So what do you use your Super Street car for? Daily transportation? Grocery getter? Crime-fighting Batmobile? Dragstrip racer? All of the above? Whatever your car’s purpose, we here at the magazine feel that you should be having fun with your car. A sort of horseplay element for the streets, if you will. It’s also nice if this horseplay means serious horsepower, as well.
Jon Guadalupe of Charleston, South Carolina, is this month’s poster boy for the above logic. His Acura Integra GS-R has all the necessary culinary ingredients to bring fun to the streets. He also just happened to travel with us on Super Street Tour , making the trip from Greenville, South Carolina, to Atlanta.
Most people would agree that the 1.8L VTEC found in the GS-R is a great engine. But when it comes time to modifying it, the usual air intake, header, and exhaust mods will only go so far in terms of generating more power. For major horseplay antics on the streets, one needs to step from the good side of normal aspiration to the dark side of pressurized air. In Jon’s case, the dark side consists of a T4/T3 hybrid turbo as part of a Drag Generation II turbo kit. With a maximum boost pressure of 9 psi, Jon says his Integra is generating about 240 hp at the wheels. Only a few support products have been installed to make sure everything stays happy. These include a Crane Hi-6 ignition system, Magnecor wires, and NGK spark plugs. A GReddy 21/2-inch exhaust system routes spent gases rearward. The valve cover is triple chrome-plated and most of the brackets are chromed, too. The underside of the hood also sports reflective material--custom-cut mirrors have been mounted to fill the recessed areas. Jon has cleaned up the wiring harness by wrapping it in plastic electrical conduit. Everything else, including the clutch (we’re predicting a short lifespan), is stock.
To make sure all of those turbo horses get to the ground in a proper fashion, Jon went to Show Zone in Summerville, South Carolina, to have Eibach lowering springs placed over the stock struts. The springs lower the Integra about 13/4 inches in front and about 1 inch in back. Front and rear Neuspeed antiroll bars help control unwanted suspension movement, and a Neuspeed strut tower brace hangs out up front to minimize chassis flex. Energy Suspension bushings further give the Integra the stability it needs to take on twisty roads. Racing Hart Type Cs (17x7) with 38mm offsets fill the wheel wells. Behind them are Power Stop cross-drilled rotors and Axxis metallic brake pads. For rubber, Jon went with Pirelli 215/40ZR17 P7000s. See? Not everyone in the compact/import performance market has Nitto or Toyo tires.
Are engine and suspension mods good enough for horseplay on the streets? Maybe for some people, but not for Jon. A Wings West three-piece body kit and a Wings West RS wing have been fitted to generate a more aggressive stance. Hey, did someone say aggressive? Oh yeah, I did. Speaking of aggressive, there’s a hood scoop grafted onto the Integra. It came from everybody’s favorite arch-nemesis, a Ford Mustang. The scoop molding was performed by Jimmy Crowder of Crowder’s Customizing and Collision in Charleston. Jimmy is also responsible for sanding down the A-car’s original paint and then shooting it with a very attractive Taffeta white paint. Creative Signs Designs (also of Charleston) cut up the white and red Drag window banner.
In comparison to the exterior, the interior of the Integra looks quite tame. But that’s the way Jon wanted it. Rather than proudly displaying a giant tach or covering the seats in fake green leather, Jon went for a factory look. To accomplish this, the Auto Meter boost gauge has been placed on the driver-side door pillar and the GReddy turbo timer is integrated into the face of the ash tray. The cigarette lighter is gone, and in its place is a bass knob for the 1,200-watt stereo system. The head unit is an Alpine CDA-7832 CD player (What’s a good musical selection for horseplay? We vote for Korn.). A custom Plexiglass box in the cargo area houses the Soundstream amps and three pairs of 6-1/2-inch MB Quart speakers. Other changes to the interior include a Tenzo short shifter, carbon-fiber dash trim, a MOMO shifter knob, and MOMO pedals.
So, are you having enough fun with your car? If not, start taking notes on Jon Guadalupe’s GS-R. This is how you generate horseplay on the streets.