And on the 8th Day... Falken Tire's S13 Drift Monster
By Mike Kojima, photos by Jeff Naeyaert
In the Bible God created the world in 6 days then got to rest. In racing it is also posible to acomplish a lot in a short time but usualy no one gets to rest, ever.
This is a story of teamwork and determination that began with a Bang. During the morning practice before the top 32 elimination at the 5th Seattle Round of the Formula D Professional Drift Series, Dai Yoshihara had a serious accident that destroyed the Falken/Discount Tire Lexus IS350 that was featured by us just a few weeks ago. The accident struck a serious blow to Team Falken as the Lexus had just come to a point in its development where it was a force to be reckoned with in Dai’s hands. With high qualifications in Las Vegas and Seattle, it seemed just a matter of time before Dai and the Lexus would sit on the podium.
Read about mods to the car for the 2010 season here!
Let's take a virtual tour of the Falken Chevy V8 Powered Nissan S13. Unlike the exotic Lexus, the S13 is closer to something the regular enthusiast could build with a modest budget.
The mighty Hasselgren Daytona Prototype LS motor that powered the Lexus was destroyed in the accident. On a short notice a GM Performance LS2 crate motor was sourced and fortified with CNC ported cylinder heads, a mild roller cam and double valve springs and retainers. A Motec engine management system is used and the engine produces 440 wheel hp with a 7500 rpm redline. Cooling is handled by a Griffin custom radiator.
The LS2 fits like it was made to go right in the S13's engine compartment. A surge tank and a breather can get the bubbles out of the cooling system and handle blowby. The front of the wheelwell is cut away and replaced by the tubular structure to give more clearance for wide tires, more postive caster and more steering lock.
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