Never Lift… a Motovicity-hosted half-mile event in Coalinga, CA. 

3 weeks!

Annnnd we didn’t even have a car yet. I live my life a quarter mile at a time & all, but damn I gotta admit Dom, this was stressful. Not like ‘magazine stress’… where you could push back the deadline a few days erhrmmm weeks. Nope – this was the kinda stress that makes you pull your dreads out. Check out Episode 1 on Youtube… it’s all about the purchase & a last minute sprint up to Tennessee because the hometown Honda dealer stuck it right in our frickin’ ear. 

Week 1

We’re trying to source parts, get everything shipped in, and schedule installs. All the installs get more difficult & calculated when you have to film & photograph them… and your video guy lives out of state. But – by the later part of the week, we were getting shipments by the hour. On Thursdays at 5:00pm, James at K-Tuner says we can ship him the ECU, and he’ll get it turned around asap. I call UPS… they say the cutoff for next-day shipping in 5:30. I go into beast mode, tear the ECU out of the car, tell my daughter to get here shoes on I dont care if they’re on the right foot, and haul ass to UPS. Make it by deadline! James at K-Tuner gets the ECU next day (Friday), unlocks it, and next-days it back to me. It’s back in the car by Saturday morning. 

Week 2

Do or die. We haul all the parts over to United Speed Racing (USR) Sunday. And we bring the R over that Monday, whereby Jason Owens installs the…

  • Mishimoto intercooler kit
  • Mishimoto oil cooler kit
  • Mishimoto intake
  • Mishimoto coolant expansion tank
  • Thermal turbo-back exhaust
  • Whiteline lowering springs
  • Redline synthetic oil w/ K&N filter
  • United Speed Racing (USR) Stage-2 tune on that K-Tuner ECU
  • USR turbo blanket
  • Vented front/driver honeycomb grille for more airflow to oil cooler (and removed fog light)

…Not bad for 1 day’s work. USR knows their stuff, and Jason is as cool as a cucumber under pressure. The Type-R left that night making 365whp & looking lower.  

Tuesday: The wheels & tires come in. Can’t do anything with ‘em until…

Wednesday: I take the car to Gran Turismo East (GTE) for wheels, tires, & alignment. We find out that the wheels are just barely hitting the front Brembo calipers, so I go home on stockies & order 3mm spacers. 

Thursday: Nothing. 

Friday: Spacers come in; wheels clear & look SO sweet on that matte silver

 

WHEELS: Konig Freeforms v2 in 18×9.5 +35 

TIRES: Toyo R1R 265/35/18

Saturday: I head back to USR to recheck bolts, make sure no fluids are leaking, and give everything a once-over. We throw a USR tow hook on the front. And Michael Hill from Charisma ceramic coats those matte silver Konigs. 

Easter Sunday: Our designer, Guy, cuts the MONICA decals & sponsor decals… and I we throw ‘em on the car who everyone’s over for Easter. Leave for California Monday morning… what could go wrong.