Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 24

A large-displacement car needs a turbo swap to feel agile. The unexpected bonus was more low-rpm torque! Before the swap I ran increased boost on the standard turbo.

I think peak output was already around 400 horsepower. But merely having 400 horsepower at the peak didn't make drifting easy. Even flooring the accelerator on corner exit failed to bring in the torque, so I relied on repeated clutch kicks.

The corrections were obvious; it probably didn't look particularly stylish. Changing to this turbo removed that frustration all at once. Don't people usually think a turbo upgrade only adds power at high revs?

It depends on the turbo, of course, but the TO4R Kai I chose greatly increased torque at low revs. That made drifting genuinely easier. In situations that previously needed a clutch kick, a steering input and a little throttle now get the rear sliding.

The controls feel less demanding and I have more time to work. It makes me wonder what all that earlier struggle was for. At Tsukuba's hairpin I now have throttle travel in reserve where I previously needed full throttle.

It's so easy to drive that beginners working hard in a Supra... [continued on the following page]