There are many reasons to downgrade your car back to stock form. Most of the time, it's because life has struck. Maybe the car was munched up beyond repair, or finances are forcing some hard choices.

But sometimes the reasons are happy ones -- like upgrading to a newer model!

That's what's happening to our old friend John Hinrichs. John was one of the first to Mugen-equip his 2010 CR-Z. We documented his impressions of the Mugen carbon fiber air box, Mugen 17x7 GP wheels, Mugen cat-back exhaust and Mugen 5-way sport suspension for our blog. And now he's trading in his 2010 CR-Z for a fresh new 2013 model.

We asked him to send his thoughts on going back to stock form after enjoying his Mugen parts for the last 40k miles:

>> With 40k of the 41k miles on my CR-Z having used the Mugen suspension, I didn't remember how the OEM setup felt. Now that its back on, I can tell you I'll be in a hurry to get the Mugen gear onto my 2013.

>> There is little difference in comfort between the two. On the highway, or even a lumpy backroad (if it doesn't have any curves in it), I have to pay fairly close attention to notice the change. Large bumps do take the OEM suspension a bit longer to sort out, so if anything the Mugen setup is more comfortable by being less bouncy. But then there is the cornering. While the Mugen suspension did leave some body roll (it is a comfortable street setup, after all) turn in was immediate, and the way the car's weight would shift was linear and predictable. Not so much with OEM suspension. Not only is the body roll worse, but turn into a corner with any vigor and it takes two or three tries (read: bounces) before the suspension settles in. And it has to figure it out all over again if I try to change my line mid-turn. The OEM setup is best described as vague, if not a little bit unsettling.

>> Oh, and the fender gap is back to barely acceptable with my 16" winter wheels. Would look downright awkward with 17"s.

Thanks John for the report and we're looking forward to your future mods!

Check out all our CR-Z performance parts at the King Motorsports online store!

The 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon just wrapped up yesterday. Since most of us find it a tad difficult to drop everything to hop on a plane and attend this annual JDM lovefest, we are doing you the favor of letting you live vicariously through a few choice smartphone pictures.

This year's Mugen / Honda display emphasized heritage and cutting-edge technology.

One of the Mugen concept cars that got our attention is the Mugen CR-V concept vehicle. Definitely gives the CR-V a bit of attitude!

The Mugen N-One Premium: Mugen aero kit, sports suspension, wheels and exhaust. Should this car come to the US? We think so!

The Mugen N-One Racing concept car is our favorite. Just imagine a race grid full of 20-30 of these cars, much like the old City Turbo race series in the 80's! That would be too cool! We love the No. 16 -- a shout out to all the great Honda race cars that shared the same number.

This is one of the 300 limited edition Mugen CR-Z RZ cars. A supercharged hybrid is hard not to like. With close to 200 hp, the Mugen CR-Z RZ punches well above its weight.

This booth shot features the Mugen CR-Z GT race car. Thanks to 歐陽明曦 for posting this on our Facebook page!

Update 1/22/2013:

One of our favorite cars at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon was the Mugen Racing N-One Concept (pictured below). We are pleased to announced this car was awarded the Grand Prix award! This prestigious "Best in Show Award" is awarded to the car that best embodies design, ingenuity and the spirit of the Tokyo Auto Salon. Congratulations to Mugen!!!

http://www.mugen-power.com/english/news/2013/20130122/index.html

Our very special orange guest at this year's annual Dyno Day was the amazing Honda CR-Z MUGEN RR Concept vehicle. After months of careful planning, Mugen and King Motorsports were proud to bring Mugen's newest concept all the way to Milwaukee -- exclusively for our Dyno Day. This is the first and possibly only time that these wheels will ever be in the States.

Shipping a hand-built, one-of-a-kind concept vehicle over 6200 miles from Tokyo to Wisconsin (and back again) is no small accomplishment.

The process starts in April, months ahead of June's Dyno Day.

Moving the car out of the Mugen showroom:

In this picture, Mugen technicians charge the battery and do all the final prep:

Then the super-low hatch is eased up the ramps for transport to where it will be crated up and shipped out!

And here's what a shipping label for an entire vehicle direct from Mugen looks like! Made in Japan!

Box within a box!

6229 miles later the Mugen CR-Z RR Concept Car arrives in Wisconsin!

After two hours of uncrating!!

You just can't walk by this car without marveling at all the details....

Wanna see what's under the hood of the Mugen CR-Z RR???

Rotrex supercharged beauty!

Another view. The carbon work is just amazing! Approximately 200 hp and all the weight savings from the carbon body work should perk up the CR-Z!

Finally we moved the CR-Z into the King Motorsports showroom. We moved out all of our regular showroom cars to give the CR-Z center stage! Here it is covered the night before -- ready for its unveiling on Dyno Day June 2.

Grand unveiling the morning of Dyno Day!

YouTube user FLBFLY posted up this video walkaround of the Mugen CR-Z: RR!

Dyno Day over and a great success, the day for us to return the orange Mugen beast back to Tokyo came all too soon.

Charging up the battery one last time before we say goodbye to the CR-Z: RR! A huge thanks to our friends at Mugen for helping make this happen!

The King Motorsports International Shipping Division goes to work crating the Mugen CR-Z RR for its return trip!

Our Japanese colleagues built a very clever shipping container that clips together. Reassembling all the pieces was a bit challenging. :)

This is the Mugen CR-Z's last glimpse of North America! :)

Once the container was built, the fork lift pushed it into the back of the shipping company's truck. Sayonara!

Mugen's newest seats have arrived, and we have some beautiful detail photos!

The vitals on the new seats:

Mugen MS-R Full Bucket Seat

* Carbon fibre shell
* Belt holes for 3 inch full harness
* Lumbar support (pad insertion type)
* Deep side support
* Divided seat cushion
* Non-slip seat cushion
* Alcantera
* Shoulder grip
* MUGEN Logo (embroidered)

(see the product page for more info and to order)

Mugen MS-Z Semi Bucket Seat

* Stepless recliner
* Forward folding backrest
* Lumbar support (pad insertion type)
* Belt holes for safety harness
* High grip side support
* Alcantera
* Shoulder grip
* MUGEN Logo (embroidered)

(see the product page for more info and to order)

Here is the MUGEN MS-R seat installed in an S2000 (Check out the Mugen roll bar too). Seat details include unique shoulder stripes in Mugen gold/red/white, a large MUGEN logo in white and smaller RECARO logo. You'll find Recaro's premium materials, precision engineering and high-end features throughout.

Detail of the MS-Z carbon fibre seatback and 2nd rear-facing white embossed MUGEN logo.

The craftmanship and level of detail down to the stitching is unreal.

Detail shot of the lower seat cushions on the MS-R.

Best seat in the house! The Mugen MS-Z stepless reclining seat installed in a CR-Z.

Our 2012 Dyno Day was the most memorable yet! It was a huge success! The weather was absolutely perfect!

Held annually at our facilities in New Berlin, Wisconsin, this year's Dyno Day was on Saturday June 2.

Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated attendees who polished and primed their rides unto perfection to show, compete and connect at this year's annual King Motorsports event. We had so many cars that we overflowed beyond our own street this year! New this year we added a detailing professional and dent repair specialist to the mix. Returning talent powerhouses included the amazing tunes of Deletah, pics by NoggsPhotography, BBQ by Boy Scout Troop 93 and shirt design by Perry Wang.

We can't forget our four-wheeled guest of honor, the Mugen Concept CR-Z: RR! This orange mechanical work of art was shipped over 6000 miles from Mugen's Tokyo showroom to New Berlin, WI just for our event! It was one of the very few times a Mugen concept car will ever be seen Stateside, and we were proud to have his one-of-a-kind beast briefly under our roof.

The persistent enthusiam of the attendees make all the hard work put in by our staff worth it every year. We had 250 entries and ran 32+ cars on the Dyno.

Already planning for Dyno Day 2013!!!!

This year's pictures can be viewed on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150829609646319.396707.110076751318&type=3

Also see Rob Delimat's awesome photos that he posted on honda-tech:

http://honda-tech.com/showpost.php?p=47441827&postcount=1

And another gallery of pics on 8thCivic.com:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/introduction-pictures/295238-king-motorsports-dyno-day-2012-project-x-pics.html

Tokyo Auto Salon 2012
19 January, 2012
Tokyo, Japan

All images courtesy Mugen Co., Ltd.

Taking center stage at the Mugen display area were the two RR CR-Z concept cars. Highly modified and supercharged, these cars are test beds for Mugen’s pursuit of speed and performance for the newest Honda vehicles, including hybrids. Also on display was Mugen Forumula Nippon race car, partially disassembled live by Mugen technicians.

CAPTIONS (top to bottom):

pic 1:
Getting ready for the big show. Mugen marketing staff preparing the stage for Mugen's Type RR CR-Z concept vehicles.

pic 2:
Still under wraps - Mugen Concept CR-Z's with Mugen's Formula Nippon Race Car in the background.

pic 3:
The post-unveiling press interviews begin. Mugen's supercharged LEA-MF6 at center stage.

pic 4:
The press frenzy starts immediately after the cars are unveiled.

pic 5:
Typical Mugen attention to detail, ensuring the lighting is correct.

pic 6:
Snapping some in-house pics.

pic 7:
Q&A with the Mugen gurus!

Pic 8:
It's a fortunate few who get this close to Mugen's Formula Nippon car.

Pic 9:
A rare look at a partially disassembled Mugen road race car.

Pic 10:
A live demonstration by Mugen's highly-skilled technicians.

John Hinrichs really likes his Honda CR-Z. Apparently he also really likes Mugen.

For his fourth major Mugen modification on his CR-Z, John opted for a set of Mugen 17x7 GP wheels in Gunmetal. As with his other mods, John worked directly with King Motorsports President and CEO, Scott Zellner. Scott: "The color of the Gunmetal GP's are a perfect compliment to the Black CR-Z." John is equally happy with his purchase, "I love the way these wheels look!" After each upgrade, John usually sends a picture and a note, or stops by to show us the results, as he did recently with after the GP wheels were installed.

John's other Mugen mods are the Mugen 5-Way Sport Suspension, Mugen Carbon-Fiber Air Intake and Mugen Cat-Back Exhaust.

** We just got this note and review from John Hinrichs for the Mugen High Performance Air Intake System (Carbon Fiber) for CR-Z - Thanks John! **

Scott,
 
Just got back from making the holiday rounds. Driving through five states visiting friends and family (and showing off my car, of course).
 
Some of the people I visited are car guys, some just thought it was pretty, most loved the way it sounds (thanks, by the way) (Mugen Exhaust, ed.) , but everyone had something to say once the hood went up.  Even with all that's going on under the bonnet of a CR-Z, with the normal engine stuff and all the extra IMA wiring, the first thing everyone locked on to was the Mugen intake. That smooth expanse of carbon fiber had everyone interested, and I can't blame 'em, it is gorgeous. 
 
Not only does it look great, but under load the intake provides just enough extra sound to balance the tone of the Mugen exhaust.  Its obvious these two pieces were designed for each other: Subtle with a hint of badass.
 
Special thanks to Mike for doing such a great job on the install.
 
Happy Holidays! 
 
-John Hinrichs