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Steve Mott says he's been using only K&N air filters for many years, on all his cars including his many track cars.

"To start with, I am a nuclear engineer by profession, so I am rather a technical guy and a bit of a perfectionist." Steve Mott is indeed a powerful concoction of adrenaline and brains, mixed with shots of micro-detailed perfectionism and an insatiable need for speed. He's an agreeable contradiction of categories and perceptions and his life is significantly fuller as a result.

Steve Mott's Nissan 350z is not a show car, insists Steve Mott, there are scratches, dents, scrapes and other imperfections that prove that the car is not a trailer queen, but a car that is driven and driven hard.

"2013 was my first ever SEMA event," Mott said. "I got there as I was chosen to participate in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) by winning the "Spirit of the Event" award at the 2013 Silver State Classic Challenge. I had a great time there at SEMA, and would be pleased to be invited back by any sponsor whose products that I use on my vehicle. I think my car garnered its fair share of attention at SEMA, even among the other great cars there. Most of the cars there at the show are 'trailer queens,' and will never see track time or be abused like in the OUSCI or driven almost flat out for 90 miles such as in the Silver State Classic races. To have a street legal 700hp Nissan 350Z is rather rare, I think."

"Every modification that I have done on the car has had a legitimate performance purpose, be it more power, better handling, more downforce, better braking, better reliability, weight reduction or better safety (well, maybe except for the vanity plate - '350Z TT' - the TT is for twin turbo of course)."

Street legal 700hp Nissan 350z featured at SEMA

Mott started his alterative career road racing motorcycles in the early 1980's, at legendary tracks like Sears Point, Willow Springs and the old Riverside raceway. "It was great fun," he admits, "But a few falls from high speed told me that maybe it was better to race something with a cage around me."

So he started out auto-crossing in a Mazda RX-7, and even became a SCCA Auto-X instructor. He did well, winning a South Florida Sports Car Club C-Stock championship. But he wanted more seat time than just 40 seconds at a time. "In 1988 I took a Skip Barber 3-day competition school at Sebring. From then on, I was hooked," remarks Mott.

Mott went on to race numerous SCCA races and earned several competition licenses, including a SCCA National license, an IMSA license, and an FIA International license. "I earned a professional level license and drove in the 1994 12 Hours of Sebring," he adds. "I later obtained licenses from NASA, ASA and even a Mexican rally license. I won my class in the first rally that I entered, the Chihuahua Express in Mexico in 2008. I also entered the 25 hours of Thunderhill in 2008, but our car developed problems and did not finish."

Although Mott's SEMA featured Nissan 350z is not considered a full-on racecar, he has logged quite a few track days on it, as he's also a performance driving instructor with ProAutoSports in Phoenix. "I have done well in Time Attacks too," he adds, "Having twice been on the podium in the Redline Time Attack series with the car. In fact, my driving ability at one of the Redline events got me some sponsorship. That is how I ended up adding a Jim Wolf Technology twin turbo kit to the car."

This SEMA worthy 700 horsepower Nissan 350z is owned by Steve Mott

"After I had gained so much power, I had to do so many other modifications to the car to have the other systems able to remain reliable. You can imagine that a car originally designed for 287hp, and now having somewhere around 700hp (at the crank), needs a few more mods to keep it viable. I have gone through dozens of mods to make the rest of the car be able to cope with all the power, including much bigger brakes, a special one-off clutch, and a stouter differential, thermal wrapping to protect hoses and lines and much beefier cooling. Cooling has been the most difficult problem to solve."

"The car is still a work in progress," Mott continues. "And being I am a perfectionist, it may never quite be finished. I am also picky about handling and I've gone through four different suspensions trying to find one that I liked. The car is quite fast and handles reasonably well, it's faster than a stock Nissan GT-R and Lotus Elise on the race tracks that I have driven. Yet, the car is still street-able and still has factory A/C, factory radio with CD player and the factory navigation system. It even retains the headliner and original carpeting even while sporting a four-point roll bar, racing seats and six-point harnesses. It truly is an 'ultimate street car.'"

"I have used K&N air filter products for years, and have had them in all of my sports cars and track cars over the years. K&N air filters are efficient and long lasting, while reasonably priced. I love the fact that they are able to be cleaned and re-used. They certainly flow more air than the stock filters and make more power. I am happy to promote K&N products, and they have been a long-time sponsor of the Silver State Challenge events."

Mott has been competing in the Silver State Classic Challenge since 2004 in his Nissan 350z, entering 20 open road races, and winning his class five times, including an overall win in 2011. He's also had several 2nd and 3rd place finishes. "I was the 2008 International Series Champion," he informs. "In 2008, I also became the Chief of Tech for the Silver State Classic Challenge events. This was in part due to my engineering background, but I also saw that emphasis on safety was lacking, and I thought I might be able to do something to help that situation."

TMI Products displayed this 1967 Chevy Chevelle at SEMA

SEMA featured 1967 Chevy Chevelle has a K&N Extreme Airflow filter

Back in 1982, the four resourceful Tuccinardi brothers came up with a novel idea for producing Volkswagen door panels in their family garage in Torrance, California. Through trial and error experimentation they developed a highly effective process for matching interior components to the original OEM manufacturing specifications. And today, TMI Products, Inc. (Tuccinardi Manufacturing Incorporated) is a successful family-owned company, now operating out of Corona, California.

These days TMI is renowned for their high-quality interior automotive components such as seating, interior consoles, floor coverings, door panels, convertible roof assemblies, headliners, sun visors, and integrated electronic systems. For more than 25 years TMI Products, Inc. has specialized in developing high quality interior components for new premier models as well as restoration vehicles. And for over a quarter of a century they have continued to showcase their products at the Las Vegas, Nevada, Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. At the year-ending 2013 SEMA show TMI had on display a 1970 Camaro, 1967 Chevelle and a 2005 Mustang.

This 2005 Ford Mustang got a lot of attention in the TMI SEMA booth

TMI's custom 1970 Camaro was at SEMA with a K&N Extreme Airflow filter

"The number of vehicles we bring usually depends on the number of product lines we plan on displaying at the show," confirms TMI Sales Manager, Waylon Krumrie. "TMI initially started in VW interiors, but quickly developed a Ford Mustang line (1964-current), which was followed up more recently by the addition of our first and second Gen Camaro line (1967-1981), and our Chevelle line (1964-1972)."

The highlighted feature of any TMI booth car will always be the interior, as TMI Products got their start in replicating factory original interiors, but over the years they have also come to be known just as well for their Sport Seat Series.

SEMA featured 2005 Ford Mustang has a K&N Air Intake system

The interior of this TMI 2005 Ford Mustang was a sight to see at SEMA

"What we display in our SEMA booth cars will always be the newest and the best of our lines," says Krumrie, "We strive to make the interior of the car just as impressive as the outside, if not even more so!"

Both the 1967 Chevelle and the 1970 Camaro are sporting K&N Extreme Airflow filters, and the 2005 Mustang was equipped with a performance K&N Cold Air Intake. "This has been the third year in a row that K&N has been a part of our SEMA builds, and we are very grateful for the support!" he adds.

TMI will be releasing several new products and product lines in 2014 that will send them once again sailing in uncharted waters "As for what we're bringing to the show this year," says Krumrie, "Let's just say it will be unprecedented and definitely exciting news for the classic automotive aftermarket."

Stronghold Motorsports entered the 2014 season with a new car and competing in a different class.

As the 2014 season neared, team Stronghold Motorsports was excited. Yes, they were eager to get back out there and embark upon the action packed sport of desert racing. But anticipation was a little more intense this season, as they were starting the year with a new car and were on the verge of competing in a new class. Last season, they competed in the 7200 class but this season they would be driving against those in the 1/1500.

Although not having high expectations, Stronghold Motorsports finished 2nd in class during the first race of the season.

The change of classes obviously lent to a few uncertainties. While racing in the 7200 class they grew accustomed to limitations in track width, wheel base and engine requirements, and no limitations come with the 1/1500.

When asked what they would miss most about the previous class, one of the drivers answered, "It's a dream to run in an unlimited class. We are buggy dorks, so we'll not miss much of anything. We're anticipating stiff competition.

After countless hours of hard work, testing and stringent preparation, the Stronghold crew headed to Parker, Arizona, where they would compete in the much anticipated first race of the season, the "Best in the desert Parker 425."

The race would consist of three loop laps. Although the team always has aspirations of a victory, they were prepared to digest whatever came their way during this particular event, and rightfully so. They were acutely aware that new cars and new classes lent to somewhat of a learning curve, regardless of how many hours were spent in preparation. In fact, one would suspect that these circumstances lent to the mindset where finishing the race took priority over where they placed upon crossing the finish line.

Going into the race, the plan was simple. Brandon Bailey; his father, Scott and veteran driver, Larry Job would share the driving responsibilities. The team ended the time trials 20th overall and sixth in their class. With the first segment of the competition behind them, they were satisfied with their performance.

Stronghold Motorsports has the mindset, "finish races, have fun ad results will come."

As one would suspect, there were a few hitches here and there during the 425 mile race. In fact, the torque converter overheated during the second lap, and remained hot throughout the remainder of the race. And a broken throttle spring reared its ugly head during the event as well. Like their fellow competitors, the Stronghold Motorsports drivers were also plagued with extremely dusty conditions.

In spite of a few obstacles here and there, team Stronghold was pleased with the outcome of the race. From the time the waving of the green signified the first race of the 2014 season underway, they fought tooth and nail until the checkered flag deemed the race over. And when the dust had settled, Stronghold racing had finished 16th overall and second in class.

When asked if the team was satisfied with the outcome, Scott Bailey said, "This was the first race in the new car, so we are happy. With some testing and fine tuning it will be even better. With the car being so new, we wanted to come out and finish the race," he continued. "To end up second was a great way to start out in a new class."

With the season ahead of them, Stronghold Motorsports is eagerly awaiting more battles in the weeks to come. When asked how important of a role each member of the team plays, Bailey said, "We do this as a team. I know there's some other good teams out there, but I have the best."

The Stronghold crew is also aware of the importance of keeping their rig in optimal running condition. "Maintenance is the key," ensured the driver. We need to be able to finish races. We pride ourselves on preparation before the races, so we can be successful.

That in mind, Stronghold Motorsports depends upon K&N products for their filtering needs, and have been using the products for five years. "Nobody's better," ensured Bailey in reference to K&N products' performance. We put a lot of stress on our cars and we know K&N filters helps us be successful, not only in the desert, but on short course also."

With the 2014 season finally underway, the team at Stronghold Motorsports is an advocate of the mindset, "finish races, have fun and the results will come." When asked what fans can expect this season, Bailey concluded, "Showing up prepared to win and having fun."

Shea has competed in varies forms of club racing at regional and national levels, Skip Barber and now the SCCA Pro Racing Pirelli World Challenge

Shea Racing, LLC. co-owner and driver Shea Holbrook's motto is "Fear is a state of mind. Will is an action taken." This could easily explain the cumulative motorsports successes she has racked up, even at such a young age. She is competitive by nature, and exchanged her water skis for a set of wheels as a young teenager after one test ride in a Richard Petty Experience event. The next week, she and her entire family focused on how they were going to become successful in motorsports. They are now a sportscar road racing family.

Shea has been a featured athlete on Yahoo.com, Teen Vogue, NBC Sports Motor Sports Talk, CNN Live, Racer.com, and many other networks.

Shea has competed in varies forms of club racing at regional and national levels, Skip Barber and now the SCCA Pro Racing Pirelli World Challenge and is the only 23-year old professional female racecar driver with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Marketing that co-owns and operates her racing team in the motorsport industry. Her first mark in history was when she won the Long Beach Grand Prix becoming the first female to win a major Touring Car race at the venue. She's been a featured athlete on Yahoo.com, Teen Vogue, NBC Sports Motor Sports Talk, CNN Live, Racer.com, and many others. She is also recipient of the Lyn St. James Foundation Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Scholarship and the Women's Sports Foundation 'Women in the Winners Circle' Project Podium Grant.

Most recently, the team added a Pro Mazda car to their roster, which provides them the ability to run in the Pro Mazda Championship in the near future. They recently took the car to the track for three days of testing at Sebring International Raceway where Pro Mazda driver Spencer Pigot attended to help them gain ground.

"They've proven to be competitive in sportscars and will be competitive with this car as well. It's great to see them diversify and I look forward to watching what they do with it," said Pigot.

Shea Holbrook is a professional female racecar driver with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Marketing

Shea says when she became familiar with motorsports she became familiar with K&N. "I attended the Performance Racing Industry show where K&N had a booth," she stated," and to be honest I bugged the heck out of them expressing my desire to represent their brand. After a few months of persistence on my end we formed a great partnership."

Shea went on to say, "Shea Racing is a touring car team in Pirelli World Challenge which in simplest terms is we race what the everyday American drives. With that said we take a showroom car, strip out the interior, cage it and add performance parts to help with the overall durability of the car and flatout make a "stock car" run as fast as it possibly can. In cars like ours a 1 hp difference is huge so, to keep our cars running at top level we need filters that will allow more air entering the engine to increase the efficiency of the combustion process which ultimately means more power! This is what K&N filters provide. Most filters have a housing around them, which is fine but the K&N racing filters are open 360 degree filters promising more air flow. We also love the Wrench-Off Canister Oil Filters because when I'm maxed out driving ten-tenths we need something that can withstand bumps and g-forces and this product works best for us."

Shea concludes, "It is my goal to achieve the most I can in the racing seat. My aspirations are high and lead me to become a factory driver. I have also put myself in a position as part owner of Shea Racing, LLC. to further grow my entrepreneurial aspirations in years to come, when I'm too old and they kick me out of the car, to become a team owner."

K&N Chevy Sonic Air Intake Engine Bay

For quite a while if someone asked you to name a good American-made small car, you'd be left scratching your head. If this were a question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, you'd use up all your lifelines and still be left guessing. Times have changed though, and Detroit is bringing some great, exciting new vehicles to this segment. Chevrolet introduced the Sonic in 2012, and it was met with rave reviews.

K&N Air Intake System for Chevy Sonic

The Sonic is available as a sedan or four-door hatchback with very well-equipped interiors and a stout 1.4 liter turbocharged motor that produces 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque to the flywheel. Best of all, the turbocharged Sonic still sips fuel at an estimated 40 miles-per-gallon on the highway and it received a class-leading 5-star crash test rating for overall safety. The Sonic has a commodious cabin, peppy performance, excellent economy, and superb safety. Is there room to improve? The answer is yes- with the K&N 69-4524TS Typhoon performance air intake system.

Air intake 69-4524TS is precision-engineered and guaranteed to increase horsepower and torque on the 2012 to 2016 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4 liter turbo. It does this my helping to minimize restriction in the air intake pathway, allowing your engine to breathe easier while also providing a better engine sound. The 69-4524TS Chevy Sonic air intake utilizes a mandrel-bent aluminum intake tube to help streamline airflow and it's powdercoated silver for a sleek look under the hood.

Dyno Chart for K&N Chevy Sonic Air Intake 69-4524TS

K&N's RU-4960XD air filter is fitted to the end of the intake tube to provide excellent filtration efficiency and higher airflow rates. The air filter is also washable and reusable and can go for up to 100,000 miles between cleanings, depending on driving conditions. The 69-4524TS also incorporates a heat shield to help protect incoming air from radiant heat under the hood. An air guide inside the tube helps straighten airflow across the mass air flow sensor and ensure proper readings are sent to the computer.

The design of the 69-4524TS air intake isn't all just good looks though. All of these design components come together to deliver horsepower and torque gains. On the dyno, the 69-4524TS intake system produced an estimated gain of 7 horsepower at 5474rpm and 7.8 pound-feet of torque at 3467rpm to the wheels. That'll put an extra pep in your Chevy Sonic's step.

The 69-4524TS is an easy to install performance upgrade. It maintains all necessary factory connections and installation can be completed in approximately 90 minutes. K&N backs the 69-4524TS with its famous Million Mile Limited Warranty as well, so owners have the assurance that their intake system is well-protected.

The Sonic stands out from the crowd of other subcompact cars currently on the market with excellent styling, accessories, performance, fuel economy, and safety. Now owners of the 2012 to 2016 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4 liter turbo can stand out further with the K&N 69-4524TS Typhoon performance air intake system.

Performance air intake 69-4524TS is guaranteed to increase horsepower on the following Chevy Sonic models:
2016 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4L
2015 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4L
2014 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4L
2013 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4L
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 1.4L

For all K&N Chevy Sonic air intakes visit the Air Intakes for Chevy Sonic page on KNFilters.com.