Final Score
We break down the KOTS scoring between six different categories. Those categories and their percentage of importance are Horsepower (25 percent), Drag Race (5 percent), Engineering (15 percent), Fit and Finish (15 percent), Ride and Drive (25 percent), and Popular Vote (15 percent). The percentages of these categories add up to a 100 percent grading scale-just like in school, kids.
The Horsepower, Drag Race, and Popular Vote categories are scored by each competitor's finishing spot in that category. Since we had 11 competitors in the scored categories this year, the winner received an 11, and scores fell from there.
Engineering, Fit and Finish, and the Ride and Drive categories are judged by the 5.0&SF staff. Associate Editor Johnson is the lucky driver of each car and judges the Ride and Drive category. Tech Editor KJ Jones judges each car's mechanical makeup and scores accordingly for the Engineering category. Editor Steve Turner judges each KOTS car for Fit and Finish. Then we add the scores to come up with a winner.
Watch these pages for more info on sending your application to compete in the '09 King of the Street.
Fit For A King
We're not in the business of tire recommendations, but if there is a company that's able to supply a tire for any kind of street performance, it's Nitto Tire. That's why we've chosen to work with them for our King of the Street competition. Nitto Tire has loads of Mustang fitments available, and the list of Mustang applications seems to grow exponentially. From the NT 450 to the latest INVO or NT05 performance tires, we count on Nitto Tire for many of our project cars, as well as the King of the Street competition.
The competitors Mustangs are outfitted with Nitto Tire's 555R drag radial for the KOTS. The 555R is a DOT-compliant drag radial designed for the weekend drag racer. The 555R is the perfect combination between street and strip performance, with many users getting almost 20,000 miles out of the tires. Nitto has many new performance tire ideas coming to market, and the company continues to test and refine its drag slick.
For the '08 King of the Street, Ryan Vitiritto's '00 Mustang pounded down 917 hp to the 555R Nittos, scoring well in almost every KOTS category to take the win. Will Ryan have another car ready for the '09 King of the Street? Can your Mustang beat what Ryan did this year? Stay tuned to these pages for more information on how to enter.