Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

…but that can become expensive. By comparison, the FCR is easy to install, produces more torque than stock, and is easy to drive. Its mechanism atomizes fuel cleanly, which also helps fuel economy. The FCR has a broad tuning range and is not especially finicky, so it does not demand a delicate touch from the driver. It also works with a mechanically tuned SR20DE.

It feels good; there’s quite a lot of midrange torque. Even on a circuit, it’s easy to control through corners and brings out what makes a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car fun. It may not be the quickest, but you can use that midrange torque to bring the rear around deliberately, and it remains controllable. You can feel the carburetor character, and it changes the whole experience. Once you fit carbs, you start wanting to add cams too—that’s part of the fun.

Showa-era cars

2000！

A bolt-on carburetor setup that makes driving feel great!

It can be fitted to a stock engine without problems.

‘It definitely makes more torque than stock!’ Ukiya FCR-spec PS13

3-128-1 Niwa, Niiza, Saitama 341-0034 · 0489-54-1126

Ukiya Shōkai

Latest tuning for a Showa-era car! S13 Silvia showdown

Or perhaps a naturally aspirated carburetor setup!?

Tuned-car showdown

~Tarzan Yamada versus Orido Manabu: let’s settle it~

Special installment

Carburetor

When choosing an engine, there’s another option besides CA or SR: a naturally aspirated carburetor setup. What’s so good about a carburetor? Take a close look at Ukiya Shōkai’s SR20DE with FCR carburetors, and read what our two drivers have to say.

The exterior is completely stock Q’s; you can build a fun car without spending much money.

…that’s how it is.

FCR tuned carburetors are hugely popular in the motorcycle world. This car takes that system and fits it to a naturally aspirated Silvia. When trying to increase power from an NA SR20, people often install high-lift cams…

The four red velocity stacks protruding through the hood are FCR 39 mm carburetors. Fuel is fed to the carbs through a surge tank, using an adjustable fuel-pressure regulator set to about 0.2. With four throttle bodies, response is excellent. The stock ECU is retained for ignition control.

The right image shows the throttle fully closed; the left shows it fully open. The FCR’s sliding throttle valve is flat and also acts as a variable venturi—one of the carburetor’s distinctive features…

Tarzan

Midrange torque from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm

CHECKS

Even the setup when you suddenly open the throttle…

CHECK!

It definitely makes more torque than stock. It may not rev well at the top end, but the SR was never an engine that liked to rev high in the first place.

With the stock setup, almost nothing happens, so…

FCRs have a different sound, don’t they? It’s like the gas is being pounded—‘ba-bang!’…

…and the sound—it goes ‘ba-ba-ba-ba’ at idle.

It doesn’t make a dramatically greater amount of power, but it’s fun, and the sound is great. Once you install something like this, you start wanting to modify the engine too. Before fitting it, I was thinking…

A lightweight flywheel may help as well…

…and…

Throttle response should be good too. This could be fun with pistons or cams added. It’s not about competing against others in a gymkhana or on a circuit; it suits people who simply enjoy driving.

Ukiya Shōkai makes a dedicated intake manifold for fitting FCR carburetors, so it can be bolted directly onto an SR20DE engine.

Option

Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

About this issue

Page 21 — English draft translation