Project EJ Honda Civic

By Chuck Johnson

You're probably wondering what this busted ass Honda Civic is doing on the virtual pages of MotoIQ. I mean, it's far from the flawless presentation of MotoIQ's usual project cars and lacks the engineering luster to be excusable like Coleman's innovative crap cans. Instead, this Civic's clear coat is peeling off and almost every panel has some kind of battle wound on it… but every gear head has a story about the car that was their first love.

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Project Racer Part 11: Grip Addiction; We Install Progress Sway Bars

By Annie Sam

Modificum Racerium – a chronically debilitating disease which is characterized by the irrationally obsessive addiction to car modification and speed. “More!” we keep chanting, as we illogically pass up hot meals for cup o noodle in order to quell this addiction by buying more upgrades for our soon to be NASA PTD car.

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Project Racer: Back to the Track with NASA, Part Two

By Annie Sam

Our last article gave you a brief introduction to the learning curve for the average driver through the different stages of HPDE (High Performance Driving Event). As promised, this month’s article will give you a little more detailed tutorial on the basics of driving on the road course. Keep in mind that since this Project NASA PT car is an NX2000, the information given here pertains primarily to FWD vehicles, the typical drivetrain of many compact racing cars.

Follow Annie's travels in the world of Motorsports here!

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Project Racer- Back to the Track with NASA

By Annie Sam

Of all of the various sanctioning bodies I have run with, I feel that NASA has the best program for the beginner driver by far.  NASA’s HDPE or High Performance Driving Event program can take a driver safely from a raw beginner to an experienced track driver ready for driving school and wheel to wheel racing.

Follow Annie's travels in the world of Motorsports here!

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Project Racer Part 8: Nissan SR20DE S4 Cams from Jim Wolf Technology

By Annie Sam

So what was the cherry on top of our Nissan SR20DE horsepower upgrades? S4HL Camshafts from Jim Wolf technology. What are cams? First, let’s start off with the term “cams”. Cams are actually the lobes of the entire assembly, which is more formally known as the camshaft. But, for this article, we’ll stick to calling them cams, as that is the casual term for the part. So, let’s give a little introduction on the basics of cams.

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Project Racer - Part 7: Recipe for Racing

By Annie Sam

Being a fast road racer requires five main ingredients; 2 cups drivers skill, 1 cup killer suspension, ½ cup of grip, a dash of reliability, and of course, 2 tablespoons of horsepower. Now that you’ve learned the basics of racing, and driving through following the progress of Project Racer, let’s turn our attention to the next ingredient - horsepower. Though a detailed buildup of a Performance Touring race car could be found detailed in various other project vehicles on this site, what automotive project – project racer included - is complete without the mention of upgrading a racecar? After all, as project racer, I couldn’t race without building a racecar, now could I?

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24 Hours of LeMons Thunderhill Arse-Freeze-Apalooza '09

By Annie Sam

In this segment, I will detour you from our regularly scheduled program to bring you a little adventure known as the 24 Hours of LeMons from the perspective of Project Racer at their most recent event which took place, the LeMons Thunderhill Arse-Freeze-Apalooza '09. Like the other 158 crazies that showed up to this event, having this race take place the weekend before Thanksgiving didn't stop us from trekking nine hours across the state to participate in this event.

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The Sweet Scent of…Coolant? Project Racer Part 6

by Annie Sam

Ah the sweet scent of victory. Or is it burning coolant? A smell reminiscent of warm apple cider, yet a scent which can make your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach by the imminent doom it foretells.  Black smoke, white smoke, the distinct smell of hot oil and burning coolant; these are the tell tale signs of your car communicating to you that something's gone wrong, and in my case very wrong.

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Project Racer- Part 5 1/2: A Few Extra Tips

By Annie Sam

As I was instructing a beginner session at Willow Springs, I discovered several common mistakes that beginner drivers would make. So, I decided to add a little extra to this month's article point these out and hopefully help new drivers correct them before you head out to the track.

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Project Racer- Part 5: Basics of Tire Pressure

By Annie Sam

Tires. Such a small portion of the car, yet it is the most important part of your vehicle. Why? Because it is the only part of the car that comes in contact with the road – or at least the only thing that's supposed to come in contact with the road. So critical is having the proper tire pressure for performance and safety at speed, we'll devote this next article on how to correctly set pressure for your car for optimal handling and safety.

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