Battle Magazine — March 1997
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
116 available scans from Battle Magazine — March 1997, in rtl reading order. Original scans with English draft translations and searchable page text. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.All 59 provided PDF pages retained as 116 reader pages; completeness against a physical printed copy has not been independently established.
Page 41 — English draft translation
Brake-pad prices vary widely, but most sport pads are sold in front and rear sets, typically around ¥20,000–40,000 per set. You should change both ends together: upgrading only the front can make the front lock first and worsen understeer. For around ¥50,000–60,000 you can replace both ends. It costs less than installing suspension and can have a substantial effect.
Captions and page details
BATTLE COLLEGE
…a worthwhile place to modify. As for where to start with the brakes, the answer is brake pads. A car with stock suspension can still be driven to some degree, but stock brakes can be frightening. On mountain-road descents, without upgraded brakes they may fade quickly and send you off the course.
…is the way to go, but actually the first thing to do…
Even strut-integrated shocks can be bought for roughly ¥20,000–30,000 per front unit. So with ¥100,000 for the whole car, installing shocks is possible.
All 20 questions correct?
Street Driver: Second Exam
If you answered all 20 questions correctly, your suspension setup is excellent.
Question
With a tight budget, I left the shocks stock and upgraded only the springs.
For the same budget reason, I replaced only the shocks.
2
I fitted extremely stiff racing springs to street-use shocks.
3
They can be found for just under ¥10,000, which may make them a surprisingly good choice.
4
I upgraded both the shocks and springs but kept the stock tires.
I changed to sport brake pads before upgrading the suspension.
5
To improve braking, I changed only the front pads to sport pads.
6
I could not get the tail to slide, so I stiffened only the rear suspension. / After upgrading the suspension, the front ride height became much too high. / To make tail slides easier, I raised the rear ride height drastically, hot-rod style.
7
8
9
You need to consult your budget.
10
To make tail slides easier, I fitted a thicker rear stabilizer bar. / I also changed only the front tires to high-grip gymkhana tires…
…changed them.
11
To make it easier to initiate a tail slide under braking, I fitted gymkhana-type rear pads. / With no budget, I installed only an LSD.
12
13
I removed the front stabilizer to let the front roll and make drifting easier.
14
After fitting uprated suspension, the ride height dropped. The spring was smaller than the spring perch on the shock, but I forced it on, assuming it would not come loose.
15
…would be possible. It might not extend to a full engine tune, of course, but a light tune may be within reach.
16
I cut one coil from the spring to lower the ride height.
17
The shock was leaking oil, but it did not feel bouncy when I pushed the body, so I kept using it…
18
I installed gymkhana rear pads, but the rear locked too easily, so I replaced one pad with a stock pad.
19
The front and rear shocks ended up different brands because I got them second-hand.
20
● Answers are on page 49.
41