Welcome to DriftInJapan.com

New GTR R35 Skyline Crashed

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:20:00 +0000

In a local hotel parking lot here in Fukushima a few weeks ago I stumbled across a nasty sight of a new GTR Skyline dented all down one side of her beautiful shiny black body.

Looks like he got a bit to close to another car and exchanged some paint while rubbing tires.

Done when racing? Who knows...but it's a shame to see a new car and expensive one, get damaged like that.

Gotta love the paint pen drawings on it. Kinda makes it look like the dents are on purpose, but shows that the owner probably has enough money to buy a new one anytime he wants!

Stu - www.driftinjapan.com

AE86 Toyota "Hachiroku" Drift Car

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:37:00 +0000

Perhaps the original and most wanted drift car of all time: the classic Toyota AE86 or "hachiroku" as it's affectionately known. "Hachiroku" means "86" in Japanese.

The AE86 was made famous by the Japanese manga turned TV/DVD cartoon series "Initial D". The main character would use his dad's panda black and white AE86 trueno to deliver tofu and then sneak out to race the mountains in the middle of the night.

The car was manufactured by Toyota from the years 1983 - 1987. There are two different models of the hachiroku and two different body styles for each made for the Japanese domestic market.

The "Trueno" has pop-up headlights and the "Levin" has rectangular headlights. I'm sure there are a few more slight differences but that is the easy way to tell them apart.

The two body styles they come in are the coupe (sometimes known as the wedge) and the hatchback.

There are different engines for different grades on AE86 but the most common engine you'll find in a "hachi" is the fuel injected 4AGE non-turbo double overhead cam 4 cylinder. This power unit produces around 130PS (128 hp) in the JDM models.

So why is the AE86 so popular for drifting?

There are a lot of good thing going for the 86. For one it's rear wheel drive, which is essential for drifting.
It's reliable. Toyota got it right with the chassis and engine set up. The engine is strong and will rev and rev! The other drive train parts like gearbox, diff and suspension are up to scratch to take the beating while drifting.
It's light (approx. 940 kg or 2072 pounds) which makes it easy to throw around without the need for a turbo engine.
It's stylish. Two doors, the option of a coupe or hatchback. I like the style but some may hate it.
They used to be cheap. You could score a low km AE86 in Japan for less than \100000 or $1000 before they became getting super popular with drifters. Now, you'd be lucky to find a rusted out one for that price. Look near the \500000 mark for a nice clean AE86.
There are heaps of drift parts made for them. You'll never be stuck without parts for the AE86. From body kits to suspension and engine parts, there are plenty to choose from.

So do you want to drift a AE86 yet? I do.

Cheers,
Stu www.driftinjapan.com

2008 Drift D1 GP Ebisu: Leaked Video!

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:50:00 +0000

With the help of some insiders, I was able to get my hands on this footage of the last D1 GP round 6 at Ebisu. If you look closely, you might be able to make out the source of this video...

Kumakubo in the Orange Lancer Evo took the win on the day. Unfortunately, his overall series points ranking is still out of the top 10.

Thanks and stay tuned for more drifting action from Japan.

Stu

D1 GP 2008 Japan Round 6 Ebisu Circuit

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:29:00 +0000

The final round of this years 2008 D1 GP Japanese drift competition was held in Ebisu circuit Nihonmatsu city Japan. The same place they help round 1 this year. But the results were different this time around....

With Ebisu being right in my back yard, (5 mins drive) there was no way I was going to miss it. I actually took my video camera because I wanted to take some video footage of the drifting and put it up here and Youtube to show you but, I had some bad luck and the battery went flat before I could even use it.

I only had my mobile phone camera with 2 bars of battery so my photo taking was limited by that too. Anyway, I was able to take a couple of "ok" photos.

To cut straight to the point, the winner of 2008 Round 6 D1 GP in Ebisu was none other than the owner of the track, Kumakubo Nobushige in his TEAM Orange Lancer Evolution 9.

This 2008 D1 GP drift season was tough for Kumakubo and his team. He hadn't had much luck with rankings, but the weather held off at Ebisu and he was able to score a win and boost his rank in the D1 points table in the final round in Japan! He was very pleased and it showed with tears of joy at the podium!

The final and closing round of D1 GP 2008 drift competition season will be in Irwindale USA in November. But as for me (and the monkeys) and drifting in Japan, I'll still be going to Ebisu from time to time and I'll be able to bring you more D1GP coverage next season!

SAYONARA - from Stu!
www.DriftinJapan.com

:)

Drift in Japan Group on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:25:00 +0000

Hey Drift Fans! Stu here with a cool update.

Are you on Facebook?

If you are, then Join the Drift In Japan Group!

So then you can get updated more frequently with news and pics etc from my website here.

You can even see a dodgey home made video I did when you go and visit the group page.

Ok, thats all for now, so see you on Facebook!

Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

"Facebook. A place for friends...who are bored with Myspace."

...

Palm Size RC Drift Cars Really Drift! by Takara TOMY

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:16:00 +0000

Just released in Japan by Takara TOMY!

Palm-sized build it your self RC cars that REALLY DRIFT!

Check out this short promo video....

Just like the bigger 1/10 version....so cool hey?

They make them in 4 different body styles.

Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 (everybody's fav) in Red
Skyline GTR R34 in Yellow
Mazda FD Rx7 in Black and White
Nissan 180 SX in Blue

For everyone who wants to get into RC drift but can't afford the hundreds of dollars to fork out for the usual drift RC package, these new palm sized RC cars are the perfect way to go!

Want one? Check my auction out on Ebay!

I expect these to be hot sellers so if you have any personal -requests, please email or message me.

Cheers,
Stu

;)

Drag Racing Meet in Sendai Highland 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:25:00 +0000

Hi guys and gals, long time no hear!

Sorry this post is not to do with Drifting but its still got some very cool Japanese speed thrills..this time its Japanese Drag racing!

Coming from Brisbane and the nice drag strip at Willowbank Raceway and the high level of cars such as Top Fuel that Willowbank attracts at events like Winternats etc. I was a interested to see what type of line up good old Sendai Highland drag raceway would get.

My vote: 8/10

They had a good variety of high-performance Japanese cars there....not just all Skylines like I thought it would be. Apparently, drag racing has lost a lot of its popularity...now everyones likes Drifting..but who can blame them?

There were some fast cars there and then...not so fast cars. The fastest car of the day was the full-tube chassis R32 GTR Skyline from ESCORT. It ran a 5.3 seconds over the 1/8the mile. Why it dod not run the full 1/4 mile I don't know..car too fast maybe?

Super loud and impressive to say the least! 1000+ HP RB26

RB26 Nissan Ute

Thanks for reading----leave a comment if you like!

Stuart

ps. I out a few more pics from this day up on Facebook - check them out here!

2008 D1 GP Series Schedule Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:55:00 +0000

This is late coming I know....sorry guys. But after many people asking about drift events, I figured I'd better post at least the 2008 Japan D1 GP schedule up here.

2008 D1 GP Japan Schedule

Round 1: Ebisu Circuit Fukushima Prefecture March 30
Round 2: Fuji Speedway Shizuoka Prefecture April 27
Round 3: Suzuka Circuit Mie Prefecture May 24-25
Exhibition Round: Tokyo Drift in Odaiba Odaiba Metropolitan Car Park Tokyo Bay June 7-8
Round 4: Okayama International Circuit Okayama Prefecture June 27-29
Round 5: Autopolis Ōita Prefecture August 3
Round 6: Ebisu Circuit Fukushima Prefecture August 29-31
Round 7: Fuji Speedway Shizuoka Prefecture October 26
World All-Star (non-championship) Irwindale Speedway California November 30

Hope this helps to keep up to date with the D1GP series over here in Japan. I know I'll be going to round 6 in Ebisu. Look for a full report on that soon!

Drift safe, Live hard!!

Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

:)
Stu

Tokyo Drift In Odaiba June 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:28:00 +0000

Odaiba Tokyo, the popular Tokyo bay-side suburb in Downtown Tokyo is not commonly known for drifting - rather it's known for it's TV studios and big shopping complexes.

But for the first time in 3 years, they brought Drift back to Downtown Tokyo with the D1 Drift Exhibition Match held on June 7th-8th 2008.

The Odaiba drift course is large parking lot converted to a decent size course much of the likes of a mirrored Ebisu circuit in shape and speed (120km/h). As the center of Tokyo is packed tighter than a tin of sardines, a permanant drift track is next to impossible so a wide open car park is the next best thing. Nothing wrong with that, I say!

Reports say that all the usual D1 drivers (30 all up) were out showing their best drift machines and drifting skills to the Tokyo crowd.

Team Orange also put on their crowd pleasing drift show from the 4 drivers - Kumakubo, Tanaka, Suenaga and new member Hiraoka. Some of their drift stunts included twin drifting, 4 car drifting and the famous "taimen" drifting (head on drift) with all 4 cars (2 x 2)! Wow! Would have loved to see that!

As it was a real D1 match, they had the usual tournament of Best 16 then Best 8, Best 4 and The Final Round.

The champion of the Odaiba Drift Exhibition for 2008 was Imamura in his new drift machine - red Prodrive Silvia S15 after defeating reigning 2007 D1 champ Kawabata in his (not usual) blue Toyo 180sx.

There is a rumor that this may be the last event in Odaiba - but knowing the growing excitement and fan base for drifting in Japan, I hope we can see more drift events in Odaiba like this!

Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

:)

The R35 2009 Skyline GTR Can Drift! ...well sorta

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:45:00 +0000

Browsing Youtube this morning I found this video of Nomuken try to drift the new GTR skyline....

We all know Nomuken from D1 and his Blitz R34 Skyline 4 door...so you'd think he could just about drift anything..even the R35 GTR!!

But as you can see in the video, the guys from Nissan didn't have drifting in mind when they built the R35 GTR....

Have a look at this!

So...it doesn't look like it will be making it to the next D1 GP round but who knows..maybe they can shake the computers and AWD soon and we can see it drift like a real Japanese sports car.

Later,
Stu - www.DriftInJapan.com

:)

Some of the worst looking tuner cars ever...

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Hi hot & sexy and sick & ugly car fans alike.

In my journey's through the internet, I stumble upon some pretty funny and often disturbing stuff. I found this collection of ugly cars and had to share it with the drift world.

Why do people have to do such a thing to their cars?

I can't imagine this Hachi drifting at any local tracks here in Japan.....

Everyone please take a lesson here...PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO YOUR CAR!

My "favorite" ugly car here would have to be the Toyota AE86 at the top...I love them but when I saw one that looks this crap, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry :(

Enjoy,
Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

Drift Tires Explained: Size? High Grip? Air Pressure?

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:24:00 +0000

Drift tires are a tricky part of your drift car set up to get right. Get your tire choice and settings wrong and you won't have much fun.

>> Tire Size

When it comes to choosing the right size tire for your drift car, you have to make sure your car is going to have enough power to spin them. Make sure it's not too big in diameter or width because it takes more power to spin them.

17" wheels and tires look cool but if you have them on a non-turbo AE86 sprinter, then you'll find it hard to spin them. I'd go with some 15" tires instead. I actually still use 15" on my Cefiro about 205/55/15 are ideal) and 16"s sometimes. 17" and above are OK for modded turbo cars with low profile tires.

>> High Grip vs. Low Grip

Again it depends on the car. If it's a high powered turbo car and you are an advanced driver not scared of high speed drifting, then high grip tires are good.

Popular high grip tires here in Japan are Yokohama Neova. For beginners, usual normal cheap tires are good for praticing in as they are easier to spin and if you're not going too fast, can stop you if you need. Just make sure they have grip ;)

>> Tire Pressure

Tire pressure depends on the type of tire you're using and your own personal preference. The general rule I follow is for new or near-new tires, you can put more air pressure in them (around 25psi when cold) and they will last a long time and slide nicely.

For old tire that have been sitting or used for a long time, you need to use a little lower air pressure or your tires will de-laminate very quickly. De-laminating is when the tread peels off in one piece piece. If you run around 22psi when cold in your older tires, they won't de-laminate as quickly.

After a few laps of drifting, check your tire pressure and you'll notice they pressure will have increased by about 4-5 psi. If your pressure gets above 35 psi, you should let some air out or you could burst it.

>> Other tips

Don't keep drifting until your tire bursts. It makes it hard to drive your car back to the pits and jack the car up to change it. You can also damage your car's spoilers etc.

If you notice one side of your tire wearing faster than the other, you can always rotate them to get more life out to them.

Live fun, Drift safe!
Stu - www.DriftInJapan.com

Hot FC RX7 and More at SS Park Drift Circuit 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:57:00 +0000

It was such a fine day last weekend I just had to get out to the 'other' local drift circuit SS Park Circuit in Nihonmatsu Japan. I usually go to Ebisu drift course to drift but SS Park is free so when I want to go and watch for a short time I go there!

Anyhoo, check out some of these sweet drift pictures I took on the day!

This bad ass FC RX7 looked sweet on the course. However, up close you could tell it was a true drift pig....still not bad though!

The GREEN drift gremlin 180sx - good driver and pretty good car...if you like the snot green color! lol

Sweet S14 Silvia didn't get out much but looked good...the driver wasn't so good though :(

Hoping to go to Ebisu very soon to slide myself..it's been too long!! Hope you enjoy these and leave a comment if you like!

Later
Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

"Myspace Style" Drift Forum - Welcome to DriftHQ.com

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Hey Drifting fans,

I'm sure, as you are into drifting, you are probably a member of a drift forum. Forums are great but there are so many online now and they all seem pretty much the same.

That's why I decided to start a new breed of forum for the Drifting community on the web!

The website is called www.DriftHQ.com - Online Community for Drifting Fans Worldwide

When you go there and sign up (FREE), you'll notice it has the Myspace or Facebook feel. And, that's exactly what I was looking for.

This new social community style website gives us drifting fans more choices thanks to advanced technology to share our passion in a new and cool way.

Create your own Profile page
Upload Photos into Custom Galleries
Upload Videos (from Youtube too!)
Write a Blog
Post on the Forums
Meet and invite friends

So I invite you to join www.DriftHQ.com - Online Community for Drifting Fans Worldwide and enjoy the new style of drift forum.

Cheers,
Stu - www.DriftInJapan.com & www.DriftHQ.com

Rhys Millen'a Solstice GXP Drift Car

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Rhys Millen's Solstice GXP Drift car might not be the prettiest, or most typically styled drift car, but its a great piece of machinery in itself.

Rhys' machine is not your typical daily driver of course, but the combo of great chassis dynamics and power make for an almost perfect drift car set up. It has a worked 2.4L turbo ECOtec race engine. A Torque-monster, putting out 520 ft-lbs of torque and 500 horsepower!

The Solstice GXP is a sports car at heart so it makes sense to turn it into a full-bore race car!

So how's the Solstice GXP's production engine?

It's a 2.0L turbo ECOtec LNF, an advanced engine design with direct injection and continuously variable valve timing, making 260 horsepower and 260ft-lbs of torque.

Still not quite the monster of Rhys' Solstice drift car, but should be enough to allow the Solstice to drift like it's production competitors in the drift scene like the Nissans and Mustangs!

Check out Ryhs drifting his Red Bull Solstice at Formula D. Some may not like the shape much, but this car would be a lot of fun to drift!

Until next time,
Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

D1 GP Japan Round 1 Ebisu Drift Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:38:00 +0000

March 29 -30 2008 and the D1 GP drift competition kicked off Rd. 1 in Japan with a bang with at Ebisu south course.

The rain held off but there was still cold winds and cloud cover making a very cool day to see the pro Japanese drift drivers bring out there drift machines and rival each other around the tight but fast Ebisu south course.

The top 16 was made up of the usual bunch of drivers.

Kumakubo (Lancer Evo) and team orange team mate Tanaka (WRX Impreza) made it to the top 16. They actually had to battle each other in the first heat and Tanaka beat Kumakubo to go through to the next round. However, Tanaka was knocked out in the following round.

Drift Samurai in the yellow FC RX7 side swiped his opponent in the first round so he was eliminated.

A new drift machine made it's debut D1 appearance in the season opener. More like a family car rather than performance Drift car, was a fully decked out JDM Toyota Crown.

Usually, only Japanese highway police and wealthy semi-retired Japanese business men drive these cars but done up in Drift spec, these cars are pretty bad ass!

Yes, there were a few crashes too! The beautifully made pink S15 Silvia ended up hitting the tire barrier at the end of the first straight, going really fast. The tires didn't cushion the blow much at all. His car was finished for the day.

Then there were the front wheel drive cars that were supposed to be an attraction but one was running like crap and broke down, then his mate lost it at the entrance to the front straight and ended up in the wall. That was the end of the mini car FF drift attraction. The crowd loved to see it bend its fenders though. Truly a great addition to the D1 GP experience!

The winner of the D1 GP series Round 1 opener was Kawabata in the blue Toyo Silvia. He was the overall champ of the 2007 D1 series so he still has the drift skill after the off season.

He battled out the final heat with Nomuken (R34 Skyline) but beat him in a snap. After the final lap and the winner was annunced, we all rushed to go home out of the snow top mountain driven wind.

D1 GP Round 6 is at Ebisu too, so it should be fine without a beanie and hopefully my favorite driver Kumakubo can make it a bit further next time!

Cheers,
Stuart
www.DriftinJapan.com

How to Import a Car from Japan Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Hi drift and Japanese import car fans!

The average Joe drifter doesn't know how to import a car from Japan, so today I want to tell you a little about how to get your favorite Japanese car into your country.

Most people go about importing a Japanese car through an agent or dealer. This is fine, but it can be expensive when unseen expenses arise.

Basically, you give him your "dream" car description to and he goes out to find one by searching the Japanese used car auctions or looks through ones he already has for a car that matches.

He then purchases it on your behalf, puts it on a boat to your country and arranges all the import and customs forms. It arrives and another agent picks it up and arranges the customs clearance and pays import fees/taxes etc.

After that, it's ready to be registered and driven on the street!

You're all happy....untill,

Untill, your jaw drops when you see the bill for the services and then all the 'extra' unseen charges that have added up! You've got your car but not any money left for gasoline to drive the darn thing! But there is a better way to go about importing a car from Japan.

You can actually save a whole lot of money when you import a Japanese car by yourself!

Here's how to do it.... There is a membership website full of expert guidance that will show you the easy way, step-by-step on "how to import a car from Japan by yourself".

The lifetime membership will set you back a little under $40, but when you consider the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars you will save by importing your Japanese car by yourself, it makes sense to get the expert and personal help.

For more information and help about how to import a car from Japan, click here to visit www.ImportaJapCar.com

I highly recommend it for anyone looking to import their very own Japanese performance car without wasting money on an expensive agent.

Happy drifting,
Stuart -www.DriftInJapan.com

Cars of Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:11:00 +0000

The line-up of cool drift cars in Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift is what made the movie as memorable as it is. With nothing less than the best Japanese drift cars making the cut for the movie, its drifting fans heaven.

Lets have a closer look at some of the cars of Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift....

By far the star car of the Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift has to be the FD Mazda Rx7 with the black and orange duco over the Veliside bodykit. I actually know the guy who sold them that FD and I saw the original while it was still a junker :)

The Mafia's bad guy's black Nissan 350Z which everyone gasped as they watched it drift up the spiral driveway in the car park. That stunt was done by NZ/USA drifter Rhys Millen without any CG, he did it all with just the car!

The red Lancer Evo was a head turner too as Evos are generally known as all wheel drive cars that don't really drift. This is the car he practiced and learned to drift in.

Japanese drifting and racing legend Keiichi Tsuchiya made an appearance as a fisherman when the red Evo was practicing at the wharf.

I remember he says "kountaa wa osoi ne" which means "He's too late with his counter steer."

The 'girl' car, sky blue Mazda RX8 appeared an was driven by Australian actress Nathalie Kelley. I love RX8's but not this one. The color and body kit weren't the best suit for it. I guess they were trying to make it girly.

The 1967 Mustang Fastback was thrown in the plot to mix up the cars a bit. We see new Mustangs drift but hardly ever old school classics like this one drift! But this one was a little different. It had a Nissan RB26 powering it instead of the old ford V8 engine.

At the time of the movie's release, I asked Kumakubo san (Pro D1 Driver) about the cars of Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift (he was a stunt driver in the movie) and he said the Mustang was the worst car to drift out of all of them. He mentioned the Evo was the best drift car...and that's probably the reason he built his Evo 9 drift car for the Japanese D1 competition.

The Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift is a movie you can switch on and watch anytime. You don't need to follow the story, just watch the cars, girls and drifting. That's more important anyway!

Drift hard, live safe.
Stu - www.DriftinJapan.com

Girls, Cars and Drifing at Tokyo Auto Salon 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Hey Drift fans. I found a cool place to whip up videos. Anyway, I made this one from the pics I took when I was at Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 back in January for yous. Tell me what you think.

Leave your comments and tell me if you want more, coz I can whip them up in no time!
Later, Drift Hard, Live Safe!
Stu www.DriftinJapan.com

How to Drift: Angle explained

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:23:00 +0000

Hey drift fans, it's been a long long time since I updates my blog here at Drift In Japan. But I found some cool illustrations showing drift angles of different types of cars.

Let's have a look shall we...

FR - Rear wheel drive drifting angle

You'll notice with the angle for FR drifting, it starts early and ends later - meaning you're drifting for a longer period of time. If you are thinking you're going to straighten up and need more angle, you can just give your car more gas and you can swing the back out. That's why FR drifting is the most popular because it's the easiest and lasts longest.

FF - Front wheel drive drifting angle

With FF cars, the front wheels are doing the driving. The drifting is initialted with the hand brake (e-brake) and starts early but finishes early too. You need to be straightened up and heading straight in the direction you want to go. You can't power the car to get more angle like an FR car.

AWD - All wheel drive drifting angle

AWD drifting line is similar to the FF line as the main pulling wheels are the front ones. The angle starts a lot later and finishes early. I've never actually drifted an AWD car, even though I drive a WRX on the street, but from what I hear, they're the most difficult of all types of cars to drift.

NOTE: Tale a look at the line of drift. This line can be applied to all types of corners. You go wide at first and when you hit the apex, you need to be heading in the direction you want to go.

Drift hard, live safe!

Stu from DriftInJapan.com

D1 Drift Demo at Tokyo Auto Salon 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:37:00 +0000

The D1 GP drift boys were at it again! This time at 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon in a small drift circuit transformed car park just outside the Tokyo Makuhari Messe complex.

Japanese D1 drivers letting loose! Nomuken in the Blitz Skyline making the smoke as usual, Kumakubo in the buzzing Team Orange Lancer Evo 9!

Small area to drift in but still enough to put on an impressive drifting demo!

Can the new GT-R R35 Skyline drift?

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:44:00 +0000

The new Skyline GT-R is certainly getting a lot of attention. And why wouldn't it? It's the next model in the Japanese super car legend of the Nissan GTR Skyline series. It's been 5 years since the last GTR R34 was made so there has been much anticipated wait for the new GTR Skyling R35 (or V35) and it's finally here!

A quick look over the R35's specs sees it just at potent as its former models. It packs a twin-turbo 3.8L V6 (named VR38DETT) churning out a healthy 480 horsepower and 430 ft-lbs of torque through it's AWD drivetrain. The transmission behind the VR38DETT is an all-new, paddle-shifted GR6 sequential 6-speed dual clutch item located under the rear seats, just in front of the rear diff. Not your conventional gearbox set up but helps with weight distribution.

So with this monster machine packing all this horsepower, sporty/muscle design and race car technology, a drifter and Skyline fan naturally asks himself, can the new Skyline GT-R drift?

I'd like to think, YES, but the real question comes down to should it be drifted? If you speak to any hardcore GTR fan or GTR workshop, they will tell you GTR's are for grip racing....especially in Japan.

Traditionally, GT-R's are AWD, meaning all 4 wheels are driven by the engine. Drift cars are all usually RWD. R32 GTR's are sometimes spotted drifting because the front wheels can be dis-engaged to make it RWD, making for easy drifting.

The new GTR, as with most 21st century super cars, comes with a lot of driver assisting computers, mostly to keep it from sliding around on the road and in firmly stuck to the road and in control. Why they do that, I don't know (well I do actually). So, the sensors and traction control gizmos make it hard to drift :(

If you really wanted to drift the new GTR R35 Skyline, go ahead, nothing is impossible, with enough money. But I highly doubt you'll see it in next years D1 Grand prix or in a drift competition ever for that matter. I say stick to the good old Skyline R32 Type M if it's drift you're going for.

Stuffed clutches and other problems with drift cars

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:08:00 +0000

When owning or looking to buy a drift car, there are a bunch of problems you should know and look out for that are common with drift cars. Here are some important things to look out for when to buying your first drift car or what you'll be facing after you drift long and hard with your drift car already.

1. Stuffed Clutch - OK...this takes a no-brainer to understand. The clutch often stuffs up quickly because you'rwe giving it a hammering. Especially if you're in a NA like a "Hachiroku" where you need to clutch-kick the whole waty around a corner to keep it drifting.

2. Worn Diff - Preferrably you'll be using a 2-way mechanical LSD (limited slip diff). They don't break that often but the clutches in them wear out too especially if you drive on the street too. If you're buying a drift car, check the diff by going around some tight turns slowly and listen for any strange clunking noises. and then test it out drifting to see if the diff actually locks up.

3. Stuffed Shocks - Even more so with drift cars, shocks and springs get stuffed quickly. I guess the hard g-forces on them going around corners and switching back. If you're buying a second hand drift car, expect to replace the shocks and springs soon.

4. Bent Axles and Rims - When you go sideways in a half-in-half-out of control drift, you hit stuff. Bent rims and axles are almost a given on drift cars. Get your mate to follow behind as tyou drive to check the wheels as you drive along.

5. Engine Thrashed? - Drifting is easier at redline. That means the drift engines can be toast...or soon to be. Check for blowing white smoke and/or boost leaks. If there the engine is gutless ie. NO-POWER, time for a rebuild.

The car might look tight with a body-kit, rims and lowered "drift agro" stance, but if it won't get you around the track for at least one lap, it's a big heavy paper weight.

Check out your drift car often. Take care of it by keeping up with oil-changes and avoiding hitting stuff like gutters and body-kit-ripping dirt.

Have fun, Drift safe!
Stu

D1 GP Japan 2007 Final Results

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:12:00 +0000

The Japanese D1 Grand Prix Drift Competition ended for 2007 in October with the 7th and final round in the high-speed Fuji Speedway course with Suenaga Masao in the sky-blue RE-Amemiya FD taking out the win for the final round.

The overall D1 Champion for the 2007 D1 GP drift competition was Kawabata Masato in the blue TOYO S15 Silvia.

Second place went to Kumakubo Nobushige in his new Lancer EVO drift machine missing out on first place by just 1 point! Third place went to Suenaga Masao who won the final round 7 in Fuji.

How high-speed is Fuji Speedway? Well most D1 drivers enter the drift at around 170-180 km/h (110 MPH)!

Here are the final point standings for the 2007 D1 GP Japan drift competition.

1 Kawabata Masato 100 pts
2 Kumakubo Nobushige 99 pts
3 Suenaga Masao 92 pts
4 Testuya Tsuyoshi 61 pts
5 Nomura Ken 57 pts
6 Imamura Yoichi 51 pts

That's the end of D1 in Japan until next year. The 2008 D1 GP season looks to be a showcase of even greater talent and excitement.

I bet Kumakubo is feeling a little ripped off about the 1 point margin loss so he'll be coming out all guns blazing and will be attacking the 2008 D1 drift season in his Orange Lancer Evo with a vengeance.

Stay tuned for more D1 drift news coverage in the future.
Stu - www.DriftnJapan.com

Drifting gone wrong - How not to drift

noreply@blogger.com (Stuart S) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:19:00 +0000

Hey Drift Fans, I was just chilling out at Youtube watching some crazy dudes trying to drift. All I can say is..Oh my goodness!

Check out these videos below and learn "how not to drift"! You got to treat your cars better guys - or get a new one that's built for drifting!

This guy wipes out the rear end of his car on a water hydrant - OUCH!

This guy has no idea at all.....trying to drift in a front wheel drive family car. He goes to check his tires to see if they're hot but checks the rear tires!

At around 2:20 on the video, he tries something...I don't know exactly but he pops the front tire off the rim.

There is a common problem with these guys...for one, they are drifting on the street...and second, they have no idea what they are doing, and third, the cars they are trying to drift in are totally not built for drifting.

It pays in the end to go to a proper enclosed drift track and practice there. You're putting your life and other's lives in danger when you drift on the street....not to mention the damage and repair bill of your car.

Have fun and drift safe!

Thanks for reading,
Stu - www.DriftInJapan.com