Ingalls Stiffy Torque Damper - Review - Super Street Magazine

An unfortunate byproduct of the tarmac-twisting thrust created by my freshly stroked RSX is an excessive amount of engine movement. Much like not being able to find a sufficient pair of chonies to contain your plus-sized member, this is not a bad problem to have. Some urethane motor mounts and an engine damper should keep my good vibrations in check even more than a hot pink tiger print thong-not that I would know anything about such apparel, or (sadly) a larger-han-below-average unit for that matter.

Even worse than the K20 with a nervous twitch, my conundrum centered upon the selection of said damper. Being the desperate wannabe JDM label whore that I am, this item had to be J-spec, complete with the requisite Lost In Translation name and all of the street cred that comes with a slow boat ride across the Pacific Rim.

After a day of deadline denial and procrastination spent online-uh, that is to say an exhaustive project car product search-I narrowed the field down to two finalists. The first was a genuine touge-proven, Pocari Sweat-swilling JDM item of which I am withholding the name for fear of any yakuza-esque retribution. The second is the very USDM Ingalls Stiffy engine torque damper. Of course I went straight for the fobby model with visions of the most righteous vinyl roll call dancing in my head. But thanks to Chimpy, our resident Rain Man concerning all things Honda, my vote was swayed.

Upon closer inspection the Ingalls damper is of a better design than its J-market counterpart, with more substantial Heim joints and adjustable preload settings. I'm aware that these features don't make much of a difference on such a little item but it just feels good to reduce engine torque in the most technologically advanced manner. Yeah, I know I'm a tool, but I'm a tool with a damn fine engine damper.

Other than a massive stroke for the Ingalls Stiffy and its minimal stroke, this seemingly simple selection process proved to be my red pill, opening my eyes to the herd mentality of a brand conscious society. I shudder to think of the impact that we of the sleazy media persuasion have on this scene, from the specs of our feature cars to the products in our buyer's guides. And just imagine the powerful influence exerted by the leading drivers, tuners, and show car builders. It stands to reason that the cars and products that get the most play are the ones that will enjoy the most sales. This is not by any means a commentary on the inherent quality-or lack thereof-of any of these particular products, though, because it just might be that everyone rocks certain parts because they actually are better than the rest.

To question the merits of marketing is hardly the stuff of uncharted territory, but my engine damper and, to a much greater extent, our cover car do represent a refreshing departure from the bandwagon build-ups of both big manufacturer and celebrituner alike. Think about that the next time you're torn between JDM, USDM, Brand X, or Brand Y, because only one opinion should matter to you and that opinion is mine. Oh, you were expecting me to empower you with the the-only-opinion-that-matters-is-yours speech? C'mon, you don't know the first thing about engine dampers.