At the end of my last update, I mentioned that some other changes were possibly in the works. Well now some of those things have materialized and I’m excited to announce them!
As you should know, if you read my updates, we are switching to a z32 transmission for this season. To complement the change and free up some power, we also installed an ACT prolite flywheel and while we had everything apart another ACT 6-puck un-sprung clutch. This is the same clutch I’ve ran since the first day I drove my current motor setup, and its always been rock solid. Honestly it didn’t need replacing, but it was done as preventative maintenance because reliability is a huge factor in a competitive drift program. A z1 motorsports short shifter was also used due to the completely different shifter design of the z32 transmission.
This season we also completed a major brake system overhaul, something that I have wanted to do for a long time. To start with, we purchased the best hydraulic handbrake money can buy from the boys over at ASDmotorsports.com. I opted for the 16” pull back version, but they also offer 10” pull back, and pull up varieties to suit everyone’s driving style. Expect a full review of the ASD brake and a comparison between my old and new handbrake setups.
My new ASD handbrake is going to be plumbed directly to its own dedicated set of z32 rear calipers so there is no interference when using the footbrake and Ebrake at the same time. To accomplish this we got a hold of George Marstanovic and picked up a set of his dual rear caliper brackets. These brackets are CAD designed and real world tested to ensure durability. If you find yourself using both brakes at the same time, be sure to pick up a set of George’s brackets.
Running a top mount turbo can create a lot of heat at the brake master cylinder, I personally have fought this issue multiple times experiencing brake fade at tracks like PGP and once I even melted a brake line, causing fluid to drip onto my manifold and create a small fire. To combat this issue, we ditched the booster and converted to manual brakes for this season. Doing this moves the master cylinder much farther away from the turbo and should keep things cooler.
The first open drift of the season is less than two weeks away and we are working overtime to make sure the car is ready for testing on that day. I’ve got 10 new Falken RT615k’s mounted up and ready to go, and we can’t wait to kill them. I hope to see everyone out at the track!
