Line locks are designed to let the front and rear brakes work independently of one another. A line lock is a solenoid-activated valve that controls the flow of brake fluid. It is placed between the master cylinder and the brake calipers. A switch or button inside the car controls the line lock solenoid. Line locks are used in drag racing for burnouts and allow the front brakes to lock up while not affecting the rear brakes - allowing the rear tires to spin freely. Line locks protect the engine and rear brakes from undue wear.
When line locks first came out they were used as a launch tool for drag racing, but when trans brakes came out they became the better option. Now days, line locks are pretty much exclusively used for burnouts.
A line lock can work one of two ways: 1. Keep brake fluid from leaving the front brake lines, 2. Block brake fluid from reaching the rear brake lines.
When used in the first example that keeps brake fluid from leaving the front calipers, the line lock is placed on the brake line heading to the front brakes. Apply the brakes and press (hold) the line lock button. By holding the button the valve stays closed keeping the brake fluid trapped in the front calipers. Now you can release the brake pedal and the car will remain stationary as long as you hold the button – leaving the rear wheels free to spin.
In the second example of blocking brake fluid from reaching the rear lines, the line lock is placed on the brake line heading to the rear brakes. When you push the line lock button, and hold it, the solenoid closes the valve to the rear brakes, so when you do apply the brake pedal, fluid can only travel to the front brakes leaving the rear wheels free to spin. Installed in this fashion, you have more control over brake pressure and can creep forward toward the end of your burnout by slowly releasing the brake pedal.
Posted on July 28th, 2008 by Tom
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Drifters know how important coil over shocks are to a drift car’s set-up and now Yashio Factory is introducing their own coil overs for the Nissan Silvia. Yashio Factory is known for their Silvia tuning prowess and the Spec Great coil over shocks are sure not to disappoint. After a test drive with the new coil overs, Okachan is quoted saying the new shocks are “Unbelievable!”
2 coil over types available: PS13 and S14/15. Front spring rate: PS13 type 8kg. S14/15 type 9kg. Rear spring rate: PS13 type 5kg. S14/15 type 5 kg. Regular price for both PS13 and S14/15 coil overs: $1850.00 USD/set (198,000 JPY).
Posted on July 10th, 2008 by Tom
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Yashio Factory is introducing an entire line of products designed to keep your Nissan Silvia running cool on the track and street. The Yashio Factory Digital Water Temperature Meter, Water Sprayer System, and Super Water Pump Pulley are designed to work in harmony to reduce harmful temps in your drift car’s cooling system.
The Yashio Factory Digital Water Temperature Meter indicates the exact degree of water temperature in an easy to read digital number readout and it can be connected to the Water Sprayer System through an incorporated relay (maximum 1 Amp), to automatically engage and cool the radiator.
The Yashio Factory Water Sprayer System is the world’s first and only automatic water sprayer created to help keep your car from overheating. Simple in design, the Yashio Factory Water Sprayer System sprays water onto the radiator core to further add to its cooling effectiveness.
The Super Water Pump Pulley is 10% larger in diameter than stock and reduces pump rpm by 10%, thus maintaining a lower temperature than stock.
Whether implemented alone or in unison, Yashio Factory cooling products are designed by Japan’s premier Nissan Silvia tuner and are meant to save your car from catastrophic failure.
Price: Digital Water Temperature Meter $180 USD, Water Sprayer System $430, Super Water Pump Pulley $150.
Posted on June 22nd, 2008 by Tom
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Normally drift tuning shops modify stock knuckles into their own original shapes to increase maximum steering angle. Now GP Sports has created an original die-cast knuckle specify designed for drifting that takes drift angle to the next level.
The G-Master Hyper Knuckle was battle tested during the 2007 D1 Grand Prix season on Masato Kawabata’s S15 Nissan Silvia and Kawabata attributes his success in the series to the GP Sports part.
“Many shops usually modify stock knuckles, but GP Sports made a 100% original knuckle in a 2 piece style which accommodates adjustable spacers. This miracle knuckle brought me the 2007 D1 Grand Prix Championship,” says Kawabata.
GP Sports’ goal with the Hyper Knuckle was to raise the roll center without sacrificing other factors necessary for drifting. The front roll center was raised by 20mm(0.8 inch) and can be further raised by a maximum of 50mm (2 inches) with the optional spacers. Even with the spacers the body height stays low since the length of the upper ball joint from the spindle is the same length as the stock knuckle. Since the center of gravity of the whole body stays at the same ride height no stability is sacrificed for increased steering angle.
Application Fitment: Nissan Silvia (240SX) 5 Hubs Type (4 Hubs Type should be modified to 5 Hubs).
Price: $1400.00 USD (pair). Spacer (5/12″): $180.00. Spacer (10/12″): $220.00 – Quantities are limited so email JDM Option to reserve product: info(at)jdmoption.com
There is also a less expensive one piece construction design Super Knuckle available for $950.
Posted on June 21st, 2008 by Tom
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Okachan of Yashio Factory has developed his first suspension reinforcement part for the Nissan Silvia (240SX). The extreme weight transfer experienced when drifting puts tremendous pressure on the tension rods and in the long run this pressure damages the core support’s spot welding. Once the spot welding is damaged, it’s a big job to fix including dismounting the bumper, radiator, intercooler, etc. “The Extreme” Core Support Guard is designed to reinforce this weak point of stock Silvias. In addition to strengthening the tie rod core, the Yashio Factory Core Support Guard increases the direct feeling to the wheels in steering giving the driver quicker suspension feedback for enhanced handling. The Yashio Factory Core Support Guard sells in pairs for around $165 USD (17,700 JPY).
Posted on June 21st, 2008 by Tom
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Toyota JZ engines come both turbo and naturally aspirated and in two displacement variations - a 2.5L and 3.0L inline-6 cylinder configuration. Known for being the heart of the Toyota Supra, the JZ engine powers all of Toyota’s sports cars and has a wide variety of aftermarket upgrades. The JZ engine replaced Toyota’s M-series inline-6 engine and continues to be a favorite of import tuners. The Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine is seen as the rival to Nissan’s legendary RB26DETT, as both stock engine blocks can handle up to 1000 horsepower (745 kW).
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Posted on April 19th, 2008 by Tom
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A blow off valve, BOV for short, is a vacuum or electronically actuated pressure release valve present in engines with turbochargers. Blow off valves release excess boost into the atmosphere when the throttle is closed. The purpose of a blow off valve is to reduce turbo lag and protect the engine from compressor surge.
Compressor surge occurs when the throttle plate of a turbocharged engine closes and the pressurized air is forced back into the turbocharger compressor housing, causing the turbo to slow down. Compressor surge not only decreases the spool of a turbo but can also damage its center cartridge.
When a blow off valve vents compressed air, it emits a distinctive “pfsssst” sound. Some blow off valves are designed to amplify this sound with trumpet shaped vents. HKS produces BOVs with interchangeable “sound inserts” that allow the driver to customize the frequency emitted by the blow off valve.
Posted on February 7th, 2008 by Tom
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Wheel spacers move the wheel out away from the hub widening the stance of a car. Wheel spacers are used to fit low offset aftermarket wheels, accommodate large brake caliper upgrades, make wheels look flush on a wide body kit, and even increase drift angle. If you are running stock length arms, up to a 1/8 inch spacer can be used without changing studs to give you a little more drift angle.
The two main types of wheel spacers are the cheap shim type ($15/pair) and the expensive hubcentric type ($135/pair) that bolts onto the existing hub and then the wheels bolt to the new spacers.
Wheel spacers can lower a car’s roll center and increase lateral stability. Some people say that wheel spacers are ghetto and unsafe but as long as you follow manufacture recommendations, there is little threat of malfunction. Some pro drifters use wheel spacers competitively so even in high performance situations wheel spacers can work.
Posted on January 10th, 2008 by Tom
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DriftBox is an electronic device that uses a GPS engine coupled with motion and yaw rate sensors to measure speed, position, acceleration and drift angle of a car. DriftBox was originally designed to provide real time stats to D1 Grand Prix Judges to make evaluating drivers runs more precise. There are two versions of DriftBox – DriftBox and DriftBox Pro. The main difference being that DriftBox Pro can relay information in real time via radio signal. DriftBox Pro is the system used by D1 Grand Prix.
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Posted on December 30th, 2007 by Tom
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In Japan, the word Hipari refers to a tire style that is achieved by stretching a narrow tire over a wider wheel like a 215 35 18 inch tire on a 9.5 wide wheel. The difference in widths causes the sidewalls to stretch from the lip to the tread giving the tire a unique low profile stance and increased sidewall rigidity. In drifting, less sidewall flex means smoother weight transitions, improved throttle response, better steering feel, and less body roll when cornering. There are higher end tires that can provide these same handling characteristics when drifting without the sidewall stretch, but they are expensive and herein lies another advantage of the hipari style tire – narrow tires are cheap.
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Posted on December 4th, 2007 by Tom
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