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With art installations, underground DJs, and a couple of professional drifting teams, Scion has reached out to the youth of the nation like no other car company. Their paybacks for those efforts are 800,000 in total sales and more rabid car clubs than the Internet can swallow.

But while that dedicated fan base originally gravitated towards the boxy and un-hip/hip xB model, the more performance oriented Scion tC gradually grew to become the top seller in the Scion camp. Scion claims that nearly 310,000 copies of the Scion tC are now roaming the roads of America, almost 40% of all Scion sales.

For the 2011 model year, Scion has released a reboot of the tC coupe with a new 180hp 2.5-liter engine, two new transmission options, bigger wheels, more watts, and better fuel economy. For the first time in the car’s history, both a six-speed transmission and 18-inch wheels are standard. The new tC has also been shaped inside and out by Toyota’s Calty design center for better driver involvement and, finally, a bit of exterior aggression.

More Power, More Gears

With a predominantly male customer base and a median age of just 26 years old, the Scion tC is on the list of many young, first time buyers and those looking for an affordable compact coupe. But affordable doesn’t automatically translate into a buyer that has given up on all hope for performance. Young drivers want more of everything, especially power, and Scion has listened.

The new tC still hasn’t made the leap towards rear-wheel drive but the new 2.5-liter 2AR-FE engine, shared with the Camry and RAV4, produces a decent 180hp and 173 lb/ft of torque. Compared to its two-door price range competitors, the Kia Forte Koup SX and Honda Civic EX, the tC comes out on top with 7hp more than the Kia and 40hp more than the Civic.

Compared to the 2010 tC’s 161hp and 162 lb/ft of torque 2.4-liter inline-four, the new engine has added dual VVT-i, a variable intake manifold, roller rocker arms, variable output oil pump, multi-point oil jets, and new piston rings to reduce friction and increase efficiency.

The engine is paired up with two transmission options, both new for 2011. The manual transmission has grown to six gears, allowing the tC to do 0-60mph in 7.6-seconds (0.6-seconds faster than before) and attain a fuel economy of 23/31 mpg. The automatic is also a six-speed and it features an ECO drive indicator and ”manumatic” sport shift mode. It allows the tC to do 0-60mph in 8.3-seconds (0.8-seconds faster) and get a fuel economy rating of 23/31 mpg.

We tried our hardest to appreciate the ease of the tC’s automatic but could not get over the programming in the new transmission. Designed for fuel economy above all else, the automatic would enter ECO mode often, reacting slowly to throttle movements and refusing to drop gears. Sometimes, when passing on the freeway, it would even shift up prematurely, as if it were telling us that we had tasted enough. By moving the lever to the left in the shifter gate, we could enter Sequential Sport Shift mode, which was by far crisper and more enjoyable to drive.

The stark difference between the two modes had us pining for a more aggressive standard transmission map but, as it stands, our recommendation for those more interested in performance than convenience is the six-speed manual.

One of biggest drivetrain changes for 2011 is the upgrade from a five-speed to a six-speed manual transmission. And, simply put, the new six-speed is good. With a meaty, easy to grab shift knob on top, the lever provided firm movement and precise engagement through the gate. There was no fishing for 1^st versus 3^rd and no squishy disconnect when shoving the shifter into place.

The gear ratios in the transmission are also surprisingly close, helping the tC accentuate its low-end and accelerate around town that much easier. The 2.5-liter engine doesn’t have a huge amount of top-end but we think that the closely geared six-speed could help a finer breathing supercharged or turbocharged tC immensely.

Tighter And Looser

The original Scion tC was one of the most popular choices for young, first time buyers on account of its price, aftermarket support, and capable handling. We’ve driven everything from supercharged street cars to Pro/Celebrity racecars and have always found the tC’s behavior to be quite good for a front-wheel drive chassis with some amount of torque.

The 2011 Scion tC retains the front MacPherson and rear double-wishbone suspension design but has updated the tuning on the dampers, spring rates, and swaybars. Using a version of the European Toyota Avensis chassis, the new tC has grown its front track by 1.3-inches and its rear track by 2.1-inches.

Combined with larger and wider 18×7.5-inch alloy wheels and 225/45R18 tires, the new suspension gives the tC a tight and firm suspension feel. Although not quite racecar stiff, the suspension is taut enough that body roll is not a constant evil reminder and even the addition of TRD swaybars cannot be easily felt on the street.

Backing up the suspension is a set of larger brake rotors and a new speed-variable electric power steering system. Although the electric system reduces complexity and increases efficiency with the elimination of parasitic drag, its tuning is not consistent across all speeds. At high speed, the tC’s steering feels adequate, though not as precise as we’d prefer. In the city, at low speed, the tC’s steering becomes overly boosted and loose, with a level of precision that we would fine-tune before taking to the autocross course.

At the time of the tC’s launch, TRD will have available 19-inch wheels, a big brake kit, springs, brake pads, quick shifter, tower bar, swaybars, cold air intake, and exhaust. A supercharger kit has not been confirmed yet.

The Helmet Design

Inspired by the Fuse concept car, the 2011 Scion tC was described by representatives as utilizing a helmet visor for inspiration. Whatever their muse, the new tC has debuted with sharper angles and a more masculine design. The soft edges of the last tC are gone and prospective male buyers of the new tC should be happy about that.

The pointed bodylines, blacked out front a-pillars, and bulging fender flares, more prominent in the rear thanks to a cut with the c-pillar, add up to a meaner tC for 2011.

Scion has also taken efforts in their redesign to increase functionality. The new a-pillars are slimmer for improved visibility and the side mirrors now fold for tight spaces. The panoramic moonroof, one of the tC’s key features, has been augmented with a new mesh wind deflector as well.



More Watts

The Scion brand has always been about community, lifestyle, and experience. With their buyers expected to spend large amounts of time in their cars, it came as little surprise that so much effort was placed on the tC’s interior.

From the leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed new steering wheel to the driver-centric center dash, the 2011 Scion tC bears little resemblance to the old car. Well, almost. The interior trim’s plastic and graining is reminiscent of the past tC in terms of quality, although the functionality has improved.

The new steering wheel is impressively thick and the leather surface gives a much better feel than the last tC’s plastic feedback. Mounted on to a new telescoping steering column, the wheel sits in front of a new, easy-to-read instrument panel. Like many modern Toyotas, the new tC strangely lacks temperature gauges, going instead with a simple warning light.

The door panels and rear passenger side panels have been re-designed as well to fit the new eight speaker audio system, which is derived from the Lexus LX570 SUV. Pushing 300-watts in standard trim, the Pioneer sound system pumps 160-watts through the head unit and 140-watts through an additional two-channel amplifier. The ubiquitous iPod input jack is on board, as is a new USB port.

An available 340-watt Alpine HD radio-capable system adds a 4.3-inch touch screen and can be upgraded with satellite navigation. For those getting lost more often, a Scion navigation system is also available with a 7-inch touch screen display. The audio systems all produced plenty of power and thus retained their sharp quality at higher volumes and outputs. There is no auxiliary subwoofer available so, for those interested in window-shattering DJ-esque bass, an aftermarket 10- or 12-inch subwoofer might just end up on the old wish list.

When the second-generation xB debuted, fans accused designers of going bigger, heavier, and losing the spirit of the car. But even with a bigger engine, bigger wheels, and a new body, the new tC retains much of the same feel and image. That’s due largely to the fact that it’s simply not a radical departure from the old version. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The 2011 Scion tC has been improved in many areas, making it faster, meaner, and more efficient, but at its heart, it’s still the same front-drive coupe that Scion has sold countless thousands of. It’s faster, but not demonically so. It looks different, but isn’t unrecognizable as a tC.

The old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And Scion has wisely kept close to the tC’s winning formula of affordability ($18,275/$19,275 for manual/auto), appeal, and customization.

Just consider the extra gear, 19hp, exterior redesign, stereo, and wheels as bonuses for the new model year. A Scion tC v1.5, if you will.

Contact
Scion
www.scion.com

With speeds exceeding World Challenge racecars, it comes as little surprise that time attack cars are popular with fans. For diehard Subaru nuts, the name JC Meynet may ring a bell or two.

The Street Tire Class champion in 2008, Meynet has been developing his 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI since it was his grocery getting, kid transporting daily driver.

After 30,000 miles of driving and commuting, Meynet’s STI began its long transformation into the caged, 650whp AQ Motorsports beast you see before your eyes.

We’ve come out to Willow Springs International Raceway in order to rig up our data system and put this STI to the test. And, like most track days in Southern California, it’s hot as hell when we arrive to the so-called “fastest track in the west”. Meynet has run as fast as a 1:24 previously but with the blazing sun affecting the track conditions, we don’t hold out hope that any records will be broken.

But, unlike an endurance road racing car, a time attack car only has to make one good lap. It doesn’t matter if your brakes give up the ghost after two laps or that your engine overheats after 10-minutes; all you need is one good lap.

Meynet’s AQ Motorsports EJ25 engine holds up just fine in the heat and it only takes two laps (one being the warm-up) for him to find his sweet spot. His best during our test session is a very quick 1:25, not too far off from his personal best.

A custom Griffin radiator and intercooler, along with plenty of ducting, help keep everything cool while on track. Starting with an EJ25 2.5-liter engine block, AQ Motorsports stroked the displacement out to 2.7-liters using a BC billet crankshaft, rods, and CP pistons.

Careful attention has been paid to the oiling system as well. A GT35 turbocharger produces the real power, about 650whp on E85 fuel, using an AEM EMS tuned by Church Automotive. An ACT six-puck clutch is used to hold the power.

Our data (see above) is referenced against our own Project Evo 9, which was equipped at the time with bolt-ons (320whp), JIC coilovers, Toyo R1R street tires, and a Voltex rear wing. After seeing the numbers, we have no doubts about the capability of the AQ engine to spit out horses. A whopping 20mph difference separates the two cars on each straight.

Meynet’s Subaru also shows its huge level of grip through Turn 1 and 2. Sticking out past the body of the car, Toyo R888 r-compound race tires measure 295mm wide.

Wrapped around 10.5-inch wide Enkei wheels, the tires work in conjunction with JRZ three-way adjustable dampers, Hyperco springs, and AQ Motorsports swaybars.

The difference in tire grip and understeer is noticeable as Meynet is able to carry 16 mph more average speed through Turn 2, a long right-hand sweeper, and much more average lateral-g through every low and mid-speed turn at Willow Springs.

The big difference comes in Turn 8, the fastest turn in the track and one saddled with bumps and dips. 650whp is difficult to put down at 150mph over bumps, especially with a loose suspension set up for rotation through the tighter turns.

The Subaru is equipped with a front splitter, flat bottom, and rear wing so large it could case spontaneous flight but Project Evo 9 is able to match its performance through Turn 8. We expect the car to pick up quite a bit of speed in Turn 8 once these issues are sorted out.

Through the cambered Turn 9 and onwards, Meynet’s Subaru time attack car is a rocket. Its recipe is a potent combination of grip, chassis stiffness, and horsepower.

After a 1.88 lateral-g spike, the mighty Subie shoots off to a 152mph top speed and a best time of 1:25.1.

That lap time is enough to sandwich Meynet in between two formula car records at Willow Springs and is only 1.3-seconds behind Tommy Kendall’s record in an IMSA GTU car. Seriously – that’s not too bad of a place to be.

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Engine: AQ Motorsports-built closed deck EJ25 motor, Brian Crower 2.7-liter stroker kit (BC crankshaft, rods, cams, +1mm valves, valve springs), CP custom 9.0:1 pistons, proprietary porting, OEM gaskets, ACL bearings, ARP fasteners, Moroso oil accumulator and high volume oil pan with baffling, Cosworth hi-flow oil pump, GT35 turbocharger, TiAL wastegate, OEM cast iron header, 3-inch straight dump exhaust, custom Griffin radiator and intercooler, AEM air filter with AQ Motorsports custom NACA inlet, Deatschwerks 1600cc/min fuel injectors, 1000 fuel pump with AQ Motorsports surge tank fed by Fuel-Safe 10-gallon fuel cell, AQ Motorsports recirculating oil surge/catch tank, and Hose Techniques silicone hoses.

Tuning: AEM EMS, tuning by Church Automotive, E85 fuel, and 650whp (Dynapack).

Drivetrain: ACT six-puck street clutch kit, Driveshaft Shop axles and aluminum one-piece driveshaft.

Suspension: JRZ three-way shocks, Hyperco springs (700lb/in front, 800lb/in rear), AQ Motorsports custom sway bars (23mm front, 29mm rear), AiM shock potentiometers, Ground Control front top plates, aligned and balanced by JC Meynet, Kaminari rear lateral links and roll/bump correction kit.

Brakes: Rotora big brake kit (six-piston front, four-piston rear) and CL brake pads.

Wheels: Enkei NT03+m, 18×10.5-inch

Tires: Toyo R888, 295/30R18

Exterior: Zero Sports bumpers and sills, Kaminari carbon fiber hood and trunk, AQ Motorsports modified fenders, flares, custom full flat bottom, and splitter, Password:JDM custom canards, Kognition wing and fully adjustable uprights, and Earl’s paint.

Interior: Bullet Fab custom multi-point roll cage, Sparco seat, harness, and fire suppression system, AQ Motorsports window net, AiM dash with multi-channel data acquisition, Motorola two-way radio, OEM dash, center console and window glass (per rules).

Contact
AQ Motorsports
www.aqmotorsports.com

Toyo Tires
www.toyotires.com

ACT
www.advancedclutch.com

AEM
www.aempower.com

CP Pistons
www.cp-carrillo.com

JRZ North America
(310) 516-8081

BC
www.briancrower.com

One of the most overlooked areas in project cars is the drivetrain. When you’re hammering through the gears at the track, the clutch under your left foot and the lever in your right hand matter as much as anything else. Put together a good system and you’ll be too busy chasing short straights and tightening turns to notice anything else. Drop in a few pieces of junk and you’ll be cursing the imprecise feel and shocking engagement as you careen off the road.

The Holy Grail for SR20DET owners is a true six-speed transmission. The promise of shorter gearing and an overdrive 6^th for freeway cruising is sometimes just too good to pass up. But most of the six-speed options for the SR20DET aren’t a direct drop in, requiring custom parts or lots of parts swapping.

The previous best option was to swap in the stock six-speed transmission from a S15 Silvia Spec R or one of the special six-speed Autech S15 Silvias.

But that route has its own issues, as the S15 six-speed doesn’t have a mechanical speedometer drive gear inside the transmission casing like the five-speed S13, S14, and S15 Spec S models do. Enter Nismo.

Short for Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd., Nismo is the tuning and racing arm of Nissan Japan. From within their Tokyo headquarters, Nismo maintains a Super GT GT500-class program and produces some of the most extensively engineered and tested aftermarket go-fast parts. This includes camshafts, reinforced oil pumps, suspension arms, brakes, limited-slip differentials, and a reinforced drop-in six-speed transmission for SR20DET equipped S13, S14, or S15 owners.

Required – S15 Clutch Kit

The first thing that you should be aware of when attempting this particular swap is the price. The transmission itself doesn’t come cheap (it retails roughly around the $4,000 mark last we checked – Ed.) and if you own a S13 or S14, you’ll have to source a S15 clutch kit due to the difference in depth and transmission input shaft length. Trust us, your busted old S13 clutch won’t work here. With our test car being a S13, we sourced a S15 Silvia application Nismo Coppermix clutch kit.

The single plate Coppermix clutch is rated to hold 391 lb-ft of torque and engages lightly and easily. It’s also 1.4-lbs lighter than the factory SR20DET clutch. The Nismo Coppermix aluminum flywheel is 3.3-lbs lighter than stock for a reduction in rotating mass but the most important thing about our clutch kit is its S15 fitment.

Nismo Reinforced Six-Speed Transmission

The S15 Spec R picks up its speedometer signal electronically from the rear ABS sensor and a S15 six-speed transmission swap necessitates a swap to the rear S15 pumpkin and lots of custom wiring to get the S15 gauge cluster to work (the S13 and S14 gauge clusters will not read the S15 speedo signal). So, unless you don’t care how fast you’re going down the street, a S15 six-speed transmission is not a direct bolt in into any USDM 240SX.

S15 clutch required

Starting with the FS6R92A S15 six-speed transmission casing, Nismo fits a custom reinforced gearset and adds a mechanical speedometer drive gear to the mix. Tomei USA also sells the separate Nismo bolt-in kit, which includes the transmission mount, driveshaft, shifter, hardware and required harness extensions.

The only other items you’ll need are the previously mentioned S15 clutch, new shift knob (five-speeds use a 10×1.25 thread, six-speeds are 12×1.25), and gear oil. Unhappy with all the burning hot aluminum and titanium shift knobs on the market, we had our rubber Nissan shift knob machined out to 12mm.

Nismo offers the reinforced six-speed transmission with a multitude of kits to make it a direct drop-in into any S13, S14, or S15 equipped with a SR20DET or SR20DE engine. If you own a S13 or S14, the S15 flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch will bolt directly to any SR20DET engine.

We paid a visit to Steve Rodgers at SR Motorcars in Gardena, California and swapped out our tired five-speed transmission in less than half a day. Rodgers knows the S-chassis and SR20DET engine inside and out and made short work of the installation after lifting the transmission into place with a Herculean effort.

3.8-lbs lighter with 1 more gear

We were pleasantly surprised to discover just how simple Nismo has made this six-speed swap. All parts are labeled and separately bagged and have perfect clearances. The included driveshaft was the perfect length and had zero balance or vibration issues. After we fired up the car, it was ready to go and the speedometer functioned perfectly. This is what you get with near OEM level engineering.

Because it’s based around a standard S15 six-speed transmission, shifter feel is largely the same as with a stock S15 Silvia Spec R. The throws are quite long for performance use but the precision is what matters and the six-speed shows its strength over the five-speed there.

Shifting is much more precise through the gears and the movement is so smooth, there isn’t any need to force gear changes. Nismo claims to have reinforced this transmission over a stock S15 six-speed through the use of larger diameter gears and by changing most of the gear ratios versus the standard S15 box.

For fifth gear, which is the same as the standard S15 (1.000), Nismo has reduced the number of both counter and main gear teeth and has increased the size of the gear teeth.

The Nismo first gear is noticeably taller (numerically lower), with the new gearing helping to cushion the shock load of a hard launch from a standstill. One of the biggest advantages with the Nismo six-speed though is how 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th gear have all been moved closer to each other, which helps us stay above the boost threshold when on track. Combine that with a higher torque capacity and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Contact
Tomei USA
www.tomeiusa.com

TIRE SIZE WIDTH (mm) 225
ASPECT RATIO (%) 45
WHEEL INCH 17
TIRE DIAMETER 634.3

TYPE S13,S14 STD 5-SPEED (FD: 4.83)
1ST 3.321 26.45 (speed at 3k RPM) 44.08 (5k RPM) 57.31 (6.5k RPM) 70.53 (8k RPM)
2ND 1.902 46.18 76.97 100.06 123.15
3RD 1.308 67.14 111.90 145.48 179.05
4TH 1.000 87.85 146.42 190.34 234.26
5TH 0.838 104.86 174.76 227.19 279.62

TYPE S13.S14 NISMO-6SPEED (FD: 4.83)
1ST 2.907 30.22 50.36 65.47 80.58
2ND 1.989 44.17 73.62 95.71 117.79
3RD 1.537 57.15 95.24 123.81 152.39
4TH 1.218 72.13 120.22 156.29 192.35
5Th 1.000 87.85 146.42 190.34 234.26
6TH, 0.862 101.87 169.78 220.71 271.64

TYPE S15 SPEC-R STD-6SPD (FD: 3.692)
1ST 3.624 26.81 44.68 58.08 71.49
2ND 2.200 44.16 73.60 95.68 117.76
3RD 1.541 63.05 105.08 136.60 168.12
4TH 1.213 80.08 133.47 173.51 213.55
5Th 1.000 97.15 161.92 210.50 259.07
6TH 0.767 126.60 211.00 274.30 337.60

TYPE S15 SPEC-R NISMO-6SPD (FD: 3.692)
1ST 2.907 33.42 55.70 72.41 89.12
2ND 1.989 48.85 81.42 105.84 130.27
3RD 1.537 63.20 105.33 136.93 168.53
4TH 1.218 79.77 132.95 172.84 212.72
5TH 1.000 97.15 161.92 210.50 259.07
6TH 0.862 112.65 187.76 244.08 300.41

When it comes to 240SXs, a limited-slip differential is a must. Look at it this way – when a S13 or S14 (or any rear-drive car, really – Ed.) goes around a corner, its rear wheels travel in two different arcs and thus the two wheels are moving at different speeds.

With an open differential, the same amount of torque is distributed to both wheels at all times and as you corner harder and one tire begins to lose traction, that tire will go up in smoke and continue to do so unless you ease off the gas.

As the tire spins into dust, that wheel is exhibiting a much higher wheel speed than the wheel opposite of it. The problem with this is that the non-spinning wheel, the one with grip, will ultimately be fed the same low amount of torque that the spinning wheel is capable of holding.

A limited-slip differential limits the difference in wheel speed between the drive wheels by diverting torque from the spinning wheel over to the non-spinning wheel. This allows you to take advantage of a greater overall level of grip and to play more with the slip angle of the rear tires, allowing a driver to easily play with the balance of the car using the throttle.

For the best balance and power application, you’ll want a LSD that is responsive and provides a smooth, easy breakaway at the limit. For 240SXs, some of the best parts are made by Nissan’s own racing division – Nismo.

Enter the adjustable, clutch-type Nismo GT L.S.D Pro, distributed in the US by engine parts manufacturer Tomei. Clutch-type LSDs work by using springs that apply an “initial torque” to the clutch plates found within the LSD itself.

As one wheel begins to spin more than the other, it locks the clutches together, transferring power to the opposite wheel.  A higher initial torque value or tighter clutch pack will allow less speed differential between the wheels, locking the wheels together sooner. Drifters will often use a higher initial torque value than road racers as they actually want their cars to kick out soon after applying the gas during cornering.

Unique on the market, the GT L.S.D. Pro features an externally adjustable initial torque setting. The standard Nismo GT L.S.D. makes use of 20 clutch plates to help smooth over the locking transition. The GT L.S.D. Pro then adds three grooves of different depth to its pinion mate shaft, which is connected externally to a 19mm head.

By unbolting the right side axle and popping off the stub axle, a ratchet and socket can be inserted to turn the pinion mate shaft left (47.0 lb-ft initial torque), center (61.5 lb-ft), and right (101 lb-ft). With this capability, the LSD can be set trackside to compensate for power, tires or even the difference between a drift day and a track day. This level of fine-tuning, for changes in parts and conditions, is not normally found in a LSD.

SR Motorcars in Gardena, CA handled the Nismo LSD install and it dropped right in without any trouble, although it was all too easy to be found playing with the external adjustment of the LSD. Impressively, the Nismo kit is all-inclusive. In the box was the LSD, fluid, pumpkin cover gasket, side bearings, new ring gear bolts, and axle stubs.

The LSD uses pure synthetic 80W-90 gear oil, which isn’t too common at the local Pep Boys. Be sure to have another jug on hand for a change following initial break-in. Nismo suggests a break-in of 186-miles at no more than 37mph.

The only downside, of course, to a kit of this caliber is the price. There are much cheaper LSDs on the market for the 240SX but these other kits don’t include everything you’ll need and often come with compromises such as noise or poor grabbing characteristics across the clutch faces. Chatter, clanking and noise-free, the GT L.S.D. Pro has proven to be quite the usable street LSD.

We set our GT L.S.D. Pro to the low setting, in order to soften the rear breakaway characteristics for track use, and hit Buttonwillow Raceway in our tester S13 240SX fastback. Our test car was equipped with a 200whp SR20DET, TEIN coilovers, Carbotech XP8 brake pads, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires.

Compared to the test car’s original clutch-type LSD, the Nismo GT L.S.D. Pro was by far smoother on acceleration and provided great feedback to the rear end’s behavior leaving corners. Compared to the OEM viscous LSD, the Nismo GT L.S.D. Pro goes lap after lap, instead of overheating and failing to finish an entire run session. If our car made more power, the difference in endurance and torque handling would be even more immediate.

After trying out the LSD, we have to say that the low setting is highly recommended for all you non-drifters out there, on account of the S13 chassis’ notorious abundance of rear anti-squat geometry. At the higher settings, the LSD will break away sooner on corner exit, making the driver wait longer before being able to hit the gas. Of course, the higher lock also makes it easier to break the rear loose and keep it that way during drifts.

After another 550-miles on the car, we’ve only experienced the slightest of clunking when the car is cold and warming up. But once up to temperature, there is nothing from the LSD but glorious throttle steering. Faster and more fun? Works for us – just be sure to save up those pennies.

Contact
Tomei USA
www.tomeiusa.com

Like a good set of tires, drivetrain is an often-overlooked area of car tuning. Many obsess over blowers, exhausts and wheels but when it comes time to get that project buttoned up, the cheapest clutch kit is usually shoved in.

Or, more often than not, the stock clutch is pushed to the ragged edge and subjected to 400 lb/ft more torque than it was ever designed for.

Being cheap and getting too light of a clutch is a surefire way to shorten the life of your clutch kit and reduce the efficiency of your car. Besides having to live with poor pedal feel and the possibility that something will go wrong, meaning the transmission will have to be pulled again, using a cheap clutch can actually leave acceleration power on the table. Who wants that?

Remember, all the power in the world is a great thing but it still has to get to the pavement. To complement a high-powered engine, you’ll want a clutch kit that has more than enough holding power, good pedal feel (if driven on the street), smooth engagement and a lighter weight. With all these elements in place, a car can accelerate and decelerate faster using the same amount of power.

The key is the fact that the clutch and flywheel are solidly bolted to the engine’s crankshaft at all times. The clutch and flywheel combo will always spin around at the same RPM that your engine is reading. By pressing in the clutch pedal and moving the gear lever, you’re actually engaging and disengaging the transmission’s input into the engine.

16lbs lighter than stock

It’s simple enough to guess that a lighter clutch and flywheel is easier to spin up to a certain RPM since it weighs less. This is the reason for the massive popularity of lightweight aluminum flywheels; they can get you tenths in the quarter-mile with their reduction in weight.

And since the force required to spin a clutch depends on mass and clutch size, a smaller clutch should also aid with acceleration. It’s the same principle behind using lightweight forged wheels versus big, heavy chrome rims.

Taking rotating mass out of your drivetrain with carbon fiber driveshafts, lightweight clutches and small wheels has been done for years. But to find out how effective it really is we hit the four-wheel dyno at Tuning Technologies in Colton, California.

Alfred, Jen and the TT crew opened up their facility for us to test the SPEC Clutch Mini Twin kit on the M1 Fabrication & Development 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. This Evo has seen some heavy track use in NASA Time Trial competition and we decided to test the stock and SPEC clutches back to back. A custom GT30R turbo kit has been fitted to the M1 Evo VIII and 420whp is available at a low boost setting of 22psi.

The SPEC Mini Twin clutch kit offered both of the elements that we were looking to test gains from, a smaller size and a lighter weight. Rated to hold 800 lb/ft of torque, the SPEC clutch kit came with an aluminum flywheel 7lbs lighter than stock (8.5 versus 15.5 lbs) and was 16lbs lighter in total than all the factory parts. This is even counting the SPEC hydraulic throwout bearing that converts the clutch from a pull-type to a push-type for more reliable operation.

With aftermarket clutches there are a few ways to increase holding power and torque capacity but each have their downsides as well. Some of the most common include different friction material (better heat resistance but minimal holding power gains), a stronger pressure plate (stiffer pedal to push down) and swapping to multiple discs (expensive and could be noisy from internal rattling).

The SPEC Mini Twin clutch uses two clutch discs with what is basically another flywheel sandwiched between them. This gives more surface area than just one clutch and thus more holding power with minimal pedal stiffness.

Pedal feel with the SPEC twin-plate clutch is noticeably light and short and the engagement is much sharper than with the factory clutch. Without as much mass on the flywheel to help launch the car, this kit is designed for road racing and track use, not for drag racing.

The clutch needs to be slipped with plenty of revs to keep going and is pretty easy to stall. You get used to it and this unit can be used in a street car but it’s not exactly street friendly with an OEM feel. This is a real racing unit. SPEC does offer more street friendly units but this racing-style clutch is the best option for us to be able to test the difference in rotational mass.

First up, we dyno the GT30R’s fury against the stock clutch setup. This combo has overheated and slipped on track at Buttonwillow Raceway, proving the low capacity of the stock parts. Next, Tuning Technologies completed an amazing 4.5-hour clutch swap. That may seem really long to some of you but remember, this isn’t a Honda Civic. An Evo clutch install is an ordeal and could easily take twice as long.

The SPEC clutch was then given a full solid day of driving for break in and then the M1 Evo was put back on the same dyno. Both dyno runs used the same exact Tuning Technologies ECU tune and boost level. We measured the same exact atmospheric conditions except for a 2-degree F increase in air temp for the SPEC testing.

Dyno testing reveals the time difference required to reach a specific torque out put. The lighter SPEC system is faster past 3,000 rpm.

The results are eye opening, with the lighter and smaller SPEC twin-disc clutch kit allowing the Evo’s engine to rev faster and easier, hitting peak boost and making power sooner. Where the stock parts allow the Evo to reach 300 lb/ft of torque in about 5.2-seconds, the SPEC clutch hits that same amount in only 4.5-seconds. We measured almost a half second difference from stock for the Evo to reach the 350whp mark and once peak boost is reached, the SPEC clutch helps free up power all the way to the top.

It took almost an entire second less for this Evo to reach the 300 lb/ft mark during a single dyno run. Think about when this car goes out for a track session. Imagine how many times the car must enter braking zones, hit apexes and then accelerate out of a corner. Multiply all that acceleration by the time gained here and you’ll see the advantages of reducing rotating weight and having a lightweight clutch.

Races are won or lost by fractions of a second, we have that here already in a single dyno run and this clutch won’t slip at all on track. Sometimes going faster isn’t just about adding power. Sometimes it’s about maximizing what you already have.

Sources
Spec Clutch
(800) 828-4379
www.specclutch.com

Tuning Technologies
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

M1 Fabrication & Development
(714) 671-0077
www.m1fd.com

With millions of copies sold over a history spanning fifty years, the Ford Falcon is one of the most popular cars in Australia. If you ever get the chance to visit, that fact will come as little surprise.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

The full size Falcon comes in more variants than you can imagine – XT, G6, G6E, G6E Turbo, XR6, XR6 Turbo, XR8, wagon, ute, FPV – with just as many options. The line-up covers almost all ages and creeds, using fuel-efficient six-cylinder engines and torque-laden V8s to lead large scale Falcon ownership.

While many inline-six Falcon XTs are used as taxis and daily transportation, higher models come packed with true factory hot rod performance. It seems, just like their American counterparts, Australians have a taste for rear-wheel drive power.

Judging by the number of used car dealers we saw selling slightly pre-owned 400hp machines, the Falcon has an enthusiast following similar to the Mustang here in the US. But while the Mustang is designed as an in-your-face coupe that can do donuts and powerslides with ease, the Falcon is a little subtler about it. Our first taste of the rear-wheel drive sedan would come behind the wheel of a FPV F6 E.

The Ford Falcon’s sportiest variants are the XR6 Turbo and XR8 models. A 362hp (270kW) turbocharged inline-six engine powers the XR6 Turbo while the XR8 ups the ante with a Boss 290 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 that pushes out 389hp (290kW) and 384 lb/ft (520Nm) of torque.

And when 389hp isn’t enough, there’s the FPV line-up. FPV stands for Ford Performance Vehicles, a separate sub-brand that produces a series of factory hot rods. FPV vehicles are the most powerful variants that can be purchased through the participating Ford dealer network and sport bigger brakes, more powerful engines, and aggressive looks.

The FPV F6 E is a gentleman’s sports Falcon, combining the 416hp (310kW) turbocharged 4-liter inline-six engine from the FPV F6 with the “executive” luxury of the FPV GT E model. In fact, what impressed us most about the F6 E were its interior appointments.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

More Ford GT than Focus, the F6 E sports dark grained wood accents, stitched leather seats (power adjustable for the driver), a thick leather steering wheel, and panels more tightly gapped than any Mustang we’ve ever seen.

Our test car also came equipped with the optional satellite navigation system, which includes a center-mounted LCD screen (also used for the reverse camera). We had gripes with the navigation system’s category-based POI menu, which made searching for specific names difficult, but the F6 E itself felt quiet and solid inside.

For us power-swilling Americans, being free of road noise helped us pick up on the addictive sounds of the four-liter inline-six engine. With a factory Garrett GT3540R turbocharger attached to the engine, the F6 E pushes out 416hp at 5,500rpm and 417lb/ft (565Nm) of torque from 1,950 to 5,200rpm. We expect 0-60mph times to be right in the low 5-second range. Another plus side of the turbo six was its fuel efficiency, which hovered around the 20mpg mark when driving normally.

The F6 E comes solely with a ZF six-speed automatic transmission, which is smooth during normal cruising but slow to kick down gears during full throttle maneuvers. There is a “Sequential Sports Shift” mode to the automatic but, like most manu-matic options, it doesn’t give you the crisply quick shifting of a dual-clutch or sequential unit. Those that absolutely must have a six-speed manual with this engine will have to stick with the standard F6 model.

Like many turbocharged engines, the four-liter produces a pause of boost lag when going full throttle, although the boost threshold is kept to a low enough rpm that finding torque is never really an issue once the turbo spools. In fact, the F6 E is ludicrous fun in the wet, breaking loose the rear tires with pretty much every full throttle stab.

The Dynamic Stability Control system’s traction control steps in quickly but is easily turned off with a button press. The Falcon is easily controlled in these conditions too, thanks to a mountain of torque and a well-tuned limited-slip differential. And, if things get too out of control, the F6 E comes equipped with massive Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes.

The latest Falcon chassis, called the FG, uses an independent double wishbone front suspension and the F6 E comes with a “Performance Control Blade” independent rear suspension.

We took the FPV F6 E out to Mt. Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, where the Falcon name has raced repeatedly over the years. Impossible to find in the US, Mt. Panorama is a state-maintained public two-way road when not closed for major racing events. There is a strictly enforced 37mph speed limit in place around the track, joggers and track-side houses abound, but 37mph down the steeply banked Esses section is still plenty quick.

Combined with 19×8-inch alloy wheels, the F6 E’s Dunlop tires provided plenty of grip. Turn-in and steering response were solid and we were surprised by how much grip could be found, especially considering the suspension’s softness. On the street, the F6 E’s rear suspension had a tough time soaking up quick dips or holes without compressing too sharply but the track displayed none of this. The F6 E’s suspension proved compliant over undulating surfaces and controlled – well matched with the tires.

With its long list of options, quality interior, solid fuel economy, and mountain of power, the FPV F6 E is one of the best sports sedans we’ve ever driven. Its smooth and powerful turbocharged inline-six alone is worth the price of admission. We ourselves would opt for the six-speed manual in the F6 model but for those looking for a grown-up, tire-shredding cruiser, it’s waiting for you. In Australia.

- Click to play and select “720p” to watch in full HD.

If there were ever a single auto manufacturer that perfectly summed up the performance tuning mentality, it would be Lotus. Many of the aspects that Lotus considers crucial design points are modifications that we are constantly reaching for. Dumping interior trim and air conditioning systems for weight, swapping in a different steering rack for quicker response or searching for just a little bit more power – these are just some of the elements of Lotus.

Living with a car for a few days speaks volumes about the character of a machine. I wanted to experience the Exige’s behavior, design, reliability and quirks. No matter how well designed, every car has quirks, our project car fleet included. Plus, getting a good grasp on the capabilities of the Exige S 240 would give me a crystal ball glimpse into the inner workings of its design, and allow us to use it as a benchmark for future projects.

Following a few short arrangements with Lotus USA for a one-week loan, I was soon surprised to see a flatbed tow truck arrive at our office with a silver Exige S 240 on its back. Normally, press fleet cars that are loaned to us for testing are driven to our office for drop-off, or are picked up by us.

It was readily apparent that Lotus was a different kind of car company. The Exige even showed up wearing precision cut Starshield paint protection film. All the better considering the light-changing Moonstone Silver paint was a sizeable $5,100 option.

With the car now safely in my hands, I took a moment to inspect the Exige in the parking lot. First off, the car just looks downright great. The sculpted body shell screams “I’m not an econobox” while the ride height, ducting and rear wing balance performance and aesthetics. I feel a little ashamed to admit it, but it’s kinda cool to ride around in a car like this and have bystanders assume that you’re the Sultan of Brunei.

The spaceship body is so far removed from a “normal” car shape, most every one will assume that you’re driving a supercar and are some variant of rap music producer trying out for MTV Cribs. If only they knew. Nothing wrong with a Lotus Exige S 240 borrowed on a McDonalds lifestyle, right?

Mere minutes after the Exige is dropped-off, soon begins what I refer to as “The Lotus Syndrome”, or LTS. It’s a bizarre rash of human mental instability which makes overweight grown men have to get in and out of a car two sizes too small for them, makes people stare uncontrollably and, when questioned about his particular fascination with this brand’s notoriety, causes my roommate to devolve into a vocabulary consisting only of, “dude, it’s a Lotus”. It’s a scene that will repeat itself too many times over the course of the week.

Slipping into the Exige S 240 for the first time is a unique experience. It’s the first time that I’ve got into a factory car that is so focused and compromised, it’s almost like I modified it myself. There is little in the way of interior (just lots of bare aluminum), the monstrous and structural side beams make entering the car a contortionist act and the rearview mirror is useless, constantly filled with a full view of the intercooler. Cool.

The Exige S 240 is currently Lotus’ most powerful and quickest street-legal production car. It uses an intercooled Roots-type supercharger system to push 240bhp (thus the name) out of the Celica-derived and Lotus-tuned 2ZZ-GE engine. The Exige S 240 is fast, Lotus reads 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds, but it’s not quite what I would consider a tire-shredder.

Don’t get me wrong, the Exige S 240 can dispose of quite possibly every single car that I’m likely to come across on the highway, but it’s no drag car. There are plenty of big turbo Supras and STIs that can blow this car out of the water, but the Exige S 240 is built to go fast around turns. And the more turns and the more technical they are, the better the car will shine. Still, that intoxicating whine from the supercharger has me thinking Roots-type blower for my next project. Drop a few gears and it’s just a blast of whree, whree, whree filling my ears. Great stuff.

I hate to bring up an overused cliché, but driving the Exige is about as close to driving a go-kart as you can get with a production car. The seating position is low and thinly cushioned, the steering is quick and responsive (it’ll drive into the next lane if you’re not paying attention and your hands drift – don’t ask me how I know), there is a good amount of kickback through the wheel over rough surfaces and the weight transfers during hard driving in a similar manner.

Also, just like a kart, if you’re the wrong size for the car, you’ll have trouble getting into it, you’ll smash your knees against the steering wheel and your sides will hurt if you can’t fit into the seat correctly.

Here at The Octane Report, we have a thing for power. Tire shredding, burnout inducing, push you back in your seat power. The kind of power that turns a car from simple transport to over-the-top track star. And it’s not just us and our gas vapor-addled brains. There’s a reason why so many people want bolt-on turbochargers, superchargers and engine swap kits.

And yet, there’s something to be said about the formula of low horsepower and low weight. Cars like the Lotus Elise/Exige, Honda S2000 (actually, any Honda for that matter – Ed.) and Mazda Miata are perfect examples of cars that are a complete blast to drive and yet don’t break the lowly 250hp mark.

The Scion xD isn’t quite in the same realm as the aforementioned lightweight roadsters but it does come packing a low curb weight of 2,600lbs. Unfortunately, with only 128hp and 125lb/ft of torque from its 1.8-liter engine, it needs either less weight or more horsepower to be useful at a dragstrip.

It’s also the complete opposite of a Ferrari F430 in the looks department on account of its combination of tiny stature and conservative, upright design.

But Scion didn’t design the $15k xD as a high-performance sports car. It was created to be a customizable, fuel-efficient daily commuter. And this it does quite well. The xD seats five, has rear fold-down seats and is capable of holding as many tires or boxes as a small SUV. It just happens that it’s only 154.7-inches long and 60-inches tall.

With 27mpg city and 33mpg highway ratings, the Scion xD also excels at sipping 87-octane fuel while driving around. This is the positive trade-off you get with the low power output. With little horsepower and a soft suspension, a standard xD is about as rental car as you can get. But if you’re looking to really have some fun with your xD and spice up your drive, Scion offers a line-up of TRD designed aftermarket parts.

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, the department within Toyota’s corporate web that has all the real fun. From Tundra superchargers to tC limited-slip differentials, the TRD team creates a host of aftermarket parts that can be purchased at the dealership, with the capability to be lumped in with your factory warranty or loan.

For our tester xD, TRD added a suspension kit, 18-inch wheel and tire package, exhaust and rear spoiler. The rear spoiler is a nice subtle piece that accents the rear hatch a bit, although it offers little functional benefit. The exhaust system as well has a nice deep tone to it, although we had no conceptions at all that it gave the xD any extra horsepower. If this was our xD, we would save the cash instead of buying these two pieces.

The biggest difference when driving the TRD accessorized Scion xD came from the rolling stock and suspension system. The larger 18-inch TRD wheels and sticky Toyo tires are heavier than stock, hurting acceleration a bit. But the wider rubber and grippier compound help a lot during cornering. We think that a set of light 15-inch wheels with these tires would be the best setup for the xD but TRD also had looks in mind as a consideration.

-Click to play and select “720p” for HD quality.

Features:
·    Reinforced shoulder tread blocks
·    Continuous center rib design
·    Specially formulated tread compound
·    Reinforced internal construction

To the average commuter, the rubber doughnuts underneath their car are only good for one thing – to keep their wheels from getting scratched. Most “normal” people don’t pay close attention to what keeps them on the road. They’ll buy re-manufactured tires (four for $100 on special! – Ed.) and rarely ever check the pressures. So why then has every tire manufacturer on Earth released a new all-out performance street tire in the last couple years? For you, of course.

Compare a normal driver to the average OR reader, who obsesses about the perfect hot tire pressure and tread design. Commuters don’t understand the capabilities and intricacies of a performance tire the way that a gear head would but they’re not the target buyer. The OR reader is the one with the modified car, bursting at the seams, asking for every nuance of grip that it can muster.

The OR reader is the one that will win time attack championships, club races and autocross national titles. These are the things that can help boost a brand’s reputation, reaching down to even the commuter level. When it comes to competition, everybody’s out to win.

The NT05 is Nitto’s latest maximum performance offering. With a low UTQG rating of 200, it’s matched up against the usual SCCA Street Touring standouts like the Falken RT-615, Yokohama Advan Neova, Toyo R1R, Hankook RS-3 and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1. UTQG wear ratings are arbitrarily determined by each tire manufacturer so they are not true yardsticks with which to measure how soft or sticky a competitor tire really is.

The first striking thing you’ll notice about the NT05’s design is the tread compound. The outer edges feature huge blocks of rubber with a few sipes for water evacuation. The center features what Nitto calls a “continuous center rib design”. This equates to a thick strip of rubber right through the middle and two large channels on each side. These channels will help with wet weather grip, although the NT05 is not recommended for snow use.

Surely taking a few cues from their NT01 r-compound racing tire, Nitto has created a very fast street tire that is capable on track as well. We sampled the 255/40/17 NT05 size at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, NV during the Redline Time Attack weekend. The test car was our full weight, registered and daily driven Project Evo IX. The NT05s were not heat cycled or shaved before they hit the track.

Right off the bat, the NT05s displayed their high level of grip. Entering into the medium-speed Turn One off of the front straight,Project Evo IX averaged a lateral load of 1.01g and a peak spike of 1.61g. Through Segment 4, a tight hairpin left, the NT05s scored a peak lateral load of 1.22g. Perhaps most telling though is the high 66-68mph average speed maintained through Segments 7 and 8, which are undulating mixtures of hills and turns.

The NT05s also displayed good heat resistance, with no chunking or tearing appearing at all after they had gone on track. The tires also showed very little graining or overheating across the surface, its lack of tread squirm no doubt helped by its large tread blocks and relatively shallow molding depth.

The key thing to remember is that Nitto had the intention of creating a tire that was to be used on the street first and the track second. They were not in the market to create an all-out performance street tire like the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08, instead focusing on a balance of wear life, grip, price and noise. The NT05 doesn’t quite have the steering precision of the Neova tire but it’s still one of the fastest street tires on the market today and comes in at a much lower price than Yokohama as well.

If you’re looking for a decently priced street tire for your project car, you can’t lose with the NT05. You’ll have more dry grip than you can legally use on the street and hitting the track on the weekend won’t require a tire swap. That’s what we’re always looking for in a performance street tire.

Source
Nitto Tire
www.nittotire.com

Seemingly one of the most successful, cash-infused tire companies at the moment, Continental Tire went balls to the wall for the launch event of the Extreme Contact DW (Dry Wet) and DWS (Dry Wet Snow) tires. California Speedway, now Auto Club Speedway, played host to the event with the oval, infield, go-kart track and parking lot rented out for testing. On hand in the parking lot were a wet skidpad, wet braking test and two tight autocross courses (dry and wet).

Continental Tire’s test fleet of BMWs and Mustang GTs were on hand for journalist abuse and we delivered. The BMW 3-Series proved to be an easy low-speed drift machine on the wet autocross course, while the Mustang GT left us pining for a competent limited-slip differential (LSD) to be installed in the rear axle.

Muscling the Ford pony car around the wet skidpad became an exercise in understeer and throttle management as the V8’s torque refused to properly overcome both of the rear Continental DWS tires with power-on oversteer. Luckily, the DWS tires provided enough traction and wet surface feel that balancing the Mustang around the wet asphalt was no problem.

Still, the star of the day was the Extreme Contact DW tire. We’ve driven on Continental’s previous ContiSportContact 3 performance offering and found it to be very consistent and with a pretty good level of grip. The DW was our main focus for the day and it did quite well for an all-season tire (all season in CA at least, we only get dry and some wet – Ed.).

The DW doesn’t provide the outright dry grip of uber-top tier rubber, like Yokohama’s Advan AD08 Neova tire, but, then again, Neova’s cost an arm and a leg and will wear out faster than you can say burnout. For the average real world driver, the Continental ExtremeContact DW provides a better balance between cost and performance and will provide more than enough grip for the street and, occasionally, the track.

We pushed the DW on the autocross course, on CA Speedway’s massive oval (in an ex-Toyota Pro/Celebrity Celica racecar) and in a timed “time attack” session on the infield course. Even tith the launch event full of club racers and karting enthusiasts, we took the 3rd place trophy. The DW tire proved to be very responsive and had an easy to find limit of grip, making learning both easier and faster.

While out on course, the DWs delivered. They were very consistent over the driving period and delivered more grip than we had originally anticipated. The current generation of street tires have progressed with amazing leaps and bounds, almost matching racing tires for consistency and grip.

The Continental DW and DWS tires are quiet, comfortable, consistent and have a decent amount of grip. These weren’t designed as one-shot wonder Street Touring autocross tires but If you’re looking for a grippy tire that you can slap on to your street car all year round, the Continental DW and DWS are very good choices.

Update (Nov. 2009):

Our very own Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution track car test bed, Project Evo IX, recieved an invite to the annual Evo vs. STI Shootout. The time trial competition is run on a spec tire, the Continental ExtremeContact DW tire, meaning all competitors would be on the same exact tire. This evened out the playing field, making for closer competition.

After a day on track, Project Evo IX emerged as the fastest car of the day, beating full racecars. Equipped with an aftermarket KW suspension, 400hp and 265/35/18 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires, we set a laptime on track faster than both the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Chevy Corvette Z06. Our car is registered, driven regularly and is full weight.

Source

Continental Tire

www.continentaltire.com

If you’re anything like us, your hands sweat like fat sausages when you drive fast. On track, our palms get so sweaty that the steering wheel and shift knob can become slippery. Being too slow to catch a tank-slapper or missing a shift because of grip, well, sucks.

That was our first reason for banning the use of smooth metal shift knobs. Driver comfort while on track is very important to being able to focus and drive fast and that’s one of the biggest reasons to wear driving gloves during a track day.

Racers all wear the latest safety gear – neck restraint, suit, gloves, shoes – because they bang doors and run the risk of serious damage during competition. Since HPDEs, driver’s schools and track days are not run wheel-to-wheel, there isn’t so much a risk of balling up your car and catching on fire.

Although driving gloves aren’t required during casual events, we always prefer to wear a pair to maintain proper grip throughout the entire session. It’s a safety bonus that, by wearing fireproof gloves instead of leather gloves, your hands will be able to open any number of hot surfaces should your car catch on fire.

5Zigen’s ARD racing gear division recently released their ARD-272 driving glove, a FIA-approved glove that appeals to both racers and weekend drivers. In compliance with FIA standard 8856-2000, the ARD-272 glove comes in four different colors and four different sizes.

The ARD-272 glove is externally stitched to prevent irritation or itchiness to the hand inside. Every pair of gloves does come with a distinctive, almost tribal, logo pattern on the outside of the hand and a textured surface covering the palm and finger wear areas.

The secondary textured layer is almost like treated leather in terms of feel but is soft and pliable. FIA standards regulate that gloves only use leather or leather-like materials across the tactile surfaces of the hand, since leather shrinks when exposed to fire. By only putting the textured layer across the wear areas, ARD was able to combine the ARD-272 glove’s elastic flexibility with the outside layer’s grip and strength.

The resulting combination provides a glove that fits easily and tightly, the material will stretch slightly across your hand, and isn’t stiff at all during hand movement. Although it feels slightly thinner, we’d say that this glove provides greater tactile feedback and movement than the Sparco Profi gloves that we also have.

FIA standard 8856-2000 mandates that during testing a glove’s finger seams be exposed to flame for 15-seconds. Four different gloves of the same type, in total, will be tested under fire and the threads should not “melt, show after-flaming or break”. The FIA also requires that no flaming or molten debris be present and that the gloves don’t split under the stress. Fully compliant with the FIA standard, the ARD-272 gloves should be good to allow for a speedy escape from a car on fire.

One plus of the external textured layer is its ability to be used with non-suede steering wheels, i.e. leather wheels and most stock steering wheels. Suede-palmed racing gloves provide excellent grip when combined with suede wheels but often don’t grip as well on leather or vinyl surfaces. If you’re using your car for autocross or track use and haven’t switched out to a suede wheel, the ARD-272 gloves will be right up your alley.

The ARD-272’s external leather-like layer provides just the right amount of friction to maximize handgrip across other leather and vinyl-type surfaces. In simpler terms, the ARD-272 gloves work great with stock and leather aftermarket steering wheels and will provide better grip than a comparable suede glove. We realize that these gloves aren’t the cheapest on the market but their combination of safety, grip, looks and flexibility will surely appeal to many enthusiast drivers. Just be sure to air out the sweat from the insides to avoid any unnecessary glove funk.

Item #ARD272
MSRP: $200 ($179.95 below at 5Zigen store)
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Colors: Blue, Black, Gray, Red

Sources
5Zigen USA
www.5zigenusa.com
www.5zigenusastore.com/arragl.html

Size tested: 285/30/18
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 180 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs

Features:
· Serrated groove walls
· Heat releasing dimples
· Optimum groove position
· Rounded tread block design
· Unique casing shape
· Micro silica compound

The Yokohama PR catalog can talk all day about silica construction, block casings, and environmental designs but, when it comes to performance, tires speak for themselves. As anyone in the street tire autocross scene can tell you, the Yokohama Advan Neova tire is the best street tire on the market today.

With its high price tag and limited availability, the Neova tire scares away many potential buyers. But those owners of high performance or competition cars would be missing out if they let their wallets make their decisions. Yokohama is one of the most well known Japanese tire manufacturers, with offerings in club racing and the ALMS, and the Neova is their best.

First off, the Neova tires is difficult to track down. Not a high volume seller, the tire is, in fact, often out of stock at Yokohama Tire HQ itself. Trying to find a last minute 18-inch Neova at your local Discount Tire is going to be next to impossible. Your best bet is to shop at racing or performance shops and still factor in a wait time.

The Advan Neova is Yokohama’s current flagship tire and sports all the features that they could pack into a street tire. We tested the Neova tire on Project Evo 9, on both the street and the track. Our first impressions of the Neova tire came on the 2-hour drive from our headquarters to Willow Springs Raceway.

The Yokohama Advan Neova sports all the comforts of a true street car tire. There is more road noise transferred into the cabin than from an all-season touring tire, but very little when compared to a racing tire or event some other high-performance street tires, such as the Toyo R1R.

The Advan Neova did however provide outstanding stability, grip, and steering feedback. Through freeway sweepers, lane changes, and off-ramps, the Neova gave more driving feedback than any other tire we’ve driven on.

The Advan Neova is even above average in the wet, as we found later during a rainy stretch. Some ultra-high performance tires get their dry grip by sacrificing wet weather stability and capability but the Neova managed to retain its feedback and feel.

We also took the opportunity to test the Advan Neova tire at Willow Springs Raceway, the “fastest track in the west”. With Willow’s daunting Turn 8 and 9 complex capable of propelling Project Evo 9 over 120mph through turns, many street tires have given up the ghost during testing.

Once on track, Project Evo 9 began to push the limits of the sticker-fresh, full tread depth Yokohama tires. We didn’t do any heat cycling, shaving, or preparation. Especially in the summer, Willow Springs’ high speed and high load turns have a tendency to punish front tires.

Putting Project Evo 9 on the track in 15-minute sessions, we switched on our datalogger and flipped open our notebook. Our test driver returned with similar feedback to our street drive. The Yokohama Advan Neova tire displayed high grip and sharp steering feedback on track, especially through the very quick Turn 2 (average 87 mph) and Turn 8 (average 119 mph) areas. With consistently high grip marks (at or above 1 lateral-g in almost all corners), the Neova tire could in fact match the pace of racing tires from just a few years ago.

Like any street tire, the Neova didn’t display as much heat capacity as a true racing tire, although it was consistent throughout the entire session, not completely dropping off into complete slipperiness like other street tires after a few laps. We found our lap spread to be within 1-second throughout the session.

Our final impression of the Yokohama Advan Neova is one of surprise. It’s not very often that we run across a tire that combines the wet weather capability and noise of a street tire with the grip and feedback of a racing tire. We had heard good things about this tire but its performance truly is excellent. The Neova’s only downside is its pricetag, almost $320/tire in this size, which matches or exceeds racing tire prices.

But, remember, your tires’ contact patch is the only thing holding you to the ground. If you have a high-performance car, such as a Porsche, BMW, Corvette, or Viper, that demands the best in grip and performance, you’ve found it.

Size tested: 255/35/18
Type: Extreme performance tire
UTQG: 140 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs (Redline Time Attack)

Features:
· Silica-reinforced, high-grip tread compound
· Unidirectional “arrowhead” tread design
· Tapered center block edge
· Multi-width EVAC channels
· Stability control slits
· Modified radial construction casing

Before we get too far into this review, let’s just lay it out there – the Toyo R1R tire is not for everybody. It’s not a tire for getting groceries, driving to Granny’s or zoning out in stop-and-go traffic. Toyo sells other tires for those purposes that are both quieter and longer lasting.

The R1R is an r-compound racing tire disguised as a DOT street tire. But if you’re interested in putting every last bit of power down to the ground or autocross in the SCCA’s Street Touring class, then please read on.

Why should the R1R be used by only the most hardcore enthusiasts and drivers? Compromise, really. Every single thing that you change or modify on your car will compromise it in some way. Your car can become stiffer, louder or lighter with a few changes. But luxury and comfort often get thrown out the window.

The Toyo R1R is designed first and foremost as a performance tire. It comes packing many design cues that can also be found in the Toyo R888 r-compound racing tire. Design cues that may bother your average Corolla S commuter.

The R1R’s sidewalls are stiff to give a crisp turn-in response and have a reinforced casing to avoid deflection under hard cornering. Driving on the R1R is not uncomfortable by any means but the stiffness does make the R1R ride hard when compared to your standard off-the-shelf all-season touring tire. The “arrowhead” tread design is supposed to aid with wet traction, which is good since the R1R has such huge tread blocks for dry grip, but it also increases the road noise transmitted into the cabin.

Wear and longevity are also an issue. With a soft, grippy compound and a low 140 UTQG wear rating, the Toyo R1R will not last as long as a El Cheapo touring tire. But, then again, the R1R will demolish any all-season or touring tire in terms of outright grip. In its comfort zone, at the track or in performance driving, the R1R shines.

We tested the 255/35/18 Toyo R1R on Project Evo IX during the Redline Time Attack Willow Springs event (full tread depth, no break-in or heat cycling). With a 255-width and a 140 UTQG treadwear rating, the R1R is at the extent of the limits and is one of the tires to have for the Street Class. The UTQG rating also bumps it up against the rules ceiling in the SCCA’s Street Touring (STX, STU, STR, etc) class.

The R1R was clearly designed to dominate in these street-based performance environments. Once on track, we knew the R1R was not your average street tire. At a hot track in the blazing heat of a Southern California summer, the tire did drop off quite quickly but during the first couple initial hot laps, the grip was commendable. We nailed our fastest lap (good for 3rd in Street AWD) on our second hot lap and spiked 1.32 lateral-g in Willow’s on-camber high-speed Turn 9.

We did wish that the R1R had a more responsive turn-in and steering response, the proper slip angle for the tire is difficult to find at times, but the high grip level is hard to beat. The tire also exhibited zero chunking or tearing (always the bane of a street tire driven on track) during our track testing. Ken Motonoshi, SCCA autocross national champion, also advised us that the tire would get faster as it wore down.

We’re hoping that as the tire begins to wear away and the tread blocks get shorter, there will be less tread squirm and the turn-in response will pick up. If the tire gets even faster, fantastic. Although, it’s hard to believe just how fast this street tire really is already.

Source
Toyo Tires
West Coast: 800-442-8696 (6:30am to 5:00pm Pacific Time)
East Coast: 888-444-8696 (9:30am to 8:00pm Eastern Time)
www.toyotires.com

The stiffer a chassis is, the less it will flex when forces are applied to it, i.e. through the suspension. This means that forces from the road surface will be contained and absorbed by the suspension rather than being allowed to beat up the body shell. As the chassis is stiffened, ride quality will improve and stiffer springs can be used before the chassis throws a fit. Hell, even OEMs use the methods outlined here on such cars as the Acura TL and the Mazda RX-8 R3.

Our thought process behind this urethane foam method is – when it comes to making your car stiffer and stronger, sometimes you just don’t want a full roll cage. Tying together the chassis with a custom welded cage would increase chassis stiffness by a large amount but if your car sees more street time than track time, cracking your skull open on a metal tube doesn’t exactly sound like a great Friday night.

This leaves you with the options of stitch welding, bolt-on chassis bracing bars, a simple four-point roll bar or urethane foam. Bolt-on braces and bars often have little effect or gain on chassis stiffness and they often cost a pretty penny. Doing something for dirt-cheap in your own garage sounds pretty tempting, huh?

Keep in mind though that the foam you want to put into your car isn’t the cheap spray insulation that you can buy at your local Home Depot. Many of those foams have a density in the range of 0.5 lb per cubic foot. We were after the 2 lb per cubic foot injectable kits for use in upper A/B/C pillars (made by Handi-Foam) and the 8 lb per cubic foot stuff for the rockers and frame rails.

Foams in the 8 lb per cubic foot density are commonly used in marine applications and we’ve never come across one that was an easy to use two part injectable kit. You’ll have to mix and pour these tougher foam types. Our expanding urethane foam pour kit was sourced from US Composites and came in two unassuming metal cans. The liquid in the two cans is mixed in a 1:1 ratio and has a claimed 45-second pour time. In actual use, the pour time (the time you have to pour it into your car before it bubbles over and turns into a solid) seems to be closer to half that.

We mixed up about 20-ounces at a time and a paint mixer/power drill combo came in handy as we zapped the mixture for 15-seconds before beginning the pour into our rocker panels. Any longer and the foam would begin to harden in the funnel as we poured, clogging any more of the mixture from entering our tester Nissan chassis. If you want to avoid ruining and wasting any foam, funnels or supplies, you’ll have to be quick with your hands.

The pourable urethane foam expands to eight times its liquid volume, meaning the 16 lb net weight size kit is more than enough to handle most any car’s rocker panels/side rails. Buy more than one kit if you intend to fill up a subframe or tubular control arm. Handling the foam itself isn’t difficult at all but proper prep is a must. The foam is pretty much impossible to clean off once hardened and hardens very quickly.

Before mixing and pouring began, we covered our 1989 240SX’s interior completely with a plastic drop cloth, placed newspapers underneath the car (foam will drip out of the rails on to the floor), wore disposable work clothes (no tuxedos here) and pre-cut bits of duct tape were placed next to every orifice that we pouring into. This was so that the holes could be covered after pouring and the expanding foam could be captured inside, instead of bubbling out. We also made sure to tape up the backside of the lower seat belt holes in the rockers, so that the foam didn’t fill up the threads for the mounting bolts.

The injectable 2 lb per cubic foot foam was by far much easier to use. A kid could literally figure out how to use the kit. Not recommended though as any kid on Earth would probably try to eat some of this stuff. Nasty. The Handi-Foam kit comes pre-assembled with two cans in an injector setup. You pop open the two cans, release the nozzle and you’re ready to go. Stick the injector tip into you’re A/B/C pillar holes and let the stuff loose. Be sure to use the duct tape trick again to seal the foam inside as it hardens.

Although we don’t have any exact chassis stiffness increase percentages, a simple garage measurement yielded a stiffer chassis with a 1/4-inch front and 1/8-inch rear increase in frame to ground height as the car was jacked up at the front left, with a floor jack saddle height of 10.75-inches. Road testing the car also provided a noticeable difference, with less creaks going up driveways and a noticeably smoother ride over broken pavement. For one afternoon’s work in the garage, and less than $80, why wouldn’t you try it?

Source
US Composites
www.uscomposites.com

Handi-Foam
www.fomo.com