AMSOIL Lubricates Tuner Scene

In the early years of the tuner movement, the spotlight was mainly on style and the scene. Import tuners began making appearances that had been heavily modified from their factory built starting point. Enthusiasts spent thousands in modifications, tweaking their rides to create their vision with no end result entirely like another.

Today, the tuner scene has evolved and while appearance is as imperative as always, nowadays performance is even more vital. Speed, handling and power modifications are changing the standard for performance driven rides. Car manufacturers are paying attention, and with the engine being the heartbeat of every tuner, so is AMSOIL.

A new form of proving grounds is taking over the scene with Time Attack events, which puts these rides to the test with timed trial runs. Firefighter Matt Dennison found his calling in the tuner scene the first time he got behind the wheel of a friend’s heavily modified VW Jetta. After his very first run Matt made the decision to buy his own ride, a 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX in apex silver, and began making the necessary modifications for ultimate performance. He moved to California and soon climbed the ranks among the best in his class. Southern California is the ultimate destination for any tuner enthusiast, and local tracks are in abundance. It is here that Matt found his niche, and recently took 1st place in his class at the Redline Time Attack West Coast Series. With a well-modified tuner and a need for the best performance from his engine, Matt approached AMSOIL with a request for sponsorship.

The sky is the limit for how far these car builders will go to create the ultimate street car, and more and more are turning to AMSOIL to give them that extra edge. In a world where these rides mean everything, these builders use only the best products and modifications. Steadily growing as the next generation of muscle cars, the tuner revolution doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Hottest Tuner of All Time?

“Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
~ John W. Gardner

The 10th anniversary edition of Import Tuner magazine features one super-jammin’ Integra with the headline, “Why This Integra Is The Best Tuned Car EVER.” It’s certainly got the look, and the feel, and the power. And it’s lubricated with AMSOIL.... which means this gold Integra is golden inside and out.

The feature story, which begins on page 70, highlights why Chris Rios’ turbocharged Acura Integra DC2 is a perfect pick to represent the past ten years of the Import Tuner scene. According to Ric Faderoga the Acura Integra is to tuners as Muhammed Ali is to boxing. Besides being reliable, sporty and affordable, it’s “filled with an infinite amount of tuning potential.”

Rios, who grew up watching his dad and uncle building cars in Boston, bought this ’94 Integra DC2 the minute it came into production. “It was love at first sight.”

The car is featured on the cover of this month’s Import Tuner (Congrats, Chris!) with full details within about the features that make this ride special. Attention to detail is what puts top tuners in the driver’s seat... and gets them on the covers of top mags. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants are certainly a contributing variable not to be overlooked when you have an investment like this one to protect.

Or as Perry Paxton so aptly put it, "Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come."

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Emotional Connection

Congratulations to Huy Nguyen, whose '02 Honda S2000 is featured on the cover of this month's Modified Magazine. Spiffed to the hilt with a full array of engine modifications to its F20C 2-liter VTEC engine, Nguyen had to bounce back from a painful setback when the original Civic he'd intended to modify got stolen right in front of his home.

To his credit, the Virginia native poured his energy and passion into the s2000 featured in the magazine. Holding back nothing, he gave attention to every detail, inside and out, including the all important AMSOIL lubricants which keep this very hot car running smooth and cool.

Full feature story in the October issue of Modified.

Another Way Cool Cover

Nice to see this very sharp AMSOIL lubricated 2005 Subaru WRX STI made the August cover of Max Power UK. The AMSOIL brand is gaining visibility around the globe.

At a recent SEMA Show, the author of this blog rode to the airport in a taxi with a former racer from Belgium who used to fly to London to get his AMSOIL products. the stories are varied, but contain a common theme. The products are great and greatly desired.

Stephen Ng built this 400 plus horsepower Flat Red STI for the SEMA Show last year. It was located in the Seibon booth and now has graced two covers for us here at AMSOIL. He runs AMSOIL 20w-50 Synthetic Oil, Ea Oil Filter, DOT4 Brake Fluid and Antifreeze.

Ng learned how to do modifications by reading tuner zines. In 2005 when Stephen purchased his new ride, he knew there would be bright future for him and his new found pride and joy. The first modification he made was adding the M-Sports Widebody kit. Stephen chose a bold custom flat red paint, accented by a Seibon carbon fiber hood, doors, roof and trunk. Stephen and his STI got lots of recognition at the Seibon booth at the Sema Show in Vegas.

Under the hood, Stephen installed a Zerosports air intake, Tanabe full turbo back exhaust stem, Mishimoto radiator, hose kit and fans to complement the already sleek design of the engine bay. With each additional modification this car was destined to be a legend in the tuner scene.

No tuner build is complete without AMSOIL synthetic lubricants and performance products. Nice piece of work, Mr. Ng.... and best to you in all your future builds.

AMSOIL Synthetics Give Edge to Import Tuner

For a cool story about a hot Subaru, check out the May 2008 issue of Import Tuner Magazine. The six page feature story, "God Don't Like Ugly," begins on page 76. The cover shot is especially sweet with the AMSOIL logo prominent enough, and more so inside.

Ad Age online describes the tuner scene in this way:

"Tuners: They're young, auto-savvy trendsetters willing to spend money customizing or 'tricking out' their cars. It's a Fast and Furious crowd, an urban, hip-hopping car culture with a contemporary twist on the baby boomers' muscle-car era of the 1960s that has inspired everything from specialized magazines to movies and video games."

Import Tuner is one of the leading magazines covering this sector. Some of the hottest tuner cars are listed below.

Chevy Cavalier 1981-2004
Dodge SRT-4 2003-Present new age horsepower wars

Honda Civic 1972-Present

Mazda RX-7 1993-1997

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 2003-Present turbocharged AWD

Nissan 240SX 1989-1998
Nissan 350Z 2003-Present
Subaru WRX 2002-Present (2005 STI featured here in this story.)

Toyota Supra 1993-1998

The demand for high-performance modifications continues to remain strong, fueled by countless new products, technological developments, and raging dedication and excitement among its dedicated tuner customer base. It's fun to see AMSOIL in the thick of it.