H&R Suspension and Continental Tires - Cover Car Contest 2009 - Corner Like A Pro

We've spelled it out here thousands of times but it bears constant repetition for anybody new to the scene and considering their first modification. Before you upgrade your headlight bulbs, we highly recommend you get the car's handling right. This is particularly true if you're buying an older car. The stock springs and dampers are probably past their prime. So why not replace with aftermarket parts and enjoy the benefits of tighter, stiffer suspension?

And even if your car isn't past its best, sports suspension is often the cheapest tuning you will ever do. In a previous test in et 3/05 we managed to improve our lap times by more than 5.5sec by simply changing suspension and tires. Try doing that with engine tuning alone!

Of course, a coilover kit such as H&R's Street Performance kit we're giving away to a lucky reader doesn't only improve handling. It's also one of the most important styling alterations you'll make - lowering it will instantly give the vehicle more attitude. And although it's lower, we've found that the H&R kit doesn't adversely affect the ride quality. There's enough compliance in the springs and dampers to ensure you don't need back surgery after a short journey.

Each H&R coilover kit is developed for a specific vehicle, using custom-valved shocks to ensure the correct handling characteristics. The fully-threaded shock bodies allow the ride height to be adjusted between 1-2.5" on average. This will ensure it looks right, but individual adjustment means you can also corner-balance the vehicle to ensure the correct weight balance.

But the contact patch between your tires and the road also dictates grip, so we decided to throw in a set of the latest Continental ExtremeContact DW tires as well.

You may recall the DW won our tire test in the last issue (et 12/09) by offering the best combination of wet and dry performance. In fact, they scored the best time for the dry and wet laps, the best wet g-force numbers and were the best overall in the wet. So this asymmetric rubber is anything but runof the mill.

The DW name refers to their wet and dry abilities, meaning they'll cope with almost any condition except deep snow, which is where the Conti DWS tire is needed. However, we're confident these tires will be the very best for the majority of conditions you'll encounter. What's more, Continental's European technology and construction techniques have ensured improved ride comfort as well as good gas mileage with low rolling resistance. So you can see why we were happy to recommend the Conti DW tires alongside the H&R Street Performance coilovers for our ultimate handling package.

The Competition
To win these products for your car, tell us in 100 words or less, which is your favorite cover car from eurotuner's 2009 issues. Regular readers shouldn't have any trouble, but we'll put the covers online at eurotuner.com so everybody can refer to them.

One (1) grand prize winner will win a set of four Continental ExtremeContact DW tires and H&R Street Performance coilovers for the car of their choice, so please list the make, model and year of your vehicle with your entry.

In the instance where your tire size is not available in the DW range, a similar tire will be substituted by Continental. If an H&R Street Performance kit is not available for your car, a suitable suspension kit will be substituted by H&R. In both cases, the substituted parts may be of lesser value than the prize being offered.

Please visit eurotuner.com for how to enter the contest, the full official rules and eurotuner's 2009 issue front covers. Good luck!

Thanks:
Continental Tire (continentaltire.com) H&R Springs (hrsprings.com)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Contest open to ages 18 and older who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia. Contest begins 12/15/09 and ends 2/15/10. One entry per envelope or per email address. One grand prize winner will receive a set of four Continental ExtremeContact DW tires and one H&R Street Performance kit. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law. All entrants are bound by the full rules.