It's interesting how different mythologies seem to share a lot in common. From creation stories, to hybrid human/animal deities with multiple appendages, to gods from outer space, our favorite might be tales of a "wise old man". Traditionally perched under a tree or atop a mountain, and blessed with limitless patience and the skill to offer advice in adage, one could only find this peaceful master after years of searching and exhausting all alternatives. Pay attention to that last part. Because, as Eric Hsu might just be the tuning world's "wise man" with all the answers, his patience has quick limits, he only gives advice in unfiltered plain speak, and if you're foolish enough to call him "old" . . . you might find yourself battling an eight-armed Bruce Lee

Owner: Mitsubishi Motors

Dynamometer Model: Dynojet Dynamometer

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After more than a year of planning, months of careful selection and vehicle prep, a few flying-pizza debates about judging criteria, and more late-night tuning sessions than we'd care to remember, it all came down to this: Judgment Day of Castrol Syntec's Top Car Challenge. Which, by the way was actually three days, but considering how perfectly (sleeplessly) they blended together, who's counting?inline_mediumwraptextright30941487/tech/powerpages/impp_0912_2008_mitsubishi_evo_ximpp_0912_01_z+2008_mitsubishi_evo_x+front_view.jpgTrue

• Owner: Frankie Alliano
• Dynamometer Model: dyno dynamics 450 single axle chassis dynamometer
• Installation: mb racing (kevin maecha)
• K-pro Tuning: xenocron tuning
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Try as we might, most of us don't have the coinage to purchase a $56,000 IS F. But that hasn't stopped Lexus from making our dreams come true. Taking note from the aftermarket tuning scene, Lexus birthed a line of F-Sport products designed to improve power, handling and braking, as well as aesthetics accessories to sharpen up its entry-level sedan. The masterminds behind F-Sport crafted each component with performance in mind; stringent testing of each product on and off the track guarantees their consumers are getting the best bang for their buck. The F-Sport accessory line, specifically geared for the performance-minded customer to fit the IS 250, IS 250 AWD and IS 350 sedans, was developed by Lexus USA and engineered by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) to allow the owner to personalize their car's performance to best match their needs and budget.inline_mediumwraptextright30867231/tech/powerpages/impp_0912_2008_lexus_is250impp_0912_01_z+2008_lexus_is_250+front_view.jpgTrue

Take a set of Continental ContiSportContact 3 tires, TEIN Mono Flex coilovers, Hotchkis sway bars, four hours of sleep, and mix them together. Repeat this for two days and what do you get? In our case, an opportunity to shave critical seconds off lap times with improved vehicle handling. Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it? As much as we'd like to say it was a lot of hard work, it really was as easy as it sounds.

* Dynamometer Model: SP Engineering Mustang Dynamometer
* Nitrous Tuning By: Eric Cheney Of Impulse Engineering

How cool would it be to be Dr. Gregory House for a day? You get to be as much of a mean-spirited, sarcastic, condescending prick as you want, and there's not a damn thing anyone could do about it, because you know your shit. Well, the automotive world has its own Dr. House, only he comes with a shinier dome, two fewer vowels in his name, extensive knowledge from which to draw, and personal experiences the likes of which you and I can only dream. And, if push came to shove, Eric Hsu would definitely take Dr. House in a fight. Just sayin'.

Sad news, ladies. Eric Hsu is officially off the market. Turns out last month, when we thought he was building Skylines and developing Cosworth schwag, he was also secretly tuning some girl's heart and making wedding arrangements. Looks like he's finally cracked the female ECU-we're just glad someone has.

Castrol Syntec has long since thrown the gauntlet to their Top Car Challenge--the Battle Royale among major automotive enthusiast magazines that pits their readers' most potent rides amongst each others' in performance competitions, to ultimately determine which one, well . . . stands at the top of the pack. As the months unfold, you'll hear tales of 900whp S4s, blown 5.0 Mustangs, time-attack winning 350Zs, and probably even a bagged '68 Caprice (don't ask) that all the other mags are betting will take home the gold. We wish them good luck. Because to do it, they'll have to take it from us--more specifically, from Ryan Gates and his '08 EVO X.

Debunking tuning myths
As the summer heat continues to build, very few tuners are feeling it worse than those in the SoCal area, where triple-digit temperatures all but mandate a re-evaluation of what last few tricks can be pulled to keep engine and coolant temps down. Ironically, the subject of this month's investigation is a controversial trend that many argue began in SoCal, for the sole purpose of doing just that: the "JDM hood prop".

* Dynamometer Model:
Mustang AWD-500
* Testing And Installation:
Custom Performance Engineering

Take a look at the winningest cars in any arena of automotive competition, and you'll notice a pattern: all were built to do one thing. You won't catch F1 cars mixing tread with Indy. Unlimited-class time attack cars wouldn't lower their standards to beat up on Street-class competitors, and you'll never catch the fastest drag cars wrenching their turbos off to take a spin in All-Motor classes. Maybe that's why we like Hondata's RSX so much--as a major player in SCTA-sanctioned land-speed competitions throughout the Southwest, not only does it hold the world record as the fastest production FWD car, but also titles as the fastest naturally-aspirated 2.0L production car, fastest nitrous-enhanced 2.0L, and a few others. What's more, its 2.0L K20A engine remains virtually untouched between competitions in each class, and even when tuned to 765 whp or blasting 236mph runs, it's never even seen a turbocharger.

Rumor has it the next Fast & Furious installment involves Brian O' Conner (Paul Walker) battling drug lords on a BMX bike. WTF... a bicycle?! Well, maybe that's stretching the truth just a wee bit, but if the producers had planned on bringing back the infamous F&F 4 R34 hero car (May 2009 cover car) driven by Walker, they're in for a big surprise-the car was recently stolen from a Sun Valley, CA warehouse. Surveillance cameras show the thieves go in and out of the storage yard, and make off with the $75,000 Skyline in minutes. My investigative journalism revealed the stolen Skyline was one that was wrecked during the production, sold by Universal Studios, and then restored by a new owner: drifting competitor Chris Milano. The kicker is that the car wasn't insured. So what lessons should be learned from this historical movie-car tragedy? Here are some tips to keep your loved one from falling into the wrong hands.
Senior Editor
Scott Tsuneishi
scott@importtuner.com

Part 2
After months of planning and building, and two weeks of fabricating, we have finally arrived at the point of near completion with our KA24DE. At this point, you may be thinking this build is a bit excessive. We would resoundingly agree, but excessive planning and building is what is going to take us to our promised land of 750 whp from a motor that started its life with a measly 115 whp.

If there's one thing we like about Eric, it's his brutally honest feedback...if not, feedback that's just plain brutal. Despite what your teacher's told you, yes there is such a thing as a dumb question. And in flavor of the Old Testament, a dumb question deserves the questioner, to be verbally pwn'd. And hey, better from someone who actually knows what he's talking about than some online "mechanic". For braving Eric's comments, Motovicity is kicking down $250 worth of Samco hoses to keep you cool this summer.
www.samcosport.com/usa

Muy Caliente
This month's summer issue proved to be a challenge for me in terms of editorial content, and it seems I bit off more than I could chew. My promise to offer in-depth technical coverage on "how to efficiently cool your car" had me working late hours, as I sat behind my laptop and HB Speed's dyno, calculating various temperature parameters and analyses of aftermarket radiators. With the aid of former Sport Compact Car editor Joey Leh and Jon from HB Speed (thanks guys), we were able to complete our testing in a limited time frame with some interesting results. Successful testing doesn't occur overnight, and I found myself searching through a number of books and reputable sources to better understand some of the more complex theories that revolve around an engine's cooling system.

It's hot outside. And your high-performance ride is tuned on the ragged edge of reliability, for maximum power. You're nearly broke from having added the best aftermarket radiator, intercooler, oil cooler, and other high-dollar goods to keep it alive, but it's not enough--you're left searching for any last-minute trick mod to lower its temps by those ever-so-important few degrees. The economic melt-down's heat is doubly bearing down upon you, and as much as you need to avoid catastrophic engine (read: bank account) failure, you'd rather not throw your hard-earned dollars away on some useless gimmick. You're desperate for a solution, but if there's any doubt whether or not a product will actually help, you'd rather not even mess with it.

Pros
AEM's new cold air intake system utilizes a Dryflow Synthetic Air Filter that is said to provide 99.25 percent filtration without the use of filter oil. The lightweight aluminum intake tubing is mandrel-bent and reinforced with TIG-welded brackets and fittings, for superior flow characteristics and added durability. Each system is guaranteed by AEM for the life of the vehicle on which it's installed, and is CARB approved and 50-state legal, unless otherwise stated.

During the early '70s, copper/brass radiators were used worldwide due to their superior ability to conduct heat, but weighed three times that of aluminum radiators, were expensive to manufacture, and experienced high failure rates due to corrosion and stress fractures. Aluminum radiators made their way into automobiles during the '80s, as OEMs embraced the idea of a lighter, more cost-effective design that lasted two to four times longer than copper/brass radiators. Today, the OEM standard radiator-using an aluminum core with plastic tanks-can be found in 99 percent of cars driven on the highway. Follow along as we showcase the ins-and-outs of radiators as we cover what to look for and avoid when addressing your cooling system.

Over the course of the past year, our sister publication, Turbo Magazine (bless her soul), has been following along on a unique buildup of a KA24DE engine--the ubiquitous 2.4L engine produced from July 1988 through January 1996, powering numerous Nissan vehicles ranging from the sporty 240SX to the sport-ute Pathfinder. Now, you might be asking why anyone would want to build the KA24DE; it's a 65hp/L truck motor that everyone junks for the SR20DET. There's no denying that, pound for pound, the SR20 has its advantages over the KA24 in stock trim. We skeptically took a look at the initial build of the KA24DE and did a double take when we found out that the motor is slated to make 750 bhp! This isn't your run-of-the-mill build, and with Naoto Negishi of NPD as the mastermind behind the project, nothing is impossible. Naoto is more than familiar with extracting big power from import cars. His past builds include a list of GT-Rs, including a 1,100whp beast now roaming the streets of the Midwest. With the demise of Turbo and the cult following that ensued during this KA24DE buildup, we decided to pick up where they left off--but not before we updated our readers with a recap, including some significant transformations. Stay tuned, as we continue the build in our upcoming issues wherein NPD attempts to break 750 bhp!

Arguably the most effective example of "state the obvious" marketing in the automotive industry came in the early '90s, when a certain tire manufacturer reminded everyone that their product is the only part of a car that actually contacts the road. Without saying so, that one line underscored the importance of a car's most overlooked part. In braking, handling and acceleration, tires are the difference between success and failure--especially in the performance driving realm, where increasing traction seems to go hand-in-hand with increasing performance. But, can one of the most basic methods of increasing traction actually decrease performance?

First Impressions
I am the average 14-year-old, except for the fact that I love modified cars. After some contemplating, I have decided to get an EK Civic hatch for my first car. I know many kids are ricing out Civics these days but I plan to keep mine clean. Is this car a good choice or are there others I should look at? I was also planning to swap in a "G23" because it's cheap and offers over 200 whp. Is the "G23" swap even possible for the EK Civics?
--Maciejvia importtuner.com

We've all heard the old gearhead adage "Louder is power". And, for the most part, it holds true; rip the stock exhaust and airbox off an older car and chances are it will make more power on the dyno... and be a hell of a lot louder on the street. Increased airflow equals increased power, and increased noise is a by-product of that. But for certain mildly tuned street cars, can there come a point where excess noise is simply excess? Can a car make impressive power and still remain quiet enough to ward off unwanted attention?