Tag Archives: Motorsports

2018 Toyota Camry Pace Car

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Once again, we’ve been given the opportunity to work closely with the guys at Toyota Motorsports as they build the brand new, redesigned Toyota Camry set to be released this Summer.

As we have done in the past few years, we’ve helped them develop suspension for the pace cars being used at NASCAR events nationwide. Fortunately, modifications to these pace cars are relatively limited. And that’s perfect for us, since we don’t really try to do anything that requires major modifications.

In the past, we’ve made the pace car suspensions modeled after our SUPER STREET line of suspension. While, for some, this setup may not seem like an ideal suspension for a car that has to be driven at relatively high speeds around either a large oval track or road course, they can more than suffice to the task if set up properly.

The specifications that the guys at Toyota Motorsports ask for are far from being something we’d normally offer for a street-driven car, which most of our customers are looking for. For the 2018 Camry, they need a really stiff setup. To that end, we’re using 14kg/mm front springs and 12kg/mm rear springs.

For the past few Camry platforms, we’ve been able to make a coilover kit that uses the factory upper mounts. However, for the 2018 Camry, we’re utilizing camber adjustable front mounts.

Since the rear is no longer a strut type suspension (now using a more commonplace separate spring and damper combination), the rear damper has a OEM style upper mount while the rear has an adjustable base for dialing in ride height.

Once our in-house engineer was able to get measurements on the new Camry, he contacted the engineers at TEIN Japan’s Specialized Damper division and had them carry on with the design and manufacture of the suspension. Within two weeks time, we had a pair of suspension kits air freighted to TEIN USA.

Now we’re off to Toyota Motorsports’ Torrance HQ to do our test fitment. Then it’s up to the guys to finish the pace car build and take it out to the track for assessment!

Global Time Attack’s Super Lap Battle 2016

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This week is the Super Lap Battle Time Attack event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, hosted by Global Time Attack.

Damn, that’s a mouthful to say…

Anyhow, we’ve continued to attend the event for the past 6 consecutive years now. Our main purpose is to check out how the event goes, see how it has grown, and also to assist any teams/drivers that are using TEIN suspension.

For the most part, most teams/drivers are pretty experienced with their setup. So it’s not like we’re trying to rearrange everything they’ve setup and working for them. We just want to see how we can extract a bit more performance with a little bit of tuning. We bring one of our in-house engineers to speak with the driver and get feedback on how the car feels. From that, we are able to make an assessment on whether any changes to the suspension should be made, or if some other aspect should be altered. Funny enough, tire pressures tend to be overlooked.

The past few years has really just left us looking like spectators, however. Again, most of the teams have their race cars sorted out. So there isn’t much for us to do except check out the progress of each session.

For this year, we really only know of two teams on TEIN-equipped cars competing. Evasive Motorsports is bringing their R35 GT-R to run in the Unlimited AWD class, and Sport Car Motion (SCM) has their DC2 Type R Integra in the Limited FWD class. Both teams using our Super Racing damper kits.

scm-itr

The SCM Type R has proven to be plenty fast, mainly because they know how to extract the most out of their Rotrex-charged K24 engine setup. [Not] oddly enough, their Super Racing dampers are completely off-the-shelf. No changes in valving, and spring rates are per our recommendation. We did a refresh on the dampers last year, but unfortunately the car couldn’t make the event. Considering this specific Super Racing kit was on the team’s previous EG Civic race car, and that it has just over 6 years of use, the dampers were due for a rebuild anyway. We look forward to seeing the Type R run again this week!

 

evs-gtr

Evasive Motorsports has only taken their GT-R, in its current iteration, to a couple of track days. Back when the car had the very basics (our Super Racing dampers, racing brake pads, upgraded wheels & tires), they were using our recommended setup. Now, with a slightly wider body and more aero additions, we’ve uprated their springs. Other than that, the Super Racing dampers have our 3-way units installed, but valving has been kept as out-of-the-box. Wheels are a bit larger now, and they’re using a much more sticky tire. On its maiden voyage in this setup at Buttonwillow, the car did something in the neighborhood of a 1:47.00 lap time. No time spent trying to fine tune anything, and that’s what they run……… Damn. We weren’t expecting something that quick for what is essentially a still very street-bound car with full interior, full amenities. While we would love to attribute this shockingly fast time to our dampers, the fact is that Evasive Motorsports aren’t any slouches when it comes to building a proper car for the track. We’ll see what else the team does to knock down a couple more seconds from the timer.

Other than those two cars, which would keep our engineer busy enough, we’ve yet to hear of anyone else that may need our assistance. But, as I mentioned, they probably don’t need our help……

 

……….. You know what,,,,, this is just starting to sound like an excuse for us to just go and watch some racing! Don’t tell my boss…

 

 

New Video of Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R!

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We never really get bored of the project vehicles that Evasive Motorsports works on every year, even if it’s a project we’re not directly involved with. GT Channel, in collaboration with Nitto Tire, put out a new video showcasing Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R, the very same car that was displayed at our SEMA booth last year.

Progress on this car is relatively slow. However, as you can see in everything Evasive Motorsports creates, these are all well-thought modifications. Rather than jumble a bunch of parts to create a race car, the team at Evasive tests each and every component in a long-winded effort to extract the absolute highest performance they can. It’s a balancing act, and an act they know very well.

For several years now we’ve been very fortunate to not only have Evasive Motorsports as one of our customers, but also as one of our largest promoters for our products. That’s not to say that they are necessarily brand exclusive. They also do builds using suspension components from various manufacturers. We were glad that they approached us when it came to their project GT-R.

There is already a plethora of suspension components available for the GT-R, none of them really being all that cheap. And if we’re being honest, neither are our coilover kits. The GT-R, from the factory, already comes with a great suspension setup. It takes time to R&D a kit that can really improve the vehicle’s performance. To date, we’ve released our MONO SPORT coilovers and our SUPER RACING coilovers. Evasive Motorsports chose the latter, opting for the SUPER RACING dampers’ separate compression & rebound adjustment, as well as aluminum bodied dampers. Available as an option through our Overhaul & Revalve service is our 3-way unit, giving our SUPER RACING Dampers both low and high-speed tuning abilities for compression.

We’re working closely with Evasive Motorsports as they dial in their suspension for the GT-R. Again, it’s a process, and any major changes to the vehicle, whether additional power, or additional aerodynamics, or even more grip, directly affects how the suspension reacts. We want to make sure they get the most out of our suspension. Also, they’re perfecting their suspension setup using our EDFC ACTIVE PRO system! That certainly makes for a very adaptive suspension package!

Anyway, we’ve delayed you long enough getting you to the video. Check it out below!

 

TEIN, Toyota Motorsports, & The Long Beach Grand Prix

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A little bit back we reported that multiple Toyota Camry kits had been made in preparation for use with Toyota Motorsports’ Pace Cars.

Shortly thereafter we posted that TEIN was once again collaborating with Toyota Motorsports on a New Development Project.

Here are a few more shots on what we were working on.

(These are a one-off set of dampers specially made for this project.)

(Here is the OE front suspension in comparison to our damper)

(The OE rear suspension in comparison to our damper and spring.)


(One of our engineers at work, making sure the dampers will work without issue in a race-use environment)

For those of you attended the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 14th and 15th, you might have seen this vehicle parked next to the Camry Pace Cars.

(A group shot of the Camry Pace Cars that have been fitted with customized Super Street Dampers, ready for action on the streets of Long Beach and anywhere else that their use is needed.)

New Development Project

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After we wrote our “NASCAR Anyone?” entry, TEIN USA has started another project with Toyota Motorsports.

I believe many of our readers are big fans of motorsports.

And you know it’s time for one of the largest motorsports events in Long Beach, CA next month, which is Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach!

At the Toyota Grand Prix, there are several race such as Indycar, ALMS, Celebrity race, Drifting challenge, and World challenge.

It’s definitely an exciting weekend for motorsports enthusiasts.

And we are currently preparing our specialized damper for one of the vehicles to be used in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this year.

Here are a few pics of previous Pace Cars we’ve made suspension for

Stay tune and guess which car has Tein damper on it!!

NASCAR anyone?

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Rally. Gymkhana. Autocross. Drift. Touring. Gravel. Super Taikyu.
These and many more are different forms of motorsports that TEIN is synonymous with.
However, when you think of TEIN, NASCAR is probably not one of your first thoughts.

A little known fact though, TEIN has been involved with NASCAR through Toyota Motorsports for the past 4 years and counting.

Since 2008 the Toyota Camry has been used as a pace car at NASCAR events.
And ever since it’s induction as an official pace car, TEIN, in conjunction with Toyota Motorsports, has been providing the pace car’s suspension.

With the unveiling of the new 2012 Camry pace car, Toyota Motorsports once again approached TEIN for their suspension needs.

The 2012 Camry Pace car utilizes specialized dampers that have been custom valved and modified by that US R&D Staff.

Look forward to more exciting ventures into the motorsports world with TEIN.

China Touring Car Championship

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While watching Speed TV one day, I caught a glimpse of their segment from Mobil 1 The Grid and they featured the China Touring Car Championship (CTCC).

As a kid, I remember watching the short-lived North American Touring Car Championship on ESPN, with racers such as Randy Pobst and Peter Cunningham as contenders. The high strung 4 cylinder engines, super low ride heights, 19″ wheels, and subtle but quite functional body kits looked and sounded awesome.

There were also the cars of the Japanese Touring Car Championships! They looked even better!

Honda AccordWRXPrimeraOpel Vectra

Needless to say, the CTCC quickly drew my interests. And I know that TEIN supports a few vehicles in both of their categories (1600cc and 2000cc).

Check out this link from www.grid1.tv

As for cars we sponsor, the Ford Focus looks to be one of the most competitive platforms. But we also sponsor a Honda Accord and Hyundai i30 and KIA Forte.

 

Overall, this looks to be a very exciting series of motorsports. I’m actually a fan of Touring Cars as they best represent production vehicles available to the public. Some of these setups are quite unique. But again, since they bare a strong resemblance to what we drive, it’s much more interesting to me. Not that I don’t appreciate open wheel race cars and such. It’s just that the Touring Car series has a different appeal.

It may not have the following like Formula 1, WRC (also production car based, but with a super high budget), or even Nascar, but it sure has a special place for people like some of us who appreciate seeing production vehicles on the racetrack. Fortunately in North America, we still get to watch Touring Cars. Speed TV shows the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and there’s still a U.S. Touring Car series.

Now, if only they can bring back Touring Estate race cars…