It's time to clear up the confusion as to how many issues of HT readers can expect each year and when exactly they should expect them. You're right, look for nine issues a year. Issues for July, August, September, and October will be business as usual but that's where the normalcy ends. November, December, and January will all be clumped into a single "Winter" issue and will be followed by a February/March combo issue. The remaining three will return to normal monthly issues-April, May, and June. Let the confusion stop.
Honda Challenge Wannabe
Whaddup Honda Tuning? I've probably spent a quarter of my life's liquid cash on your mags so you should feel great. OK, real question: On page 20 of the Feb/Mar '08 issue, Andy Hope was running the white Toyo sponsored H2 Civic. What kind of tires are on the car? I ask because I am building a HC (Honda Challenge) car and I like the throwback look of race tires with white lettering, so I was wondering if the "Toyo Tires" lettering came from the factory like that or if they were painted on. Either way, if you could put me on to how to get my hands on the tire or the stencil, hook it up please.
Oh, and while I'm at it, let me ask your opinion. So I got an EG hatch with a B18C, CTR pistons, and ITR tranny with a 4.7 final drive and full Skunk2 top end. If I run in HC, I guess I'm automatically put in the H1 class because of my higher compression, which is 12.1:1. Do you think that the H1 class is too competitive for a rookie?
-Thanks in advance, Nuatu Tseggai via the Internet
Ordway's Tim Benson
(www.signsupply.com) cut the stencils out of vinyl. I (Andy Hope) stuck on a new stencil for each logo, then masked the rest of the tire, and hit it with white spray paint. It took a few tries to get the stencils sized with the right curvature. If you're running 15s, he might be able to sell you some, otherwise any good sticker shop should be able to make them for you.
I think you'll find that there are fast drivers in all of the Honda Challenge classes. Depending on the number of cars in your region, it won't be any easier to win in a lower class than it will be in H1. If you were starting from scratch, I'd recommend starting in H4. It's great for learning because each time you make a mistake you'll watch your competitors pull away. That class forces you to drive perfectly. On the flip side, the open nature of the H1 rules means that some cars are going to be faster than others. This makes it hard to judge how well you and your car are doing. Some drivers build a really fast car but never learn to drive it that well since they win races anyway. Since you already have the engine I say just go for H1. Too many would-be racers never step up since they're worried about having the perfect equipment. With the '08 rule revision choking up the K engine and weighing down the B20 VTECs, your high-compression B18C should be the H1 engine of choice for the foreseeable future. Just don't get discouraged if the more experienced racers beat you and, if you come out winning, remember it's on you to push yourself even harder.
- Andy Hope
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