’s for show or race competition, Hose Candy has the perfect solution for you.

I took a break from working on my own car to focus on the fiancé’s EVO. Yes . . . I know, I own a Subaru but in my defense, she bought the car before we met. The transmission and differential fluids were well overdue for a change. We purchased Mitsubishi DiaQueen LSD gear oil and spent our weekend flushing the system. Fun times!

Subaru owners are an interesting bunch; they either love or hate their cars with a passion. I find myself indifferent and caught in the middle of the mix. On one end, I love my ’03 Subaru for a number of reasons, including its factory turbocharged, all-wheel-drive platform and readily available aftermarket parts. I even own an ’05 STI so it goes without saying: I’m a Subie loyalist through and true. So when I experienced engine problems for the first time with my ’03 WRX years back, I was a bit flustered. Why’s that you ask? I had grown up building Hondas and Acuras for most of my teenage years and being new to the Subaru world, didn’t know squat about the boxer engines as well as what to look for when problems arose. But, as time progressed, I became more familiar with the EJ205 engine’s internal workings as well as its pros and cons.

We’ve put together a list of the Top 10 tips when buying a used car. Not only will these simple tips help your avoid buying a lemon, they will also help you save money to invest on fixing up your ride.

Cylinder head valves normally will not just bend unless the engine has experienced some sort of trauma. Bent valves can occur as the by-product of a timing belt failure, as the valves strike the pistons. Depending on what bent the valve, there may be damage you can’t see, and won’t until the head is off.

Amazing and unknown facts on Eric Hsu:

Owning a ’03 WRX and a ’05 STI has both its perks and downfalls depending on how you look at it. There’s a great sense of pride when both my cars are running in perfect condition but that spectacular feeling came to an abrupt end during a dyno session a few years back when my ’03 WRX blew a head gasket. After deliberating for a good year after the gasket failure on how to attack the rebuild, I decided rather than fix the problem, I’d fortify the engine using forged internals to improve the engine’s reliability. Follow along as we document the better part of two years, building the long-block. Why so long you ask? It’s simple: Money doesn’t grow on trees.

Eric Hsu recently returned from the land Down Under, competing at Australia’s WTAC as engine manager for Sierra Sierra’s EVO. He’s enthusiastic (see photo), well . . . not really, but . . . he’s ready to answer your questions and picking his favorite tech questions for each installment of Question IT over the next few months.

With any vehicle, routine maintenance is a key essential in keeping you car running in tip-top condition. When spark plug wires fail, a car will hesitate, stumble, and run erratic, especially going up a hill or under a load. Changing spark plugs and wires can be a fairly easy task and save you hundreds of dollars a year in fuel costs, avoid roadside breakdowns, and keep your car from needing even more expensive work caused by neglect of simple maintenance.

Nostradamus’ words have been deemed prophetic. He became world renown when publishing collections of prophecies including this theorem: “One of the hardest things to teach a child is that the truth is more important than the consequences.” Eric Hsu, on the other hand, best sums it up with a theorem of his own:

It’s true that any car can be transformed into a performance giant with the right work, but pound for pound, some just do it better than others. The Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO are two of those cars. Engines boasting over 300 hp, stout drivetrains, all-wheel drive, and massive stopping power can all be yours from the factory, and with the right aftermarket support, can all be made better. If you’re loaded, that is. For the broke-status rest of us, there’s the Nissan 240SX.

A question from one of our readers asked us: “What exactly is the rear engine seal and why is it so expensive to replace? There’s got to be a “trick” to getting seals like this in without buying expensive equipment that dealerships use. Can you shed some light on an easy way to get these seals in place without damaging the inner lip?”
-Mike G., via importuner.com

We’re all guilty of it: With the numerous maintenance and legality issues that accompany owning a less-than-new car these days—especially one that’s constantly going under the wrench for upgrades—maintaining a proper alignment often falls to the wayside. We all know how poor alignment can hasten tire wear and impede safety, but some would argue that it can even be robbing your car of power.