Japanese Performance Magazine

Fin 7 sees red

Kei Racing’s Fin 7 wheel is now available in a satin black finish with red pinstripe lip. Other finishes are available, including a machined-face version and the original Hi-power finish. The Fin 7 is available for the usual four- and five-stud suspects, including most Japanese models.
Both finishes come in either 7.5x17in or 7.5x18in sizes and are also available in a lightweight 6.5x15in application (four-stud only). Prices start at £69 for the 15in and £106 for the 17in. For more details, visit www.keiracing.com or call 01530 517920.

Cosworth filters

Cosworth has launched a new range of high performance air filters which are a direct replacement for the standard factory filters. They are claimed to offer improved performance, better filtration, and reduced restriction. They are available for the Honda S2000, Honda Fit, Lexus IS250/350, Mazda3, Mazda MX-5, Mitsubishi Evo VII–IX and Subaru Impreza.
The new filters are priced at £26 plus VAT and are available from Torque Developments International, 0800 107 3250, www.tdi-plc.com

Supersprint STi system

Supersprint is offering a new complete exhaust system for the Subaru Impreza STi 2008. The 70mm diameter system consists of a manifold and turbo up-pipe (£969.10),
down-pipe and metallic cat (£1143.08), centre exhaust (£374.02), centre pipe (alternative to centre exhaust, £222.73), rear exhaust with dual right and left outlets (with EU homologation approval, £748.05), right and left tailpipe kit with 145x95mm oval tailpipes (£332). All prices are plus VAT. Contact Supersprint at www.supersprint.com

Forge splitter

Many of us have replaced a factory recirculating valve with a dump valve. This new 34mm valve from Forge is claimed to offer the perfect combination of both. It has been designed for the many turbo engine applications that operate metered airflow management systems, and gives the noise of a blow-off valve whilst retaining compatibility with the recirculation requirements of the engine management system. Forge also offers the ability to convert the valve to recirculation-only mode for quieter running.
The valve uses a copper and zinc alloy piston with a variable spring preload incorporating a ratchet-type top adjuster, which allows for precise adjustment to match the valve to your engine. This is achieved by using a single, conical, progressive-rate spring that can allow for the retention of boost pressure over a wide adjustment range.
The valve is priced at £145 plus VAT and can be bought through Forge dealers – check out www.forgemotorsport.co.uk

Sports Cat

This new 200-cell high-flow sport catalyst from Exhausts UK is claimed to increase bhp by up to 10 per cent, whilst complying with MoT emission laws. It works with any engine size up to 3500cc, including turbo and supercharged engines.
The unit is 5in long and 4.5in round, so should be small enough to fit most cars on the road. It’s priced at £95. Contact Exhausts UK on 0800 048 0754 or go to www.exhaustsuk.com

Race Tech dash display

For drivers wanting in-car lap time and data display, but not a full instrument dash, here’s the new Dash 3 from Race Technology.
It measures 119mm x 53mm, making it the most compact display in the range, yet it has a configurable graphics LCD. The Dash 3 is available in two versions: Full and Lite. Both units take their data feed from a Race Technology datalogger or ECU interface and have lap and sector timing features.
Dash 3 Lite displays vehicle speed and programmable shift lights, while the Full version can display comprehensive data from GPS, accelerometers, sensors and ECU interface, in numerical, bar graph and XY graph formats.
The price is £249 for the Full version or £199 for the Lite.
A DL1 datalogger can be bundled with the Dash 3 from £599.
All prices are plus VAT and include a free memory card and card reader. Call 01773 537627 or log on to www.race-technology.com

HEL oil cooler

New from Hose Solutions is the first HEL Performance Oil Cooler Kit, designed with performance cars in mind.
It incorporates a 19-row Setrab cooler, a polished stainless steel protective grille, sandwich plate and oil cooler hoses with a choice of ends. It’s available with various options and fitments from £140. Call 01455 828124 or go to www.hosesolutions.co.uk

Advan Neova AD08

There’s a brand-new addition to Yokohama’s high performance tyre range in 2009. The Advan Neova AD08 hits the market mid-way through this year and is aimed between the flagship Advan Sport road tyre and the trackday Advan A048.
The Neova AD08 builds on the previous AD07 to become what Yokohama describes as its strongest road tyre. It’s road-legal yet is claimed to give performance close to semi-slick race tyres.
The AD08 will be available from the Yokohama dealer network or direct from the UK distributor in a range of sizes from 15in to 19in. For more information, contact Yokohama on 01908 625625 or go to www.yokohama.co.uk

Video VBOX

Racelogic has just released its new Video VBOX, which integrates GPS data with high quality video and graphics in one compact unit.
Video VBOX combines a 10Hz GPS datalogger with a solid-state video recorder. Aimed at vehicle dynamics testing applications, racing schools, professional racers and trackday enthusiasts, it takes multiple cameras and combines them with a graphical overlay. The resulting video is streamed on to a flash card or USB stick as a DVD-quality MPEG4 file, with picture-in-picture capability.
The GPS engine provides info on speed, acceleration, distance, lap time, track position and g-forces. There’s also an optional CAN interface to retrieve information such as throttle angle, steering angle, brake pedal pressure and more.
The customisable 24-bit colour graphics allow you to choose from a number of dashboard styles or create your own using a program such as Photoshop. Just by watching the data/video combination, you can spot your braking points, corner entry/exit points and other elements crucial to a quick lap time.
Analysis is possible via optional Windows software, and you can export your position data to Google Earth and your video to YouTube.
Video VBOX package options start from £1395 plus VAT and carriage. Contact Racelogic on 01280 823803, www.racelogic.co.uk

Whiteline ’08 Scooby stuff

Designed for the latest Subaru WRX and STi, Whiteline’s new lower front strut brace and rear anti-roll bar aim to address handling issues. The £138.07 lower front strut brace is fabricated from lightweight, high-tensile alloy and bolts to the lower subframe in minutes to stiffen the front end without affecting ride quality, it is claimed.
The uprated rear anti-roll bar is significantly stiffer than the OEM part and is adjustable to allow fine tuning for fast road or track work. A rear anti-roll bar brace kit bolts everything firmly together. These are priced at £134.78 and £52.36 respectively. For more information, visit www.psupply.co.uk or call 01684 292555.

Cobra Evo VII–IX exhaust

Cobra Sport has unveiled a range of Mitsubishi exhausts. The first is this decat and cat-back exhaust, designed to give the Lancer Evo VII–IX maximum power together with a sensible noise level for trackdays. It’s made from T304 stainless steel and is available with a wide choice of tailpipes.
The boxes are straight-through with a 76mm (3in) bore. Everything is TIG-welded and mandrel-bent for smooth flow. Cobra Sport also offers a 25-year anti-corrosion warranty and the price is £335. Contact www.exhaustsuk.com or call 0800 0435011.

Civic budget coilovers

New from Supersport, Spax’s budget-conscious suspension brand, is this kit for ’95-’01 Honda Civics. The kit allows you to lower your Civic by 25–55mm without removal from the vehicle.
The kit comes complete with four shortened, adjustable dampers, four springs and a C-spanner. There’s a two-year warranty and the cost is £349.99 plus VAT. Call Spax on 01869 244771 or visit www.spaxperformance.co.uk

ZCW rims

New from ZCW are these three styles. The Angel is a mesh-style wheel available in black with a polished lip or full shadow chrome. It comes in sizes 7x17in and 7.5x18in and is available for all popular fitments, priced from £100–£140 per wheel.
The Mystery is a multi-spoke design in shadow chrome (not full chrome as in picture), available in 7x17in and 7x18in, from £90–£105 per rim.
Lastly is the Brave which is a six-spoke deep-dish 4x4 wheel available in full hyper silver or hyper silver with a stainless lip.
It comes in 9.5x22in, 9x20in and 8x18in, with PCDs 5x120 and 6x139, and priced at £130–£350 per wheel. Contact ZCW Alloy Wheels on 08444 180 580 or go to www.zcwuk.com. Alternatively contact Wan Feng AO Wei at www.wfaw.co.uk

Endless monster six-pots

Endless has released its new forged monoblock six-piston calliper, dubbed the Mono-6. The result of five years of development, the calliper is for extreme high performance, claiming high rigidity and light weight (7.4lb).
Available in Race Alumite finish only, the Mono-6 comes with the option of titanium piston caps which further increase strength and durability while decreasing weight. The Mono-6 is best paired with 370mm discs for most vehicles (387mm discs for the Nissan R35 GT-R, which uses Mono-6 front and rear).
Other applications include the Evo (CT9A, CZ4A), Impreza (GDB, GRB), Supra (JZA80), 350Z and Skyline (R33, R34, R35). Contact www.evilmotorsport.com for more information.

AVO trackday coilovers

New from AVO UK is this GTX suspension kit, which is available for Mitsubishi’s Evo IV–IX, most Subarus and Honda’s Civic and CRX. One-off specials are also possible.
Designed for trackday and motorsport use, the GTX combines mono-tube and twin-tube damper technology. The fronts are mono-tube inverted insert, the rears are twin-tube, while both have simultaneous bump and rebound damping rate, making them suited to clubman motorsport/trackday cars.
Prices range from £800 to £900 plus VAT. For more details call AVO UK on 01604 708101, or go to www.avouk.com

Replikits

Buying in bodykits from abroad can mean problems such as long waits for replacement parts or issues with fit and finish. Replikit reports that its own experience with these problems has led it to change its manufacturing process by making everything here in the UK. That way, it says it can control the fit of its kits far better, plus keep a healthy stock. Its range of styles is growing all the time. To find out more, visit to www.replikit.co.uk or call 01279 726888.

Evo X actuator

New from turbo accessory specialist Forge Motorsport is this replacement actuator which utilises the latest piston design to improve reliability issues with Mitsubishi OEM diaphragm actuators. The actuator is supplied complete with bracket ready to install and is priced at £147 plus VAT. Contact Forge Motorsport on 01452 380999 or go to www.forgemotorsport.co.uk

New STi pipes

Subaru tuner Revolution has a new STi exhaust system available, following months of road and dyno testing. Constructed from T304 stainless steel (which has a lifetime guarantee), with precision mandrel bends for optimum gas flow, the 3in-diameter system brings out that distinctive Subaru flat-four rumble: Revolution says the tone is ‘sporty yet unobtrusive.’

The manufacturer claims a 65 per cent reduction in back pressure from the cat-back system alone, but Revolution’s high-flow 200 cell sports catalyst is also available to improve gas flow even further. You can choose either a 90mm twin round-pipe system or 140x90mm RS4-style oval. The complete cat-back system retails at £449. For more information, click on www.revolution247.com or call 0845 002 3009.

Firenze Sport rim

Italian wheel designer Finichi has recently introduced the Firenze Sport rim, with a split-spoke design and deep stainless steel lip. With staggered widths available, the wheel has applications for most core Jap fitments including the 300ZX, 350Z, Evo, Supra and Skyline. The 19in versions are available as either as 8.5in or 9.5in width, whilst 20in can be ordered as either a 9in or 10.5in. Prices start at £190.74. For information, visit www.finichi.com or call 01530 517 920.

Flo-flex for Impreza

Flo-flex Polyurethane is a new suspension bush manufacturer which has just gone live with a brand new website. Included are a lot of new bush kit ranges, including the Subaru Impreza. Flo-flex has a front and rear anti-roll bar kit costing £19.95, front and rear drop links for £124.95, and rear subframe mounting kits for £29.95. To view the range, go to www.floflex.co.uk or call 01745 360222.

Honda S2000 coilovers

Prices of used Honda S2000s have fallen dramatically recently. Now out of warranty and starting at around £5000, early S2000s make the perfect basis as a performance car project. Now Cobra Suspension is offering a new fully adjustable ‘Evo III’ coilover kit for the S2000.

The Cobra kit offers 80mm of adjustable height, damping and rebound, claimed to give the Honda extra grip and traction. The stainless steel bodies have polyurethane bushes and a specially designed bump-stop that’s claimed to offer improved turn-in and driver feedback. The kit is priced at £962. For details visit www.cobra-suspension.com or call 01530 517920.

Prolex TOM’s IS45

Prolex-UK is the UK dealer for TOM’s Co Japan, which has a rich racing pedigree and close links to Toyota. Prolex-UK is now offering the TOM’s IS45, a Lexus IS350 converted by TOM’s factory in Tokyo, with a TOM’s Hyper supercharger, styling kit, 19in alloys and barrel exhaust system.

The package gives you a 3.5-litre, V6-engined car with six-speed sequential automatic gearbox producing 352bhp and 390lb ft of torque at 0.4bar.

Since Lexus GB does not import the IS350 into Europe, Prolex-UK sources cars from its dealer in Japan, converted and then shipped to the UK to be prepared for the relevant tests, registered and delivered.

What does it cost? The demonstration car pictured is a late 2005 model with full multi-media pack and 15,000 miles, and costs £31,000 on the road in the UK. Due to the range of specifications on offer and exchange rates, the price may vary but once a deposit has been paid, the price is fixed.

For more information, contact Dave Ellen on 0208 310 1707 or visit www.prolex-uk.com

KAAZ Toyota gear kit

Japanese transmission specialist KAAZ has released a five-speed close-ratio gear kit for the 3SGTE-engined Toyota MR2 and Celica. The gear kits come with the following ratios: 1st - 3.321:1; 2nd - 2.235; 3rd - 1.667; 4th - 1.25; 5th - 0.929. The kits are priced at £1500 plus VAT and are available in Europe from Co-ordSport. Call 0121 661 6263 or visit www.coordsport.com

350Z traction control

Advanced Motorsport and Engineering (AM&E) has a new plug-and-play traction control system for the Nissan 350Z.

Using the Racelogic Traction Control with Digital Adjuster, AM&E has developed the system. It works by monitoring wheel speeds, constantly comparing the driven and undriven wheels, and looking for differences between the two. When the system detects an excessive difference in wheel speeds above a user-programmable slip threshold, a fuel cut is initiated to reduce the power of the engine, thus reducing wheelspin.

The system features an AM&E custom wiring harness specific to the Nissan 350Z. The entire package can be fitted in five minutes, the company claims, and requires no more than a screwdriver and ratchet with 10mm socket. The cost is £850.21 plus VAT. Call 01908 64895 or go to www.advancedme.co.uk

Dezent Motion

Dezent has just released the Motion wheel, a thin-spoked alloy suitable for high performance modified cars with high power and torque. The Motion combines strength and lightness with motorsport styling, and is available in 6.5x15 and 7x17 in four-stud applications, or 7.5x18 in four- and five-stud applications. There’s a choice of silver or black with a red pinstripe. To find your local Dezent dealer, call 0700 943359, or go to www.alcar-wheelwright.co.uk

Titan Supra manifold

Titan Motorsports has a new performance inlet manifold for the Toyota Supra 2JZ-GTE engine. This is a 102mm diameter street/race intake manifold that utilises the factory throttle body and is claimed to increase flow and minimise turbulence while maintaining factory integrity.

This main intake plenum adapts to the factory lower plenum. It’s a tubular design, claimed to cause less turbulence and give equal distribution throughout all six intake runners. There are integrated mounts for the throttle cable and cruise control brackets, and no fixings screwed into the plenum chamber to disrupt flow or cause leaks. Also, the entire unit is polished, which finishes off the TIG-welded aerospace-grade aluminium.

It’s a bolt-on fit for the factory throttle body, plus it’s claimed the manifold will run with the factory computer or any aftermarket engine management system. Titan says gains of 20-30bhp above 5500rpm can be expected, but the manifold will be of most benefit on cars producing is in excess of 650bhp. Retailing at $1120, it’s available from www.titanmotorsports.com, tel: 001 407 277 8423.

Break-in oil

It is essential on a rebuilt engine to have the correct engine oil in order to break-in the engine properly. Ultimately, this helps the engine produce more power and makes it last longer. Nimbus Motorsport is now offering Torco TBO Premium Break-In Oil, which is blended to provide protection during initial start-up and running-in. It’s also claimed to suit older engines without roller lifters.

Torco’s TBO is claimed to provide the necessary engine flush prior to switching to a synthetic motor oil, or any oil of choice. It’s available in SAE 30 and SAE 40 viscosities and retails at £5.99 per litre. Contact Nimbus Motorsport on 01377 236170 or go to www.nimbusmotorsport.com

Engine colours

Zircotec has developed a new range of engine colour finishes that are also claimed to lower underbonnet temperatures. The range comprises 13 new coloured ceramic coatings that can be applied to components such as exhaust manifolds and turbo housings.

A derivative of Zircotec’s Thermohold ceramic coating has a multi-layer ceramic paint finish in colours including red, green, blue, yellow, black, gold and silver. These coatings are designed to offer a thermal barrier, inhibiting heat transfer from the surface of the material, holding the temperature within the exhaust gas, protecting nearby components and offering a reduction in external temperature.

The coating is suitable for exhausts, manifolds and silencers, turbo housings and other metal components including heat shields and engine ancillaries. To find out more, contact Zircotec on 01235 434326, wwwzircotec.com

Rotary harnesses

New from Rotary Art are these harnesses in eight colour variations. They’re six-point and FIA-approved, coming with 3in straps with 2in lap straps. Prices start at £95 from www.rotaryart.uk.com or you can email info@turnagain.uk.com

Super Fire plugs

New M-Series Super Fire racing spark plugs are now in stock at HKS’s UK distributor, Co-ordSport. Produced by HKS in collaboration with NGK, they use both iridium and platinum.
Initially, the M-Series plugs are available for the Mitsubishi Evolution (Evo IV to X) and all Skyline GT-R models and come in different heat ranges.

HKS Super Fire spark plugs retail at £14.50 plus VAT each. For details, contact Co-ordSport on 0121 661 6263 or visit www.coordsport.com