NO.1
JAPANESE
MAZDA ROTARY BUYING GUIDE
IT’S WANKELS ALL ROUND WITH THE RX-7 AND RX-8
TUNING MAG
JAPANESE CARS
AI
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ATTACK!
The 810 BHP
Datsun that
rules WTAC
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HOME
BLOWN
HEROES
HONDA CIVIC EK
SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT
TO INFINITI
AND BEYOND…
n Supercharged Infiniti G35
n Twin Turbo Nissan 370Z
n RB28 Datsun 240Z
第204号
›››SCOOBY TUNING GUIDE ›››JAPFEST DONINGTON SEPTEMBER 2018
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WELCOME ISSUE 204 September 2018
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NEXT ISSUE ON SALE:
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n, the last issue I distinctly remember saying creating this aura around forced induction too. Sure,
how thrilled I was that summer was here. And the Europeans slapped a few turbos on BMWs and CAN’T FIND THE MAG?
you know what? Nothing’s changed. In fact, Porsches, and the UK had the odd Cossie tuned to Locate your nearest stockist on
we’ve had one hell of a season so far, and 300 or 400bhp… but, at the same time, the guys in http://seymour.magzene.com
while I don’t like to go all typically British and Japan were knocking out Supras with well into four
spend my entire existence banging on about figures, and then driving them to work! The truth is
the weather, it’s been bleedin’ scorchio! that no one has done as much for the love of boost
But don’t worry, we’re not doing another issue as the Japanese car industry. History is littered with Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe Barn,
about the summer, we had plenty of that the last more forced induction legends from Japan than Berrys Hill,Cudham, Kent, TN16 3AG
time around. In fact, although we’ve got a bumper anywhere else. Turbo Starlets, supercharged MR2s Part of the Fast Car Entertainment
Japfest Donington report over on pg24, in which I’ve - even Daihatsu couldn’t help but bung a blower on Family www.fastcar.co.uk
reiterated that it’s been a little warm of late, this issue their Charade - they were all at it! And this issue is
is all about celebrating something just as hot, and dedicated to… well, none of ‘em.
that’s the world’s finest home-blown heroes. No, while tuning factory-boosted cars is something
You see, ever since there were internal combustion we highly recommend, that’s never been enough for
engines, people have been trying to eek more power
out of them. Of course, they started simply by making
some. These are the guys that take a great car and
say “I know what will make this better.” And, whether
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them bigger, right up until some clever bugger that’s lumping in a whole new engine, as in the case
realised that, if you cram in more air, you can bung of the WTAC monster on the cover, or fitting a turbo
in more fuel and ultimately get more power. Forced
induction was born and the world was suddenly
or supercharger conversion like the Civic and G35
later on in the mag, there’s always been something AND SAVE
a better place. Well, okay, it wasn’t quite like that, cool, if a little naughty, about boosting a car that’s GO TO PAGE 82
turbos and superchargers took a long, long time supposed to be N/A. Especially the ones you don’t
THE UK’S
NO.1 MEG
NG GUIDE A MX-5 BUYING GUID
DA ROTARY BUYI
JAPANESE
TUNING MAG EVERY MAZD
E
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THE UK’S RX-7 AND
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WITH THE EVER!
S ALL ROUND
CARS
JAPANESE
ZAI
expect - Suzuki Swift Sport anyone?
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we got to the ‘80s and ‘90s, the age of the boost Anyway, that’s the features, and there’s some other RARITY
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tweaker had finally come. Not only did we see some cool stuff too, not least a Wankel buying guide, some AT810TACK!BHP
WORLD’S FIRST
ROCKET BUNNY
VARIETTA TURBO
of the most prolific blown cars blast on to the scene, quick-fire Subaru tuning and a road test that
The
Datsun that
rules WTAC
+
but it didn’t take long for people to realise winding shows what happens when Nissan + ULTIMATE
CLUTCH
HOME TECH
up the boost was a good idea too. It’s pretty obvious engineers go a little batty! Enjoy
WN
BLO AND… 350
HEROES Z
TUNING GUIDE
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that Japanese cars were the most instrumental in the issue and rest of the summer… TO INFINITI
AND BEYO ND… G35
n Insane
n Carbon
n Slamme
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Nissan S15
Toyota MR-S
d
n Choppe Honda S2K
d Datsun
260Z
arged Infiniti
n Superch Nissan 370Z
n Twin Turbo 240Z
第204号 ›››555BHP SUBAR
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SEPTEMBER
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MIDGE - EDITOR SHELL - ART EDITOR SAM - CONTRIBUTOR MARTIN - ADS BLOKE
“The best forced induction “Never mind all that… Midge, “I’ll get one as soon as I’m old “Do you think I should strap a
motor ever? Hmmm, either the can you turbocharge your enough to afford the insurance. ‘charger to my Jazz, or just buy
R32 GT-R… or my Navara.” backside and get your copy in?” Too young and spritely me!” another Civic and turbo that?”
It only took Midge 15-years Michelle not only does an Sammy P esquire writes more He may flog advertising space
doing every job in the car amazing job on the ‘look’ of the features than anyone else, but for a living, but he drives an EP3
magazine business to finally mag, but she’s one of the very will still do absolutely anything Type R (well, until he blew it up),
get the one he wanted. Loves few that can keep the boys in to get out of work and out on so we’ll have to let him off. He’s
tuning, hates trying to spell. line too. Well, most of the time. the track. Fair play we say. also an MMA champion. No lie.
HOME-BUILT (& BLOWN) HERO
066 HONDA CIVIC TURBO
This B20 Civic may not have a VTEC… but it
has got a bloody-great blower!
REGULARS 018
017 Events Preview
Find out what’s coming up this season.
105 Skidmarks
Pub ammo and more team randomness. 030
041
058
034
006 www.banzaimagazine.com
ISSUE 204 SEPTEMBER 2018
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Check out our OUT THERE
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deals on pg82 024 JAPFEST DONINGTON
One of the best events of the season
takes over Donington Park. Here’s
exactly what went down…
098 KNOWLEDGE
041 TECH TALK: Turbos
Well what were you expecting in an
issue all about forced induction? A
grease-down and a shiatsu?
BANZAI BUILDS
072 Staff Builds
Time for more of our questionable
projects… and a nice one built
especially for you lot.
BECAUSE
Time Attack is simple: put down the fastest time possible around
a track, meaning the most important choice for the driver is
ensuring they build the right car. So why did Paul Henshaw here
decide a 47-year-old Datsun was just the thing for the job?!
Words and photos: Troy Barkern
T
he crazy world of Time Attack is were easier options out there? “For me it
one of the fastest growing corners was never about winning; I just don’t have
of the motorsport community. the available funds or skill level to be on the
It’s not hard to see why, either podium,” he lays it out, revealing that his
– it’s exciting, challenging and priorities list was more concerned with other
accessible to a huge range of factors. “The choice of car has therefore
cars and drivers with different skill levels. always been about what I love the look of.”
The actual sport itself is very simple: you Owning his own restoration business, Paul
have a limited number of laps to set the is keen to stress what an effective promotional
fastest time you possibly can in the ultimate tool running such an old chassis competitively
pursuit of speed. The field is generally has been. “Wherever the car goes it gets
comprised of the likes of insane aero-clad great coverage so that tends to also give the
Evos, WRXs, Skylines, Civics, AE86s and sponsors great value for money,” he admits,
Silvias, so it clearly makes for an odd sight to continuing to explain that Time Attack seems
see a 47-year-old Datsun 240Z being thrown to be either about winning or getting good
around the track at the same time. What’s exposure with a unique car.
even more surprising is the fact that this one Getting the Datsun to a competitive stage
is remarkably competitive with the rest of the involved a little more than bolting some
too. Then again, it is packing an 800-odd- Webers to the side of an L-Series engine
horsepower RB28 motor, so that may have though. Paul picked it up as an unfinished
something to do with it… project that had the roll cage already set
The first question we just had to ask up, so it was already destined for the track.
Aussie-based owner Paul then, was - why a A stock Skyline RB26 lump and five-speed
240Z for this wild motorsport? Surely there gearbox were jammed into the Z at first,
010 www.banzaimagazine.com
RACECAR
MASSIVE ATTACK
Paul’s Z was initially built for the world-famous and absolutely bonkers WTAC [World
Time Attack Challenge] Sydney event.
Not heard of this annual gathering of epic machines? Imagine some of the craziest
aero-clad cars known to man (just like this 240Z here, actually), all battling it out to try
and smash the fastest outright time around the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit.
The event has attracted plucky car builders from all over the world, including the likes
of Scotland’s Andy Forrest with his frankly mental Subaru Impreza (that’s quite possibly
the fastest in the land), and even Keiichi ‘Drift King’ Tsuchiya himself.
Oh, and in case you’re still not looking at tickets for this year’s event in October, the
fact there’s also the Honeywell Garrett drift challenge featuring some of the planet’s
finest skidders should sweeten the deal!
A whopping 810bhp
and 640lb/ft on
the Dyno
012 www.banzaimagazine.com
meaning it was soon ready for some local is the brain of the operation that’s set up to time I’ve owned the car. Being a massive Z
hillclimb and track events. However, things maximise the RB28’s potential across the fan himself, he saw the potential and started
didn’t last long in that configuration – as any rev range. Finally, a BorgWarner EFR8374 helping with sponsorship and designing aero
self-respecting racer will understand, when turbo and a Hypertune intercooler caps so parts to make the car what it is now.”
you’re pushing things to the limit, they tend everything off. So, what’s the final score? The aero started small with the bobtail
to break easier, so that started the ‘break A whopping 810bhp and 640lb/ft on the spoiler and splitter, but then snowballed
and upgrade’ cycle that swiftly followed. dyno. Which last time we checked was ever into the full-fat package you see before you,
Firstly, the stock RB26 was removed so slightly more than the original L24 was where every part serves a purpose. Some
and a mildly modified replacement put in putting out! pieces are for simple weight reduction but
its place, which unfortunately led to the Obviously with a heap of power, the majority is designed to help bring some
gearbox breaking due to the extra power. something substantial was now needed to much-needed downforce for the 47-year-
The cog-shifter was then replaced with an stop the car, so big six-piston AP Racing old body design. The currently bonnet vent
HGT Precision sequential six-speed race box brakes were set up on the front and four- setup is designed to get airflow through
that’s fully machined from a single aluminium piston Wilwoods found their way onto the to the radiator, however it’s a temporary
billet and houses a full constant mesh set of rear. Supershock bespoke coilovers, Arizona measure as Freddy is currently designing a
gears. This is one part we’re pretty sure Paul Z-Car billet arms and RAYS TE37 alloys keep full carbon fibre part to replace it with. He
isn’t going to have to replace anytime soon! this thing on the ground and provide some needs every advantage he can get to push
Nine laps into Sydney’s World Time Attack much-needed adjustability to the chassis, this car around the track in the fastest time
Challenge of 2014, though, the mild RB26 which is still very much a factory 240Z at possible, and all this aero plays a big role.
decided to throw in the towel. Paul then its core. In fact, it even retains the factory Inside, the Z is about as ‘racecar’ as you
approached PMC Race Engines to build him suspension points and geometry because can get. A bare-bones interior cuts out as
a bulletproof replacement. The final result of the regulations of the class that Paul much unnecessary weight as possible and
was this ‘RB28’ that you see before you competes in. makes it very clear this machine was built for
now. The RB26 was stroked to 2.8 litres and Outside is where some of the biggest one thing - going as fast as possible. Aside
received extensive headwork, with practically ‘wows’ are now present though. A simply from the roll cage the first thing you notice is
no aspect of the internals missing out on the immense amount of carbon fibre is now that there’s even more carbon in the form of
royal treatment. attached to every portion of the car. “The a basic dash that houses the MoTeC display.
Extra power delivery comes from the aero has sort of escalated as everything From there your eyes wander to the various
massive ID2000 fuel injectors, a MoTeC CDI else has. Freddy at Topstage Composites essentials for, as Paul puts it, “keeping me
module and Mercury coils. A MoTeC M800 has been instrumental throughout the entire alive”. Last, and easily missed at first glance,
is the period Velo race seat that has been wrapped to resemble the original bumpers. serious track car, but each and every corner
trimmed to match the original 240Z interior. “I love the classic look, and yes it has all this has been crafted with the finest care that only
Perhaps the most important aspect of carbon on the car, but if you take the chrome someone with Paul’s background could
this build for Paul was to retain the ‘soul’ of bumpers off it just doesn’t look the same,” he accomplish. We’re glad Paul chose to build a
the original Zed. As heavily modified as it is, muses. It’s things like the chrome bumpers, 240Z for the purpose of Time Attack
any enthusiast can tell that underneath all original lights and a seat trimmed to match challenges, because no doubt it’s one of the
the carbon and aero is a still a proud 240Z the original interior that make sure you know most impressive and unique builds we’ve had
at its core, which is something he did not exactly what you’re looking at: an old 240Z. the pleasure of laying eyes on. If you ever get
want to lose. A critical identifier is the chrome Oh and how about the OG Japanese plate on across to Australia to encounter this car in the
bumpers which, until recently, were original the rear? That’s not coming off anytime soon. flesh (or you know how to work YouTube -
steel items, although they have since been The fact that Paul runs his restoration shop Midge) you will understand what we mean - it
replaced with fibreglass pieces for weight shines through when you look at the finish simply demands your attention, and rightly so,
reduction. Paul had these carefully chrome and quality of this 240Z. Yes, it’s very much a it’s an outright masterpiece.
014 www.banzaimagazine.com
TECHSPEC
ENGINE: 2.8-litre RB26-based stroked
engine built by PMC Race Engines, extensive
high-compression headwork with beryllium
seats, custom cams and shim-less buckets,
BorgWarner EFR 8473 turbocharger, ID2000
fuel injectors, MoTeC CDI, Mercury coils,
Hypertune intake and intercooler, PWR
radiator, HGT Precision six-speed sequential
gearbox, Winters quick-change 10-inch diff
ENGINE
the cooling system and helps
deliver greater power.
PERFORMANCE
WATERLESS ENGINE COOLANTS
www.evanscoolants.co.uk
visit www.evanscoolants.co.uk for your local stockist facebook.com/EvansCoolants
www.fourways-engineering.co.uk
www.datsun240z.co.uk
Tel: 01732 884288
Email: info@fourways-engineering.co.uk
Fourways Engineering, 10-12 Maidstone Road, Borough Green, Kent, England TN15 8BD
UK EVENTS PREVIEW
Coming soon...
S
kunkworks: a word used to supercharger kit as an aftermarket extra,
describe after-hours projects but such was the cost of building the car, it
and one-off builds. It’s not often decided instead to focus on the release of the
that manufacturers get involved new 370Z that was unveiled just two years
in this business, but it seems later. This car genuinely belongs to Nissan
Nissan has a sense of humour, and for most of the year it sits in a heritage
not to mention a hankering for more power, centre alongside other beauties from Nissan’s
once in a while too. ancestry. In fact, we can’t believe they
Take this 350Z, for example. Unassuming actually handed over the keys to this unique
to most, it’s got a few choice holes at the piece of motoring history.
front, a slightly wider body, a spoiler at the
back and a set of bronze NISMO five-spoke
alloys. But, apart from that, nothing untoward
is going on, right? Delve deeper though, and
you find that Nissan has tweaked a number
of performance aspects, including installing a
trick supercharger for plenty of added grunt.
Originally a concept car called the 350Z
GT-S, and built for Goodwood’s Festival of
Speed back in 2006, Nissan UK was originally
deliberating as to whether it could offer a
018 www.banzaimagazine.com
The Car
Let’s get one thing straight: Nissan hasn’t simply bolted FAST
FACTS
on a supercharger, whacked the boost up and gained
lashings of extra power nice and easily. Instead, the unit
is a clutch-operated centrifugal blower with a front-mount
intercooler designed for reliability. This is controlled by a
button next to the gear lever which simply says ‘Novidem n The 350Z GT-S
– Kompressor’; Novidem (based in Switzerland) being the was conceived
company that was tasked with building the supercharger. by Nissan’s
With the blower off, it’s just a regular 350z. This is a European
2006 model so it comes with the 301bhp base V6. Switch Technical
the button to ‘on’ though, and an anti-social whoosh centre based in
is released, as you drive by you sound more like some Cranfield, right
sort of air compressor tank. Mash the throttle and you here in the UK.
are pinned back in your seat as the car propels forward
with much more enthusiasm - that’s the beauty of forced n The
induction! Here, the power is boosted to 382bhp and supercharger
torque jumps to around 313lb/ft, making for a much was fitted so
quicker car than stock. In fact, it feels significantly more flush to the
than 382bhp, such is the usability of its power band. engine itself
Essentially Novidem fine-tuned the mapping to produce a that, rather
power curve that’s completely linear and pulls smoothly to impressively,
the rev limit without any spikes. This gives you a constant there was no
shove no matter where you are in the rev range. need to raise the
The exhaust was also modified by Novidem and bonnet line.
features an electronically-operated valve system that is
actuated in relation to engine revs; this then bypasses the n A simple
rear silencer for a far meatier soundtrack. on/off switch
It’s not all raw, though. The main focus around the build near the gear
was to produce a car that had two sides to it; hence the stick instantly
user-controlled supercharger. Nissan included the NVH transforms the
pack (noise, vibration and harshness), which was designed car’s power
to reduce unwanted road noise and dull exhaust noise. from 300bhp to
Inside the options list was pretty much fully-ticked with 382bhp. It’s all a
heated seats, sat-nav, a BOSE sound system and loads of bit Mad Max!
other sought-after bits and bobs.
ENGINE
3.5-litre VQ35DE V6 engine, Novidem clutch-
operated centrifugal supercharger, front-
mounted intercooler
CHASSIS
18in RAYS NISMO forged monoblock alloy
wheels, Bilstein dampers, Brembo brakes
EXTERIOR
Bespoke body kit (comprising new front
and rear bumper sections, side skirts and
adjustable rear wing)
Chassis and Styling rear spoiler. The re-styled front section
INTERIOR
The chassis on the GT-S was tweaked, incorporates a deeper front air dam with an Top-spec leather factory interior with all the
too, thanks to the introduction of Bilstein extended splitter and extra cooling ducts for options… and a supercharger switch panel!
components. Instead of fine-tuning the the engine and brakes. At the rear, the number
dampers on the Nordschleife, the team was plate indentation has been lowered and now
said to have set up the car on British B-roads sits just above the diffuser. Cutaways behind
around Nissan UK HQ at Cranfield. This each rear wheel aid the extraction of hot air
actually makes driving this one in the UK more from the brakes.
of a joy than a back-breaking chore. Each aspect of the car was designed
It also means that you can drive harder with the idea of offering individual ‘packs’
and quicker on back-roads than you would to regular cars. So, the supercharger
on a regular set of coilovers. The high-speed would come under the ‘engine pack’, the
handling was tweaked in Germany on the Bilstein suspension would come under the
Autobahn, and the decision was made to ‘suspension pack’ and the more aerodynamic
stick with 18s (instead of 19-inch wheels) for body kit under the ‘aero pack’.
comfort. The ultra-lightweight, forged NISMO Such was their intentions that Nissan
monoblocks (built by RAYS), were wrapped focused on trying to keep costs down by
in sticky Dunlop Sport 9000 tyres to offer modifying as few parts as possible. As a
optimum performance. result, the GT-S retains stock engine internals,
The body kit was developed by German clutch, transmission, propshaft and
aerodynamic company, Strosek. It claims driveshafts. What’s good to know for standard
that, at 90mph, downforce is improved by 350Z owners too, is that Nissan can be
up to 30kg at the front and 60kg at the rear, quoted in saying that the stock components
depending on how the wing is set. This were so over-engineered that the extra power
kit comprises new front and rear bumper hike and torque jump can be handled without
sections, side skirts and the adjustable breaking a sweat. Lovely.
Unfortunately, it’s going to be impossible to get your hands on the one single GT-S that was ever created. But
POTENTIAL thankfully, it’s easier than you think to tweak up a standard 350Z to a similar spec using aftermarket parts!
020 www.banzaimagazine.com
Toyota GT86
Resonated Cat Back Exhaust System
Power + 11 bhp
Weight - 5.1 kg
Sound + 7 dB
COBRASPORT.COM
Sacrilegious Swaps
Because everyone
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I
n a country where a 16-year old can tool pickup… well, we suppose it is in America -
around in a F350 ‘Dually’, there’s 32-lanes the land of the rear-bed load-lugger.
on the motorway and your average family Still, you can’t have the engine in the boot
motor is about the size of Eddie Stobart’s with a pickup, so this K20A2 (from an Acura
finest, driving a classic Mini is a lifestyle RSX) has been expertly dropped into the
choice that takes some big brass balls. front, with the help of a custom subframe
Now, we’re not saying that we’re Mini fans and one-piece front end. We just hope it can
as such, but there’s no denying that there’s
been quite the relationship between the
handle the 500% increase in grunt!
It’s not Japanese, but it is lightweight with
TUNING
Mini folk and the VTEC community over the a VTEC, and that’s always a winning combo!
past few decades. Both the B and K-Series K20A2 VTEC, custom Mini Tec engine
engines have found themselves in plenty cradle/mounts, modified cold air intake,
of British baked bean tins over the years, polished RBC inlet manifold, custom
chiefly because they’re a far better compact exhaust system, Walbro fuel pump, JER
lump than any other offering on the streets. Developments modified OEM Honda
Usually you’ll find the VTEC cut and shut into harness with OEM Honda ECU, USDM
the back too, but what’s interesting about Acura RSX Type S six-speed gearbox.
this one is that it’s an extremely rare Mini
SHOW REPORT
the kids in the
back, and all
the luggage…
Japfest
Donington
All sorts were
lining up to More Supras, Skylines, Starlets and sunburn…
get out there
it’s time for Japfest Donington.
Words: Midge Photos: Chris Frosin
N
o w , r e g u l a r Ba n z a i r e a d e r s on some sort of tropical
may think I’m being a right holiday and (apart from the
l a z y b u g g e r b y c o p yi n g getting up at 5am bit), that’s
t h e ‘ Su p r a s a n d s u n b u r n ’ the overwhelming feeling I
b i t a b o ve f r o m t h e J a p f e s t got from Japfest Donington.
Si l ve r s t o n e r e p o r t a c o u p l e They were even flogging Lilt
of m o n t h s a g o ( w h i c h , a d m i t t e d l y, I in the circuit gift shop!
d i d) . Bu t t h e r e r e a l l y i s o n l y o n e w a y t o Of course, what’s even
sa y i t – i t ’ s s t i l l b l o o d y h o t a n d J a p f e s t more important than the
Do n i n g t o n w a s a n a b s o l u t e s c o r c h e r ! weather is that the cars were right up there in
I s w e a r , p a r t s o f m e t h a t s h o u l d n e ve r the high Kelvins too. But that didn’t come as
be mentioned actually melted… it was any sort of surprise, let’s not forget that this is
on e o f t h e h o t t e s t s h o w s o f t h e ye a r . I n one of the biggest outings for the Japanese-
mo r e w a ys t h a n o n e . loving folk ever to hit UK shores.
Yep, there’s no denying we’ve had a Judging by the number of people that
cracking old summer so far. Shit (you’re not packed-out the famous circuit, I’m guessing
supposed to say shit – Sam), even the news that most of you were there to witness this
today, as I write this in July, is saying that it spectacle anyway. But, if you couldn’t make
could hit 35-degrees next week. It’s like being it, here’s some of the stuff you missed…
ON DISPLAY
I’m sure I’ve written this before, so I’m sorry if
I’m banging on about it, but I do think the Japfest
events bring with them the most diversity. It’s like
all those motors that you’re unlikely to see on the
streets make an extra special effort to come out
and play. They also sit in perfect harmony with
the more core motors, modern metal and track
specials to create more variety than any other show
brand. Everyone gets on at the Japfest shows too,
no matter their taste in cars, or how they feel the
need to modify them. The followers of the stance
scene always start drooling over the track bashers,
and suddenly the most hardcore of motorsport
enthusiasts begin considering wide wheels, air ride
Minty Fresh and costly paint jobs. It’s all one big melting pot of
Acty made us the many facets of Japanese car culture and, for
want one, now! me at least, that’s always the biggest attraction.
Once again, Japfest Donington brought with it
a huge selection. I’m guessing there’s not many
places where you can see a juiced Honda Acty, a
jacked-up Hilux and a lowrider-inspired EF Civic
(complete with wire wheels and a Yankee-style
paintjob), all in the same place. The spice of life!
024 www.banzaimagazine.com
Yes, that is a
Nissan PAO spelt
KA-PAO-W!
LIVE ACTION
You can’t turn up at Donington Park and not
check out what’s happening on the track, that’s
like going to Domino’s and not ordering a stuffed
crust… or watching the Jeremy Kyle show
without wanting to poke him in the eye. It’s just
not the done thing!
Luckily, there was plenty out there to keep us
all entertained, and it wasn’t just hardcore track
cars lining up to take a pop, everything from
daily drivers to estates were out there, and I
swear I saw a bright pink Nissan PAO absolutely
ripping up the track at one point… although I
think I may have imagined it.
Another highlight of the day was the sprint
strip, which also saw a huge variety of models
taking on the clock in FWD, 4WD and RWD
categories. We must have seen more explosive
launches than NASA this time around - it was a
whole day of entertainment in itself!
Lowrider style…
…highrider style!
LIVE STAGE
They certainly don’t mess about when it comes
to the main stage at Japfest Donington, at first
we thought we’d walked into some sort of music
festival, it was absolutely huge!
They actually had a few bands on during the
course of the day, along with driver interviews and
a Iron Man competition where you had to hold a
wheel up for the longest time. Sod that, eh?
The commentary and trophy-giving this year was
given by Paul from Discovery’s show Turbo Pickers.
He’s a lot taller than he looks on the telly too – the
Jolly Green Giant hasn’t got anything on this fella!
Leon Chan’s Varietta Turbo Grant Benham’s H22 Civic James Allen’s Civic EJ2 Turbo
You’ll no doubt recognise Leon’s drop-top We featured Grant’s little EJ4 a few months Here’s another Civic that couldn’t wait to
from the last issue and this rare Rocket back as one of our very first Home-built get out on the circuit. We like that it’s a EJ2
Bunny-kitted monster has had a few tweaks Heroes. This one’s packing a 2.2 from a Coupe, and we love that James decided to
since the shoot - stuff like a custom rear bar Prelude VTI, which Grant installed himself. He strap a huge blower to the 1.5-litre, non-VTEC
and even more carbon. Will it ever be totally was on our stand for about 3-seconds before D-series. This has to be the only D15B7 turbo
finished? We hope not. he buggered off to hit the track. Good lad! in the UK, right? You’ll see more of one soon.
Tony Beesla’s Nissan GT-R Rennen GT MR2 James Granger and Harley Thomas’ Civics
As if Nissan’s supercar-slayer isn’t bonkers It’s a Toyota, that looks a bit like a Porker, and Who doesn’t love an EG Civic with some
enough, Tony’s gone full-batshit on his one. easily one of the biggest head-turners of the mahoosive brass balls? Well, apart from and
Featuring a custom carbon fibre kit, a flippy- day. This MR2 built by the guys at Rennen GT any Mr Plods in the vicinity, obviously. These
trippy wrap and some of the biggest Rotiform (and fitted with one of their full-on Rennen GT two Kanjo UK specials are very different, but
hoops we’ve ever seen, it’s built to snap V2 widebody), is something totally different they both have more than a whiff of the lairy
necks… in more ways than one. Rapido! from the norm. street racing spirit about them. Awesome!
026 www.banzaimagazine.com
SHOW AND SHINE
Yet more variety was shown in the perfectly-buffed creations that turned up to compete for
the coveted Show and Shine trophy. Again, I can’t emphasise how diverse the display was,
it makes you wonder where some of these rare cars actually come from, and where they’ve
been hiding for the rest of the year.
This time around there was everything from Kevin’s flamin’ blue-chrome Scooby (which has
exhausts coming out of the rear quarters), and Jordan’s custom-kitted turbo Civic. To some
amazing old skool cars like a super-sweet Skyline pickup and, the eventual winner, a stunning
Datsun 240Z lovingly restored by a bloke called Paul Lawrence. Properly amazing stuff!
Jordan’s Civic
is definitely a
one-off
CLUB WINNERS
Best Club sponsored by Reis Motorsport
Best Club: MX5 Takeover
Best One Make: GTROC
Best Regional Club: NE Subaru
TYRE CHALLENGE
The Tyre Challenge is proving popular
over all the shows this season. The
rules are simple, take off the wheel,
then pop it back on again - sounds
easy, right? Well, technically it’s pretty
simple, but the pressure can get to you
when your mates are watching. Even
professional tyre fitters spent most of
the day dropping their nuts all over the
shop… er, so to speak.
The best time was an amazing
21.50-seconds by Jake Thuygesen. He
was rewarded with the finest plastic
ANNIVERSARY DISPLAYS trophy that money can buy, and a whole
Both the Toyota Supra and the Mazda load of Japfest goodies. Top Job!
RX-7 celebrate the big Four-Zero in 2018
and that’s why the organisers put on
a top-notch display of each. Featuring
some of the very first, right up to the very
last, all in various states of tune, it was
like seeing living history right there in
the metal. With plenty of uber-dedicated
owners, these cars will definitely live
on for another 40-years.We’re certainly
looking forward to seeing which ones
turn up at Japfest Donington 2058.
GO NEXT YEAR
Woah, hang on a minute, you can’t
go to Japfest Donington next year
without going to Japfest Silverstone
first… well, you can, but you know
what I mean. Unfortunately, though,
you’ll have to wait until next May to get
your first Japfest fix. Final dates aren’t
announced yet, but if you keep an eye
on www.japfest.co.uk, we’ve heard that
they will be up there shortly.
028 www.banzaimagazine.com
No stress.
Introducing EBC Racing’s brand-new range of 2-piece high performance brake discs. These UK made fully-floating discs utilise high carbon friction
rings coupled to lightweight aluminium bells via a plurality of stainless-steel drive bobbins. These bobbins slide freely in slots machined in the
friction ring, allowing the outer cast iron disc to expand and contract freely by up to 3.0mm in response to heat generated through braking. By
allowing the outer friction ring to expand and contract freely the stress in the brake disc is reduced considerably, preventing cracking and warping
even after prolonged periods of track driving.
Discs are priced per fully assembled pair and available via two purchase routes; as a direct replacement for performance vehicles where a 2-piece
disc is fitted as OE, or as a 2-piece floating disc conversion for vehicles where a 1-piece disc is fitted as standard (2-piece floating conversions
require no modifications to the vehicle and are totally interchangeable with the original brake disc).
Discs are handed and feature directional curved vanes for maximum cooling efficiency. All disc rings are cast out of a ‘G3500’ disc alloy containing
high carbon and copper content and is the highest grade of casting alloy available.
Other applications also available: Focus RS mk3, Insignia VXR, Astra VXR (J).
e-mail kits@ebcbrakes.com for more info.
SILVERLINE CLIP
REMOVAL KIT, £41
The older ones may be simple enough, but
there’s no denying that plenty of modern
Japanese cars can be a right bugger to work
on! Well, that’s where this set of heavy-duty,
clip-removal tools can come in mighty handy.
Designed to tackle the hose clips and other
fasteners on just about every vehicle on the
road, if you can’t get ‘em off with one of these WHITE LABEL PRO R WHEELS, FROM £375
tools, you’re definitely doing something wrong! Considering they come in at a price that we had to go back and check (twice), we
We like the price, and we like the fact that reckon these 15-inchers have to be the bargain of the century!
many have a ratchet locking mechanism to Available in staggered widths and for 4x100 and 4x114 PCDs, White Label may
make life easier by helping to keep your hands be new to the UK, but such a classic design is always a welcome addition the
free. There’s nothing not to like about this one, relatively small number of 15s that are launched nowadays. Remember kids, big
it’ll make a top addition to any toolbox. wheels are only cool if you can actually get them on!
www.silverlinetools.com www.nuts4wheels.com
030 www.banzaimagazine.com
PWP CRATE ENGINE KITS, FROM £5820
If you’re like us and can’t seem to turn off the all-American car-building shows on Discovery
and the like, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the concept of chucking in a brand-new crate
engine. Now, admittedly, it’s not what you’d call common here in the UK, but we reckon
it bloody well should be, especially with the selection of lumps on offer from the fellas at
Parts World Performance. After all, if you’re looking for insane ‘all-motor’ power right out
of the box, not to mention something a little different to the usual Japanese suspects, it’s
hard to beat a spot of tried and tested, Yankee 8-cylinder muscle.
These guys can sort you out with everything from a 6.2-litre LS3 with 430-horses to, well,
let’s just say something even more special with up to 750hp! In fact, they’ve just broken
the Megawatt (1341 hp) barrier with one of their engines too, an LSX motor putting out a
whopping 1400-big ones on the dyno. Get that in a Civic and you can have the Banzai cover!
Blown up your Wankel? That SR20 not cutting it anymore? If you’ve got deep pockets, these
guys could hold the answer.
www.partsworldperformance.com
MISHIMOTO 350Z/370Z
CATCH CANS, £TBA
A catch can is one of the all-time great
engine mods. It’s not just because they
clean up your PCV system, protecting
essential components from blow-by, and help
to maintain octane levels. But they show the world
you know what you’re on about too! A catch can is a
badge of mechanical prowess. It’s as simple as that.
Perhaps the best thing about these two new
offerings though, is that they’re also designed for
direct-fitment, so there’s no messing about trying to plumb
them in. 350Z and 370Z owners should have instillation licked in minutes.
As you’d expect from Mishimoto too, these fully-serviceable, billet
aluminium jobs are also impeccably engineered. They use a 50-micron
bronze filter to separate the air and oil, and have a large enough capacity
that you won’t find yourself having to empty them every 36-seconds. What
we have here then, are the finest catch cans on the market.
www.mishimoto.co.uk
THE GIFT
THAT KEEPS
ON GIVING
Bought as a wedding present to each other over 15
years ago, Randy Riggs and his wife’s Infiniti G35 has
gradually evolved to become one of the very finest
show cars of its kind…
Words: Sam Preston Photos: Viktor Benyi
034 www.banzaimagazine.com
T
reating yourself to a memento in the early ‘00s, and was eager to get
that reminds you of your wedding something of a head-start…
day isn’t exactly an uncommon Remaining stock and effortlessly performing
occurrence. Whether it’s a holiday his wife’s daily duties for a couple of years
to Jamaica or that pine kitchen to start with, the then-Diamond Graphite-
table you’ve been lusting after coloured cruiser was in for a shock, as Randy
for months, it’s a great way to help you to had been busy saving and piling up parts in
remember your special day for years to come. his garage in anticipation of transforming the
But just how long does the usual gift last car in one fell swoop.
before it loses its significance, exactly? “We turned it into a show car in the space
Probably not as long as Randy’s here – this of about four months,” he says, the car soon
Infiniti G35 coupé that’s continuing to give boasting the likes of a custom Kenstyle
the happy couple a fizzing feeling in their wide-body kit and even a bright orange
stomachs well over a decade down the Lamborghini paint job for the first phase of
line. And it’s all thanks to a raft of constant its show car life. The die-hard US car fans
upgrades that allow it to remain fresh-to- amongst you may well remember the Infiniti in
death to this very day. this eye-catching guise, as it attended more
“We bought it brand new when we got than its fair share of shows around the mid-
married in 2003,” cable technician Randy ‘00s period, blowing its peers out of the water
smiles. “We surprised our friends and family at every single one.
by turning up in it at the reception on the day With the engine also receiving a Vortech
itself!” Tapping into ownership of this V6- supercharger kit around this time, it’s no huge
powered posh Nissan early on was no stroke surprise that roughly eight more years down
of luck for 49-year-old Randy, either; as this the line in 2014, the G35 was screaming out
certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been ahead for a bit of attention once again. “With 80,000
of the curve when it came to his car choice. supercharged miles under its belt, the engine
“I’ve been modifying motors for almost 30 was starting to go bad,” Randy explains.
years now,” he reveals. “My first car was an Addressing the issues was no bother,
’84 Nissan 720 pick-up that I started tweaking though. After all, this was more than just a car
well before the ‘mini trucking’ scene exploded for Randy and his wife, so he was willing to
here in Cali. I also picked up a Honda Accord go much further than most to keep it at the
in ’88 just before the Japanese tuner craze leading edge of the modified car scene. It’s for
blew up.” With a couple of magazine covers this reason the 3.5-litre motor was whipped
under his belt, Randy was confident the G35 out and given the full works in the form of a
would be the next big thing for the States complete re-build to allow that supercharger
to perform to the best of its abilities once components and an even more stringent carbon fibre accents, was soon sprayed up
more. Oversized forged pistons, new con rods wire tuck than had been seen previously. It in the fresh Lambo ‘Blu Cepheus Pearl’ hue,
and a polished crank therefore found their only takes one glance now to see this is one to signify the second evolution of this ever-
way into the block, while the head was treated engine bay that’s had more than its fair share evolving project.
to ARP studs and a ported Cosworth inlet of man hours! He’d come this far, so Randy thought
manifold. The fuelling, exhaust and cooling “While I was at it, I thought I’d get some this would be a prime time to switch up his
systems were also treated to an equally bodywork and paint touch-ups done… which choice of rims while he was at it, too. Initially
impressive level of attention at the same time. turned into the idea of getting a complete struggling to find a brand that would be able
With the V-3 supercharger kit taking pride re-spray… which turned into the idea of to whip up a bespoke design that matched
of place once more and offering up around changing the colour completely!” Randy his needs, he was eventually tipped off about
430bhp to the rear wheels now the boost continues – an escalating feeling that many locally-based Triumph Forged, who worked
could be safely cranked up a little higher, modified car fanatics will no doubt be all alongside Randy to concoct these 20-inch
Randy also took this opportunity to make the too familiar with. It’s why the impressive dual five-spoke staggered stunners. We
bay itself even tidier thanks to more polished wide-body, complete with all of its custom think you’ll agree that they work wonders in
036 www.banzaimagazine.com
MORE
THAN JUST
DROPPED
038 www.banzaimagazine.com
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www.turboperformanceltd.com
TECH TALK THE KNOWLEDGE
TURBO BASICS
This month we get to grips with the
mythical metal snail… How they Work
The subject of turbo tuning isn’t of the pistons to draw in air,
T
exactly an uncomplicated one, a turbocharger can physically
he vast majority of new cars have turbos, that’s a 21st but it’s worth remembering that force in massive amounts,
Century fact. But it’s not a new phenomenon in any sense of an actual turbo is a relatively meaning there is almost no limit
the word, the humble turbocharger has been around for well simple device - one of the most on power… aside from what the
over a century and, although they didn’t become popular basic parts of any setup it’s engine internals can handle of
for tuning until the ‘80s, nowadays they’re perhaps the most attached to. That’s no doubt course. In that respect turbo-
common power tuning device out there. That goes double a good thing too, the internals tuning is all about one thing -
when it comes to OEM cars, most manufacturers much prefer small need to withstand being spun potential airflow.
turbocharged engines over big N/A lumps because of such mundane at over 150,000rpm for tens of A turbo has two main parts
environmental considerations like economy and emissions. Downsizing thousands of miles, at ludicrous and these are the compressor
and turbocharging the engines on performance motors has become temperatures, all without tearing and the turbine. As the exhaust
common over the past few years, in fact, they’re all at it! themselves apart. gas leaves the engine, it travels
Still, that’s not what’s on our mind so much here. In the world of A turbo is simply an exhaust through the exhaust manifold
Japanese car tuning, the turbo will forever be associated with the most gas-driven air compressor and and enters the turbine housing.
extreme cars. That’s not to say that Japan had the first turbocharged its job is to assist in the most The heat, pressure and flow of
production cars on the streets, Porsche and BMW both had them in the basic principle of any engine the exhaust gas then spins the
‘70s and Chevrolet launched the turbocharged Corvair Spyder a decade tuning – cramming more air turbine wheel which is linked by
earlier. But the fact of the matter is, when you think turbo tuning, you into the cylinders so more fuel a solid shaft to the compressor
think Japan… probably because of classic performance cars like the can be burned. This creates wheel. As the compressor
R32 Skyline, MkIV Supra and rally icons like the Impreza and Evo. Japan a bigger bang and ultimately wheel spins, it sucks in and
has always been the most prolific when it comes to production motors more power. Where an N/A pressurizes fresh air, and then it
and turbochargers, and the craziest when it comes to tuning them. engine relies on the suction blows it into the engine.
Anyway, whether yours is a motor that’s blown as standard or, like
most of the feature cars in this issue, a car that’s been converted to run a
turbo, the principle is the same. Forced induction is simply the best way
of increasing power output for any given engine capacity. Of course, we
have superchargers too, but turbos are generally much cheaper and will
produce more power for any given boost pressure.
The short of it then, is that having a turbo is hard to beat, simply
because they offer the most power for the least cash. Here’s the basics...
COMPRESSOR INLET
This is where it all starts. Air
gets sucked into the turbo
from your air filter.
COMPRESSOR HOUSING
Once air gets sucked through the inlet it’s
pressurised in the compressor housing. The
TURBINE INLET
Exhaust gases exit your engine, go through the
exhaust manifold and into the exhaust side of your
turbo through the turbine inlet.
042 www.banzaimagazine.com
Flanges Twin Scroll Turbos
The flange is the part of the turbo On the left we have a slightly different
that bolts onto your manifold, and turbine inlet. Most turbos will have a single
that’s why its shape is so important. entry hole, but a ‘twin scroll’ turbo will have
Nowadays the majority of modern two. On some engines the exhaust pulses
cars have different shaped flanges, can interfere with each other as they try
and that’s why standard turbos tend to force themselves along the same path.
to come in all sorts of designs. Most A twin scroll turbo (used in conjunction
aftermarket turbos though, have one of with a twin scroll manifold) divides the
four different flange sizes ranging from entry path to the turbo to help combat
T2 (for around 2-400bhp) to whacking- reversion – where so much turbulence is
great T6 items that’ll happily help caused that the gases try to turn back into
produce 1000bhp plus. Some standard the cylinders. These provide a smoother,
manifolds will be able to accept these uninterrupted path.
flanges, but very often upgrading to
a bigger turbo will mean getting an Hybrid Turbos
aftermarket manifold with the correct Basically, a hybrid is a turbo made from
flange for the turbine inlet. various parts of other turbos. This can
If it’s a turbo conversion you’re looking be a turbo that’s been fitted with larger
at, you’ll need an aftermarket manifold internals to flow more air, while remaining
anyway – or there will simply be the standard size for easy fitment. Or an
nowhere to bolt on your shiny new aftermarket turbo that has had its inlet/
metal snail! outlet adapted to enable direct fitment.
The Turbine
Just like the compressor, the turbine housing resembles a snail shell,
though this is the part that has to survive ultra-high exhaust gas
temperatures. For this reason, generally, it’ll be manufactured from cast
iron, or sometimes stainless steel. TURBINE HOUSING
The flow through the turbine is the opposite direction to the Usually made from cast iron, this
compressor, and the size of the housing is directly related to how quickly sealed unit houses the turbine BEARINGS
the turbo will spool up. It’s something of a trade-off because larger wheel and has to withstand The shaft that
turbine housings will offer more potential power, but at the expense of temperatures of above 1000°C. connects the turbine
spooling time. The good news is it’s attached to the compressor, so and compressor
manufacturers usually make sure they’re perfectly matched. wheels floats on
bearings. There are
two common types;
regular floating
journal bearings
and ball bearings.
With the floating
bearing set-up, the
core literally floats
on a thin layer of
pressurised oil. With
ball bearing turbos,
the shaft sits and rolls
on tiny ball bearings.
B
oost Pressure
For any combination of engine and turbocharger, it’s safe to say that the higher
the boost level, the higher the power and torque output will be. There are two
mistakes people tend to make with regards to boost levels though; either
concentrating too much on the pressure, or not paying enough attention to it
at all. The size of the turbo is as important as the pressure it’s putting out. Put
simply any large turbo will create more power than a small turbo at the same
pressure. A huge turbo running very low pressure won’t put out anywhere near
its potential, or claimed, output either. According to experts very few turbos
reach their maximum flow until at least 30psi/2bar boost – some don’t until well
over 50psi/3.5bar!
External Wastegates
On some large, high-boost, turbos
there isn’t an internal wastegate,
so an external item is needed to
limit the pressure. This will be
Wastegate Actuators mounted away from the turbo,
usually on the exhaust manifold.
The amount of boost the engine can receive is ultimately controlled Again, these are basically a
by the wastage actuator. Its job is to allow some of the gases to valve that opens at a preset level
bypass the turbo to limit the boost pressure. Without a wastegate, to let gases bypass the turbine
the pressure will have no limiting factor – which won’t exactly be wheel. They will either vent gases
good for your engine. The wastegate built into the vast majority to the exhaust system, or directly
of standard turbos basically acts as a valve, and this is controlled to the atmosphere via an unsilenced
by the actuator. That’s not to say some extra boost isn’t useful ‘screamer’ pipe.
though, and an uprated or adjustable actuator is a useful tool for To be fair wastegates (both internal
tuning your turbo. In fact, most of the time it’s and external) and actuators are so
worth replacing or uprating your actuator as important for tuning, they deserve
a matter of course. Over time, standard their own Tech Talk. We’ll get stuck
items can deteriorate and start into boost control in the next issue.
opening before their specified
boost level is achieved. This
causes a power drop off at
higher RPMs.
Turbo Lag
The common misconception is that turbo lag is simply
the rpm before the turbo kicks in. A turbo that boosts
at 1500rpm is not as ‘laggy’ as a turbo that kicks in at
3000rpm, right? Well, technically speaking that’s not the
case, the latter turbo simply has a higher boost threshold,
what’s known as the usable ‘powerband’.
Lag is actually the delay between the hitting the throttle
(within the boost threshold) and the turbo waking up, spooling,
and hitting full boost.
Compared to N/A or supercharged engines there is a
noticeable difference in throttle response and that can affect
performance when a car is driven on the limit. That’s why many race
cars have anti-lag systems, or just prefer N/A engines. There will
always be some sort of lag on any car, even in standard guise, but
the easiest way to avoid it when turbo tuning is simple - just make
sure your blower isn’t too big for the power you’re trying to achieve.
044 www.banzaimagazine.com
Blow-Off Valves
Many think BOVs are there to reduce turbo lag
between gear changes, but that’s not the case.
Their main use is to improve turbo reliability
by helping to prevent compressor surge. The
idea is that they venting the pressure to the
atmosphere when you lift off the throttle, hence
the famous ‘pschhhht’ sound. Nowadays plenty
of factory setups use similar ‘recirculating
valves’ which do the same job, the only
difference is that they vent the boost back into
the system to keep the noise down.
Heat Management
If there’s one disadvantage of having
a turbo it’s the heat it produces. The
biggest problem is the fact that the
air leaving the compressor can be
bloody hot, over 120DegC in fact. If
you put that straight into your engine,
that’s not going to be good for power
or reliability. That’s where and air-air
intercooler or air-water chargecooler comes
in, these are designed to keep the temperature
down to a sensible level.
There’s also the issue of radiated heat from
the turbo and exhaust system, it’s common for
these to glow red hot, creating loads of heat which can be transfered to other
components. For this reason effective heat shielding is a must.
Lastly, making sure your cooling system can cope is as important as upping
the horses. As your engine is tuned for more power it stands to reason that
it’s working harder, getting hotter and putting more strain on the components
desperately trying to keep the temperature down. Put simply, your cooling
system has to keep the coolant flowing around the engine and not all over
the floor!
Silicone hoses not only look great (and are available for just about every
motor going), but they’re specifically designed to resist cracking and bursting
under high pressures and temperatures. The same goes for those shiny header
tanks which replace the factory plastic units.
Exhaust Systems
Although it’s clearly not possible, the best
exhaust, in performance terms at least, is no
exhaust at all. Unlike on N/A engines you don’t
need the scavenging effect or the back pressure
so, generally speaking, the bigger the system,
particularly the downpipe, the better.
The manifold also differs from an N/A setup.
Without a turbo, it’s a power-giving essential, but
with a turbo it can be far more basic. That’s not to
say it won’t affect power at all, a well-designed
manifold will help release the potential of your turbo.
It can also help with spool-up times. Generally a
short, stubby manifold will give faster
spooling while a long, free-flowing
item will help increase power.
What you choose will
always be a trade-off.
MODULAR
New modular design allows actuators to
be interchangeable across the range.
ADJUSTABILITY
Unique variable adjustment design allows
the wastegate actuator base and cap to be
oriented independently.
CONTROL
Our wastegates offer customisable
spring rates in 2psi increments.
QUICK-FIRE TUNING:
The Classic Sub
ENGINE
We don’t have to tell you that the 2-litre Boxer unit is a little on the
legendary side for tuning, so much so that there can’t be many
standard ones left by now! It’s mostly because these engines
respond so well to bolt-on tuning mods like exhausts, induction DRIVETRAIN
kits and front mount intercoolers, although it’s worth bearing in The standard gearbox on all the classic Subarus,
mind that they need to be suitably mapped to make the most of including the STi models, are always cause for debate.
any additions. Very often you can actually loose power until you Some say they’re excellent and solid enough for plenty
get everything dialled-in nicely, so it’s always worth investing in a of upgrades, others say they’re absolute garbage and
good ECU like a Link G4+ and having it tweaked to perfection by liable to break at any given moment – we think “made
a proper Subaru specialist. These 4 mods alone can see around from 3-day-old cheese and pickle sandwiches” was our
320bhp on an STi, and around 300 on a WRX. favourite quote from a well-known Subaru forum. Still,
The ‘further’ tuning world is your lobster too, there’s everything what we do know is that they’re a bugger to replace, not
from turbo upgrades and bigger injectors, to all the parts you getting hold of one (Quaife can do a you a whole load of
can ever desire for a full-on build - top gear like forged internals, uprated kit and there’s about a billion second-hand ‘boxes
stroker kits and closed-deck blocks. That said, we’d always start out there), we’re talking about actually doing the job… it’s
with basic stuff like making sure you look after it properly. Pay certainly not like whipping out a clutch on a Civic.
particular attention to your oil, most common engine failures are Speaking of clutches too, it’s dead easy to eat yours
Words: Midge
caused by starvation, so don’t just make sure it’s the good stuff if you’re running a lot more than stock power and have a
you’re putting in (the high performance range from Royal Purple weakness for mashing the throttle. It’s little wonder that an
comes highly recommended for the Classic Scoob), but think uprated clutch is one of the most popular upgrades on all
about fitting a high-flow oil pump too. Subaru Imprezas, let alone the older ones.
www.asptrading.co.uk www.xtremeclutch.co.uk
048 www.banzaimagazine.com
aru Impreza This month it’s,
quite literally, a
Classic…
INTERIOR
There’s two main interior mods that have stood the test of time here - decent seats and lots and
lots of engine gauges. To be fair there’s not much more you need. STi seats are always popular
of course, and the guys at Jap Performance Parts should be able to sort you out a second-hand
set. There’s also no shortage of aftermarket perches to choose from, everything from motorsport
buckets to uber-luxury recliners.
Cars built before 1997 have a different dash, so some like to upgrade theirs to one from a later
model and, if you won’t be using the rear seats (or doors) anyway, a role cage is a good way of
getting the ultimate in chassis stiffness, not to mention some rather racy looks.
www.japperformanceparts.co.uk
CHASSIS
All the usual Impreza rules apply here. Before you do anything check there’s
no knocking from the front end, ARB bushes are particularly susceptible to
degrading and the other bushes could be hard-used and need replacing
by now. Obviously polyurethane items are the way to go if you’re trying to
tighten up the handling, we’d speak to SuperPro about their range.
As for suspension, there’s loads out there for every application. Ask
yourself what you want from your Impreza. Will it be going on track or do you
need a comfortable daily driver? Pedders Suspension make a whole range,
from uprated shock and spring kits to full-on ‘XA’ coilovers. These guys
come highly recommended from those in the know.
www.pedders.co.uk
SUBARU IMPREZA
C
Full range of suspension kits - for your Classic Impreza!
M
CM
MY
CY
CMY
Pedders SportsRyder Pedders SportsRyder Pedders SportsRyder
K
Lowering Spring Kit: Ezifit Kit: eXtreme XA Coilover Kit:
Pedders Springs deliver improved vehicle A fully assembled, “Ezifit” suspension kit, The Pedders Sports Ryder eXtreme XA
performance, improved looks whilst featuring lowered springs and uprated adjustable coil over features a 30 position
maintaining ride quality characteristics. shocks, whilst retaining a good level of ride adjustable bump and rebound damping
Developed and manufactured in Australia comfort and excellent compliance for great setting, plus height adjustment. Ideal for
from the highest quality materials street handling. Ideal for the replacement the more serious performance enthusiast
( £143.44 inc VAT & UK delivery ) of worn out original suspension. and occasional track day use.
( £777.72 inc VAT & UK delivery ) ( £921.43 inc VAT & UK delivery )
www.pedders.co.uk
FULL range of individual suspension components available!
www.pedders.co.uk 01296 711044
AS PERF_hh 01/12/2015 11:26 Page 1
T H E S WA P S H O P
PCD GUIDE
It’s the age old question - will those EG Civic wheels fit my
Mazda MX-5? Whether it’s new aftermarket hoops, that
elusive eBay bargain, or a simple OEM swap you’re looking
for, here’s the essential info for (most of) our core cars…
AVIC-Z910DAB
AVIC-Z810DAB
AVIC-Z710DAB
Honda Accord Type-R CH1 1998-2003, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4/5/6 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
Full System with Cat Replacement £884.99 Full System without Cat Replacement £715.13 Full System with Cat Replacement £1,013.11
Honda Accord Type-R CH1 1998-2003, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4/5/6 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
Full System without Cat Replacement £804.53 Full System without Downpipe £607.86 Cat Back £825.81
Honda Accord Type-R CH1 1998-2003, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4/5/6 SUBARU
Full System without Downpipe £759.84 Cat Back £536.35
Subaru Impreza Turbo 2001-2007
Honda Accord Type-R CH1 1998-2003, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7/8/9 Full System with Cat Replacement £849.23
Cat back £652.57 Full System with Cat Replacement £759.84
Subaru Impreza Turbo 2001-2007
Honda Civic Sport EP2 2001-2005, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7/8/9 1st Cat Back £581.05
Cat Back £527.42 Full System without Cat Replacement £697.26
TOYOTA
Honda Civic Type R FK2 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7/8/9
on Cat back (RHD only) £1,120.50 Full System without Downpipe £572.11 Toyota MR2 Mk2 1991on
(3SGE engined cars only)
MITSUBISHI Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7/8/9 Cat Back and Cat Replacement £625.74
Cat Back £491.66
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4/5/6 Toyota MR2 Mk2 1991on,
Full System with Cat Replacement £777.72 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Cat Back £527.42
Full System with Sports Cat £1,319.59
www.mongooseexhausts.com
Hang
370Z TT
I
f there’s one phrase that’s been annoying relentless all-out pressure. Remember in the left-hand-drive USDM 370Z, and it’s was
tuners since the birth of the idea of first Cars movie, when Lightning McQueen pain in the arse to get it working on RHD
mucking about with cars, it’s ‘Slow and refused to stop for tyres as he didn’t want cars. That’s why nobody’s done it, Well,
steady wins the race’. Your mum loves to to waste time, and his rears popped? Yeah, nobody until now… And while he considered
tell you that, in the hope that it’ll stop you that’s Pixar giving you solid life lessons. other options which would have been quicker
driving about like your shoes are on fire, (Daniel, stop it with the cartoons! – Midge) and easier, his patience has ultimately been
but it’s a nonsensical concept isn’t it? Races René Dost is a man who can give you a rewarded in the form of a devastatingly fast
are there to test who’s fastest, and fast is clear demonstration of the importance of and genuinely unique Nissan. Quite simply,
logically faster than slow is, well, slow. patience and strategy over hysterical thrust. there is no other car like this.
What’s really annoying about this stupid His car, the one you’re looking at here, is the There’s a certain inevitability to René’s
and illogical phrase, however, is that it’s first and only right-hand-drive 370Z in the quest for horsepower, given his first steps
actually true. Just look at Aesop’s fable of world to be running an AAM Competition into the Japanese tuning scene back in
the tortoise and the hare. There are other twin-turbo conversion. AAM are a US-based his twenties. Having bought his first car,
factors in reaching the finish line beyond outfit who developed this upgrade for the a ’94 Honda Prelude 2.2 VTEC 4WS, and
058 www.banzaimagazine.com
Time
While the waiting game
may not be as fun as,
say, Hungry Hungry
Hippos, its rewards
speak for themselves.
René Dost had to
exercise extreme
patience to complete
this 370Z, but he’s
ended up with a true
world-first…
Words: Dan Bevis
Photos: Adam Rous
totalled it not too long afterwards, he set a Sure, don’t we all? Unfortunately there’s 6,000 miles on the clock was soon sitting on
self-imposed horsepower abstinence for a often a chasm of difference between what we the driveway. And, you’ll be unsurprised to
couple of years before returning to the fray want and what the state of the economy will learn, the reimagining of the car commenced
with a little more savvy and experience, allow us to afford, and it was the act of test- pretty much straight away.
buying another identical Prelude and turning driving a GT-R that lead René to what would “I began with the small stuff - bodykit,
it into his first proper project car: forged rods ultimately become ‘Project weaponiZED’. exhaust, and intakes,” says René. “From the
and pistons, race cams, wet nitrous system, “At the time of trying a GT-R at a nearby outset, everything I’d modify would have to
it was serious stuff. “I learned everything Nissan Performance Dealer, my wife spotted be of the best quality. Bulletproof Automotive
about car mechanics and electrics with just a pearl-white 370Z standing beside it,” René helped me source a genuine Power House
a hardcopy of the workshop manual and a recalls. “Only then did I realise that this would Amuse Vestito aero bodykit from Japan,
DIY spirit,” he grins. “I wouldn’t shy away become my next sportscar. I didn’t even want complemented with the Nismo rear wing.”
from anything. And after nine years and an to bother test-driving it (but my wife made The Amuse kit presented a hurdle or two, but
appetite for much more power, I started me do it anyway), I just wanted to buy the Z!” as we know, this isn’t the sort of thing this
dreaming about a Litchfield-tuned GT-R.” And so an ex-demo 2013 GT Edition with just guy loses sleep over. The cost of shipping the
bodykit straight from Japan to the UK would to help deploy those extra horses effectively. this point? No, of course he wasn’t. “It was
have cost more than the kit itself, but a few Naturally things like speedbumps and MOT always the plan to turbocharge it, right from
friendly chats with Bulletproof resulted in them ramps were becoming an issue running the start,” he laughs. “I had already gone the
loading the order onto one of their freight this low, so the decision was made to fit a turbo route with my Honda Prelude; it had
containers which regularly shuttle between set of Stanceparts air cups to the front too. high-comp pistons and FRM cylinder liners
Japan and US, only charging for the shipment René was keen to keep the install stealthy, which made forced induction unsuitable
from LA to the UK. René had to wait a couple and the compressor, air tank and lines were unless you dropped in forged sleeves, so
more months to do it this way, but he’s cool hidden away under the boot floor – despite I stuck with nitrous oxide in the end… but
with waiting. Better to play the long game and the fact that there was already a big Bose the next car had to get some kind of forced
get it the way you want it than to rush things. subwoofer squirrelled away in there! His induction, ideally turbo! I had licked blood
“The exhaust had to be a Motordyne attention to detail is really in evidence here, as with my twin brother’s Audi S3.”
Shockwave, with gorgeous Helmholtz it is with the steering wheel, which has been It wasn’t an easy road though, as we’ve
resonators,” he continues, “mated to a pair cunningly reshaped before being retrimmed already touched upon. The only suitable right-
of Berk high-flow cats, and Stillen Gen3 cold in perforated leather and silver Alcantara. hand-drive turbo conversion kit, made by
air induction. All this raised the car to a level, Another mod which has truly altered the GReddy, had been discontinued, and although
optically and acoustically, that I think the 370Z driving experience is the B&M short-shifter René placed an order with US-based GTM
should’ve been at from factory!” matched to a weighted Mishimoto gearknob, for a twin-turbo kit, he almost lost his money
Having raised power to 362bhp, René which give a lovely clunk-clunk feel with after a six-month wait as the company was
opted to focus on the suspension next. A set minimal throw. going under. Disenchanted, our man was on
of Torqen S coilovers made the ride noticeably So, with the car shaping up into a mighty the cusp of giving up on turbos and dropping
more direct and responsive, while Eibach anti- all-rounder, was René satisfied with his a deposit on a Stillen supercharger kit, when
roll bars at either end firmed up the chassis achievements and happy to call it a day by Torqen suddenly announced a collaboration
060 www.banzaimagazine.com
AAM
TURBOS
062 www.banzaimagazine.com
TORQEN specialises in Japanese performance car parts, offering the most
comprehensive selection of modifying and OEM parts in the UK. Our aim is to
provide unrivalled customer service, while continuing to build an ever-growing
collection of parts for the Japanese market.
TORQEN
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New to Range
For more than 60 years, EXEDY has supplied Original Equipment clutch to Toyota & TRD,
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›››BUILDS
Projects, buying guides and all the dirty stuff…
072
074 065
066 Home-Built Heroes: Turbo Civic
Can you have an issue about forced induction conversions without
a turbo’d Civic? We think not! So, here’s one of the world’s best…
066 www.banzaimagazine.com
pNOW?
By refusing to settle until
he was fully satisfied with
his turbo EK Civic build,
Peter Di Bella’s been left
with undoubtedly one of the
finest and fastest Hondas
on the Californian coastline
at his disposal…
Words: Sam Preston
Photos: Viktor Benyi
E
very once in a while, you’ll meet
a person in life who clearly isn’t
as easily pleased as the average
Joe. You know the sort – those
who somehow manage to drag
themselves out of bed at 5am
on weekend mornings to nail a cheeky half
marathon before most of us have even had
half of a good night’s sleep.
It only takes a couple of minutes chatting
to San Diego-based Peter Di Bella here to
determine that he’s undoubtedly one of those
individuals that’s always striving for more.
And in his particular case, all attentions are
strictly focused towards one key area of his
life - the project car he owns at the time.
Dabbling with hot Hondas for the last few
decades, his experience has now led him
to what is undoubtedly his most impressive
build yet – this home-grown, 440whp EK
Civic hatch that pushes the limit of what’s
physically possible with this chassis. And
the fact it was all performed on his driveway
proves that you really can achieve anything if
you concentrate hard enough…
“It all started back in the Californian street
racing days in the mid-‘90s,” 43-year-old
Peter reveals. With a limited budget but his
burning desire to outpace his peers already
beginning to shine through, he began
to develop some very inventive ways of
achieving what he wanted without racking up
a tonne of debt in the process. Cue several
enjoyable years filled with the likes of CR-Xs
with huge NOS setups, as well as the likes
of Del Sols and EF-shaped Civics all coming
and going at one point or another, all before
this particular EK Civic was introduced into
the Di Bella household.
“I’d always had a soft spot for this
generation of Civic, especially the EK9 Type
R,” Peter continues, touching on the iconic
red-badged Honda that was sadly reserved
for the Japanese market. Undeterred, our
plucky protagonist eventually got his mitts
on a rough, non-Type R version, of the
hatchback he’d always dreamed of and he
couldn’t have been happier. “I didn’t care
about the condition, I was just planning to
drop a GSR motor in it and go and bang
some gears!”
Sticking to his promise and soon dropping
in a fiery GSR lump (similar to the normally-
aspirated B18 VTEC units found in the UK
and Japan), the screaming engine was also
treated to a ported head to enhance its rev-
happy characteristics. This provided Peter
with a hilarious machine to blitz up and down
the local freeways. That was until someone
offered to purchase the entire drivetrain at
a price that Peter just couldn’t ignore. “The
next day, the GSR motor was gone, and I was
shopping for new parts!” he laughs, not one
to waste any time. Using the event as an added such as Eagle rods and a shot- was a really cheap part and I kind of knew
excuse to go even bigger with his potential- peened crank (effectively applied with a it wouldn’t be up to the job, so I headed to
packed rolling shell, the next stage of the process similar to sandblasting that helps BlueRidge Motorsports who sorted me out
build would focus around something with to realign the molecular structure and with a quality replacement,” he smiles.
a little more boost running through its oily improve strength in a much more affordable Rocking something of a sleeper for a
vein. This came in the form of a fully built-up way than splashing out on a brand-new while, Peter’s knack of never being fully
B20 engine complete with a humungous performance part). This meant the bottom satisfied helps explain why we find him a
turbocharger to offer up power figures end was now prepared for the onslaught of couple of years down the line preparing to
that would frankly be unheard of from his a whole lot more power to be run through it. perform a full re-spray on his beloved Civic,
previous setup. The head, too, was given the full works. once again on his driveway, of course. “I
“I bought all the parts I needed to build With the budget kept low thanks to the fact thought - why stop now?,” he says. Spurred
the engine up… all the bells and whistles,” Peter managed to retain the engine’s factory on by a friend and some instructional
Peter explains, with a huge pile of parts cams while adding stronger springs and YouTube videos on how to apply the perfect
soon sitting in his garage waiting to be put titanium cam gears, a seriously impressive coat of House of Kolor paint, he certainly
together by him and his mates. It might still engine was starting to come together saved a packet in the process.
rock the twin-cam, 16v setup we’re used to slowly but surely. With a relatively small By this stage forming his car tuning
with sporty Hondas, but the base B20 lump turbocharger thrown on to get the car business, DiBellaworks, Peter was keen to
was a long way from a VTEC howler even bedded in, as well as an uprated fuelling highlight just what he could offer potential
in standard trim. Originally found in larger system and a strengthened five-speed customers by next performing a full wire
cars like the CR-V SUV, the non-VTEC unit gearbox from an Integra, the car was tuck on the engine bay, which was sprayed
doesn’t boast too much power out of the rolled into Peter’s local dyno for two days up in a contrasting teal to create a show-
box but does have a lot of things on its side of solid dialling-in. stopping aesthetic.
when it comes to big turbo builds; namely Everything went impressively smoothly Think things couldn’t get much better
fundamental strength and the ability to offer as the mighty Civic was put through its than that? Not Peter, who once again used
up a lot more torque than the rest. paces on the rollers, with the only issue his ‘why stop now?’ philosophy to throw
Fully stripped down, the bore walls in the coming in the form of something that will a huge 76mm Precision turbocharger and
block were then sleeved for extra durability, be rather who’s watched the Fast and the trick new Hondata ECU into the mix. Only
before some choice forged internals were Furious films – a cracked turbo manifold. “It now was the time right, as the engine had
068 www.banzaimagazine.com
Spurred on by a friend
and some instructional
YouTube videos
BRACE
YOURSELVES
A powerful car is nothing without
a decent chassis to back it up, and
luckily, Peter’s spent plenty of time
fettling to create a machine here that
can effortlessly handle all of that new-
found grunt on tap.
APEXi coilovers from Japan act as
a great starting point, wound down
to ensure a squat stance. These are
backed up with BuddyClub camber
plates as well as plenty of strut and
bracing bars dotted around the well-
tweaked underside.
“It’s still an animal and will slide
sideways down the highway if you’re
not careful, but it performs great if
you’re sensible with your right foot.”
EXTERIOR: Full re-spray in House of Kolor proven itself for several thousand miles. These hoops clearly supply the perfect
‘Blurple’ Kandy blue/purple paint, OEM front
“The ECU has boost-by-gear settings, amount of bling to the ‘Blurple’ body.
bumper with air cut-outs, SiR-spec headlights,
thin side mouldings, side skirts, rear bumper, meaning the pressure is limited depending “I’m 43 now, but still trip out that I have a
rear hatch and rear wing, VIS Racing carbon on what gear it’s in,” he grins. Once hooked car like this.” Peter proudly says as we wrap
fibre bonnet and front lip, Password:JDM up with full traction, the car now develops up our meeting. “And I’m not done just yet,
quick-release bumper mechanism a monstrous 440bhp to the front wheels, either!” Keen to next freshen up the car’s
with 428lb ft of torque. Quite obviously this cockpit to make it an even more special
INTERIOR: Status carbon fibre fixed- makes it all sorts of hilarious to drive! place to spend time, we have very little
back bucket seats, with Mugen five-point Keen to set off this stage of the project doubt of this Peter’s capabilities when it
harnesses, Sparco leather steering wheel with with some suitably unique rims, a call to comes to future work on his prized
NRG quick-release hub, EK9 Civic Type R
Aero wheels – the supplier of steel racing possession. After all, he’s already proved
carpet and gear knob, custom Crown Royal
gear gaiter, SiR gauge cluster, AEM boost wheels to NASCAR, no less – saw some that you can achieve anything, just as long
gauge, GlowShift air/fuel ratio gauge, fuse gold beauties shipped to Peter’s house. as you have enough focus.
box relocated to glove box, Password:JDM
carbon fibre airbag delete, Alpine stereo
070 www.banzaimagazine.com
Whatever your application
Whatever your application
we have you covered
we have you covered
Project Free
Fiddy The only magazine project
that you could be driving
this October…
R
ight, the gearbox, diff and before it’ll be ready to give away at TRAX.
engine oil have been changed, Anyway, with that in mind, this month
we’ve steam cleaned just about I thought I’d get on to one of the most
everything possible to steam important, if not THE most important, mods
clean and uprgraded the brakes on the whole car. I’m talking of course, about
to rather nice set of EBC discs the suspension.
and pads. To be fair, I think there’s not a Now, I’m not saying the 350Z is comically
true petrolhead on the planet who wouldn’t ‘clown-car’ high as standard, but it’s certainly
be pretty damn happy to drive home in this getting towards some sort of minor circus
one already, but there’s still a long way to go status. I guess that can be forgiven because
072 www.banzaimagazine.com
it’s more of a GT cruiser than nimble until I had a free day, although for once it
sportscar, but even so, we want to beef up took substantially less time than I thought
the handling on ours… oh and make it look to get the job done. It’s actually easier to fit
cooler than a Penguin’s pink bits for the coilovers to a 350Z than you might imagine.
new owner. Our weapon of choice for is a I’d been having nightmares for weeks about
spanky new set of PB Coilovers, and I’ve having to strip out the acres of plastic trim in
chosen this particular brand of bouncy bit the boot for the rear dampers but, thanks to
for a few simple reasons. First, and once the forethought of the kind people at Nissan,
again, I’ve used these on a few cars over they mount under the wheel arches. Installing
the years (can you see a theme emerging both the front and rear kit is just a case of
here? – Sam), and I’ve always found them dropping the bottom arms, undoing the top
to perform exceptionally well, much better mounts, pulling the standard gear off and
than many in the same sort of price range. bolting up the new stuff. Lovely!
They also offer all the bells and whistles like The only real problem I had along the way
monotube dampers, multiple spring rates and was that the front drop links were knocking
30-stage adjustable damping, and the only more violently than an LAPD SWAT team and
reason they’re such a bargain is they cut out needed replacing. The big problem for me
the middle-man by delivering them straight was that they absolutely refused to come
from their factory. Secondly, they also come off. Still, after a lot of swearing and scraped
ready built-up with alloy top mounts, which knuckles, out came the grinder and short
means there’s no need to risk life and limb work was made of those too.
by breaking out the spring compressors. This
makes them super-quick to fit if you know
All in all, we got that and a few other bits
and pieces (that I’ll get on to in the next This Month...
what your doing and, even if you’re a bit of issue), done for in time Japfest Donington. PB coilovers £599.00
a spanner-swinging numpty like myself, you Quite obviously, the crowd went wild for it New drop links £35.00
should have no trouble getting these on with too, but we’re not even remotely finished yet. TOTAL: £634.00
basic tools and a jack. There’s plenty more to do before I’ll be happy
Anyway, I ordered a full kit last month, and to give it away… well, I say happy, I’ll actually THANKS:
they landed in less than a week. They’ve be crying into my cornflakes when I have to www.pbbrakes.com
been sitting around in the workshop, waiting hand over the keys to this one!
Midge's
Midge Editor
2005 MAZDA
RX-8
A
dmittedly I’ve been a little
preoccupied with our giveaway
350Z of late, what with that and
one or two mags to do, I’ve had
trouble finding the time to sort
out my own car… I’m sure you
can all relate to that one. Sometimes life and
work just gets in the way, right?
Still, this month I decided it was high time
that I made a proper effort to get started,
and that particular effort involved pulling the
car out of the yard (where it’s been sitting for
6-months or so), to get it over to LC Rotary
for a thorough rebuild.
Now, as I’ve said before, this is a weird
one for me. Normally I like having the
opportunity to cock up building my own
engines, but all this Wankel witchcraft is
something I really don’t fancy getting stuck
into on my own. The truth is that I just
wouldn’t have the first clue, and I don’t fancy
being one of those questioning the reliability
of my home-rebuild when it’s too late - on
the back of an AA lorry or sitting on the hard
shoulder of the M25. So, that’s why I’ve
chosen the experts at LC Rotary to get the
power-plant rebuilt and ported first, before I
can get on with all the other bits and pieces.
Anyway, Reece from LC was kind enough
to pick the car up last week with his
transporter, and it’s now in their workshop
waiting for main-man Lewis to commence the
greasy stuff. I’m looking forward to getting
over there for a proper lesson in rotary engine
internals sometime in the next few weeks,
074 www.banzaimagazine.com
as they pull it all apart and get to grips with awesome but, rather handily, it also features
rotor tips, porting and all that stuff. In the an efficient two-row core and increased
meantime though, there’s a few bits and fluid capacity for far better cooling. I also
pieces I needed to get my hands on, namely like the addition of a magnetic drain plug to
the main components that will be far easier catch any debris that may be floating around
to upgrade while the engine is out. the system. Again, the silicone hoses are
First on my list was a tubular manifold and also something of a no-brainer too, they’re
downpipe combo, and I soon found these engineered to resist temperatures up to
for an absolute steal at Japspeed. Obviously, 170-degreesC, won’t degrade over time
the idea here is that these will flow way more and are always a worthy addition to any
than the stock gear, which makes them an performance motor. But then, you already
absolute no-brainer once an expertly-crafted knew that, right?
LC bridge port is flowing more through the Of course, there’s plenty more parts that I
engine. Even though they don’t break the
bank too much, these tig-welded stainless
need to source in double-quick time, choice
bits like an uprated clutch, engine mounts This Month...
items also come with all the gaskets and and high-flow induction kit. The trouble is, Mishimoto alloy radiator £258.00
bolts needed to get them on, and are a dead now the project is becoming a reality, I’m Mishimoto coolant hoses £103.20
easy way of freeing up a few horses. They finding it difficult to drag myself away from Japspeed Manifold £349.99
certainly look the part too! looking at other stuff like wheels, coilovers Japspeed Downpipe £175.99
Speaking of bargain mods that look and body mods. Today I’ll mostly be drooling TOTAL: £885.99
amazing, I’ve also ordered an alloy rad and over this Pandem kit. Yes, I know it’s for the
some silicone coolant hoses from the guys facelift RX-8. I know they’re expensive too, Contacts
at Mishimoto. I think it’s pretty obvious why and I can’t see how you can ever open the LC Rotary – www.lcrotary.co.uk
I’ll be needing these, and not just to make rear doors. But I just can’t help myself, Mishimoto – www.mishimoto.co.uk
the bay look exactly like the one I've been especially as I’ve not seen any built in the UK Japspeed – www.japspeed.co.uk
dreaming about. This oversized rad may look to date. I guess I’d better start saving!
O Martin's
ne rainy Thursday in March
2018, while flicking through
Auto Trader, my eyes locked
Honda Jazz
onto a beautiful 2002 Honda
Civic EP3 in Championship
White. And like a teenage boy
finding his first Daily Sport in a bush (yes, I’m
that old), I instantly knew I needed it. I liked it
and lusted after it so much in fact, that on the
Sunday I picked it up my new daily-driver for
a pretty reasonable price.
Driving the car home, I knew no other hard shoulder of the M2, the RAC was called.
motor (except my Jazz) would ever compare. While waiting for the big orange van, I
I was in love and convinced this romance thought I would have a quick look, praying
would last for years. On arriving home, I got to the car gods that it wasn’t anything
my cleaning stuff and got to work spending disastrous. I turned my iPhone torch on and
4-hours detailing every inch of the beautiful could see a rod hanging out the bottom.
paintwork. Starting at black vinyl wrapped After a good fingering, I could feel that the
roof and working my way down the curves bearing was in pieces. That’s when it hit me
and lines to the tyres, before moving inside like a hammer, the love of my life was dead!
and cleaning every inch until the car looked I arrived home in an RAC van with the
as fresh as a day it rolled off the production Civic looking very sorry for itself. After
line in sunny Swindon. It was a good day. lowering the car back down and on the drive
After a well-deserved service, I put her to with a helpful push from a neighbour (he’s a
use on my daily commute. For 3-glorious Ford owner who’s used to pushing cars), I
months we had the time of our lives, driving got straight to work.
through the twisting B roads of Kent, Off came the Bumper, headlights and slam
windows dropped, VTEC screaming in my panel, and after less than 30 seconds of
ears and the sun beaming down onto the inspecting, it’s pretty obvious this one was
white paint. It was perfect, washing away the terminal. The block was cracked and there
stresses of life (wonderful, but are we ever was a second hole behind the starter motor,
gonna get to the Jazz? – Midge). which explains the pieces of metal I found on
Then one day in July, while on the way the subframe.
to work at 7.30am, there was a bang. I However, the reason I’m talking about here
don’t mean a small one either, we’re talking is that every cloud has a silver lining. I now
an earth-shaking, ‘what the frickin’ hell have the half the K20 parts, including the
was that?’ sort of almighty bang. This was loom and ancillaries, that I need to get my
followed by smoke, a distinct loss of power Jazz properly on its way to moving. Much like
and the sound of engine bit bouncing off the a phoenix from the flames, the Jazz will rise
underside of the car. After pulling onto the from the ashes!
This Month...
RAC Cover £16.50
Heartbreak Priceless
TOTAL: £16.50
Thanks
My understanding wife and the nice RAF
fella (you were picked up by a pilot?
Cooool! – Midge).
Innovative design and superior materials These attributes make them an ideal choice Benefits of fitting SuperPro:
means that SuperPro products offer dramatic for cars that are used for both day-to-day • Increased tyre and suspension life
improvements in handling. They provide a driving and trackdays. SuperPro’s extensive • Precision engineered for an exact fit
precise feel through corners, more range of bushes, anti-roll bars, lower arms
• Long life, low maintenance
responsive steering and greater stability and suspension products for Japanese cars
• No component modifications required
under braking and acceleration – all without have proven time and again to improve
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with other polyurethane products. cars’ normal handling characteristics on the • No increase in vibration and road noise
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www.superproeurope.com
STAFF BUILDS
Sam's EP3
Sam Contributor
EP3 CIVIC
TYPE R
W
hy have I been so terrible
at cracking on with any
upgrades I’m supposed
to be doing on my Civic
this month? Well, I’ve been
chilling at the Nürburgring
yet again of course!
Keen for a long weekend away, I decided
fairly last-minute that I just had to return
to the Fatherland before my withdrawal
symptoms got really serious. This is why
you could find me on an big, orange EasyJet
heading to Cologne a couple of Fridays ago.
Deciding to leave the car at home and
soak up the atmosphere from the side of
the track this time, the never-ending supply
of top-quality metal I (rather unsurprisingly)
spotted, gave me plenty of inspiration as to
what to do to my EP3 when I got home.
As you can probably see from the pictures,
there was the usual incredible mix of
Japanese metal both old and new present
in the vast car parks and out on the track
itself. From full-blown Evo screamers through
to a brand-new Lexus LC 500 (that looks
seriously awesome in the flesh). Basically, if
it’s got four wheels, you’ll probably see it at
the ‘Ring at one point or another. And to me,
that's what owning a Civic is all about.
As we get to the final stages of my gearbox
rebuild, I’m starting to think about ways to
sharpen up the looks of my Type R before I
return to the ‘Ring in it in October for the
track day I’ve booked. I think I might start by
switching up my now-heavily curbed and
corroded factory alloys, replacing them with
something spanky. Of course, it’s hard to pick
a set, I’ve been looking at all sorts from
classically-styled Rotas and Bolas, to super-
lightweight 2Forge wheels. Either
way, I know what I pick will
freshen up the whole car. This Month...
If any of you Honda buffs Flights to the ‘Ring £40
have any advice as to TOTAL: £40
which particular size and
style would work best, THANKS
feel free to drop me a To all the amazing motors at the ‘Ring
line. For now though, it’s which have given me the inspiration to
back to the workshop fork out even more hard-earned cash on
to get our hands dirty my car!
once more…
MAZDA RX 8
TOP MODS: Full engine bay clean/tuck, WORK Meister SP3 split rims, K Sport air
suspension system, JR cone air filter, custom headlight air duct, stainless steel radiator
with fan cover
SUBARU IMPREZA
TOP MODS: Larger rear spoiler, STI front splitter, STI headlights, Godspeed brakes,
Rota Drift alloys, Afterburner Vortex exhaust,, M2 Motorsport strut brace.
080 www.banzaimagazine.com
FACEBOOK
BUILDS...
MATTHEW BEDWORTH’S
NISSAN STAGEA
BANZAI SAYS: Pro far ticked all the boxes ADAM LEWIS’ CIVIC TYPE R
photographer Mathew for Mathew.
here recently found “I now love my job BANZAI SAYS: It’s not in sticky Nankang ▲ Bas van Osta
himself losing faith in more than ever; I’ve often that we spend rubber, are nicely
the career path he’d spent countless nights a whole hour drooling tucked under each arch
chosen thanks to sleeping in this car over a car that lands for good measure.
the huge amount of in-between shoots and in our inbox, but in the Owning the car for
travelling up and down it’s been absolutely case of Adam’s FN2 just over three years
the country it required trouble free and here, it’s safe to say we and originally picking it
him to do. fun!” With plenty of were instantly hooked! up in completely stock
Using mainly Merc modifications added It might look trim, we think you’ll join
E-Class estates to get to boost the handling, fairly reserved from us in saying that this is
him from A to B for such as TEIN coilovers the outside with its one hell of a turnaround. ▲ David Keeling
a few years, he soon Driftworks camber arms tasteful Mugen body Nice job Adam!
decided what he might and a whole host of enhancements, but chip
be missing was a bit SuperPro bushes, it’s away under the surface
more fun from his daily not hard to see how this and there’s an incredible
driver. And that’s how could be the perfect spec to trawl through,
he found himself at the daily driver. one that reads like any
house of the previous As a final touch, Civic owner’s dream
owner of this Nissan those custom paint- parts list.
Stagea, where money splatted JDM WEDS Let’s start with that
soon changed hands. Kranze wheels really K20 VTEC motor. It’s
Sporting a look the nuts too! now pushing out no ▲ Gavin Catherall
turbocharged RB25 less than 248bhp,
CIVIC FN2
engine, four-wheel thanks to beefier
drive and an R33 GT-R
STAGEA breathing goodies
TOP MODS: Genuine
Mugen aero, carbon
manual gearbox, this TOP MODS: and an EcuTek ECU. fibre bonnet, Corbeau
‘RS Four S’ badged Xtreme Clutch The gearbox benefits bucket seats, HKS
estate is an extremely Stage 1 clutch, TEIN from an MFactory induction kit, Mugen
rare spec, and has so coilovers, Driftworks LSD and a lightweight throttle body, RBC
camber arms, flywheel. And all this intake manifold,
SuperPro front upper Hybrid Racing fuel
instantly tells us that
arm polybushes, rail, Tegiwa exhaust,
Powerflow induction
young Adam likes to TDI North exhaust ▲ Nick Parry
get the best from his system, Clockwise
kit, Sparco suede
steering wheel, fiery hatch. There’s Motion baffled sump,
Zilla Deathtune MeisterR coilovers MFactory LSD,
gearknob, Pioneer propping up each EcuTek ECU, MeisterR
head unit, WEDS corner, with stopping coilovers, Ultra Racing
Kranze Cerberus I power supplied by the braces, Spoon
wheels with custom Sports monoblock
range-topping Spoon
paint finish, Nankang brake calipers, SSR
Sports calipers up front. TypeC forged alloys,
NS-2R tyres
Oh, and some seriously Nankang NS-2R tyres
JDM SSR alloys, shod ▲ Sam Heal
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ULTIMATE BUYING GUIDE
ROTARY
Buying Guide Our guide to
finding and
refining the
last of Mazda’s
iconic Wankel
MAZDA RX-7 FC/RX-7 FD/RX-8 screamers…
Words: Daniel Bevis
T
he gestation of the Wankel rotary These are incredibly simple engines with very What’s most interesting, and well worth giving
engine was long and convoluted… few moving parts – as long as you remember credit to, is the resurgence of the Wankel
and sometimes, downright to keep a keen eye on the oil level, you’ll be ushered in by the RX-8. When every nation
troublesome. The format’s history golden. We wouldn’t lie to you, would we? except Japan turned its back on the FD, saying
is littered with examples of Starting with the iconic Cosmo, Mazda’s its emissions were too high, Mazda didn’t give
manufacturers trying and failing to back catalogue features many exciting rotary- up on the idea. They developed a new version,
get them production-viable on a mass scale; engined cars, like the Le Mans-dominating the RENESIS, with relocated exhaust ports to
from NSUs with relentless rebuild requirements 787B and the rare-as-hens’-teeth RX-3. But it’s help the engine sneak through US smog regs.
to stillborn Mercedes concept cars and offbeat the RX-7 that really put the marque’s intentions And while the bigwigs insisted the RX-8 had to
Citroëns that just wouldn’t sell, it’s easy to on the map. And while the original FB is rapidly be a four-door, it was really just a sporty coupé
forget the scale of Mazda’s achievement in disappearing into obscurity, largely being found with a couple more points of entry. Despite
getting rotary engines to work in everyday cars. in either private collections or race teams’ its unassuming looks, it’s a true spiritual
Yes, they’ve still got a reputation for fragility garages, the FC is still easily findable and the successor to the RX-7 line – with the added
(thanks, NSU), but it’s entirely unfounded. iconic FD positively abundant. advantage that it’s remarkably affordable!
086 www.banzaimagazine.com
Production run: 1985-1992
Price now: from £6,000
Buyer Beware!
Rotary engines catch out unsuspecting owners
who think they behave like conventional
piston engines. They don’t. They consume TOP QUOTES FROM ADRIAN FLUX...
a lot more oil for starters, so it’s vital to get
the measure of the owner as well as the car, 1990 Mazda RX-7 FC, Value £7000
to ensure they’ve looked after that engine
properly. Comb through the history too. Don’t Young & Spritely Getting On Pushing 40
be too concerned if it puffs a little grey smoke Age: 21 Age: 32 Age:39
on start-up, and black smoke may well just License: Clean License: 1x SP30 (3 points) License: Clean
be overfuelling – but be very concerned about Occupation: Factory Worker Occupation: Teacher Occupation: Accountant
white smoke. That’ll be coolant entering the Quote: £1350 (£750 XS) Quote: £325 (£250 XS) Quote: £275 (£200 XS)
combustion chamber, and you’ll be looking at *Quotes subject to ADFTXS (Accidental Damage, Fire and Theft Excess).
an engine rebuild.
Gauges can be temperamental, so make
sure everything in the dash is doing what it’s
meant to. Check the sills and chassis rails
for rust, and don’t be surprised if you find
corrosion behind the taillights either. The
driver door lock is a common failure, and you
might also spot evidence of someone having
been caught out by this and forced entry by
jimmying around the window seals.
Interiors can leak, with water pooling behind
the seats and rusting through – a salt build-up
in the carpet is a dead giveaway. And the
solder joints on the ECU can fail, leading to all
sorts of running issues – the most common is
a hesitance to rev beyond about 3,800rpm.
088 www.banzaimagazine.com
Production run: 1992-2002
Price now: from £9,000
Buyer Beware!
Despite their reputation for fragility, these
engines are actually super-robust thanks to
their simplicity. You’ve just got to remember
that situation we were talking about regarding
the oil! Check the history to ensure it’s had
regular oil changes and top-ups. Synthetics
aren’t great for rotor tips, so they need non-
synthetic oil of the correct viscosity.
You’ve got 32 different bushes throughout the
chassis, so you can rely on having to change
at least one or two a year to keep everything
tight. Brakes are prone to binding too, but
they’ll just need a bit of a clean-up.
History
The RX-8 marks an interesting chapter in Mazda’s history. The firm was indelibly inked as a
champion of successful and reliable rotary engines, but to most people that equated specifically
to the RX-7 – compact, agile, nimble two-door coupés. Most people in the UK would have no idea
what you were on about them if you asked them what a Mazda Cosmo was. So the decision to
launch the RX-8 as a four-door sports saloon took the market by surprise. Models
The brand was keen to protect the sporting rotary heritage though, so it wasn’t as if they just The first generation of RX-8s, produced from
shoved a Wankel into a Mazda 6, the RX-8 had ‘Freestyle’ suicide rear doors, and was front-mid- 2002-08, was available in either standard
engined with a 50:50 weight distribution. It had a double-wishbone front end and a multi-link or high-power versions – both with the
rear, and a keen focus on lightness thanks to extensive aluminium and plastic body materials. non-turbo twin-rotor RENESIS 13B-MSP
The manual gearbox had a carbon-composite shaft, and at the rear there was a torque-sensing engine. The standard version had a four-port
conical LSD. Power may have been down on the outgoing RX-7, but the RX-8 was a genuine four- engine making 191bhp, while the high-power
seater with a cleverly engineered chassis: a driver’s car that also happened to be practical. six-port offered 231bhp; the former had a
five-speed gearbox, the latter had a six-
speed. (The exhaust ports were moved to
the side housing, thus reducing emissions
and allowing the RX-8 to be sold in markets
where the FD RX-7 had been vetoed.)
In 2006, the PZ model was launched for
the UK market – tweaked by Prodrive, it
had OZ Racing wheels, low-drag mirrors
and a higher rear spoiler, along with Bilstein
dampers and Eibach springs.
The RX-8 range was facelifted in 2008,
effectively creating a second generation that
ran until 2012. The shell was strengthened
090 www.banzaimagazine.com
Production run: 2002-2012
Price now: from £1,500
........................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................
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094 www.banzaimagazine.com
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Goodnight,
sweet prince
Japan’s Hideki Maeda tragically passed away a short while before
this article was originally due to be published, so after much
consideration about its publication, it has been re-written as a
tribute to a great man. We hope it does him justice.
Words and photos: Chris Nicholls @ P1 Race Photography
098 www.banzaimagazine.com
H
ideki Maeda loved helping assistance in getting the car back together, Attack award at the end of the weekend.
people. Whether in his capacity and, after canvassing the pit lane, Maeda- Looking back on his life, Maeda-san took
as a mechanic, magazine san also found suppliers willing to assist perhaps a rather meandering path to get
editor, event MC, team with parts. Before the weekend was out, he where he was prior to his death. Having
manager or driver, he never managed to get back out on track, even if always been into machines, thanks to his
gave less than 100 per cent bad luck with red flags and fear of pushing dad’s agricultural machinery business, he
for the people who needed him. This quality a repaired car meant he never managed the initially enrolled in a speciality mechanics
was, no doubt, one reason why he received sort of blistering lap times he was used to. college, hoping to work in motorsport.
such rapid and extensive aid when he himself What makes this story even more amazing However, Japan’s economic bubble burst in
was in need, having crashed his ZC31S is that Maeda-san spent his entire life savings the early ‘90s, devastating the race industry
Swift Sport during Thursday practise at the trying to get to WTAC in the first place. After and ending that dream in a heartbeat, so he
2016 World Time Attack Challenge. It was, years of managing the Japanese athletes refocussed and found work at tuner shop
he later admitted, a moment of driver error, who came over, Maeda-san’s dream was Trial, eventually helping out with advertising
but momentary as it was, it was still enough to take his Swift to the event and try and there as well. This work eventually led to
to put Maeda-san into a concrete wall at compete himself. To have to deal with what him being headhunted by San-Ei Shobo,
approximately 100mph. It tore apart his seemed like the end of that dream only part publishers of tuning car mag Rev Speed
front-end, bent a chassis rail and basically way through practise day and bounce back? (among others), where he worked his way
left his weekend seemingly over before it had That takes a strong man with a lot of goodwill up from low-level organisational stuff to the
started. However, all that aforementioned under his belt, and it’s why Maeda-san was Editor’s chair. (This is where he first tried
good karma came back to help him, as a also awarded the inaugural Confederation driving a Swift Sport, which we’ll get into
couple of visiting staffers from Yokohama of Australian Motorsport (Australia’s later). Finally, he left Rev Speed to pursue
tuner, Unlimited Works, offered their motorsports governing body) Spirit of Time his dream of being an event MC, which he
W i
CARD
l d The Editor’s Wild Card gives our Midge the
chance to feature a car from the wider world of
Japanese car culture that, traditionally, you may
not have seen in the pages of Banzai.
FEATURE This month we have a feature that’s not just
about the awesome home-blown racecar that
we’d originally planned for this issue, but is more a
tribute to the legend who’s famous for being behind the wheel.
This is the story of, our friend, Hideki Maeda…
100 www.banzaimagazine.com
push a ZC31S, running near-monthly articles Top Fuel carbon bonnet, carbon canards and rods in the M16A engine were forged from the
on its progress. Having enjoyed the HKS Craft Square mirrors. factory and therefore still fine), which boosted
machine so much, Maeda-san and the Top By this stage, the engine made a capacity to 1710cc and netted another 10ps.
Fuel team quickly decided a turbo version respectable 305ps at the wheels with stock Most importantly, final torque came to 282lb
would be the best way to go, fitting an HKS internals, but Maeda-san and Top Fuel wanted ft at 18.5psi – great for such a little engine.
GT-SS spinner and matching manifold, ECU to push further, fitting a larger GT-RS turbo Oh, and if you’re wondering about the pink
and 21-row intercooler as some of their first for 378ps. However, circuit testing revealed cam cover, that was painted to match a pink
steps. Supporting mods like a Top Fuel front there was now too much lag out of slow elephant good luck charm the Top Fuel boys
pipe, titanium muffler, Trust 13-row oil cooler corners, so they swapped it back and fitted put in the car when Maeda-san was racing.
and Blitz 525cc injectors got added into 256-degree (inlet and exhaust) Trust cams, Unsurprisingly, given he wrote about a
the mix as well. Handling-wise, they initially modified the throttle body to fit a 70mm S15 Swift almost every month for a year (the build
went for Tryforce ZC-Pro coilovers, a Cusco item, and polished the intake runners instead. finished in 2010), Maeda-san developed a
1-way LSD and 9x17 +35 (f) and 8x17 +37 (r) This brought the dyno reading to a nice, even reputation as something of a Swift expert.
Advan Racing RZ wheels with 235/40 (f) and 350ps and maintained drivability to boot. Indeed, his race instructor, three-time Super
215/40 (r) AD08s, while brakes were upgraded Fortuitously, given all this power necessitated Taikyu class champion Takashi Oi, even
with Endless pads. Further down the line, better brakes, Endless had just released nicknamed him Swift Ohji, or Swift Prince.
the interior lost its rear bench and sound their six-piston “Takumi” front calipers for However, once the build finished, the Swift
deadening, but gained a Safety 21 cage, the ZC31S, so they fitted those, along with became a Top Fuel demo car and Maeda-san
Bride Zieg 3 driver’s seat with RH-9 harness, matching 294mm two-piece slotted rotors and went back to playing with other toys like his
Key’s Racing 350mm wheel, D-Rights MX72 pads. To further dial in the handling, S2000 (which he kept while developing the
Driving Monitor (essentially an LED g-force, they fitted Cusco pillowball front bushes, ZC31S). Having sold that car in 2014 though,
accelerator and brake pedal pressure display), along with a mix of Cusco pillowball and by the end of 2015 he was starting to feel the
Greddy boost gauge and Civic Type R shift Suzuki Sport hard rubber bushes in the rear. need for a track toy again. And wouldn’t you
knob, while the exterior saw TM Square Finally, the team went all-in on the engine and know it, in January 2016, Top Fuel happened
bumpers, skirts and rear wing, as well as a added shorter Top Fuel forged pistons (the to be looking for a buyer for the Swift. “I
102 www.banzaimagazine.com
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SKID MARKS
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Would BANZA-I lie to you? SAY WHAAAAAT
The Honda Civic: Learn your stuff, thrill your friends Martin: “I bet you don’t get an
and be a right know-all in the pub… but don’t get offer like this at home.”
caught out by any we made up. Midge: “I’d be bloody worried if I
The Civic is one of the
did to be fair.”
longest running car names
ever, celebrating 46-years
on the streets last month.
The first-generation model
cost around £1400, which
is about 23-times cheaper
than the new Type R.
In the ’80s and ’90s, Rover 200s and 400s were based on Between
the Civics of the day and many tuning parts can be used
on either. You can even install a Rover Turbo lump in your and
Civic if you’re feeling frisky. A Honda-badged counterpart the Civic wasn’t sold in
of the Rover 200 SD3 was also the very first Honda to be Japan at all, except for
built in the UK. It was put together alongside the Rover at the hybrid version.
the British Leyland Longbridge plant. Shell: “How you getting on?”
Midge: “Not good, I can’t see the
wood for the cheese this month.”
The BTCC cars
driven by Matt
Neil and Gordon Midge: “Nah it can’t be a bloke
Shedden in 2017
may have looked
driving it, it’s an Evoque.”
like brand-new cars, but they were actually
built in 2012. In fact, for 2014 they were cut
and shut (from the B Pillar back) to make The VTEC system was
estates, and then put back to Type R spec introduced to the Civic in the
in 2015. The 2018 season BTCC cars are
brand-spanking-new though.
late 1980s with the 160bhp
B16A engine in the SiR.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE... Contributors: Sam Preston, Adam Rous, Ade Brannan,
Ron V Photography, Ben Hosking, Steve Hall,
Adam Walker, Chris Presley, Jonathan Fletcher
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