Trifecta

Hello World!

Automobiles..a simple mode of transportation to get from A to B. Well, that's what most of society views what a car is for anyway. But, to those that view cars as not only a simple mode of transportation, but in a sense, a lifestyle, I present to you: Street Status.

So how can a box with four wheels, an engine, drivetrain, and suspension morph into a lifestyle for gearheads? Have you ever experienced "getting your car ready for a trackday?" If you're chuckling a little bit, then this blog is for you. If you're reliving that shitty moment when you see the sun starting to peek up as you lay under your piece of shit rice rocket (lets be real, at this point you HATE your car), trying to figure out how why the power steering pump you're replacing (which is supposed to be exactly the same as the one you took out), won't simply just bolt back on. You had all week to prepare the car but, somehow, someway it always comes down to the last minute before you have to hop in the car and drive to the track without sleep of any sort and hoping that your car actually makes it to the track. Even the most menial tasks such as a simple oil change, or replacing a broken gasket, or chasing down a leak in your radiator system somehow manages to complicate itself tenfold as the drain bolt for the oil pan gets stripped as you screw it back in, or you end up accidentally ripping the brand new gasket you just got, or you find out the leak in your radiator system is actually due to a faulty water pump. 

But why do we do this? Why don't we give up when the car we just spent all night fixing and "getting ready" shits itself the first lap out? Why do we come back out the next week or month and do it all over again? Why do we devote a good portion of our paychecks towards cars and take risks such as lying to our bosses and taking extra time off from work itself to go race? Why do we get more excited about seeing a unicorn Nissan Skyline BNR34 GTR rolling down the street than a really really hot Asian-Brazilian mixed girl in spandex jogging down the street  (or is that just me)? Some of us stretch ourselves so thin when it comes to cars that it negatively affects the other aspects of our lives either financially, professionally, or in personal relationships. When a car somehow begins to consume your life and dictates the decisions you make, its kind of a problem. But, for those insane people that consider themselves fortunate enough to have even gotten to taste sleep before a race or trackday and don't even eek out a yawn at 6:00am for a two hour drive to the track, that's what true passion is to them.

We live and work for the moment when that feeling of accomplishment comes and we stand back and admire our cars after installing a new part on it. That fresh excitement to go out and drive no matter what time of day or night it is. That adrenaline rush when you're drifting door-to-door with one of your mates or overtaking a Porsche 911 GT3 through the "Cotton Corners" at Buttonwillow Raceway in your janky garage-built 20-year old Nissan. 

For the people that felt guilty spending money on things other than car parts and used car parts as a standard of measurement for how much something is worth, this blog is for you. If you can relate to any of the situations I brought up above, this blog is for you and I welcome you with open arms. However, I haven't even really talked about what kind of things I want to blog about yet. And, you still don't know anything about me.

So to most of my friends I’m known as “the car guy.” When anyone has any issues or questions remotely related to cars, they come to me. Sometimes I feel a bit dejected thinking “cars” is all I’m good for. However, I have come to embrace this notion because hey, I do love cars.

I’ve been building and playing around with toy cars since I was little. I’ve been playing racing simulation games years before I had an actual driver’s license. After earning my driver’s license, I went and bought a Nissan 240SX drift car and taught myself how to drive stick as well as learned how to drift in the parking lot of my parent’s workplace. Soon after that, I entered myself into drifting competitions throughout the Southwest in Arizona, Utah, Las Vegas, and Long Beach and eventually became one of the youngest professional-amateur drift drivers in the history of the motorsport. When it came time to step up and into the professional realm at the Redbull World Drifting Championships in 2008, I choked. I threw my beloved little Nissan backwards into a concrete barrier at speed effectively totaling my vehicle and all hopes of earning a professional drifting license through Formula Drift.

My Nissan 240SX(S14) at Redbull World Drifting Championships

So why is a dejected, bitter, and washed-up pro-am driver writing a car blog? What authority or voice do I actually have in the sport-compact-car world? Even though I failed at joining the professional ranks, I have tremendous love for the sport of drifting still and I cannot deny that those years spent traveling, drifting at different tracks, meeting all the people, and just driving with good friends were still the best years of my life. I don’t want to focus this whole blog on drifting though, although it is kind of hard to not talk about it since drifting is most certainly the biggest motorsport currently trending in motorsports and especially in the sport-compact car world.

I’d like to talk about critical issues within the car world from many perspectives. Ethical issues can be discussed by talking about the biases that certain judges have in drifting since drifting is a subjective motorsport and all the power lies in the hands of three judges. Legislative issues can also be discussed such as the legality of importation of certain vehicles such as the Nissan Skyline or police profiling of modified vehicles. I love car culture and mostly everything to do with it. However, I too have my own biases which I won’t be afraid to show through this blog. I do not necessarily agree with the “American-way” of tuning and modifying vehicles. I have no doubt that the American way is moving the industry and sport technologically forward but, I like the Japanese philosophy much better and I will try to show the differences.

Like I’ve said throughout, I love cars. My free time is mostly spent on browsing through car blogs, or working on friend’s cars, or modifying and fixing my own cars, or just bullshitting with car buds outside in a parking lot until the sun comes up. But within cars, there’s also a lot of shit that pisses me off and I’d like to bring those issues up to the surface.

I hope you enjoyed my first post and welcome to Street Status.

Profile Post: Christopherhib

There aren't many automotive enthusiasts in the blog-o-sphere that continually post up their own written content about cars. Most blogs just circulate pictures or videos around. I was pleased to find a user who goes by "Christopherhib" through StumbleUpon who not only stumbles much of the same content I am interested in but who also has his own separate blog. Christopherhib hosts his own blog at http://carsandcoolstuff.com.

Chris is a master at utilizing social media to spread awareness of his own website as well as contributing to other blogs and engaging in discussion with other Stumblers. He classifies himself as an enthusiast and passionate lover of Japanese performance cars. Chris posts new content pretty regularly (around 2-3 posts a week) to keep his followers and advertisers happy. The subjects of his postings are about cars obviously but are quite informative as he has his own project car which is a Volvo 340DL that he is converting into a drift car. He documents the status of his drift car build and as car lovers, we love drooling and ogling over what others are doing with their cars in hopes that their progress will spur us on and continue motivating us to complete our own seemingly never-ending car builds. Chris has done his homework and utilizes his blog effectively even garnering a couple advertisers and sponsors. His blog receives anywhere from 110 to 550 new people a day which translates to an average of 800+ views a week and 1700-5600 views a month.

Chris' blog is more of an informative blog rather than a blog that creates discussion and talks about issues within the tuning car industry. He features cars that he sees at car shows and also helps out his friends by showcasing their cars as well. He also provides great resources through his website such as page full of websites/blogs he constantly frequents. Since he is in the UK, I now have a plethora of drifting and Japanese car tuning resources and content to browse through to learn more about how the tuning culture is like in the UK.

My blog differs from Chris' in that it is not primarily focused on technical articles, event coverage, or car features. The purpose of my blog is to share my opinion in regards to the state of the tuning industry and to create more dialogue about key issues that have reared its head throughout recent years. I guess his blog won't really piss anyone off but it may turn off people who do not necessarily have a burning passion for tuning Volvos. On the plus side, his articles are still about cars and the articles he provides are in a way still universal. For example, this article regarding rust repair can be easily applicable to any car:
http://carsandcoolstuff.com/2011/07/finishing-your-rust-repair-and-getting-it-right/

His coverage of motorsporting events in the UK highlight many different types of vehicles and are media heavy providing lots of eye-candy that will appease any gearhead subscribed to the disciplines of drifting, time-attack, or even rally:
http://carsandcoolstuff.com/2011/05/japfest-2011-at-castle-combe-race-circuit-show-report/

Please give christopherhib's StumbleUpon as well as personal website a viewing as he offers a ton of great resources and has great tastes if you're into Japanese tuning and drifting. He has plenty of knowledge about the state of tuning not only in the UK but globally as well. I thoroughly enjoyed everything he has shared through StumbleUpon and I can consider him my quintessential social bookmarking soulmate.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/christopherhib/likes
http://carsandcoolstuff.com/

Voice Post

Car bloggers think they're really cool but, they're really not. There are thousands of blogs about cars, specifically Japanese-tuned cars however, most of them just consist of pictures or witty one-liners, or videos that have been circulating around. With these type of blogs, its hard to discern a "voice" behind the posts as the blogger does not really give an opinion on a particular subject but rather conforms and reblogs other pictures that have been circulating around the web, or teases their subscribers with progress pictures of their own rides. When I stumbled upon JDMphasis, I was pleased to find that he blogged quite regularly and had very strong opinions on his take of what has been taking place within the industry.

JDMphasis's tagline is this: 


"To select automotive enthusiasts "JDM" is more than just an acronym for the Japanese Domestic Market. JDM is not simply rare parts. It is a way of life. A culture. A modus vivendi. JDM is a lifestyle."

"A modus vivendi" ay? I have never heard of that phrase before and especially not when it concerns cars. I had to look up "a modus vivendi" and found out that it essentially means: agree to disagree. From his tagline itself I can already gather that the blogger himself knows that people are not going to like what he has to say but, he's still going to say it anyway. He understands that Japanese automotive enthusiasts subscribe to many different ways in modifying their vehicles. I can tell that he is not only a knowledgeable enthusiast but he also understands positive and negative aspects of the Japanese tuning car culture.

In a post titled "Unoriginal. Unimaginative. Unworthy. Unacceptable." published on March 11, 2013, the blogger starts off by quoting the 19th-century health-conscious undertaker William Banting, "Yet the evil still increased, and, like the parasite of barnacles on a ship, if it did not destroy the structure, it obstructed its fair, comfortable progress in the path of life." The post went on to bash a knockoff wheel company for replicating the brand new lightweight GT racing wheel produced by Japanese wheel manufacturer: Yokohama Advan. But hold up, did he just tie in a historical figure from the 19th-century and relate it to a tuner wheel?! What?! This guy is blowing minds here.

He has great respect for the industry and the amazing parts and development that stems from the legit producers from Japan. However, it is because of this high respect for the Japanese tuning gods that he also looks down upon those and berates those that do not worship the brands of HKS, Trust, Tomei, and the like. From reading his posts, there is an air of superiority and slight haughtiness that surrounds them that is uncommon in the automotive world. But it is also quote refreshing and I find his posts quite entertaining to read.

The author of JDMphasis is fully capable of writing in elevated prose throwing many rhetorical questions out and really showcasing his writing prowess. However, he also takes the time to dumb it down and to really synthesize what he is trying to get at.

For example in his post titled "Disillusioned" published on February 20, 2013. He goes on a tirade about how Nissan USA featured a car on their Facebook paged that was dressed up in replica aero parts. 

"These wheel companies, rightfully so, take umbrage to companies stealing their designs, and they find it necessary to warn potential customers of the phonies and counterfeits permeating the marketplace. As stated above, I embrace these caveat emptor bulletins."

Words like "umbrage" and "caveat emptor" are not words that I come across everyday nor expect to find in a car blog for that matter. It is kind of taboo that to see such topics regarding wheels, exhausts, drift cars, and things along the lines of that surrounded by heightened diction that comes from a well-educated adult. Its a breath of fresh air to see actual dialogue taking place regarding these issues instead of reading the posts of a 17 year-old kid trolling Zilvia.com behind his keyboard and computer screen typing "moar low" or posting about how his brand new XXR wheels are legit as f*ck. 

"The aspect of this I find a bit ironic and, bluntly, hypocritical, is that some of these legitimate wheel companies have no problem featuring vehicles that are sporting their wheels, but are clad in replica aero. We see it all the time. Their brochures are printed with these cars, their websites are full of them, and their fan pages broadcast them daily. Frankly, I don’t get it. Is there no kinship between pioneering companies? Is there no fraternity? No alliance or partnership? No common support for originality and authenticity? I have written about this before (JDMphasis: Authentic Alliance?) and some surely label me obtuse or naïve, but is business that cutthroat that companies have the gall to denounce only the replica companies that steal their designs, and not those other hack companies cashing in on the fruit of other legitimate companies’ labor? Not only do they not denounce them, they feature them! They reward them. Where is the defense of authenticity? Where is the love and loyalty to the culture from which they were born? Is that not from where everything in the aftermarket scene stems? Would these companies have success if it weren’t for enthusiasts like you and me? Have they forgotten what this is all about?"

The blogger is not only angry at the knockoff companies but also at the legit companies as well! He is angry at everyone! He does have a point though. Companies are just watching out for themselves. However, if companies only featured cars that were 100% legit with no corners cut, there wouldn't really be much out there. 

"Let me put it another way… Nissan is showcasing a car tattooed with a replica company’s logo on a fake Amuse front bumper. We are all aware that Nismo is the performance division of Nissan. Like many other parts from many other JDM companies, many of the Nismo aero parts designs have been stolen and replicated. Thus, Nismo has suffered at the hand of replica companies. That said, do we think Nissan would be willing to showcase a Z33 on their Facebook page that wears a big decal advertising a replica company on a bumper that looks identical to the popular Nismo V2 front bumper? Perhaps the same company whose name is resting comfortably on that fake Amuse front bumper on the Z they just broadcasted to over 1,000,000 people on Facebook? This same replica company has profited from the theft of quite a few Nismo aero designs. Just visit their website and you’ll see for yourself. Is this not an overwhelmingly transparent and ironic conflict of interest?

Why? Am I missing something? Nothing surprises me anymore..."

That last line, "Nothing surprises me anymore..." After reading that line, I feel like I have just disappointed or disrespected my parents. The blogger is clearly disappointed and feels let down by the industry. In a sense, he has lost hope in even some of the companies he supports. We as car enthusiasts empathize with him. Flustered and angered about these events, he conveys to the audience that he is simply..disappointed. JDMphasis writes like he is the parental figure of the automotive industry. He knows what he wants for his kids and tries to set them on the correct path and to do everything properly. However, the kids have a mind of their own and think that their own method of car tuning is correct and cut corners in the process. His posts serve as lectures and punishments to the kids of the tuning industry.

What I like about this blogger is that he doesn't only bash knockoff companies without reason. He clearly articulates his arguments and argues his point of views with logic, examples, and backup. He may have a slightly elitist point of view but, he is looking out for the industry as well as car enthusiasts and tries to cover all bases in an attempt to educate the masses on the harm that knockoff companies present to the tuning industry. He isn't just spouting nonsense and the way he conducts his posts exudes maturity and understanding. He understands why people buy knockoffs and why people buy legit. Through his experiences and expertise he hopes to nudge the knockoff crowd towards going legit so he can see his ideal JDM tuning world come to fruition. 

http://jdmphasis.blogspot.com

Voice Post - JDMphasis

It was actually kind of difficult to find a blogger that actually expressed their feelings about the sport compact car culture in a blog format. Sure, there are many people on forums giving their 2 cents about the current state of the tuning world but, they never really go that in-depth and you can tell they are also holding themselves back still from what they truly want to say. There are thousands of blogs about cars, specifically Japanese-tuned cars however, most of them just consist of pictures or witty one-liners, or videos that have been circulating around. When I stumbled upon JDMphasis, I was pleased to find that he blogged quite regularly and had very strong opinions on his take of what has been taking place within the industry.


JDMphasis's tagline is this: 
"To select automotive enthusiasts "JDM" is more than just an acronym for the Japanese Domestic Market. JDM is not simply rare parts. It is a way of life. A culture. A modus vivendi. JDM is a lifestyle."
Just from his tagline, I can tell that he is not only a knowledgeable enthusiast but he also understands positive and negative aspects of the Japanese tuning car culture. He has great respect for the industry and the amazing parts and development that stems from the legit producers from Japan. However, it is because of this high respect for the Japanese tuning gods that he also looks down upon those and berates those that do not worship the brands of HKS, Trust, Tomei, and the like. From reading his posts, there is an air of superiority and slight haughtiness that surrounds them that is uncommon in the automotive world. But it is also quote refreshing and I find his posts quite entertaining to read.
His post titled: "Unoriginal. Unimaginative. Unworthy. Unacceptable." Published on March 11, 2013 starts off by quoting the 19th century health-conscious undertaker William Banting, "Yet the evil still increased, and, like the parasite of barnacles on a ship, if it did not destroy the structure, it obstructed its fair, comfortable progress in the path of life."
When was the last time you saw somebody tie in a quote from literature or history to relate back to Japanese rice rockets? The blogger used this quote to comment on companies in China and Taiwan knocking off the brand new lightweight racing wheel produced by Yokohama Advan, the GT:

These companies that are knocking off legit wheels are "parasites" to the industry and do nothing but slow it down.

The author of JDMphasis is fully capable of writing in elevated prose throwing many rhetorical questions out and really showcasing his writing prowess. However, he also takes the time to dumb it down and to really synthesize what he is trying to get at.

For example in his post titled "Disillusioned" published on February 20, 2013. He goes on a tirade about how Nissan USA featured a car on their Facebook paged that was dressed up in replica aero parts. 

"These wheel companies, rightfully so, take umbrage to companies stealing their designs, and they find it necessary to warn potential customers of the phonies and counterfeits permeating the marketplace. As stated above, I embrace these caveat emptor bulletins."

"The aspect of this I find a bit ironic and, bluntly, hypocritical, is that some of these legitimate wheel companies have no problem featuring vehicles that are sporting their wheels, but are clad in replica aero. We see it all the time. Their brochures are printed with these cars, their websites are full of them, and their fan pages broadcast them daily. Frankly, I don’t get it. Is there no kinship between pioneering companies? Is there no fraternity? No alliance or partnership? No common support for originality and authenticity? I have written about this before (JDMphasis: Authentic Alliance?) and some surely label me obtuse or naïve, but is business that cutthroat that companies have the gall to denounce only the replica companies that steal their designs, and not those other hack companies cashing in on the fruit of other legitimate companies’ labor? Not only do they not denounce them, they feature them! They reward them. Where is the defense of authenticity? Where is the love and loyalty to the culture from which they were born? Is that not from where everything in the aftermarket scene stems? Would these companies have success if it weren’t for enthusiasts like you and me? Have they forgotten what this is all about?"

The blogger is not only angry at the knockoff companies but also at the legit companies as well! He is angry at everyone! He does have a point though. Companies are just watching out for themselves. However, if companies only featured cars that were 100% legit with no corners cut, there wouldn't really be much out there. 

"Let me put it another way… Nissan is showcasing a car tattooed with a replica company’s logo on a fake Amuse front bumper. We are all aware that Nismo is the performance division of Nissan. Like many other parts from many other JDM companies, many of the Nismo aero parts designs have been stolen and replicated. Thus, Nismo has suffered at the hand of replica companies. That said, do we think Nissan would be willing to showcase a Z33 on their Facebook page that wears a big decal advertising a replica company on a bumper that looks identical to the popular Nismo V2 front bumper? Perhaps the same company whose name is resting comfortably on that fake Amuse front bumper on the Z they just broadcasted to over 1,000,000 people on Facebook? This same replica company has profited from the theft of quite a few Nismo aero designs. Just visit their website and you’ll see for yourself. Is this not an overwhelmingly transparent and ironic conflict of interest?

Why? Am I missing something? Nothing surprises me anymore..."

So in the end he breaks it down and tries to make the situation more relatable to everyone. He is obviously flustered and angered about these events. However, he wants to educate the masses in hopes to spread awareness and prevent situations like these from arising and becoming even more common. 

JDMphasis may have a slightly elitist point of view but, he is looking out for the industry and tries to cover all bases in an attempt to educate the masses on the harm that knockoff companies present to the aftermarket industry. He clearly articulates and argues his point of views with logic, examples, and backup. He isn't just spouting nonsense and the way he conducts his posts exudes maturity and understanding. He understands why people buy knockoffs and why people buy legit. Through his experiences and expertise he hopes to nudge the knockoff crowd towards going legit so he can see his ideal JDM tuning world come to fruition. 

http://jdmphasis.blogspot.com/

Blogger Profile: christopherhib

So while I was derping around on StumbleUpon I...stumbled upon (heh heh heh) a user who goes by christopherhib (http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/christopherhib/likes). According to his profile he is a "passionate car person" and loves all things automotive, which is pretty damn aligned with what my interests are. He resides in the UK and the majority of the topics he has "stumbled" and bookmarked are categorized in Cars, Car Parts, and Motor Sports. He follows other categories as well such as Television, Sports, and Forums but even in these categories, the articles and websites he has saved are related with cars, specifically Japanese cars, tuning, and drifting.

I can almost seamlessly and endlessly scroll through all of the pages and articles he has bookmarked which I found out totals up to 400+. He also contributes heavily in discussion with over 200 comments and follows 33 other people. I also learned that he has created his own website (http://carsandcoolstuff.com) which highlights some of the articles he has bookmarked and he also provides event coverage for the drifting and motorsports events he attends. Unfortunately, through StumbleUpon I could not gather what he tagged his "likes" as and how active he is when favoriting but judging from his comments, he is quite active.

He also provides great resources through his website such a page full of websites/blogs he constantly frequents. Since he is in the UK, I now have a plethora of drifting and Japanese car tuning resources and content to browse through to learn more about how the tuning culture is like in the UK. Previously, my knowledge about drifting and the automotive tuning culture stemmed from the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Its great to see that there is an extremely strong culture in the UK as well. http://www.driftbloggers.com/ is kind like the UK counterpart of Wrecked Magazine albeit less dramatic. I also learned that there is new movement and style of building drift cars called "tramp drift" that showcases damaged and battle-scarred drift cars. I guess thats kinds of like the missle car movement here in the states and Japan. Give a looksee into http://rat-look.com/ if interested.

Please give christopherhib's StumbleUpon as well as personal website a viewing as he offers a ton of great resources and has great tastes if you're into Japanese tuning and drifting. He has plenty of knowledge about the state of tuning not only in the UK but globally as well. I thoroughly enjoyed everything he has shared through StumbleUpon and I can consider him my quintessential social bookmarking soulmate.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/christopherhib/likes
http://carsandcoolstuff.com/

Drifting: Large Displacement (V8) or Small Displacement Turbo

I think its time to discuss the heated V8 vs Turbo debate as it applies to drifting.

Drifting started off in Japan nearly 25 years ago and the cars that were commonly used to drift were the Mazda RX-7, Toyota AE86 Corolla, and Nissan Silvias and 180SX's. Pretty much anything rear-wheel-drive would do. The engines that powered these cars were small displacement 4-cylinder engines or in the case of RX-7, a 1.3 liter rotary engine. Over time some of these engines became turbocharged which gave them a bit more horsepower and of course the aftermarket developed many many parts for these cars, platforms, and engines.

In Japan today, the drift scene is still primarily powered by turbocharged small displacement and medium displacement engines. The Toyota six cylinder 1JZ-GTE and 2JZ-GTE engine is especially popular nowadays as well due to more people switching over to big 4 door saloons such as the Toyota Chaser or Nissan Laurel to drift in.

Toyota JZX100 Chaser

Drifting came to America in 2003 with the first D1 Grand Prix USA (D1GP) event held at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California. D1GP is Japan's premier drifting series and when they threw their first event stateside, it kickstarted drifting for the rest of America. The US started very similarly to Japan with the Mazdas and the Nissans being the weapons of choice to drift in. However, the US-spec cars got the shaft in terms of their engines which were far less superior than the engines of their Japanese counterparts. Everyone started importing over the venerable Nissan turbocharged SR20DET motor from Japan to swap out their lowly US-spec KA24DE truck engines. So for a few years, most American drifters were using turbochargers to amp up their engines and to stay competitive. However, America being America, the V8's started to invade.

People started throwing Chevy LS V8 engines into their small Japanese drift cars. It wasn't all that uncommon anymore to pop the hood open on a Mazda RX-7 and see a LS6 motor out of a Z06 Corvette staring back at you.

1993 Mazda RX-7 with Corvette LS6 engine shoehorned in

So why the decision to go V8 other than 'MURICAAA? Well it kinda makes sense in a way. There are so many V8-powered cars in America. You can take a V8 out of a Camaro, Corvette, Mustang, even some SUV's. The abundance of these cars means that they are cheap! In addition, V8's are reliable and provide gobs of power and torque in almost any RPM range which makes them great for drifting. In drifting, reliability is key and having enough horsepower and torque to keep the rear wheels spinning is always a plus. A V8 provides both attributes at a reasonable cost.

These days, finding a good and unabused Japanese motor is hard. Good SR20DET motors are getting more and more expensive and becoming increasingly harder to find. In addition, making an SR20DET motor produce over 350 horsepowers reliably also adds up to be quite expensive. A standard SR20DET motor will probably fetch around $3000 these days and will require an additional $3000 in parts to make the motor perform in the 350-400 horsepower range. So $6000 versus buying a Chevy LS V8 for $2000 and maybe an additional $1000 in fabrication, parts and electronics to make the engine fit.

Clean example of a well sorted out turbocharged SR20DET motor in a Nissan 180SX

Out of the box, a LS1 V8 engine will put out around 345 horsepowers and around 350 foot pounds of torque. You add in a big cam with supporting engine mods which can be easily had with the plethora of aftermarket support for V8 engines here in America, and you can push that motor to well past 500 horsepowers reliably for not too much money.

A Chevy LS7 V8 motor into a Nissan 240SX

So a V8 engine is cheaper, easier to make power on, more reliable, and doesn't really weigh that much more than a small displacement turbocharged engine. So it all makes sense right? Its a win win?

I believe that V8 engines do make sense. However, they kind of disgust me. I do understand the need to be competitive. More than half of the field of drivers that compete in Formula Drift (the premier professional drifting body in the US) use V8's. However, I feel that its changing the soul and character of drifting. Drifting is supposed to be about a car always just charging, with the engine ragged out being at like 110%, bouncing off the rev-limiter and just going apeshit. However, with a V8 engine, that is lost. You can peter around at 3000 RPM's and still spin the tires with a V8. It's boring. I also think that it makes things too easy. Having that torque and power always readily available is a great thing, however it also limits driving potential.

A driver that has learned how to drift with a low-powered car has had to learn many different techniques in order to keep a car sideways and in drift since they could not rely on the engine alone to do all the work. On the flip side, a driver who has learned how to drift with a V8 has always had the luxury of having power and torque to rely on to keep a car sideways. They don't need to clutch-kick mid-corner to keep the RPM's up or the turbo spooled. They don't need to learn how to utilize the e-brake to extend a drift out while clutching in and feathering the gas to keep the revs up so when they drop the e-brake again, they are still within the engine's powerband. With a V8, you just push the gas and go.

A V8 simply isn't exciting to me. Drifting is supposed to be intense. It's not supposed to be a walk in the park. Hearing the low growl of a V8 motor is not as intense as hearing a high-strung 2JZ-GTE  bouncing off the rev-limiter with an externally gated Garret GTX4249R Turbo at full boost.

Here's the sound that Daigo Saito's Toyota JZX100 Chaser makes for reference:

Here's the sound that Matt Power's V8 LS7-powered Nissan 240SX makes:

I mean its all personal preference I guess. You can say I'm a purist in some regards. I guess I'm just a nostalgic. I like keeping things Japanese-style. Like I said before, going V8 makes complete sense to stay competitive. It's not the ONLY way to be competitive though as many people seem to make it out to be. Even when showing up to amateur / grassroots level drift competitions nowadays, and listening to the sounds of all the cars being fired up in the pits and noticing the guttural sound of V8's droning out over half of the field.. it's kind of depressing. 

Images courtesy of:

http://www.motormavens.com

http://www.engineeredtoslide.com
http://www.speedhunters.com
http://www.noriyaro.com

Replica / Knockoff vs. Legit Parts

One of the major issues that has rocked the sport-compact-car industry that many deem to have "plagued" the market is the issue of replica versus legit parts. Simply taking a quick scroll through the classifieds section of most car forums easily reveals this issue. Many threads are titled "BlahBlahBlah-STYLED Front Bumper for Sale" or "BlahBlahBlah-LOOK Wheels for Sale" or "Replica this" Replica that" etc. The parts market has become inundated with knockoff and replica parts.

So piggybacking on my post from last week I mentioned that people should modify their cars the way they want to and in a fashion that pleases them. If buying fake parts pleases them and gets their car to where they want it to be then so be it. However, I want to present the ramifications and the background to their actions. I also want to explore the mentality behind those that would purchase replica and legit parts.

Legit Parts

Some notable manufacturers within the Japanese sport-compact-car tuning industry are Volk / Rays, HKS, Trust/GReddy, Apex'i, CUSCO, NISMO, BN Sports, etc. These companies put forth enormous amounts of resources into R&D to develop parts for our beloved cars that function well, look good, and maintain a high standard of quality. Obviously, all of this comes at a price and these manufacturers charge premiums for their goods. Lately, there has been an increase in the price of products from these manufacturers as well as a decrease in the amount of new products being released and exported. So why is this?

Replica / Fake Parts

In recent years, there has been a flurry of new companies that have quickly risen to the top and in a sense have become "household names" within the tuning industry. Companies such as ROTA Wheels, Rexpeed, Varrstoen, Extreme Dimensions, XXR, Chaser Aero, and Shine Auto have made names for themselves by knocking off and replicating parts from the major Japanese manufacturers listed (Volk, HKS, etc). These companies turn out the same looking parts at a fraction of the cost. Of course this means that the quality of these products are not as high as the originals but, tuners are tuners so they will modify the product accordingly to fit their vehicles. So why are these companies sooo successful? Who keeps fueling their fire and success?

The state of the car tuning culture has shifted. Gone are the days of actually modifying a vehicle to go fast. A quote by Mike Kojima, a leading authority and valued member of the tuning community sums it up perfectly, "Kids these days are into cool cars, they don't care anymore about fast cars." So if a set of Volk TE37SL wheels are $3200 brand new and require a 6 month wait to receive them.. and a set of Varrstoen 2.2.1 wheels are $900 brand new and are readily able to be shipped to your door within a week, which would the "kids these days" most likely choose? The Varrstoens most likely. Kids these days don't need wheels which were made using advanced forging processes and developed throughout the years to achieve the strongest and lightest wheel possible. They make do with a wheel made with cheaper casting processes that may be a bit heavier but look the part and be just strong enough to handle street duties.

 Volk TE37SL Wheel

Varrstoen 2.2.1 Wheel

I said that in my previous post that people should modify their vehicles to their liking and for themselves. However, due to the growth of social media as well as online publications, it seems as if many of these "kids of today" modify their vehicles in a fashion that will get them "e-famous" in the quickness. They will buy the fake body kits, the fake wheels, and do whatever it takes to get their car looking proper, cool, and accepted by the masses on the internet. There are so many cars that have been tuned in the same cookie cutter style posted on the internet. Most of the time these cars are rocking knockoff wheels such as Rota's with replica body kits styled to look like the likes of BN Sports or Vertex and slammed down to the ground with budget coilover suspensions for that Hellaflush look. I mean ya it looks awesome but, what does it really say about the person who built the car? Did they really build that car for them or just to gain acceptance of the internet car community? Can we say that these "kids of today" are still car enthusiasts? Car enthusiasts should want the best for their cars right? So why settle for less? The thing is, the market is so saturated with these sub-par and knockoff parts that having these parts on a vehicle nowadays is actually accepted.

Another reason that people buy knockoffs can be tied into motorsport. Many good drivers and racers in professional competition are sponsored by these companies that produce knockoffs as well. In competition, the part that gets broken most often from rubbing other cars or walls are body panels and companies that make knockoff body panels are making a fortune because those in the motorsport world may opt for replica body panels because most likely they will be damaged when racing and also cheaper to replace than continuously buying legit ones and worrying that they will be damaged.

So what are the legit manufacturers in Japan doing about this issue? It will be naive to say that the big companies haven't been affected by the knockoffs. They will still stick around since they already have that reputation and name surrounding them and those that want quality and legit parts, will still seek out their products. However, the issue is with the smaller boutique tuning shops that used to produce all these cool parts for cars. They are now afraid to produce in fear that their product will just quickly be replicated by somebody with a factory connection in China looking to capitalize. And the thing is, the better the product is, the more likely it will be copied.

By purchasing knock-off parts it is a direct slap in the face to the original makers of the product as the knockoff company is purely trying to profit from the originator. No R&D has gone into the product the knockoff company produces as its already been done. But its not like the knockoff company is paying any royalties to the original company either. Some people as well as some companies argue that these knockoff companies are actually helping the industry by making products that are in high demand more affordable for those wanting to get into car tuning. However, if they think they are actually helping the industry, why don't they try to design some affordable products of their own? Why do they have to resort to completely ripping off the design and hard work of others?

So what is my personal stance on this issue? I'm going to be the first to admit that I currently do have knockoff parts on my cars. I have a Varis-styled carbon trunk lip made by Rexpeed on my Evo and on my drift car I had no problems buying a BN Sports styled body kit from Chaser Aero. I believe that legit parts should be run on aspects of the vehicle that are vital toward performance and safety. I would not run knockoff wheels because I am concerned about their durability and strength. I don't want a wheel to crack driving through the treacherous pothole-riddled roads of Los Angeles. I would not run a cheap and knockoff turbo kit because I don't want it to freakin explode under high boost. I am more than willing to pay more money for the quality and peace of mind that legit parts offer on areas of the vehicle that affect driveability and performance. I'm OK with running knockoff body kits and aesthetics though because chances are I will probably blow up the body kit when I tap a haybale at the track or smash into a cone or if someone else hits me.

Many of my friends run wheels by Varrstoen and ROTA and I don't criticize their decisions. Their cars look good, and we have fun. I can't tell them what to do with their money and with the money they saved from buying the affordable wheels, they spread it out and improved other aspects of their cars.

I guess I'm a bit hypocritical in some regards but, I would like to see the companies that started from knocking off others to begin to produce their own parts. If they have the capability of producing products at such a large scale, why can't they tweak and design something of their own? I want to see the Japanese tuning houses once again start producing more parts for our cars without the fear of being blatantly ripped off.

Form vs. Function

Over the past 2-3 years, a new trend in the automotive enthusiast community has developed. The "hellaflush" movement has swept the community in a frenzy. The easiest way to explain hellaflush would be.. well through a picture.

Behold my good friend Shavi's Mazda Mazdaspeed 3

Notice how the wheels are as close as they can possibly be to the arches of the fenders? Thats "hellaflush." When the wheels are "flush" with the fenders.

So why do this? Well why the fuck not? It looks absolutely badass. When people first encounter these hellaflush-themed cars and after the awe-factor wears out and people pick their jaws up off the ground, they usually follow up with the question, "How the hell do you drive around?" 

Well, here is where the issue lies. The hellaflush movement since the very beginning has received a ton of flack because many feel that by lowering a car to such a degree in order to achieve the hellaflush look, the car loses its purpose and all of its functionality. Lowering a car to such dramatic levels causes a car to handle much worse than stock as the suspension geometry is thrown completely out of wack. In addition, driving so low puts the vehicle's oilpan as well as other vital components dangerously close to the ground. To put it in perspective, Shavi has to time his lane changes because his car is so low that it hits the orange reflectors that separate the lanes. And his car has fell victim to a busted oilpan many times over.. I know because I had to help him fix it once, but anyways, back to the debate; form versus function.

So with hellaflush clearly being the formalist side as the car is built for purely aesthetics, let's move onto function. I like to consider the functionalists more traditional or "purist" when it comes to building cars. Functionalists build their cars to function.. I know this sounds obvious but in other words, they would never modify the car in any way that would decrease its performance capabilities. To functionalists, a car must do its job and the best way to modify a car is to install parts on it and to tune it to help perform its jobs and duties better. Pure performance is the goal and performance must be realized in any situation whether on the street or the racetrack. 

Functionalists being the purists claim that when people buy high performance vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution for example and then slam the "Evo" straight to the ground, that it defeats the purpose of owning that vehicle. That all the "high-performance" characteristics are no longer usable. This is quite true but, it is up to the owner on how they should modify their own vehicle. People have different purposes for their cars and buy cars for different reasons. They shouldn't be put down because of how they choose to modify and build off of their vehicles. I know it seems like I'm bagging on the functionalists hardcore but formalists rag on the functionalists pretty hard too. Functional cars typically in terms of ride height are higher than hellaflush cars and may not look as "cool" since nowadays the trend is that the lower a car is, the cooler. So formalists always poke fun at functional cars and their owners by saying that they are too high and ugly and that they need "moar low." But, the ride height on functional cars isn't set based on aesthetics, its rather for proper suspension geometry and for better cornering abilities.

The definition of an automobile from dictionary.com is: "a passenger vehicle designed for operation on ordinary roads and typically having four wheels and a gasoline or diesel internal-combustion engine." As car-enthusiasts, I don't think we should go at each others throats defining what the definition and meaning of a car is. From my understanding, a hellaflush car is still a car because it still has four wheels, can operate on ordinary roads..ish and has an engine. It is no less of a car because of how someone chose to build their car. And a functional car is still a car also going along the lines of that logic. We shouldn't define for each other what our cars should be.

I'm not going to choose sides in this debate of form vs. function, this isn't what this blog post is about. If you're looking for that, go to any car enthusiast form and there will for sure be a debate about this issue with people getting heated about which side they support. But, this is the beauty of it all. Dialogue like this SHOULD exist for the community because when it comes down to it, we are ALL car enthusiasts. We are PASSIONATE about our cars and with passion comes opinions and those opinions shouldn't be stifled. However, as a community we SHOULD become more open-minded and accept people's viewpoints and actions regarding what they do to their own vehicles.

As car enthusiasts, we build our cars to our own liking. Well, at least that's how I feel. People need to have more fun with their cars. That doesn't necessarily mean they need to drive their cars more, it just means that they need to justify their own definition of "fun." They need to build their cars for themselves. At the end of the day, there is nothing more rewarding than stepping back a few feet and just admiring the work you've put into your own vehicle. That sense of pride, accomplishment, fulfillment, and passion. It doesn't matter what you do to your car. Whether you slam it down to the ground, or you have it setup perfectly to tackle the race tracks, you need to feel that happiness and pride for cars. That feeling is what makes us car enthusiasts.

I remember watching an interview of professional Formula Drift driver Ross Petty a couple years back as he was elaborating on a new Nissan Silvia S15 drift car he had just built for competition. He mentioned that all the competitors in the drift series have been building super competitive drift cars by stripping everything out of their cars effectively lightening them and pretty much building them to function and perform at the best of their abilities. However, with his new car that he just built, he went against the grain. "I left all my interior inside, the car still has an audio system, air conditioning, everything, its pretty much a street car. Its heavier than my old car for sure. I don't know why, but this just feels better," Petty said. 

Ross Petty Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhnz-USfArE