I’m cheap and I make no bones about it. That’s right, I said I’m cheap. I work damn hard for my money and the last thing I want to do is blow it on some rip-off product or scam. I squirrel away as many pennies as possible, not the mention the 401K and savings plan I dump most of my earnings at the tractor factory into. I plan to retire as the wealthiest steering-wheel installer the John Deer factory has ever employed.

My only economic weakness is hot rodding. I love hot rodding�"the speed, the burning rubber, hanging it out in the corners and shutting fools down. The problem is the cost associated with getting the power I need. My old CRX needs to be faster, it’s that simple. So, I take matters into my own hands and do my own labor. I pulled the head, did my own homespun port & polish and a custom valve job. I do my own brakes, change my own fluids and perform all regular maintenance.

With labor costs out of the way, I still gotta drop some serious coin for performance parts. Brand name shops think because they plaster their name on a few race cars they’re the only game in town. Well, I got news for ‘em. Just like the “aspirin-brand" aspirin in my medicine cabinet and the “beer-brand" beer in my fridge, there are lesser-known performance brands out there. And, just like my generic OxyContin and blue-label toilet paper, these brands deliver the same great performance without the name-brand gouge.

I’ve been playing the “lesser brand" game since my momma bought me a pair of Tuff-Skin jeans instead of Levis. Same great fit, half the price. And, I’ve found the same is true for just about everything�"including performance car parts. Shunning the big-boys at K&N and thumbing my nose at the S&Bs of the market, I stumbled onto a couple of great cold air intakes for less. The first is by a company called True Flow, the other an outfit called Injen.

True Flow is a real bargain. They seem to be the only guys in town with their own ideas and identity. They use foam filters rather than paper ones or the ubiquitous cotton gauze. Since they don’t have the high profile that the other guys have, they keep their prices low. The quality is top-notch along with the fit and finish. Plus, I’d rather pop the hood to reveal a system unlike anything the others and their mothers are running.

Injen on the other hand has started to build a name for themselves. They stick to their specialty�"Hondas and the other sport tuners. This way they stay focused on their niche market. The quality is extremely high and these guys actually use what they sell. I have a feeling that they’ll soon be noticed by the masses and that’ll be it�"charging us up the wazoo for their parts. But for now, these babies are a total bargain.

That’s it, my little tight-wad lesson for the day. Not only do I save a few bucks and get the power I need, I get to stick it to those name brand rip-off artists. I’m gonna go slip on a pair of Wranglers, snack on some store brand fruit cocktail and stick an “adhesive strip" to this cut on my finger. Fellow penny pinchers unite!