A look back at US Drifting – Part 2

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Philip C.

From 2003 to 2009 TEIN USA supported the following cars/drivers:

TEIN 350Z – Murao TEIN/ OS Giken S14 – Murao

TEIN JDMRice S13 – Murao DRFT FD3S – Utsumi

DRFT S13 – Utsumi Team Falken S13 – Koguchi

Team Falken S14 – Yamamoto Team Rotora S13 – Ken Gushi

Team Rotora S13 – Ernie Fixmer Team Falken S13 – Gittin

Team Falken/ Discount Tires – Young Team Falken EF – Hatakeyama

Team Falken Camaro – Hampton Team Falken FD3S – Yamamoto

Team Falken FD3S – Angelo Team Falken G35 – Wan

Team Falken Mustang – Gittin Team Falken S15 – Forsberg

Star Girl Racing S13 – Mei Team X Mustang – Beckford

Honda R&D Element – n/a Milano Auto – Kregorian

Team Falken/ Discount Tire IS300 – Sumida Team Falken/ NTB RX-8 – Yamamoto

Team Falken/ Boso Garage S13 – Petty Team Falken Sky – McNamara

Team Falken 350Z Convertible – McQuarrie Team Falken 2010 Mustang – Pawlak

Monster/ Team Falken 2011 Mustang – Gittin

Ross Petty’s ride back in 2007 which used custom valved Super Drift coilovers.

Falken IS300 from 2007 which was driven by Hiro Sumida. Utilized mono tube TEIN coilovers and EDFC.

2008 Falken Sky driven by D-Mac. Using TEIN Super Street coilovers and EDFC.

2009 Falken 350Z convertible driven by Tyler who finished third overall in FD last year. Utilizes a Super Racing coilover kit with custom valving and dual EDFC.

2010 bodied Ford Mustang driven by JR in 2009. TEIN 2-way coilovers and dual EDFC.

For the 2010 FD season TEIN will be used on 4 Falken drift cars which include:

Falken Sky driven by D-Mac

Falken 350Z Convertible driven by Tyler

Falken 2010 Mustang driven by JTP

Monster Engery/ Falken Tire 2011 Mustang driven by JR

5 Consecutive Rally Wins

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Philip C.

Driver Patrik Flodin of Sweden took home his 5th consecutive Rally win this past weekend at the Jordan Rally. This marks his second 2010 class win in P-WRC competition.

Patrik Flodin on left with co-driver Goran Bergsten on right.

2010 Rally Results for driver P. Flodin and TEIN Gr. N coilovers:

1st Production Class at Rally Sweden (WRC Rd. 1)

1st Group N – China Rally (Rd. 1)

1st Group N – Russia Rally (Rd. 1)

1st Group N – Swedish Rally (Rd. 2)

1st Production Class at Jordan Rally (WRC Rd. 3)

*Flodin did not enter WRC Rd. 2

Note: all wins were while using TEIN Gr. N coilovers

For P-WRC competition Flodin has been piloting the Uspenskiy Rally Technica Subaru STI equipped with TEIN Gr.N dampers. The Gr.N dampers have been working well as the Sweden Rally was in snow and the Jordan Rally was in the desert. Gr.N dampers include a Temperature Compensating Valve (TCV) which is a mechanical system that changes oil flow based on oil temperature. This allows the damping force to stay more consistent as the oil temperature changes.

A look back at US Drifting, Part 1

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Philip C.

As the 2010 Formula D season opener soon approaches I took a look back at when TEIN USA starting to get involved in the US drifting scene.

For TEIN USA it all started back 2003 when D1 first came to the US with a non-points event. We sponsored a few cars that came over from Japan including the DRFT FD3S, Falken S13, Falken S14 and we even entered our almost stock 350Z street car. Way back then Falken Tire boss, Nick Fousekis, saw the potential in Drifting and put together a small team and TEIN jumped on board as a product sponsor. Over the years TEIN has sponsored a few other teams, entered a few cars of our own but has mainly supported the teal and blue.

TEIN 350Z lined up against DRFT FD3S at the Inaugural US D1GP in 2003. 350Z driven by Murao and DRFT FD3S piloted by Utsumi. The sunken in wheels and skinny tires on the rear of the 350Z were the only way it could keep a decent slide since the only power adders were a K&N intake and Greddy exhaust which still got the car into the top 16.

Koguchi’s Falken sponsored S13.

Back in 2004 Team Rotora had a multi-car team and one of their drivers was a high school student named, Ken Gushi.

TEIN USA’s 2004 US D1GP entry. Driven by Murao and KA Turbo power.

This is JR’s original S13 in the old Falken livery. TEIN has been a proud sponsor of JR since 2004.

TEIN USA’s 2005 D1GP entry. Richard’s S13 aka JDMRice. Driven by “Gui Gui” Murao.

First FF Drift car in the US driven by Hatakeyama and Seigo Yamamoto’s S14.

One of two Falken RX-7s. This one was driven by Seigo Yamamoto and in the background is Hubert Young in the Discount Tire/ Falken S13.

One of the more unique FD entries was the Falken Camaro which one of the first iconic Muscle cars to drift. Driven by Ryan Hampton.

Falken Mustang S197 driven by none other than Vaughn Gittin.

Soon to come is part two.

Redline Time Attack Season Opener

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Philip C.

We want to congratulate Evasive Motorsports and SportCar Motion for their class wins in this past weekends Redline Time Attack held at ButtonWillow Raceway.

Evasive Motorsports campaigned two vehicles. Their well known EVO 9 in the Super Modified Class and a Civic Si in the Enthusiast FF class.

Driver Tim Kuo piloted the EVO 9 to second place finish with a time of 1:47.987 on Yokohama slicks. There is still lots of time left in the car and we will be working with Evasive to dial in the Super Racing coilovers.

Driver and vehicle owner Mike Chang pushed the Civic Si Sedan to a 2:04.085 for the class win in Enthusiast FF. Expect this car to get faster as we will be making changes to the rear Mono FLEX suspension (soon to be using parts from a TEIN N1 racing kit).

SportCar Motion debuted their Integra Type-R in the Modified FF class and driver Renzo Marsano not only took the class win with a 2.00.055 but beat the next top finisher by 4 seconds. The crew at SportCar Motion will soon be testing out new spring rates and new valving to make the ITR even quicker.

Driver Renzo Marsano of SportCar Motion accepting his trophy for the Modified FF Class win.

On track photos by Duane Uyeda – The Octane Report. You can checkout more pics from the event at OctaneReport.com

Falken Tire Drift Sky Testing

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Philip C.

Falken Tires recently posted a video of D-Mac practicing with his newly modified Sky which is now producing 800HP. The video speaks for itself.

You can see the dual EDFC controllers in the dash board which Darren adjusts at the 53 second mark.

TEIN has been a proud sponsor of the Falken Drift program since 2003. In 2010 we will be supporting 4 Falken Drift cars. More on this at a later date.

JUST RELEASED DEFI Advance BF

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Philip C.

TEIN USA is the exclusive North America Distributor for the DEFI brand of products. We just received our first shipment of the new DEFI Advance BF line of gauges. These units replace the current Link BF line which has already stopped production.

The Advance BF meters still feature the blacked out lens and come in 60mm Metric readout. Available colors now include blue alongside the popular amber and white. Advance BF feature more LEDs for a brighter and more vibrant display which make them easier to see in daylight. The lens is now flat which improves the visibility at any angle, and DEFI has increased the number of increment markings (ticks). Other features include warning set, peak hold, record, playback, dimmer, and audio-able warning.

The new advance series replaces the popular Link BF series. The new Advance series features a wired remote for the control unit, more durable plugs and a host of features.

DEFI’s Advance series is the evolution of the Link Series. They will be releasing new compatible products in the near future which will now be available for use with the Advance series control unit. If your looking to purchase a set of accurate and reliable gauges to protect the investments made into your power-train, you should definitely consider the DEFI Advance series.

If a blacked out face is not what your looking for. The Advance CR series is also available in 52mm and 60mm Metric readouts which are available in traditional white or black face.

Visit DEFI’s US webpage for more details. Defi products can be purchased through any TEIN Authorized Dealer. You can find a link of all dealers HERE.

Track Shakedown with Evasive Motorsports

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Philip C.

TEIN Engineer, R. Takizawa and I went to ButtonWillow raceway last Thursday, March 18th to test with the Evasive Motorsports CT9A. The EVO 9 will be running in this weekend’s Redline Time Attack at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, CA. Normally the Evasive EVO runs in the Limited or Modified class which is on R-Compound tires but for this event they will enter the Super-Modified Class wearing Yokohama slicks.

Mike of Evasive told us of his plans a few months ago so we revalved the dampers and suggested stiffer spring rates to match the grip of the slicks. Without having data on the tires our suggested spring rates and new valving were all calculated guesses. The actual track testing and driver feedback would let us know if the suspension needed minor or major adjustments (minor = damping force adjustments, major = revalving).

Pictured – Mike getting ready to go out for session 1.

In the first lap of the first session we witnessed Mike start a 25MPH parade lap and immediately knew something was wrong after the first few corners. Mike was getting a bad vibration over 25MPH on acceleration.

His support team comprised of Kel, Brad and Hugh quickly went to work to diagnose and fix the problem. The culprit was worn axle tripod housings. Without having spares axles the crew went to work on a fix and the car was vibration free a couple hours later. R. Takizawa did a quick alignment adjustment and the car was back on track.

Pictured – R. Takizawa adjusting front toe while Brad and Kel take a much needed break after a scramble to get rid of the vibration.

After Mike got a feel for the car and a few semi-open laps we were able to gather some suspension feedback. At first there was slight understeer at corner exit so a front damping force adjustment was made. The change worked a little too well and resulted in a slight oversteer. So TEIN Engineer R. Takizawa made another slight change in damping force. Overall the stiffer spring rates, damper revalving and small adjustments resulted in a car that was predictable and easy to control. More suspension tuning is definitely needed but at this point the car is ready to compete for the first time in the 2010 season. During the next testing phase we may try stiffer sway bar or slightly stiffer springs, alignment changes, and of course more damping force adjustments.

Pictured – In the hot pits. Mike driving, R. Takizawa making damping force changes, Brad checking tire pressures, Kel taking tire temps. and Hugh recording data.

A look at the Voltex front aero which keeps this EVO planted.

We wish Evasive Motorsports the best of luck at the Redline Time Attack.

Garage Sale Lists are Up

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Philip C.

The Garage Sale lists are up. Each of the three companies have their own set of conditions in regards to the sale. Please read those carefully.

WWW.TEIN.COM/GARAGESALE/2010.HTML

TEIN

After compiling the TEIN list, it ended up being huge. There are lots of great deals on coilovers, lowering springs, DEFI gauges, Fujitsubo exhausts, ATI meter pods …. Come early as I am sure the popular applications will go quick. Some coilovers are marked down as much as 40% off MSRP. There is no way you can find better pricing on a NEW kit anywhere else.

CARBONETIC

For all those people looking for Clutches and LSDs from Carbonetic. A revised list of Garage Sale products will be posted Monday night which will include LSDs. The current list only shows their clutches.

A few of the TEIN cars have used the Carbonetic products and they are awesome. My personal EVO 9 has the Carbon Twin Disc, Carbon Front Differential and Carbon Rear Differential. All three have worked flawlessly for the past 3 yrs. My car is street driven on a weekly basis and sees about 5 track weekends per year. Anyone who has ever driven my car is surprised at how good the clutch pedal feel is – smooth and just a little heavier than stock.The LSDs work great and are a must for any serious car especially Drift and Circuit vehicles. Carbonetic will be selling LSDs and Clutch kits for up to 50% off. Great deals just in time for track season.

MACKIN INDUSTRIES

Everyone knows that Rays wheels are some of the best on the planet. TEIN USA has been using various model Rays wheels on our demo and track vehicles for years. They are light, strong, durable, look great and come in a WIDE variety of sizes including aggressive offsets. Mackin’s sale list contains many RE30 and CE28 models which are Forged Mono Block wheels. Listed for up to 50% off – doesn’t get any better. The exclusive US distributor for RAYS wheels is Mackin Industries who also provides ARC, Yokohama Wheels, Project Mu, Project Kics, and MXP to the US market.

Check back on this blog next Friday to see a sneak peak at the sheer volume of products for sale and a few snaps of the used items which are not listed.

SportCar Motion ITR

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Philip C.

TEIN Authorized dealer Sportcar Motion was just out testing their newest Time Attack machine, a US Integra Type R. Loi, Renzo, and the guys at SportCar Motion have been posting up pics of the build and TEIN is proud to be a vehicle sponsor. It has been modified to compete in the Redline Time Attack and Super Lap Battle series. SportCar Motion went with the TEIN SRC dampers which have worked well for them in the past. They are the same model used on the competition EG6 which still holds the lap record in SLB Limited FF class competition.

Power comes from a built K24/K20 NA motor and puts out ~300WHP.

Large canards, front splitter and Voltex wing keep the car planted.

Like any good competition team the SportCar Motion crew have been putting in many hours of testing time to dial in the car. We are looking forward to the coming season as we hope to help setup the suspension so drivers Tim Kuo and Renzo Marsano can break records.

Both SportCar Motion FF cars use Super Racing Coilovers straight out of the box. As the vehicle evolves we can change internal components to alter any area of the damping force curve to improve the suspension’s performance. This is a service we offer to all our sponsored teams and anyone using TEIN coilovers but only the sponsored teams get to try our new “secret” parts. 😉

TEIN Sponsored EVO X

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Philip C.

Congratulations to Elliott M., otherwise known as Mr. Super Lap Battle, for getting his EVO X on the cover of the latest issue of Import Tuner magazine (May issue). Elliott’s EVO X GSR shares the cover with Yimi Sports Subaru STI and model, Leianna Kai.

This Octane Blue Pearl EVO X GSR was actually our SEMA booth car in 2008 and we have had a hand in building it over the past 2 years. Avid Import Tuner magazine fans have problem seen this EVO X in various installation articles, parts tests, and coverage from the 2008 and 2009 Super Lap Battle finals as well as Import Tuner EVO vs STI Shootout. Elliott’s EVO X has clocked a best time of 2:00 flat at Button Willow Raceway – Time Attack configuration with Rob Walker behind the wheel. The time is decently quick consider it was running street tires. Pickup the issue to get the full specs on the car and read the detailed coverage of the 2009 EVO vs STI Shootout.

Car parked in the TEIN booth at the 2008 SEMA Show.

Track testing back in 2008 when the car only had Mono FLEX coilovers, Volk RE30, a set of street tires, and a few AMS Performance bolt-ons. While at the track with tried a few different spring rates, adjusted ride height, and alignment settings to obtain optimal performance on the street tires.

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You can also check out a behind the scenes video of the photo shoot at the Import Tuner website.