Young Version — August 1999
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
The August 1999 issue of Young Version explores drift setups versus grip tuning through 22 shop demo cars, including S15 Silvias from Mine’s and Kazama Auto. Features cover front-wheel-drive builds taking on high-powered 4WD rivals, choosing a first drift car, and reviving a used AE86 Trueno on a ¥1 million total budget. Suspension fundamentals, engine-oil selection, rotary maintenance, new-parts tests, and reports from Hiroshima and California round out this look at Japan’s late-1990s tuning scene.
242 available scans from Young Version — August 1999, 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 195 — English draft translation
A setup that is extremely fast yet easy to drive is the key. Improve Craft Cruise, known in Hokkaido for its name, is a shop traditionally skilled in hard-core drag and 400-meter tuning. Its basic philosophy is to build versatile cars that can also be driven normally on the street. The Starlet Turbo featured on page 55 follows the same idea: make cars enjoyable anywhere, anytime. This S15 Silvia is prepared with circuit driving in mind. The engine itself, head gasket, and cams are left untouched. It uses HKS… .
Representative Mr. Chida says he values not only lap times but also ease of driving and fun. Softer springs should make it street-friendly. At Niigata’s Nihonkai Maze Circuit, the stock-engine car felt quite powerful, with strong acceleration and speed. It easily exceeded 180 km/h on the straight. Boost comes on strongly from around 4,000 rpm and really delivers above 5,000 rpm, but the response is not abrupt, so it remains easy to drive. The suspension may be slightly too stiff for bumpy Maze; it sometimes hops on rough surfaces. It would suit a flatter circuit like Tsukuba. Cornering stability and drift control are good, and softer damper settings should improve it. Lowering spring rates slightly could also make it suitable for street use. (Shingo Murao) .
Captions and page details
CRUISE
The latest demo car
autoone
SPORTS
ADVAN
Balanced overall performance…
37
TYRE&WHEEL!
It may hop somewhat on rough pavement, but in corners… [sentence fragment]
The nose turns in well and grip is quite high… [fragment]
…control after the car begins to slide is excellent. [fragment]
RAYS
TILR
2
It achieves a bolt-on GT2835 turbo setup, maximum boost around 1.4, and a reported 370 PS / 48 kg·m .
The target is a lap in the 1-minute range at Tsukuba Circuit, according to representative Chi… [name/text clipped].
S
COCKPIT!
The cabin is equipped with a Nardi steering wheel and Recaro fixed-back seats. The drivetrain uses an OS Giken S14 five-speed close-ratio transmission and twin-plate clutch, reinforced with TOMEI POWERED components .
Stock engine; HKS GT2835 turbo; Super Power Flow; GT-R fuel pump; 550 cc injectors; Yashio Factory radiator; Trust intercooler and oil cooler; Cruise original ECU; HKS Hyper Damper shocks with Yashio settings .
Here are the main specifications!
Engine and power
F=12kg/R=10kg
Same as above [repeated specification mark]
Spring
Suspension
OS Giken
TOMEI POWERED
ADVAN A032R, 245/45-17
Clutch
LSD
Front
Drivetrain
Same as above [repeated specification mark]
8.5J×17
9.5J×17
Same as above [repeated specification mark]
Rays Volk TE37
Rear
Front
Tire
Wheel
Same as above [repeated specification mark]
Rear
2-8-10 Hassamu, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido; 011-662-7219
Improve Craft Cruise
197