20b Power

There have been many 20b conversions into FD Rx7s over the past years with some being more successful than others. My own experience was with a freinds 1994 Fd3s and the addition of the 20b Cosmo powerplant, first in stock form and then in rebuilt form with a single turbo replacement. From the outside this car looked stock and other than the YRX20b number plate you would suspect nothing.

The stock Cosmo engine is no slouch and the huge torque combined with the low weight of the Fd was truely enough for a road car. 400 horse power with stock turbos is easily achievable once the exhaust and computer are replaced. However after some massive knocking caused by lack of fuel and bad management from a "link" computer, an apex seal somehow found its way from the engine through the turbo.

A successful rebuild and the addition of a Garret t04E Single with all the accessories needed to achieve 650+hp, transformed an already quick car into an absolute monster. It was a task that only took money and a bit of knowhow provided by Canberra's Jakes Performance. Fuel supply at this level of horse power is your only real worry so Rochesters 1000cc injectors, malpasi fuel pres reg, microtech MTX 12 Engine Management Computer and a Bosch 040 in tank pump capable of 600hp (probably needed bigger) provided a healthy power of 320kw at the rear wheels. This was achieved on only 11psi...! The Lazy cosmo plant was waiting for more so there was still a huge opportunity for outright power. ( if you need it )

The only real issue is the extra weight in the front which can cause bump steer if the crossmember is not modified correctly. But then there's getting 650Hp to the ground through the rear... It is a task even Pirreli PZero can't cope with. S-Tyres or Street Slicks please!

Seeing this beast blast past track spec Porsche 911 tubos on track is a smile evoking experience.
If you ever get the chance to ride in one of these ... Don't say no.

Russ.

Tsukuba Circuit

Tsukuba Circuit is the bench mark of Japan. Buy GT4 for the Playstation2 and check it out. This is where any lap time compared among the Japanese tuning community will immediately give you an idea of a cars true performance and gain respect. For an Fd with around 400hp and well tuned suspension and S-tyres you would be looking at around the 59 second range if you install a professional driver thats lapped Tsukuba about 1000000 times. For the rest of who pull up and hack out a few laps. We may use these as our ultimate goals but will never really get close.

Here is a sample reference of real FD reference times at Tsukuba. Many of these have been set with low fuel limits and qualifying tyres.

The best of the all out race cars is the Pan Speed 2006 Time Attack Fd 56"800 closely followed by the Re-Amemiya 2002 Time Attack Fd at 56"863. The R-Magic Pinky 4 Fd hit 57" but is aiming for the 55 second range. Feast regularly attend and got their blue GT Fd into the 58"s
For the road cars, the Fujita single turbo Fd sits near the top with a recent 59"352. Many of RE-Amemiya cars also sit in this range from 59" - 1'01". The T78 equipped Greddy G9 hit 1'01" flat in 2002. The Revolution boost-up Fd recently logged a 1'01"375 so its all pretty close and whether you have 450hp or 350hp there are many factors affecting times.

Off the Shelf from mazda 2002 Mazdaspeed BSpec FD 1'07" without S-Tyres. Still pretty impressive. Slight boost up, shocks and and S-tyres should yeild around 1'04" and add a full GT wing and body kit should get you in the 1'03 region. Add some more serious boost brings you 1'01' and from there it gets seriously competitve and the "street tune" is somehow forgotten.

If all this time talk sucks, then just drift it up! Yahoo Map

Russ

Fast, East & Extreme II

Newera Media is currently in production of Fast East and Extreme 2. This DVD is dedicated to the Japanese performance scene and has a varied overview of the best japan has to offer.

Drift experience is big at all levels in Japan and Newera takes you to Tsukuba for the Battle Magazine - Batttle of Drift 2005. This showcases the preliminary series to D1. The action is raw but the action is all there.

At the other end of the scale is BIG X. This is where the D1 Drivers go to have fun. Ebisu circuit is well known in drift circles and it becomes the venue for a drift show of mamoth proportions. All the big names are out on track in a choreographed drift performace.

Garage Saurus are in direct competition with Top Secret in the some street scene. They are the Keepers of the infamous 800bhp, orange, dual-purpose drag and track car. Not to mention a few other 8 second cars. Newera brings you interviews and in depth footage from their premises in Saitama, Japan.

Also check out Weld Technique Factory. They are known for crazy one off Drift and Drag cars but their products find their way into the D1 Grand Prix for 2005 and live very happily in Street JZX100 drift machines. These heavyweight driifters actually receive awesome reviews from the best, given the right road conditions. Bounce that limiter.

Tsukuba Super Battle is the premier event for Japanese tuning companies to flex their muscles. This time attack event around Tsukuba Circuit is breath taking stuff. We were there. Trackside cameras, on board cameras, interviews and results !

Tokyo auto salon and more make this an awesome DVD. Dont miss it.

Check the www.neweramedia.com website for previews and more.

Veilside Fortune FD

This the Fortune #2 car prepared for the Paris Tuning show. Yokomaku-san volunteered to expand his reach to europe with Newera's help.

Here is an extract of an interview with the designer himself which provides a bit of an isight into the process.

"I never draw concepts on paper before I start to shape. The ideas and inspiration are all here in my head. I can shape and create a design directly by hand as a 3D full sized design. Really, I find I work best like this - and this is how I've shaped all my designs from the beginning. The process for making a design starts with foam, which is used to make the initial shape. By shaving it, I can get a clear shape. Next, I cover the foam shapes in glass fibre, which gives the shape rigidity and is like putting a bandage over one's skin. "
Once the glass fibre's hardened, I apply clay - and this allows me to shape to exactly how I want the car to be. Then, once that stage is completed, I spray the bodywork with primer, so I can check and completely erradicate any minor imperfections. Upon completion of the design, I use the 3 dimensional plotter to log the complete shape of the design to within 0.1mm. With this data, I can re-create the work by reversal of the operation. I can also use the 3 dimensional plotter to enable me to get exact symmetry between each side of the design and so get a perfect design as I complete it."

We saw this car in preparation in 2004 and there is a feature on Fast East and Extreme.
Check www.neweramedia.com for more info.

R/C Models

Radio control is another fun way to enjoy Fd Life. There are many scales to try your luck with and many types. Petrol engine, Electric, 2wd and 4wd versions come in 1/10 scale all the way down to the Miniz for the lounge room and the BitCharG that you can race on your work desktop.

The 1/10 Rc scene is still big in Japan with over 100 entries at a recent "Drift meeting" that even attracted the D1 drivers who have Yokomo as a sponsor. Yokomo offers the best package at the moment with the ability to drift insanely and offers Apexi and Re-Amemiya bodies in the D1 style. There's a movie to watch on this site. http://www.driftpackage.com

1/18 scale has the RS4 which also has veilside and standard Fd polycarbonate bodies for their electric beastie.

The 1/24 scale MiniZ also (Initial D and Mazdaspeed) is now producing a 4wd drift capable machine that you can run in your driveway or garage. The small scale doesn't compromise on performance either. http://ros-speed.com/ has heaps of cool modified versions and videos.

So whatever your Fd looks like, these days there are heaps of options. So put your batteries on charge and get into it.

Russ - 1/12 scale Australian Junior Champion! :)

Diecast Models

Want a solid replica of your car thats more robust than plastic? Then you have some options. Recently JADA have some very affordable,not so scale, Fds that you can butcher and shape to create your own replica. They come with extra wheels and other parts you can use to change them to the way you like. If you like them the way they are that's all well and good, But I tend to modify them further.

Having recently rebuilt a few cars that came with figures in an Initial D form, I continued to create replicas of myself and friends. Fooboy and I have a replica of his black Fd3s seen elsewhere on my blog and I have a white widebody, C-west fronted car that I will repaint when I can find some clours to match my previous Fd.

I have remodified some 1/24 die cast cars from Hotworks but they are a bit fiddly when doing metalwork so the 1/18 base is a good size.

For more scale items, Kyosho make a great replica with working steering and more opening compartments than the real thing and the detail is amazing. If you can't see your car when it's in the garage, then this is the next best thing.

1/18 from http://www.jadatoys.com/
1/24 from http://www.hotworksracing.com/

Russ.

FD Plastic Models

If you cant afford the real thing, then dont worry. One of the options you have is to build the plastic models you remember from being a kid. I was lucky enough as a child to have a father who owned a hobby shop. This allowed me to become familiar with the mighty Japanese brands like Fujimi, Tamiya and Aoshima.

These are the main companies that still produce new Fd kits to this day. Buying one in Australia will cost $70AUD so thats nuts! In Japan 1200yen will get you a kit so I have quite a collection. The latest offering is from Fujimi in the form of the RE-Amemiya AD GT widebodykit version that was seen in Initial D and now also appears as the blue Time Attack car.

Over the last few years many different versions have appeared from all three manufacturers and have included R-Magic, C-West, Border, Amemiya and of course, Mazdaspeed. I have over 30 FD kits and I am still yet to double up... maybe? So for something to waste some time and take you back to childhood. Get a Plastic ( pura model ) kit and test your tiny fingers.

Russ

Daikoku Futo

Daikoku Futo is the Tokyo - Yokhama high speed street racer's pit stop. This rest stop is a crazy place thats ideal for showing off your car and meeting up with friends and drivers of similar machines.

Day or night on the weekends, you can often find a swarm of Fds, GT-Rs or NS-Xs lying around the car park, in amongst the VIP lexus LS400s, Vans full of stereo gear and the odd tuned Pajero. The odd fibreglass replicas are also here from the 70's with their tailpipes 3 meters in the air and 14"x14" inch rims covered by original 1970s slicks. It is quite a sight. Especially on 7's day.

Weekdays are reserved for the more serious runners with less cars out and about, you dont get bothered by any "Bosozoku" or other cruising cars.

It allows a start point for the Aqua Line or the Southern Route of the Wangan. Sections Koseki-san knows well.

As you wind up out of the carpark you head towards the Yokohama bridges and start grabbing more gears.
Some of the activities that happen here are quite strange. The art of "engine dancing" is one that must be seen to be believed. Select neutral, then rev your car and make it like a beat near the rev limiter, while guys dance around your car like a rave party with glowing battons to direct you. NUTS! You can also climb up on the viewing platform and watch the Street drifting that takes place out-side in the wee hours of the mornings.

This is also an engineering masterpiece. There is a skywalk that follows the coil style route down from the wangan about 150 meters above this place. You are litterally between two bridges in the middle of nowhere. A great place for any lover of cars. Yahoo Map

Day or night. There is always something here.

Russ.

Hakone Skyline

The mountains are FD territory. Winding fun that you can hang the rear out or drive hard. but make sure you stop and go for short walks.

The views are amazing.

The Hakone Skyline road actually starts a fairway up the mountains and is known as the Ashinoko Skyline and looks over Hakone and the lake Ashi, which is basically the foothills of Fuji.

This volcanic area is famous for hot springs, hot exhaust and hot brake pads.

The Skyline is a toll road and therefore you have to pay your entry fee and drive at about 50kph in the middle of the day as the "hobby drivers" take their family vans touring around. At late afternoon and night and early morning is when you have open slather use of the place and free access.

 as you approch the open hillside the road opens up and the speed increases, with longer straights in between you find yourself giving the gearbox and the brakes a complete hammering.

Amazing views on the western side towards mount Fuji.

Down the mountain (hakone touge) its really tight and twisty with some very tight hairpins.

But its fun. Up and Down, Turn Around, go again or continue to the Hakone Turnpike another fun run.

Yahoo Map

Russ.

C1 - Shutoko

The mighty C1 expressway through the city of Tokyo! Its amazing. This is street racing at its finest. I can only imagine the full out attacks that must have occurred in the 80's and 90's when the road was new and the cars were fewer in number. As Tokyo has become congested and regulation has increased a lot. The C1 route from Odaiba over the rainbow bridge is truely awesome. The speeds reached on the roads are unbelievable.

These days action is limited to parts of the C1 and the "workmen" close down 1 lane sometimes to prevent outright attack. but there are still opportunities to test your vehicle against many an opponent. You will no doubt find someone of your car type and your driving talent, but this is where the variety brings interest. Race a bike, a tuned Civic, a 600hp GTR and see how you go. There are fast sections and tight sections. High rise and fall, tunnels, bridges and all this 50meters in the air. There is little ego involved and the racing is usually finished in a few corners, unless you find someone of the same level that want to play.

I have seen a five car Fd battle and many others that just come by chance. If you are looking for a challenge, just hang out at one of the two rest stops and look for someone serious. I remember one time I saw an older man in a fully stripped out "street" Supra, with a single seat and full roll cage. S-tyres show the intent and monsterous flames show the tune. These guys will wait quietly for the "right" opponent.

Beware. Yahoo Map

The old days! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjZVaOPWKqY

Clockwise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmBb29FJQ8M

Rx7 Flyby http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-oKoQsVF0

Russ.