Road & Track August 2020

farewell, friend

I HAVE A PREDILECTION for holding on to the past, to moments long gone. It’s why my closet is littered with old video game consoles, most from a company that stopped building them during the second Bush administration. It’s the same with CDs. I can’t remember the last time I listened to a CD, I don’t own a CD player, but I hold on to them because who knows? I might need a set of coasters one day. That ethos carries over to my cars. This is an odd thing to say as the editor of a car magazine, but until 2019 I had only ever owned one: my 1996 Miata. It’s the car that got me on the road. I drove it to school, to work, ran autocrosses, and used…

cheap tricks

THE GENERAL MOTORS small-block V-8 is a versatile weapon, powering track beaters and tow rigs alike. Texas Speed & Performance is no stranger to either, milking extra power from any version of GM’s LS platform. Recently, the company teamed up with Hoonigan’s Zac Mertens on a custom-grind camshaft for his 434 cubic-inch Chevrolet C10 pickup. Mertens wanted the meanest-sounding daily driver LS he could get his hands on, but accidentally helped create a powerful camshaft grind in the process. Now you can get your hands on it. Mertens’ slammed Chevrolet turns out 545 hp at the wheels, but we were more impressed by what the so-called Chop Monster accomplished in a nearly stock Suburban. In a high-mileage 6.0-liter LQ4, the cam helped put down an additional 125 hp with nothing more…

gear change

HONDA FITTED A new shift knob to the 2020 Civic Type R. It sounds underwhelming, but the knob is a small, glorious hunk of aluminum, seemingly lifted from the old NSX-R. It’s a little heavier than before, an almost imperceptible change that elevates the shift action from goodliness to godliness. That change sums up the facelifted 2020 Type R: A subtle, welcome refinement of an already great car. There are a few minor styling tweaks and this new Boost Blue Pearl paint, but the Type R still looks like it just escaped a touring car grid. The keen-eyed will notice a slightly larger grille opening, meant to address one of the few issues we’ve had with Type Rs—overheating on a hot track. Beneath the skin, changes are as subtle as the…

helmet coms, fixed

CONSIDER ME a helmet com skeptic. One of motorcycling’s great joys is being alone with your thoughts, sequestered from the world via lid. Even on a group ride with five or six others, you’re left to your own devices, mind mercifully free from distraction as you cover distance. That sort of solitude is a rare thing these days, when anyone can pop into your head with a few keystrokes. Throw in a few bad experiences with early Bluetooth-based com systems, and I’d effectively sworn off the things for good. That is, until a ride last summer. Four of us bolted up the California coast from Los Angeles to Monterey (June, 2020). Cardo sent us a set of Packtalk Bold coms to try. To my amazement, they were great. Cardo’s big trick is…

the gear

NEXX X.G100 RACER HELMET A classic unadorned shape made retro-cool with the Grand Win livery. Yes, it looks a little like Herbie the Love Bug. That makes us love it even more. $430 | NEXXNORTHAMERICA.COM REV’IT AKIRA VINTAGE JACKET This fully armored jacket was a sadly discontinued this year, but the new Cordite model carries on the vintage leather style. $500 | REVITSPORT.COM REV’IT ALPHA RF PANTS Armored, abrasion-resistant, moisture-wicking trousers with deep, secure pockets. You won’t mind wearing them to dinner. $200 | REVITSPORT.COM REV’IT GINZA 2 BOOTS Solid ankle protection in boots stylish and comfy enough to wear every day. A little shift-lever wear on the left toe will make you look like a badass. $250 | REVITSPORT.COM…

squeaky kleen

AT MY FIRST (and last) real auto-shop job, our lead mechanic unleashed Brakleen on everything. Cleaning oil off the shop floor? Brakleen. Pulling road grime off the bottom of a car? Brakleen. Dirty plates after dinner? Brakleen. Wait, no. Don’t do that. CRC Industries trademarked Brakleen in 1971. Sold in aerosol cans at the consumer level, it’s primarily composed of tetrachloroethylene (PERC). If the chemical sounds familiar, it should. It’s widely used in the dry-cleaning industry. While PERC is an extremely capable industrial cleaner, it’s very bad for you. So bad the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as “likely to be carcinogenic in humans by all routes of exposure.” Brakleen is beloved by many mechanics and project-car lovers, of course. And it’s used for far more than just cleaning brakes.…