Line Lock
Line LockLine locks are designed to let the front and rear brakes work independently of one another. A line lock is a solenoid-activated valve that controls the flow of brake fluid. It is placed between the master cylinder and the brake calipers. A switch or button inside the car controls the line lock solenoid. Line locks are used in drag racing for burnouts and allow the front brakes to lock up while not affecting the rear brakes - allowing the rear tires to spin freely. Line locks protect the engine and rear brakes from undue wear.
When line locks first came out they were used as a launch tool for drag racing, but when trans brakes came out they became the better option. Now days, line locks are pretty much exclusively used for burnouts.
A line lock can work one of two ways: 1. Keep brake fluid from leaving the front brake lines, 2. Block brake fluid from reaching the rear brake lines.
When used in the first example that keeps brake fluid from leaving the front calipers, the line lock is placed on the brake line heading to the front brakes. Apply the brakes and press (hold) the line lock button. By holding the button the valve stays closed keeping the brake fluid trapped in the front calipers. Now you can release the brake pedal and the car will remain stationary as long as you hold the button – leaving the rear wheels free to spin.
In the second example of blocking brake fluid from reaching the rear lines, the line lock is placed on the brake line heading to the rear brakes. When you push the line lock button, and hold it, the solenoid closes the valve to the rear brakes, so when you do apply the brake pedal, fluid can only travel to the front brakes leaving the rear wheels free to spin. Installed in this fashion, you have more control over brake pressure and can creep forward toward the end of your burnout by slowly releasing the brake pedal.
Yashio Factory Coil Over Shocks for Silvia
2 coil over types available: PS13 and S14/15. Front spring rate: PS13 type 8kg. S14/15 type 9kg. Rear spring rate: PS13 type 5kg. S14/15 type 5 kg. Regular price for both PS13 and S14/15 coil overs: $1850.00 USD/set (198,000 JPY).
Keep Your Cool with Yashio Factory
The Yashio Factory Digital Water Temperature Meter indicates the exact degree of water temperature in an easy to read digital number readout and it can be connected to the Water Sprayer System through an incorporated relay (maximum 1 Amp), to automatically engage and cool the radiator.
The Yashio Factory Water Sprayer System is the world’s first and only automatic water sprayer created to help keep your car from overheating. Simple in design, the Yashio Factory Water Sprayer System sprays water onto the radiator core to further add to its cooling effectiveness.
The Super Water Pump Pulley is 10% larger in diameter than stock and reduces pump rpm by 10%, thus maintaining a lower temperature than stock.
Whether implemented alone or in unison, Yashio Factory cooling products are designed by Japan’s premier Nissan Silvia tuner and are meant to save your car from catastrophic failure.
Price: Digital Water Temperature Meter $180 USD, Water Sprayer System $430, Super Water Pump Pulley $150.
GP Sports G-Master Hyper Knuckle for Nissan Silvia
The G-Master Hyper Knuckle was battle tested during the 2007 D1 Grand Prix season on Masato Kawabata’s S15 Nissan Silvia and Kawabata attributes his success in the series to the GP Sports part.
“Many shops usually modify stock knuckles, but GP Sports made a 100% original knuckle in a 2 piece style which accommodates adjustable spacers. This miracle knuckle brought me the 2007 D1 Grand Prix Championship,” says Kawabata.
GP Sports’ goal with the Hyper Knuckle was to raise the roll center without sacrificing other factors necessary for drifting. The front roll center was raised by 20mm(0.8 inch) and can be further raised by a maximum of 50mm (2 inches) with the optional spacers. Even with the spacers the body height stays low since the length of the upper ball joint from the spindle is the same length as the stock knuckle. Since the center of gravity of the whole body stays at the same ride height no stability is sacrificed for increased steering angle.
Application Fitment: Nissan Silvia (240SX) 5 Hubs Type (4 Hubs Type should be modified to 5 Hubs).
Price: $1400.00 USD (pair). Spacer (5/12″): $180.00. Spacer (10/12″): $220.00 – Quantities are limited so email JDM Option to reserve product: info(at)jdmoption.com
There is also a less expensive one piece construction design Super Knuckle available for $950.
Yashio Factory Core Support Guard for Nissan Silvia
Toyota JZ Engine
Toyota JZ engines come both turbo and naturally aspirated and in two displacement variations - a 2.5L and 3.0L inline-6 cylinder configuration. Known for being the heart of the Toyota Supra, the JZ engine powers all of Toyota’s sports cars and has a wide variety of aftermarket upgrades. The JZ engine replaced Toyota’s M-series inline-6 engine and continues to be a favorite of import tuners. The Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine is seen as the rival to Nissan’s legendary RB26DETT, as both stock engine blocks can handle up to 1000 horsepower (745 kW).
1JZ
The naturally aspirated 2.5 liter engine is known as the 1JZ-GE and produces 200 horsepower (147 kW) at 6000 rpm and 185 ft. lbs of torque (250 Nm) at 4000 rpm. The turbocharged 1JZ-GTE engine uses two CT12A turbos and a side-mounted air-to-air intercooler to produce 280 horsepower (206kW) at 6200 rpm and 267 ft lbs of torque (363 Nm) at 4800 rpm.
Around 1996, Toyota released a reworked 1JZ-GTE engine that featured a single CT15B turbo design. The new engine had a new head incorporating Toyota’s continuously variable valve timing mechanism (VVT-i), modified water jackets for improved cooling, newly developed shims with titanium nitride coating for reduced cam friction, and increased compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 9.0:1. Officially, horsepower remained the same at 280 hp, but torque was increased to 279 ft lbs (379 Nm) from the original 267 ft lbs (363 Nm) at 2400 rpm.
2JZ
The 3.0L 2JZ engine was first released in the 1992 Lexus SC 300. Horsepower for the naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE ranges from 215 to 230 hp (158 to 169 kW) at 5800 to 6000 rpm and 209 to 220 ft lbs of torque (283 to 298 Nm) at 3800 to 4800 rpm. Two CT12B turbochargers raise the power of the 2JZ-GTE engine to the former Japanese industry maximum of 280 horsepower (206 kW) at 5600 rpm and 332 ft lbs of torque (451 Nm) at 3600 rpm.
A German engineering firm, Johann A. Krause Maschinenfabrik GmbH, originally designed the 2JZ-GTE for the Toyota Aristo. Toyota’s goal was to meet production car homogolation requirements for the former All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship.
North American and European automotive markets received a more powerful 310 horsepower (229 kW) at 5600 rpm 2JZ-GTE engine. The power gain is due to a different stainless steel turbo shaft instead of the ceramic Japanese shaft, improved camshafts, and larger injectors at 550 cc/min instead of 440 cc/min. Since the primary mechanical difference between the exported CT12B turbocharger and Japan’s CT20A is the easily replaced turbo shaft, you can replace the Japanese-spec ceramic shaft with the steel shaft from CT12B turbo.
1.5JZ
The 1.5JZ is not a production engine and is created by combining a 1JZ head with a 2JZ engine block. The 1JZ cylinder head will bolt directly onto the 2JZ block and allows for an additional 500cc of displacement.
Toyota Cars with JZ Engines:
- Toyota Altezza /Lexus IS 300
- Toyota Aristo /Lexus GS 300
- Toyota Chaser/Cresta/Mark II Tourer
- Toyota Crown
- Toyota Progres
- Toyota Soarer /Lexus SC 300
- Toyota Supra MK IV
- Toyota Verossa
Blow Off Valve
Compressor surge occurs when the throttle plate of a turbocharged engine closes and the pressurized air is forced back into the turbocharger compressor housing, causing the turbo to slow down. Compressor surge not only decreases the spool of a turbo but can also damage its center cartridge.
When a blow off valve vents compressed air, it emits a distinctive “pfsssst” sound. Some blow off valves are designed to amplify this sound with trumpet shaped vents. HKS produces BOVs with interchangeable “sound inserts” that allow the driver to customize the frequency emitted by the blow off valve.
Wheel Spacers
The two main types of wheel spacers are the cheap shim type ($15/pair) and the expensive hubcentric type ($135/pair) that bolts onto the existing hub and then the wheels bolt to the new spacers.
Wheel spacers can lower a car’s roll center and increase lateral stability. Some people say that wheel spacers are ghetto and unsafe but as long as you follow manufacture recommendations, there is little threat of malfunction. Some pro drifters use wheel spacers competitively so even in high performance situations wheel spacers can work.
DriftBox
DriftBox is equipped with a MMC/SD Flash memory card slot and USB port that allows drivers to later download and analyze their results using a PC.
The GPS system used in DriftBox is a RTK system that gives an accuracy of 0.25 degrees, 0.1km/h and 0.01G.
DriftBox Website:
Drifting Hipari Style Tires
In Japan, the word Hipari refers to a tire style that is achieved by stretching a narrow tire over a wider wheel like a 215 35 18 inch tire on a 9.5 wide wheel. The difference in widths causes the sidewalls to stretch from the lip to the tread giving the tire a unique low profile stance and increased sidewall rigidity. In drifting, less sidewall flex means smoother weight transitions, improved throttle response, better steering feel, and less body roll when cornering. There are higher end tires that can provide these same handling characteristics when drifting without the sidewall stretch, but they are expensive and herein lies another advantage of the hipari style tire – narrow tires are cheap.
Stretched tires can be used on all four corners of a car but up front, usually you don’t stretch the tires to the same extent as they are stretched on the back. For example, a car with 8.5 inch wide wheels all around, would use 210-220 tires up front and 195-205 tires in the rear. This gives the drift car good grip up front for steering while maintaining the hipari style and handling advantages.
Another thing to note is that stretched tires require a higher psi than normal. 40+ psi is recommend for stretched tires.
The history behind hipari style stretched tires is two fold as poor people have been stretching tires onto wheels they don’t belong forever while euro tuners in Germany and Belgium started stretching their tires out of legal necessity. Local laws there require that the tire tread be within the fender line and with wider or lower offset wheels that can cause problems. To maintain the wide wheel fashion and keep the car street legal, narrow tires are stretched over the wide wheels.
Popular Tires for Stretching:
- Toyo T1-S
- Dunlop SP9000
- Dunlop SP8080E
- Falken FK451
Other tires will work. Find a tire with a rounded shoulder and lip protector. If you want to get the tire outside the fender, use wheel spacers.
Most wheel and tire shops will be willing to stretch tires and it will take a professional air compressor to help seat the tire as it can take up to 90lbs of pressure to pop the bead.
Critics of the hipari tire style say it’s all about fashion and anything that reduces a car’s contact patch is dumb. Some go further to say that stretching tires increases wear because of uneven heat dissipation and that may increase the potential of tire failure. As far as safety goes, there is little evidence that stretched tires are any more dangerous than regular tires. One problem though is that your wheels are closer to street and damaging potholes but you should stay away from holes in the ground anyway!
Drifting Feng Shui
Drift cars in Japan sometimes have their graphics reversed on one side of the drift car in hopes of improving balance. Perhaps no aspect of drifting is more important than balance and Japanese drifters take that idea to heart.
The idea that placement and arrangement of space will achieve harmony with the environment comes from an ancient Chinese practice called Feng Shui or “Kan-Yu,” that means “The Law of Heaven and Earth.” Like Yin and Yang, when a drift car’s graphics mirror one another, in theory, it improves polarity and energy flow.
Drift cars are works of art and the paint scheme can really show off a drifter’s personality or showcase a sponsor’s style. Before you look under the hood, you can get a feeling for what a drift car is about. With all the work put into tuning a drift car mechanically, it makes sense that extra thought is put into the paint and graphics.
Limited Slip Differential
Limited Slip Differential, or LSD, is a type of axle gearing that allows both wheels sharing an axel to lock up and spin at the same time when one wheel starts to slip. For this reason, limited slip differentials allow power to be transferred to the wheel with the most traction. LSD maximizes traction and makes controlling oversteer easier like when drifting. LSD is essential to building a drift car.
Advantages of limited slip differential include less inside wheelspin when accelerating out of a tight corner and more horsepower to the ground. Suspension tuning is needed to gain all the benefits of a limited slip differential. In drift cars, coil over damper kits and pillow ball upper mounts for camber correction are typically the suspension choice.
The two main types of limited slip differentials are torque sensitive mechanical LSDs like clutch and geared based LSDs, and speed sensitive hydraulically controlled LSDs like viscous and gerotor pump LSDs.
Clutch type limited slip differentials respond to driveshaft torque. The more driveshaft torque present, the harder the clutches are pressed together and the more closely the drive wheels are coupled to each other. Torque-sensitive geared mechanical limited slip differentials utilize worm gears to detect torque and lock the wheels accordingly. Geared LSDs are dependent on torque, not the speed difference between wheels.
Viscous limited slip differentials use silicone-based hydraulic oils and stacks of interlocking (but non-touching) perforated discs to lock the differential. Half of the discs are connected to the inner driveshaft and the other half is connected to the outer differential carrier. When under the stress the high torque, the hydraulic oil thickens and fills the gap between the discs effectively locking the discs together and locking the differential.
Gerotor pumps work by hydraulically compressing a clutch pack. When one wheel starts to slip, the pump pressurizes hydraulic fluid into the clutch pack area providing frictional resistance that transfers torque to the wheel with traction.
There are also electronic limited slip differential systems that use anti-lock brake sensors to electronically monitor wheel speed. If one of the wheels begins to rotate faster than the other, the computer briefly applies the brake to that wheel.
Another form of final drive that achieves a similar effect to a limited slip differential is called a spool that consists of a pinion and ring gear only. The axle is one solid piece. A mini-spool is similar, replacing the usual differential center with a solid piece, while retaining the factory axles. A third option, popular with the drifting community, is welding the spider gears together in the factory differential and using the stock axels.
A locking differential, or locker, is often used in off-road 4WD vehicles. In the default setting, both wheels are locked. A selectable locker is typically used by street cars that also drag race. On the street, the car would use the open differential setting and later be locked at the drag strip by compressed air, a cable, electric actuator, or hydraulic fluid locking mechanism.
If you want to know if your car has LSD, here is how to find out. Do a burnout and see if your car left one or two tire marks. 2 tire marks = LSD. If you know your car has a limited slip differential and it only leaves one tire mark, the LSD may need to be serviced or replaced.
Nissan SR20DET Engine
The Nissan SR20DET is a popular 4-cylinder JDM engine known for being the heart of the Nissan 180SX and Silvia. SR20DET engine swaps are popular in North America for 240SX owners.
Nissan SR20DET engine code:
SR - Engine Family
20 - 2.0 Liters Displacement
D - Dual Overhead Cam
E - Electronic Fuel Injection
T - Turbocharged
Nissan also produced a cheaper naturally aspirated (non-turbo) version of the SR engine called the SR20DE. The SR20DET engine replaced the CA18DET that originally powered the Silvia and 180SX. Different variants of the SR20DET engine have different color valve covers.
- Red Top SR20DET (1989-1994) S13 Silvia, 180SX, Pulsar, Bluebird
- Black Top SR20DET (1994-1998) S13 Silvia, 180SX
- Black Top SR20DET (1994-2002) S14 Silvia, S15 Silvia
- Silver Top SR20DET (1995-2001) Avenir
The SR20DET engine was first used in 1989 in the U12 Nissan Bluebird 2000SSS Attesa. From 1990 to 1994 the SR20DET was used in the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R (N14) but with a larger Garret T28 turbocharger. In both cars the engine is mounted in an East/West fashion but in the Silvia and 180SX the SR engine is mounted North/South.
Then the SR20DET engine was used in the Nissan Avenir in 1995, the Nissan R’nessa in 1997, and the Nissan Liberty in 1999. The S14 and S15 Silvia use a larger Garrett T28 turbocharger. The S15 Nissan Silvia Spec R trim level SR20DET uses a T28 Garret turbocharger with a dual ball-bearing center cartridge compared to the ceramic center cartridge present in the S14 Silvia. The Nissan Silvia was the longest running model to use the SR20DET engine.
VeilSide
VeilSide is a Japanese automotive company located near the Tskuba Circuit in Tokyo, Japan that produces high performance aftermarket car parts like: body kits, suspension, wheels, intake manifolds, steering wheels, gauges, racing seats, pedals, and shift knobs. VeilSide also produces a clothing line of VeilSide apparel. Currently, it seems that body kits have become the focus for VeilSide, since they discontinued some of their car parts and wheels.
VeilSide’s most notable products are their body kits or “aero-fashions.” One thing that makes VeilSide cool is that their body kits drastically alter the original lines of a car yet look stock. VeilSide’s aerodynamic parts catalogue was originally based on Japanese cars like the Toyota Supra and Subaru Impreza, but recently they have designed body kits for American and European cars. In Summer 2007, VeilSide released a new body kit for the 2005+ Mustang body style.
VeilSide was established by Yokomaku Hiranao in 1990. The name VeilSide is derived from Yokomaku’s name - Maku meaning “Veil,” and Yoko meaning “Side.” Initially, VeilSide focused on performance tuning and at the 1991 Tokyo Auto Salon custom car contest, VeilSide won Grand Prize in the Tuned Car Category even though it was the first time the company had ever participated in the event.
One of VeilSide’s most popular body kits is the Supra Combat series that was awarded the Grand Prize in the Complete Car Category at the 1993 Tokyo Auto Salon. According to Yokomaku, the Batmobile from the 1960’s television show Batman inspired the VeilSide Combat series. “In Japan, people think that superheroes are something for kids, but in the States I saw adults looking at the Batmobile with keen interest.” At first, even the VeilSide staff was surprised by the new Combat Supra styling, “But they just stared without backing off, and the more they looked, the more they liked it,” says Yokomaku.
After the Supra Combat was a success at the Tokyo Auto Salon, VeilSide began adapting the Combat series style to other car models. In July of 1995, VeilSide received the Japanese Ministry of Transportation authorization to produce all the Combat’s aero parts, so now the car could pass official Japanese inspection - a first in the aftermarket performance industry.
Another popular VeilSide body kit is their Fortune series. Most VeilSide Fortune series body kits replace every body panel except the roof. VeilSide is like a DJ in that they remix the body style of a car creating a new and exciting body style design.
Sample of VeilSide body kits:
Mazda RX-7 Fortune Body Kit
R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R VS-GT Body Kit
Nissan Z33 350Z Version-3 Body Kit
Toyota Supra ‘03 Fortune Body Kit
VeilSide Official Website:
Nitrous Oxide
When nitrous is injected, temperature inside the engine is about 572 degrees F, nitrous breaks down and nitrogen and oxygen are released. The extra oxygen creates additional horsepower by allowing more fuel to be burned and the nitrogen helps control the combustion process by reducing cylinder pressure. In addition, nitrous has an intercooling effect that reduces intake charge temperatures by 60 to 75 degrees F, further increasing performance.
Potential horsepower gains with nitrous:
4 cylinder engine extra 40-60 HP
6 cylinder engine extra 75-100 HP
8 cylinder engine extra 125-200 HP
Nitrous oxide is 2 parts nitrogen and 1 part oxygen (N2O) and is stored as a liquid in nitrous oxide tanks or bottles. Alone, nitrous is non-flammable; however, the oxygen present in nitrous causes fuel to combust more rapidly – this is how nitrous creates horsepower gain.
When nitrous is injected into an inlet manifold this cooling feature causes a reduction in air/fuel charge temperature, increasing air density, and increasing the cylinder’s volumetric efficiency – increased cylinder efficiency means more horsepower.
The term NOS is derived from the abbreviation of the company Nitrous Oxide Systems who is one of the pioneering companies in the development of nitrous oxide injection systems for aftermarket automotive performance. More recently, the term NOS was made popular with the film The Fast and the Furious.
When the purge system is activated, one or more plumes of nitrous oxide will be visible for a moment as the liquid flashes to vapor as it is released. The purpose of a nitrous purge is to ensure the correct amount of nitrous is delivered the moment the system is activated otherwise the car will lag for an instant until liquid nitrous oxide reaches the intake.
The best time to use nitrous is at wide-open throttle only, unless you have a progressive controller. Due to the tremendous amount of increased torque, you will generally find best results, traction permitting, at early activation. Nitrous can be safely applied above 2,500 RPM under full throttle conditions.
It is possible to hold the nitrous button down until the bottle is empty, but 15 continuous seconds at a time, or less, is recommended.
The best position to mount a nitrous bottle is at a 15 degree angle with the valve end higher than the bottom of the bottle. The valve end of the bottle should point to the front of the vehicle and the valve knob and label should face straight up.
How long will the bottle last largely depends on the type of nitrous kit and jetting used. For example, a 125 HP Power Shot kit with a standard 10 lb. capacity bottle will usually offer up to 7 to 10 full quarter-mile passes. For power levels of 250 HP, 3 to 5 full quarter-mile passes may be expected. If nitrous is only used in 2nd and 3rd gears, the number of runs will be more.
The most reliable method to know how much nitrous is left in the bottle is to weigh the bottle to determine how many pounds remain. When a nitrous bottle is near empty a surging effect is normally felt.
The way to get the most out of your nitrous bottle is to keep bottle pressure around 900-950 psi. Most nitrous bottle have a pressure gauge that allows you to monitor this. If you live or operate a nitrous system in colder temperatures, it is recommended to purchase a bottle heater kit. Generally, ambient temperatures of 80-90 degrees F will allow for best power potential of nitrous kits.
There are no benefits to chilling a nitrous bottle. In fact, chilling a nitrous bottle lowers pressure dramatically and causes a lower flow rate of nitrous causing a fuel rich situation - reducing horsepower.
There are benefits to using nitrous with turbo and supercharger applications. In turbo applications, turbo lag is completely eliminated with the addition of a nitrous system. In addition, both turbo and superchargers compress the incoming air, thus heating it. With the injection of nitrous, a tremendous intercooling effect reduces intake charge temperatures by 75 degrees or more. Boost is usually increased as well, adding to even more horsepower.
Two types of nitrous systems are plate injection systems and direct port injection systems. The advantages of a plate system are ease of installation and removal, ability to change jetting combinations quickly, and in most cases, provide you with all the extra HP you will ever need (75 to 350 more HP).
Direct port type systems are recommended for in-line type engines like the Toyota Supra’s 2JZ-GTE or the Nissan Skyline’s RB26DETT engine to maximize nitrous distribution. Direct port injection is also desirable when the system is hidden under the manifold or when you need over 350 horsepower gain.
One of the advantages of using nitrous compared to other performance options is cost. Dollar for dollar, you can’t buy more performance with less money than nitrous. With a nitrous system, performance and reliability can be had for a much more reasonable price while still retaining the advantage of a stock engine for normal driving conditions. Plus, nitrous offers tremendous gains in torque without having to rev the engine to excessive rpm’s. These factors help your engine last longer than many other methods of boosting horsepower.
The danger of using nitrous oxide is detonation. Detonation is the result of too little fuel present during combustion (lean) or too low of fuel octane. An engine running with nitrous oxide depends heavily on the proper air to fuel ratio to prevent detonation from occurring. Too much ignition advance can also causes detonation.
In general, most nitrous kits are engineered for stock type engines using premium type fuels and minimal decreases of ignition timing. In racing applications, where higher compression ratios are used, a higher fuel octane is needed along with more ignition retard.
Trust: GReddy, GREX, GRacer
GReddy is a popular manufacturer of street-legal JDM and Domestic automotive performance parts like: exhausts, headers, air intakes, turbo kits, superchargers, intercoolers, oil cooling systems, suspension kits, brakes, body kits, fuel injectors, camshafts and other engine performance parts.
GReddy, pronounced GUR-EDD-EY, not [n00b] “G-Ready,” is originally named after a Japanese mountain named “Great Eddy.”
GREX makes high performance aluminum alloy car parts like connecting rods, forged pistons, brake calipers, racing lug nuts, strut tower bars, and shift knobs.
GRacer is the aero parts brand of the Trust Company. GRacer specializes in body kits that improve handling by delivering maximum aerodynamic advantage - increased down force and increasing positive airflow effect to vital engine parts and cooling systems.
Since 1994, the development and distribution of Trust Company products within North America has been accomplished by GReddy Performance Products based in Irvine, California.
Trust Company Official Website: http://trust-power.com
GReddy Official Website: http://greddy.com
Turbochargers
A turbocharger consists of a turbine and a compressor linked by a shared axle. The turbine inlet receives exhaust gases from the engine’s exhaust manifold causing the turbine wheel to spin. This rotation drives the compressor, compressing air and delivering it to the air intake of the engine.
Superchargers operate in the same fashion as a turbo except the energy used to spin the compressor on a supercharger is taken from the rotation of the engine’s crankshaft as opposed to its exhaust gas. For this reason turbochargers are more efficient, since their turbines convert some of the thermal energy from the exhaust gas, that would otherwise be wasted, into useful work. Nevertheless, this is not totally free energy, as it always creates some amount of exhaust backpressure that the engine must overcome. Since superchargers use output energy from the engine to achieve their power, some of the engine’s total output is lost.
Turbocharged engines operating at wide open throttle and high rpm require a large volume of air to flow between the turbo and the inlet of the engine. When the throttle is closed compressed air will continue to flow to the throttle valve without an exit. This causes a pressure surge that can be destructive to the engine. To prevent this from happening, a valve is fitted between the turbo and air intake that vents the excess air pressure. These valves are known as anti-surge, dump or blowoff valves. They are normally operated by engine vacuum or by electronic control.
A wastegate is the most common mechanical speed control system used to protect the engine. The main function of a wastegate is to allow some of the exhaust gasses to bypass the turbocharger when the desired intake pressure, or boost, is achieved. Often times a wastegate is further augmented by an electronic boost controller.
Boost refers to the increase in manifold pressure that is generated by the turbocharger. The maximum possible boost depends on the fuel’s octane rating. Typically, engines running on pump gas cannot sustain a boost above 12 psi.
Turbo lag refers to the delay between pushing the accelerator pedal and feeling the turbo kick-in. This happens because it takes the turbocharger’s turbines a moment to spin and build up boost. Turbo lag can be reduced by a properly tuned wastegate, higher quality bearings, lighter ceramic turbine, or by reducing the surface area of the turbine’s rotating blades. Note: The directly-driven compressor in a supercharger does NOT suffer from lag.
An intercooler can be added to a turbocharged system to further increase horsepower. Intercoolers take the hot compressed gases from the turbo and pass them through a radiator to lower their temperature and increase their density before they reenter the engine. The cooler dense air allows more air and fuel to be combusted per engine cycle, increasing the horsepower output of the engine.
JDM Cars with Turbochargers
- Toyota Chaser - 1JZ-GTE
- Toyota MR2 – 3S-GTE
- Toyota Supra - 2JZ-GTE
- Nissan Silvia – SR20DET
- Nissan Skyline – RB26DETT
- Mazda RX-7 - 13B-REW
- Subaru Impreza WRX – EJ207
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution – 4G63T and 4B11T
Nissan RB26DETT Engine
The Nissan RB26DETT is a 2.6L straight-6 four-stroke engine best known for being the power plant for Nissan’s premier sports car the Skyline. The “D” indicates a double overhead cam, the “E” stands for electronically fuel-injected, and the “TT” means the engine has twin turbochargers.
If you want to buy a RB26DETT Click Here!
Originally, the R32 Skyline GT-R was planned to have a 2.4L RB24DET (single turbo) in order to compete in the 4000cc class of Group A. But when Nismo engineers added the AWD system to the R32 Skyline it made the car heavy and less competitive. At that point, Nissan made the decision to add twin turbochargers to the now 2.6L engine and compete in the 4500cc class. The resulting engine would be known as the RB26DETT that is popular today.
The first 2.6L RB26DETT engine featured in the Nissan R32 Skyline produced around 276HP (206 kW) @ 6800 rpm and 260 ft lbs (353 N·m) @ 4400 rpm. The last series of the RB26DETT present in the R34 Skyline produced 280 PS (206 kW) @ 6800 rpm but increased torque to 289 ft·lb (392 N·m) @ 4400 rpm.
These horsepower numbers appear modest at first but stock RB26DETT engines have been dyno tested close to the 320 horsepower mark. The reason some RB26DETT engines put out 320HP and others don’t is due to environmental restrictions. In Japan, every production car is restricted to 276HP. Therefore, Japanese versions of the engine put out 276HP and unrestricted or non-Japanese versions put out 320HP.
HKS
HKS is led by former Yamaha Motor Company engineer Hiroyuki Hasegawa and partner Mr. Kitagawa, the two secured funding from Sigma Automotive Co. solidifying the name “HKS.”
In 1973, HKS began tuning engines in a dairy-farming shed at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan. A year later, Mr. Hasegawa designed and built the first aftermarket turbocharger for a passenger car. HKS also delivered the first commercially available electronic turbo timer and boost controller. Since these revolutionary developments, HKS has continued to set trends in the JDM aftermarket performance industry and is now a publicly traded automotive accessory company.
How to Build a Drift Car
Since most of the cars you guys will be tuning have higher miles, they need a little love. The first thing I would suggest is making sure the car is in good running condition. Make sure all the belts are good, check all the fluids, and change the oil. If the air filter is dirty replace it.
Next, check the brakes. Make sure brake pads have life left and the rotors are not too worn. Since you will be using the e-brake to initiate drifts and to correct drift angle once the car is sliding sideways, you need to make sure the rear brake pads are in good condition. Otherwise, you will have a hard time getting the rear wheels to lock up when you pull the e-brake. If they are worn out go to Napa, Auto Zone, or Oreilly’s and buy the brake parts you need - most of these auto parts stores have lifetime replacement policies.
So now your car is running like new. If you have the money buy a set of coilover struts, if not, get a set of springs. You can also get strut bars on eBay for cheap. Now your suspension is tighter. I would get used to this before doing any more suspension modifications.
Now if this is your second car, or you don’t do much street driving, I’d strip out everything you can except the driver’s seat! Get a heat gun and a putty knife and remove all the sound deadening material - like 50+ pounds on a S13 Silvia.
Next thing I would suggest is getting a bucket seat. You can get a decent one for under $200 plus the mounts and everything else for about $70. You don’t need harnesses right away, but I’d recommend them. This will help keep you planted in the turns while drifting instead of fighting to hold on.
The most essential modification for any drift car is going to be a Limited Slip Differential, or LSD. These are expensive but sometimes you can find used ones. If it’s used, get it rebuilt! A cheap alternative to buying a LSD, popular with the drifting community, is welding the spider gears together in the factory differential and using the stock axels.
Now your car is ready to drift! Spend the rest of the money on tires because you’re going to need them! A good place to get cheap tires for drifting is a used tire shop.
Of course there is any number of additional modifications you could make to increase the performance of your drift car but this overview is meant as an informative starting point for drivers interested in drifting.
Top Secret Performance Engineering
Top Secret Performance Engineering is a Japanese motor vehicle tuning company that makes performance car parts for Wangan, Circuit, Drag, and Drift forms of racing motorsports. Top Secret has won awards and been featured in many import car tuning magazines. In recent news, Top Secret took home Best of Show honors at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon for their “Final Evolution” JZA80 wide body kit V12 twin turbo Toyota Supra.
Founder, owner, and active president Kazuhiko “Smoky” Nagata has been tuning and creating performance vehicles under the Top Secret name since the mid 90’s. The first tuned cars Kazuhiko Nagata created under the Top Secret name were green in color but later, after finding inspiration from the Olympics and the gold medal, Nagata decided to use gold paint to distinguish the Top Secret cars.
Aside from tuning and building incredible cars, Kazuhiko “Smoky” Nagata is known for reaching extreme top speeds, like 340 km/h (211 mph), on highways and public roads. Some of these street racing exploits have been captured by Video Option and make for some awesome street racing videos.
Top Secret specializes in car parts like body kits, electronics, engine parts, exhaust, suspension, turbo kits, and wheels for JDM import cars. They are also known for their custom tuning. If you want, you can ship your car to Japan to have Smoky Nagata tune it at Top Secret’s Shop, or, Nagata can come to you! One thing is clear when admiring Top Secret’s vehicle portfolio…these guys love fast cars!
Sample of Top Secret Cars:
GT-300 Supra
Base: Toyota Supra (JZA80)
Engine: 3SGTE 2.2L
Drivetrain: RWD
Output: 720 ps/8500 rpm
Notes: JGTC Inspired Body and tuning
300 km/h New Zealand High Speed run
Fusion RX-1 V35 GTR Skyline
Base: Nissan Skyline (CV35)
Engine: VK45 V8 Twin Turbo SPL
Drivetrain: 6 speed Getrag, ORC, RWD
Output: 720 ps /7000 rpm
Notes: TAS 05 - Best Tuned Car
Max Power 05 - Best Tuned Car
341 km/h Autobahn Attack
Super Taikyu Integra
Base: Honda Integra Type R (DC5)
Engine: K20A
Drivetrain: FF
Notes: Super Taikyu Competition Vehicle
How to Drift Using the E-brake
Here is an outline of a basic drifting technique that makes use of the e-brake and why it works. This drift technique has many names like Side Brake Drifting, Hand Brake Drifting, Emergency Brake Drifting or just E-brake Drifting but they all do the same thing to get the car sideways and drifting:
- Brake for upcoming corner – This transfers the vehicle weight to the front wheels for traction while lightening the rear end and enabling the rear wheels to lock up more freely once the e-brake is pulled.
- Turn the steering wheel to enter corner – You got to tell the car what direction it’s going.
- Depress the clutch – This disengages the transmission from the engine and enables the rear wheels to lock up when the e-brake is pulled.
- Pull e-brake momentarily (like 1 second) – This will suddenly lock the rear wheels causing the rear end to slide. Now you are drifting! If you do this correctly, it will be hard for spectators to even know you pulled the e-brake.
- Release the e-brake
- Countersteer - Countersteering is turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction that you first turned the steering wheel in - to initiate the turn. For example: Say you are about to drift a right hand turn. When entering the corner you turn the steering wheel to the RIGHT to get the car going in that direction. Once the car starts sliding, you would then turn the steering wheel to the LEFT to counter the skid.
- Now wait until the car is facing the corner exit and gently give the car gas – how hard you step on the gas depends how much you are countersteering and sliding.
A common mistake is to floor the car as soon as you see the corner exit but this can make you spinout. Drifting is NOT about horsepower. Drifting is about weight transfer and maintaining the car’s momentum through a corner. However, there is a drifting technique called the Power Over Drift where you DO floor the car while exiting the corner but that is another subject.
Increasing Drift Angle
The most common way to increase drift angle is to upgrade pre-existing tie rods and tie rod ends with high quality aftermarket tie rod parts specifically designed for drifting. Kazama Auto and Tein are popular manufacturers of these aftermarket tie rod parts. Stronger tie rods with longer threaded portions allow for a greater range of adjustment. While special tie rod ends have adjustable spacers to correct tie rod placement for extremely lowered vehicles that have issues with tie rod ends binding and snapping.
Increasing the length of the tie rods will add much needed play in the steering wheel and give you that much more control over your car’s drift angle. This increased steering angle will also make recovering from drifts or slides a little easier since you will have more room for correction.
Other options to increase drift angle include custom built steering racks or machining of the spindles.
Colored Smoke and Scented tires
Kumho has created some super cool tires that produce colored smoke instead of regular grey smoke when warmed up and drifted! The Kumho colored smoke tires cost $1995 per tire! The Kumho tires are not permitted in many drift competitions, as they are seen as giving an unfair advantage to teams with the funding to utilize them. The tires come in Blue, Red, and Yellow.
Here is the Kumho tire product description:
If that wasn’t enough to blow your mind…Kumho has also produced scented tires that smell like Lavender and Rosemary when smoked!
The Kumho ECSTA DX Aroma tire will be sold in three sizes:
- 205/60R16 (MSRP $119)
- 215/60R16 (MSRP $125)
- 235/60R16 (MSRP $138)
Drift Car Suspension
Perhaps the most important modification to any drift car is suspension. Competitive drift cars use an integrated coil-over strut combination. A suspension system has many variables - adjustable caster and camber angle, toe-in and toe-out angle, adjustable compression and rebound damper, adjustable ride height, and variable anti-roll bar (sway bar) stiffness. A suspension set-up that allows for these variables is ideal for drifting; since a driver can fully customize the way their suspension feels and reacts to their specific drift car and track conditions.
The purpose of caster angle is basically to allow the front wheels to self-center while under the stress of cornering. Too much caster and you can get what is known as wheel shimmy. This is when the front wheels flick side-to-side rapidly reducing tire to surface grip. Too little caster and the car will oversteer. Caster angle is adjusted by sliding the front wishbones on the hinge pins. To increase caster, slide the top wishbone back or the bottom one forward or a bit of both, do the opposite to reduce caster angle. It is very difficult to measure caster angle so it is more a case of trial and error to get the correct setting. The best starting point would be both wishbones in the center of the hinge pins as there is positive caster built into the steering hubs naturally.
One suspension tuning method for drifting still popular in Japan is known as Demon Camber or “Oni-kamu,” in Japanese. It involves setting the suspension with extreme negative camber in the front to reduce front tire slide and improve grip. Negative camber on the rear will create understeer, making the car more difficult to control during a drift.
When viewing a car from above, Toe is the angle at which the tires tilt into or away from the center of the chassis. Generally, on a rear wheel drive car the front wheels will have neutral toe or toe-out. A few degrees of toe-out on the rear wheels, in some vehicles, can make setting up a drift a little easier. With the correct toe angle on the front and rear you will have a stable car that has good traction through the corners.
Shortening or lengthening the steering links or tie rods adjusts toe angle. Shorten the links – more toe-out, lengthen the links – less toe-out. There are different methods to adjust the rear toe angle depending on which make and model of car you drive, almost all adjust the rear lower wishbone to give desired angle.
Higher end drift suspension systems will let you separately adjust the compression and rebound damper rates of the strut to further customize your suspension setup and feel.
Almost all modern cars use the MacPherson strut suspension system. This type of suspension allows the ride height to be adjusted independently of the suspension travel. There is no perfect height setting or spring/strut combo for any car but many suspension manufacturers offer suspension tuned packages specific to certain car models for drifting.
Anti-roll bars, or anti-sway bars, provide a link between the left and right side suspension and keep the suspension at nearly the same level vertically when under extreme weight transfer conditions as when drifting; thus, decreasing body roll and increasing stability.
Sway bars should be chosen to match your springs. If you are planning on installing stiff springs for drifting, there is no need for a large diameter sway bar. The combination of stiff springs and small sway bars is enough to control body roll. However, large diameter sway bars are necessary if you will be using relatively soft springs. This is a popular configuration for daily drivers since the ride is not as harsh but this is not necessarily the best setup for drifting.
Soft springs with large sway bars and stiff springs with small sway bars accomplish virtually the same goal of providing a stable suspension while reducing excessive weight transfer. However, a stiff spring/small sway bar setup is generally better than a soft spring/large sway bar setup because stiff springs reduce front-to-back weight transfer. With soft springs, side-to-side weight transfer is controlled by the sway bars, but there is a fair amount of uncontrolled front-to-back weight transfer due to the soft springs. In other words, using soft springs can result in brake dive and acceleration squat which are detrimental to overall drift handling.
Here are some general rules when using adjustable sway bars:
- Wet track = disconnect or soften as much as possible.
- Damp or slippery track = soft as possible
- Grippy dry track = stiff as possible.
Bushings can also be upgraded with urethane parts to help further stiffen the chassis and reduce body roll. Most Nissan vehicles have a floating rear subframe which is usually fixed in position with billet aluminum or urethane “drift pineapples” to prevent the frame from moving during drift.
Overall, suspension in a drift car is stiff with high damper rates, sway bars are upgraded to reduce body roll and caster is often increased to improve the car’s stability during a drift. All of these suspension modifications are done to keep the tires where they belong during a drift - on the road.
RC Drift Cars
Radio-controlled drift cars are equipped with special low grip tires that allow the RC drift car to slide. Typically, the higher end RC drift cars are all wheel drive (4×4) and have swappable shocks, motors, wheels, and brakes.
Yokomo is a popular high-end brand. Yokomo RC cars start around $300 – that includes a factory pre-assembled chassis with radio electronics, transmitter, and battery charger. To complete the set, you will also need to buy a body shell ($45 - $70), wheels ($50), and a set of tires ($12). So without any “extras,” like led lights, graphite parts, ect. – you are looking at spending around $450 and the price goes up from there! Not cheap by any means but there are less expensive alternatives.
One idea is to place electrical tape around the rear wheels of any RC car to reduce grip and induce drift. Also, you can find cheap versions of RC drift cars at pretty much any large electronic retailer.
Yokomo RSR Toyota Supra RC drift car body - driven by Manabu Orido 1/10 scale
Yokomo Toyota AE86 RC drift car body 1/10 scale
G4TV Formula-D RC drift car video segment
Best Tires for Drifting
Currently, Yokohama Advan Neova ad07 tires are popular with many D1 Grand Prix drift drivers.
The ADVAN Neova AD07 is the Extreme Performance Summer tire member of Yokohama’s global family of ADVAN performance tires developed for sports car, sports coupe and performance sedan enthusiasts who love sport driving. Used as Original Equipment (O.E.) on the Lotus Elise, the ADVAN Neova AD07 is designed to provide high levels of traction, responsive handling and driving control in dry and wet road conditions. The ADVAN Neova AD07 is not intended for cold temperatures or snow.
The ADVAN Neova AD07 molds a “fine particle” Micro Silica (MS) tread compound (to provide greater road surface adhesion) into a directional tread pattern that features massive tread blocks with rounded edges to increase cornering stability and steering response while promoting more even wear. Five large circumferential and multiple directionally aligned lateral grooves resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. The tire’s structure includes two wide steel belts reinforced by spirally wound nylon to provide strength and uniform ride quality and high-speed capability while the sidewalls are tuned to resist lateral deflection providing handling control and cornering stability.
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