Purpose Built Power-Weight Ratio AE86 Coupe

AE86 with 4AG 20V – Japanese Classic Car

Don’t you hate it when the first thing someone asks you about your car is “How much power does it have?” I really wish that someday, someone would come up and ask me instead, “How much does your car weigh?” Without getting too in-depth about technical power-weight ratio and its applications to various motorsports, it simply means that the lighter the car, the better. Said another way, it basically doesn’t matter if you have 1000HP if the car weighs 10,000lbs.

It’s all about power to weight ratio in this game! Of course, many other factors come into play, depending on the type of racing you’re doing too, but to a certain extent- higher horsepower combined with a lightweight chassis is usually the way to go.

The AE86 is a code name for a 1985~87 Toyota Corolla GTS, which came in a front engine, rear wheel drive configuration. Because of this layout, the car became immensely popular for racing, typically in road racing, rally, and drifting. These cars are on their way to becoming classics (if they’re not already) and sure enough, they are listed significantly above their bluebook value in the blackmarket. Matt Perkins acquired his white zenki Corolla GTS coupe built from veteran AE86 Gurus, Taka Aono and Hiro Sumida. These guys were some of the founding forefathers of AE86 racing in the US.

All you need in life is an engine, a seat, and steering wheel. A real man doesn’t need A/C, P/S, or Cruise… nor any pansy electronically assisted steering mechanisms of some sort. Wouldn’t you rather be fully in control than some annoying Knightrider shmuck assisting your driving? You have to really learn how to drive analog before going digital. Ever wonder why most of the top racers in the world come from karting backgrounds?

The above engine is the very last model of the Toyota 4ag, called the Blacktop 20v or simply the 4ag 20V. The combination of VVT (variable valve timing) and ITB (individual throttle body), with 11:1 compression ratio from the factory made it a strong candidate against many of the popular twincam variable valve timing equipped 4-cylinder engines of the era. Unfortunately this fifth generation 4AG never made it to the US, and had to be imported. One reason why the Blacktop is the most powerful amongst the 4ag variation is the amazing head flow. Yamaha had had their hand at the head design including this one, as well as other powerplants for Toyota such as the BEAMS 3S-GTE, 1JZ-GTE, and 2UR-GSE (Lexus IS-F).

The suspension received a combination of TRD, Battleversion, and Project Mu goodies, successfully dialed in for both grip and drift racing. As you can see, there is no lighting assembly under the flip-up style headlamps for weight saving purposes, instead, two powerful PIAA halogen lamps were mounted in the bumper.

I would rather stare and take pictures of real race cars that are actually thrashed because of racing than look at cars with million dollar paint jobs (like I did recently at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show). The driver’s personality is greatly evident in the cockpit and in this case, Matt doesn’t give a rat’s ass about aesthetics. He just wants to go fast. The entire frame of the car has been reinforced with welds and a SCCA compliant 6-point roll cage with various safety side beams. There’s nothing under the dash except for the engine control unit, all the sound deadening material has been pulled off. The wood Nardi steering wheel, is well… the final touch made to his Pimpmobile.

See, its a 100% track car only. Since the AE86 Corolla weighs in from the factory at 2300lbs, we figured that with all the carbon/fiberglass body parts + gutted interior, Matt’s car is just a tad over 2000 lbs. This, combined with a 165HP Twincam VVT engine, the power weight ratio comes in at 12.12 lbs per horsepower, equivalent to about a stock Mazda Rx-8. Not too shabby for a 25 year old rust bucket! Remember, these power/weight ratio figures will change if any engine mods are added or weight is decreased.

Matt currently owns and operates a dyno tuning shop called SR Motorcars in Gardena, CA. They are a one stop tuning shop for all your motorsport needs!

So kids, the lesson today was that if you want to make your car faster and don’t have any money, start ripping parts off your car to shed some weight! More power often costs alot more money… stripping parts is FREE!

Ken Block’s Gymkhana Grid Event Recap and Rant

Gymkhana Racing in California

Invitational only! This means that only professional race car drivers of various disciplines were invited for a no holds barred gymkhana match at Mr. Block’s home field, Toyota Speedway in Irwindale CA.

The tire smoke has finally settled after the first ever competition style Gymkhana Grid event on December 4th 2010. The word around the digital informational highway is that the internationally hyped up event had definitely lived up to its expectations and best of all, it looks as though everyone, especially the drivers had waaay too much fun out there!

Professional driver, Xgames champion, Top Gear USA host and renaissance man Tanner Foust was killing it out there with his Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta. Congratulations to Foust, as he managed to score 1st place podium in the AWD class, above Ken Block at his own event! The final battle was a heated one… it was a test of pure skill and gracefulness to pilot their race cars around the track without any mistakes.

The drifters seemed to rule the event, as Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire Nissan 240SX grabbed the RWD 1st place finish over John Russakoff in the JSP / Falken Toyota Corolla.

The environment of the venue was much too similar to that of Formula D or D1 Grand Prix which are both popular drifting events in the US. It’s logical because most of the competitors were professional drifters and all they were doing was sliding their cars around the track like they’re used to. Since the official Gymkhana website stated the different classes available, (FWD, MRWD, RWD, AWD) to my suprise and disappointment, there were only the RWD and AWD class competing at this event. From my experience attending Japanese Gymkhana events, the fastest cars are of that of the FWD (front wheel drive) configuration, however this class was nowhere to be found. It was puzzling why the organizers had done this, since it would have been very easy to squeeze in another class during the 2 hour lapse when there were no other racers on the track. Without the aid of the Mass Appeal car show held by MotorMavens.com and the loyal vendor booths present, the crowd would have went home early because of the rain.

Ok fine, its all good that Ken Block and the organizers are attempting to redefine the sport of Gymkhana, and it has been called the “American version of Gymkhana”, but their balance of competition and entertainment needs to be kept clear. Upon interviewing several high profile drivers, I learned that they were instructed to drift or slide their cars around certain turns or else points would be deducted. The absolute fastest way around a gymkhana track is mostly grip their way around the cones (depending on the type of turn) and FF cars are the quickest of the bunch.

However, the general consensus is that a car gripping around the corner barely making a tire squeak is boring to watch, hence the mandatory flamboyant drifting “performance’. Bringing the variable of “drifting” into the judging criteria introduces the subjective factor into the sport, which means that the fastest lap time doesn’t necessarily score you a trophy. This is pure speculation on my part, but this is why the FF class was excluded from competition, since they are unable to drift.

To their credit, this event was just for exhibition and next year there will be an actual point series competition. From a drifting fan point of view, it would be a entertaining to see more AWD cars romp their throttles and more Rally drivers competing instead of just drifters for a change.

Overall, organizing a motorsport event is VERY difficult and I feel as though the team did a very good job. The Monster and Rockstar energy drinks were free and there were lots of pretty models to look at as well. The spectators were allowed pit access and had the opportunity to shake the hand of their favorite racer as well as check out the car up close. Such celebrities as the legendary Pikes Peak Hill Climb champion “Monster” Tajima was present, as well as professional skateboarders Bucky Lasek and Rob Dyrdrek.

With all the praise and  criticism, it will be exciting to see exactly how this event will be held next year and what new talents will be showcased from competition. Don’t be afraid to chime in on your thoughts, especially from people who have actually attended this event, or someone that is an avid Gymkhana enthusiast. Please make sure to check out Introduction to Gymkhana if you dont know what this motorsport is!

SEMA 2010: Team Need For Speed RTR-X Mustang Debut

1969 Mustang – The Ultimate Street, Drift, Track Car

Our friends at Speedhunters.com just released the first photo of the finished 1969 Mustang RTR-X!  It is debuting or just debuted at SEMA 2010 an hour or so ago.  Much info has been shared about the design process that Team Need For Speed at EA Games on Speedhunters.com. Check out Build Progress and pictures.

The quick rundown of this ride can be found in the Drifting + Pro-Touring story here.  Thank you Vaughn Gittin Jr (2010 Formula Drift Champion) and Andy Blackmore (Speedhunters.com graphic artist) for dreaming up this MACHINE!!!

Drifting + Pro-Touring = RTR-X (aka The Game Changer)

This is a Mustang for all car enthusiasts, old hot rodders and young tuners alike…its the “Game Changer!”

If you like American Muscle, you’ll dig the Dynacorn ’69 Mustang fastback shell, Art Morrison custom front subframe,  individual throttle body/injected 2011 Mustang GT 5.0L 32Valve engine with 6 speed trans and Pro-Touring style.  If you like Drifting Imports, you’ll dig the slammed stance, 50-60 degree steering angle, 7000 redline, aggressive Japanese wheels sized 18×10 front and 18×12 rear with 7″ lips and Street Drift style!

Meet the ’69 Mustang “RTR-X”!  The coolest project car of 2010, due to intro at the 2010 SEMA show in Vegas later this year.

This is the answer to my “Pro-Touring + Hellaflush” Dreams!  Remember this post I did last year?

The creative mind behind this Street/Drift Mustang is Sir Vaughn Gittin Jr (ok, I added the Sir), Formula Drift points leader and “RTR” Mustang brand owner.  But you’ll also notice the “Team Need For Speed” logo in the bottom right.  This is a collabo between Vaughn, Speedhunters.com and the Need For Speed brand.  Andy Blackmore of the Speedhunters.com/Need For Speed family has helped Vaughn put his Inspired Ideas on paper (or computer screen). 

RTR is Gittin’s new brand of Mustang, I think it stands for “Ready to Rock!”.  He has 2 models so far, the RTR and the limited RTR-C.  The RTR is based on the 2010 Mustang GT and receives suspension mods, wheels/tires/brakes, and aggressive body mods with a unique paint scheme.  The RTR-C is a super limited edition (I hear only 10 will be made this year) Carbon bodied version going for a cool $135k! 

This Mustang that I’m stoked on has been named “RTR-X”, X for Extreme I presume. 

 
I love this angle.  Injection horns protruding, fender flrares bulging, wheels flush and super wide.  It has huge visual impact and stance!  Perfection, if ever I saw it in vehicular form.

So what were those inspired ideas?  Hear Vaughn in his own words: 

“The vision was pretty simple: build a badass ‘69 Ford Mustang that was aggressive, slammed, functional, unique, and would perform on both the track for drift and the street as a daily-driver. Oh yeah… and had the potential to put some decent times down on a road course. Easier said then done. Especially the “unique” part, as people have been adding their own personal flair to classic Mustangs for a very long time.”

Dig the LED tails and extra tall duckbill spoiler with green pinstripe and tucked rear bumper.

The green highlights are pureVaughn Gittin style.  Check out the green accents on his Formula D drift Mustang below.

 Vaughn’s Falken/Monster Energy sponsored 2011 Mustang.

 Dig this amazing interior!  Again, this is new technology with Drifter flare and American Muscle all at the same time.  PERFECT!!!

This picture sums up Vaughn Gittin Jr.  Super cool to all people, even little kids interrupting an interview and always stoked!  When I think of Vaughn I think of him screaming at the top of his lungs, usually on the roof of a Mustang.  LOL 

I think this car will set a new standard.  That is Vaughn’s goal and I think he’ll achieve it.  I hope it inspires other Pro-Touring and Drift car builders. 

So, I wanna know what you guys think of this car.  Is this car a “Game Changer?”  If Vaughn can build it like these renderings, it will be a Game Changer for me.  Let us know and do yourself a favor and follow the build over at Speedhunters.com.

Hechtspeed

Check out the first debut photo from SEMA 2010

Marco’s Midnight Drifter: Nissan 240SX SE Coupe

As I mentioned in the blog about the Rocky Mountain Raceway’s Midnight Drift event, I met Marco and his friend Rudy in the pits during the Midnight Drag and Drift event. 

 First of all, to you hot rodders out there who don’t YET get drifting, let me tell you about the Nissan 240SX.  In a way, this car in Japan is similar in following and cult status as a Mustang or Camaro.  The similarities may be more than you think.  Rear wheel drive setup, Coupe body styling, small back seat, huge aftermarket support and fun to drive status.  The differences are aplenty as well though.  Mustangs get a solid rear axle and V6 and V8 engines and weigh 3200-3600lbs.  The Nissan 240SX (or 180SX or Silvia in Japan) comes with an independent rear suspension and 2.4L 4 cylinder (turbo 2.0L outside Japan) naturally aspirated truck engine in the USA and weighs about 2800lbs. 

So, there’s a little history on the 240 for ya.  Marco has owned his S13 (S13 is like what the Mustang guy’s equivalent of SN95 or S197 chassis codes for the 1989-94 240SX, S14 for 1995-1998 and S15 for 1999-2004) for about 6 months or so.  He bought it for a measly $700 bucks. 

I asked Marco what other cars he’s owned and how he got into drifting.  Marco said that his friends drift and that’s how he got interested.  Besides a Nissan Pathfinder, this is Marco’s first sports coupe.  He’s already begun modifying it to make it his own (My Ride is Me…get it?).

The 15×7 Enkei mesh wheels were bought from Marco’s drifter friend.  These are a nice old school Japanese drifting touch.  They give it that 80′s performance style.

Marco’s S13 coupe is the more sought after SE model, equipped with a spoiler, ABS brakes and sunroof.  These are Japanese taillights.  Marco has also added lowering springs and had the rear diff welded.  That’s right.  Welding the diff is the amateur drifters “poor man’s posi” and it works well, until the weld gives out I guess. 

This Midnight Drift event was Marco’s first official (you know you’ve been playing around at industrial zones in the middle of the night haha) drift event.  He had a good time and was just trying to get the hang of getting the car sideways.  In all the drifting stories on MotorMavens.com and Speedhunters.com that I read, practice is the only way to learn.  Well, practice and a lot of tires.  LOL

Thanks to Marco for sharing his story with us.  I’m glad I ran into you.  I look forward to seeing you and your car progress at the Midnight Drift events.

Hechtspeed

Next Page »