Feature: JDM SAUCE!! King Motorsports Kings Of Mugen!

Six years ago, the King Motorsports Silver EK rolled out of their garage as an example of what a Honda is capable of when put into the right hands. “Our silver EK Civic is a showcase of Mugen parts,” says Scott Zellner, CEO of King Motorsports. “It also has a lot of the rare JDM parts that were available in the late 90's and early 2000's.”

King Motorsports likes horsepower, but for the daily warrior, they prefer it to be practical. What this means is a vehicle that can be driven every day without compromising yourself or your experience. “The silver EK Civic has functioning air-conditioning, cruise control, and all the amenities a brand new car has,” says Scott. “It's quiet on the highway, and does everything a modern car should.”

The true success of this EK, however, lies behind its planning and quality parts. “We don't get involved in thousand dollar engine swaps—or eBay headers—because you wind up with a pile of nothing,” says Scott. “If you want to do it right, come to us—you're going to spend a little more, but over the long run you'll spend less, because it's done once.”

“There is always someone willing to do it for next to nothing,” says Scott. “What that does is hurt the credibility of the shops who do it right.” King Motorsports doesn't have the Popeye mentality, where two tree trunk sized forearms, somehow makes up for his toothpick sized legs.

You've seen the Popeye cars around town, 600 horsepower under the hood, and rusty drum brakes barely holding on a set of high dollar Konig rims. King Motorsports strengthens every aspect of a car. Nothing should be considered unimportant if it affects your experience. If you can't do it right the first time, it's better to save up until you can. Let's take a look at how an EK is done.

Building the King Motorsports Silver EK
Using the EK's 2.0-liter as a starting point, the King's “Ultra Engine Build” was put on the menu, focusing on maximum horsepower, while maintaining maximal reliability. To achieve this goal, the King combined an ERL Superdeck I sleeved block (84.5mm), Wiseco pistons (12:1 compression), competition port/polished cylinder head (flow bench tested), Crower Maxi-light A beam rods, and Skunk2 Pro cams/springs.

Next, the cylinder head was mated with an ITR intake manifold, RC fuel injectors, KMS bored throttle body, and a short ram air intake. At this point, the EK was inhaling deeply, but wheezing a bit on the exhale. To bring balance to the force, King Motorsports added a Mugen Gymkahna header and 2.5” exhaust.

Wanting to ensure the EK remained safe and readily programmable, a Hondata S300 management system was put in command of the Honda's new found muscle, and a JDM CTR (limited slip differential) for getting it to the wheels. Next, they had to find a way to keep its Hancook R-S2 tires to the blacktop, using a few simple, yet effective, suspension modifications.

Beginning with a CTR 5-lug conversion, King Motorsports added CTR brakes, 16x7 Mugen MF 10 wheels, Mugen Flex 5-way adjustable suspension, and a ASR 24mm adjustable sway bar. Working their way to the exterior, they added a collection of JDM goodies, including a CTR grill, lip spoiler, side skirts, and headlights, topped off with a Mugen rear wing and carbon fiber hood. The interior is also a JDM showcase, featuring a CTR steering wheel, Recaro front/rear seats, center console, and shift knob.

“We focus on only high quality parts,” says Scott. “If there is something you don't see on our website, it is because we have analyzed it and said it is probably not a good part to have on your car.” The big question leftover is does King Motorsports offer any help to the do-it-yourself tuner? Yes and no.

“Everybody is price conscious, and I don't begrudge people for doing that,” says Scott. “There's a lot of time and money invested in our work; We'll get anyone in the ballpark, but we're not going to take you all the way there.” In other words, the King does accept phone consultations, but if you want the golden key to the crapper (a.k.a. vault of R&D secrets), you're going to have to bring your car down for a full service consultation and engine build.

“We pride ourselves in our R&D work,” says Scott. “There is nobody in the country who spends as much time on the dyno, testing products on a full bench, looking at different ways to make cylinder heads flow, and doing the work we do to make these parts work together.”

“We see lots of cars come through here after being at four of five shops, not been able to get the car to run right,” explains Scott. “We have to basically unwind what these shops have done, taking it back to ground zero, to get to the root of the problem.”

“Once we do, the car is fixed forever—but that is the most expensive way to do it,” reminds Scott. “You've cycled through all the shops; you've pulled your hair out, and what do you have to show for it?” The next thing you know, you're bald and out hooking up with girls that look like Olive Oyl.

“If you would have brought the car to us initially, you'd be out enjoying it,” exclaims Scott. So get lost, Popeye the mechanic, your oversized wheels and undersized tailpipe are just too much for us to stomach!