Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)
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About this issue
180 available scans from Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition), in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 103 — English draft translation
A rough guide to FC power upgrades: a sports muffler and computer boost increase can reach 280 PS. A turbo swap can produce about 370 PS with a TD06-20G, 380–400 PS with a TD06-25G, and more depending on the setup. For this FC, Graife tuned for the Bayshore route, but the owner also drives on the expressway and mountain roads, so they chose a 20G rather than a 25G to keep power manageable...
To handle the forces generated through corners, add reinforcing welds at key points. Pair a stiff suspension with high-grip tires and the effect is clear. Many well-known drift cars have this work. A rigid body lets the suspension and tires function properly and makes tuning easier; even when sliding at high speed, the tires regain their grip and performance improves.
Captions and page details
Challenge Nikko's fastest with a live throttle controller: a circuit-special FC built to beat the GT-R.
Night Sports 96
FGBS
Option
The original wing has an aluminum section. The joint with the FRP portion is made from aluminum plate, and the redesigned layout can also be switched to an adjustable configuration.
Turn-in is the FC3S's greatest strength. This circuit specification focuses on traction out of corners, with the goal of beating the GT-R.
This circuit car was built to challenge the GT-R's then-record 49.099-second wet lap at Nikko Circuit. An original high-flow turbo brings estimated output to about 320 PS. Throttle response is excellent; the main issue was improving traction on corner exit. The solution was to keep the rear toe-control function active...
...so that was the target. Driver Isono Kobayashi said it drove without unnatural behavior...
A bushing behind the lower part of the caliper bends and points the toe outward. Many tuners remove this function, but this build deliberately seeks the best suspension setup for the car. It improves traction without introducing unnatural behavior.
...and it achieved the target time.
TURDO
It uses a Night Sports original high-flow turbo. At maximum boost of 1.0 kg/cm², estimated output is 320 PS. The engine itself is stock, with fuel controlled by an original ECU and EBC III.
Graife Bayshore specification
Bayshore-spec FC3S
The main use is high-speed running on routes such as the Bayshore. The suspension combines RE Amemiya height-adjustable coilovers with Racing Beat stabilizers.
The key to a drift tune!
...is easier to control naturally.
When a boost increase is no longer enough, the usual next step is a turbo swap. A TD06-20G can make 370 PS, while a TD06-25G can support roughly 380–400 PS.
Oplion
The fuel system uses two additional 720 cc injectors controlled by a Revick III. It also has a racing-type wastegate and requires a front-mounted intercooler.
Night Sports, 5-6-58 Minami-Magome, Ota, Tokyo 143-0025; 03-3775-6446. Graife, 439-10 Nanae, Tomisato, Chiba 286-0221; 0476-91-0948.
Technical assistance: Pro Staff R Magic, 2327-25 Tana, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-1124; 042-764-7077.
101 Option