The tuner market has been growing as fast and as furious as a tsunami, leaving waves of untapped opportunities for reaching out to this extremely niche market. Though parts are not as hard to come by as they were a few years ago, they’re still not prevalent in the traditional distribution channels.

James Payne, co-owner of P2 New Media, an interactive design firm in Connecticut, says that most often import accessories and modification parts are still extremely hard to come by. Payne should know because he’s been tuning cars for more than 15 years and has to purchase the products he needs through specialty suppliers on the Web. “Most tuners order products online. There are just not as many shops or outlets out here to order parts from. If there were, I would go.” He continues, “I think the Internet really changed the whole dynamic of the tuner market — it opened doors and really helped the marketplace grow.”

His 1991 Acura NSX — which just received sponsorship from Valvoline — has a 2004 conversion kit, a Science of Speed wide-body kit, an NSX-R rear wing and vented hood, HRE 546R wheels with Continental tires, Sparco seats, a Momo steering wheel, a 6-speed transmission with a Comptech 4.55 R&P, a DALI Racing FeatherLight fly wheel, an ACT clutch, Taitec headers and lightweight exhaust, Science of Speed tuned ECU, an adjustable Tein RA coil-over suspension with Comptech sway bars, and a Kenwood sound system with navigation, Sirius Satellite Radio, 20GB Keg MP3 unit, DVD player and a rearview camera displayed on two LCD screens. He has put as much money into his car as what he bought it for. And he’s hardly alone.

Sports compact consumers are continuing to invest more money to tune and beautify their rides. According to SEMA’s Compact Performance Industry Update, in 2001 only about 7 percent said they spent $5,000 or more on modifications. In just one year, that number jumped to 27 percent.

Payne occasionally takes his car to the dealer for certain modifications. He contends that since his vehicle is so rare, they’re the only ones in the area he trusts with it. If local shops specialized in tuning, he emphasizes that he’d be a customer. But, he says the dealer is more and more willing to install the parts he brings in. “In the past, they said they can’t put this or that on my car, or they can’t guarantee the service. Now, they just don’t warranty the parts. The last thing I took to them was a suspension — and I just paid for labor.”

A tech’s take on tuning

Rolf Werner of Werner’s Mastertek in Aurora, Colo., says his shop specializes in the VW and Audi market and has at least one to two tuners a week visiting their store for service. “Working on these vehicles is bringing us more business but it’s definitely a different thing to get used to. Bringing your own parts is not something that typically used to happen.” He explains that there is a downfall for customers because they cannot warranty the work for parts they didn’t order through the shop. “One kid bought a performance kit and had someone else install it. It only lasted 600-700 miles. He had bought two different parts from different companies and they weren’t compatible.” Werner would order these types of parts through his jobbers if they had access to them. Then, the work could be covered under warranty and would get done faster. “It took two months to get the kid’s car back together. We had to do a bit of research to find the right parts. We always talk to our traditional jobbers first but more often than not, they don’t have what we need when it comes to performance modifications.”

Payne, who lived in Japan as a teenager before moving to California, says it didn’t take long for the tuner trend to pick up on the West Coast. But, he emphasizes, before the Internet, it was close to impossible to get parts. He’s excited that they’ve opened an Autobacs in L.A., but he’s on the East Coast now. “If there were more places like that, I would definitely go there.” Aftermarket Business’ Editorial Director Larry Silvey did a special report on Japanese automotive parts stores in the May issue. You might recall that the California-based Autobacs’ sales were 31 percent more than the average American counterpart. Payne’s opinion is that most major U.S. retailers, though they are making an effort to market to the tuner generation, are only stocking what he refers to as “imitation parts” and include everything from smaller aesthetic items to intakes. He says, “They aren’t near the quality of the actual Japanese parts and definitely do not appeal to the true tuner market. He contends that “the good performance stuff is from Japan.” He currently gets products from two major online distributors who have access to Japanese parts. The one, called www.scienceofspeed.com, receives raves from this tuner. “They are specific to the NSX and S2000 market and have great customer service and are steadily growing their inventory.”

Werner, who also serves as assistant director of ASA’s Mechanical Division Operations Committee, agrees that right now, the Internet is the most used source for tuners. “These tuners can go online and find something a lot faster and cheaper. They are generally buying name brand products not found in traditional distribution channels.”

Some of the more common products that Werner installs include Bosal exhausts, Crane cams and Koni suspensions. But what strikes the wrong chord with Werner is that some drivers come in and are more willing to spend money on aesthetics than they are on regular maintenance. “I had a car in here the other day with a killer stereo, brand new paint job, and about $4,000 in wheels yet the wires were arching, the plugs were burned out.”

Payne seems to think this scenario is not typical if the person is really a “tuner” or an “enthusiast” — he just changed his oil and gave his Acura a tune up last week. He has also replaced his interior, installed amps, modified his ECU, installed a nitrous system, replaced V-tec solenoid seals, has swapped the rotors and pads, put in a gauge cluster, installed HID headlights and more. As you can tell, Payne does the majority of modifications himself, but says that he is probably in the minority.

“I grew up in Japan. That’s where this whole revolution came from. It never really left my blood when I moved here. I’ve always been into modifying things. But, the majority of tuners I meet just tool around on their own. When it comes to engine work, they likely don’t do it themselves,” says Payne.

He contends that maybe 25 percent of the tuners do most of the work themselves. The rest are either taking their vehicles to vendors or are having sponsors handle engine upgrades and modifications. “A lot of the aesthetics, tune ups, oil changes, minor bolt-on products and smaller installations might be handled by the drivers. But the engine work and body kits are things that need to be done by a professional.”

According to a 2003 SEMA study on the sports compact market, exterior modifications make up half the retail sales for the $3 billion market segment, interior modifications make up 32 percent, and the remaining is spent on engine enhancements like air intake systems, headers, exhaust, turbochargers and nitrous oxide.

The blurring line

So, should some of these import and sports compact car drivers really be classified as tuners if they only add on accessories? Devin Pearce, general manager at Payn Technologies in Troy, Mich., contends the word “tuner” is being used too loosely when describing the sport compact industry. He explains that there is a big difference between the consumers who accessorize their cars and the true performance shops that do the actual engine development and fuel management tuning. “Accessorizing is a huge part of our aftermarket industry, but it’s not synonymous with tuning. The word tuner has broadened itself a bit too much.” Even members of our staff have been guilty on occasion of using the word tuner to universally represent the market.

Payn Technologies is a true performance tuner shop specializing in the import market.

“We are not a body kit, flashy light company. We focus on the performance side. Horsepower, engine development, and custom fabrication is the core of our daily business. Our customers do not come here for flashy wheels, air bag suspension, or book-shelf sized rear wings — they come here to make more horsepower.”

Their shop, which has been in business for four years, has doubled in size. They have 16-18 cars that they are working on at all times, and customers come from all over the country. “We are more of a start to finish shop — building cars from the ground up.  A majority of the project parts are designed and built in-house to meet the demands of our customers.

“Business is really split down the middle,” says Pearce. “Half want specialty fabricated parts and engine components to exacting specifications, while others want a bolt-on piece that’s a certain price point because it’ll increase performance. Either way, we have customers that want to win shows and others who want to win races.”

Both Payne and Pearce agree that many import enthusiasts are trying to replicate the vehicle models sold in Japan by buying modification kits. “The Japanese parts are definitely the best and most sought after by tuners,” says Payne. Pearce says though their shop creates custom parts, they still work with suppliers, many of which have a major online presence and sell to both the professional and end consumer.

Waves of opportunity

Bill Filley, owner of Prairie Road Automotive in Oregon, says his shop sees very little import traffic but has been keeping an eye out in the area to see if it’s a market he can tap into. “The bulk of what I’ve seen is pretty much domestic stuff for drag racers and street rods. I might get a few people a year for import-specific performance enhancements.”

When the dynamic changes, Filley, who is also a member of the Automotive Service Association, says he’ll be ready for it. “It would require additional training so our technicians know how to service and tune these vehicles properly.” There is no argument that serious tuning requires special technical skills.

Maybe it will be some time before the wave of import/sports compact enthusiasts make their way to Filley’s area in Oregon, but we got a good feeling they are coming. Considering sales for accessories, handling and suspension parts, and performance and racing products for compact performance vehicles topped $3 billion in 2003, it’s pretty clear the popularity is spreading. As Filley puts it, “Any time you have a specialty market trend, it’s very good for industry business in general.”

And that’s exactly why  those who currently cater to this market segment aren’t getting washed up any time soon.