August 2008

Monthly Archive

08 STi Sport Springs

Posted by on 24 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Product Updates

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Our Sport Springs for the new 2008 STi are now available and shipping.  These are the exact same springs used on our ’08 STi which was recently featured in Motor Trend.  They are the perfect compliment to a daily driven STi for those that want to maintain a high degree of civility and comfort while still improving handling and control.  MSRP is only $250, so they’re quite affordable as well!

R35 GT-R : Redline Time Attack In-Car Video

Posted by on 18 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Events

In car video from the Redline Time Attack held in Fontana, California. Speed on the bank section was approximately 175mph.

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EVO X Intake Released

Posted by on 18 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Product Updates

[BIG BLOG UPDATE #4]
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We are proud to announce the release of our SF Intake for the new Mitsubishi Evolution X. We utilize a track tested design to maintain optimal flow and achieve ideal performance. The system is compatible with stock vehicles, making an extra 21 HP and 24 LB/FT of torque with stock boost. A custom filter feeds clean air directly to the engine while our one piece venturi adapter made of high temperature plastic composite helps decrease power loss associated with heat soaked metal components.

The SF Intake System is available with a Black OEM style finish. A black powdercoated support bracket is included for secure installation. The system is completed by a COBB Blue cloth conical filter which has been pre-oiled. Our filter is serviceable with an available cleaning/oiling kit and does not need to be replaced for the entire lifespan of the vehicle.

MSRP is $150.00 and it is immediately available for shipping!

Live Sockets Battle : R34 vs R35

Posted by on 13 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Events

[BIG BLOG UPDATE #3]

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In addition to the Redline Time Attack, we also took part in the first ever Live Sockets Battle series. Run in a similar fashion as “touge”, our R35 driven by Billy Brooks was pitted against the Focus Auto Sales R34 GT-R piloted by hot-shoe Billy Johnson. It was the battle of the Billys! For the first lap, the R34 was in the lead position with our R35 chasing. The rules stated that the cars must maintain a speed of 65 mph until they crossed the start-finish line after which you are allowed to go full speed.

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As the cars neared the line, Billy Brooks in our R35 hung back a little bit and Billy Johnson jumped into full throttle on the R34 the moment he touched the line. This built a significant gap between the R34 and our R35 as they raced around the banked turn. However that lead was immediately lost as the R34′s brakes didn’t delivery the stopping power Billy Johnson needed to make the turn into the infield, and he went off course allowing our R35 to pass and automatically win the lap.

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For the second lap, Billy Brooks led Billy Johnson to the start/finish line to start the clocks. However unlike what had been explained as part of the Battle rules, the R34 hung WAY back. Following the rules to a T, Billy Brooks went full throttle (from 65mph) in the R35 as it touched the line and the R34 was just starting to come into picture. As the R35 built speed and entered the banked turn, Billy Johnson brought the R34 across the start/finish line at full song. That certainly gave him great speed as he flew through the banked turn and into the infield section.

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The R34 put down a fantastic 2nd lap, but the combined times were not enough to overcome the consistency of Billy Brooks and the R35. Today, the R35 came out on top however it was a very close contest. One that we hope to take part of again in the near future. Many thanks to Live Sockets for inviting us to be a part of the Battle!!

Once again BIG THANKS to Brad Jarvis for the photos! Great job!

Redline Time Attack : Fontana, CA

Posted by on 13 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Events

[BIG BLOG UPDATE #2]

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On Saturday (July 19th), while Dave and I were over at MOD, Josh, Eric and Billy were busy at work preparing and testing our GT-R for Time Attack at the Auto Club (California) Speedway. Since the last event, we had added a second oil cooler in series with the factory oil cooler in an effort to control engine temperatures. We had experienced overheating issues at GT Live in June, and didn’t want to push power levels up very much until we knew we could control engine temps. From experience we all know too well that overheating motors pushed hard with lots of boost ultimately equates to a smoldering lump of broken metal in place of what once was a perfectly good engine. Much of the day was spent testing the new oil cooler setup, some aerodynamics tweaks, tire and alignment settings, and letting Billy get use to the car and the track. This was his first time on this track, and the first time to experience the high speed banked turn, so he wanted as much time on track as possible to find a good line.

Sunday was the day of the actual Time Attack. Our GT-R was entered into the Modified AWD class. This class is for street cars that have very extensive modifications but they still must have things such as glass windows, stock dash board, etc. The interior may be fully stripped out otherwise, and power modifications are pretty much open. The other big difference between all the classes are what tires you may run. For Modified class, we are allowed to run a much stickier tire than normal, daily driven street tires but we cannot run a DOT Race tire like a Hoosier. Our tire of choice for the Modified class has been the fantastic Toyo Proxes R888. Cars in our class included well prepared and heavily modified STIs, EVOs, and turbocharged 350Zs. Our GT-R, still very much in “street class” trim, certainly had some very stiff competition.

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Our R35 is still not on pace with the top teams in the Modified class, but at the same time we were not that far off. We knew if we could get in a good, clean lap there was a chance to podium. For the first timed session, Billy tried in vain to put in a clean lap. After being blocked several times by a certain driver who has an unfortunate reputation for not knowing what mirrors are used for, Billy hung back and let cars pass in order to get some clean track ahead. However in these timed sessions the number of laps is limited and while able to put in a decent time, Billy came away frustrated that he hadn’t been able to show the R35′s full potential.

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With the final timed session coming up, we swapped over to our brand new Toyo R888 tires mounted to our Volk RE30 wheels. This time Billy was graced with a clean track free of traffic and quickly went to work. His first lap was nearly 3 seconds faster than he’d gone all day! That was quickly backed up with two more equally impressive times. That left the question, was it fast enough for a podium? Unfortunately the answer came back as no, not today. But not by much. Billy’s time in the R35 was just over 0.1 seconds off the 3rd place finisher’s time. So, a happy 4th place all things considered. With more development, and more experience in the car, I think the R35 can most certainly fight for an overall class victory before the end of the year. That will be our goal.

Click here for official results.

MANY THANKS to Brad Jarvis for the photos. Definitely a photographer to keep an eye on.

MOD 2008

Posted by on 13 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Events

[BIG BLOG UPDATE #1]
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We were once again graciously invited to attend the Mitsubishi Owners Day held at MMNA HQ in Cypress, CA. Dave and I headed a little after 7:30am and got to work putting together our booth and displays. Our EVO X demo car required a good deal of TLC to clean off all the bugs and tar that joined it on its drive down from SLC. Next to us was Nukabe/Cusco, with their Eclipse on display that is equipped with our one-off Supercharger kit.

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The turnout was great this year. The vendor area was full, with plenty of EVO Xs as well as nicely prepped EVO VIIIs and IXs. On display, we had our new Sports Springs and Sway Bars for the EVO X. There was also our SF Intake, Downpipe and High Flow Cat pipe also for the EVO X. And of course, the AccessPORT was on display operating in a demo mode so people could see the many functions of the AccessPORT first hand.

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Everyone who stopped by our booth was extremely nice and enthusiastic. Thanks for coming out and stopping by our booth! Look forward to seeing everyone again next year!