Author Archive
HKS CT230R Hyper Evo
by Ryan Lee on Jul.27, 2009, under All
It’s back. Little introduction is needed for this legendary car, as it is without a doubt the fastest circuit racer in Japan. Previously known as the HKS TRB 02, or Tsukuba Record Breaker, this full-carbon bodied Lancer Evolution 8 is back with a vengeance. In February of 2004 this machine, then sporting a bare carbon paint-scheme, lapped the small Tsukuba Circuit deep in the Ibaraki-ken countryside in an unheard of 54.739 seconds. Just to put things into perspective, a stock Lancer Evolution 8 laps the 2.070 m circuit in 1 minute 05 seconds, and this is with pro-driver/living-legend Keiichi Tsuchiya behind the wheel, on a good day. The driver who clocked in at 54 seconds was none other than Nobuteru Taniguchi, official HKS driver and one of the most skilled wheelmen in Japan.
Having already secured the fastest ever tuned car record at Tsukuba, Nob as well as the HKS mechanics knew that the car could go faster. As such, he boldly set off ready to shoot for a time in the 53-second bracket, but then, to everybody’s surprise, it went horribly wrong. Coming into the infield hairpin in fifth gear Nob locked up the front brakes and ploughed straight into the barriers, effectively shattering the TRB 02 into pieces. The mechanics couldn’t believe what had happened. Looking at the various video footage it seemed like there was some kind of steering arm failure, but since the whole front section of the car was damaged pretty badly in the impact there was no way of finding out the real cause.
With Taniguchi thankfully unhurt it was back to the drawing board. It took HKS almost two years to bring the car back to its former glory, and oh man did they do a good job. Shown for the first time at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, the new vehicle now sports a catchy new paint-scheme and in typical Japanese fashion, a totally new name. Behold the CT230R.
HKS has invested an unlimited budget in this project, so to find out just how the CT230R was built we headed to a special workshop not far from the main HKS factories in Fuji. As the elevator door slides open it’s truly hard to take in what lies in front of us. Not too many people are allowed in here, as this is where all of HKS’s special projects are built and looked after. The infamous BCNR33 drag GT-R quietly sits on axle-stands in one corner while Nob’s Drift Lexus IS is being finished off for the Motorsportcom D-Games. We are even shown a new IS that HKS is putting the finishing touches on, a more extreme and better prepared car with substantial chassis modifications. But, today it’s the low slung, impossibly wide and incredibly aggressive Lancer Evolution 8 in the far side of the workshop we are here to see.
The candy-red and chrome finish is simply outstanding, and is set to be a color scheme that HKS will be using on all of their demo-cars from now on. The quality of work that has gone into this project is really impressive. Basing themselves on Super GT regulations, which is a challenge, the first part of the transformation started with the chassis. In order to have a substantially rigid frame, the mechanics went to work stiffening the platform by welding in extra plating in areas of high stress like the foot wells, door sills and the B-pillars. A full roll-cage was then fitted and welded to the chassis directly or via additional drilled reinforcement plates, just like on Super GT cars. Sticking with the semi-GT-racer feel, some AP Racing pneumatic jacks were also welded into place to help shave precious seconds during tire changes.
Earlier in 2007, the CT230R had set the Tsukuba time attack record with a scorching 53.589 lap time - one that has yet to be beaten by other tuners in Japan. Besides Tsukuba Circuit, HKS and NOB have also toured around Japan’s great race tracks, setting records at places like Autopolis, Suzuka Circuit, and Fuji Speedway. The car even took a trip to Malaysia to run at the famous Sepang Circuit
More images at http://speedhunters.com/archive/2009/07/01/car-feature-gt-gt-the-hks-ct230r-evo.aspx
Amuse Carbon R
by Ryan Lee on Jan.02, 2009, under All, Cars
Amuse Carbon R
“It’s unmistaken that the RB26DETT is one of the greatest pieces of machinery ever built. However, the chassis that carries one of Nissan’s most coveted creation weighs in at over 3300 pounds; it serves as a great opportunity to shave some weight. By doing so, 120% of the potential of the RB26 can be extracted because of the ultra lightweight GT-R body. This is the dream machine that I have been lusting for a long time.” Claims Mr. Tanabe from Amuse, proudly speaking alongside the Carbon R. The coveted Tsukuba 57 second mark was first achieved the 2nd year after the initial shake down pass in 2002. At that time, there were talks of a possible 56 second pass if the given conditions were ideal.
The ultimate weapon for the Carbon R is the lightweight nature of the machine. A plethora of the body panels were sliced off and dry carbon pieces took the place of the white sheet metal. The 4WD components were also removed to make the vehicle into a FR configuration, and even parts of the motor were shaved off to decrease the weight. The final verdict was a 2400 pound. chassis; a GT-R that weighs in far less than an average RX-7!
Numbers never lie, they are considered solid evidence. A stock BNR34 generally weighs in at around 3400 pounds, meaning that more than 900 pounds were taken away from this vehicle.
“We were curious to see how fast this GT-R turned out to be if the engine was moderately tuned but was placed inside an extremely light chassis.” States Mr. Tanabe. The engine is not as modified as people perceive it to be. Most enthusiasts are able to reach this level of engine modification.
The RB26DETT still retains its original displacement, but was mated to two GT-RS turbines for a total output of 520 horsepower. Most suspension components were untouched, not to disturb the manufacturer designed suspension geometry.
The finished result of the Carbon R is a wide-bodied vehicle that is covered with full dry carbon fiber. The quality is second to none from a GT spec machine. Yet by peering into the interior, anyone can tell you that the Carbon R is not a race car, but a highly tuned street car.
Drifting Techniques (Weight transition techniques)
by Ryan Lee on Jan.02, 2009, under All, Cars
These techniques employ a further concept of weight transition. When a vehicle has the load towards the front, the back wheels have less grip than the front, causing an oversteer condition that can initiate a drift.
- Braking drift
This drift is performed by braking into a corner, so that the car can transfer weight to the front. This is emmediately followed by throttle in a RWD that causes the rear wheels to lose traction. FWD cars can also use this technique as it does not depend on the rear wheels being driven.
- Inertia drift/ Feint drift
This is done by transferring the weight of the car towards the outside of a turn by turning the car towards the opposite direction of the direction u want to turn for a moment and then quickly turning back using the inertia of the rear of the car to swing into the desired drifting line. Sometimes the hand-brake will be applied while transferring the weight of the car towards the outside to lock the rear wheels and help the rear swing outwards. This type of drifting causes the car to accelerate faster afterwards, because of momentum built up while drifting.
- Kansei/ Lift off/ Taking in
By letting off the accelerator while cornering at very high speeds, cars with relatively neutral handling will begin to slide, simply by steering inputs from the driver and light pedal work, similar to the “Braking drift”.
Drifting Techniques (Beginner techniques)
by Ryan Lee on Jan.02, 2009, under All, Cars
- Hand-brake or Emergency brake drift
While the clutch is depressed, the hand-brake is pulled to induce rear traction loss. As soon as traction is lost, the driver releases the clutch, depresses the accelerator, and countersteers. This technique is used heavily in drift competitions to drift large corners, or to trim the car’s line mid-drift.
- Power oversteer or Powerslide
This drift is performed when entering a corner at full throttle to produce heavy oversteer through the turn. The excess power causes the drive wheels to lose traction in a RWD(Rear Wheel Drive) or AWD(All Wheel Drive) car. This is the most typical drifting technique for all-wheel drive cars.
- Shift lock (compression slide)
Initiated by downshifting (usually from third to second or fourth to third, and using a very fast shift) instead of braking, without rev-matching, causing the drive wheels to lock momentarily. Helpful for very tight corners, allowing the driver to approach the corner at a slower speed and lower revs, while allowing quick acceleration when exiting the corner. This technique can be very damaging to the engine if mis-used as the ECU is unable to rev limit when the engine is oversped by the rear wheels. Premature downshifters are called “Rod Stretchers”.
- Clutch kick
This is done by “kicking” the clutch (pushing in, then out, usually mroe than one time in a drift for adjustment in a very fast manner) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car’s balance. This causes the rear wheels to slip. The foot should be at an angle so the brake and gas may be pressed as well, this being needed to control speed and stop from spinning out in the drift.
