Heeltoe Corner Club

Our simple male minds always seem to dump into a "bigger is better" mentality. For many things this sort of thinking make sense. But for exhaust diameter, the logic breaks down.

A bigger exhaust CAN flow more air than a smaller one. But how much your engine CAN flow is a different amount of air. The goal of the exhaust is to flow the air the engine is capable of processing in the most efficient way it can. After tuning, improving airflow on the inlet, raising boost, and other upgrades the need for a larger exhaust is clear. The engine can support more airflow, so the exhaust needs to support it as well.

But there needs to be a realistic view of what the engine is capable of doing before the size of the exhaust can really be determined. The point is, the exhaust size is a tunable factor just like spring rates, the ride height and the damper firmness. More isn't always better!

When installing lowering springs, coilovers, or any other product that lowers the car, the conventional wisdom is that you should wait and drive the car around for a while for the car to completely "settle." In reality, the springs won't, or should not, change height over time. The car will need to be rolled to neutralize the tire position before the height of the car can me measured, but this has nothing to do with the springs! It happens every single time the car is lifted off the ground.

When you buy almost any product these days you expect there to be some form of a warranty or guarantee to back up your purchase in case it fails. The thing is, with aftermarket auto parts, making good on these niche parts warranties is harder than you want it to be. First of all, any kind of warranty has to exist. And when it does, there are an array of exclusions that probably preclude a part's eligibility for coverage.

If you buy quality parts, though, you'll find that reliable warranty coverage does exist in the performance aftermarket parts industry. That doesn't mean warranty claims are a complete lock. If you are going to claim a parts warranty, be prepared to give up some information. Sometimes a lot of information, to help validate the issue.

This podcast is about being patient through the process of engaging with manufacturers for warranty support and what to expect. Expect to be annoyed, but have faith and stick with it. The better brands always make good by supporting their products.

It's been a longstanding belief here at Heeltoe that car parts and engine parts are mutually exclusive. The simple fact that so many engine swaps exist makes this true. So even though parts manufacturers like to label an item for a car, because that is the industry standard, Heeltoe does not.

A customer selecting a car on the Heeltoe platform is also choosing an engine. This gives us the power to serve the customer-specific car and engine parts that match their build and reduces the need to do funky filtering to get to the part they need, even if they have an engine swap.

Something only Heeltoe does, because we are in the business of making your shopping experience as specialized and personal as your car is to you.

It's a rather common misconception that intakes, intake manifolds, throttle bodies and other intake parts add more air to the engine and therefore bigger fuel injectors are needed to take advantage of that air.

Well, that's false. Not only do these parts not cause a higher fuel demand, in any situation the computer mostly sorts out how much fuel goes into the engine. Adding bigger injectors can confuse the computer's function and mostly you'll be running worse.

Every automotive expert says your shaking brakes are from warped rotors. Conventional wisdom and just what seems to be "obvious" supports the idea of warped rotors.

Guess what; everyone is wrong. Brake rotors don't warp. It's impractical to think that they do, especially in normal every day driving situations. Extremely rare outliers aside, the brake rotor warping myth is sold as the everyday occurrence that happens to people all the time.

No, I am sorry, it's false. Listen to the podcast to hear the explanation of why rotor warping is a myth, and how to resolve shaking during braking.

Engine Mounts are a bit of a hot topic with Honda and Acura car owners. In particular, the TSX and TL owners we serve face repeated failures and performance issues with standard replacement mounts. Performance mount solutions address these issues but introduce new concerns with the dramatic increase in Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) as the polyurethane bushings telegraph engine sounds and vibrations directly into the chassis. The solution is getting quality mount replacements or optioning rubber mounts instead.

How often is it that you have been waiting for a package and when you track it the tracking shows the item was delivered, but you don't have it?

Yeah, not that often. But, on occasion for sure.

What does Heeltoe do in these situations? We file a claim and give the customer some advice about finding the item. That's really about it. There is really not much else we can really do, but we are here to support you the best we can!

Rounding out our 3-part series on Heeltoe internal brands, we are bringing you some of the backstory on ATLP. ATLP stands for "Archive Total Luxury and Performance." ATLP is Heeltoe's performance exhaust line, products designed to compliment and enhance the performance and look of Honda and Acura cars without detracting from the luxury, or inherent "niceness" of them. We've been making ATLP exhausts since about 2010. Find out more about the ATLP backstory in this episode!

Heeltoe is home to a few brands, and the oldest one of those brands is Fastline Performance!

A true homegrown brand, Fastline has always been great at filling little niche holes in the niche market of Honda-Acura enthusiast parts. We're not afraid of low volumes but the parts with the Fastline brand have to serve a performance purpose.

We're looking to really expand the Fastline market presence over time. 2024 will hold a big future for FLP!