by Michael Stute PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOD DAHLQUIST lie growing interest In compact car racing events like the North American

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by Michael Stute PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOD DAHLQUIST lie growing interest In compact car racing events like the North American Touring Car Championship (NATCC) has lead to a new market in street ~.

3 by Michael Stute PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOD DAHLQUIST lie growing interest In compact car racing events like the North American Touring Car Championship (NATCC) has lead to a new market in street ~. With expanding media coverage, a desire to emulate the wonder &1!8 seen In magazines and on television has provided greater oppc»rtunitles for the automotive performance aftermarket. Tbe challenge, howev~r. is to find the middle ground between a high-tech race car and a street-legal per(onnance vehicle. That challenge was ~ hea«k»n by H&R Springs through t:.bek ~Importer Neuspeed. The result: the.~ Honda Civic street touring package.

It is no surprise that Neuspeed's Interests lie with Hondas. Neuspeed began as a perfonnance shop and later began producing its own parts and products, initially for Volkswagen&.

4 It is no surprise that Neuspeed's Interests lie with Hondas. Neuspeed began as a perfonnance shop and later began producing its own parts and products, initially for Volkswagen&. As times changed and consumers became more Interested In Honda performance, Neuspeed made the transition as well, and provided their customers with quality imported parts for Hondas. It was 18 years ago when H&R Springs introduced their line of quality T.U.V. springs in Germany. Having set many industry standards in performance and quality, H&R's founders, Herr -j ~ c., ~~ii ~ uct to the test by government agency (fee~~~ oberwachungs Vereln), to.aoorc:we their products. The result is a handmade product that meets or exceeds many safety and quality regulations In Europe and America. The Neuspeed/H&R Honda Civic was developed to bridge the gap between the full racing version of Neuspeed's championship-winning Honda Accord Super Touring Car and the popular Honda Civic. To accomplish this a full upgrade to the suspension was necessary with H&R's fullythreaded strut body coik>ver suspension.

5 SUPER STREET TOURING H&R's Threaded Body Coil-Over Suspension Systems come directly from engineers who develop and design racing suspensions. Designed from the start as coil-dvers, these suspension systems are not simply a modified shock body. The H&R units are handmade in Germany by H&R Spezialfedern, under the ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Standard. According to Roland Graef, A Neuspeed/H&R representative and car enthusiast, attention to function is the number one design priority at H&R. Use of a "threaded body" means that the outside of the strut, or shock tubes, are threaded like a bolt. This allows movement of the threaded spring perch up or down to fine tune rideheight, which in turn optimizes handling, and appearance. H&R's specifications concerning coil-dvers make this item a true tuner component. To achieve this they include a shorter shock body, shorter shock rod, custom dust boots and pre over suspension will allow for even more lowering. However, with a height reduction of 2.6 inches, the Civic sits more than three inches lower when-fl. driver and passenger are in the car. Passenger weight must be considered when lowering the vehicle, although many consumers want the chassis dropped to the ground when the car is seen in the driveway, parked at a show, or shot for photographs. The Neuspeed/H&R Civic features a Neuspeed upper strut tie bar, which is installed between the front strut towers. It is the only stress tie bar that offers mini-double triangulation on cisely calculated bump stop -~ ,... height and hardness (shore). The system is completed with precisely control arm bolts. Unlike other tie bars each side, bolting directly to the upper valved shocks that are matched with which have pivot points and only H&R's high quality springs. And the dampen 180 degree motions, this minidouble triangulated design prevents suspension systems are designed to an individual's specific needs to match horizontal, torsional, and even vertical a particular application. movements. According to H&R, their goal with Also fitted to the Civic is a Neuspeed coil-dvers is to create a feeling of performance without harshness, allowing and developed on the race track, 19mm rear sway bar. Built for strength use for everything from weekend clubsport events to lapping the public of T.C. Kline Racing for more than 10 (Neuspeed has been a major sponsor course at the Nurburgring. years) the Neuspeed rear sway bar is The Neuspeed/H&R Civic is also custom manufactured, but fits like the built for visual appeal when driving factory rear sway. It is designed to fit down the road. Roland explained to into the control arm mounting bolt us, "When you're cruising down the location. road is when 99 percent of your fans Because the 19mm sway bar ends see your car. The handling and the feel are short, they are stiffer and react of the car is much better when the quicker than longer arms that have a chassis is set up to look right with a slower flex rate. This smaller, stronger load in the car." bar provides a lighter weight benefit as For this reason, the Civic was lowered a total of 2.6 inches, and the coilsis stronger is the addition of well. Integral to making the rear chas the Neuspeed rear tie bar. The rear tie bar bolts directly between the rear control arms, and the stock rear control arms are bolted to two mounting horns that are spot welded to the sub-frame. This process is done because the mounting horns, if left alone, tend to move around under hard driving. The Neuspeed rear lower tie bar holds these control arms together to doublestrengthen them. To enhance stopping power, Neuspeed hi-performance stainless steel brake lines-with directional cross-drilled rotors and Repco disc brake pads-were employed. The brake lines offer sharper braking response, and for a hi-tech appearance a yellow heat-shrunk tubing cover is added. To complete the brakes the old brake fluid was flushed and filled with ATE Super Blue Racing brake fluid. To upgrade the motor a K&N Honda Filter Charger Kit was installed. This huge cone filter is easy to affix, and provides seven actual road horsepower, not to mention a s~rb powerful sound. Also installed are Neuspeed Stainless Steel performance headers, along with the new Neuspeed 8mm spark plug wire set in bright yellow. "Adding a header to the Honda Civic is the single most horsepower producing part per dollar spent," Roland commented. The next step was to install a set of BBS wheels with Michelin tires. Roland explained, "We feel the timeless classic mesh design is the choice of champions." Made in Germany, BBS was a unanimous choice at H&R, as they are considered one of the highest quality wheels available. The 7xl6 size is a perfect fit with extreme lowering, and the Michelin MXX3, 205/45ZR-16 was H&R's size of preference. These upgrades and full graphics furnish the Neuspeed/H&R Honda Civic with a racing-look, while maintaining a practical street feel. sec SPORT COMPACT CAR I FEBRUARY

Run like the wind! inter-cooler which increases air density by lowering its temperature to

Run like the wind! inter-cooler which increases air density by lowering its temperature to Run like the wind! T he name Volkswagen has never been traditionally associated with such adjectives as power, speed and performance until recently. VW's latest entry into the sport coupe field of cars,