Tag Archives: S14

Geoff Stoneback goes to US Drift Rd. 2/Hyperfest

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2 weeks ago, our sponsored Pro-Am/XDC competitor Geoff Stoneback headed out with his S14 to Hyperfest at Summit Point Motorsports Park in WV.

Prior to this event, Geoff was able to get his S14 tuned to crank out 430whp/420tq (~15% up from the last outing). So, there was no shortage of power for Hyperfest!

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Knowing that the race course was somewhat difficult for himself, Geoff took a paid practice run to get a better feel for the course and make the necessary adjustments to  both the car and mental prep.  This helped Geoff tremendously, as figuring out key pieces of track for shifting and accelerating gave him one of the fastest entry-speeds (80mph). His ability to adapt to the track layout relatively quick was about to pay off!

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But, racing isn’t with its occasional hiccups here and there. For Geoff, it happened to be a vehicle stall on his return to the pits. A quick diagnosis showed a damage o2 sensor wire as cause for the stalling. An easy enough fix for Geoff and his team, but a little bit of a setback in getting out for qualifying early.

Geoff reported that his qualifying run was set to be even faster than his practice run, but on approach to his clipping point, a catastrophic differential failure brought his S14 to a halt.

Back in the pits, the crew got right to work, and with only a welded diff available, got the car back out to get Geoff’s run in. It netted him 5th place qualifier.

By now, two setbacks can be enough of a distraction to anyone, especially the driver, but Geoff shook it off and went right to work, quickly advancing the Top 16, then Top 8, getting himself into the Top 4. Geoff was really turning his luck around!

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In the Top 4, Geoff’s opponent, and a good friend of his, James Evans had his own set of problems- a lower control arm replacement left the car with a slightly off-set alignment, but enough to get him back on the track to compete with Geoff. It happened to be enough for James to get the nod over Geoff. But Geoff still had a chance at 3rd place.

Another close friend/drift mentor of Geoff, Matt Waldin, was up next. With more power (almost 40% more) than his S14, Geoff had his work cut out for him. Matt kept close on the first run with Geoff leading, and on the second run, Geoff spun on the last turn, handing the win to Matt.

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What sounds like a series of unfortunate events turned out to be an exciting one for spectators. Also, all the hard work and efforts by Geoff and his team have kept them 2nd in points (just 3 points behind the leader James Evans).

We know that Geoff will be prepared for the next event and ready to take some more podium finishes. Great work, you guys!

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Bravo Whiskey has a great video recap of this event at the link below

Vimeo

 

 

 

Update: Geoff Stoneback Drifting

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Geoff has been great in keeping us up-to-date on the progress of his drift season so far, and we must say that he’s really impressing us, along with his other sponsors!

On May 18, Geoff competed in the U.S. Drift   series at Englishtown, New Jersey, a track that Geoff is quite familiar with.

According to Geoff, track conditions were inconsistent with rain imminent. The eventual downpour gave Geoff some slippery conditions. And with a vehicle’s TEIN Super Drift dampers for the highest possible grip level, Geoff put his expertise of this track to good use.

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During his first run, he didn’t score any points. With the right mindset on his second run, Geoff found himself in second position.

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Only 14 drivers qualified. Again, rain prevented all drivers from practicing tandem runs. Going right into competition, Geoff made quick work of the other drivers, securing his advancement into the Top 4. His higher qualifying position put him in lead car position as he battled for either a 1st or 2nd place finish.

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A strong first run followed by a tight tandem in the second, up until the last turn when his opponent spun out, saw Geoff sitting atop the podium. Great 1st place finish, Geoff!!!

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Follow Geoff’s progression through the year right on his Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/GeoffStoneback484drift

Geoff Stoneback Drifting

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We’re glad to continue to participate with motorsports events in the U.S.  One of the most exciting for us has been the drifting series. Each year seems to bring a new set of groundbreaking, purpose-built race cars, and all of them keep getting faster, louder, and even more entertaining.

With a sport experiencing some accelerated levels of growth over the past few years, it brings some great opportunities for future race car drivers.

For this year, we continue to support the Formula Drift Championship series through Vaughn Gittin Jr’s Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR. But we also support the guys in the Pro-Am series.

Geoff Stoneback of Geoff Stoneback Drifting approached us last year looking forward into the 2013 race season. Fortunately, we were able to work out a package for his 1995 Nissan 240SX he’s campaigning in the aforementioned Pro-Am series, as well as the XDC (Xtreme Drift Circuit). Geoff, who currently resides in Philadelphia, PA. has the talent, and we’re glad to be on board for his racing program this year. He’s making as many appearances has he can, mainly in the East coast. So, for those out in the East, keep on lookout for this guy!

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Geoff chose our Super Drift coilovers for his machine. Already familiar with the TEIN brand (he’s used our Type Flex coilovers, Geoff seems to already have the car dialed in pretty well with the new dampers.

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We’re glad to be supporting privateers such as Geoff. At 27 years young, he’s got a great future ahead of him, and he’s certainly showing that his skills out on the track will only get better, and we’re proud to be a part of that! Along with Kenda Tires, Geoff has the backing to show that he can do the job.

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We wish Geoff and his crew the best for the 2013 Drifting season. We look forward into watching him progress through the series!

Geoff and his crew also put out a great video on Vimeo

Please be sure to follow him through his website GSDrifting.com

You can also find him on Facebook

Hub Swappin Brackets

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Hey everyone. Ever purchase a set of TEIN full length adjustable coilovers that can be swapped onto other applications but when installing them you find that the lower bracket mount differs from that of the kit? Well, I’m here to put your mind at ease.

With the release of the Specialized Damper Program allowing the consumer create their own custom coilover kit to their specifications, the option of having just a custom lower bracket manufactured is also be available.

We always get consumers and shops inquiring about lower brackets for a hub conversion on any application ranging from the Subaru STI (from 5×100 pcd to 5×114.3 pcd knuckle) conversion to Nissan 240SX/ 300ZX rear end conversion.

 

Although we can have the lower bracket manufactured to your specifications, keep in mind that  it would be done at the consumers own discretion, as the coilover was not originally designed for the modifications. Changes to the original design can create different stresses on the damper body or components causing the damper to fail. Be sure to exercise caution.

With that said, the costs for a set of brackets can range anywhere from $100 and up each from current manufactured kits to custom brackets with desired features. For inquiries, please feel free to contact us for a quote. (562)-861-9161/ tus_sales@tein.com

 

Track Day

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Two weeks ago I took my EVO 9 to a Speed Ventures track event for a fun day with friends. I had not driven on a track for almost 8 months. In fact, I had not driven my car more than 100 miles in the past 8 months.

I took the car to Tint Factory on Saturday to get a 3M clear bra installed to protect my newly acquired C-West hood. Special thanks to Garrett and Frank at Tint Factory. Packed up various tools and my car was ready by Saturday 9PM. Left to the track on Sunday at 5AM.

Arrived at ButtonWillow raceway and met up with a few buddies including Joey L. (ex-Sport Compact Car Chief Editor), Jay C. (ex-Sport Compact Car Technical Editor), Wes H. (Honda employee and Time Attack racer) plus a few new friends.

Jay’s Turbo KA S14.

The config. was 13 CCW which is a layout I had not driven in 3-4 yrs. My first session was kind of a rust remover session. I had not driven on track in awhile, the car had not be driven and the course layout almost seemed foreign. Before my next session I went out with Joey in his almost all stock EVO X GSR. That was a blast since Joey is a great driver and the EVO X is an awesomely fun car.

Joey’s EVO X GSR.

My next session out was much cleaner and I pushed a little harder. I was still only driving at partial throttle, super early braking and only bursts of full throttle at certain areas. When entering a corner at high speed a few too many thoughts race through my mind like:
If I go off, what will get damaged and more importantly how much will that cost me.
I wonder if my car will be able to get on a flat bed if I need to get towed home.

After I cleared those thoughts from my mind I began to push a little harder but still keeping it very chill. After all this was just supposed to be a fun day at the track. No timing, no competition. Just driving. I probably drove at 6 or 7/10th and still had lots of fun.

My EVO 9 SE

Next track event I will push harder and start to dial-in the suspension.

After arriving home and parking the car I thought about what needed to be done:
A good car wash to remove the 50+ dead bugs on the front of my car
All fluids change including engine oil, trans fluid, center diff., rear diff. and brake/ clutch fluid.
Rotate Tires, re-torque various bolts and a thorough inspection of brakes, suspension, etc…

SPECIAL THANKS to Wes H. for the photos.

Tie Rod/Tie Rod Ends & Pillowball Tension Rods

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Okay so you are in 240sx at a stop light about to make a left then suddenly realize you need to make a U turn, but your not sure if you have enough space.  Well if you had TEIN Tie Rods and Ends you wouldn’t be doubting yourself.

The Tie Rods and Tie Rod Ends (combined) increase your steering angle, improve turning radius and are a huge improvement from  your OE parts.  These Tie rods and Tie rod ends are 10%-55% stronger than your OE parts (numbers vary depending on vehicle) due to the higher quality material and larger diameter of the components.

The kit comes with hardware for either an OE set up or anyone who wants a more aggressive steering angle or just beefier components.

Tie Rod kits start at $88.00

Tie Rod Ends start at $88.00

Click here to see the line up and MSRP.

(Kits are also available for G35 and 350Z)

As for caster adjustment for your 240sx you can upgrade to TEIN’s Pillowball Tension Rods.  The Pillowball type rods improves your acceleration and deceleration. Reason behind this is it controls the movement of the of the lower arms better than the OE bushings. Your steering response will improve, body roll will decrease and wheel alignment will stay more accurate.  The OE rods have huge rubber bushings which deteriorate badly causing unwanted movement and slop.

The tension rod (which are made of carbon steel, S45C) includes an adjustable turnbuckle with rubber encapsulated NMB pillowball bearing, which allows you to adjust the angle of the caster for a more precise alignment and increased strength.

Starting MSRP $290.oo

Click here for the full line up available.

S14 Mono Flex Testing

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Finally, many years after it’s initial release, the Mono Flex Dampers for the S14 have been tested.

If you own an S14 and happened to have been waiting for us to release a mono tube suspension for your vehicle, chances are your suspension is starting to look like this.

If those parts are a close representation of what your suspension looks like right now, if you’re going to be using your S14 for some serious track events, or if you just want to upgrade your suspension, then you should pick up a set of our Mono Flex to make your S14 handle like the sports car it is.

Not only will our Mono Flex give you that sporty handling and feel, they also look great.

Take the time to contact us or one of our dealers and ask about our S14 Mono Flex.

(Note: S14 Mono Flex are special order items and will require some time to arrive)