Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 73
Page 73 — English translation
Many drift cars have bent frames. Making them track straight takes patience, and a four wheel tester is a powerful tool. Measuring and setting only the front or rear to reference values may still leave poor handling.
Aftermarket arms expand the adjustment range, often allowing alignment close to normal despite body problems. Suzuki recommends getting an accurate baseline once: even if you later work yourself, it is easier to return to known settings. Better handling and reduced tire wear make the expense worthwhile.
YMS Tatebayashi: 1125-1 Higashihironai, Tatebayashi, Gunma. Tel: 0276-75-1911. About 15 minutes from Tatebayashi interchange and under an hour from Nikko Circuit. The mechanics are active drifters who advise on car setup and technique. Alignment costs ¥13,400 plus ¥1,050 per aftermarket arm. Original arms are also sold: pillow ball tension rods ¥17,850; upper arms ¥23,940; another rod ¥18,690 ; HICAS delete rods ¥12,600.
Captions and page details
It's your first time, so accurate reference figures matter!
An intensive tuning course
Let's align it!
The alignment adjustment process
2
...for your car!
Get peak condition
Adjustment
Advantages of machine measurement
Two major advantages over DIY: all four wheels are measured simultaneously, allowing work with front to rear balance in view, especially useful on a car that will not track straight. Second, the readings are precise: laser measurement resolves 0.01 mm.
It happens surprisingly often!
A common problem: mismatched left and right arms
Adjust ride height and tire pressures
Watch for cars with only one bent tie rod replaced by an aftermarket part. Different adjustment ranges and strength can let the alignment drift sooner. The same applies to pillow ball arms. Use matching manufacturers on both sides...
...as a pair.
Measure corner weights with the driver seated in the car
Uneven tire wear and bent wheels
Most problems become apparent here!
3
First the tires are rotated to measure runout, and its average becomes the measurement reference. Uneven wear or distorted wheels increase runout and make the average less reliable. The tires need not be new, but should be in normal, sound condition.
T
Pillow ball tension rods
Measurement begins. Discuss the initial readings with the technician to decide the adjustment direction.
...arms
Rear upper
4
These two are essential!
Adjust camber, toe and caster in sequence. Bringing every reading into line can take 30 minutes on an easy car, or two to three hours on others.
After adjustment, road test the car, put it back on the platform and verify. Fine tune if necessary.
5
Pillow ball tension rods adjust caster and rear upper arms adjust camber. Standard arms have some adjustment, but often not enough on lowered cars. Suzuki recommends fitting the arms before paying for alignment to make the most of the expense.
http://park21.wakwak.com/yms-t/
Car dock
YMS
24
Shingo Suzuki
Since joining YMS, Suzuki has measured and adjusted alignment on many kinds of cars. Repeat customers request him specifically. His own HCR32 uses an RB25 enlarged to 2.6 liters. Nikko is his home circuit, and this expert drifter hopes to compete in D1 with YMS Works.
Trust me and try a proper alignment once!
71
About this issue
ドリフト天国 (Drift Tengoku), September 2004, is a Japanese drifting magazine. This archive preserves 316 scanned pages in their original right-to-left reading order, including the covers.
English translations are available through the outlined text areas. Hover over a box on desktop, or tap it on mobile. The original photographs and Japanese lettering remain visible on the scan.
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