The plan is to move JDMLove off of wordpress and onto Tumblr. I want to try and set it up as a community site where fellow tumblr (and maybe non-tumblr members) can simply post a picture with a brief caption. Tumblr has a wonderfully simple and intuitive authoring interface which members can post straight from their iPhone! So if it all works out like I plan, contributors can simply snap a photo with their iPhone at a meet and post it immediately.

Tumblr also supports various forms of posting from text posts to audio posts. With such a wide variety of post mediums I hope the page will stay fresh and provide the content I was hoping the blog would.

I’ll post up designs on here as I go and those who do read or visit are free to comment on them. I’d also like to give a very special and sincere thanks to the authors who did contribute here, it wouldn’t have been even worth it without you! And thank you to the readers, I hope you follow the progress as we move over to Tumblr!

- Chris

Clunky and Loud

While the KSports’ offer a great price to ride ratio they tend to be a bit loud in the cabin. I could drive over a pebble and the thump inside the cabin was more like hitting a 3 inch deep pot hole. Granted the suspension is stiff making the springs hard to flex and the frame was taking most of the impact which would explain the harsh noises. However; those running Tein Flex which is also very stiff have no complaints of obtrusive cabin noise. The Flex also comes with Tein’s "silencing rubber" between the tightest coils which they claim reduces that cabin noise. None the less, Tein Flex is nearly twice as expensive as the Kontrol Pro’s.

Aggressively Stiff

The Kontrol Pro’s are incredibly stiff which is great for track driving or hitting the back roads, but for the daily commute a softer ride is always a welcome luxury. You can get custom spring rates straight from the factory, however; that seems counter intuitive. By the time you pay for your custom springs on your KSports you had might as well picked up some Buddy Club N+ or Tein CS. If you’re looking to run stiff on the track and back roads then the KSports are the coil overs for you.

Lock Rings Seized Up

Ah, the real reason why I ditched the KSports. Not that long ago I had to pick up a set of new tires. Being new, these tires had a lot more tread which lead to having to raise the car back up a bit to prevent rubbing. When I went to pop the lock ring in the back it wouldn’t come loose. I hit it with a screw driver, a mallet, the "keys," I heated them with a torch, I cooled them with ice. I shot them with PB Blaster, silicon spray and WD–40, nothing worked.

I can’t entirely blame this on the coil over. Living in Oregon the DOT sprays the roads with de-icer during the winter which can have very negative side effects on almost all of your cars moving parts, including lock rings. With a little more preventative maintenance this could have possibly been avoided. However; one side of me feels that the part should have been made with enough quality to not require any kind of maintenance. I have to remember that all aftermarket parts for vehicles are intended for "off-road purposes only" meaning that they are intended for track conditions and fair weather.

Conclusion

I ended up pulling the KSports off and putting my OEM struts with Tein H–Tech springs back on. Granted I am about an inch higher off the ground now I could not be more satisfied. The ride is much softer, no more clunks and thumps and the car drives more like a it did from the factory. The Tein’s offer a nice compromise between performance and comfort, the next step would just be adding some Koni Yellows for additional adjustments.

User Link Feed

Now our users can add content to the site without being authors! That’s right, no need to become and author to contribute to the site. With the user link feed you as the user can post your link or a link to a site you feel is relevant to JDM and a short description about that page which will appear in the sidebar. Now anyone can contribute to JDMLove and help the site get bigger!

New Navigation

The navigation has been overhauled and cleaned up. Instead of seeing all of the categories we are making use of subcategories and an elegant drop down menu. This cleans up our navigation and make it easier to use.

Drag To Share

When you’re viewing any single post you can click on the main image (the image at the top of the page) and drag it to your favorite share site! This is an entirely new approach to social networking and we’re excited to deploy it on JDMLove!

Take A Look Around

Take some time out of your day and check out the new features on JDMLove, feel free to leave feedback!

• Links to useful resources or inspiration
• Links to your site or other sites that share the same passion for the JDM scene
• Please keep your descriptions to 500 characters or less

You can submit your links using the form below. Approval can take up to 48 hours

Anyways, you’ll need a good wax job to really take advantage of this trick, however even poorly waxed cars can benefit. Happy washing!

In order to make use of my fix-a-ticket I need to get my license renewed which means I need to make a trip to the dreaded DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). I step into the DMV at about 10:15 a.m figuring that most people were at work and the line would be short, WRONG! Line was of course a mile long and as I watched my lunch break fly by I was getting nervous. Finally I hear “next” and to my disbelief I was actually next! Up to the counter I go and “what can I do for you?” well, I said, I need to have my license renewed.

Apparently as of 2008 in the State Of Oregon you can no longer receive a new or renewed drivers license without, a valid social security card, proof of live birth (your birth certificate), state identificatin (old license, temporary state issued I.D), and a utility bill sent to your current address. Me being foolish figured that my expired Oregon drivers license, some credit cards, and my social security card would be enough proof of my identity, but apparently not.

Oregon claims these new harsher rules are to combat “terrorism” and “illegal immigration” however, if you are a terrorist would be willfully in the DMV to get a drivers license? Probably not, if you’re an illegal immigrant and the DMV denies you a drivers license are you really going to just leave your vehicle in the parking lot? Probably not. This just seems like another way to make hard working, tax paying American’s jump through one more hoop in their daily lives and a way for the State to extract another $59.00 from our pockets.

So the moral of the story is that the DMV is an insidious vice that we all must deal with, regardless in what state your currently living in. If you’re in the State Of Oregon be sure to bring in you social security card, birth certificate, utility bill, your old or current I.D, $59.00 in cash or check (no debit or credit), and a blood sample…ok maybe not a blood sample, but everything else is true!

Click here to read Monopoly Man’s post on swapping a H22 engine into a 90 – 93 Accord.

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Tools Required:
Soldering Iron
Solder
Needle Nose Pliers
Cigarette Lighter
Scissors
Heatshield material
Zip ties
Double stick tape
Electrical tape
Duct tape

Step 1: Disconnect and remove the bulbs you already have in there. This is typically an easy task on most cars, but some don’t give you much room, you may find yourself having to move things around a bit which is beyond the scope of this DIY.

Disconnect and remove exisiting bulbs

Step 2: Your kit will most likely come with some connectors and some wires (red and black), these wires then go into some metal prongs that then slide into the connector that fits your stock socket (i.e. 9006, H1, 9005, etc…). What you’ll need to is solder those wires to the metal tabs, this insures a good connection and will help against flickering or short circuiting. Take your time here this can be a delicate process.

Solder wires to the connectors

Step 3: Now slide those soldered metal ends into the connector, you’ll want to uses some needle nose pliers to grab the other end and pull it until it gently pops into place. Now, wrap the end of the connector to the wires with electrical tape, this again helps with short circuiting and/or shorting out. It also helps keep things in place.

Insert prongs into connector

Step 4: Now mount your ballasts someplace where there wont be much or any water intrusion and as far away from heat as possible. Use zip ties for this instead of drilling into anything because you want to relocate these at another time.

Attach ballasts

Step 5: Connect the ignitor module and locate it someplace just like the ballast, as little heat and water as possible. Insert your HID bulbs into your headlights being careful not to touch the bulbs with your bare hands (if you do wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip).

Plug in the ignitor

Step 6: Connect the plugs and turn on your headlights, if they work hooray! if they don’t try again. Remember it’s not good to run HID’s on just battery power alone, if you want to stare into the light start the car up. Just be sure you have proper ventilation!

Step 7: Now if you’re like me when I did this you couldn’t find a good spot to mount the ballasts away from a lot of heat. So here’s where some heat wrap comes into play. What I used was a starter heat shield from Summit Racing. Measure the dimensions of your ballast then trace those dimensions onto your heat wrap, get out the scissors and start cutting.

Heat wrap cutouts

Step 8: Cut several squares of double stick tape and place them onto the ballasts then stick your cuts outs to those squares. Then wrap the edges where the different layers meet with duct tape (alot like wrapping a gift). That’s it, now your ballasts can withstand some serious heat for those hot summer days idling at a light.

Wrap with heat wrap

I hope you found this DIY helpful! If you did please forward it on to your friends or simply use the bookmarks below! Thanks!

Tools Required:
CT provided tool for removing the white ball at the end of the shifter
Phillips Head screw driver
hair dryer
pliers
Vaseline

Step 1: Removal of the center console. Open the top pocket just below the radio, then place your hands on either side inside the console and pull straight back, once the pocket is free remove the LED clipped to the top and set the pocket aside.

Using your hair dryer warm the outer edges (top, left, right, bottom) of the center console trim, this will make the plastic more supple and less prone to cracking. Once the plastic is warm open up the bottom pocket then press your fingers against the top ledge of the center console and pinch in towards yourself and gently pull up. Once these clips pop free slide your fingers down the side of the console gently releasing the rest of the clips. Now reach under the front and disconnect the seat warmer harnesses.

Remove the shift knob, you’ll need to use your pliers to hold the lock nut still while you twist the shift knob. Be sure to wrap the ends of your pliers in a few layers of duct tape to make sure you leave no unsightly scratches behind. Now the center console with the shift boot should slide right off, you will need to disconnect a small metal clip at the base of the e-brake boot to get the boot off with the console.

Using your phillips head screw driver unscrew the 4 screws holding the bottom pocket in place, then all 6 of the screws holding down the center console. Now open the bottom drawer of the armrest, remove the non-skid insert and unscrew the two phillips screws holding it down. Once all of the screws are removed slide your fingers under the back of the armrest and pull up and back towards the passenger seat and the center console is now removed.

Step 2: Removal of the shifter. Refer to the CT diagrams for this step, however you will most likely have to cut the zip ties holding the cables to the side of it, just user regular zip ties to attach those cables when you reinstall to prevent little rattles. Also the large U shaped bracket at the front of the shifter will require you to use your pliers, remove it while gently pulling up and wiggling side to side.

Step 3: Removal of the white ball and install of the CT short shifter adapter. Now that the shifter is sitting in your lap you need to remove that white ball at the base of the shifter. Heat the ball with your hair dryer and then use the CT provided tool for its removal, careful it could just pop off into the air and if you loose it you’ll need to get a new one. Now to install the CT adapter, wipe down the stock shifter with the Loctite that CT provides, now slide the CT adapter on to the end and push until you hear a little click, then tighten the hex wrench screws with the hex key CT provides. Now heat the white ball again and apply vaseline to the ball on the end of the CT adapter, now snap the ball back on.

Step 4: Re-install. Just follow the CT instructions and these in reverse and you’re good to go, enjoy your 38% reduction in throw.

If you have questions feel free to post up a comment, I’ll do my best to answer all of your questions. If you found this pose useful or helpful please use the social bookmark links below and share this post with your friends!