Introduction

Currently, camping is gaining traction again, partly due to the lack of international travel during the recent pandemic, with many desperate to continue their adventures closer to home.

This has meant that there’s been a huge demand for new inventions and designs that break the boundaries of what can be done to make an everyday vehicle a proper camper. There are van conversions, minivan conversions, and even bus conversions. We’ve even seen car campers popping up.

But what if I told you that you could modify your pickup truck in your garage and make a proper camping vehicle from it?

If you’re the owner of a Toyota Tacoma truck, you’re in luck! You’ll want to get a camper shell to maximize the potential that it has to offer.

Not only will you gain the ability to camp, but you will also have dry storage space for carrying sensitive items.

In this article, we will explain a little more about camper shells and the things you must consider before you buy a shell for your Tacoma.

After that, we will learn more about the best Tacoma camper shell models you can use right now.

What Is The Toyota Tacoma?

Before we dive into more complex topics and look at the Tacoma camper shell models list, let’s first look at the Toyota Tacoma in general and try to understand more about this model.

Since people with similar issues want to purchase a Tacoma and simply do not know if this is a suitable model, let’s familiarize ourselves with the Toyota Tacoma truck.

If you didn’t know, the Toyota Tacoma mid-size truck is Toyota’s replacement for the Hilux for the North American market.

In the 1990s, Toyota executives noticed that the US market didn’t have the typical requirements for pickups as the rest of the world.

People in America love commodities, comfort, and luxury. And the Hilux didn’t have any of that, even though the name derives from “high luxury.”

In 1995 Toyota introduced the first generation of the Tacoma. Since then, three generations have been released to the market, with the most recent model being released in 2015.

Overall, these trucks and their engines are very durable, except for the rust issues on older models. Their frames tend to rust a lot. For this reason, if you’re buying one used, make sure that you check the frames and see if there is any severe rusting.

Now that we’ve learned more about the Tacoma, let’s look at the best Tacoma shells you can buy.

What Are Camper Shells And Why Are They So Popular?

As you probably know, when it comes to trucks, there are a lot of accessories that you can purchase. There are roof racks if you plan to carry cargo on the top and camper accessories.

You can turn your truck into a camper in minutes with these accessories.

There are different types of campers, like pop-up camper shells that are made out of fabric, and there are also camper shells that are made out of fiberglass or automotive-grade aluminum.

The camper shells give you the ability to have a house on wheels. Perfect for storage space, camping, as well as for safety.

And most importantly, the camper shell is straightforward to install. You only need to install some pads to prevent water from sipping in, and you mount the camper shell on your Toyota truck. These shells are perfectly designed for this type of truck so that they will be a precise fit.

One thing left after you install the camper shell is that you have to install the wiring and the led dome light. You can get this kit on Amazon for dirt-cheap prices.

What essential aspects must you consider before buying a Tacoma camper shell? We’re taking a look at that next.

Choosing The Right Camper Shell

What are the things you must be aware of before purchasing a shell?

The first thing you must be aware of is the shell’s size. There are normal models, and also there are high-rise models.

A normal model sits flush with the top of the cab, while the high-rise model sits a bit higher. So, with these models, you will have increased headroom, which is highly convenient.

The second thing you need to be aware of is the material these shells are made of—two widely used materials: the cheaper fiberglass and the more expensive aluminum models.

Both of these materials are very good when it comes to longevity. So, you shouldn’t be scared by either of them. Both types are high-quality.

There is also a rooftop tent; some of the people call them pop-ups or soft-top camper shells. These are made of fabric and are not the best at tackling storms and other weather situations that can come up while you travel and camp.

And the last thing to consider is compatibility. You need to find a compatible camper shell based on the truck bed that you have and the Tacoma platform that you own.

Since not every model will fit your truck, these shells are purposefully built for each generation. So, before buying a Tacoma camper shell, keep this in mind.

Top Tacoma Camper Shells

Now let’s dive into our list of the Tacoma camper shell and learn more about the most popular models out there that you can purchase right now.

We shall discuss the standard models, as well as some high-rise models. We will cover the technical data and specifications for each of them. So, if you want to learn more about purchasing your new Tacoma camper shell, follow along.

1. SnugTop Rebel

The first on our list of Tacoma camper shell models is the SnugTop Rebel. If you are into camper shells and you have searched before, you know who SnugTop is and its high-quality products.

More specifically, the Rebel is one of their most popular models. The Rebel is a cab-high model. This means that the model is flush with the top of the cab. And once you install this shell, your Tacoma will look like a big station wagon.

We have to admit; the SnugTop looks pretty neat. It has a front, back, and side window.

A big plus is that the model comes with tinted windows, so you should not be scared of someone spying on you while you camp.

The model is constructed from aluminum and has a lifetime warranty for the paint and structure and a 1-year warranty for the components. This shell will perfectly match the OEM color of your Tacoma.

It fits the 3rd generation extended and double cab. As well as the 2nd generation double and access cab. And the model is a correct fit, meaning it simply bolts on.

Overall, the SnugTop is an excellent pick for a Tacoma camper shell.

2. Leer 100XR

Now let’s move on to the second Tacoma camper shell on our list. And this is the Leer 100XR.

Leer is another big player in this segment; they’re known for their high-quality production.

This model is also a cab-high design as the previous model. But the main difference is that this model is made out of fiberglass and not aluminum.

This model also implements side windows, as well as a back door. The camper shell has tinted windows and is well insulated in terms of heat and cold.

What’s good about this model is that it comes with installed third brake light, so you don’t have to do any aftermarket work on it. This model has various options with different add-ons that you can purchase.

You can also add numerous accessories to the shell, such as roof racks, electrical outlets, and clothing hangers.

A much more versatile camper compared to the SnugTop. But the downside is that this model comes with a limited warranty.

3. SnugTop Sport Hi-Liner

Now let’s cover something different regarding the Tacoma camper shell models. And this is the SnugTop Sport Hi-Liner.

The Hi-Liner is another product by SnugTop. But this is a mid-rise model. This model sits a few inches higher than your cab. So, we can say that it is a more spacious shell compared to the previous two.

This camper is made of aluminum and has a lifetime warranty on the paint and structure. There are side windows and a rear hatch wholly made of glass.

What is good about this model is that it has a honeycomb structure on the roof that improves durability. As well as proper insulation for the cold winter nights and also for keeping out the heat in the summer.

It comes as a single piece, so we can say that it is highly durable. This model fits on the 3rd generation extended and double cab. As well as on the 2nd generation double and access cab.

4. Leer 180XL

And the last on our list of Tacoma camper shell models you can buy is the Leer 180XL.

This is another mid-rise model, just like the previous one we covered.

The Leer 180XL is a model that offers about 4 inches more headroom than the previous model that we covered, which sits flush with the cab.

Even though this might not seem like a lot. But space matters. Especially when you camp and try to fit many things in this tight space.

For this reason, we can say that this model gets our recommendation if you are someone who gets claustrophobic in tight areas. This extra headroom will give you some breathing space.

This model also comes with side-tinted windows and a rear window. What is good is that you can open the windows and enjoy a fresh breeze of air in the morning.

This camper is available in the factory OEM colors. So, if you purchase one, it will be a perfect match.

Thankfully, this model is made from fiberglass and has a lifetime warranty.

The only drawback we see with this model is that it is slightly less desired. So, you will have to request the Leer to make one for you. And you will have to wait a bit until they make the shell to order.

The model also varies when it comes to fitment. So, you will have to contact Leer and tell them about what type of truck you have, so they will help you out the best they can to get your Tacoma camper shell as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

Now that we have covered the Tacoma camper shell models, let’s summarize.

Leer and SnugTop are reputable brands that create camper shells for various truck models sold in the US, not only the Tacoma.

Regarding your recommendation, the best option is likely the If you want to get something taller, the Leer 180XL will be a great pick.

Alternatively, if you want something more compact, the Leer 100XR is likely perfect for your needs.

You can also try finding one of these shells on the used market. There are many websites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay Motors, and potentially others in your area.

Chances are, you can get a hell of a deal if you’re patient and know where to look.

Since you’re a Toyota fan, look at our other article, where we look at the ultimate value-for-money cheap JDM cars – some of these will be perfect as a grocery-getter alongside your Tacoma!

The post Tacoma Camper Shells – The Best In The Game first appeared on Drifted.com.

Introduction

A tricycle, often known as a “trike,” is a three-wheeled bike powered by humans, gasoline, or electricity. I’m sure we’ve all seen these; they used to be quite a thing amongst small kids—pedal-powered, fun-filled, and with a lot of pain if someone fell off them.

These pedal-powered trikes were extremely hard to control, maneuver, and stop.

Once they get going, they become quite dangerous, especially if you ever mistakenly take them downhill. I remember reading about this in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” where Rowley falls off a trike and breaks his arm!

Drift trikes are tricycles with extremely low traction, making the whole drifting idea come to life.

The rear wheels are mostly hard plastic, usually polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The motorized drift trike already has a devoted fan base, and it is becoming more popular across the globe.

In recent years, the popularity of electric drift trikes has particularly been on the rise down under.

Drift Trike History

The first ever three-wheeled vehicle was manufactured in 1789 by two French inventors; it was powered by pedals, and they called it a tricycle.

However, in 1818, British inventor Denis Johnson patented the design approach for tricycles.

In developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, certain tricycles are used for commercial reasons, such as cycle rickshaws for passenger transportation and freight trikes.

Marty Spellman, a Californian hobbyist, built the first Drift Trike, and a group of friends paid him to make their own so that they could race them on the slopes of Laguna Beach, Malibu, Fullerton, and other locations.

Spellman discussed his initial struggles while riding a drift trike in one of his interviews.

He had multiple encounters with cops in his hometown; he was accused of charges like speeding and reckless driving, for which he even had to go to court, only to eventually end up making everyone laugh in the courtroom upon hearing that these charges were just for riding a tricycle.

As seen in the LA Times print story and 8mm film, these trikes and riders are akin to modern-day hobbyists.

Marty is credited with inventing the Drift Trike in Brazil (with the Kamikaze Trikers and Guiguinotrikes), Italy (Drift One), Australia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Columbia, France (Federation France de Drift Trike), and the United States of America.

Drift Trike Factory is one of the first manufacturers and suppliers of electric drift trikes. The company is based in Brisbane, Australia, and was founded in 2015.

The highly detailed drift trike frame designs and all the components required to assemble an electric drift trike are provided by Drift Trike Factory and offer after-sales customer support.

The first adult-sized, fuel-powered drift trike was released by an Australian company, BlackTop Engineering.

The gasoline-powered trike was outfitted with a fully functioning suspension system and G-Force bars.

Triad Drift Trikes, an Australian company that has been producing custom drift trikes for over three years, is one of the most well-known names in the industry.

Electric Drift Trike Specifications and Design

Adult-sized tricycles are largely used for transportation, shopping, and exercise in the West.

Children and older adults prefer tricycles because they are more stable than bicycles. However, the rider must be careful when cornering to prevent tipping since a standard trike has low dynamic lateral stability.

The majority of a rider’s motion is generated by gravity, although many trike drifters opt for a freewheeling, pedal-powered front wheel, which results in a more adaptable trike.

The freewheel hub enables coasting when not pedaling while allowing the cyclist to gain forward speed while pedaling.

Standing on the back of the tricycle and using one leg to kick or push backward is another way to acquire initial motion.

Unusual designs, like recumbent tadpoles, are easy to maintain, and they offer a lower aerodynamic drag and a lower center of gravity because of how they are designed.

Recumbents are also reverse trikes, with two steering wheels at the front and one driving wheel at the back.

One variant also has the front wheels driven while the rear wheel steers, but in the case of a drift trike, the front wheel is steered by a single handlebar attached to the stub axle assembly of the front wheel, and the rear wheels are driven with the axle assemblies joined together by a single tie rod.

Usually, hard plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are used to create smooth rear wheels. Using hard plastics significantly decreases the traction, making drifting easy for the trike.

PVC or polyethylene pipe can also cover deflated pneumatic wheels and keep them in place while producing proper drift trike wheels.

Electric Drift Trike Major Components

Nowadays, electric drift trikes have a very neat design. Some major components include a drift trike frame build, an axle kit for the rear wheels, and front and rear wheels, which come in different sizes depending on the size of your drift trike.

Both front and rear brakes are hydraulic, and no compromise on the quality of the brakes is recommended.

In the case of an electric drift trike, the motors that power it and its battery pack produce around 7 hp.

Most importantly, you’ll have a place to sit and ride the trike! A low-positioned seat according to the size of your trike.

If you do not want to use a prefabricated kit to build your drift trike, you will need some tools, some of which you may not have at home but are very easy to find in your neighborhood or an engineering shop nearby.

Unfortunately, big machines are required, including a lathe machine, because you will have to have a way to make some shims to make the fit of the axle and bearings tight. You’ll also need to bore the disc brake to fit its location.

Many enthusiasts who build their drift trikes themselves from scratch find the testing phase to be the most difficult.

You start having fun as soon as you take the first ride, and then you want to strip it down again to have that geeky temptation of having an unfinished project and the constant learning that comes from it.

Whenever I finish one of my enthusiastic projects, the first thing I do is disassemble the entire assembly.

That makes me aware of any problems with the fitting, highlights any problems with my designing or fabrication approaches, and gives me a chance to improve my initial mistakes.

Renowned Electric Drift Trike Models

Even though many homemade models of electric drift trikes do not receive the attention that their brilliant designs deserve, I have listed some of the most popular electric drift trikes on the market.

These are of different tiers and are manufactured by an American company, eDriftTrikes, which took a humble start in a garage just like any other “very American” start-up!

They have expanded so much that they sell ready-made electric drift trikes and offer after-sales customer support for their products.

The baseline model is for beginners who want to learn how to drift.

It is nimble, quick, and has good handling to offer beginners. A perfect entry-level drift trike, having the same battery technology as Tesla.

The baseline has a front hub motor powered by a 52-volt 14S4P Panasonic/Sanyo 18650GA 3500mah battery with a charge time of 4-6 hours and playtime of 1.5-3 hours. The motor can generate 1560 watts of instant wheel-spinning power.

Talking about the spinning wheels, it comes with a moto-sized 16′′ cast metal alloy rim and 2.25′′ Shinko SR741 4-ply Moped tires.

The entry-level trike comes with a top speed of 25 mph, controlled by an integrated sinewave controller, which, quite frankly, is very decent for a beginner.

TRP Spyke MTB Brakes are used with a 203mm rotor and electric motor cutoff.

The Mid Power is their middle-tier version, designed especially for enthusiasts; it has an age limit of 18+ since a front hub motor capable enough to spin the wheels at 2400 watts does require some serious handling.

The Mid Power has a top speed of 40 mph. The motor is powered by a 60v/16.5″ Panasonic/Sanyo 18650GA 3500mah battery, and the trike is controlled by a Sabvoton 72080 programmable sinewave controller.

It has a 16′′ Excel Takasago motorcycle rim with high-quality 90/80/16 Michelin City Grip motorcycle tires. TRP Spyke MTB Brakes are used with a 180mm rotor and electric motor cutoff.

The range-topping version is known as High Power, and the company claims it is for speed freaks only, featuring a top speed of 50 mph, almost double the entry-level trike’s top speed – it’s understandable while it’s not suitable for everyone!

This again has an age restriction of 18 and up. The motor is laced with 9-gauge steel spokes, powered by a 72v 20s6p 21ah Panasonic/Sanyo 18650GA 3500mah battery, and controlled by a Sabvoton 72150 programmable sinewave controller.

This model is a treat for a true drift trike lover. It has a 16-inch Excel Takasago motorcycle rim and 110/70-16 Shinko motorcycle tires. MTB brakes are used with a 203 mm rotor and electric motor cutoff.

Drift Trikes

With so many prefabricated kits available for electric drift trikes these days, many drift trikes are manufactured at home or specifically for each customer by skilled welders.

However, several bike manufacturers, including Drift Trike Factory, Huffy, Trek, Aldi’s brand Crane, Airwalk, Triciclos de la Montaa, and a few other businesses, have commercially launched kid-friendly versions.

Local Motors was the first to release an adult-sized electric version. Many enthusiasts have opted to create their drift trikes rather than purchase name-brand models from manufacturers.

Typically, this entails using a used BMX or kids’ bike and modifying the frame to accommodate a seat and axle on the back. This is a low-cost way for folks to give their trikes a distinctive appearance.

Drift trikes often go at speeds of 25 to 50 mph. Trikes are made to drift by purposefully causing the rear wheels to lose traction and counter-steering to navigate through tight curves.

They are typically driven on paved roads with sharp turns, switchbacks, and downhill grades.

Since uneven surfaces tend to wear out the plastic rear wheels more quickly, generate a harsher ride, and even decrease the drifting ability, smooth roads are preferred over coarsely chip-sealed routes.

Drift trikes are again becoming popular, especially down under, thanks to New Zealand’s continuing drift and automotive culture of “boy racers” and automobile enthusiasts.

Drift triking is rapidly expanding to several other countries, including Australia, Colombia, the United States, and many European states, especially in Latvia and other nations.

After four years of rigorous testing and 100,000 runs on a dedicated indoor track for drift trikes, a Latvian company, Wolftrike, introduced rental drift trikes for its customers.

This is further evidence of the growing popularity of electric drift trikes, as there is also a demand for rental trikes.

To promote the sport of drift triking, the American Drift Trike Association, a non-profit organization, was established in the United States in 2011. However, the organization has since been dismantled.

With teams like Drift Trikes Whangarei being sponsored by Red Bull, drift triking has established itself as a legitimate sport. In Latvia, drift trike is recognized as a sport discipline under the same terms as drift motorsports.

Conclusion

After a comprehensive read, the urge to ride one almost instantly grows as a motorsport enthusiast, even if you’ve never heard of drift trikes.

One thing is safe to establish: this hobby that will be seemingly childish-looking to outsiders means serious business and requires serious handling from the person driving a drift trike.

Electric drift trikes come with many benefits over other variants, including much-improved torque and the ability to use solar power to generate free power in sunnier regions, making them the perfect alternative to paying ever-increasing gas bills!

The post Electric Drift Trike – Three-Wheeled Epicness first appeared on Drifted.com.

Introduction

Common to Japanese car enthusiasts, Tōge, also spelled as touge, is a Japanese word that translates into “pass,” referring to a mountain pass, which is a navigable path through mountains with tight twists and turns, making the entire idea of this Japanese touge racing and drifting more exciting.

When pronouncing touge, just like many people who are unaware of Japanese terminologies, I struggle endlessly with the pronunciation.

The easy way to remember is by breaking down the word into two, pronouncing it as “to:ge” (or, if you want to be blunt – “tow-gay”!)

While others may pronounce it as “tooj”, or any similar variable, this is incorrect.

With that covered, let’s dive into the fun part. As you’ll probably already know, the touge is popular for drifting and street races - think real-world Tokyo Drift.

Topography

The driving community has developed a significant interest in routes initially designed to make it easier for commuters (or tofu delivery drivers) and commercial vehicles to move about the country.

These mountain passes have now become a part of the Japanese automotive culture, where these are used for drifting, racing, and roadside car meetups.

To understand touge better, it can be compared to the British B-road, a very British thing to do, exploring the countryside and open lands on less populated roads.

The only difference between the touge and the British back road is the adrenaline rush and huge altitude variables that the touge offers.

Instead of traversing open land, touge winds through mountainous terrains.

Japan is well known for its mountains, and these road links in the mountains were built with various S-bends to help Japan traverse its high terrain.

Nowadays, these roads remain largely unpopulated, allowing some exotic car enthusiasts to bring the infamous Tokyo drift to life!

Passes have long been traversed by roads, and more recently, railroads through mountain passes are becoming a common sight.

To ensure smooth traffic flow all year round, some high, difficult crossings may have tunnels constructed beneath a neighboring slope.

Usually, mountain passes have a small roadside sign with the name of the pass and its elevation above sea level.

With topographical reference, mountain passes, or touge, are identified on a map by contour lines that take the form of an hourglass, denoting a low point between two higher locations in terms of altitude.

A mountain pass is the distance between the mountain and the top 2,000 meters or more in high-altitude mountain ranges.

A drainage split is created by passes frequently situated directly above a river’s source.

A pass could be a few meters long with steep slopes leading to the top, or a lengthy valley with a high point that can only be found through surveying.

The summit of a pass offers a good observation point and is typically the only flat location around.

This makes it a preferred location for buildings in particular circumstances.

If a country’s border runs along a mountain range, there will often be a pass across the range, a border checkpoint, a customs office for border crossings, and perhaps even a military outpost, but that entirely depends on the relationship between the two countries.

In South America, Argentina and Chile have the third-longest international border in the world, with 42 mountain passes.

The boundary follows the Andes mountains from north to south and is 5,300 kilometers long.

Touge Racing

With its winding roads and sharp turns, touge racing serves as a genuine test of a driver’s abilities and puts on a great show of handling and spontaneity.

It is a great technique to display driving talent and is used frequently in street racing, drift competitions, and even for driving tests.

At first, vehicles with higher horsepower were used, and with all that power, their tires frequently spun, and counter-steering troubles came forth at each banked curve and tight turn.

Each vehicle’s road grip was the focus since the traction was intentionally kept low in what began as touge racing.

One of the most intriguing aspects of touge racing is the participation of everyday drivers who merely use the route as a means of transportation.

Japan as a nation is renowned for its discipline, and the same display of discipline is reflected in touge racing since it has a set of rules that everyone follows.

When racing on the touge in Japan, the drivers are exceedingly polite to one another, with regular drivers pulling aside to create space for the newbies.

Spotters and spectators frequently warn drivers of approaching traffic from the top and bottom of the mountain pass during drifting, putting up a great display of mutual respect and coherence while keeping the exceptional thrill alive!

Types of Touge Races

While there are few disciplines when it comes to specific races, here are a couple of common options:

Timed Race

Timed races are of two kinds: one in which competitors compete simultaneously and try to finish the track as quickly as possible. Usually, these are initiated by two cars starting side by side.

The second kind is when competitors do not engage in combat simultaneously but are still timed and want to finish the course as quickly as possible, much like how they race in rallies.

Racing enthusiasts often start spontaneous drag races by following another vehicle on the road and flashing their hazard lights to indicate a race.

The driver in front then chooses to let them pass or accept the challenge by also flashing the hazard lights of their car in response.

Cat and Mouse

In a cat-and-mouse race, one car passes ahead of the other just at the starting line. If a car loses control or spins out, it immediately loses the race.

The race’s victory is determined by the presence of a big gap between the lead and the chase cars. The lead and following cars switch positions until a winner is determined.

Touge Drifting

As far as the history of drifting is concerned, the first introduction to the mainstream was with the Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya, who caused controversy by drifting in conventional races.

Although it was used in rally cross racing to maintain an ideal level for the engine RPMs and speeds while entering and leaving sharp corners, the art of perfect drifting was mainly introduced by the drivers participating in touge events – undoubtedly where Tsuchiya’s drifting story began.

Initially, when a handful of people dared to climb Japan’s perilous mountains, they put their driving skills to an extreme test by competing to see who could ascend or descend the mountain the quickest.

Many people initially feared the idea of losing traction because of the common assumption that losing control of the car would inevitably cause an accident.

However, as time passed, the idea of drifting or power sliding was discovered by touge drivers. They were used as a technique to demonstrate controlled driving.

The idea of losing traction in the mountains grew in popularity as touge drifting gained some popularity.

Many people accepted that losing traction and then counter-steering to regain it was a brilliant driving technique.

The idea of drifting became so popular that drivers started to be judged based on their drifts.

Drivers were regarded with great respect if their slide lasted longer. In fact, the longer the drifts, the better the driver’s reputation.

Nowadays, the youth find drifting very attractive and full of adrenaline.

The once secretive sport of drifting, emerging from the mountains of Japan, has become so popular that racers participate in drifting competitions held annually at different locations.

Newcomers to the drift world are eager to participate in the activities by driving up into the mountains in their freshly purchased drift cars because drifting has recently drawn tremendous attention.

The same people accelerate up and down the mountainside, applying hand brakes, electronic brakes, or pitching the car at dangerous angles to get their cars to drift.

Much-respected videos like Option Drift show these exciting drifts.

However, when drivers exceed their limits, cars spiral out of control, resulting in terrible accidents and endangering other people’s lives.

The drifting community faces backlash due to the nuisance of beginners. Newbies who have no idea about driving, controlling a car, following a racing line, or maneuvering a controlled drift.

The problem is that these people think they know about all these things by watching videos or attending a handful of drift competitions.

In an interview, Mr. L. Toguchi, a well-known drifter and event participant, also confessed that he used to go touge drifting but stopped going ever since more official track competitions started taking place.

And he’s certainly just one of many pro-level drifters whose story began on the twisty mountain roads.

The reason he gave was that the number of young children attempting to impersonate great drifters over there would put the lives of other participants at risk.

He added that those folks were simply unaware that with every reckless move, they put their lives, as well as the lives of their passengers and other drivers on the road, all at risk.

How Do Touge Battles Work?

In case you’re wondering how touge battles work without having a regulatory body, they work on great mutual respect and some unwritten rules.

Firstly, the spot where the touge battle will be taking place is never disclosed publicly, and the touge group is kept as small as possible.

Having two lanes open simultaneously or crossing into another driver’s lane is strictly prohibited. All drivers are advised to clearly understand their limits and stick to them, keeping their egos out of the touge battle and realizing there will be someone faster than them.

Passing isn’t allowed, and all drivers should leave enough margin between cars when in a group.

Drivers are also advised to watch out for any wildfires. All participants must ensure that they stay alert and don’t have any distractions around them that might affect their runs. Tire pressure, alignment, and brakes must all be checked and be in perfect working order before the race starts.

Japanese Cinema

Cinema, including movies, TV shows, documentaries, and even cartoons, all play a great role in shaping any nation’s cultural attitudes, customs, and traditions.

The audience usually adopts the style and attitude of their favorite characters that they watch on screen.

They also adapt the things or hobbies that those characters might be displaying. Content creators may use their videos or movies to influence certain cultural attitudes toward social issues or influence people to adopt certain things.

Similarly, Japanese cinema has played a vital role in the rise of touge’s popularity. One of the main influences on touge is the Japanese manga series “Initial D” by Shuichi Shigeno, which became one of the most-watched animes.

Although it was founded on existing techniques, Initial D popularized touge racing and drifting in the automotive world.

The nature of touge roads took advantage of the multiple uphill and downhill conflicts in the manga and anime. The enthusiasm for drifting was fully displayed for everyone to see through the S bends and altitude changes.

Another show named Best Motoring featured videos distinguished by unconventional races and challenges, such as touge battles, in which one automobile attempts to outrun another on a winding mountain pass.

The drivers competed in the top racing competitions in Japan. The original AE86 drift master, Keiichi Tsuchiya, participated in numerous stunts on the touge roads for the show.

he Japanese version of Best Motoring covered mostly non-tuned stock cars, while the more popular edition was the bimonthly video series primarily testing tuned cars.

Best Cars for Touge

Although you can use any type of car for touge racing, generally, rear-wheel-drive cars are better at drifting. Most racers who know touge racing well prefer cars like the Nissan Skyline, Nissan 240SX, Toyota MR2, Toyota AE86, or Honda S2000.

Due to its affordability, the Nissan S-Chassis is a great RWD car for touge because of its lightweight design and highly tunable engine. All these factors make it one of the most popular RWD vehicles on the market. We have a full guide on how to build your own drift car if that seems interesting.

Contrary to popular belief, the Toyota AE86 was popular, mostly in Japan. Before the show, Initial D got famous, it was the most affordable front-engine rear-wheel drive car available at the time.

Additionally, it had a 50/50 weight distribution, a strong engine that was easy to tune, and incredibly lightweight.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R also has a great story. The R32 GT-R entered Australian races thanks to a rule modification from the 1980s that allowed non-V8 vehicles to compete.

The R32 won the 1992 Bathurst 1000 by defeating all V8 muscle cars, earning gold medals all around, and it ended up with the name “Godzilla.”

Conclusion

Whether you are a motorsport enthusiast or not, it is safe to say that the idea of touge racing sounds fun.

As interesting as it may sound, one thing must be kept in mind: touge racing is illegal, just like any other race off the track.

The police are usually on the lookout for such events; hence, they are always kept low.

Unfortunately, being an enthusiast, watching a few videos, and attending a few drift events won’t make you a good driver (as much as we wish it did!) Therefore, racing must be limited to racetracks only.

The post Touge – The Birthplace Of Drifting first appeared on Drifted.com.

Introduction

There are a few things to know if you’re planning to fit spacers into your daily driver, drift car, or off-roader, and we’ll cover them all in this guide.

We’ve gone the extra mile to do the math and weigh the pros and cons of fitting spacers to your ride.

You’ll learn things like hubs and offset and determine whether wheel spacers are safe for your needs.

First things first - what are wheel spacers? Wheel spacers, or just spacers, are machined metal that sits between the rim and the hub to which the wheel is attached.

Spacers create an offset in your wheels, but what kind of offset?

An offset can be both positive and negative. To understand offset better, take a look at the following sets of rims:

The first difference to spot here is the placement of the wheel disk, using the two examples above.

As you can see, the disk sits near the front of the wheel on the left rim. However, the one on the right has the disk pushed inside the wheel.

Here, offset is present on both wheels.

The one on the left is a rim with a positive offset, which enables the tires to sit further inside the fender, and the one on the left has a negative offset, which provides a ‘poke,’ leaving the tires sitting further out of the fender for a wide stance.

A rim in which the disk is in the center has a zero offset and is sometimes called a zero set rim. Conversely, a rim with a positive offset can be labeled an ‘inset rim,’ while a rim with a negative offset is called an outset.

Enough about rims; let’s talk more about what wheel spacers do and answer the question of are wheel spacers safe. We’ll look at the different types of spacers available on the market and how you can fit them correctly.

What Are Wheel Spacers?

We’ve already explained what wheel spacers are, but check out this spacer from MODE to provide a clearer picture.

Made from 7075 aluminum with a tempered grade of T6, these are premium quality hub-centric wheel spacers. T6 is precipitation-hardened aluminum, which has undergone multiple heat treatment cycles to ensure that the spacer is strong enough to withstand its forces.

It would be best if you did not confuse wheel spacers with coilover spacers, which go between the strut mount and the chassis.

So, What Do Spacers Do?

Spacers are used in quite a few scenarios depending on your particular need.

For example, let’s say you’ve gotten rims that have an incorrect offset, leaving them too far within the fender to pull off the stanced look you’d hoped to achieve.

It’s often recommended to rectify this offset because the manufacturer has spent a lot of time calculating intricate distances. This scenario’s convenient, low-budget solution is to run spacers on your wheel hubs.

However, spacers can only correct the issue on inset rims: wheels having a positive offset.

If your new wheels are sitting too far out of your fenders, you’ll need to consider fender rolling, flaring, or opting for a wide body kit, such as the hugely popular offerings from Rocket Bunny.

Different Types of Wheel Spacers

Wheel spacers generally fall under two categories: bolt-on or slip-on.

Bolt-on Spacers

Bolt-on spacers have the spacer bolted to the wheel hub. In addition, they have separate studs for the rims to attach to for additional strengthening.

To know more about design considerations, imagine a situation where you want to fit at least more than ½ an inch wide spacer.

With this, you have a spacer that takes most of the length of your wheel studs, leaving just enough space for bolts, which we calculate to be a minimum of 12 millimeters (around 8-10 turns, depending on your pitch.)

Slip-on Spacers

As the name suggests, this spacer doesn’t involve bolting to the hub; they’re placed onto your wheel studs, and the rim rests on them. While these are the easiest way, they’re far from the best.

They are usually thinner than the more substantial bolt-on spacers because your wheel studs cannot accommodate thicker wheel spacers as the studs would be too short.

We do not recommend considering more than 25mm wheel studs (if you plan to replace them) since longer wheel studs increase the chance of snapping in half – trust us when we say that no one wants that!

Most rim designs usually have a flange in the center to ensure that the rim sits precisely in the center of the wheel hub. Wheels also have exactly the matching taper on their insides.

Hub-centric Spacers

Correct-fitting hub-centric spacers ensure that your rim fits precisely in the center of the spacer. In addition, they have tapers and flanges that match your wheels, ensuring maximum safety.

Ensure that you find the correct spacers for your wheel specifications, as some manufacturers provide different fitments.

You must ensure that the spacer sits perfectly flush with the hub, with no movement.

Any movement indicates bad fitment, which could potentially be dangerous. Avoid this at all costs.

Lug-centric spacers

Lug-centric spacers are not recommended because they might not let the wheel sit precisely in the center, and the spacer only sits on the lugs.

This might be fine if you’re within geometric tolerances, but not in any other situation.

Slip-on spacers and bolt-on spacers are both available in hub-centric designs.

Wheel spacers are available for all road vehicles. Some spacers are specifically designed for use in off-road applications.

Like the spacer shown above, these are made from 6000 or 7000-series precipitation-hardened aluminum. This makes them sturdy, and since the curb weight of your truck is more than a car; they are the way to go.

The Benefits Of Wheel Spacers

Few things in life are more thrilling for people who spend much of their time on the road, or the track, than achieving the perfect fitment.

We mentioned earlier that spacers are typically used when you want to fit a wider rim and, inevitably, wider tires.

Even off-road vehicle drivers also like replacing their factory tires with bigger ones. Wheel spacers are necessary to prevent these wider/larger tires from rubbing against the wheel wells, suspension, or fenders.

Some car owners may swap the factory brakes for higher-performance ones to improve stopping power. However, these brakes are often broader than the factory ones.

Wheel spacers can also create additional room for the bigger calipers to sit without destroying your rims. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen with brand-new wheels, and it’s not pretty!

In this scenario, you’ll want to ensure that you still have clearance for the wheel within the fender, which often comes down to millimeter-perfect precision.

Top-quality wheel spacers will often set you back around 100 bucks brand new—even those made of aviation-grade aluminum, which has both high-quality and high strength.

Depending on who you ask, changing a car’s exterior design might be advantageous or disadvantageous. However, the unusual appearance of the wheels being flush with the fenders is appealing, as long as there is enough clearance.

Since we’re on the topic of a flush appearance, consider a Nissan 350z, a popular choice among drift enthusiasts.

We’ll use the infamous Rocket Bunny kitted Z to understand a true widebody appeal and why you may need spacers to fill out your fenders.

Installing wheel spacer adapters is as simple as changing a wheel on your ride.

We’re counting this as a huge plus factor since the installation may be completed without difficulty using only the simplest tools.

Installing Wheel Spacers

We’ll explain how simple it is to install wheel spacers to your ride. The same method applies whether it’s a drift car, a daily driver, or an offroader.

Measurements to consider before ordering parts:

• Length of your studs
• Required offset
• Hub hole count
• Taper and Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) – You could consult your car’s manual for this or use a vernier caliper.
• Fitment clearances

How to install:

• Jack the car up and place your jack stands correctly before lowering your vehicle onto them.
• Start removing the lug nuts, keeping pressure applied on the brakes when you’re removing the nuts.
• With the lugs removed, take off the wheels.
• After you’ve removed the wheels, you’ll need to prepare the hub. First, clean off any corrosion with a wire brush to ensure a smooth fitment.
• Apply a layer of anti-seize on the hubs.
• After that, slide your wheel spacers over the existing lug nuts.
• You’ll need to apply the new bolts if you’re using a bolt-on wheel spacer.
• Finally, re-fit the wheel, fit the nuts, remove the jack stands, lower the vehicle, tighten the nuts once it’s on the ground with the brakes applied, and you’re good to go.

Are Wheel Spacers Bad?

Adding spacers means changing the offset, and this affects the scrub radius.

The scrub radius is the distance at ground level between the center of the tire contact patch and the kingpin inclination axis (KIA), which lies along the strut or control arm of the suspension.

Refer to the following diagram:

Tire wear and toe characteristics may deteriorate if you add spacers, especially when braking.

The axle’s scrub radius determines how much steering effort is required and how stable your steering is when braking. Depending on the gap between the old and new offsets, uneven front-wheel traction may cause the ride to be even bumpier from the wider track.

Manufacturers always consider the suspension’s geometry finely, but no one’s stopping you from getting a suspension upgrade!

Also, wheel spacers can cause many problems when fitted incorrectly.

Your tires can brush against the walls of your fenders, causing unnecessary tire wear, even on the insides of the walls.

Are Wheel Spacers Safe For Drifting or Racing?

Excessive lateral tire loads are applied whenever drifting, racing, or even spirited daily driving, putting wheel bearings under additional strain, which understandably leaves people questioning, “are wheel spacers safe?”

The amount of load experienced by each of the two wheel bearings connected to the strut is affected.

This is where you must not compromise on the quality and fitment of spacers since this will ultimately determine whether you’re happily drifting or stuck on the curb crying over a failed drifting attempt that’s left your wheel detached from your hub!

We at Drifted believe in providing the best advice for you to continue happily drifting while also admiring the flushed, stanced look on your ride. For this specific reason, consider the following when even thinking of running spacers:

• It is imperative to ensure you know what material your spacers are made from. And yes, we recommend a high-performance alloy with high strength. (aluminum 7000 is an alloy of aluminum with zinc, magnesium, and copper, having the highest strength of all aluminum alloys)
• Ensure that the spacers you buy are hub-centric, and we can’t stress this enough.
• A bolt-on could be a way to go for a slight increase, but it still wouldn’t be our preferred method. If you’re thinking of running longer studs, we recommend that you don’t do this, although switching to aftermarket high-performance studs could provide an alternative.
• ALWAYS torque the studs according to your wheel specs as per the manufacturer. Load distribution across the hub remains optimum.

Conclusion

To conclude, wheel spacers are safe if you buy high-quality, correct-fitting parts and fit them as intended.

They can improve the looks of your ride and make your wheel choice far more varied, alongside the benefits of improved grip from the wider track.

Frequently Asked Wheel Spacer Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding fitting spacers to your vehicle.

How do I calculate the required wheel offset?

Wheel spacers change the offset by a negative factor. For example, if you have 17-inch rims at +45mm offset, you plan to run 15mm spacers; the total offset will be 30mm.

Do I need to re-torque spacers?

We recommend retorquing 100 km after initial fitment as a preventive caution. Then, check every 500 km after that or when removing your wheels. In a drift car, this can be quite often!

What about re-torquing bolt-on spacers?

When using bolt-on wheel spacers, you must re-torque ALL bolts, including the bolts holding the spacers.

Do I need an alignment after installing spacers?

It is recommended if you’re looking for optimal handling, especially if you’ve only fitted them at the front or rear. But, of course, an all-around setup will keep things equal so we wouldn’t be too concerned.

Is it possible to double up wheel spacers?

You can only do this when using slip-on spacers, and it’s not recommended. If you ignore this advice, ensure that you leave at least 10mm on the studs to tighten the lug nuts properly.

Can bolt-on spacers work as adapters?

Yes. Bolt-on spacers come in dual bolt pattern designs known as wheel adapters, which allow you to fit, for example, a 4-hole rim to a 5-hole wheel hub.

Is it okay to install spacers on trucks?

Yes, but you’d want premium-quality ones like what Eibach and BORA offer. The same also applies to the likes of SUVs.

Are wheel spacers safe for drift cars?

The same situation applies, despite the additional load you can expect from a drift car. This just means that it’s even more important than ever to ensure you opt for high-quality parts, and make sure that they’re fitted correctly to your vehicle.

The post Are Wheel Spacers Safe? We’ve Got The Answers first appeared on Drifted.com.

Introduction

Airflow is everything. Talk to any engineer and he or she will tell you that getting air in and out of an engine is always a big problem.

What we mean to say is, you can just replace fuel injectors and spark plugs for bigger counterparts, and there you have it – two of the three things responsible for combustion are now optimized. But what about the third – air?

For that, you have to dive deep into the world of pipes. The more unrestricted your intake is the more smoothly you can get air in, and the more unrestricted your exhaust is; the smoother air exits the engine. Read our example on different air intakes for your 350z, to understand this better.

Keep in mind that engines are spinning at thousands of RPMs. Exhaust gases are being produced at the same rate, and for this, engines need a good exhaust route as much as they need fuel and air.

What Are Test Pipes

If you’re looking for unbridled horsepower, modifying your standard exhaust system might be a good option. This is where test pipes come in. A test pipe is just a straight pipe that replaces your catalytic converter.

Test pipes are also often used for both race and off-road use, mainly because temperatures in both of these setups exceed regular values, and thus, a test pipe is preferred.

The catalytic converter has a honeycomb mesh inside it that causes a big hindrance in the exhaust flow. Replace it with a straight pipe, and you have your test pipe all set up.

Your exhaust system generally has the following components:

• Exhaust manifold
• Turbocharger
• Downpipes
• Headers
• Catalytic converter (also known as a cat)
• Cat-back exhaust (including any resonators or mufflers)

For additional information on mufflers and resonators and what they’re doing in your exhaust system, read this guide.

Make sure you do not confuse downpipes with test pipes, since a test pipe replaces your catalytic convertor, while downpipes connect the exhaust of the turbo to your catalytic convertor (on standard cars), which then lead to the muffler and the resonator and finally to the exhaust tip. Read our guide on exhaust headers vs exhaust manifolds for a better understanding.

Why Fit Test Pipes?

Test Pipes are fitted for one pretty obvious reason, reducing restrictions and exhaust turbulence, and increasing the ‘breathing’ rate of your engine. More air out simply means more air in, and this is what test pipes achieve.

Test pipes are also pretty cheap. You can manufacture a test pipe using basic power hardware like a band saw, and precision TIG welding equipment. Gaskets may also be welded to improve craftsmanship. The relatively low cost of making a test pipe also makes it more appealing to tuners, looking to maximize their power output on a low budget.

Simply take stainless steel tubing, and thick mild steel flanges, and weld them together, making sure you keep them aligned with the flange connection points on your exhaust system. A Wideband bung may also be welded if you want to fit an O2 sensor to measure the air/fuel mixture.

One more reason why people fit test pipes is simple. A catalytic converter does have a life, and when they go bad, they tend to cause problems. Your car might not be revving right, and this affects acceleration.

Test pipes are also sometimes confused with charged pipes, but the two are quite different from each other. Charge pipes are called so because they add an additional charge to your exhaust system. Charge refers to the air inside your cylinder, and since charge pipes direct air toward the turbocharger, the overall air inside cylinders increases significantly as a result of turbo spool.

Now cats can go bad because your engine’s exhaust gas temperature is high, which translates to potential corrosion. Replacing the cat is going to be pretty costly, and one cheap fix is installing a test pipe, which you can do at home.

If you own a 350z, check out these aftermarket test pipes for your car. We also have different options for the 370z, in case you’re interested.

Are Test Pipes Illegal?

Test pipes are pretty much illegal everywhere, as well within the USA. See, every engine uses motor oil, and often at times, motor oil gets combusted along with fuel. This produces toxic exhaust gases, that are rich in pollutants, so a catalytic converter must be used to filter these out.

Even car garages are not allowed to remove the catalytic converter and can be subject to heavy fines and legal action if they are caught. Any driver running a test pipe setup if caught on the road may also be heavily fined, up to $1000 for a first-time offense. Rare instances may have you paying more also, according to EPA. Additional info may be found on their website

So, what’s the solution? One solution is to keep the original cat with you at your house. Test pipes are pretty easy to swap out, and cats are also relatively easy to install. Keep the test pipes for a track day, but when out on public roads, the cat is a much safer, cheaper, and greener option.

Another solution that we will be focusing on later in this article is installing high-flow catalytic converters, but for now, let’s see whether test pipes improve performance figures.

Test Pipes Increase Power?

To properly answer this question, we need to make sense of a few things first, but mostly the Engine Control Unit, or ECU, that’s responsible for how the engine behaves. Engine behavior is governed by a few things, which include the opening and closer of the throttle body at the intake, fuel ratio, and a lot of different stuff.

The ECU has a lot of sensors attached to it which keep feeding it information. A good example of this case would be the oxygen sensor connected to the exhaust manifold. The sensor has the primary function of detecting how much oxygen is present in the burn mixture after combustion.

If a lot of oxygen is present, little fuel is being injected, and the O2 sensor sends a signal to the ECU to correct this. If there is little to no oxygen present in the burn mixture, the sensor sends a different signal to the ECU, which opens the throttle body more to allow more air to flow inside the engine.

This also acts as a check and balance for the throttle and fuel system, and if the sensor picks up different O2 concentrations than what’s normal, a check engine light will most likely appear on the dash.

So where does a test pipe fit into all this? Well, when you’re fitting a straight pipe in place of the cat, you’re messing with the burn ratio. When you fit a test pipe, you lower the pressure in your exhaust, and this fools the engine into thinking that it needs to work harder to maintain that pressure.

A catalytic converter has a different air-flow design, and hence, has different pressure values, which you’ve changed when you install a test pipe. Your check engine light will also come on.

An ECU tune will correct this, and after this is sorted out, you will see higher power figures. A turbo engine will require an ECU tune more than a N/A engine since the turbo is also connected to ECU, which controls how much it spins and compresses air. All of this has to do with stock pressure values for any engine.

Coming back to power figures, a test pipe is capable of increasing power output by a maximum of 10 if the engine has gone through an ECU tune also. For turbo engines, however, a test pipe setup will increase power figures by 15-20 at the dyno.

This is mostly because turbos rely a lot on exhaust pressure, so it’s easy to see why improving the exhaust flow on a turbo engine responds much better to a test pipe configuration. Your turbo might end up making more boost, which can be both bad or good, depending on your engine internals, and other components.

A test pipe will also improve torque figures, and you’re going to see the RPM jump up faster when you press down on the gas.

Test Pipes Vs Catalytic Converter

Your engine’s ability to produce additional power is entirely dependent on airflow. The intake and exhaust systems are therefore frequently modified first.

The catalytic converter is the most limiting part of your exhaust system, as you undoubtedly already know. Although a test pipe is not something we advise doing, especially for daily driving, you can think about it if you want to get the most out of your exhaust system.

Catalytic Convertors are probably the only component of your car’s exhaust that assist in removing deadly chemicals in the form of fumes including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and unburnt hydrocarbons that are all harmful for the environment. Regulatory bodies are set up everywhere that monitors emissions from exhausts for this exact reason.

Catalytic convertors are also necessary due to internal combustion engines’ ridiculously low efficiency. All of the hydrogen and carbon in gasoline would entirely burn out and transform into carbon dioxide and water in an ideal, frictionless engine. Since this is not the case, cats are the only way to go when designing exhaust systems.

Other than this, the technology simply isn’t there now, at least not in a way that would make private transportation unprofitable financially and logistically.

Currently, only 50% of the thermal energy produced by an engine when a gallon of gasoline is used is transformed into mechanical force. If 50% sounds inadequate, keep in mind that the majority of cars on the road, especially the older ones, expel over 80% of their thermal energy through the exhaust.

Depending on whether you value horsepower or environmental sustainability more, catalytic converters are either the greatest or the least critical part of your exhaust system.

The principal function of a catalytic converter also referred to as a “cat” or “cat-con,” is to transform dangerous exhaust pollutants into less-toxic gases before they are released into the atmosphere.

Every car must come equipped with a catalytic converter by law, and depending on where you reside, it may be quite unlawful to remove this part from your exhaust system.

The exhaust gases travel through a ceramic honeycomb structure inside the catalytic converter that is made up of thousands of tiny ducts.

Microscopic particles of the three primary catalysts platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium are coated on these conduits (Rh). They do indeed include precious metals!

These catalysts transform exhaust gases into less hazardous fumes when they pass through and come into contact with them.

Resonated Test Pipes

Installing high-flow catalytic converters or resonant test pipes are two other potential choices to improve the sound of your exhaust, in addition to increasing the flow of your exhaust.

Just keep in mind that one of them, resonating test pipes, is still an unlawful change. On the other hand, high-flow cats are permitted to use on public streets.

Let’s go over these resonated test pipes in greater depth.

Resonated test pipes are identical to standard test pipes, with the exception that a Helmholtz resonator is fastened to them. With less drone than non-resonated test pipes, they flow better than the stock cat-con and high-flow cats.

Although they are slightly more expensive than test pipes without resonance, they still give you a smooth exhaust flow. Expect modest increases in horsepower and torque and an increased average.

Resonated test pipes may also be tuned to imitate the factory exhaust note, which is what some people are after when designing their cat-back exhaust system.

High-Flow Cats

Although high-flowing cats are virtually identical to standard catalytic converters, they are made to conserve power while still producing clean emissions.

They have bigger cross-sections inside the ceramic honeycomb structure, which is also known as high-flow cats. This metallic mesh is coated with rare metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium. This mesh is what actually cleans up exhaust gases, and since high-flow cats preserve this methodology, they are still viable to install in any road-legal car.

A few interesting things happen when the honeycomb structure’s cross-sections are larger: more catalysts may be added, and the ceramic chamber’s surface area is increased, allowing for greater interaction between the rare metals and the pollutants’ fumes.

This nifty bit of engineering is actually what supercar and hypercar manufacturers use. A good example is Koenigsegg, which uses high-flowing cats in the exhaust system in every car they manufacture.

Is Straight Pipe Legal

The legislation does not specify the maximum volume that a motor vehicle may have, but it does state that it must have a functioning muffler to stop “excessive or unusual noise.” Therefore, it is prohibited to have any cutouts, bypasses, straight pipes, rusted-out mufflers, or exhaust with holes.

Mufflers purchased aftermarket, often known as “glass packs” or “cherry bombs,” can be problematic since they could cause “a sharp cracking or crackling sound.”

Local noise ordinances are common in many counties and cities. A noise ordinance establishes the types of noise that are and are not permitted at any given moment. I would therefore check with the local authorities to see what the laws are where you live.

This law is frequently enforced and we do our best to educate the public on traffic safety and equipment violations through education and enforcement.

Conclusion

As we mentioned earlier, test pipes can make your car both fast in terms of horsepower and acceleration, but be sure to stay clear of legal authorities, or just keep your cat-con at home for a quick replacement whenever you’re daily driving.

Another way is to just purchase a high-flowing cat system, which increases the chances of passing emissions - the one thing that drift setup owners are concerned about.

FAQ

• Are test pipes legal?

The fact that it is unlawful in many places in addition to your car being a respiratory danger is another reason why you should avoid replacing your catalytic converter with a straight pipe.

All vehicles must run cat-cons by law. While some jurisdictions that don’t monitor for emissions make it easier to get away with test pipes, others have rigorous laws and severe penalties.

• Are test pipes bad for your car?

They are only bad in terms of emissions standards.

• Are test pipes loud?

Yes. It will be loud and may even bug you with a drone.

• Are test pipes illegal in California?

No, test pipes are not allowed in California. Your custom exhaust system will always be at risk of getting fined.

• Are test pipes legal in Texas?

Like California, test pipes are not legal in Texas.

• Will test pipes pass emissions?

If you’re using high-flow cats, your exhaust system might just pass emissions.

• Are test pipes and downpipes the same?

No, as we mentioned earlier, test pipes and downpipes are different, downpipes come before test pipes, and they connect to the exhaust manifold.

• What are the best test pipes for g35?

We have a full guide on many performance test pipes for the G35.

The post What Are Test Pipes, And How Do They Work? first appeared on Drifted.com.

Springs support the weight of the vehicle and also absorb road shocks. Our coilover guide explains this in detail – simply put, without springs, the entire car would jerk when in reality, only the wheel bounces up and down when passing over road bumps.

There are four types of springs used in the automotive industry. Coiled springs are much more common, but leaf springs, torsion bars, and air springs are also used throughout the industry.

We talked about the springs bearing the weight of the vehicle. The four springs on each strut are the most crucial aspect of the chassis design.

If you’re going for a race build, the maximum speed a car attains while turning will affect lap times the most.

For those of you that aren’t sure whether softer or harder springs are going to be better suited for your needs, we recommend checking out this video:

The spring rates and roll centers are responsible for the car’s behavior while taking a turn, and there are a lot of vehicle dynamics surrounding this.

How To Calculate Spring Rate

There are several things you should know about springs.

Firstly, you need to know exactly what the spring rate is for a particular spring. This is not as simple as reading the stamped numbers on the spring – however, this can be a good place to start.

Manufacturer’s sometimes make mistakes and may overrate, or, underrate springs. The spring rate may also be subject to change if the springs have been used heavily, so take care while purchasing a used set of coilovers or springs for your car.

It’s common to mix up spring load with spring rate and hence it is critical to understand the distinction in order to fully comprehend how your suspension functions.

The spring load, which is measured in lbs, is the force required to compress the spring to a specific height.

The spring rate, which is measured in pounds-per-in, is the force required to compress a spring one inch.

Assume a car has an equal weight distribution and weighs 4000 lbs. It would then weigh 1000 lbs. at each wheel as a result. The sprung weight at each wheel would be 800 lbs. if we assumed an unsprung weight of 200 lbs.

Unsprung weight refers to the weight of the tire, wheel, wheel knuckles, hub, and one-half of the spring as well as the shock and control arms, which are components of the car that are not supported by the springs.

The body, frame, engine, transmission, as well as half of the spring, shock, and control arms make up the sprung weight.

For spring rate calculations, you only need to only consider the sprung weight, since this is the weight that is acting on the spring.

Wheel rate, on the other hand, is something that combines both the unsprung and sprung weight, and takes into consideration the position and angle of the spring as well.

Coiled spring rates are calculated by using the following formula, assuming that you know what material your spring is made of. A quick google search will reveal the torsional modulus of your springs material which is a unit value,

Spring Rate = Gd⁴/8ND³

Where G is the torsional modulus (in psi), d is the coil thickness (in inches), N is the number of coils, and D is the mean diameter of the spring (in inches). If you have a progressive spring, this formula will only give you an average value, and not the actual one.

A progressive spring is one in which the diameter of the spring reduces, or the coils get more concentrated as you go along the length of the spring.

The idea behind progressive springs is that it has different spring rates for different sections of the spring.

If you’re planning to upgrade to a suspension system that uses progressive springs, or if your car already came with them, you can use the same formula to calculate the spring rate.

Spring Rate Conversion Chart

Different manufacturers use different units for spring rates. This is why a spring rate conversion table or spring rate calculator is commonly required to convert between pounds per inch (lb/in) and kilograms per millimeter (kg/mm).

All you need to know to convert kg/mm to lb/in or vice versa is that 1 kg/mm = 56 lb/in. Spring rates, in essence, characterize how stiff or flexible spring is as we’ve already discussed. This has a lot of effect on the handling, but we’ll give you an example of this.

Spring rates allow you to change your handling by specifying a stronger or softer spring rate in the front or back to fine-tune your balance.

Take a look at the Mazda MX-5, which is a perfect example of how well cars handle when they are perfectly balanced. We have a full guide on coilover sets for the MX-5 if you’re interested.

Different brands may have different shock settings, which change how the spring rates affect the ride and handling. Most aftermarket brands selling coilovers will have two-way adjustment, or even three-way adjustment, allowing you to change the spring rate.

We always recommend discussing your unique objectives for your vehicle with a knowledgeable tuner, who can also aid you in determining what spring rates you require. Refer to the conversion chart below to better comprehend coilover and lowering spring options to suit your needs:

As an example, you can read our guide on finding suitable coilovers for your Nissan 350Z.

What Spring Rate Should I Get?

Make a list of the brands you’re considering within your pricing range, including their spring costs and other qualities. Then compare their spring rates to see which are normally stiffer or softer, which affects handling and ride.

The process essential to choose the proper rate, and why it’s necessary, won’t make any sense at all unless the role of a spring in relation to total suspension dynamics is made apparent.

When the wheels rise and fall over road surface imperfections, the springs temporarily operate as energy storage devices, considerably reducing the magnitude of impact loads transferred to the chassis by the suspension system.

As a result, a soft or low-rated spring that allows for considerable deflection under moderate loading will decrease the impact of the forces conveyed to the vehicle occupants to a minimum. The spring rate is in fact, equal to the load per unit of deflection.

We already told you that coiled springs are divided into two types: linear rate and variable rate. Linear-rate coil springs feature equal coil spacing and a single basic form with a constant wire diameter.

When the load on a linear-rate spring is increased, the spring compresses and the coils twist or deflect. The coils unwind or flex back to their original position once the load is released from the spring.

The spring rate is the amount of force required to bend the spring one inch. Linear-rate coil springs have a consistent spring rate no matter what the load is. For example, 200 pounds will deflect the spring 1 inch, whereas 400 pounds will deflect the spring 2 inches.

Variable-rate coil springs come in a range of wire diameters and shapes. The most typical variable-rate coil springs feature a uniform wire diameter, a cylindrical shape, and unequally spaced coils.

When the wheel encounters a road irregularity, the inactive coils (coils that are spaced closer) at the spring’s end provide force to the spring. When the transitional coils (coils that are spaced further) are squeezed to their maximum load-carrying capability, they become inactive.

The active coils are active across the whole range of spring loading. When a fixed load is supplied to a variable-rate coil spring, the inactive coils theoretically support the load.

When the load is raised, the transitional coils sustain the load until they reach their full load-carrying capability, and the active coils handle the remaining overload. Pretty cool, huh?

As an illustration. If you had a car with 700 lbs.-in. front springs and a roll angle of 2 degrees and wanted to lower the roll angle by 1 degree, you’d need to add 1400 lbs.-in. front springs.

This would effectively double the roll resistance. However, boosting the spring rates this much would disrupt the ride and cause the car to understeer.

Getting back to the point with what spring rate should you go with - the answer is something that is not very pleasing! Spring rates are calculated pretty intricately for each and every car, so we advise you to stick close to the original or OEM valve springs.

Increasing the spring rates reduces the roll angle. Unfortunately, increasing the spring rates might alter other aspects of the vehicle’s handling.

If you stray too far from the OEM value of the spring rate, you’ll end up with something that will also be too stiff or too bouncy to drive, and you’ll have wasted your money at the same time.

What Is A Good Spring Rate?

Although a greater spring rate lessens body roll, the ride becomes harsher.

A softer spring will enhance ride quality while also allowing the tires to follow uneven road surfaces for increased grip. Too stiff of spring will prevent a tire from producing any grip at all if it briefly loses touch with the road.

If you’re wondering what lowering springs are and what they do, we’ve got you covered.

Why is there such a fuss over choosing the ideal set of springs for your car since the function of the springs is so straightforward?

It all boils down to ensuring that the shocks can move within their appropriate range of motion and understanding how crucial the shocks are to the overall performance of the handling system.

The tires are the only component that has a greater impact on handling than the shocks. Shocks regulate the pace of weight transfer in a corner by slowing the action of the spring.

The key to good handling is maximizing the rate of weight transfer, and the shocks regulate how the entire suspension performs.

Shocks have a relatively small range of motion, and as they approach their extremes of travel, their performance quickly declines. Proper spring selection is crucial since it depends on the springs to keep the shocks operating in their ideal range.

The shocks will be forced out of their ideal operating range if your automobile sits too high or too low as a result of having the wrong springs, and they won’t ever work effectively.

People frequently believe that there is a problem with their shocks, however, in 80% of cases, apparent shock issues are caused by improper spring installation. So how could you correct this?

Consider this: to balance out the upward and downward forces with a sprung weight of 1000 lbs. at each wheel, you’d need a spring load of 1000 lbs. to keep the car at standard ride height.

If the prior wheel travel was 5.00 inches up and 5.00 inches down, the wheel spring rate would need to be 200 lbs. per inch to absorb a 1.00 g bump. A 1g bump is equivalent to most road imperfections and is calculated using gravitational forces acting on the car.

This spring rate would cater to complete suspension travel; however, will be considered soft by most people. There are several circumstances that will require the use of higher-rate springs in high-performance applications.

Even in our scenario, the spring rate only just accounts for the wheel travel, and it is a general practice to add 2 inches to wheel travel when calculating spring rate so that you’re safe from tires rubbing against fenders.

Conclusion

The softer the springs, the smoother the ride; the stiffer the springs, the harder the ride. As long as the elasticity threshold is not surpassed, the spring rate is largely determined by Hooke’s law.

We advise you to also check out our guide on coilovers for a better understanding.

Spring Rate Conversion FAQ

In this section, we’ll cover the frequently asked questions when it comes to spring rate conversion.

• What are the units for spring rate?

Spring rates are measured in kilograms per millimeter (kg/mm) as well as pounds per inch (lb/in)

• Is a higher spring rate better?

That totally depends on how you want your car to feel, stiffer rides have stiffer springs, and softer, smoother rides have softer springs. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

• What is spring rate used for?

Spring rates are used when upgrading your car’s coilovers, or you could even need a value for spring rate when changing springs.

• What is the unit of spring rate?

Kg/mm, and lb/in are both used as units of spring rate.

The post Spring Rate Conversion Made Simple first appeared on Drifted.com.

If you’ve done your homework on engines you probably know all about them. But we’re here to tell you about turbos and turbocharging and what makes those sweet whistle noises we all love here at Drifted.

Turbos sit in the heart of petrolheads and are a must-have for car enthusiasts of all sorts. A normal turbo would look something like this if you’re seeing it for the first time:

Connected to the engine are the vehicle’s intake and exhaust manifolds, which are each responsible for getting air into the engine for combustion to happen, and getting exhaust gases out.

The turbo is responsible for forced induction; hint: Superchargers also do this, interested to know how the two compare? Make sure you check out our turbocharger vs supercharger guide.

Turbos are directly connected to the exhaust manifold. Turbos use the exhaust flow pressure to spin a centrifugal impeller, or a turbine wheel, in a vacuum housing, to create high-pressure air.

Turbos have two impellers; one spins with the exhaust gases (the ‘hot side’) and causes another impeller connected to the same shaft to spin as well. This is the ‘cold side’ of the turbo. An impeller is designed in such a way that its blades ‘grab’ onto air.

The cold side of the turbo takes fresh air in; compresses it, cools it, and force-feeds it back to the engine via the intake manifold. This is the turbo inlet.

A throttle body is connected between the intake and the engine, which opens and closes to allow or restrict the amount of air according to how much you’ve pressed down on the accelerator.

Cooling increases air density as well, so you have a richer air-fuel mixture inside your pistons. Getting more fuel in an engine is not difficult, but getting more air in is always difficult!

What Is Turbo Flutter?

To understand turbo flutter best, let’s consider a scenario where you’ve floored the accelerator, but you see a turn ahead. So you instinctively let go of the accelerator. Your car does have a turbo installed, and these turbos are spinning at very high revs.

By very high revs, we mean in the eighty thousand to two hundred thousand revolutions per minute. This is why turbos sound the way they do when they spool up.

Turbos usually spin at forty thousand RPMs on idle, but with the accelerator pressed fully, the engine is working much harder and produces much more exhaust, which drives the turbo harder and at higher RPMs.

This is also how you get more power when you press the accelerator and is also a base for tuning throttle response. We won’t go into modifications that alter your throttle response, but it is doable.

Now consider this situation: You’ve let go of the gas, probably because you’ve run out of straight roads, and this closes the throttle body. Closing the throttle body means that there is now a restriction in the intake manifold.

Remember that the turbo is still spinning, and still trying to compress more and more air to feed to the engine. The sudden restriction means that the compressed air has no place to go, and the only direction it can go is back to the turbo.

When this happens, the airflow going back towards the turbo collides with the impeller blades, in an attempt to reduce the impeller’s momentum. This produces a very characteristic fluttering sound with a lot of noise, also called a compressor surge.

Do All Turbos Flutter?

Pressure builds up in the downpipes and headers of the exhaust system because there is no outlet for the exhaust gases. With that being said, not all turbos flutter, and this is due to innovative engineering.

Check out our guide on the best turbo kits for the Honda K24, a pure VTEC engine with an added factor of reliability.

Engineers when designing the turbo, also devised a solution for the excess pressure build-up. They used a blow-off valve, which has a firm spring that does not compress under normal air pressure inside the downpipes.

However, once the backpressure exceeds in the pipelines, the spring compresses, opening an outlet from where air escapes. You might’ve heard a hissing noise in turbo engines when you let go of the throttle. This is the blow-off valve at work.

With a BOV introduced into the system, excess air will not go back to the turbo. Hence, the turbo will not flutter. Otherwise, without the BOV, the turbo will definitely flutter when you let go of the throttle after hitting it fully.

Is Turbo Flutter Bad?

The truth is that turbo flutter doesn’t do any good, even if some tuners say that the sound turbo flutter makes is music to their ears.

A turbo is pretty expensive to install in the first place. You’ll be looking at $5-6,000 in parts and labor. Secondly, turbos are not designed to flutter, and only compress air in one direction. Turbo flutter causes a lot of back pressure to go through your turbo, which puts a lot of strain on it.

Your turbocharger internals are at risk as a result of this stress because the manufacturer did not take turbo flutter into account, and you’ll be introducing more stress to a component that is already under high thermal and mechanical loads.

Now, the top turbo manufacturers like Garrett, Honeywell, Cummins, etc. will manufacture turbos with higher strength ratings, and they just might be able to handle turbo flutter. Turbo kits off of eBay will definitely not, so be sure to add a BOV in them.

You might also want to include a turbo timer. Confused? We’ve got you covered, with our full guide on turbo timers, and what they do.

With that being said, turbo flutter is bad for a turbocharger’s performance and significantly reduces a turbo’s lifespan. With all the back pressure acting on the turbo, the turbo slows down. This means that the next time you hit the gas, it will take more time to get the turbo spinning in the right direction again.

How To Create Turbo Flutter

There are two things you could do, whether you prevent turbo flutter to preserve the expensive turbocharger, or you simply want to hear the distinctive fluttering noises that have got the internet going crazy. I see a lot of turbo flutter videos on Instagram myself.

The main step in achieving this is to remove the blow-off valve. No mechanic will advise this, but once again, if you have small, low-pressure turbos, with low boost levels, we’d say go for it. You will definitely have a chance against the turbo going bad.

An absence of a blow-off valve, and sealing the opening where it was will create backpressure. This will make the turbo flutter.

A final word of warning though, you might damage your exhaust system as well, and it will be more prone to leaks and premature wear. You’ll also be increasing engine load and reducing reliability in the long run.

How To Stop Turbo Flutter

A vast majority of people have a good sense that flutter is bad, however, it does somewhat boil down to personal preference and whether or not they enjoy the sound. By installing a blow-off valve, which almost all turbocharged cars have, flutter can be eliminated.

The role of a blow-off valve is to open a different outlet, which has been discussed above as well. Selecting the proper type of BOV is critical at this stage for all aftermarket turbocharged setups. Usually, all aftermarket BOV have a method to adjust the softness or hardness of the spring.

There are rubber diaphragms connected to the spring that close and open accordingly. Modern turbochargers and turbocharged engines come with a blow-off valve that’s already tuned, so as to stop the turbo from fluttering. You need not worry about these.

Difference Between A Wastegate And Blow-off Valve

Although wastegates and blow-off valves are both components you pair with turbochargers, they serve very different purposes. Many people will confuse one for the other, we’re going to clarify this confusion.

In order to prevent turbo-flutter, blow-off valves are available, as we already explained. They are typically closed and are located on the engine’s intake side.

A BOV (shown below) opens up and lets pressure escape when it senses an excessive amount of pressure in the intake of the engine past the turbo. BOVs may either release this into the surroundings (vent-to-atmosphere bovs) or channel it towards the exhaust of the car.

External wastegates (also shown below) are located on the engine’s exhaust side right before the turbo, keeping the turbo from producing an excessive amount of boost. If the turbo is generating a higher level of boost, some amount of exhaust gas will be released through the wastegate, keeping the turbo from spooling too much.

An understanding distinction between the two lies in where and why the pressure is diverted. We’re going to discuss this, but it is relatively simple to understand.

Both wastegates and blow-off valves are used in situations where you want to vent exhaust. Wastegates are made to withstand higher thermal stresses since they are connected to the much hotter exhaust manifold.

A turbo blanket may also be used in situations where you want to reduce temperatures within your engine bay, solely because of the high heat which a turbo produces. This would definitely help both your pipings and other components live longer.

Blow-off valves on the other hand are positioned on the boost side of the turbo, after the intercooler, and are used to release excess boost once you release the gas pedal.

You need to remember that as exhaust air travels to the turbine housing as an engine revs up, the turbo spins too. More exhaust pressure means more boost. Most of the time, the full amount of turbo boost is not required, which is why wastegates are in place at the turbocharger inlet.

The wastegate also has springs in place, that are finely tuned for a particular value of pressure, which is usually measured in psi. These springs exert a downward force on a valve which leads to an opening. Springs in the wastegate can be set according to how much boost is required to completely open the valve, just like in a BOV.

Wastegates can also be electronically operated. In this case, their application becomes more finely tuned, and the wastegate can be connected to the ECU, which will be responsible for controlling its opening and closing.

Similarly, blow-off valves can also be electronically controlled, and with both components being controlled by the ECU, tuning becomes easier and more precise. Precise tuning will consequently result in better performance. A win-win situation we might say!

Conclusion

We’ve done our best to make sure you know the ins and outs of turbo flutter, how it’s caused, and how you might prevent it. We at Drifted think turbo flutter is actually bad for business, so you should definitely avoid it.

We’ve also told you about electronically controlled blow-off valves and wastegates. These are the way to go if you want precise tuning, and you’re looking for peak performance. The small things do matter, and electronically controlled components will behave much better than manual ones.

We understand you might have some additional questions regarding turbo flutter. We’ve created a short FAQ section on some common questions that we know you might be asking.

Frequently Asked Turbo Flutter Questions

Here are some of the commonly asked questions about turbo flutter.

Can you get turbo flutter on a diesel?

Yes, turbos on a diesel function the same way as they do on a petrol engine. Wastegates and BOVs are found on diesel turbo engines as well.

How do you get a turbo flutter on diesel?

In the same way as you would get on a petrol engine, by removing the blow-off valve.

Why does my turbo flutter, but I have no power?

This is a sign that your turbo might be damaged. If you’re not creating any boost, and you did not have a BOV in place before, your turbo is probably at fault. A good reason why you should always run a BOV in a turbo setup, especially when making large amounts of boost.

Is turbo flutter illegal?

No, but it could be costly.

How much boost do you need to run without a BOV to get turbo flutter?

This isn’t a question you should be asking, fluttering occurs at high turbo RPMs, so even with low boost pressure and full throttle, you might notice flutter when you let go of the gas pedal.

What’s better for a turbo, a blow-off valve, or just blanked so you get turbo flutter?

Definitely a blow-off valve! Fluttering should be avoided at all costs, otherwise, the turbo might fail before its usual life.

The post Turbo Flutter – Your Questions Answered first appeared on Drifted.com.

Introduction

Coilovers are coiled springs over shock absorbers. Coilovers are one of the first upgrades you should consider because they make a massive difference in performance while providing that awesome slammed look to your ride.

Best of all, they’re not hugely expensive and super easy to fit with a simple toolkit.

We’ll discuss everything you need to know about the benefits of coilovers in detail, going over anything you might be wondering about when considering replacing your stock suspension.

Whether you’re interested in what coilovers are, how they work, or whether they’re right for you, we’ll cover it in this guide.

What Do Coilovers Do?

A coilover usually allows you to adjust the preload of the spring, which changes the ride height. Think about it as a tuning factor that you get from installing coilovers.

Coilovers are one accessible unit essential on a race car where you’re constantly adjusting your vehicle setup.

On a track day, you might want to carry out ride height adjustments which are different from when you’re daily driving on local roads. You simply reach for your C-spanner, adjust the coilover, and you’re good to go.

With some coilover kits, you can change broken coilover components if such a situation arises.

At Drifted, we believe in performance, and popular modifications such as lowering and eliminating body roll with adjustable coilovers will undoubtedly transform your ride.

Swapping stock struts for sturdier, stronger coilovers is the way to go when you’re putting high loads on your suspension while drifting or pushing your car hard on the streets or the racetrack.

Are you considering other upgrades alongside coilovers? Then, why not check out our comprehensive guide to modding your vehicle?

How Coilovers Work

To understand this better, let’s dive into the mechanics of a single coilover - we’ll focus on the front coilovers that are based on a MacPherson strut style.

However, aftermarket coilovers have the same principle regardless of your car’s suspension style.

Strut-type coilovers are mounted between the body and the steering knuckle.

The steering knuckle is connected to the lower arm, and the entire system is designed to resist sway while limiting movement only in the vertical direction.

The steering knuckle is designed so that the steering rack assembly can turn the wheel within the limited range.

The coil over strut assembly comprises a shock absorber, a main coil-over spring, a top strut mount, a helper spring, and a dust boot over the piston rod to prevent contamination of the oil seals.

Despite popular belief, the coil-over takes the weight of the vehicle, not the shock absorber.

The strut housing includes a piston rod, which moves up and down, a rebound stopper, a piston valve unit, a base valve unit, and the hydraulic fluid.

The shock absorber is designed to have working and reserve chambers. The base compression valve controls the hydraulic fluid transfer between these chambers.

Such a configuration using two chambers is known as a twin-tube shock absorber. However, other variants, such as the mono-tube shock absorber, which uses a single chamber are also present in the industry.

Sometimes, coilovers may also have an external reservoir here, which keeps the rebound more consistent and gives it a little more consistency in the temperature of the fluid.

For the traditional shocks to provide optimum performance, the working chamber must be full of fluid.

The purpose of the reserve chamber is to ensure that the working chamber is filled with fluid regardless of how compressed the piston is. Thus the reserve chamber will always be partially filled.

For more expensive coilover sets, the system is added with liquid nitrogen while manufacturing, which expands and acts as a compressed gas on the remaining volume of the reserve chamber.

The calibrated valve at the base controls the resistance experienced by the piston during the compression phase, while the fluid flows almost freely from base to top through the piston valve.

As the piston moves towards the base, the compression valve now opens in a controlled manner allowing the excess fluid to flow to the reserve chamber.

During the rebound phase, the piston rod tries to restore its position against the compressive energy, and the rebound valve ensures this happens in a controlled manner. As a result, the previously displaced fluid to the reserve chamber is pulled back to the working chamber.

The repeating action absorbs the energy from the cars suspension system and transfers this heat to the atmosphere through conduction and convection.

Coilovers may also have helper springs from top-of-the-line manufacturers. The helper spring is handy if the main spring is stiff because if a car hits a bump, the entire length of the coilover shocks may compress.

On the upstroke, the shock will want to oscillate upward, and if there’s not enough mechanical movement left to go upward, it would trigger a violet response and lift the wheel off the ground.

So a helper spring is technically just a placeholder; if you remove it, the mainspring will jiggle around. Again not all coilovers have this; only those that offer more flexibility and a more aggressive lowering amount.

If you’re interested in gaining even more in-depth coilover knowledge, we highly recommend checking out this video:

Opting For A Coilover Upgrade

When it comes to a car’s performance, people usually think of horsepower or the cubic capacity of an engine. But all the power delivered to the power train could be wasted if not handled by an efficient suspension system.

A coilover upgrade will not just provide better ride comfort but also ensures consistent traction to the road surface, better steering stability, and improves the vehicle’s handling.

Are you interested to know which cars are ideal for optimal grip? Make sure you check out our best handling cars guide.

Best Coilover Brand – What’s Best For You?

Choosing your ideal coilover kit boils down to 2 things; the number of adjustments and the quality required.

We recommend coilovers from brands that put a lot of effort into designing their coilovers. Brands like KW, BC Racing, FEAL, HKS, and Tien are all good brands.

Of these choices, BC Racing often provides the best value for money, while KW Coilovers are a premium offering, providing the ultimate German quality.

If you own a common drift car, you’ll find that many manufacturers are making coilovers specific to your model.

For example, our 350Z coilovers guide will provide insight into the best and worst coilovers available and their pros and cons.

Decide the number of adjustments you want, whether opting for the stiff, racing-feel coilovers or a softer coilover to ride speed bumps smoother for everyday driving.

The former is not usually the case since OEM struts are already soft. However, you might find some coilovers that can improve the ride height, handling, and ride quality without making the car bouncy.

You should know that shock absorbers usually last tens of thousands of miles, but they get defective over time due to the millions of operation cycles they must endure, depending on the load.

A failing shock absorber is best inspected at the earliest and should be replaced as required for the efficient performance of the suspension system.

How To Install Coilovers

Installing coilovers isn’t tricky, and in our opinion, it’s one of the first mods anyone should do to their project car to try and gain a basic understanding of their purpose.

It’s a low-effort, high-impact way to quickly change your car’s performance and looks in an afternoon, making it the perfect project for any home or DIY mechanic with basic knowledge and essential tools.

Swapping out your coilovers is not super complicated. These are the tools you’re going to need:

• Socket wrenches
• Vehicle jack and stands
• Hammer
• Coil spring compressor (if needed to remove the existing coil springs)
• Your new coilovers
• Anti-seize for a professional finish

These tools will likely be pretty easy to find lying in your garage.

Power tools are unnecessary but will take a few minutes off the installation.

After you’ve raised your car and secured it using axle stands, you’ll need to remove the wheel.

You need to unbolt the bottom of the shock from the control arm and the top of the strut tower.

You might also need to remove other components that get in the way, like the brake housings, lines, strut bracket, and the sway bar.

Once the stock strunt and spring suspension have been removed, you can install your coilovers just as you uninstalled the previous setup.

Torque them down to the manufacturer’s specifications using a torquing wrench, and put a bit of anti-seize to ensure the winter grime doesn’t cause any rust issues anytime soon.

If you’ve purchased the correct one, this should be pretty breezy, and no fitment issues will be encountered.

Remember, you need to tune your coilovers before installing them, and read on how to do this. We recommend getting a measuring tape and a set of vernier calipers for this one.

When you’re happy, you can refit the wheel, remove the axle stands, and lower the car back to the ground.

Tuning Your Coilover Setup

So, coilovers are inherently supposed to be adjustable. There are two main aspects of a coilover - the shock absorber and the spring, and you can make two significant adjustments to these.

Firstly, you can adjust the ride height

Adjusting the ride height of coilover suspension requires you to be aware of the three main components of the coilovers; the lower casing lock ring, the lower spring seat lock ring, and the lower spring seat. Your coilovers will come with a special spanner wrench to make adjustments. First, loosen the lower casing lock ring by spinning it counterclockwise and placing a mark on the lower spring seat to help identify the number of full rotations so both sides of the car can be adjusted to the same height.

Firstly, loosen the lower spring seat using the spanner provided. Consider the following:

• Rotating the lock ring counterclockwise means the lower casing slides up and out, increasing your ride height.
• The lower spring seat needs to be rotated clockwise to lower your car. Again, do this by using the spanner wrench provided.
• Depending on whether you’re raising or lowering the ride height, spinning the different rings ensures you do not alter the spring preload. Ideally, this is something that you should already adjust before installation. Again, we recommend referring to the coilover manual for this part.
• Once adjustments have been carried out, tighten the lower casing lock ring. Then, lower the car down and check ride height before re-adjusting if necessary.

Secondly, you can adjust the damping

A lot of coilovers on the market allow for adjustable damping.

We’ve already made clear what damping is, and you might remember the compression and the rebound cycles of the strut, and in theory, there are two types of damping; compression damping and rebound damping.

Since a basic hydraulic phenomenon is at play, you can change the hydraulic resistance by changing the size of the slits through which the fluid passes.

Manufacturers provide a little knob at the top of the coilover, which clicks on each rotation. Some even have individual compression and rebound damping knobs, but most have just one to control the overall hydraulic resistance.

You cannot see the slits being opened and closed. Still, adjusting is pretty easy, and we’d recommend a simple trial and error method while also consulting the manufacturer’s manual.

Coilovers vs Shocks

There are a lot of different options to go when you’re considering a suspension upgrade.

Usually, the OEM car comes with struts, which are not adjustable.

Coilovers are exactly like struts and have the exact same function, except they have retainers and lock rings with a threaded design for height adjustments. Coilovers also have adjustable piston damping and preload adjustment and are typically stiffer than OEM struts.

But if all you want to do is lower your car, lowering springs might just be what you’re looking for. These days, a good set of lowering springs can be the best option, especially for some fancy kits with electronic damping control.

However, there is a time and a place for lowering springs, and you should always consider important things like the spring type and spring constant.

We recommend you check out our in-depth guide to see how lowering springs compare to coilovers. Oh, and NEVER chop your springs (even if your buddies tell you otherwise) since changing the spring’s length will alter its strength and performance and could potentially be dangerous.

Coilovers vs Air Suspension

There are some air suspensions in the market that handle pretty well. Air suspension works in a pressurized closed loop system, with a compressor pumping air into a sealed boot fixed on a strut which replaces the coiled spring.

So, instead of the springs bearing the load, the air pockets will have the car resting on them. One significant upside is that these systems are electronically controllable, meaning you could alter the pressure in the boots, to change ride height and stiffness.

Air suspension, in our opinion, is never going to be quite as good as a good coilover, simply because they have a habit of developing leaks and are also far more expensive.

Although we’re seeing pro drifters testing them these days, we still feel that the technology has a long way to go to match the trusty coilover when it comes to performance.

In our opinion, you’re best off with some of the awesome value-for-money branded coilovers that we’ve mentioned throughout this guide.

Thank you for reading our ‘What Are Coilovers’ guide.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with the buttons at the bottom of your screen.

If you’ve found this information useful, then please take a moment to share it with other tuning enthusiasts. We appreciate your support.

The post What Are Coilovers? The Ultimate Guide first appeared on Drifted.com.

• Introduction
• Exhaust Cycle Explained
• The Scavenging Effect
• Differences Between Exhaust Headers and Exhaust Manifold
• Types of Exhaust Headers
• Exhaust Headers vs Manifold
• Exhaust Manifolds versus Headers
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Introduction

If you are one of those who cannot differentiate oranges from tangerines, there is no need to be ashamed. After all, both fruits look so much alike that only real fruit aficionados can tell the differences between the two.

The same dilemma exists in the exhaust headers vs manifold confusion – these two exhaust components look so much alike that most casual car fans will not be able to tell which is which at first glance.

In addition, unless you have a front-wheel-drive Honda that shows its headers front and center in the engine bay like prized trophies, these vital exhaust components are generally hidden from plain sight.

Nevertheless, as you read through this article, you will learn a few key differences that separate an exhaust header from an exhaust manifold and why tuners prefer one over the other for their engine builds.

If you want to upgrade your exhaust system, you will want to know what these differences are so you can decide which best suits your preferences in terms of power, setup, and sound.

Exhaust Cycle Explained

Before we delve into the confusing world of headers and manifolds, we first have to learn how the exhaust system works and what it does for your car.

Without going too in-depth into how the ICE or Internal Combustion Engine works, a car’s exhaust system is responsible for dealing with the engine’s exhaust stroke – the final stage in a combustion engine’s four-stroke cycle where the burnt fuel gets expelled through the exhaust system.

Most modern combustion engines are four-stroke engines that rely on four distinct strokes to produce power – Intake Stroke, Compression Stroke, Power Stroke, and, finally, the Exhaust Stroke. Completing all four cycles counts as one full combustion cycle for that particular cylinder.

By combining predetermined amounts of air, fuel, and spark, engines can produce the explosions needed to create the energy that pushes an engine’s pistons up and down the cylinder, sending power to the crankshaft, then to the drivetrain, and finally to the wheels.

Once the Intake, Compression, and Power cycle are complete, the fresh air that entered the cylinder will be reduced to exhaust gases, which the engine now needs to expel through the exhaust system to start the entire combustion cycle again.

As a rule of thumb, the faster a vehicle’s exhaust system can expel the gases, the better its engine will perform, which is especially true for high-performance engines – more on this in the Backpressure section below.

However, due to various environmental restrictions enforced in different countries, exhaust systems in modern vehicles are generally designed to keep noise, heat, and emissions to a minimum, affecting the overall performance and, of course, that sweet exhaust note that car fans crave.

The Scavenging Effect

You might hear the term scavenging thrown around now and then when members of the car community talk about their header upgrades. Don’t worry, we’ll explain what it means shortly.

Now that you have a better idea of how the exhaust cycle works in an internal combustion engine, we’ll look at what scavenging means for exhaust headers, which should set you up nicely as you learn about the different types of headers in the next section.

What is Scavenging?

Scavenging means “to collect,” and when talking about exhaust headers, scavenging pertains to the header’s ability to create a vacuum effect that pulls out the gasses from the cylinder and by extension, pulls in fresh air into the cylinder.

A free-flowing header will allow the engine to expel exhaust gasses much faster, leading to higher air velocity as gasses escape the exhaust system.

The unrestricted airflow leads to a much higher-speed exhaust pulse that flows freely down the exhaust system. The faster these pulses can travel through the system, the higher the pressure in front of the pulse and the lower pressure behind it.

This low pressure creates a vacuum effect within the manifold. The faster the gasses can flow, the more pronounced this phenomenon becomes.

Watch it in action in the interesting video by CorkSport Mazda Performance below.

How does the Scavenging Effect Increase Performance?

Backpressure is yet another term that car and tuning fans casually throw around in discussions, and we bet you’ve already heard the people say things like: “Your Exhaust is too open; you’ll lose backpressure.” We are here to clear up any confusion once and for all.

Remember the exhaust stroke? We mentioned how the engine must expel gasses to increase performance quickly. Backpressure plays a part in this process as well.

Backpressure is a natural phenomenon within the engine cylinders where the exhaust system cannot pull the gasses as quickly as possible (stock manifold), which causes the engine’s piston to expend effort in forcefully pushing out the gasses instead.

As mentioned above, the Scavenging Effect that a free-flowing header provides eliminates backpressure, relieving the engine of any additional strain in the exhaust cycle thanks to the pulling or vacuum effect that comes with a free-flowing header.

The result is a more efficient engine that can work freely and is unrestricted, increasing horsepower. This is also the main reason why just about any engine can see immediate performance gains when swapping out the stock manifold for a free-flowing header.

A stock manifold is generally restrictive and does not flow as freely as custom-made headers, but there’s a good reason for that.

Differences Between Exhaust Headers vs Manifold

So what are the differences between exhaust headers and manifolds?

The most noticeable differences between these two components are:

• Heat
• Emissions
• Performance
• Sound
• Weight

Let’s start with the Exhaust manifold, since this is what most cars are equipped with from the factory.

Exhaust Manifold

Car manufacturers will prioritize reliability and conforming to international emissions standards. As a result, most cars will come with an exhaust manifold from the factory.

With a manifold, manufacturers can restrict the amount of noise, heat, and emissions that production cars emit, which aids in their efforts to keep emissions and noise to a minimum.

On the other hand, manifolds are generally made from a more simple single piece of cast iron – simplifying the production process and reducing overall production costs.

With simplicity comes compromises, however, as the overall design of the exhaust manifold restricts engine performance and adds a considerable amount of weight to the engine bay.

Exhaust Headers

Exhaust headers, on the other hand, are the complete opposite of the humble exhaust manifold, offering improved engine performance, weight, and sound, at the cost of more heat and worse emissions numbers.

Exhaust headers are usually made using Stainless Steel, which is lighter, more durable, and rust-resistant than cast iron exhaust manifolds.

If you are chasing maximum performance for your drift car there is just no competition – get rid of your exhaust manifold and swap in a header for improved performance.

Get a better idea of what type of header you need to take your drift car to the next level by reading through the different types of exhaust header in the next section.

Types of Exhaust Headers

Exhaust headers come in all kinds of tube shapes, sizes, materials, lengths, and even configurations (equal lengths versus unequal length primary tubes).

Nevertheless, a header’s overall length and design will yield the most noticeable difference in power gains and delivery. This leaves us with three of the most common types of exhaust header on the market today – shorty headers, long tube headers, and tri-Y Headers.

Long Tube Headers

Long tube headers feature comparatively longer primary pipes compared to the ones found in your stock manifold. Some key benefits of this design:

• Better power at Low-Mid RPM
• More Noise (Subjective)

In four-cylinder engines, long tube headers feature long individual primary pipes that extend down the engine bay and merge into a single collector pipe. This design is called a 4-1, or 4-2-1 manifold.

While other factors such as individual tube length and diameter also play a role in how a long tube header performs, owners can expect better low-mid RPM power figures and a much louder exhaust note from this design.

Need long-tube headers for your Nissan 350Z/370Z project car? Check out the beautiful PPE Engineering Long Tube 370Z Headers from Enjuku Racing.

Shorty Headers

As the name suggests, shorty headers are short-piped headers that are generally smaller and easier to install than the bulky and unwieldy long tube header design. Short headers offer the following benefits:

• The smaller footprint makes short headers the ideal choice for crowded engine bays.
• Potentially less weight than the long tube header design.
• Can work with existing exhaust components with little to no modification.
• Potentially better power at higher-RPMs
• Less noise (Subjective)

Because of the shorty header’s shorter overall primary pipes’ length, this design produces less power than the long tube header.

Nevertheless, shorty headers still provide a significant power increase over a stock exhaust manifold, so it is still worth upgrading to this type of exhaust header if you are still rocking your stock exhaust manifold. They are easier to install as well, so that is a plus.

Tri-Y Headers

Long tube headers and the shorty headers feature a 4-1 design where all four primary pipes flow towards a single collector. The collector is essentially the part of the exhaust header where all four exhaust gasses flow and gather on their way out of the exhaust system.

Instead of the usual single collector design found in the Long Tube and shorty headers, the tri-Y exhaust header design features two collectors, which, in theory, help maintain exhaust velocity by introducing a secondary ‘scavenging effect’ between the two collectors. (refer to the Scavenging Effect discussion above)

The result is better Low-Mid range torque figures and comparable peak power versus the 4-1 long Tube and shorty header design.

Keep in mind, however, that a few other factors contribute to a Tri-Y exhaust header’s overall power gains, such as primary tube diameter, collector diameter, and collector length.

Exhaust Headers vs Manifold

There is just no competition when it comes to maximum performance – an exhaust header’s high-flow design will trump an exhaust manifold any day of the week, and here is why:

Performance

The improved airflow that an exhaust header design provides allows exhaust gasses to flow out unhindered, which reduces the amount of backpressure and allows the pistons to move up and down freely in the cylinder, increasing engine power.

A high-quality exhaust header can increase engine power by 5-10% depending on the car’s factory state of tune. A high-sprung engine, such as Honda’s venerable K20, can gain up to 10 horsepower just by swapping out the stock manifold for a custom Header.

Sound

Sound can be a very subjective topic, so the increased engine noise that a header provides can either be a pro or a con depending on who you’re talking to.

Nevertheless, we think most car and drifting fans will appreciate the increased noise that comes with swapping out the stock cast iron manifold for custom headers. We just hope your neighbors feel the same way.

Weight

Exhaust headers also win outright in overall weight savings between the two designs. Manufacturers use thick cast iron – a heavier material than stainless steel – to make exhaust manifolds.

Less weight is always desirable in any project car, and the reduced overall weight will make your car feel more agile and improve handling.

Aesthetics

If you are somebody who cares about how their engine bay looks, you will want to swap out your stock exhaust manifold for the much shinier custom-made headers.

Trust us; there is not a single factory manifold that looks good. The cast iron construction means that factory manifolds will generally have that matte look that is difficult to clean up and will eventually look disgusting when the factory coating finally gives out, letting rust run its course.

Manifolds vs Exhaust Headers

Exhaust headers will trump the humble exhaust manifold in just about anything performance related. However, that does not mean that the exhaust manifold is completely useless – far from it in fact.

Noise

Your neighbors will love you for keeping your stock exhaust manifold installed on your car now and for the forseeable future.

Comparatively speaking, the stock exhaust manifold should keep your car at very sensible noise levels both at both idle and full tilt, which is good for yours and every one else’s ears. Oh, and you won’t sound like you’re doing 100 when you’re actually doing 30. So there’s that.

Emissions

As mentioned earlier in this guide, the stock exhaust manifold restricts exhaust flow, which keeps the engine at factory spec fuel/air ratio. In this configuration, you won’t have to worry about passing smog tests since your car will conform to any environmental regulation related to exhaust emissions like it did back when it first rolled out of the factory.

Of course, mother nature will thank you for the reduced emissions as well.

Cost

Now here’s the real elephant in the room.

We’ve gushed over the exhaust header so much we might as well give it a piston ring and marry it at this point.

However, we have yet to discuss an important point of contention between the exhaust headers versus manifold – cost.

We’re definitely not going to deny it – a decent exhaust header for the Nissan 370Z, for example, will set you back a cool $700 just for the exhaust headers alone. We don’t even want to know what the rest of the exhaust system will end up costing when all is said and done.

Meanwhile, keeping the stock manifold won’t cost you a single dime or penny.

But of course, you probably already knew that, and enthusiasts will know that the pursuit of performance won’t come cheap. It’s just a painful part of the hobby.

Frequently Asked Header & Manifold Questions

We are sure you still have quite a few questions that we have not answered in this guide. So we have lined up some of the most asked questions regarding headers vs manifolds in this FAQ section.

Do headers require a tune?

Yes. If you want to get the maximum performance out of your shiny new headers, you are going to want to get a tune for your car.

Your stock ECU works by supplying a fixed amount of air and fuel into the engine’s cylinders. These values are predetermined by the factory and work under the assumption that the car’s exhaust and intake components remain unchanged.

When swapping out a car’s manifold for a better-flowing header, the engine can expel those exhaust gasses much faster. This will most likely throw off the stock ECU’s air/fuel ratio since your engine is getting more air for the same amount of fuel.

Getting a tune will help feed the engine the fuel it needs to match the extra oxygen coming into the combustion chamber, improving engine power in the process.

Are headers legal?

Depending on which country or state you are in, swapping out your car’s manifold for a header is generally legal as long as your local government does not have a law that prohibits any type of engine modification.

However, things get more complicated when other laws such as emissions and noise regulations come into play.

As mentioned earlier in the article, headers generally increase the amount of smog or emissions that your car emits, especially if you are running a cat-less system (no catalytic converter) In addition, headers increase the amount of noise that your car’s exhaust system emits, which could breach noise regulations in your area.

Check with your country or state’s local DMV to make sure you don’t break any laws from swapping out your stock manifold for a header.

Do headers improve gas mileage/MPG?

With the right tune, a free-flowing header can improve your car’s gas mileage/MPG.

Horsepower gains are often associated with increased gas consumption and reduced MPG. However, if your local tuner does a great job tuning your car for better efficiency, you can get better gas mileage from an exhaust header swap.

More horsepower at the same or better MPG? Yes, please!

How much horsepower do headers add?

Depending on the engine type and the factory state of tune, swapping out the stock exhaust manifold for aftermarket headers can net a horsepower increase of five to twenty horsepower.

The more restrictive the stock manifold design is, the more power you can expect to gain from an aftermarket header.

What’s louder – shorty or long tube headers?

Long tube headers are known to be considerably louder compared to shorty headers.

Check out this video by DonnyR/T on Youtube to get a better idea of how much louder a Long Tube Header sounds versus shorty headers on a V8 engine.

If anything, the Long Tube Headers definitely sounded meaner in the video. Whether that’s your cup of tea is going to be up to you. Just make sure you have taken noise and emission laws into account when installing either a shorty or long tube header.

Exhaust Manifold vs Shorty Headers

A good set of shorty Headers will give more power and weigh less than a stock exhaust manifold.

Out of all the exhaust header designs on the market today, shorty headers will be the most stock-looking option since, generally, shorty headers are designed to be a bolt-on affair that works with the rest of a car’s stock exhaust components.

That’s where the similarities end, however, as short headers are still going to be less restrictive overall versus a stock manifold.

The stainless steel construction and design of shorty headers will allow exhaust gasses to flow much more freely compared to a stock exhaust manifold design, which should immediately increase engine power.

Conclusion

We hope we didn’t paint too dark and hopeless a picture of the humble exhaust manifold in this guide. There’s no way a stock engine part can win on a website dedicated to car modifications and tuning!

Jokes aside, both the header and manifold have their respective places under the hoods of thousands of cars around the world. It all just depends on what your preferences and goals are for your builds.

Learning about how an exhaust system works should help you understand why exhaust headers vs manifold changes engine behavior the way they do. In a perfect world, there won’t be a need for the restrictive exhaust manifold design, as enthusiasts can just slap on the most free-flowing exhaust that satisfies Newton’s Laws of Motion the best.

However, that is not often the case, as manufacturers also have to take environmental damage into account along with various laws and ordinances that are present in many countries and states – the main reason why the restrictive exhaust manifold design exists in the first place.

Nevertheless, enthusiasts who want to extract every bit of performance from their engines will have no other option but to install an aftermarket header, as this will yield the most power gains for just about any type of engine build.

Whether you go for a shorty, long tube, or a tri-Y header will also depend on where and how you want your power to feel when you step on the gas pedal.

Whichever route you go for, you can expect noticeable power gains by simply swapping out the stock manifold for a free-flowing header.

Thank you for reading our exhaust headers vs manifold Guide

We hope that we’ve covered everything you could want to know about how exhaust manifolds and headers compare. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with the buttons at the bottom of your screen. If you’ve found this information useful, then please take a moment to share it with other drifting and tuning fans. We appreciate your support.

Photography credits

We thank the following entities for the use of their photography in this article:

• Amazon
• Enjuku Racing
• Z1 Motorsports

The post Exhaust Headers vs Manifold – The Ultimate Guide first appeared on Drifted.com.

• Introduction
• JDM Definition
• JDM Parts
• JDM Culture
• JDM Cars
• Conclusion

Introduction

You probably see the term JDM get thrown around casually in movies, videos, games, and other media whenever somebody talks about Japanese cars from Japanese manufacturers.

These days, almost nothing is spared from being labeled JDM, however distant the Japanese resemblance may be.

Let’s face it – we’ve all heard the local USDM ricer Civic owner yelling “JDM, yo!” at the local meet.

Car parts and upgrades are slapped with the JDM label by fans, whether they’re legit or fakes produced in other Asian regions (or beyond.)

Wheels and exhausts – heck, even tires from Japanese manufacturers are sometimes branded ‘JDM tires’ by some enthusiasts in the car community.

Likewise, car enthusiasts often refer to the term to identify the group they belong to (Japanese car owner group). So, if you have a Japanese car or are a Japanese car enthusiast, you’re probably already part of the JDM culture.

Most people do not realize the nuance of the term JDM. Hence, people ask questions such as “What does JDM stand for?” or “What does JDM mean?”

Simply put, the term JDM isn’t confined to just Japanese cars, or even parts, for that matter.

If you’re wondering what JDM stands for, and wanting to know the real JDM meaning, hen read on because you’re in for a bumpy ride. (Sorry about that bump, my JDM coilovers are too stiff.)

JDM Definition

Let’s get right into the real JDM meaning.

JDM or Japanese Domestic Market refers to anything and everything made in Japan, exclusively for the local Japanese market.

JDM is an abbreviation for these three important words that you will have to remember while reading the rest of this article. (And the next time you’re out casually talking to your car friends about your favorite JDM cars.)

If you start to think about it, not many products fall into that category in the car world. While Japanese cars are a dime a dozen everywhere these days, not all Japan-made cars fall under the ‘true JDM’ umbrella.

The same goes for anything made by the Japanese that isn’t sold exclusively in Japan. So wheels, coilovers, springs, exhausts, and other JDM upgrades aren’t JDM unless they’re made and sold solely in domestic Japan.

These days, however, the word JDM can mean anything or everything under the (Land of the Rising) Sun, so there’s a ton of wiggle room in how you can use the term.

JDM Parts

With the real JDM meaning in mind, you’re probably wondering: “If my set of 17×9 Volk Rays TE37 JDM wheels are made in Japan but sold everywhere else in the world, does it still count as JDM?”

Globalization has brought car parts that enthusiasts previously considered JDM holy-grail products into many car enthusiasts’ local soil.

Some previously unattainable JDM-grade parts such as wheels and exhausts can now be manufactured at a satellite factory and sourced for a much more affordable price than importing a Japanese domestic market copy of the same wheels.

Going back to TE37s – while these ultra-popular forged wheels are created exclusively in Japan, they aren’t exactly Japanese market exclusives, as they’re shipped worldwide by redistributors. Therefore, even TE37s aren’t exactly JDM in the truest sense of the word.

The same is true for other car-related parts and upgrades such as JDM racing seats, JDM exhausts, JDM body kits, and even JDM shift knobs!

However, not being truly 100% JDM in the literal sense of the word isn’t a bad thing. You’ll start to realize as you read through this article that there aren’t a lot of pure JDM car products sold these days anyway.

JDM Culture

It’s hard to pinpoint precisely where and when JDM culture started.

Some enthusiasts would point to the Bosozoku, while others would bring up the Honda Civic-loving Kanjozoku.

Even the infamous Yakuzas can partly be blamed for spreading the JDM culture through their unintentionally-attractive VIP lifestyle.

Nevertheless, we think everyone will agree that JDM culture blew up in the golden era of Japanese motoring – the 80s and 90s.

Bosozoku

Let’s start with the Bosozoku.

In Japanese, Bosozoku roughly translates to the “running-out-of-control tribe” or “violent-running tribe” – both of which refer to how they run their highly customized cars and bikes they affectionately call Kaizosha.

The earliest members of the Bosozoku were World War II veterans. After experiencing some of the most gruesome, adrenaline-rich battles of the World War, these war veterans needed something to keep their hearts pumping and their souls burning. And so, they formed gangs and exhibited gang-like behavior in public streets to stimulate their brains’ dopamine receptors once again.

These days, the Bosozoku is a much less violent bunch than their earlier members. However, their taste for modification has only gotten much more extreme. The term Bosozoku is now widely used in just about any type of extreme motorcycle or car modification.

Trust us. You will never miss a Bosozoku car or bike even from miles away – their outrageous body kits and sky-high exhaust pipes are the most obvious giveaways.

Kanjozoku

On the other hand, the Kanjozoku is a relatively less violent bunch of car enthusiasts or, more appropriately, Honda Civic enthusiasts.

The Kanjo Expressway (officially Osaka Hanshin Expressway) in Japan is one of the most popular sites for illegal street racing in Japan back in the day. Thanks to its 4.77-mile long loop-style layout, the infamous site became the preferred race track for street racers in the 80s and 90s.

Their preferred weapon? None other than the affordable yet extremely capable JDM Honda Civic.

The JDM Honda Civics were easy to modify, and there were a ton of parts available if something ever went kaput. Their lightweight chassis and high-revving engines meant that they could easily traverse the narrower and twistier Kanjo Expressway. It’s no wonder the Honda Civic was the Kanjozoku’s weapon of choice.

However, due to more aggressive policing, these high-speed battles – or Kosoku as the Japanese call them – are no longer as common in modern-day Japan. However, that doesn’t mean that the Kanjozoku is gone forever – they have just taken a more ‘responsible’ and discreet approach to their meets and activities.

Yakuza VIP Style

Even the infamous Japanese gangs known as Yakuza have contributed to the overall JDM culture and style, albeit unintentionally.

The Yakuza are classed as very important individuals in Japan. As such, high-ranking members of the infamous gang can’t afford to be seen rolling around in an econobox such as a Toyota Corolla. No, they had to move down the streets of Japan in no less than some of the best JDM luxury sedans ever made.

Full-size JDM luxury sedans such as the Toyota Crown, Toyota Aristo, and Nissan Cefiro are just some preferred Yakuza rides in the 80s and 90s. These sedans were often modified to ride as low as possible and had chrome rims as big as the wheel wells could fit.

The result was a clean and cool-looking ride that caught the eyes of bystanders and Japanese car enthusiasts at the time.

These days, the JDM VIP Style lives on and has its very own JDM sub-culture that features low-sprung rides with ridiculous camber to bring their cars just a bit closer to the ground. Oh, and did we mention? VIP rides feature some of the best interior mods you’ll ever see in Japan.

JDM Cars

We know that you’re more interested to learn about things that make a car JDM, so we intentionally saved the best for last.

Japanese Domestic Market cars are vehicles built for and exclusively sold for the Japanese market. Hence, actual JDM cars are right-hand-drive only.

However, your favorite 90s JDM Legends such as the Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline R34 GTR, Mazda RX-7, Honda S2000, and many Japanese cars from the 80s and 90s were also officially sold in other regions, hence the existence of USDM, EUDM, and other domestic market exclusive versions of these supposedly JDM cars.

And so, not even all these Legendary Japanese cars from the 80s and 90s are 100% JDM. Vehicles such as the Toyota Supra were sold in both Japan and the U.S. for most of their shelf life.

Nevertheless, the term JDM has since been watered down to encompass every car from Japan in the last fifty years. Depending on who you’re talking to, sports cars such as Mazda’s RX-7, sold in Japan and the U.S., can still be considered JDM in the modern sense of the word.

With that in mind, we have gone ahead and compiled a list of cars that are technically and spiritually considered JDM cars by enthusiasts the world over.

Nissan Skyline GTR (R32, R33, R34)

Godzilla is one of the most recognizable and sought-after 90s Japanese sports cars in the world – and one of the rare pure Japanese Domestic Market exclusives among its sports car peers.

Since the Nissan Skyline GTR was never sold outside of Japan, JDM fans from the West had to rely on something else to quench their thirst for the AWD sports car.

Fortunately, movies such as The Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift, games such as the Need For Speed or Forza Horizon, and publications such as the very popular Best MOTORing were enough to tame the lust that fans have been harboring since they’ve laid eyes on this legendary JDM sports car.

The Nissan Skyline GTR is one of the rare examples of a Nissan JDM sports car that was never sold outside of Japan. Examples of this AWD legend that made it to other countries were most likely imported through third-party entities.

Toyota Supra JZA80

We can’t have a list that features the JDM legends and not feature the JDM Toyota Supra.

While not as exclusive JDM-wise as the Nissan Skyline GTR, the Toyota Supra is still considered an iconic JDM sports car from the nineties even by purists.

Toyota was coming fresh off the success of the Mark II and Mark III Supra, so they knew they had to sell the Mark IV Supra on Western soil.

Unfortunately, sales numbers from ‘93 through ‘98 only totaled roughly 11,000 units, with the last year just seeing a very rough 24 units sold for the legendary Toyota GT car.

The saying “You never know what you have until you lose it.” can never be more true for these legendary JDM cars – the Mark IV Supra is definitely no exception.

Demand has skyrocketed in the past decade, and of course, their prices have risen accordingly as well.

Unlike the Nissan Skyline GTR, which up to this day is difficult to get a hold of, the Toyota Supra’s main price driver is its race heritage, pop culture, and of course, the equally legendary straight-six engine – 2JZ GTE.

Mazda RX-7 FD3S

The Mazda RX-7 FD3S is yet another JDM car that was sold both in and out of Japan in the 90s.

For Japan, the Mazda RX-7 (chassis code FD3S) was sold through the ɛ̃fini brand in six different trim levels:

• Type S (base model)
• Type R
• Type RZ
• Type RB
• A-Spec
• Touring X

The Mazda RX-7 was given a different chassis code for the U.S. and Canada – JM1FD. With a total of roughly 13,879 units imported to the U.S. alone.

Mazda’s RX-7 has the most unique engine in any JDM car period. Sure, the RB26 and 2JZ are legends in their own right, but none of them has sparked more controversy and criticism in its lifetime than the 13B Rotary Engine found in the RX-7.

Despite the apparent issues that came with Mazda’s engine choice for the RX-7, it remained a popular sports car back in the 90s and a sought-after legend in the modern-day.

The RX-7’s lightweight chassis and timeless styling convinced thousands of Japanese sports car fans to add the RX-7 to their car collection.

Of course, a certain spiky-haired anime dude driving a yellow RX-7 helped skyrocket the FD3S to rockstar status in pop culture as well.

Honda Integra Type R DC2

Honda is best known for econoboxes and ultra-reliable motorbikes. However, once in a while, the Japanese car manufacturer is known to dip its toes into the high-performance segment.

The humble third-generation Honda Integra was already a decent sports car. It had good handling, a high-revving naturally aspirated four-cylinder VTEC engine (with 178 horsepower in the GS-R variant), and reliability that was second to none in the industry.

However, everybody knew Honda still had a few more tricks up their sleeve, so they proved it when they released the JDM Honda Integra Type R DC2 in 1995.

The JDM Honda Integra Type R DC2 had everything you would expect from a Honda slapped with the Type R monicker – more power, less weight, and that classic Type R white-on-white paint job.

The Integra Type R was a JDM exclusive for two years before Honda eventually shipped the first few batches of ITRs into the US.

By the end of its life cycle, only 3,823 examples of the Honda Integra Type R were made, making it one of the rarest JDM cars in the world.

Toyota Chaser JZX100

So far, we have featured some of the best sports cars to ever come out for the Japanese Domestic Market in the Nissan Skyline GTR, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, and Honda Integra Type R DC2 as you’ve read above.

Let’s dial things back just a bit to take a quick look at some underrated JDM cars, specifically the Toyota Chaser JZX100.

Like the Nissan Skyline GTR, the Toyota Chaser JZX100 is one of the few JDM-only cars on this list, as the Chaser has never seen foreign soil during its production run.

That’s not the only thing the Chaser shares with the Nissan Skyline GTR, though, as the Toyota Chaser JZX100 also sports an inline six-cylinder engine under the hood.

And it’s not just any inline-six engine under the hood, as the Toyota Chaser JZX100 has the next best thing to a Supra’s 2JZ – a 1JZ.

You can be forgiven for thinking of the 1JZ as simply a 2.5-liter version of the legendary 2JZ – which boasts more displacement at 3-liters.

Needless to say, 1JZ is the primary reason why this unassuming sedan has skyrocketed in value in the past few years.

2JZ-based cars have become increasingly popular in the last decade, and so has their price. Enthusiasts saw the 1JZ as a worthy alternative to the 2JZ with a few minor compromises.

This ultimately led to a spike in the Toyota Chaser JZX100’s popularity, availability, and of course, price.

Honda NSX-R

Honda was on a tear back in the 90s and early 2000s, releasing several high-performance econobox-based sports cars that nobody asked for but fell in love with nevertheless.

But there was one special JDM car that started Honda’s Type R craze back in the day – the Honda NSX-R.

As if the standard NSX wasn’t crazy enough, Honda released a classic white-on-white Honda NSX-R in November 1992 and went on to produce a total of 483 NSX-R units exclusively for the Japanese Domestic Market.

The NSX-R takes the standard NSX package and turns the dial to eleven, where the most obvious change from the standard NSX was the reduced weight. (Total weight reduction was a whopping 265lbs)

There’s no dispute that the Honda NSX-R is a JDM legend through and through. With less than 500 units ever made, the NSX-R is one of the best JDM cars Japan has ever made.

Honda S2000

Remember when we told you how Honda was on a tear in the 90s and 2000s? Well, here’s yet another legendary Honda sports car from the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Honda S2000 isn’t as exclusive as the other cars on this list – Honda has sold the S2000 in multiple parts of the world since it debuted in 1999.

Nevertheless, all S2000s were made in Japan and then imported to the rest of the world.

The 250-horsepower 2.0-liter F20C engine found in the S2000 might seem pedestrian compared to many. Still, back in the day, the S2000’s mill featured the highest horsepower numbers per liter of displacement of any mass production engine ever made. Oh, and it revved all the way to 9000 RPMs – unheard of in many mass-produced sports cars at the time.

Simple mods are needed to squeeze out maximum performance from the already competitive chassis package of the S2000.

The Honda S2000 is one of the last pure sports cars from the 90s.

Nissan Silvia

Drift fans will recognize a Nissan Silvia anywhere – they are relatively cheap JDM cars yet some of the best drift cars ever made.

The Silvia platform is known for its competitive engine and chassis in an affordable sports car package. This combination made it a hit for circuit racing and drifting for many race teams around the world.

The earlier model S13s featured a smaller displacement naturally aspirated engine in the CA18, which was later replaced in the later models with the more competitive SR20DET engine in the late-model S14 and S15 Silvias.

Nevertheless, the Nissan Silvia platform – starting from the S13 all the way to the S15 – is arguably some of the best sports cars to ever come out of Japan and a definite JDM legend in our books.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution line was originally created for homologation requirements during the Japanese brand’s run in the WRC in the early 90s.

The mass-production Evos were monsters in their own right, featuring rally-proven technology and performance for street use. Their rally-derived AWD system was often the highlight of every generation, but their 4G63 engines were also just as competitive.

The entire Evolution line continued for a total of ten generations starting from the Evolution I all the way to the Lancer Evolution X. The latter enjoyed a particularly long life where it was produced for almost ten years before Mitsubishi ultimately pulled the plug back in 2016.

With that said, the Lancer Evolution is undeniably a JDM legend that proved Japan has what it took to succeed in various motorsports events around the world.

Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno AE86

Let’s face it – the Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno is probably the most recognizable JDM car ever.

Sure, Initial D and the real-life Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya had a hand in elevating the Trueno’s social status into JDM stardom. However, it wasn’t always like that for the humble RWD Toyota.

The Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno was nothing more than a cheap commuter car back in the 80s. But at its core were ingredients that made for a classic sports car – rear-wheel-drive, a lightweight chassis, and a DOHC motor that made adequate power.

AE86s were a dime a dozen back in the day, which is why they became a popular choice for grassroots racing, touge racing, and of course, drifting. The AE86’s ample power and lightweight chassis made it the perfect car to learn drifting techniques on back in the day.

Conclusion

Purists who stick to the strictest sense of the word JDM will find that not a whole lot of vehicles, accessories, and upgrades are truly one hundred percent JDM. The term itself is so generic that it can’t possibly encompass just a handful of Japanese-related products.

These days, JDM can also be used to describe other things such as culture, lifestyle, and even fashion. So don’t get too caught up with the literal definition of the word JDM!

In terms of cars, anything that was made with the spirit of Japanese engineering and ingenuity is good enough to be called JDM, even if that thing isn’t a Japanese Domestic Market exclusive.

Japan has blessed the world with its unique ideas, products, culture, and of course, cars. So let’s appreciate anything and everything JDM that Japan has to offer!

So, there we have it! We hope that we’ve covered everything you could want to know about the meaning of JDM in this guide.

Thank you for reading our JDM meaning guide.

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Photography credits

We thank the following entities for the use of their photography in this article:

• Cook24v on Flickr
• M.T. El Bialy on Flickr
• Fitment Industries

The post JDM Meaning – What Does JDM Stand For? first appeared on Drifted.com.