Front
Another of the Integra's benefits is that it offers a smooth, short, relatively narrow front area that doesn't have a thousand openings and ducts-all reasons why that Hummer isn't very aerodynamic.
• One modification we left out when installing bolt-ons in the second part of "Ultimate Efficiency" was the addition of an aftermarket header. Here's why: they generally weigh a lot less than stock, cast steel units. Our two-piece DC Sports 4-2-1 unit shed nearly 15 pounds, and increases mid-range power to bump up fuel efficiency for the daily commute.
For even further benefit, unsprung clutch disks weigh slightly less than sprung alternativ
• After the wheels, decreasing rotational mass lies predominantly in switching to a lighter clutch/flywheel setup. Our ACT Prolite flywheel, Xtreme pressure plate and street/strip disk dropped more than eight pounds over the OE equipment, while offering faster throttle response for rev-matching, increased power and torque output, and massively increased holding power.
• Another huge improvement to be made in decreasing vehicle weight is in replacing heavy steel hoods with lightweight alternatives, like our Seibon carbon-fiber unit that saved more than 40 pounds, fit perfectly and brought a flawless finish.
• One area that could use work is the recessed headlights found in the USDM '94-'97 cars, that might as well be thought of as tiny parachutes. Honda realized this, and designed the '98-'01 cars' headlights to mount flush with the bumper.
• Other significant offenders of drag are a car's side mirrors. Our APR carbon fiber replacements' small, rounded bodies and minimal uprights were designed with reducing drag in mind. Thanks to some brainless NHTSA mandate, OEs in the U.S. aren't permitted to equip cars with convex mirrors from the factory; if they could, mirrors like our APRs might come standard.
• Decreasing a vehicle's frontal area cuts down on drag, but as mentioned before, so does decreasing airflow underneath it. Adding a front lip spoiler increases area slightly, but brings more benefit than drawback if it can limit airflow to a vehicle's tires and underbody, and would also increase downforce in doing so. Our Versus Motorsports special did all that, and also kept weight down with its fiberglass construction.
Decreasing drag even more is the addition of a flat "bellypan" spanning the entire underside of a vehicle, covering the points of drag mentioned earlier. Not only are they impossible to find for most applications, we're not about to fit our car with a modification that would last two hours on rough LA streets. Even though we'll probably forget about our front lip and smash it to bits by the time you read this.
By Luke Munnell
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