2010 Nissan Cube I love the Cube. There, I said it. This oddly-shaped and quirky looking (let's just say it) "box" has me feeling excited and the last time I felt like that was this morning at 6something a.m. and also when the first gen Scion xB came out a few years ago. It's a superb offering for the B-spec market from Nissan, making up plenty of ground over the Versa sedan mostly because it just looks and performs like it is: totally f'in bueno. And in a small car segment that's quickly growing by the minute, it's good to see another JDM original take over and score big in the realm of cool.inline_mediumwraptextright26786287/featuredvehicles/sstp_0912_nissan_cube_new_carsstp_0912_01_o+nissan_cube+side_view.jpgTrue

Chris Forsberg piloting his NOS/Maxxis 350Z came into Round 5 leading in points for both the Formula D series as well as the Tires.com Triple Crown bonus award. Forsberg ran through the whole event and left the same way he came in, as the points leader.inline_mediumwraptextright26785945/eventcoverage/sstp_0912_formula_drift_round_5_evergreen_speedwaysstp_0912_01_o+formula_drift_washington+drifting_car.jpgTrue

October 30-November 1 Formula 1: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; Yas Marina Circuit www.formula1.cominline_mediumwraptextright25750193/eventcoverage/sstp_0911_november_2009_calendar_formula_1_abu_dhabisstp_0911_01_o+calendar+model.jpgTrue

Since its inception in 2006, Import Alliance has become "sort of a big deal." How big of a deal you ask? IA has become the largest multi-make Japanese car meet in the United States. This year the grassroots get together drew in over 2800 cars - packing the speedway to full capacity, with another 700 or so forced to wait outside the gates while over 5500 spectators walked around inside. Being that the meet originated from Honda-Tech it's no surprise that VTEC-equipped rides dominated the event. Some of our favorites you will be able to drool over in upcoming issues - but for now here are our photographic memoirs from the meet.inline_mediumwraptextright26557612/eventcoverage/130_0911_import_alliance_meet_2009sstp_0911_01_o+import_alliance+honda_s2k.jpgTrue

For a long time I've been waiting for someone stateside to build a Corolla just like this one and at TORC's Toyotafest I finally did. Cesar Fernandez's orange AE71 was one of the most impressive cars at the show. I have to admit, my first car was one of these generation Corollas (but a coupe), and I hated it. But long after I got rid of it, I started to realize they had some serious potential. Maybe even more potential than the Honda I traded up for.

Ed note: While the event is long over, the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge winner has yet to be announced (don't worry, the results are coming next month). That doesn't mean we can't fill you in on how our car did during the testing, so we asked our car's owner, Cheston Chiu, to help tell the story from his eyes of how his car did from beginning to end. We'd like to thank all of the companies who were involved and all of the readers who voted on Castrol Syntec's Top Car Challenge website for Super Street; your votes meant the world to us although they didn't go towards any actual points in the contest (although they should have).

It's hard to imagine that it's been 15 years since I went to my first Import Showoff, way back when I was a young buck, and that this past summer, at the tender age of 31, marked the last. I know it's been a long time because my old car club shirt that I brought out of my underwear drawer with its perfect creases and half-defunct sponsor logos tell me that it's been a long time - that, plus the stench. But I couldn't miss this Import Showoff for the world. For as long as I've been going, Ken Miyoshi and Mainstream have always used this key event as the "it" show - if you weren't rockin' the best shit, you weren't gonna survive at Nisei and everyone brought the goods to Nisei. This one stayed true to that ideology and mentality.inline_mediumwraptextright25373540/eventcoverage/sstp_0911_nisei_showoff_little_tokyosstp_0911_03_o+nisei_showoff+acura_integra.jpgTrue

The most ultimate and expensive part of a project car is usually the engine. But before you build your engine, take a look at what popular swaps might suit your car. For the ultimate build, people are not just building the engines given to them with their cars; they're doing a swap and building on top of that. These days the import scene knows no bounds. Tuners are doing swaps with engines from different chassis manufacturers and some are even going with domestic engines. Here are the top 10 swaps based not just on engine performance but also on the popularity of the swap. If it were up to just engine performance it would easily be just the three biggest engines on top. Whatever you decide is the right heart transplant for your car, there's nothing like having a more powerful, high-tech engine swap.

Tech Support
Where We Cure All Your Tech Problems
Here's where we act like we know something technical about cars. Feel free to ask us about your technical troubles. Write us at tech@ superstreetonline.com or Super Street c/o Tech Support, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. Feel free to include a picture of your project or tech problem.

Summer's over and you haven't even started on your projects, right?! Maybe it's fortunate that you procrastinate like you're going to live forever. We got some new gear for you that might inspire you to get back into that oven of a garage. So if you need navigation, some new speakers, a woofer or some wiring for the DIY projects you promised yourself you were going to finish before the end of summer, then lookie here. These products are just as good at twice the price but available for half that.

Super Street used to say (way back when) that the Honda Civic was this generation's hot rod, the next evolutionary step in street performance. Their line of small gas savers (and those from the Acura lineup) were reminiscent of the domestics from even way back'er in the days - took well to aftermarket tuning, made big power that nobody really expected, performed well at the track and most of all was just so damn cheap to do. Made perfect sense to keep following the Honda scene, I guess, and so did the rest of the country. We featured Hondas so much that we were often times called Honda Street, not that we minded.

Growing up as a product of the '80s was both weird and interesting. Off the top of my head, I can name plenty of things that serve as sentimental reminders of that era. Do things like Storm Shadow with kung fu grip, flux capacitors, and HKS jog your memory?inline_mediumwraptextright26501869/featuredvehicles/sstp_9905_1994_toyota_supra_jza80sstp_9905_02_z+1994_toyota_supra+side_view.jpgTrue

Nothing chafes the big butt of big V-8 owners like being blown-off by a car that's normally used for kiddie transport-that's right, a good ol' sedan. Once considered just practical day care haulers, these four-door wonders can form the basis for some pretty quick canyon snakes. With today's world Touring Car frenzy, it's easy to see why there are so many parts to make a sneaky sedan go fast and stick to the tarmac like Clinton on an intern.inline_mediumwraptextright26266240/features/sstp_9904_toyota_camry_acura_integra_gs_rsstp_9904_03_z+concept_car_renderings+toyota_camry.jpgTrue

B-Series - Lap Time: 2:04.058 - Power: 190.9whp, 135.29 ft-lb
FF Fast Facts
1988 Honda Civic
Owner: Gilbert Corona
Engine: B20 VTEC (2000cc)
Power Adders: JB cams, RS Machine 11.8:1 pistons, A-Sports ITB, Hytech header
Suspension: TEIN HA
Springs: TEIN 8k (front), 10k (rear)
Sway Bars: Integra DA 22mm (front), Civic EF 15mm (rear)
Brakes: Hawk HPS pads, drilled rotors, CR-X Si rear disc brakes
LSD: KAAZ 1.5 way
Final Drive: SiR 4.4
Wheels: Enkei RPF1 15x7" +41
Tires: General Exclaim UHP 205/50R15 (front), 205/50R15 (rear)inline_mediumwraptextright26557282/eventcoverage/sstp_0911_honda_ff_battle_2009sstp_0911_16+honda_ff_battle_2009+gilbert_corona.jpgTrue

Idespise the color yellow. Out of the entire spectrum of colors, it's by far my least favorite. But Jeff Diaz is starting to change my mind. When I first caught wind of his authentic Civic Type R from one of my buddies in Seattle I figured, eh what the hell, I'll check it out. I was expecting your run-of-the-mill Spoon theme, but what I witnessed was actually quite different. The fact that Diaz has the balls to run a yellow car on yellow wheels is what really hooked me.inline_mediumwraptextright26519551/featuredvehicles/sstp_0911_1999_honda_civic_type_rsstp_0911_01+1999_honda_civic_type_r+front_right.jpgTrue

Who: Function7
What: Rear Subframe Brace
Rides: '96-00 Honda Civic
Source: www.function-7.com
Well it seems like the people at Function7 were paying attention when we mentioned the need for an EK subframe brace for Sean's hatch. They are proud to announce the release of the EK subframe brace in all it's machined awesomeness!inline_mediumwraptextright26554117/plugged/parts/sstp_0911_hot_new_products_november_2009sstp_0911_01+hot_new_products_november_2009+function7_rear_subframe_brace.jpgTrue

Essentials:

Log On And Check Us Out!
We know that you come to Super Street for your monthly dose of hot imports, pure performance and the hottest girls that turn our heads, but we also have some exclusive content online, including outtakes from most of our photoshoots and stories/videos you won't see anywhere else except on www.superstreetonline.com. We also have a re-vamped forum for you to stay in touch with like-minded enthusiasts and of course, check out our staff blogs for the weird and random things only the Internet can provide.inline_mediumwraptextright30750651/features/sstp_0911_toda_atv_trikes_news_november_2009sstp_0911_27_o+news+tetsu.jpgTrue

Let's face the facts once and for all: when Subaru came out with this hatchback on 'roids and slapped on an STi badge on the back, don't even front like you weren't as shocked as I was. I remembered distinctly how much I was flabbergasted when I first saw the photos of the new version. I think it was a Monday morning as I worked out my delts, balancing atop a bed of nails, surfing the Interweb when I came across a picture that Elliott Moran sent to me. It was a photo of what seemed like a cross between a Ford Escort and the Saab my uncle used to drive. When I saw the badge names and slowly realized that Subaru done gone wild like a college sorority sister, I nearly pissed myself. I was flabbergasted, so much so that I checked my flabbers and found that they were indeed thoroughly gasted.inline_mediumwraptextright30719613/featuredvehicles/130_0911_2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_grb_asstp_0911_01+2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_grb_a+front_right.jpgTrue

I keep hearing that the extreme side of the Japanese aftermarket-tuning scene is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I was beginning to think this was the case until I made the trek down to Osaka in the Kansai region of the country. It is amazing how much difference a few hundred kilometers can make in Japan, while most cities look pretty much exactly the same it is the people and their attitudes that change completely. People in Kansai are very open, friendly, always willing to chat no matter where you go. This general attitude reflects greatly on their cars, with tuning and customizing being far more diffused than in the north. With this chilled out atmosphere also being shared by the police, which seems far more passive than up in Tokyo, it isn't surprising that people and of course shops, take advantage. Final Motion, situated in the heart of Osaka city, is a place we have been meaning to visit for a while, and in particular take a look at some of the cars they build. The crazy R34 Skyline GT-R you see here was built for a customer, who can be often seen blasting around Central Circuit as well as the streets of the city!inline_mediumwraptextright26518144/featuredvehicles/sstp_0911_nissan_skyline_gtr_r34sstp_0911_01+nissan_skyline_gtr_r34+left_rear.jpgTrue

In the 240SX game, stance is usually everything. It can practically make or break the car. First impressions between owners are judged by overall stance and wheel fitment. If you go widebody, that's even more evident. Wheel wells today are stuffed with as much rim as possible and not just with cotton like years past. Jared knew that he had to come correct so he contacted Fortune Auto for a set of their 40-way adjustable coilovers. The Fortune Auto units give Jared the flexibility to go as low as he wants and to close the distance between the fenders and the staggered 17x9.5/18x10.5 Enkei RPF-1s.inline_mediumwraptextright30720735/featuredvehicles/sstp_0911_1989_nissan_240sxsstp_0911_07+1989_nissan_240sx+enkei_rpf1_wheels.jpgTrue

In 2007, Brian Harte of Ziptied.com had a plan to start throwing drift events for himself and his friends. The plan was to get friends together and drift their asses off. With the help of Charlie Ongsingco of Just Drift, this event has grown to be one of if not the coolest event for drifters. Drivers from all over the country drove or shipped their car to Willow Springs underground International Raceway to be a part of the fun. No points, no awards, no car show, no bikini contest, no egos and no stress. This event is simply an all-out drift free-for-all. More than just an open track day for people, this is a celebration or festival for the drift community.inline_mediumwraptextright26523799/eventcoverage/sstp_0911_all_star_bash_2009sstp_0911_01+all_star_bash_2009+group_shot.jpgTrue

We still hold firm to our belief that if you're going to have the biggest gathering of Mitsubishi cars and their rightful owners in one place, in this great big world, that you'd better add the Tredia to the mix. But no, our calls to action continue to go unanswered, instead beat down by the popular models that attack our public highways, road racing courses and the occasional drag strip. Cars like the Lancer Evolution and its highly unnoticed siblings, the Lancer; Eclipses of all generations, turbocharged and not; the 3000GTs, Starions and Galants that have long been discontinued, yet adored to this day - they traveled far but mostly near, to be with their brothers and sisters for the fifth consecutive year of MOD, or as the old folks generally say: Mitsubishi Owners Day. The biggest meeting yet, the lot filled early with many late model Evos in both the vendor and owners areas, demonstrating the loyal following the car so righteously deserves. Road Race Engineering's mobile dyno was on site again and AMS Performance's monster Evo 9 laid down the highest horsepower output with 1,138hp. Jim Russell Racing Drivers School also announced the biggest news of the meet with the new Lancer Evolution Experience driving school, where you can learn racing fundamentals at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California in a stock version Evo X; even we hope to get up to the school soon to see how great the class will be and how we can improve our skills on the track. Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves at this year's MOD, like many others. But to truly win our hearts (and yes, we're talking to you Moe), we need one single space left reserved for the almighty Tredia. Oh, where art thou?inline_mediumwraptextright30731250/eventcoverage/sstp_0911_mitsubishi_owners_day_2009sstp_0911_01+mitsubishi_owners_day_2009+greddy_evo_x.jpgTrue

Well, Stranger Things Have Happened
I hate to admit it but I suppose it's about time I come clean and say it: I lost. In the spirited battle of the EFs between Super Street and Project Car, the 1990s style that I so righteously represent just can't hang with the new school tricks that Gary's CR-X pulled out, and I can see why: the attention to detail was carried out so perfectly that I would have been surprised if the win didn't go to them. Let me back up and give you the full story: last year we decided to have a friendly build-off, to generate some cross-promotion between the two titles and see if they could take my old single cam D16, turbocharge it and beat me at the drag strip against a bone stock B16A swap; sort of the perfect challenge for two projects with an even dollar amount to complete. They beat me fair and square on the 1/8th mile, but then again their torque curve was massive compared to my gutless and stock B16. So I issued a show off, so to speak, thinking shit, maybe I could take them down in a field that suits me better. After all, I am kind of a big deal.inline_mediumwraptextright26536030/features/sstp_0911_honda_civic_ef_versus_project_car_crxsstp_0911_01_o+holeshot+editors_letter.jpgTrue

Ed note: Last year, we connected with the SOHC Honda master, Bisi Ezerioha for the Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge in the hopes of bringing the most unique engine setup to the table. Being one of the few teams with a naturally-aspirated setup, we certainly had our work cut out for us as we went heads up with the likes of some the world's best turbocharged platforms, including the RB26DETT, SR20DET and 4G63, which wound up winning overall. Of course, that's not to say our decision to take a NA F22 engine was a poor one; in fact, if you take into consideration an alternative multiplier (read Eric Hsu's blog entry at 'Beyond the Dyno': http://www.beyondthedyno.com/Blogs/Eric/?p=1244 to see what we mean), our engine setup actually made the most power. But that's the past and the winners (AMS Performance) deserved the win hands-down. Bisi, on the other hand, knew that challenge wouldn't be the end and promised he'd back with a new single cam killer to prove once and for all that his engineering expertise is the real deal. We'd like to introduce you to a new multi-part story behind the build of Bisimoto's 700hp D16, an engine that incorporates two things Bisi is usually not associated with: VTEC and a turbocharger. Can he prove that SOHC is best? We'll soon find out - but for now, we'll let the man himself give you the concept and introduction to his latest engine.