I have been on the scene since the late '90s and have judged HIN on the East Coast, Waterfest two years in a row and countless import/Euro shows. I've seen my share of tuned cars, and one thing is for damn sure, you can find a poor excuse for a tuned car no matter what make, so to single out all Hondas as ricers is just plain foolish. All it shows is how misinformed and simple-minded some people can be. I've also noticed through the years that it's impossible to please everyone. There's always going to be some miserable person who'll bitch about something. Unfortunately, there are people who live to hate. But to the rest, I urge you to open your minds to what you don't know and you might learn something.
In the end, do what you guys do best - keep writing articles with the skill and attention to detail you've always shown, because you know there are people like SGT Cloward and myself who stand behind the eurotuner team, no matter what's on the cover. Let the masses unite and share a common ground where all who deserve respect are respected.
I'd also like to pass on a personal thank you to SGT Cloward and all the men and women who serve this country.
Vito Vacca
Nutley, NJ
It's a Small World
I wanted to thank you for something that happened to my car that started out bad but, thanks to et, worked out fine: I own a '00 Jetta VR6 and last year I sucked up some water (no CAI, flooded road). After the plugs were pulled, the car was cranked and the water shot out. It started and ran like a champ for three months but gave up in the middle of a cold night. A kaboom occurred, followed by an oil light and a trail of fluid behind. After a few tow truck rides, it was found to be a stress-related failure. A rod had broken, spinning on the crank and putting a hole through the block. Oh, and two valves got bent.
Just when I felt like a homeless dog in the rain, my memory cells kicked in and prompted me to look through my older issues of et, remembering one of your feature cars with a 3.2 liter engine. It was the two-tone '01 VR6 belonging to Craige Ohlstein from New Jersey (et 12/04). Well, with a little help from the internet, I was able to contact Craige, and thanks to KMD Tuning, now I'm rocking a new VW short-block, bored and stroked to 3.2 liters. It was balanced and supplied with forged JE pistons, the crank was ground for the new rods, the head was ported and polished, and 268 Schrick cams were added as well as a Sachs clutch with flywheel. And, of course, the KMD software keeps the CEL ghosts from the dash!
Again, thank you. If it weren't for your publication, all my hard-earned cash would've been blown on the same 2.8 liter engine. Instead, my smile goes from ear to ear when I drive my Dub now!
Mike Rempel
Email
Eurotuner Letters
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