You've asked for it time and time again, and we've been listening. We're all about tightening the loosest nut in the car-the one behind the steering wheel. So sit back and enjoy as we embark on a series of articles devoted to mastering the different techniques of driving. We're teaming up with some of the foremost driving schools and professional drivers, who will impart their knowledge and lend their opinion on how to master their respective crafts.
Our first stop is to tackle the sideways, tire-blazing techniques used in the phenomenon known as drifting. No, it's not the fastest way around a racetrack, but for all-out hooliganism, nothing beats a perfectly executed slide. Ask the owner of any rear-wheel-drive car (and a few extremely dedicated front-wheel and all-wheel-drive owners) what they enjoy doing most and the answers are simple: burnouts, donuts and drifts. Sorry, but for burnouts and donuts, you're on your own. For now.
To get the experts' opinion, we teamed up with Falken Tires and Discount Tire and hit the Formula Drift ranks. As America's leading professional nationwide drifting series, Formula D counts numerous driving school instructors, rally racers and road racers among its ranks. Our test subject is the Discount Tire/Falken Tires-sponsored Lexus IS350 and its chosen pilot, Hiro Sumida.
Sumida is a seasoned SCCA autocross competitor who turned to drifting for fun and exposure. After climbing the ranks using a combination of skill, driving flair, crashes and top ramen dinners, Sumida now has this 500-plus wheel-hp Lexus IS350. But how does one go about setting up a full-blown professional drift car?
This IS350 is a complete beast, whether on a road course or a drift course. Built for the 2007 Formula D season, project manager Jonathon Bradford teamed up with SPD Metal Works in Placentia, California, to complete the event-filled project to a tight deadline. This meant the Falken guys had to scrap their initial plans of making the IS350's 2GR-FSE V6 engine (with a tricky 12-injector fuel system) work at high power levels. With big power a requirement to help necessitate long, lurid slides (most front-running Formula D cars run above 500bhp), the decision was made to swap in a 2JZ-GTE from a Toyota Supra Turbo. Since the IS350 is only available with an automatic, the opportunity also presented itself to drop in a G-Force four-speed, non-synchronized dogbox transmission-a piece more likely to be found in a drag racer than a drifter.
The 2JZ-GTE's iron block bottom end is well known for surviving massive boost pressure and creating four-digit dyno-queen power numbers. But for Falken and Discount Tire, only a moderate amount of power was required to roast the Falken RT-615 tires in competition. By moderate, we mean 580 wheel-hp and 420lb-ft of torque-all measured on a Dynapack water brake hub dyno.
Except for hotter BC cams, the engine is left factory stock internally. A GReddy turbo-charger kit has been added, with a larger TD07 turbo and a healthy increase in exhaust diameter. Sitting on custom engine mounts, the 3.0-liter motor looks almost factory, with a near-perfect placement under the hood.
One look at the foot box, AiM MXL Pista digital display, custom Lexan side windows, Sparco safety equipment and SPD Metal Works roll cage, and the professional nature of this effort is obvious. Massive 14-inch front Project Mu brakes and an in-car adjustable TEIN suspension (which uses 24kg/mm front and 9kg/mm rear springs, due to the extra weight of the 2JZ-GTE) speak volumes about the car's potential on any racetrack, regardless of driving style.