Ladies and gentlemen... Baker Tuning.

The team over at Baker Tuning is the perfect combination of both automotive tuner enthusiasts and world-class technicians - a very strong duo to say the least. Their ultimate goal is to further develop the Southeast's tuning culture. They're seeking those who connect with their cars on a level that few can comprehend and display a discerning taste for the finest in automotive performance parts that few may ever aquire. If you don't have goosebumps yet, this may not be for you.

Take a deep breathe, there's more.

Baker Tuning's real passion is true Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Automotive Tuner Enthusiast Parts, Installation, and Service for the North American Market. Their pledge is to not only be the best source for performance products from Top Secret Japan, Powerhouse Amuse, Nismo JDM, Tamon Designs, Mines, Cusco, Blitz, GReddy, HKS and ZELE, but to be the only source for items so rare, examples have never before made it to our shores.

Still with us? Okay, good.

So the call has been made. Now the question is: are you ready to answer it?

Join the revolution at bakertuning.com, visit their facebook page or email the team at info.bakertuning.com.

07/16/2010 | 1:23 pm

A Secret No More

We've always known that Mothra was truly one-of-a-kind. Now the rest of the country is taking note. Mothra has been blowing up on the blogosphere. She's recently been featured on SpeedHunters.com (a car culture blog site from the creators of the Need for Speed video game team) and Openclutch.com (a blog dedicated to car enthusiasts from across the globe to come together to share their love of cars).

First, let's take a look at some highlights from SpeedHunters.com:

In stock form, this 370z started off with a 268 wheel horse power. After the tune from the infamous Smoky Nagata, the car resulted in... wait for it...... 289 wheel horse power! This car isn't about power but rather it's about throttle response and well, touching you in the nether region of your trousers in ways that'll top that Prom back-seat after party.

Here, John Leigh (Project Mothra collaborator) will explain the difference between a stock 370z and a Top Secret 370z:

"Driving a stock 370z is was a little less exciting that I would like it to be; The most annoying thing is how much the car has to think before it realizes you have your foot down. The drive-ability of the stock car is the pinnacle of conservative sports cars. It's like eating steak at Denny's.

Smoky's PROcess tune fixes this problem. It replaces your boring wife with Jessica Alba. The difference is, you'll never be late for dinner and you'll want to eat dinner 10 times a day.

Same with the car, the driver-car romance comes to life and you'll want to drive it every time, everyday. Naturally, having a touch of Smoky means serious response, no speed limiter, higher redline ...and a dash of additional HP. All the ingredients you need, to get in more trouble."

Comparing the driving experience of a stock 370z to eating steak at Denny's? Stating that Smoky's process is the equivalent to replacing your boring wife with Jessica Alba? Classic.

And now, let's take a look at some key points from the OpenClutch.com feature:

The driving force behind the project was to challenge the American way of thinking. To show that it's not all about horsepower, it's not just about the 1/4 mile. It's a more holistic approach. It's about the moment the driver and the car become one. Not an easy task at all. Plus, it let the brothers dive into MODS like suspension upgrades, huge deep-dish wheels and things that had little to do with horsepower and everything to do with feeding the MOD bug.

Mothra has quickly become one of the top .0000001% hottest 370Zs in the world. She has seen major improvements in the handling, throttle response, feel, cornering, ride quality, hook-up from zero, top-end aerodynamics and shift accuracy.

// Project: Mothra // began as a dream for Matt and Brad Baker. It is now a reality. They've started to change the conversation when it comes to American tuning. Maybe it is about more than just horsepower. Maybe there is much more to it. We do know this, they've definitely satisfied their MOD bug's appetite, for now.

We couldn't have summed it up better ourselves. A big thanks goes out to the teams over at SpeedHunters.com and OpenClutch.com.

06/18/2010 | 12:23 pm

Hard Work Pays Off With Some Hardware

For those of you who made it out to the DUB Show a few weekends ago, you were treated to plenty of dubs, models, rappers such as Yo Gotti, Trae and Swag as well as hundreds of custom cars.

If you made it out to the Baker Tuning booth, you were treated to not only yours truly, you also experienced the DUB Show's best booth. Up until this year, a performance shop winning best booth at the show was unheard of. Well, that was until Baker Tuning decided to join in on the fun. The team beat out the likes of Pirelli, Ford and Monster...just to name a few. A big thanks and congratulations goes out to John from Planet Zero, Jason, Verana Mei, Matt and everyone involved in the making of the award-winning booth. Raise the trophy with pride, you've earned it.

For more info on Baker Tuning, check out their facebook page or visit BakerTuning.com.

06/11/2010 | 3:10 pm

DUB Show Rolling into H-town.

The Dub Show is making its way down to the Dirty South, along with over a thousand of the nation's hottest custom rides, including Mothra herself. Check it all out Sunday, May 30th at the Reliant Center.

This is your chance to see many of the hottest custom rides under one roof. Nearly every class of vehicle will be showcased, including Luxury, Sport Compact, SUV, 4x4, Exotic, Motorcycles and more. The Dub Show will also showcase exhibits from some of the industry's most popular brands such as Lexani, Asanti, Giovanna Gianelle, Monster, XBOX 360, 2K Sports and many more.

To cap it all off, there will be a live performance by some of the hottest names in hip hop. Previous artists have included Ludacirs, Paul Wall, Shawty Lo, Trae, TMI Boyz Youngta and Chamillionaire (just to name a few).

If that doesn't convince you that this is going to be an absolutely awesome show, we don't know what will. Did we mention that Mothra will be there? Okay, just checking.

This isn't just for spectators either. If you think your Nissan has what it takes to join Mothra at the show in the Baker display, post your pics on the // Project: Mothra // facebook page pronto. We'll pick a winner and announce it at the next Planet Zero meet. Only locals need apply.

For the rest of you, grab your tickets while you still can. $15 pre-show tix, $20 at the door. The show will start at Noon and runs until 6PM. For more info, check out dubshowtour.com.

Needless to say, we can't wait to see the reaction on everyone's face when Mothra shows up.

05/13/2010 | 10:22 am

Mothra v. Godzilla / 370Z v. GT-R. The battle continues.

Before you can truly understand // Project: Mothra //, you must know the history of the name, the car, and its ally turned nemesis turned ally (you get the point).

The name "Mothra" comes from the Japanese word "Mosura" and according to Japanese pop culture "Mosura" is a kaiju, or "strange beast". Although she is occasionally an ally to Godzilla, she often engages in competition against the giant monster.

Now, to fully appreciate the project, you must also know the history behind the two cars.

The original Z (or Fairlady as it's known in Japan) was first sold in 1969. Enthusiasts have always praised the Z for its stunning looks and high performance. Because of this, it currently holds the record for the best selling sports car series of all time.

GT-Rs were introduced to the sports car world during the 1970s but soon after, they were taken off the market. After a hiatus, of 16 years, GT-Rs were reintroduced in 1989 under the new name Skyline R32. This new beast was deemed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring publication "Wheels" because of its size and its performance on the track.

Enter // Project: Mothra //. With the help of legendary Japanese tuner "SMOKY" Nagata and his Top Secret components, our Fairlady was fine-tuned so that she could realize her full potential. This just the beginning of her metamorphosis.

No one can argue that the bloodline of the two Nissan sports cars has clearly benefited both - the Z with its heritage and the GT-R with its technology. With // Project: Mothra //, we're in the rarefied air of dunking our cookie in both.

Needless to say, it's about to get really fun. Stay tuned.

04/16/2010 | 5:35 pm

We admit it, we’re otakus

In Japan, an otaku is a fanatic. Actually, it’s a term used to identify true obsession. Pure, unadulterated obsession.

Americans are otakus about their cars. Mostly, we’re otakus about the things that make them go faster. How else could someone justify spending over $1000 (or even $300-$500) on an air intake for their car, which is nothing more than a couple of metal tubes and filters?
You can’t. Stop trying.

That is, until you understand what’s behind the tubes and filters and everything else Smoky Nagata engineers and designs.

We met the man today, and while we’re not the type to be star-struck, it was really, really cool. Smoky’s reserved and soft-spoken nature belies his legend. He’s shrewd and confident. We could tell he’s one of those people who just thinks differently. We were beginning to understand why his performance parts perform better and cost more than others. The legend is real.

Despite the 1000 HP cars Smoky builds, his isn’t a numbers game. It’s more holistic than that. Smoky designs from the driver’s seat, not just the engine bay. Anybody can make a car more powerful. Anybody with deep enough pockets and profound anger against rubber can mimic Smoky’s trademark burnouts. But, will their car be drivable? When the road bends, will it remain connected to it? That’s where most people’s expertise ends and Smoky’s begins.

Designing for the driver sometimes means “form follows function” (though Top Secret parts are typically beautiful). Sometimes it’s not just the peak horsepower, but how it comes on…and how usable it is. There are no shortcuts in this game. Smoky should know – he wrote the rules. That’s how he knows how to break them, his Top Secret way.

Smoky is unorthodox. Often, his expertise and approach come at a higher price than lesser systems that may actually produce more power. Those systems are usually too narrowly focused on power or looks alone. They merely mask a car’s shortcomings, but don’t overcome them. Top Secret takes a different road – a bumpy one, as our intake showdown test revealed. Top Secret’s exclusivity, high price and seemingly simple nature are what turn many in the US against them.

But today, they turned everyone in attendance into otakus.

03/30/2010 | 4:38 pm

Warm reception, despite cold weather.

On Saturday night Mothra was at Planet Zero's monthly lot meet for a sneak preview. Although the weather (38 degrees) kept the lot fairly empty there were a lot of questions asked about the Z. Hopefully, as the weather starts to warm up, there will be a bigger audience at these shows. People seemed to be impressed with the direction that we are taking and are looking forward to seeing what's in store over the next few weeks.

On Saturday morning the oil cooler and a Stillen intake were installed, while we wait for the Top Secret Cold air intake. This "double-take" on the intake is a little labor intensive, but we wanted to get some numbers with the benchmark Stillen setup for comparison with the Top Secret one. Again, the guys over at www.the370z.com have engaged in quite a debate about oil coolers and track-bound cars, as well as healthy discussions about intake designs. This should answer a lot of questions in one or two fell swoops.

We have noticed a drastic change in oil temperature since the install. Before, the oil temp under moderate throttle and acceleration would climb to 224 degrees. Now, with moderate driving, the temp will not rise above 167 degrees. Under hard acceleration and throttle conditions, before, the engine temp would rise to 238 degrees. Now, under those same driving conditions, the temp will not rise above 187 degrees. With normal driving the oil temp will barely register over 140 degrees. Keep in mind that these number were taken in 40-45 degree weather -- noticeably cooler than in days past. But regardless, there is a drastic improvement.

Smoky should have one fine platform to work his magic. Now, if we could just get the Amuse body kit here before he lands...Stay tuned.

03/22/2010 | 3:07 pm

Headers on...and a footnote.

Our baseline runs on the dyno at Secret Services in Houston (www.secretservicesauto.com) delivered a little less than we expected. We netted 251 hp and 187 ft-lb torque. That's why we were glad to have a second Z there for baseline numbers to confirm there must be some variable at play. After checking everything out, we chalked it up to a tank of bad gas.

So, the numbers after the headers, high flow cats, pulleys and clutch ***and most importantly, a fresh tank of gas *** naturally show much more impressive gains than if our baseline had not been affected. Even so, we've realized some nice improvements.

Where we now stand is:

285 hp and 251 ft lb.

By our estimation and using the second Z as a guide, had we seen a more reliable baseline, our gains still are near 15 hp and 20 ft lb. Not bad, considering all we've done to this point is let her breathe a little and tweak the pulleys.

The ECU tune will be maximized by the Top Secret intake and exhaust system. All three components are specifically designed to work in concert. Coupled with the high flow cats already installed, Mothra should have a nice low growl at idle and a sweet scream at WOT. Like you, we eagerly await horsepower and torque figures once the Top Secret goods are installed. Stay tuned...

03/19/2010 | 3:58 am

Two sides to every story.

When we first broke the news of Project Mothra to the Z fanatics at www.The370Z.com, they naturally offered both lots of praise and criticisms of several of our choices. Obviously something like our build, which is so rooted in passion, can be polarizing. Comments fell on both sides -- we were using too many Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) parts that were too exotic and out of reach (thus, out of step with the mission of the 370Z). Or, we weren't pushing it far enough, as in how dare we choose Stillen ceramic coated headers and high-flow cats to mate up to Smoky's beautifully welded exhaust?

Fact is, there's no set formula for this stuff. For every point, there's a valid counterpoint. For every speculation, a fact. For every proof, a definite disproof. That's why dynos exist -- to prove or disprove theories that gear heads, mechanics, enthusiasts, tuners and yes, armchair tuners alike dream up.

Truthfully, we appreciate the input and the criticism. If we strike a chord with the guys on The370Z.com, it means we're speaking to passionate people and we're hitting them where they live. That's pretty cool.

So, we can chalk this next addition to the build up to them. Project Mothra will have a NISMO oil cooler. For more than a year, contributors to The370Z.com have suggested the absence of an oil cooler from the factory, particularly in the track-oriented NISMO 370Z model was a grave mistake. We agree.

We intend to make Mothra a street-legal track monster. As such, an oil cooler is a must and makes a suitable match to our upgraded brakes and other track-oriented additions.

So, thanks, guys, for bringing this to our attention. Like we stated earlier, we appreciate the input. Now, about that Kenwood stereo -- okay, not everything on Mothra is race-bred. Some things are just there because we like them. Besides, we more than made up for the extra weight by tossing out the spare and jack. Is that old school enough for you?

03/15/2010 | 12:00 am

The Secret is almost out.

We got our first taste of progress today on Project: Mothra, Baker Nissan's monster creation of a 370Z. The first performance bits are on and the first results are promising. More on that in a minute...

We spent the morning at Secret Services in Houston, dyno-ing not only the Mothra car, but also a stealth 370Z and a couple of GT-Rs as well, for good (and extremely powerful) measure. It was a fun and loud way to start the day.

So far, Mothra has the Stillen ceramic-coated headers, high flow cats, Non-Stop Tuning Over- and Under- Pulleys, the ACT clutch and a few other pieces that don't affect engine output. There are NO TOP SECRET COMPONENTS INSTALLED YET, and already we're seeing gains of over 20 wheel horsepower.

Final tabulations will be posted soon, but suffice it to say, Mothra growls a little deeper and kicks a little harder already. Wait till Smoky Nagata gets his hand and his toys on her.

03/11/2010 | 10:38 pm