John Hinrichs really likes his Honda CR-Z. Apparently he also really likes Mugen.

For his fourth major Mugen modification on his CR-Z, John opted for a set of Mugen 17x7 GP wheels in Gunmetal. As with his other mods, John worked directly with King Motorsports President and CEO, Scott Zellner. Scott: "The color of the Gunmetal GP's are a perfect compliment to the Black CR-Z." John is equally happy with his purchase, "I love the way these wheels look!" After each upgrade, John usually sends a picture and a note, or stops by to show us the results, as he did recently with after the GP wheels were installed.

John's other Mugen mods are the Mugen 5-Way Sport Suspension, Mugen Carbon-Fiber Air Intake and Mugen Cat-Back Exhaust.

Congrats to Rob Delimat, our 2011 Dyno Day Photo Contest winner!

Rob's picture was chosen because it captured so much about what Dyno Day is all about: Race Cars, Street Cars, People, and Cars on the Dyno. For his efforts Rob's photo will be featured on the front page of our website and he will receive a King Motorsports TShirt. Rob's uncropped photo can be seen here.

Rob's pics on Facebook.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

** We just got this note and review from John Hinrichs for the Mugen High Performance Air Intake System (Carbon Fiber) for CR-Z - Thanks John! **

Scott,
 
Just got back from making the holiday rounds. Driving through five states visiting friends and family (and showing off my car, of course).
 
Some of the people I visited are car guys, some just thought it was pretty, most loved the way it sounds (thanks, by the way) (Mugen Exhaust, ed.) , but everyone had something to say once the hood went up.  Even with all that's going on under the bonnet of a CR-Z, with the normal engine stuff and all the extra IMA wiring, the first thing everyone locked on to was the Mugen intake. That smooth expanse of carbon fiber had everyone interested, and I can't blame 'em, it is gorgeous. 
 
Not only does it look great, but under load the intake provides just enough extra sound to balance the tone of the Mugen exhaust.  Its obvious these two pieces were designed for each other: Subtle with a hint of badass.
 
Special thanks to Mike for doing such a great job on the install.
 
Happy Holidays! 
 
-John Hinrichs

** We just got this note and review from John Hinrichs - Thanks John! **

This afternoon I was able to take my CR-Z out for its first fun drive since I picked it up from KMS.  I've driven 30 minutes home, eaten dinner, made myself comfortable on my couch and there is still a big goofy grin on my face.  As much as i love the car itself, I have to give credit for this persistent smile to the Mugen suspension and exhaust you installed.

The factory suspension on the CR-Z was skewed to the comfort side.  Nice for running up and down the interstate, but when it came to corners the car would roll to the outside before it set into the turn.  With the Mugen system the car just turns in. 

Before I set off, I set all four shocks to 5 (full hard).  On the way to my choice bit of road, an area of backroads just south of Friess Lake, I rode over miles of lumpy concrete highways, chewed up blacktop side roads, and more than a few potholes.  The Mugen suspension let me know exactly what kind of surface I was on, but it was never harsh or abrupt. 

The roads I set out to drive are not the newest.  A patched, narrow, blacktop ring of roads that wind around and over the wooded hills of the area -- including a beautifully tight little switchback (which is a rare thing in southeastern Wisconsin).  The car just devoured it, staying flat and collected throughout.  Even in places where the corners were pieced together and uneven, the tires were held down tight, following the rough pavement without any hint of the skittishness that comes with a tire bouncing over the bumps I knew were there.

After driving the 7 mile loop once in each direction, I pulled over to set the shocks to full soft.  Five minutes later I was driving the loop for a third time just to listen to my car.  The stock exhaust note isn't non-existent, and the Mugen system isn't overly loud (I don't get complaints from the neighbors when I get called out to work at 2am like i do with my CRX), it just dials up the bass a couple notches.  In the last few weeks of commuting it has never been intrusive or droning.  I didn't even have to adjust the volume on the stereo.  But on these roads, full throttle from 4k to 6k RPM, the sound echoing off the trees was incredible.  It makes me want to find a tunnel just to listen.

Oh, and in regular highway driving I'm up 2 MPG since the new exhaust was installed.  Win/win.

Thanks for everything,
John Hinrichs