The most anticipated car this year is undoubtedly the Nissan GT-R. It's dramatically redesigned, a virtual newcomer to the stateside market, and sets off more commercial appeal than pictures of Kim Kardashian in a thong bikini. But it won't be the fastest car on the track, according to Susumu Koyama, the legendary tuner and vice president of JUN Auto (whose full interview was in the May '08 issue of 2NR.) He believes, with all his wisdom and proven track record, that another car will take the reins as the most tunable ride for 2008 and will hands-down beat the GT-R on any circuit. That car is the second most anticipated to arrive in the states, the '08 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Already famous for its underdog-like qualities, what with its closest competitor, the Subaru WRX STI, stealing the spotlight from the World Rally Championships and the X Games, the long line of Lancer Evolutions is more of a crowd favorite long shot than a presidential candidate who doesn't believe in evolution; the scientific kind anyway-nice try, Mike Huckabee. Despite being in production since 1992 and huge amounts of street cred, the EVO continues to unjustifiably get placed second in every category under the sport-compact all-wheel-drive class garnering no major awards. As the proverbial automotive McLovin, the EVO doesn't get its much-deserved respect. But we're not here to focus on any of the EVO's shortcomings. We're not going to compare it to the STI, or even the GT-R. We're here to investigate why Koyama-san held so much confidence for this beloved little car that could. Let's start at the beginning, the basics if you will. The EVO X has an all-new chassis platform, an equally new engine, and an entire hardware upgrade in the all-wheel-drive department. The exterior is finally more proportioned and better groomed than the previous nine generations, with its projector-beam headlights, European-style LED taillights, and a more bold front end design; featuring an angry looking intake and grille-mounted intercooler. The new hood is more aerodynamically fit for the 21st century and the rear wing is no longer obnoxiously loud. Granted, it still sits high off the rear trunk, but doesn't give off the shopping cart feel. Underhood, the age-old 4G63 motor is gone and in it's place sits a brand new inline-four with more power, aluminum block construction, free-revving performance, and a revamped dual MIVEC variable-valve-timing technology. Called the 4B11 (read the sidebar for technical specifications), the new EVO X motor comes with an available six-speed and dual-clutch transmission that can rock the clock out of any track, especially with it's steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters... But Koyama-san can't be swayed from the optional five-speed manual. The chassis will be controlled by the new Super All-Wheel Control technology, which includes the active center differential, yaw control, and stability control previously found in the EVO IX. High-tech innovation presents itself in active steering for quicker response, active braking control, and active suspension dampening, all of which make the changes on the EVO X as dramatic as a post-op tranny. And the changes that JUN Auto made to their EVO X are the necessary face makeup, clothing, and estrogen shots to make it look sexy and sweet. JUN Auto's plans for the EVO X platform aren't even in line with what the Mitsubishi engineers originally had in mind. For example, they're converting Kumakubo from Team Orange's new EVO from the all-wheel-drive format to rear-wheel drive (RWD) for drifting, a conceivably hard process that will take them the rest of the year to complete. However, a RWD conversion isn't unprecedented for JUN, seeing that they drifted a RWD Team Orange Subaru Impreza for the past couple of years. "The Impreza was successful in a lot of the drifting tracks," Susumu said, "but that won't necessarily translate to the future success of this EVO X. So we are doing a whole lot of testing on it to work out the kinks." The kinks they've managed to smooth out are shown in this EVO X. They've set the engine's assurances in Trust, part of the GReddy family, using its air cleaner, intercooler piping, blow-off valve, and boost controller. Spitting out the spent turbo air into competitors faces is a Trust titanium muffler and JUN Sport prototype catalyzer. To compete with drifting's best around the bends, JUN Auto used a set of Zeal Super Function R coilovers and Endless Racing brakes to prevent the car from smashing into hapless media photographers scattered around the track. Helping the EVO X traverse the corners with blinding speed, they called upon a set of quality Advan Racing RZ wheels, measuring 19x10 inches on all four corners, wrapped in 265/30-19 Advan tires, which elegantly complement the EVO's sexy exterior. The chassis is adorned with JUN Auto's finest aerodynamic products. Helping the redesigned front end look more menacing, a JUN lip spoiler and front diffuser are used to defend against the turbulent winds during time attack. The rear features a Sigma Automotive Racing Development (SARD) GT wing and a JUN Auto rear diffuser to balance out the already nimble EVO X. And a JUN Auto car wouldn't be complete without a striking paintjob and well-placed body graphics. In this case, JUN Auto decided to go yellow with green highlights-the company's signature colors. So with all these modifications, as mild as they are, why would Koyama-san still think that the EVO X will reign supreme? "The GT-R is a very difficult car to tune. Nissan is trying to over manage and control everything." he explained, "They make you sign a contract saying that you won't modify the car. Plus, with its weight and speed limitations, it'll be hard to tune. The EVO X is ready to go from the production line to any respectable tuning shop." But the EVO X isn't a super car and one thing is certain: The EVO X maybe beneath the GT-R in hype, but that doesn't mean it's beneath it in potential. '08 Mitsubishi Evolution X Engine Trust air cleaner, intercooler pipe fitting, blow-off valve, boost controller, titanium muffler; JUN Reinforced Actuator (prototype), sport catalyzer (prototype); Odyssey battery B-spec II Drivetrain N/A Suspension Zeal Super Function R coilovers Wheels/Tires Yokohama Advan Racing RZ 10.0J-19 + 35 (front and rear); Yokohama Advan 19 inch 265/30-19 (front and rear) Brakes Endless Racing 6 and 4 Exterior JUN lip spoiler, original racing mirrors, front diffuser, rear diffuser; SARD GT wing Fuji-Spec M; Body Graphic Art Factory Interior Bride seats; Works Bell RAFIX-II steering wheel; Trust water temp, oil temp, oil pressure mete
ENGINE CODE 4g63 4B11 ENGINE TYPE 2.0l, belt-driven i-4 2.0l chain-driven i-4 VALVE TRAIN DoHC, 16-valve (roller rocker
)miveC (intake only)DoHC, 16-valve (direct-acting)
miveC DISPLACEMENT (CU IN/CC) 121.9/1997 122/1998 BORE X STROKE (IN) 85.0 x 88.0mm 86.0 x 86.0mm COMPRESSION RATIO 8.8:1 9.0:1 HORSEPOWER (BHP) 286 @ 6,500 rpm 291 @ 6,500 rpm TORQUE 289 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm 300 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm ENGINE BLOCK Cast-iron aluminum CYLINDER HEADS aluminum aluminum REDLINE RPM 7,000 rpm 7,000 rpm FUEL SYSTEM ECI-MULTI electronic fuel injection MPI ENGINE OIL CAPACITY (QT/L) 4.8 / 4.5 (filter: +0.3qt; cooler: +0.3qt) 5.0/4.8 (filter: + 0.3 qt; cooler: + 0.5 qt.)
Output 374 hp at 7,000 rpm
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Jun Auto Evo X - The Underdog
1999 Lexus GS400 - Grand Triumph
photographer: Chris Reno
Kanye West's Graduation was a jam-knockin' album that quickly became my favorite of last year. It continues to get heavy rotation inside my car's CD changer, and it's a couple more plays from being cataclysmically ruined forever. This not only prompted me to buy an iPod adapter like everyone else in the 21st century, but it also made me the preeminent expert in quoting lyrics from this musical tour de force.
One of my favorites comes from "The Glory" track: "The fur is Hermes shit that you don't floss/The Goyard so hard, think I'm Hugo's Boss/Why I gotta ask what the two-door cost/House on the hills two doors from Tracey Ross." These were the four bars that led me to conclude that if Kanye were a tuner, his affinity for fashion, luxury, and downright boasting would fit right in with this year's hottest tuning trend, the VIP style.
Taken straight from the streets of Tokyo, the VIP style is directly linked to the finger amputating techniques of the Yakuza mafia, which opposed using European sedans for fear of getting targeted by the police and rival gangs. Instead they modified Japanese luxury cars to avoid detection, using standards like large-diameter wheels with broad-faced designs, low offsets that sit flush with the fender, protruding exhaust tips, full body kits that emphasize the front lip, and the use of basic paint colors like black or white. These Japanese luxury rides include the Nissan President, Toyota Celsior, Nissan Laurel, and the Toyota Aristo-better known to Americans as the Lexus GS, and Johhny Tran's main project for the past year.
Johnny is the owner of this '99 Lexus GS400, which not only emulates the VIP style to a tee, but also raises the bar for those who are thinking of getting into the trend. "This car is the perfect example of having the right amount of speed, sound, looks, and comfort in a VIP vehicle," he explained, "because after all, too much of one thing defeats the whole purpose of being comfortable and luxurious." He also added that patience and a pretty big wallet are needed to achieve such a feat of balancing the VIP characteristics. He has both, and the financial requirement is clearly articulated through the profoundly lavish exterior of his VIP GS400.
Using a genuine Junction Produce body kit, including the bumpers, side skirts and rear wing, Johnny added a Ugo roof spoiler and JDM rain guards, chrome door handles and a trunk bar. To highlight the gleaming white paintjob, he painted the roof and part of the trunk black. Lowered to touch the ground, the chassis sits above a set of 20-inch Fabulous Profounds with an offset of +23 in the front and +29 in the back. Falken FK-452 tires stretch around these ridiculously deep dished wheels that tuck perfectly underneath the fenders. These tires avoid tragically rubbing against the car through the use of an Air Runner suspension kit with an eight-valve electric solenoid upgrade-the choice system for VIP cars in Japan.
Inside, the cabin remains stock like most VIP-style vehicles, but Johnny made sure the music came through deep and loud, with a sound system that is sure to bring anyone closer to deafness. Using a set of Digital Designs amplifiers, the speakers made by the same company thump perfectly throughout the interior like a world-class sound hall. The most telling feature that reveals the car's melodic prowess is the 12-inch subwoofer with a carbon-fiber dust cap sitting saliently in the trunk.
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Naturally, the sound system's only auditory rival is the 2JZGTE engine underhood. Supported by an HKS SSQV blow-off valve and GReddy M-Spec intercooler, the 3.0L inline-six turbo motor produces upwards of 330 hp at the wheels using a stock transmission. Johnny and his friends did all the engine modifications since he's had terrible experiences with going to shops. "When I first started getting into cars, I hired this mechanic to build my motor," he said. "He was supposedly the best from California, but he ended up costing me a lot of money since the engine he built blew up three times. Now I just do everything myself."
The most intriguing detail behind this GS400 was Johnny's motivation to buy the car in the first place: "My previous car was a Mazda RX-7 and I was tired of being cooped up in it like a coffin and not being able to take my friends out. So I wanted a car that I could load up with a bunch of my friends and still be comfy and look luxurious." Despite the GS400's extravagance, high-fashion, and exaggeration, Johnny can't enjoy the glory that Kanye rapped about, that which pretty much sums up the tuning subculture, without sharing it with his friends-that is how he defines VIP style.
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'99 Lexus GS400
Output:
330 whp at 6,000 rpm; 350 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm
Engine
2JZ-GTE VVTi turbo engine swap; HKS blow-off valve; GReddy M-Spec intercooler and piping, boost controller; Blitz SBC i-D; custom downpipe; Sard intake; NGK spark plugs
Drivetrain
'01 2JZ-GTE transmission
Suspension
Air Runner kit, eight-valve solenoid
Wheels/Tires
Fabulous Profound wheels (20x9 +23 offset front, 20x10.5 +29 offset rear); Falken tires FK452 (235/30-20 front and 255/30-20 rear)
Brakes
Tom's four-piston caliper; Project Mu's rotors
Exterior
Junction Produce front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, rear wing; Ugo roof spoiler; JDM rain guards, chrome door handles, chrome trunk bar, chrome grille; Underground Graphics vinyl
Interior
Pioneer AVIC-D3 head unit; Digital Designs S4 amplifier, M2A amplifier, DDC speakers, DD3512 subwoofers; Xstatic BatCap 2000
Conflicting Conditions - 2008 Nissan R35 GT-R
The Nissan GT-R shown here is subtle. Sure, it's one of the most anticipated cars to come out of the automotive world in recent memory. And, yes, that's definitely a Top Secret sticker splayed on the side doors-a sign that it's built by one of the most decorated tuners in all of Japan. Ignore, for a moment, the burly front fender deltoids, the lowered ground-shaking stance and the fact that it's essentially a Top Secret Nissan GT-R, and there is something missing from the line of vision. Obviously, Top Secret's signature gold and white markings aren't present, but that's not the much-needed DNA evidence to put the perp in jail. Those subtle nuances are, indeed, invisible to the naked eye because, for one, in this photo of the GT-R you don't get a look underhood. Needless to say that the tired old phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover," has never been so true.
Let's start at the beginning; the Nissan GT-R is the latest version from the famous line of Nissan Skylines that we all adore and all want inside our garages. Naturally, there are some changes with this new version. The GT-R was built with speed, efficiency and safety at high performance in mind, thus allowing the normal driver to immediately feel like Michael Schumacher at the gripping of the steering wheel. With the GT-R maximizing grip and airflow, it's highly possible to actually drive like one of the best drivers in the world, despite road and climate conditions. Also, the entire car is built with a balanced mix of carbon-fiber, aluminum and steel, and the engine is assembled by a single craftsman, which is pretty major considering all the work that had to be done. It features the first independent transaxle all-wheel-drive system, allowing superior weight balance and a dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifting for direct control. All in all, it's something we've all been expecting from Nissan's GT-R brand, and we can't wait to see one on the road in our very own backyard-better known as the United States.
Here comes the subtlety. During our visit to the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, we spotted many GT-Rs, but none were more eye-catching than Top Secret's. Out of approximately seven GT-Rs on display, Top Secret was the best to highlight the super-car's high-performance aerodynamics and style. It was practically a no-brainer to pick it for a 2NR full feature. But, unlike the cars previously featured, this one is as close to stock as mechanically possible. There were no insane twin turbo setups, no shiny intercooler piping and finding anything remotely aftermarket was as hard as memorizing the VIN numbers and reciting them backwards. Seriously, we were all surprised. We couldn't believe Top Secret put a stock GT-R on the Tokyo Auto Salon floor and actually put their label on it.
So, after doing some research in and around Tokyo, other than finding the weird gadgets and electronics that the Japanese are known for, we found JUN, another respectable tuner shop that shed some light on this whole mess. According to them, Nissan is proactively preventing anyone that has the itch from modifying their beloved GT-R, which pretty much includes everyone who loves cars. Apparently, every R35 owner needs to sign a contract that implicates a void of warranty should any aftermarket modifications be made. Any minor modifications can throw the codes in the ECU; the car is also limited to 180 kph (112 mph). The most disturbing factoid is that a data logger is located somewhere in the vehicle; it stores speed, rpm, distance and other potentially pertinent information-similar to an airplane's black box.
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As of yet, none of the information was confirmed by Nissan and we're not sure if the same rules would apply to USDM versions, but if true, it would only mean that every tuner shop would be hiring the best nerds out there to hack into this system. If anyone can make a fool out of Nissan by getting inside that impenetrable ECU, it would be Top Secret. After all, if they can make this GT-R so nice on the outside, they can make it equally fresh on the inside. Top Secret is known for turning supercars into very super-major rides with all the toppings, and a side order of coffee. It's really amazing, the horsepower they've managed to pull out of cars like the Toyota Supra and the early model Nissan Skylines. It's even equally amazing how sexy they make all their cars look.
The body kit used on this GT-R is made by Top Secret, featuring a carbon-fiber front lip, carbon-fiber front grille and an aero catch. These aero modifications may be trivial to any other stock car, but on a car that's already producing 525 hp at 6,500 rpm out of the box, these changes can make a huge difference at high speeds. The only engine modifications that Top Secret managed to put in their GT-R was their own Super Premium exhaust system and an HKS EVC, which surprisingly, didn't force the factory ECU into shutdown mode. They lowered the car using a combined set of Top Secret dampers and Swift springs. This system rides on top of a set of 20-inch Volk Racing GT-C wheels, wrapped in Bridgestone RE070 tires. The only upgrade inside are the Takata harnesses, which look somewhat weird resting on the factory seats. But it seems the overall interior doesn't need much modifying, unless you plan to make it a full-out race car.
It's for these reasons that we call this ride subtle. The GT-R's signature technology and overall high-performance attitude is still noticeable, and with the inclusion of some Top Secret science and style, the potential of the GT-R has never been more captivating. It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for this car, and we're sure that Nissan's restrictions are mere speed bumps on the road ahead.
2008 Nissan GT-R
Output 525 hp at 6,500 rpm
Engine Top Secret Super Premium exhaust system, HKS EVC
Drivetrain Stock
Suspension Top Secret Grade Damper, Swift springs
Wheels/Tires 20x9.5 and 20x10.5 Volk Racing GT-C with Bridgestone RE070 tires 255/45-20 and 285/40-20
Brakes Stock
Exterior Top Secret carbon-fiber front lip, front grille, and aero catch
Interior Takata harnesses
Name.
Top Secret
Age.
Old Enough To Be Your Uncle
Hometown.
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation.
Tuner Shop
Hobbies.
Currently Attempting To Figure Out The New Nissan Gt-R
Build Time.
In Progress
Feedback.
Usa@Topsecretjpn.Com
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