Import Racing

The Import scene or Import racing scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars (commonly referred to as imports), especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in foreign countries. Thanks to movies like The Fast and the Furious (2001), it has become a mainstream phenomenon.Car modifying has been very popular among youth in the United States, especially a strong racing culture in California, particularly Southern California. It is considered to be the birthplace of North American drag racing. This area was covered in some depth by magazines such as Turbo and Hi-Tech Performance and Sport Compact Car.

Many enthusiasts in southern California also began to modify their compact cars imported from Japan , following similar trends that originated in Japan. Arising from the street culture, import racing venues eventually arose and huge drag racing events at Palmdale, California often packed in over 10,000 spectators per day. Racers like Stephen Papadakis, Ed Bergenholtz, and Myles Bautista dominated the first import drag racing circuit IDRA (Battle of the Imports) in the mid 1990s. Show car clubs became a huge factor within the import scene: Southern California had Team Forza, Northern California had Z.Team Yossi, while the east coast had the Jade Crew (still active to this day). This Japanese racing scene can be seen in the anime series Initial D, which focuses mainly on mountain pass racing and Wangan Midnight which deals with high-speed expressway racing.

Street racers, known natively as hashiriya (走り屋), infamously in Japan, where they are known as kousoku battle or commonly known as Roulette-zoku as they drive round and round on circular expressways and frequently occur on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo. The most notorious group to be associated with it was the Mid Night Club (which turned into a game based on the actual group) who gave street racing worldwide attention with its 300km/h (186 mph) antics and was known for its high standards and organization.

There are various motivations for street racing, but typically cited reasons include:

-Generally, street racing is not sanctioned and thus leads to a less rigorously controlled environment than sanctioned racing, to the enjoyment of some participants.

-Street racing is cited as an activity which is available to people who are otherwise underage for
entertainment at traditional venues such as bars.

-A community generally springs up around the street racing "scene", providing social interaction among the participants and cliques therein.

-The opportunity to prove the worth of one's money invested in a vehicle.

-The simple and uncomplicated excitement of racing without the entry fees, rules and politics, typical of the sport.

-The excitement of racing when law enforcement is certain to give chase.

-A lack of proper, sanctioned racing venues in the locale.

-Street races are sometimes wagered on, either by the participants or observers. This is the origin of the term "racing for pink slips" (which means that the winner keeps the opponent's car), which inspired the 2005 Speed Channel series Pinks. This, in real life, seldom happens; most wagers involve cash (as in Pinks: All Out.

-To settle a bet, dispute, etc between fellow racers (ex. one believes that they are the better person, vice versa, and turns into an argument, which leads to a race (if it comes down to that)).

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DRIFTING

Drifting is really nothing new. If your car's rear end has ever swung around on a wet road, and you've struggled for 50 feet to get control, you've drifted. Even in car racing, drifting is pretty old hat. When race car drivers go around a turn at high speed, especially in the early days of racing when tires didn't have the grip they do now, the back end would sometimes swing out. The car would either spin out or the driver would recover from the drift and keep moving. Today, even with tires that could probably grip a vertical wall, the ability to drift without spinning out is an enviable skill in racing. The best drivers can control a drift so they can use it to their advantage -- a driver who can take a "non-ideal" path through a turn and brake late, causing the car to lose traction through the turn, has far more opportunities to pass than a driver who can't manage a drift.

Drifting competitions are judged based on line, angle, speed, and show factor. Line involves taking the correct line, which is usually announced beforehand by judges. The show factor is based on multiple things, such as the amount of smoke, how close the car is to the wall, and the crowd's reaction. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift, Speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the speed exiting the turn; faster is better.

Heel Toe Shifting (Double Clutching)

Is a technique used when Drifting. Proper heal toe shifting keeps the engine, transmission, and wheel speed matched up so there is no jolt through the driveline while downshifting.

1. Before entering a turn, do your initial braking to transfer your vehicle’s weight forward. Double clutch / heel toe downshift (see next step). Turn your wheels into the corner. Carry enough momentum into the corner to induce oversteer.
2. Clutch in, bring your vehicle into neutral, and release clutch. While on the brakes, slide your right heel over to the gas pedal and rev up (blip) the engine to match transmission and engine speed. Without matching revs on downshift, the engine speed will cause a jolt through the driveline, upsetting rear traction uncontrollably.
3. After matching revs, clutch in, and downshift your vehicle. Double clutching is optional, but reduces wear on your transmission. Use e-brake if momentum and downshift do not create enough oversteer.
4. Release the clutch, get off the brakes, and press the accelerator. Accelerate enough to keep tires spinning to continue oversteer. Add steering input (countersteering) to keep your vehicle from pivoting or spinning out.

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Turbos!!

In this article, we'll learn how a turbocharger increases the power output of an engine while surviving extreme operating conditions. We'll also learn how Greddy Blow Off Valve , ceramic turbine blades and ball bearings help Greddy Bolt-on Turbo Kit do their job even better. Turbochargers are a type of forced induction system. They compress the air flowing into the engine.

In order to achieve this boost, the turbocharger uses the exhaust flow from the engine to spin a turbine, which in turn spins an air pump. The turbine in the turbocharger spins at speeds of up to 150,000 rotations per minute (rpm) -- that's about 30 times faster than most car engines can go. And since it is hooked up to the exhaust, the temperatures in the turbine are also very high.

Boost refers to the increase in manifold pressure that is generated by the turbocharger in the intake path or specifically intake manifold that exceeds normal atmospheric pressure. This is also the level of boost as shown on a pressure gauge, usually in bar, psi or possibly kPa This is representative of the extra air pressure that is achieved over what would be achieved without the forced induction. Manifold pressure should not be confused with the amount, or "weight" of air that a turbo can flow.

Blow-Off & Bypass Valves have one goal, prevent compressor surge. Compressor surge occurs when the throttle plate of a turbocharged engine closes and the pressurized air is forced back into the turbocharger’s compressor housing causing the turbo to slow down. Compressor surge not only decreases the spool of a turbo but can also damage its center cartridge. Greddy Blow Off Valve and Bypass Valves prevent compressor surge by venting the excess pressure when a throttle plate closes, thus improving spool-up & longevity.

A blow-off-valve is connected by a vacuum hose to the intake manifold after the throttle plate. When the throttle is closed, without pressure develops in the intake manifold after the throttle plate and "sucks" the blowoff valve open. The excess pressure from the turbocharger is vented into the atmosphere or recirculated into the intake upstream of the compressor inlet.

Advantages
More specific power over naturally aspirated engine. This means a turbocharged engine can achieve more power from same engine volume.
Better thermal efficiency over both naturally aspirated and supercharged engine when under full load (i.e. on boost). This is because the excess exhaust heat and pressure, which would normally be wasted, contributes some of the work required to compress the air.
Weight/Packaging. Smaller and lighter than alternative forced induction systems and may be more easily fitted in an engine bay.
Fuel Economy. Although adding a turbocharger itself does not save fuel, it will allow a vehicle to use a smaller engine while achieving power levels of a much larger engine, while attaining near normal fuel economy while off boost/cruising. This is because without boost, only the normal amount of fuel and air are combusted.

Team Forza Motorsport brings you the best in forced induction technology, turbocharged cars, and the latest turbo parts. http://www.teamforzamotorsport.com/

STREET RACING

Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal auto racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Spontaneous races usually occur at intersections where two cars stop at a red light before they begin racing. Well coordinated races, in comparison, are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and using police scanners and GPS units to mark locations of local police hot spots. Most duels are drag races.



Types of racing encountered on the street
Drag Racing is a race which involves two or more competitors who drive in a straight line for a specified distance (usually a 1/4 mile). The driver that covers the most distance between the two cars or reaches the end first is the winner. Fundamental skills in drag racing are the ability to launch with minimal wheelspin and quick shifting skills. Reaching the engine's redline happens in almost every race to get the full power out of the car's engine, but depending on the types of cars racing, the shift points may vary, as certain engines do not achieve full power at that point. This imposes the risk of critical engine damage if a redline misshift occurs.



A more common form of racing, in which two or more cars compete until one party is the clear winner. This differs from the above mentioned drag race, in which a set distance on a straight road is traversed. Drivers typically line up while moving under the posted speed limit. Once all the cars are ready, one car will sound its horn three times; the third time is the final signal to start the run. A car simply outruns the other vehicles by a considerable margin in order to win. If the winner cannot be determined, it is usually decided upon a mutual agreement, or having another race.

Another way to signal a race is by flashing the vehicle's high-beams. This is typically run by high horsepower cars. Drivers are forced to race in a competition of power-to-Weight ratios rather than an actual competition of skill. Also know as "Roll Racing".



Team Forza Has been Street racing for 13 years now and we have our own webstore to share our Knowledge and experience of performance products learned in the Street Racing scene.

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