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What does Honda Day mean to me? By Ray Horton
I have been going to Honda Day since 2003, and to me seeing how this event has evolved in my lifetime is amazing. Honda Day has gone from cars gunning to get into 14’s with headers, intakes and exhaust to full race teams with huge turbos running 8’s. The evolution of the Honda Tuner has also changed during this time period from the Fast and Furious days with lambo doors and graphics to wire tucks, chrome plated engines and expensive wheels. I think back in 2003 tons of cars had huge boxes that practically weighed more than the civic. It was also so rare to see a “jdm” build since it wasn’t flashy and now if you show up with lambo doors they throw you in the back of the lot and forget to judge you :) In a nutshell what Honda Day means to me is a huge gathering of Honda tuners that strive to make a unique car build that reflects their personality and also something the Honda community will enjoy. I hope you enjoy our special edition showcasing some of the areas finest Hondas and their unique builds. I hope to see lots of our readers at Honda Day 2011 Englishtown NJ for this one of a kind event that is often imitated but never can be duplicated.
In 2007 Honda introduced the Fit to enter the subcompact world to battle the Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa. The Fit in typical Honda fashion became not only a gas saving economical car, but also became a fun car to modify. Amir the man behind the infamous HyTuned Sound & Security took a step outside his comfort zone of building sick Dubs and chose a Fit. He picked the Fit because it was different and the slowest Honda. The word on the street was he was strictly a Euro builder but with this Fit no matter where he goes it is a head tuner. I must admit who would think a 105hp car would get so many looks and actually be fun to drive, but with the right setup it can be done. To make his car a little go cart on the streets, he installed a fresh set of Tein Sport Coilovers, J’s Racing rear X bar, rear strut bar and front strut bar. I must admit if I didn’t see this thing boogie through the back streets of Elizabeth and Linden I would of been skeptical of it’s handling abilitites.
Amir being the Euro minded builder that he is had the idea of giving his Fit a Euro appeal with the deep dish 16x9 ESM Mesh wheels. There is a nice subtle mod that you don’t see on any Fit out there on the road is his body work. He modded his fenders to give the car a more aggressive stance and to fit ( no pun intended ) some wider wheels without compromising the driveability of the car.
Amir is known for his clean audio installs as well as his interior work as you can see with the rear space in his Fit.
I think he has J’s Racing on speed dial with this build having powdercoated his strut bar, his suspension and of course the most important piece of this build the radiator cap. We all know the cap adds at least 50 hp :) We both had a laugh once he told me what he spent on it but it’s all in fun. Like with any Honda Tuner the motor is one of the first things to get swapped, so he would
have to swap that motor and put something in there more potent. I can’t reveal what is on his mind, because he may send his boys to take my knees out if I speak about the future mods. This Fit by no means is done, so I look forward to more coming from this build. He will be present at Honda Day ,so don’t drool too much over the car, and stop by the shop for that clean system install or some interior work. Thanks to Hytuned for being part of this special Honda Day Edition. EXTERIOR : -CUSTOM ONE OFF WIDEBODY(ALL METAL) -MUGEN FRONT LIP -FABULOUS REAR ROOF WING -JS RACING TOW HOOKS (FRONT AND REAR CHROME)SPECIAL ORDER -SHAVED ROOF ANTENNA -SHAVED REAR WIPER -HIDS TOP AND BOTTOM -JDM TAILLIGHTS WITH REVERSE HIDS -SIDE EXHAUST -16X9 ESM WHEELS(MESH 002) -REVERSE HIDS INTERIOR: -VERTEX/MOMO STEERING WHEEL -NRG HUB AND QUICK RELEASE -SPOON SHIFT KNOB -PIONEER -AVIC D3 -6.5 COMPONENT FRONT AND REAR -ROCKFORD FOSGATE 10SUB AND AMP SUSPENSION: -TEIN SPORT COILOVER KIT -J’S RACING: -FRONT TOP STRUT BAR -FRONT LOWER ARM BAR -REAR STRUT BAR -REAR PILLAR BAR -REAR X BAR
WORDS: RAY HORTON PHOTOS: SEAN”PANA”STUART
In our July 2011 Issue we featured this cool DC2 Type R conversion built by Komal Poonai, and we had to bring it back to rep for the Integra in our special Honda Day edition. We like to thank the infamous man himself Sean”Pana”Stuart for his pics and capturing the essence of this build, make sure you check out Sean at www.panasview.com. This car originally started out as a 1994 Integra GSR and buy no means is a slouch. Most people would be satisfied with a nice Integra GSR, but Komal isn’t just anybody. In order to have a Type R you must have the great motor the engineers at Honda created that made the ITR one of the leaders on the track for many years. The Type R came in at 200hp and for it’s time was a stout competitor especially with is redline up to 8000rpm/8900 if it was JDM version. With the Honda Integra you knew you were getting a “race car” because the Type R was not made with an automatic transmission, so if you were a Honda fan boy and couldn’t drive stick the Type R was not for you. It is also the lightest in the Integra lineup coming in at a mere 2639lbs.
Komal took the already impressive high revving motor and added some extra goodies to it, to make it even more responsive like it needed any help. He fitted his B18 with Skunk 2 Headers, Password JDM intake and a Greddy exhaust to let you know when that B18 is ready for some Integra racing madness. In true JDM fashion Komal painted his engine bay, the most famous green known to every tuner in the world, Takata Green which adds an awesome touch to the bay. Although he has the GSR chassis which is slightly heavier than the Type R he adores so much with the addition of his carbon fiber trunk, fenders and sideskirts he reduced enough weight to be even lighter than the stock ITR. When you get a ITR it doesn’t come in just white, but Championship White for all the trophies it accumulated throughout the circuits of Japan. Komal’s DC2/ITR is no different and the car flows flawlessly with the carbon fiber and Championship White paint.
The GSR interior is nice where you can get the luxury feel if you choose and opt for leather seats, but not the ITR. The ITR comes with a set of snug Recaros, that hug your body for the twisties and of course in a nice color red that screams “See Me” . Komal doesn’t race his baby but I’m sure loves the nice feel of the Recaros over his stock GSR seats anyday. To keep the JDM conversion in tact , the shoes he chose for his car is a set of 17” white Mugen MF-10 with Work lugnuts and Dunlop tires to keep him steady just in case he wants to rip it a bit on the streets of Queens, NY. The ITR is world reknown for it’s excellence in handling and Komal took an already good platform and upgraded it. He installed Skunk 2 Coilovers and lower control arms with ASR tie bars to keep that chassis nice and tight and ready to handle any pothole, biker or pedestrian the crazy streets of the Big Apple presents itself. Komal has done a great job on the ITR transformation and according to the man himself he is not done. His future plans include a K20a Type R engine swap. To see more of this wonderful ITR check out the July 2011 issue of Garagespec Magazine.
Skunk2 Dual Bend Short Shifter Mugen 5spd Shift Knob QuiafeLSD DriveshaftShop 5.9 Axles TiltonTwindisk Clutch AFI Turbo Crank Case Breather Custom 3’’ Vibant Downpipe and Exhaust Koyo Radiator Samco Limited Edition Radiator Hoses
Exterior Seibon Gold Flake Hood Seibon Carbon fiber Trunk Seibon Carbon fiber Front Lip Seibon Carrbon fiber Rear Lip
Stance D2 Racing Coilovers Custom Spring Rate Skunk2 Front Pro Series Camber Kit Skunk2 Rear Camber Kit Password Jdm 4 Point Rear Strut Tower Bar ASR Subframe Brace ASR Rear 24 mm Sway Bar kit Limited Edition Skunk2 Front Strut tower Bar Function 7 Lower Control Arms
Wheels & Tires Spoon SW388 Falken Azinies 205/40-16
Interior Spoon Steering Wheel Mugen Steering Wheel Hub AEM Tru Boost Boost Guage AEM Digital Oil Pressure Guage AEM Air/Fuel Ratio Guage AEM Digital Oil Temperature Guage Password Jdm Recaros 2x Sparco Seat Belt Bar Takata Seat Belt Harness 2x Password Jdm Shift Knob Password Jdm Carbon fiber Airbag Tray
Electronics: Pioneering Indash Radio w GPS AEM Series 2 Ecu
Rob Ventura from Vraceworks has built one of the most well known Honda Civic Si in the country. The Honda Civic Si is a cult classic in the Civic world, the 99-00 Si with it’s more powerful B16 motor became an instant hit in the Honda community. The B16 came with a more potent 160hp which is a big 40hp jump from the similar EX model. Rob was not satisfied with the mere 160hp out of the Si and swapped in a B18 Integra Type R motor that brings in 40 more hp and bigger redline. Vraceworks in Uptown NYC is known for their customer service and epic car builds but also the Honda Lifestyle. The coupe aka Triple Black draws more crowds than Justin Beiber at a mall. Vraceworks has been in business for 4 years and in that time span has accumulated a worldwide fan base by not just selling parts but also by showing their customers there cars. Being born and raised in NYC, Rob knows how to grind and how to be fresh, which he translates into the build of Triple Black.
To change things up for this Honda Day, he recently put on a set of 16” Spoon SW388 wrapped in Falken Azenis tires. The coupe is not just a good looking car with with it’s Spoon wheels and Siebon carbon fiber pieces but it’s a powerful car being dynoed at 577hp and 410ft torque at 20psi; with numbers like that you know he is not a Honda fanboy but a Honda tuner. The B18C in order to get to those type of numbers he had CP Pistons, Skunk2 Cam Gears, Titanium Retainers, Throttle Body and a hefty Magnus intake manifold installed.
Rob is not hellaflush low but form over function low because when you are running 500+hp you must make sure your suspension is tight. He is running a nice set of D2 coilovers, and with his ASR subframe chassis brace helps keep the car real tight like a go kart. Rob has a lot of plans to keep Vraceworks as the leader in providing the community with quality parts and the knowledge of what they are selling to their customers. Make sure you stop by the store at 4712 Broadway, NYC or check them out online at www.vraceworks.com. You can stop by their booth at Honda Day or check them out at the Wekfest in Chicago next week, representing the East Coast.
Engine: B18C Type R Engine Dynoed at 577whp 410tq @ 20psi Hasport B Series Engine Mounts Skunk2 Exhaust Cam Gear T1 Intake Cam Gear w Cam Trigger Sensor Skunk2 B18 tuner 1 Turbo camshafts Skunk2 Dual Valve Springs Skunk2 Titanium Retainers CP Pistons Manley Turbo Tuff Connecting Rods Darton Cylinder Sleeves Magnus Intake Manifold Skunk2 throttle Body Garrett Turbo GT35R Ball Bearing Turbo Charger AFI Ram horn Manifold T3/T4 Vibrant Performance 3” Mild Steel Intercooler 3” Vibrant Mild Steel Intercooler Piping Tial 44 Wastegate Tial Q Bov Vibrant Performance Push fitting with Polyurethane Vacuum Lines Vibrant Performance 3” Black Silicone connectors Vibrant Performance Stainless Steel T Bolt Clamps 2x Bosch Intake Full Blown Fuel Pumps Aeromotive -6 Fuel Pressure Regulator -8 Russell Fuel Feed / -6 Fuel Return MSD Ignition System RC 1200cc Fuel Injectors
The birth of F Your K has been a long time coming but it’s always been a different build. I can easily say I have not seen an Accord build quite like Shahid’s. If it’s not enough to go against the community and keep the little 140hp F23 and not swap in a H or K series motor but Shahid throws a big ass turbo on it with a big middle finger for the non believers in Honda’s ability.
Shahid isn’t only about performance, but also wanted his accord to be different in appreance and chose a nice blue paint. To create a nice contrast to the paint he had his 18” Wedsport’s SA67’s powdercoated bronze. When you look closely at this unique Accord you see he is running Mickey Thompson street slicks for the front for that extra grip just in case that K series shows up and wants to play. This car is full of torque and this build has been very meticulous and a long time to complete. The engine bay is full of custom one off parts and performs flawlessly. Shahid pops the hood and your first reaction is WTF!! That turbo manifold is bananas and created by Ripp Modds in Staten Island NY. I think whoever designed that manifold must of had some fish from the S.I waters with the craziness of it’s twist and turns. Shahid then took the car to another level by fitting a GT3070r Garrett Turbo on his little F series motor. My first thought is how is that little motor able to withstand the power of his set up, but by adding custom pistons, and Crower Rods the F23 is up to the task of this turbo.
When you run such a big turbo setup suspension and brakes should be a big componet in your build and Shahid went with K-Sport Pro Dampening System and 8 piston front big brake setup. While the Accord is far from a sports sedan with the upgrades acheived by Shahid he will give any one a run for their money in straight or twisties. The look of his car is nothing original from it seems from Honda except for the shell. There isn’t a spot left unmodded on his car and this is true dedication to his build. To give the front a more modern look he added projectors and leds to his lights.
He also went with a carbon fiber hood and trunk to add contrast and to lighten up the car for that extra horsepower edge. There is a little more up his sleeve and i’m curious as to what else he can do to this car. Hopefully Shahid can get some time off work to spend an afternoon at some shows or meets to show the Honda community his amazing F series. Mucho gracias to Shahid for sharing his build in this special edition. Don’t take offense K series owner just remember to respect your elders.
PERFORMANCE: SUSPENSION: Golden Eagle sleeves 5-lug swap Bisimoto Valves and retainers Wedsport SA67, 18X8 +30 all around. bisimoto level 2 cam Nitto Invo 225/40/18 (R) and Mickey Thompson 2 head completely ported, polished, and matched 45/40/18 (Street slicks for the front). 9.5:1 arias custom pistons KSport Kontrol Pro Damper System. H22 crankshaft Suspension Techniques Rear Sway (Diameter 13/16 inch). kaizenspeed kit DC Sports Front strut bar. Crower Rods. custom traction bars. custom equal lenght turbo manifold. custom urathane bushings. custom exhaust manifold. custom 78mm TB. custom 3.25" downpipe. BRAKES: custom exhaust with 3.25" straight pipes. custom piping. KSport 13 Inch Procomp, 8-piston Front Big Brake Kit. custom fmic. Rotora slotted discs with axxis pads in the rear. custom hard lines. custom Steel lines. custom oil catch can. custom power steering reservoir. custom coolant can. custom methanol injection kit using VP racing straight meth. custom Urethane mounts. PSPEC short shifter. CX racing radiator for a civic with flex-lite fans. HKS Carbon-Ti muffler with 3.25" inlet and 4.00" outlet. GT3070R Tial 44mm wastegate. INTERIOR: Tial 50mm blowoff valve. Walbro 255 ultra. MOMO Steering wheel. Aeromotive FPR. Built transmission with a Quaife LSD and Kevlar syncros. MOMO Shift knob. MOMO Shift Boot. Clutchmasters FX500, 4puck sprung. MOMO ebrake handle. Competition 10lbs steel ultra light flywheel. MOMO Pedal set. RC engineering 770 injectors. MOMO floor mats. NGK plugs. AC Autotechnic gauges with LED swaped for the Nology hotwires. factory bulbs. AEM EMS. AVIC-Z4. Corbeau LG1 grey and black with micro suede for the EXTERIOR: driver and passenger side. Sparco 4pt harness. Xenon lipkit. CF dash layout. Carbon rearview mirrors. Two 12" Rockford Fosgate Punch P3's. ViS carbon hood. 3 Rockford Fosgate Punch series amps powering them. 2000 trunk conversion using ViS carbon trunk lid. MBQuart component system for the fronts and fosgate Carbon front fenders. 6x9. Red/Clear tails. Defi boost, EGT, Oil Pressure and Temp. Custom paintjob. AEM Voltmeter and AFR. custom mount rear trunk spoiler. Aerocatch flushed hood pins.
Team NSU’s New Jersey Chapter has built a reputation of building the most quality Hondas, but the crew went outside the box and built three quality Wagovans. The crew has been around since 1990 and re-established in 04’ in Jersey and Indiana. While most Honda tuners are out there swapping and building 96-00 Honda Civic coupes and hatches this dedicated group went with Civic Wagovans. The thing about these builds it’s not like you can go to your local junkyard and get parts you have to search and stock parts. I really don’t think Honda had the intention of their grocery getting first edition SUV being slammed on air suspension with stretched tires. We can’t blame this crazy owner Julio for going the extra mile and making his Wagovan different. The rarest of the rare stateside this Beagle 4WD official RHD not converted wagon is definitely an eye catcher. The Beagle in it’s natural form comes two toned and has a factory option of dual PIAA foglights fitted with a brush guard, but I must admit I won’t call Julio if I needed to be pushed out of some trouble some where.
After meeting Julio he is definitely and extension of his build, as we were going from location to location he rode the Wagovan air’d out up front and the rear at stock height. I must admit, I wanted to take a detour to see the reaction of this madness would get going down Main Street USA. The talk of the day is how in the hell does he run that stretched on the wagon. Julio is running Nankang 165/40/15 on a 16x8 15 offset Sportmax 501 rims. He even finds it comical of this stretch and how the potholes hit the rims before they hit the tires. I know some do not like the stance movement, but I can give Julio props for going outside the norm with his choice of fitment. When you rocking a legit JDM Beagle 4WD you really don’t have to do too much to it, but he took a lip from a 94-97 Honda Accord and fitted it to the front of his wagon. The Honda world is not your typical airbag crew, but again the man the myth Julio is not your average tuner. He put airbags on his Beagle and added Suspension Techniques 1.5” drop forks all around to give his Airlift bags even more of a drop. It’s not like you can call your local airbag company an ask for Wagovan setup, he of course had to customize it by putting 92-95 civic front struts to fit into a 88-91 civic front fork, that’s called determination. This build should come with a warning sticker for the ebay/pep boy builders to not try this at home or expect the epic fail. Thanks Julio for the shoot.
Another dope Wagovan from Team NSU by Jorge. When he is not fighting fires in Brick City, he is modding his Wagovan. As all tuners get older we must find ways to satisfy our needs and once you have kids the stunna status coupe has to go away. The typical guy picks up a sedan to mess with but Jorge found this nice Wagovan with low mileage and hardly any rust and the rest is epic Wagovan tuning history. We joked how factory the USDM 1990 Wagon DX comes with 95 hp and 90 ft of torque at 2660 lbs. I guess 0-60 times in 1990 was not a big thing, but I know back in 1990 rocking pops Dodge Diplomat that V8 was gangsta :) . To stop getting beat by Yugos down McCarter Highway Jorge dropped a B18 in his wagon. This swap immediately doubled the horsepower and torque in the wagon and making it fun to drive while picking up the kids from school.
Jorge didn’t go the air route he chose to get his wagon on the floor by installing a set of Ground Control coilovers with Tokiko Illuminas. When you have 90 hp there really isn’t any need for brake upgrades but once you add the B18 you need something to stop the wagon. Jorge did a 5 lug 2000 ITR conversion, with a 95 Legend GS front calipers and then got bored of that set up and went with a Spoon BBK to make the wagon stand out even more. The wagon is usually fitted with a set of 16” Spoon wheels, but he decided to make a trade for them and throw on the a set of ITR wheels which make the paint really pop. He had the wagon resprayed 99 Honda Accord Heather Metallic to modernize the look. While most go JDM with build, he did a mix of Euro and JDM appeal to his wagon by adding JDM EF9 front bumper, with Euro corner tail corners, rear foglight and roof rails.
I must give Jorge props for building a nice clean Wagovan and for saving lives throughout Brick City.
The last and by no means the least Team NSU belongs to Alex Cardona, and he like the others have done an amazing job on this build. Alex has owned his 91 Civic Wagovan for 10 years and is very loyal to his marriage to Honda. Alex didn’t waste any time either in his 91 wagon and took out that old D15 motor and put in a more stout B18c with Skunk 2 headers to make the wagon hang with other civics half his size. This wagon has more of tuner look compared to his other team members with his nice set of 16” Spoon 338’s. If you have a set of uber JDM wheels like the Spoon 338’s you must buy the Spoon BBK to go with the look.
Alex going with his more tuner look has his B18 head powdercoated yellow and with his Spoon blue silicone hoses give a nice contrast to the engine bay. He also with an EF9 civic front bumper to give his car a more modern look. The Wagovan is slammed on Ground Control coils with Tokiko Illuminas. Alex and the rest of the Team NSU family are so tight knit that he and the crew carry around low jacks and ramps to set up their suspension before and after shows for that extra jdm sex appeal.
One of the most unique mod on any of the three wagons, Alex has it on his rear roof hatch. Alex has 97 CRV roof wing customized and extended to give it a great JDM look that flows well with the rest of his build. The great builds from Team NSU by Julio, Jorge and Alex completely have taken over the wagovan community and set the bar real high on how to make a nicely modded wagon in various different ways. You can check their forum at www.teamnsu.com and look out for these bad ass wagons at Honda Day August 13-14th at Englishtown.
Rey from Unique Auto Squad has built a very eye catching 97 Civic DX. The 1997 Honda Civic DX from factory is no longer noticeable in this fine piece of artwork built by Rey and his crew. The DX model is made with a 106hp D16Y7 non vtec motor. If you’re a Honda head, you are definately going to swap out your stock motor or build the hell out of it. Rey went with a swap as unique as his car and crew. He put in a B16A3 block with an Integra Type R head. The motor upgrade was not done, he added a Typhoon Log intake manifold. To make this motor stand out from the rest he had his valve cover, intake manifold and heat shield dipped in chrome and isn’t afraid to let the bling shine. You will rarely see the coupe with a hood, and Rey and his family enjoy the comments from astonished on lookers at stop lights or street corners.
Rey obviously has a wild side and setup his car with zebra print roof liner,door inserts and arm rests. He secretly wants to go on safari in Africa but you didn’t hear that from me. The DX model comes with a set of boring cloth seats, that you don’t worry about spilling coffee on in that rush hour traffic, but if you are El Rey you ditch those cookie cutter seats and install Integra Type R Recaro front seats with Civic Type R rails to make it all work flawlessly. Rey is such a family man with a beautiful wife ( who has a sick civic herself) and three adorable little girls who are future honda heads and to make them feel part of the scene the baby is lucky enough to have her own Recaro seat. How lucky is she??
Now we have seen BBS RS wheels before, but being the twisted tuner that he is, Rey took it to another level powdercoating the wheels white with gold rivets and gold trim BBS lock..As Charlie Sheen would say “WINNING”. Rey has decided to retire the coupe for the season and bring it out even harder (Pause) for next season. Look out for his wife’s white hatch Cabo Rojo at Honda Day 2011 Englishtown Raceway on August 13th and 14th for two days of epic Honda awesomeness.
Honda doesn’t just build tuner cars ,but is also considered a luxury vehicle with their Acura TL line. The 2004-2008 Third Generation TL has on of the more sportiest look of all the generations which caused it to continuously out sell it’s competitors during that time span. I am still confused what the Honda team was thinking with their current generation, but we will always have the third gen to look at. Gus has built a clean and mildly modded TL 6speed. He is a former boosted Nissan Maxima owner and gave up the boost for the luxury of the Acura and hasn’t thought twice about his decision His TL has seen a few stages from his first set of wheels that were by RonJon ,but since joining the now defunct TristateViP crew, his style went from trashy to classy. The TL now sits on a set of gold Work VS-XX wheels 19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 in the rear for that more aggressive staggered look. You can never go wrong with this color combo, it says look at me but with this classy mesh wheel it also shows elegance and class. When you look at the front facial of the this particular TL you notice something Acura didn’t think of in 06 when they made the 6spd TL; fogs. Gus is a tech for Acura and very crafty with tools so adding a set of fogs from the 04-06 Honda Accord was an easy task to take this look to another level and by adding 3000k hids in the fog lights
that give the car a euro appeal when those yellow lights hit the pavement. When it came time to get this car lower to the ground, he originally chose a set of Comptech Springs but after time was convinced to install a set of Tein SS coilovers for that better handling and dampening ability for when the times Vtec kicks in during the morning commute. To keep the TL a little
different and still maintain a nice clean look, he blacked out the headlights and installed a set of BMW 3 series bi-xenon projectors. He is no longer interested in the boost for his daily driver but a little something doesn’t hurt to get a little more out of the 270hp J series Honda motor. The little roar you hear under the engine is due to his Fujita intake and if you’re silly enough to think the TL is not a quick sedan, the sound of his Comptech exhaust passing you and the grin of the Greek will let you know you suck at life. If you see Gus in the Tristate area give him a thumbs up for such a nice and clean build and Acura owners be nice to your cars so you don’t make his job so hard at the dealership eventhough it is job security. Thanks Gus for sharing your TL in the Honda Day Special Edition.
Thanks to the following for making this special issue happen: Sean”Pana”Stuart Rob Vraceworks Amir from Hytuned Team NSU UniqueAutoSquad and others