I know, I know--you're asking yourself: What the hell is that on this month's cover? I couldn't believe it either, that is, until I saw it up close. Disregard thinking of it in terms of, "Oh, it's just another 240;" and it's much more than a funky engine swap. Think about it--the S13 chassis is synonymous with drifting, and most anyone who gets themselves into one is guaranteed a winning base platform. The S2000? Maybe not so much, but it does have a great high-revving motor and a VTEC system that runs efficiently and performs; add a little boost and it screams (remember the RS*R drift car?). So, add the two together and you have yourself a twisted little ride. Sure, Nissan's SR20DET will always go down as being the natural alternative for the USDM 240s, but who says you always have to play it safe? Majorly major props to Gary and Ben for figuring out that trick.
For some odd reason, this issue turned out to be more techy than any Super Street I've worked on in some time. While we couldn't resist yet another coilover theory piece for Elliott's new, but used S2K, we went miles above what we consider normal tech by having Yamz do up a piece on AEM's water injection while Carter swapped out his 4-lug brakes for the better Z32 5-lugs; and oh yeah, we even gave Project Barely Legal (our four-door Si, remember?) an intake, exhaust and a Honda Factory Performance suspension. So, to all you "Super Street sucks, where's the tech?" people--it's not tricky, but pbbbbffffttt.
I really wanted to go the distance with the WTF factor, and that's why you're also catching a first-ever truck feature in Super Street (yes, I said a truck). We even changed up the typical Tour coverage up by letting you tell the story, rather than us blabbing on about the Waffle House (it's a treat for us West Coasters) and the nudie bar; hopefully we were able to get every one of your pictures in like we said we would. If you have a personal story to tell and couldn't get it to us to run with the story, visit our forums and post them there. I'm sure there are plenty of Tour goers who'd love to revisit the memories.
A quick little side note as we kick 2008 into gear: Readers, we really want your invaluable feedback, tech questions and Readers' Ride submissions. We have tons of cool prizes to give out, but our inbox has been feeling neglected, like I was last Saturday night after handing out my last dollar bill to fund "Candy's college tuition." Check the sections on how to do this; don't rely on our MySpace page, even though it seems like it's easier! Also, I promise to stop posting blatant Kanye West lyrics all over the pages of Super Street--well, maybe I will a couple more times, if that's alright with you.
Jonathan Wong
jdmwong@superstreetonline.com