Just how far 'behind' are we in the world of tuning - are we really catching up???

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alan_d

Lifer
Im not trying to start a fight or anything, merely create discussion, after finding a few old vids on the net from 1999.

option Skyline drag pt1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bHwk-SA6oc

option Skyline drag pt2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouIjgvW0xKs

to settle a few things, the track used is the bumpy and somewhat downhill 'sendai' track in japan, which is allegedly NHRA approved, and at an altitude of 180 metres above sea level.
Regardless of the incline, the track is a non prep track, and look at how bumpy it is, you can hear the revs rising over them in car lol! Id assume that would level the playing field a little.

If you take Gaijin for example - its still 'off pace' of them boys, in colder temps, and on better tracks? after 10 years of development?

discuss!
 
GT_Irl

GT_Irl

Member +
interesting topic. Definitly worth talking about. That first skyline is 900ps...887hp...and ran in the nines, the second one had a 1.014 60 ft!!! and a low 9sec quarter. Anyone know what the best run was by the norris designs evo because thats 841hp so a good comparison car (ish)?
 
_GAZ_EP85_

_GAZ_EP85_

Member +
andy barnes skyline done a 8.2 at uphill santa pod, so there he would of done a 7 sec pass for sure, weigh's 1000kg and has 870WHP so about 1000bhp per tonne:rockon:
 
sx_turbo

sx_turbo

Lifer
far to many factors to make a comparison.

although where we are now is a lot better than we were in the 80 and 90's
 
GT_Irl

GT_Irl

Member +
Ricky@JAP MAD said:
far to many factors to make a comparison.
Click to expand...

Ya, I know your right dude, I was still gonna try though:haha: The only fair comparison you could do is bring some of their cars over go down santa pod and then send some uk cars/european cars over too Japan and down their track. There would prob be STILL too many variables though, like weather, driver skill etc etc. Im a bit old for 70's and 80's so I could not possibly comment but I do believe alot of progress has been made certainly in the last 20 years, some serious uk/ european cars out there:)
 
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alan_d

Lifer
heres a fair comparison - the Duke car, the Jun lemon, the bee*r car, top secrets 33 etc, all made it over here to our tracks?

jdda_0901_01.jpg


either way - the 60ft times speak volumes! outstanding for a decade ago - look at it this way, Gaijin pretty much IS the duke car in that picture - can it really have changed that much in a decade?
 
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GT_Irl

GT_Irl

Member +
alan_d said:
heres a fair comparison - the Duke car, the Jun lemon, the bee*r car, top secrets 33 etc, all made it over here to our tracks?

jdda_0901_01.jpg


either way - the 60ft times speak volumes! outstanding for a decade ago - look at it this way, Gaijin pretty much IS the duke car in that picture - can it really have changed that much in a decade?
Click to expand...

You have their quarter times and what tracks they were on dude?
 
A

alan_d

Lifer
ill have me a dig thru my old JP's and banzais of old :D this is cool - ill not mention the aussies and us yet lol!
 
A

alan_d

Lifer
Jun Super Lemon @ Totb 9.9sec
Duke Group - whilst still a duke car - 8.8sec

ps if people have updated or different times please jump in!
 
GTti

GTti

Member +
Large Hadron Collider - 185.8 thousand miles per second

I don't think it's anything to do with tuning, we can push things around at 99.9% the speed of light.

The faster you go, the greater the physics of earth work against you, huge developments may equate to very little time.

A little irrelevant, but different technology is the way forward if you want to go faster.
1/4 in a motorcar is for enjoyment (for some) surely? I think this is an indirect answer to your topic question!
 
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SumoDan

SumoDan

Trader
you have got a point, But in 99 the Jap Scene in the UK was pretty much non existent ...There was some big power cars about but they had nothing on the JUN/Duke skyline.

If you look at it now though.........We WILL be doing 7 second runs next year in the Sumo Power R33 GTR and hopefully breaking the world record set by the HKS GTR, I think the record is like 7.57 seconds now? But the aim is to beat the HKS Drag car lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ovPtkNoxQ

Its all about the set up, when we first started doing the drag racing in the old sumo R34 GTR, that was running just under 1000bhp and we couldn't break the 9 seconds, But.....with the exact same power but different suspension set up we managed to hit 9's all day long :cool:
First uk car to do it aswell ;)
 
Sheldon

Sheldon

Malta Area Rep.
GTti said:
I don't think it's anything to do with tuning
Click to expand...

i always do think that tuning plays a big part! - but thats only what I think.

there have been many cars not from the UK that came at the Pod and made better times from there homeland..
 
A

alan_d

Lifer
has the hadron collider even functioned fully yet?

what im getting at, is that we, the uk, hold a fair few f1 teams etc, and were constantly being told that were a hotbed for engineering advancement, yet a decade ago, them crazy guys out in japan, were taking home brew engineering, applying it, and throwing down savage power and savage times?
Its funny just that you see lots of big chequebook cars in the uk coming close, but not quite, when those guys were using power fcs and predominantly bolt on electronics and making it work - it seriously impresses, and humbles me at the same time!
 
GTti

GTti

Member +
From my observations I don't actually think the 1/4 mile is very popular in the UK, specifically from a professional POV. So I don't think it's a case of being behind, it's a case of lack of interest.

It's hardly supprising there has been little development given that the UK leans more towards Motorsport in terms of circuit racing, rally, rallycross and hill climb. I see drag racing as more of an American culture.

Back in the late 80's we had Sierra RS500's reaching over 190MPH and 550BHP around our circuits. Sure I have owned and enjoyed mainly Japanese cars, but people forget about good old British engineering.
 
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HYBRID

HYBRID

Super Moderator <a href="http://www.toyotagtturbo.
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E

EvilKnievel

Member +
I think it some of it comes down as well to cost and availability. The tuning kits parts etc which you come by whilst actually living somewhere like japan or per example what I can get here, huge diff. Yes I can get everything direct as have a friend or two who are tuners, and from some of the prices I see that you guys pay I think often I can get it cheaper. But still a 6 week wait often... I think it would just be easier if we lived in Japan.. oh yeah! Just think tokyo drift the scene with the cars in the underground parking...heaven!
 
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