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 63 — English draft translation
choose one without too many adjustments, because you will not be able to use them all. Incorrect adjustment could damage your precious car. To begin with, damping and ride-height adjustment should be enough. The advice is that a type with adjustable body length may be too much for a beginner. Ask friends who drive in similar conditions; ideally, get a ride in their car!
Captions and page details
What is the ram type?
This is also called the inverted type:
It is a monotube shock mounted upside down. Its advantage is that the thick part is on the outside, which is useful with strut suspension under lateral loads or when jumping and bouncing. WRC rally suspension, which goes through extreme movement, uses this type throughout.
Also, the thin rod section
is at the bottom, which is said to offer the additional advantage of reduced unsprung weight.
A guide to coilovers!
What are the advantages of pillow-ball upper mounts?
shocks
What should you do when fitting stiffer springs?
If you stiffen the springs, naturally the
You also need to increase the shock damping. Otherwise the car will float and bounce. In an extreme case it becomes like the no-shock example discussed earlier, although a small change can be okay. The worst thing for the car is changing only the springs. It is better to leave the springs stock and change the shocks.
With an ordinary rubber upper mount,
Buying coilovers for the first time—which type should you choose?
rubber sits between the rod and the body. Rubber flexes, of course. A pillow-ball upper mount replaces it with a ball bearing—metal against metal—so even a slight tire movement makes the shock work properly. This improves handling. It comes into its own on a rigid body such as a racing car.
For a first set,
CUSCO
Comp-2!
Twin-tube coilovers designed to combine ride comfort with performance. The rod has two-layer plating for durability. Applications include Silvia models, A31 Cefiro, EG6 Civic, RX-7, and Lancer Evolution I/II/III. Prices: ¥160,000–¥198,000.
comes in four types!
Now you should have a basic understanding of coilovers and how shocks work. Doesn’t that make you want to leave stock suspension behind and get some coilovers? Finally, let’s check the Cusco coilovers from the people who explained all this to us.
Strut applications use a ram-type 50 mm cylinder. Depending on the vehicle, monotube and twin-tube versions are available, with adjustable damping. S13/S14, , and A31 applications have pillow-ball upper mounts front and rear. Other applications include SW20 and JZA70 Supra. From ¥185,000.
Comp-1!
EWREN
Currently available only for the GC8 Impreza, this is an evolution of Comp-2. It has five-position adjustment front and rear, with ram-type construction at both ends. The front has camber-adjustable pillow-ball upper mounts, while the rear uses fixed aluminum rigid/reinforced-rubber mounts [end of caption fragment].
Comp-3!
This month’s instructor!
Our instructor is Mr. Kase, president of Carrosser, familiar for its Comp series and other products. His advice: “If you are buying suspension anyway, starting with coilovers is less wasteful.”
This is the top model in the Comp series, with attention to every detail, including shell-case rigidity, piston-rod sealing, and valve precision. Initial applications include EK9 and EG6 Civic, Altezza, and DC2 Integra.
Comp2R!
027·352·2888
1664-1 Shinbo-machi, Takasaki, Gunma
Cusco Japan
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