Drift Tengoku — October 2013

…so thoroughly that there is almost always something to inspect. Even if everything seems normal, you cannot notice a decline unless you know its usual condition from day to day. Another principle is to replace scheduled items before they fail. He replaces not only engine and electrical parts, but also driveshaft joints and the transmission before they break. Even if trouble strikes, it is easier to diagnose, and he can avoid retiring from an event or being unable to drive home.

That prevents him from retiring at the last minute or being unable to drive home. Replacing parts early may seem expensive, but over the long term it is not, he insists. He has seen people get trapped in a cycle of failures, replace their cars, or quit drifting. ‘I want people to take better care of their cars and keep them longer. Maintenance comes before aero or modifications!’ After 17 years with this car, he has the credibility to say so.

The rebuilt engine retains the stock lower end and has only a reinforced head gasket and Tomei poncams. The T67 turbo reaches full boost at about 4,200 rpm. He may strengthen the low-rpm response next. After a throttle bolt from the Trust suction kit was sucked into the engine and caused a failure, he switched to a Pulsar throttle body. The ECU is a reprogrammed factory unit, following Nouvelle Vague's Kajita, who says the stock unit is enough until you go beyond 500 horsepower. Air conditioning is essential for a car driven to events.

Cooling strategy that determines engine life! He tried many radiators without finding one he liked, then Nouvelle Vague built a custom three-row aluminum unit. The key is its cross-flow design: the longer internal coolant path makes it much more effective. The electric fan had been a stock FD unit, but the viscous fan cooled better while driving, so he changed to a SPAL electric fan. Now it cools better than stock even on the move; for cooling in the paddock, the electric fan wins decisively.

Cracked exhaust manifolds caused repeated headaches. After switching to an F-Service manifold, he had three trouble-free years. The outlet and front pipe are one-offs from Nouvelle Vague. Loose bolts on the stock turbo and manifold were another problem, so he developed a fix: after a full-throttle run, tighten them another 90 degrees. He says they will not loosen if you do it, even at the risk of burning yourself.

After trying several LSDs, he followed Kajita's recommendation and switched to an OS Giken 1.5-way unit. ‘Every oil change with the Nismo unit produced metal particles, but this one has not produced a single speck!’ He was impressed. It can be used for a long time with minimal maintenance, so despite the higher initial cost it works out cheaper over time. The muffler is a full titanium Tomei, and the catalytic converter is from SARD.

The aero stays simple, even when parts are changed! The front is Wonder, the sides are GP Sports, and the rear is an item bought online. The front fenders, hood, and roof spoiler are original; the rear fenders and rear spoiler are by G Corporation. The wheels are 17-inch, 9J +22 LM GT4s all around. Tires are 235/40 ZII at the front and 245/40 Kenda at the rear. He avoids stickers, and the black-purple paint was inspired by an old 180SX.