AEM Honda Civic Si; More Si for Your Civic.

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

AEM has been doing this for 17 years, so they know where to tune

This is perhaps the ultimate aspirational vehicle for the 16-to-24-age group. Look at that paint job: designed by Troy Lee and laid down on an HFP body kit by his guys at Santini Customs, total cost is more than $10,000. Look at that lowered chassis/ suspension: Volk Racing wheels, AEM and Brembo brakes, coilovers from Progress Group that you can adjust yourself and 225/40ZR-18 Toyo Proxes tires. Look at that engine tuning: AEM V2 intake, DC Sports 4-2-1 headers and lots of cosmetic pieces underhood. Man, if only we were seniors at Monterey Park High, we'd rule, dude.

And AEM has massive street cred with the kids. AEM sponsors import pioneer and super-racer Stephan Papadakis, whose smiling face graces the AEM web page. Papadakis' shop is right inside the AEM manufacturing building in Hawthorne, California. It is where he parks the custom rear-drive Civic he drove to 6.71 seconds at 207.46 mph in competition last year in Dallas and 6.68 seconds at 211.79 mph during Pro testing Feb. 6 at Firebird. Ask any 17-year-old driving a Honda and you'll get the whole story. Or click on aempower.com.

AEM is best known for its intakes. The V2 induction system on our car had a dual- diameter intake, one big one wrapped around one slightly smaller one and then tuned like a trombone for maximum use of intake resonance. AEM doesn't use finite- element analysis to find the best size and shape of its intakes. No, AEM does it the old-fashioned way.

"We just prototype the hell out of 'em,'' said marketing manager Lawson Mollica. AEM says the intake probably accounts for an extra nine or 10 hp, which isn't entirely the point.

"We tune for midrange power,'' Mollica said. "Who needs the power at 8000 rpm? The other guy's already way ahead of you by then.''