Upcoming Drift Event

There is an upcoming drift even in the area for anyone interested in attending an actual event. It is the D1GP circuit from Japan. It features some of the best drivers in the world. It is on Saturday May 5th in Englishtown, NJ. You can visit www.D1GP.com for more information.

There is also another Formula D event in Wall, NJ later this year on September 9th.

Here is some of what you can expect...

Nissan Skyline

This feature car is the Nissan Skyline. It may be the most sought after sports car among import tuners. With its Twin turbocharged, seemingly indestructible six cylinder engine, it can contend with anything on the street or track. Although some models come with all wheel drive, for drift purposes they are kept to rear wheel drive. This is also my dream car!

There are several different model years of the skyline that you might see at the drift shows, but for our purposes i will highlight the one that is mostly seen in the actual competitions.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R
Production Years: 1999-2002
Engine: RB26DETT, twin turbocharged 2.6L inline 6
Horsepower: claimed 280hp @ 6800rpm but dyno tested as closer to 320hp
Torque: 289lbs/ft @ 4400rpm

There are several variations on the GT-Rs of this generation with more power, better suspension etc. Basically more badass! Though only made in Japan, it is possible to have them registered here in the US. But it is a long and expensive process, one that i believe is worth it (if i had the money.)

Virtual Drifting

If going out and drifting in the real world seems to dangerous, or you just want to have some fun at home, there are many video games that feature drifting. It is becoming a bigger part of many racing games today. Some of the games include Ridge Racer, Enthusia Professional racing, Project Gotham etc. Some games which offer pretty realistic physics for drifting are Gran Turismo, and Forza Motorsports. One game that has brought helped bring drifting into the mainstream in Need For Speed. It features a separate mode for drift competitions. There also also many mini drifting games all over the internet available for free online play.

Its pretty easy to find games with that offer a drift experience and its pretty fun to do knowing that you cant be hurt! So i recommend at least trying the online game. Be careful though because i have found it can be addictive.

"JDM"

A phrase that is often used in drift/import culture is "JDM". Many people just hear the word without knowing what it means. JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market. And in the tuner world it describes any part, or style originally from Japan. Many tuners strive to convert their USDM (United States Domestic Market) cars to have the same specs and look of JDM cars. Its a way to make their car unique and most of the time better in performance. This is because many cars from Japan, when sold in the US, are tuned down in their performance and styling aspects. Little things such as JDM gauge clusters, bumpers, even mirrors can add unique style to a car. JDM motor and transmission swaps improve performance and tunability of many cars. Some people dont like the "JDM" craze and for others its a way of life.

Here is an example of a "JDM conversion" which is popular in the drift world.

BEFORE:
USDM 240sx















AFTER:
JDM Silvia S13 Conversion

Nissan Silvia/240sx

The next feature car is perhaps the most popular and common drift car. It is the Nissan 240sx(US) / Silvia(Japan). The 240sx has 3 different generations. The first gen. is 1989-1994. This is the "S13" chassis. From 1995-1998 is the "S14" chassis. And the latest model found only in Japan is the "S15" chassis. It is an ideal platform for a drift car because of its basic front engine rear-wheel drive layout. It is also a light car and easy to control. Some models even come with a limited slip differential which is essential for a drift car. Also, this is a very popular car to perform "JDM conversions" on. I will go into more detail about what this means in my next post because it is a major part of drift culture.

Specs:
(USDM 240sx S13)
Production Years: 1989-1994
Horsepower: 155hp@5600rpm
Torque: 156lbs/ft@4400rpm
Weight: 2699lbs
Engine: KA24DE, 2.4L Inline


(USDM) 240sx S14)
Production Years: 1995-1998
Horsepower: 155hp@5600rpm
Torque: 156lbs/ft@4400rpm
Weight: 2762lbs
Engine: KA24DE, 2.4L Inline 4