Clik here to view.
Quick Tip: Don't use the wire in Trailer Light Kits
A little PSA for all of you who tow a trailer to transport your track car or bike. Don't use the wire bundle that comes with those LED trailer light kits. Here's what happened to me this afternoon:I...
View Article[Video] Slightly Crazy Acrobatic Pit Stops in the Super Formula Series
The Japanese Super Formula series is a fast, hard-hitting series with cars that are about as close as you can get without driving in Formula 1. They also have the distinction of having wild looking...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Build a Honda Prelude Racecar Part 8 - Moving Up a Class
Much in the same way that cars in Formula 1, NASCAR, and pro touring car series have evolved over the years, club racing classes also evolve to stay current with popular trends in the automotive...
View Article[Video] DO's and DON'Ts of Onboard Video
A few months ago I tried my hand at making in-car video look more exciting. It didn't work.But thanks to the help of a group of friendly racers and advice from my favorite racing communities, I now...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Fast are Real Racing Slicks? Testing the Hankook Ventus F200
It's no secret that the current generation of 200 treadwear "extreme performance" summer tyres are phenomenally grippy. Put a set of BF Goodrich Rival S's, Bridgestone Potenza RE-71Rs, or Hankook...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Race Car - Part 1
When I first started on my mission to turn a 93 Honda Prelude Si into a racecar, everyone thought I was completely off my rocker. Never mind popularity and racing heritage. For an amateur racer,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Race Car - Part 2
The Safety EquipmentThe irony behind it all is that what makes a racecar a racecar is not its engine, suspension, brakes, or aero. It's the safety equipment - the roll cage, seat, 6-point harnesses,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Race Car - Part 3
The chassis and suspension package of the 4th gen Prelude is amongst its most redeeming features. The 92-96 car uses a very mod-friendly evolution of the late 80's to early 90's Accord and Prelude...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Something Silly
And now for something completely silly. A solid chocolate brake rotor with caliper, courtesy of Edwin Robinson and his team at BestBrakes.com.FYI, BestBrakes is my go-to brake supplier for all of my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Race Car - Part 4
The EngineThis is probably the question that you've all been waiting to have answered. What does the engine bay of a Honda Prelude racecar look like? Well, this is what you see when you open the hood...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Delay Dilemma
First and foremost, my apologies for the complete lack of new content these past few weeks. As much as I'd love to cite personal life taking over or work taking priority, the reality is that none of it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First Impressions - Tenhulzen 4-Wheel Alignment System
WIth the right caster, camber and toe settings, even the most mildly tuned track cars will turn some very impressive lap times. If you get your alignment settings wrong, $10,000 coilovers and custom...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hands-On - Tenhulzen 4-Wheel Alignment System
Now that we are done assembling and fiddling with the Tenhulzen 4-Wheel Alignment System, it's time to put it to good use. Our testbed is a '90 Honda CRX Si prepared for endurance racing by the team at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Next Up - Race Paint from the Budget Handbook
If you've ever looked at anything that I own, you would know that I value function over form - So much so that my most prized possessions often appear to become the unfortunate victims of blatant...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Painting" a Racecar with ElastiWrap - Part 1
Yes, it's finally done. It took a few confused calls to Eastwood, several trips to Home Depot and a significant amount of trial and error, but the #7 StudioVRM.net Prelude finally has a new livery! In...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Painting" a Racecar with ElastiWrap - Part 2
I hope you got a good laugh from my trial of errors in applying Elastiwrap. Don't worry, I don't mind. After a full day of drying time, the Prelude had a brand new look and was ready for the track....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Best Shop Chemicals for the Auto Enthusiast
Every auto enthusiast starts their wrenching career spraying rusty bolts with WD-40. Then they quickly realize that WD-40 is woefully inadequate for breaking stuck fasteners and embark on a quest to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Racecar - Part 5
A few weeks ago, an avid reader of this site sent me a gentle reminder that I never posted detail photos of the header and exhaust in my ITS Honda Prelude racecar. So in the hopes that it really is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Does a Limited Slip Differential Make you Faster?
Through all of my years of racing and modifying the Prelude, there was one thing that I kept putting on the back burner: The installation of a Limited Slip Differential (LSD). The reasoning was very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Get Honda Brake Rotor Screws Out the Right Way
It turns out that there is actually a Honda-recommended method for removing those Brake Rotors screws that everyone has trouble getting out. And for some odd reason, no one had it up, so I turned it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My $12 Driver Training Simulator
I love racing simulators. When I moved into my first apartment with two of my closest college friends, we built our own simulator rig to supplement what little track time we could get in DE events. It...
View ArticleHow Often Should You Maintain Your Performance Car?
Don't rely on your odometer to tell you when to change your oil or replace your brakes on a track-driven car. That's just asking for something to break when you least expect it.Instead, steal a page...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Race?
Seven years ago, I was sitting on a wooden picnic table in the paddock of Lime Rock Park, taking a written licensing test for my first race license. Chief instructor, old friend, and motorsport mentor...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PTH Racing Oil - Top Tier Racing Oil on a Grassroots Budget?
Car enthusiasts often say that that a good engine oil is "cheap insurance" for their performance motors. Unfortunately for those of us with dedicated track or race cars, this has started to become less...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Honda Prelude Race Car - Part 7 - Build Sheet
Half the fun of having a track car is in building and developing it. Sure, it gives you all the chances in the world to screw up. You can spend a lot of money buying parts that don't work as well as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Virgin Oil Analysis of PTH Racing Oil 5w30
As part of my long-term experiment with PTH racing oil, I took a small sample of 5w30 from one of the bottles I had bought and sent it out to Blackstone Labs for an oil analysis.For those of you who...
View ArticleIn-Car Video is BORING
It's difficult to get away from the fact that in-car video is inherently boring. There's something about the sturdy fixed camera mount and the static framing that sucks all of the energy out of an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fix Polyurethane Bushing Squeak Forever
About 10 years ago, a well-respected suspension guru taught me a little trick to stop polyurethane bushings from squeaking and binding for a very long period of time. It's so bizarre and effective that...
View ArticleTorrential Downpour Shuts Racetrack Down
How much rain does it take to shut down an SCCA Regional? Based on my experience from two weeks ago, the answer is this much:Thank you again to the workers and volunteers of the North Jersey and South...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Interim Update - Long-Term Test of PTH Racing Oil
It's been four months since we started our long-term test of PTH Racing Oil, and we've been busy putting this new racing oil through its paces. As we use up the last few bottles in our first case of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Which One-Man Brake Bleeder is Best?
Bleeding your car's hydraulic brake system is a fact of life for the mechanically inclined car enthusiast, especially for those of us who participate in track days, race, or enjoy a bit of spirited...
View Article[Video] How to Clean Persistently Greasy Tools
Every good mechanic has that one tool that turns your hand black every time you pick it up. For some of us it's a greasy suspension tool like a ball joint separator or a C-clamp. Or the feeler gauges...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Do We Keep Buying Tein Coilovers?
Earlier this week, we unbolted the battle-worn coilovers from the StudioVRM Prelude and shipped them off to Tein USA in Downey, California. This will be their third trip to the west coast service...
View ArticleClik here to view.
[Video] DIY Grip Upgrade for your Wrenches and Tools
Those of you that have wrenched with me know that I hate mechanic's gloves. They give you no tactile feedback so you end up dropping all of your bolts. Then over the course of the job they get soaked...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Well Did PTH Racing Oil Protect our Honda Race Engine?
Over the course of the 2018 season we took a in-depth look at PTH Racing Oil, thrashed it in our Honda Prelude Si racecar, and had Blackstone Laboratories analyze the oil to see how it stood up to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Build a Honda Prelude Racecar Part 9 - Building a High Performance H23A1
When we last left off in the series, the StudioVRM Prelude was back with powertrain wizard Robert Oliver for a top-to-bottom rebuild of its battle-worn H23A1. In addition to giving the block a...
View Article[Video] The (im)proper way to snip zip ties
Like most good automotive enthusiasts, I use plastic zip ties on everything. Everything from the wiring in the garage to the roll bar padding on our racecars are held tightly in place by our trusty...
View ArticleClik here to view.
[Onboard] Do Preludes Make Good Racecars?
I'm often asked if Honda Preludes can be fast, competitive racecars. After all, you can build a race car out of anything. But building a race car that is competitive enough to run at the front is a...
View Article[Video] Rich Energy is the Pepsi Throwback of Energy Drinks
Normally I wouldn't post three videos in a row, but this time I'm making an exception. Because by some bizarre coincidence, I found out that you can buy Rich Energy Drink from Walmart.com. And my case...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rich Energy Analyzed by a Professional Flavor Chemist
While the Rich Energy saga rages on like a dumpster fire outside your local comedy club, yours truly was busy looking for an expert to taste test their elusive drink instead of installing some...
View Article[Video] Wing vs No Wing - Do DIY Wings and Splitters Work?
A few weeks ago, the StudioVRM Racing Team outfitted its Prelude Si racecar with a garage-built aero kit and raced it at the SCCA's 2019 Summer Thunder at NJMP event.So we took the opportunity to show...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Make a Cheap Wing that Produces Downforce
Our last video spurred a few questions about what went into making our DIY rear wing. Between picking the right profile, choosing the right materials, and forming the required shapes accurately by...
View Article[Video] 4 Reasons Why Club Racing is Better than Pro Racing
I love watching people race as much as I love racing myself. And in all my hours of watching top level racers do what they do best, I've noticed something interesting. It seems that there are some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Build a Honda Prelude Racecar Part 10 - Setting up for the 2020s
Although the 4th generation Honda Prelude is a few years shy of celebrating its 30th birthday, we are learning new things about the car every time it goes out on track. The StudioVRM Racing Team is...
View Article[Video] Why Expensive Tools Feel Better
Have you ever noticed how some high-dollar tools just feel better than some of their cheaper counterparts? They just seem to provide that tiny bit of extra resistance in their knobs, levers, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Actually Happens When a Race Tyre Freezes?
If you have ever purchased a high performance summer tyre or a dedicated race tyre, you have probably seen the warnings: Don't store your tyres below freezing temperatures. But due to the fact that...
View ArticleEvapo-Rust vs Deox-C - International Battle of the Rust Removers
One aspect of owning an older car is that you end up having to restore of a lot of rusted and corroded parts, and that means breaking out the chemical rust dissolvers.While Evapo-Rust is very easy to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are Evapo-Rust and Deox-C really safe for metals?
About a month ago, we conducted a head-to-head comparison between two popular chemical rust removers, with some very surprising results. Then the whole excitement happened around current events, and we...
View Article[Video] Why do Racecar Drivers Weave? (And why you shouldn't)
The common explanation for that odd aggressive weaving is that the driver is trying to warm up to operating temperature. But those of us who have studied tyre behavior know that isn't quite true.So...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Build a Honda Prelude Racecar Part 11 - Rebuilding (and Improving) a...
Those of you who have been following our activities have no doubt witnessed the untimely demise of our 2019-spec H23A1 motor. While it was an immense disappointment to see the Powertrain Wizard's hard...
View Article