A recent trip to the United States allowed me to explore and experience some of the car culture scene in the west coast.  Most notable was the “Cars and Coffee” meet every Saturday mornings at the Mazda headquarters in Irvine, California.  The informal meet started a few years back when hot rodders would meet for early morning coffee talk at Newport beach.  Slowly, the meets would be invaded by European exotics and Japanese supercars.

Residents of Newport complained of the loud noises that the cars would generate every Saturday and the group had to transfer venues.  Mazda generously offered their big outdoor parking lot next to their headquarters in Irvine.

One early Saturday, I went to check out what the buzz was all about.  I was treated to automobile overload.  All sorts of marquees and classes were represented.  Cars that I would only read up on old Road & Track magazines as I was growing up.  The meet became an informal venue of car launches as well especially for the likes of RUF, McLaren, etc…  even the likes of Ken Block have brought their racecars to the venue.  Enjoy the photos from that special morning of better yet, check out the meets when you get a chance to go to the United States.

Photos by JP Cariño

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JP Cariño shares with us the sights of Osaka Automesse 2011 through his lens.

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The air filter is an often-neglected part in car maintenance, most people forget they have to clean their filter regularly and replace it after about a year or depending on how and where you drive. Some of course think of the cost before they decide to replace their filters, as some OEM filters cost Php1,000 or more. They forget to consider however, that a clean and efficiently working air filter saves fuel as it helps the engine breath better.

In 2010, VTX Commercial introduced a new product to answer this need – Hurricane Air Filters. Instead of the standard disposable paper-cloth filters, they’re made with high-grade Japanese stainless-steel mesh. The microscopic holes on the Hurricane wire mesh ensures very consistent filtration and airflow, allowing the engine to breathe better compared to other aftermarket cotton or foam filters, which have inconsistent airflow. Better filtration also means longer life for the airflow sensor due to less contamination of the sensor.

The product promises to give a smoother acceleration and decent horsepower increase in the mid to high engine speed range. While the sturdy stainless mesh is guaranteed to deliver its promised filtration and will not shift even under extreme pressure. The rubber frame is made of a treated material that is resistant to heat to ensure durability.

Quick Installation

The install was done in my personal Nissan Navara pick-up. Just in time for my recent periodic maintenance service, I decided to swap my OEM filter with a Hurricane to try how the product works. It was a simple take out the stock filter and replace it with the Hurricane with no frills at all. Fit was perfect and the product did seem to be very sturdy as I tried to flex it out a bit. The whole installation procedure took less than five minutes. Checked all the clips to make sure they were fastened properly and started the car, and it was all done.

Test Drive

I took the car out for a short drive and it felt a bit lighter on the throttle but it was negligible on normal driving speeds and stop and go situations.

For a longer drive to properly evaluate the product, I took my truck out to the expressway to give it more room to flex its muscle. This should be able to test the performance benefit of the new filter. The throttle did feel lighter and engine felt a little livelier as the revs went up.

The Verdict

Overall the product delivers what it promises, but don’t expect a drastic improvement in performance as it is only an air filter. The combination of performance benefit, fuel economy and the longer lifespan of the product alone outweigh the price you pay for it. So I would definitely recommend this product.

VTX Commercial shares that the SRP for the Hurricane Air Filter starts at Php2,500 and varies depending on application. For more information, visit www.hurricaneairfilters.com or call (02)584-1415.

The fourth Manila Auto Salon featured more than 100 cars and trucks on the show halls of the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex. Here’s some of the cars which we thought that got the concept of the show. And of course, made it to our theme “Rides Modified the Way They Should Be”.

Atoy Llave of A-toy Bodykits pushed the envelope this year when he converted an R33 Skyline GT-R to look like an R35 GT-R. Impossible is really nothing when you have a broad imagination. Also in the A-toy display is a Nissan Cefiro A31 with an R34 Skyline front and rear end conversion, and another with an R33 Skyline conversion, both powered by twin turbo Toyota 1JZ-GTE engines.

Here’s some more of the cars that made it to the TUNED pages… One includes an BMW E46 transplanted with an 6.2-liter V8 LS3 Corvette Engine built by Ian King!

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If you want to go fast, make sure you can stop first. If you don’t it could mean a serious accident waiting to happen. That is why the braking system should also be upgraded when installing performance modifications to your car.

An upgrade of the braking system can be done by installing higher friction brake pads, changing your brake rotors or discs to high performance drilled or slotted discs, changing your standard rubber brake lines to steel braided lines and changing your brake fluid to one that has a higher boiling point. Ultimately, a full system upgrade might include replacing calipers with bigger ones which have more pistons and carbon-ceramic material rotors.

A simple brake rotor upgrade brings the most significant improvement to the brakes as it reduces several problems. These include brake fade, gassing, and brake pad glazing. But a high-performance brake rotor upgrade is usually costly.

More recently, Richtech Enterprises has made high-performance brake upgrades more cost effective with their Runstop High Performance Rotors. Runstop uses 3D Computer Aided Design and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines to manufacture their rotors to ensure precision and balance of their products. Runstop rotors are also treated with a corrosion resistant coating which minimizes rusting of the rotors.

Brake fade is a reduction of stopping power caused by the continuous application of the brakes in high performance, high speed and extreme driving conditions. The fade is caused by the buildup of heat between the rotor and pads and other brake components as well.

Glazing and gassing are a major impediment for brake pads because they lessen the friction between pad and rotor which mean less stopping power. These conditions are also caused by intense buildup of heat.

Runstop’s cross-drilled and/or slotted rotors helps minimize these problems by:

* The bore holes deduce mass, radiate break temperatures, and help battle “out-gassing” or “de-gassing”.
* The special slots, which are non-directional and designed to work in combination with the cross-drilling, help dissipate water, dirt and dust, and further combat “out-gassing” or “de-gassing”.
* The slot deglazes the pads, ensuring improved contact between pad and rotor. In combination, the cross-drilling and slotting functions give more stopping power and less fade during repeated heavy brake application.
* The Cross-drilled or Slotted rotors improved convection heat transfer, thereby lowering brake temperature
* 40% better cooling, 20% better stopping, and improved web braking compared to standard OEM rotors
* Run Stop Rotors are engineered to keep the temperature of your brakes cool, which improves pad bite and reduces brake fade. This will enhance brake performance.

On some high-performance applications Runstop is also cost-effective upgrade and replacement of the OEM rotors. For the featured application, the Runstop slotted rotors is installed in the Team AutoIndustriya.com Nissan Cefiro fitted with R32 GT-R brakes. A significant improvement in brake performance was noticed with the rotor working to remove the glazing of the pads accumulated in the high performance driving conditions the car has been subjected to.

Although there are no special installation procedures needed for the rotors, professional installation is recommended.

To know more about Runstop products contact Richtech Enterprises at Tel. 7478560 to 61 or Fax. 5326862. You can also email them at nmci.sales@gmail.com or visit their website at www.runstop.com.ph.

For a real motor head, there’s nothing better than getting a natural high from the sound of revving engines and the smell of burning rubber. And there’s no better place to get plenty of both than at a drifting event.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen drifting gain more and more momentum here in our region. The Asian Formula Drift series has been a tremendous boost to helping aspiring drifters find a competitive outlet to showcase their skills.

This year, US based Japanese professional drifter Daijiro Yoshihara came down to judge the local talent and I decided it would be a great opportunity to get a real taste of smoking rubber from a real pro.

After briefly interviewing the 32 year old, we started talking about cars and just how he got into drifting. It was immediate how deeply passionate he was about the sport, and then it was time to hop in for a shotgun ride beside the US Formula Drift race winner.

Dai, as he preferred to be called was going to take me on a short spin, demonstrating how he initiated a drift using the emergency brake, or e-brake as he referred to it.

Now I had tried my hand at drifting before and managed to pull off a doughnut and only the first half of a figure 8. It’s not as easy as it looks. Anyone can smoke tyres but not everyone can control smoking tyres.

Dai was excellent, first he just sat down and told me exactly what he was going to do, before we even started moving. This way I was able anticipate what he was doing and not miss a thing. He engaged first gear and floored the accelerator. Well actually, we weren’t going that fast, second gear and about 60km/h was all we needed to achieve. I reminded myself, that unlike in the movies, drifting wasn’t about speed.

Once he’d got the car up to speed, he pulled on the e-brake, but only for a second and at the same time flicked the steering wheel. The car started sliding and I could hear the rubber screeching as it rubbed against the tarmac.

Once we were drifting, Dai told me that controlling the slide was all about throttle technique. And sure enough I listened and could hear the short burst of the engine as Dai feathered the throttle to maintain speed. The smell of burning rubber wafted through the ajar windows.

When I tried my hand at drifting, I had real difficulty changing direction of my slide. I always ended up over compensating and flicking the car 270 degrees instead of the ideal 180. But when I watched Dai do it, it was effortless. He flicked us left, laid down some rubber, switched right squealed the tyres a little more and the swung us back to the left, before moving smoothly into a series of doughnuts and after a few360’s, drifted back out before coming to a stop. Well, at least that’s what I think he did because my head was spinning along with the rest of the car. . I felt like I’d hopped inside a washing machine on a spin cycle! Thank goodness for bucket seats and safety belts!

What a rush. And it wasn’t about the speed this time, it was the ability to control the machine and swing it to all kinds of unnatural manoeuvres but by no means destroying it.

Whist I might have not absorbed everything that he was doing, there was something extremely artistic about how he did it. Just watching his hand, feet and body at work was amazing. Everything was so calm and fluid. I could sense that he was in complete control and perhaps not even really pushing himself all that hard. But for me in the car, with the engine revving and the smell of burning rubber filling my lungs, it seemed like the most impossible task to imitate, and I must say the whole experience left me in awe of just how much skill drift drivers possess. Like I said, anyone can smoke rubber but not everyone can control smoking rubber. Dai didn’t just control it, he mastered it, and I count myself extremely lucky to be able to have experienced it first hand.

Sanjeev Palar is a presenter for the popular motorsport magazine show, Engine Block – catch more of his motorsport adventures, every Monday at 10.30 pm on STAR Sports.

Round 4 of the Lateral Drift Pro-Am Championship moved back to the metro in Eastwood City last June 26-27. With the championship going past the halfway mark, the points leaders tried to outdo themselves while those trying to catch up showed them that the series is far from over.

With great power comes great smoke – Pacho Blanco smoking the tires of the Motul/Autoplus Nissan S13

The Destroyer showing his own brand of power and tire smoke that made him the top qualifier for the Pro Division

Hot on his heels from his first podium finish during the last leg, Team AutoIndustriya.com-Kumho Tires’ Jason “The Destroyer” Choachuy truly put on a good show taking the top spot in the qualifiers for the Pro Division. Topping the scoresheets in the Amateur Division was Alvin Dayrit in his first outing in the series.

In the end, it would be classic matchup between Choachuy (Nissan Cefiro) and Yellow Cab’s Alex Perez (Nissan S13), where The Destroyer literally hands the victory to Perez on a silver platter with a spin during their first championship tandem battle.

Meanwhile in the Amateur Division, youngblood Kar Montaner drove his SR20DE powered Corona to the limit and took TRS’ Bjorn Ongtiaobok (Mazda BT50) to school.

Choachuy sticks it close to Blanco

Tayao tries to go side-by-side with Ronquillo

Hurt and still fighting – Audel Sison soldiers on after a brief encounter with the wall in the first turn

Pro Division
1. Alex Perez
2. Jason Choachuy
3. Kevin Tayao

Amateur Division
1. Kar Montaner
2. Bjorn Ongtiaobok
3. Alvin Dayrit

The Lateral Drift Championship series was revised for 2010 to merge both the Pro division and Amateur division into one series ran for 6 events with both classes running on the same weekend. Four legs were to be held in the Eastwood City open grounds while two would be in the Clark International Speedway.

The third round moved to Clark for fast paced high intensity sideways action after having run two rounds in Eastwood. The long track however proved to be more than what some expected it to be, as some cars broke down and relegated some competitors to watch from the sidelines instead of going sideways.

Norman Agojo drives his Skyline hard in Amateur Division

Mike Tuason and Mark Rosca battle it out for the win

Jason "The Destroyer" Choachuy wows the crowd with his daring drift maneuvers

One of the more exciting tandem battles between Alex Perez and Boodie Dabasol

RJ Obiedo versus “The Destroyer”

Blanco against Agregado in a highly competitive tandem battle

RJ Obiedo going sideways with his Hankook S15

Pro Division
1. Gio Rodriguez
2. RJ Obiedo
3. Jason Choachuy

Amateur Division
1. Mike Tuason
2. Mark Rosca
3. Norman Agojo

For the full event coverage on Autoindustriya.com Motorsports click here

This is truly more than just letting your car’s rear end hang out as there’s a theoretical approach on how to actually do it.

Origins

Its beginnings started as a competitive sport that catered to mountain-road racers of rural Japan. Informal challenges on mountain back roads (called “Touge”) eventually evolved into a heavily funded and advertised competitive event, sanctioned by organizations and held on private tracks. Initiated by Option magazine Japan and its video department V-Option, they created the popular D1 Grand Prix to catch and expand the drifting craze. Led by CEO Daijiro Inada, the Option D1GP has now broken into other venues like the States and other countries. Drifting actually started in America around ’02 a grassroots level among Club4AG members and has now exploded into a massively popular form of motorsport with the advent of the D1 GP. However, Japanese drifters are still considered to be at the cutting edge of technique and car development, but their American counterparts are quickly catching up, like Vince Gitten Jr (D1GP Champ), Rhys Millen, Samuel Hubinette, and Benson Hsu.

Definition

Drifting refers to the difference in the slip angle between the front and rear tires of a car. When the rear wheels are slipping at a greater angle than the front wheels, the car is said to be drifting, or oversteering. What happens is that the rear end of the car appears to chase the front end around a turn, as the driver utilizes both front tires and the rear tires to control the actual direction of the car. Adding more throttle induces more rear wheel slip angle and the rear of the car wants to overtake the front. Overall, the goal of the driver here is to achieve steering lock and use the throttle to fine tune the car’s angle and direction. Think of it as a controlled slide. Many of the techniques used today in drifting were developed by rally drivers who often competed on dirt, gravel and snow. Sliding around corners for rally racing was the only way to go faster around a corner as they normally raced on loose or slippery surfaces.

Drifting for Points

Nowadays, drifting has become a competitive sport where drivers have their own styles and techniques as they compete to keep their cars sideways for as long as possible. Drifting competitions are judged based not on the time it takes to complete a course, but how much slip angle a driver can get, how long can they hold it, and how close can they stay to the racing line, or to the wall. Keiichi Tsuchiya, a well known legend in the drifting world, is considered the father of drifting. Regarded as the “Drift King” (Dorikin), he is the official chief judge in the D1 Grand Prix Series. Final rounds of D1GP competition include tandem drift runs nicknamed “tsuiso” in Japanese, where one car follows another through the course, attempting to keep up with or even pass the car in front. In the “tsuiso” rounds, it doesn’t matter if the racing line is wrong, what matters is who can execute the most exciting drift. A car does not even have to keep up, because even though the other car is left behind on the straight, but managed to execute a spectacular drift, he can still win that round. However, a spin, understeer, or collision results in the disqualification of the offending party.

Drift Cars

Any rear-wheel drive car can be set up for drift competition, but must include the addition of a Limited-Slip Differential. Popular competition cars in the US include the Nissan 240SX, Nissan 350Z, Toyota Corolla GT-S (AE86), Mazda RX-7, and Honda S2000. In Japan, the top drift machines are the Nissan S13, S14, S15 Silvia, 180SX, Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin, Nissan Skyline (The 4-door sedan, RWD version, a.k.a. ER34), Toyota Altezza, Toyota Aristo, Nissan Z33, Fairlady Z, Nissan Cefiro (A31), Nissan Laurel, and Toyota Soarer. There is some debate over whether or not front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicles can drift. By the technical definition (rear wheels slipping at a greater angle than front wheels), they are indeed able to drift. However, many consider FWD vehicles a poor choice for drifting, as the frequent use of the emergency brake (necessary to drift FWD cars) slows them down and makes them harder to control. 4WD vehicles, such as the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution drift at a much different angle and are usually induced by power-over. As the front wheels are also driven on a 4WD vehicle there is a noticeable lack of counter steer.

Drifting Techniques

Braking Drift

This drift is performed when entering a corner to induce the car to “set” or shift its weight to cause the rear wheels to lose traction and drift. This is performed by braking before a corner while starting to turn in, vary the brake petal until loss of grip is obtained and then balance the oversteer through steering and throttle inputs to control and sustain the drift.

Power-Over Drift

This drift is performed when entering a corner at full throttle to produce heavy oversteer through the corner, it is the most typical drifting technique for All Wheel Drive (AWD) cars.

Inertia (Feint) Drift

This method is done by “rocking” the car much like a pendulum, whereby once the car is rocked towards the outside of a turn, you then use the inertia of the car to swing it back to the desired direction. By going away from the corner, and turning back in hard, you are now coming in the corner at a much sharper angle.

Hand-Brake Drift

This technique is very straightforward, upon entering a corner, pull the hand brake lever to induce traction loss at the rear wheels, and balance the drift through steering and throttle play. Some people argue that this method doesn’t actually create a drift but rather just a power slide. The bottom line here is that using the hand brake is no different from any other method of starting a drift. This method is generally the main technique to perform in a controlled drift when using Front Wheel Drive (FWD) cars.

Dirt Drop Drift

This is done by dropping the rear tires off the road into the dirt to maintain or gain drift angle without losing power or speed and to set up for the next turn. Only permissible on roads without barriers and lined with dirt or other materials which to lose traction. This is commonly done in WRC rallying.

Kansei Drift

This is performed at race speeds, when entering a high speed corner a driver lifts his foot off the throttle while slightly turning into a corner to induce a mild over steer and then balances the drift through steering, braking and throttle motions. (note: the car that is being used for this style of drift should be a neutral balanced car therefore the over steer will be induce when this technique is applied, if the car plows through any turn this technique will not work)

Shift Lock

This is performed by letting the revs drop upon downshift into a corner and then releasing the clutch to put stress on the driveline to slow the rear tires inducing oversteer. (This is like pulling the E-brake through a turn – note: this is best to be performed in the wet to minimize damage to the driveline etc)

Jump Drift

This technique is used to start a drift by letting the rear tire run on the inside of a turn or apex and letting it bounce over a rumble strip to help lose traction resulting in oversteer.

Clutch Kick

This is done by “kicking” the clutch (pushing in, then out) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car’s balance. It causes the rear wheels to slip and enables the driver to induce oversteer, thereby starting a drift.

Choku Dori

This is an advanced technique that involves using one of the previous techniques to start the drift, while using the hand brake to extend the drift into a turn. This is done by pulling the hand-brake through a straight to start a high angel drift while holding this angle to set up for the turn ahead. (note: this can only be done at high speeds)

Manji Drift

This is used while drifting on long straightaways. The driver of the car sways the car side to side (like a pendulum) while the car is in a drift, which looks impressive. It can be initiated through all the above techniques

Drift Spec Suspension Tune

Drift spec tuning gives emphasis towards making the car go sideways in a controllable state. The car needs to have a low centre of gravity and be able to spin the rear wheels with ease. This makes the car look good while going sideways.

Suspension: Setting is primarily for high grip on the front wheels and low or no grip on the rear wheels. Steering inputs need to be sharp and precise. Use of a quick rack or longer steering arms recommended. Use of stiff spring/shock rates is mandatory as this gives the car low grip levels, hence the ability to easily slide.

Brakes: Low-mid temperature brake pads recommended for front to give good initial bite which helps weight transfer to the front making the rear tires light thus being able to freely spin. Handbrake cable adjustment with ultra high grip disc/drum pads are required to effectively lock the rear wheels.

Performance: Top end (high RPM) response and power is required to hold the drift through the corners. Power tuning up top is highly recommended together with engine reliability. Large radiators and oil coolers are essential to combat over heating with the engine spinning at continuously high RPM level. As the car goes sideways.

Summary: Tuning of this level makes a very responsive and very maneuverable vehicle, with a twitchy characteristic. Power and braking levels are also high, with a very hard suspension setting.

Clear skies, glaring sun and intense heat was the order of the day for the second round of the 2009 Lateral Drift Championship held at the Greenhills Open Parking Bay 6 in the City of San Juan last May 23. A total of twenty-seven participants came to the track to show-off, compete and simply have fun. The track layout designed by David Feliciano proved exciting for the competitors throughout the day up to the tight tandem battles.

The Destroyer drives the AutoIndustriya.com Cefiro hard

Kevin “Bad News” Tayao drives his AE86 smooth as a golf putt qualifying on top

D1 Grand Prix US competitor Cyrus Martinez take the Motul-Autoplus Nissan 240SX for a demo run, smoking tires and showing his moves.

Making his way back to the top of the podium was Team Yellow Cab’s Alex “X” Perez, who won a very narrow victory over Team Forced Speed’s RJ Obiedo who spun out just before the finish line. Rounding up the podium finishers was first leg winner Jason “The Destroyer” Choachuy.

Final Result
1. Alex Perez
2. RJ Obiedo
3. Jason Choachuy
4. Chukri Prieto
5. Kevin Tayao
6. John Boban
7. Jeffrey Villanueva
8. Joema Montaner