There has been some discussion about the discontinuing of our Greddy Go Tuning Unlimited Spectrum Elite 70mm Single and the development of a replacement model. Since the SE 70mm Single was designed off of the SE 70mm Dual it wasn’t meant to be a single exhaust so it didn’t meet a lot of our expectations. So this time we started from scratch to design an exhaust that would meet our requirements. Our goals were to produce a lightweight and quiet 70mm single exhaust that makes good power with a non-aggressive style. The closest exhaust to this design would be the ASM 70mm single but due to rising exchange rates and production shortages, this exhaust has becoming increasing unavailable to people. We wanted to design something that had all the great features of the ASM but much more so we specified to Greddy every detail of the design starting with the internal layout and structure of the front and rear mufflers; the size, shape, and location of the mufflers; the layout of the piping; the exact location of each component; and the size, shape and design of the tip. We also wanted to retain the subtle Spectrum Elite “sport” look to it vs. something racy and aggressive. In the end, we developed an exhaust that was lightweight, quiet, produces good power, with a clean sporty look, all for about the same price (pricing TBA) as the ASM 70mm Stainless Single.

After several prototypes and some hiccups, we’re one step closer to production with the latest prototype that came in. Initial test are mostly positive so stay tuned for updates.

Current Specs:
70mm Titanium Single
93.5 dB at 5800rpm (stock is 92dB and SE Dual is 94dB)
Weighs ~15 lbs (final production weight may vary)
90mm Tip Diameter (SE Dual/Single 102mm Tip, ASM Single 80mm Tip)
Helmholz Resonator
Custom mufflers
Estimated 10hp gain
Estimated $2000 price point

Here are some preview pics of this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Complete picture set coming soon!

Stay tuned for pics from our annual shop visits of ASM, Spoon, and J’s Racing!

Here are a couple more shots of our S2000 #2. There’s still lots of parts that need to go on the car so this is how it sits for now.

While our main S2000 #1 demo car is still under indefinite construction we decided to repaint our S2000 #2 test car that we had sitting around and throw on some spare parts we weren’t using. We mainly use this car to test fit parts and take measurements so it will be a very mild build, our other S2000 #1 will get all the good stuff. Here’s just a teaser pic, better pics to come when the car gets cleaned up.

We’ve been getting some emails of our license plates being spotted. Thanks for the support! We’re especially happy they’re on Honda’s.

Before the re-cap and pictures from this year’s Tsukuba Time Attack, here is ASM’s in-car lap. Best time of the day was 1′01′711.

I got a chance to take a close look at the super-hyped Scion FR-S at Greddy. The Scion concept car looked great but when the production car was introduced, it was definitely a let-down for me. However, ugly cars always look better in black so the FR-S Greddy had didn’t look too bad; especially with the giant 19″ wheels and lowered stance. But with 5×100 bolt pattern wheels, what was Toyota thinking if they were trying to create a “tuner friendly” car. However, the car will be introduced as a Scion with a budget friendly price tag and the interior really reflected this. It looked as econo as any sub-$20k Scion and not a nice place to be. Toyota was smart to hype this car a lot, especially in the aftermarket industry, without the hype, the car wouldn’t be anything special.

Another years, another SEMA. It seems as though the Japanese import market is shrinking while the European market is growing. This means that the industry starts to stray from producing high quality, well engineered niche parts us JDM fans love and we start seeing more cosmetic, super bling, show parts that the European industry draws. That’s not to say there aren’t some great cars and parts in the Euro market but sometimes I miss those diehard Honda fans that build stock-looking Civics that have replaced every nut and bolt with something special. Other than a few impressive cars, it was just another couple days meeting new people and hanging out with old friends. Here are some pics: