Tuner at heart!

I still cannot describe how much I evolved into the tuning aspects just because of the dullness of occidental car culture. I've grown with the wild visuals of the 1990s and 2000s, the restorations and mods in the 2010s, but I can understand that looks can go along pretty well with quality from the 2020s onwards. Market niches will continue existing, but if you want a car that look deceivingly regular but show its amazing performance on the curves, I can give you a little glimpse into my tuner heart. I will use the Nissan Silvia/Gazelle (RPS13) as a demonstration.

Tires
Usually you should go easy with them. Since I feel the need to go over holes, bumps, ramps and sidewalk, I really consider a middle ground between soft and hard. I really don't feel confortable using superbly wide tires if the power doesn't match the purpose. I wouldn't go past a 215 mm width, 55 mm height on sidewall, on a very mild 14 or 15 inch set of alloy wheels. I guess the 205 mm will feel already kinda big enough for such anything european, american or asian sport compact class of car.

Wheels
I tend to respect the original measure. The RPS13 generation came with the basic 14 inches, but 15 is a nice middle and my absolute limit is 16 inches. I've seen a plenty of cars with large factory wheels around 16, 17 and 18 inch wheels and I really dislike very tall wheels for two things: (a) they require a lot more effort from the drivetrain to move and stop, and (b) they tend to weigh so much more in comparison with a smaller set. As much as we have carbon fiber wheels nowadays, I really wouldn't like try my luck on the beyond a very flat race track. Smaller wheels will always spin more, faster and be easier to stop with nice brakes.

Brakes
The stock four-wheel-discs setup is enough on a car that weighs around 1100 kg. Vented? Perfect! I really think 4 pots front and 2 pot rear might be enough to last a lifetime. Competition fluid and you really don't need that much beyond it. Ok, maybe a 2 pot in the rear if you really enjoy slamming on a braking point into a perfect zero-counter on the curves. Good pads won't burn beyond the necessary.

Suspension
Adjustable coil overs. But as long as just double the load of shocks and springs based on values from the stock settings, it won't ruin your experience. Camber angle? Zero! Toe angle? Zero! With this alignment you can drive through most obstacles immune to adversities. Believe-me, even the professional drivers and the teams realize that about -2° to -5° (negative degrees) is enough. And in daily tuner life, you really don't want anything beyond the absolute 0°! Again, only for track purposes and that will depend a lot on other factors. And, the height of the car should not be lower than 50% of the stock height of the car. Silvia/Gazelle S13 were 1.30 m tall, and just by lowering to 1.15 cm is enough to not rip off things below your butt.

Flywheel
A balanced lightweight one, if you really want to enjoy the early response of the engine. Either a racing one or drilling the stock one.

Gearbox
The original box will be enough for a lifetime. You probably carve for a 6-speed manual from the S15 generation, but that's only if you're really into saving fuel in traffic (especially in highways) and spending more of your lifetime on the circuits. Cool to keep shifting since many Civic popularized the 6-speed box on the SI and Type-R versions, but the old 5-speed is already enough. They are the same for S13, S14 and S15 so... doesn't matter that much. Automatics? Never. They're very hard to be pushed to the limits, even by professionals and are mostly annoying when you really want to drive entirely by yourself. Manuals are forever.

Driveshaft
You can probably save a lot of money since the stock iron one will last an eternity. I'd recommend go after an aluminium type. A carbon type is just for the ultimate weight reduction purpose. So, the aluminium do best of both worlds. Go for it.

Differential
Depends on your purpose, but the top trims of Silvia/Gazelle (usually the "K" in Japan, from the card deck,  King) came with a limited-slip right from the factory. Same for the "A" (informally "Ace", a version tuned by Autech Nissan, exclusively in Japan). Crappy thing is that you really must not get anything with a HICAS on the rear, so I'd rather play safe with a stock rear suspension on a very basic trim. It works very well, but that's only if you're into shaving that 0.010 of a second at time attack. Just get a basic LSD. Whether you'll use urethane or rubber bushings, it depends on your feeling at the wheel.

Weight
The S13 is about 1100-1200 kg on average, depending on the trim. If you ever watched that video from ChrisFix and his weight reduction on a BMW sedan, and finally got your confirmation that you can shave some 250 kg from any car you see on your life, you know you can pretty much bring the Silvia/Gazelle to low 1000 kg sharp and just a bit less than that. But this part is completely optional on your part. I know its mostly a 2-seater sport compact just like Prelude, Eclipse, Miata, Impreza, Celica... but Silvia is just one among them and it doesn't make much difference. I mean... you'll probably never use the rear seat beyond storage, like an extended trunk so... feel free do to the weight reduction. Its a very optional choice.

Engine, Exhaust, EFI, ECU
The problem is that most export versions of the S13 often were sold in the american market with the crappy KA24E or KA24DE (2.4 litre) engine, whereas around the world they had CA18 (1.8 litre) or SR20 (2.0 litre) engines. Also, these engines came in other Nissan models from the time, so a swap is usually easy. But you really need to get rid of the 2.4 litre. I've seen countless chaps try to push the best of 350 hp on the KA24DE which is the 16 valve DOHC version, but since its a car that is so light, you probably will feel the need of a high revving engine. Anything with a square or oversquare bore/stroke proportion will be good. Also, this car is excellet at 200-250 hp at best, so there's no need for anything beyond that. Don't even mind about putting a large exhaust pipe. Its worthless and I really dislike the practice.

The final result?
It always depends on your personal taste. I can explain on a post why I actually enjoy the true sleeper car on a more detailed context. Nowadays its called OEM+, or "lightly tuned", or any sort of thing like that. That's because I understand how the market actually works, what are the real price cap on these modern cars and for how long most common people will keep them. Its not exactly because they get so much attention, rather its the contrary; the least attention you can get, the better you are enjoying the car by yourself.

If I can bring that change to the car culture, it will be a good for everyone around. I think its due to how my expectations do not fight the reality, even if the reality does not make up the mind of all people around me. Maybe in China, maybe in Korea, maybe in Japan. But I'm not residing there at the moment. I want but its expensive even to get away from Brasil hehehe. The RPS13 is not much different from Prelude, Celica, Eclipse, Impreza or Mystere, but I doubt if people in the occident will ever take my words seriously. Not that I'd want that to happen, unless I'm working actively with cars.

Jamais confunda ética com etiqueta!

Desde que eu mudei minha psicologia em prol de uma abordagem mais "asiática" na forma de interpretar a vida e o mundo, parece que eu sempre tenho que explicar exatamente tudo aquilo que eu quero dizer. As constantes desavenças que tenho com minha família são exatamente fruto entre esta vontade de fazer as coisas por paixão vs. por obrigação.

Eu entendo muito bem que trabalhar garante o sustento diário. Mas, especialmente numa sociedade ocidental quebrada como a brasileira, de quê adianta trabalhar e sustentar esse sistema completamente hipócrita e contraditório, especialmente quando a vasta maioria das pessoas ainda prefere acreditar e morrer por ele?

É por isso que eu sou extremamente categórico nos meus limites. Jamais vou confundir a ética com a etiqueta. Tudo tem um limite! E, conhecendo o mundo exatamente como ele é, não poderia ficar mais extremamente decepcionado com a forma e o pensamento ocidentais de se "viver a vida".

A minha forma de comunicar, criticar e produzir coisas vai totalmente contra as expectativas dos povos ocidentais. Eu já sabia que eu era assim desde pequeno, mas faz uns poucos anos que eu consegui descobrir de onde vem essa organização mental minha. Depois que passei a me apegar à culturas orientais, foi só aquele abraço para o mundinho ocidental.

Supra is expensive? Here's a plenty of Toyota/Lexus options!

Let's say you're one of those idiots who got enamored with the A80 Supra. And you're probably thinking you can't get enough if you can't have this speficic model. What are your other options? Well... if you have an open mind, let me get you into the other excellent options that can fit any kind of JZ engine and 6-speed manual gearbox. Actually... any kind of engine and gearbox. A true tuner at heart knows no limits for its imagination and actions.

Toyota Soarer / Lexus SC

The lovely personal luxury coupe, fits 4 with comfort and you can really push your own limits on your driving capabilities. I'll never forget a video from a korean who tried to drift an automatic one and almost crashed on the curb of a road. Another sign that different and difficult cars makes excellent drivers.

Toyota Chaser, Cresta, Mark II, Verossa

A little band of sedans that won't weigh as much as a packed A80. If you're really into importing one, you will just have a beefy sedan that can hold astonishing amounts of punch no Supra could ever take. And by that I mean a serious amount of torsional forces along the body. Another thing to bruise on the face of your friend with that crappy targa-top shit that drags him into debt. Such a miracle that a japanese import is actually superbly cheaper than a common darling these days hehehe.

Toyota Aristo / Lexus GS

This one has the lines of Giorgetto Giugiaro and sold pretty well in foreign markets. Basically the Mercedes from Toyota. I find kinda amusing that tuners often forget that these actual big boats were the ones that carried all their beloved tires, wheels, brakes, suspension, drivetrain and engines they supposedly love so much, but fail to see the beauty on a different package. Good for me, for a couple of smart geniuses around (and I'm part of them), bad for the idiots gawking at crappy at those catfishes. Not the delicious Camaro (1993-2002), I'm talking about the crappy Supra that has a worse base-proportion than the "catfish" Camaro. But you don't have to believe me or check the data. Go live your illusion.

Toyota Celsior / Lexus LS

Basically your VIP car at a fraction of a Century cost. Nobody can deny that this one was engineered to beat anything from europe or north-america. Although a bit boring in style, the quality speaks for itself. Kinda sad that many let this beauty go away for basically not knowing what they really are. Well, when a bunch of blacks and whites still carving for illusions, you just let them go. But catch that Celsion as soon as possible. They'll miss it more than they can think about.

Lexus RC "Radical Coupe"

Now, in terms of modern manufacturing, this is perhaps the nicest coupe you can have if you really miss the Soarer. When Toyota is basically doing little tweaks on a BMW trying to grasp the old right things from that "Supra" 2000-GT, you can actually have a 100% japanese engineered car on your hands with all the modern technology in terms of construction. Believe-me, not even the best and pristine A80 Supra can reach this level of refinement. You'll be more than surprised along the way.

Lexus LC "Luxury Coupe"

Of course you probably want an LFA-10, but given how rare that crap of plastic box actually is and how quirky it drives and how complex it is to tune properly. Why don't you try the absolute beauty of this coupe and roadster? Its basically metal frame. Despite the weight, this one is built to last forever and I'm very sad they're taking it out of production. Maybe for other interesting things to come but the LC will remain as powerful as I can think on my mind. I definitely don't want an LFA-10. It was poorly engineered from day 1. For them its just business and I get it. If it only was a bit lighter and cheaper...

Rejoice at the vast lineup of Toyota/Lexus that can fill your dreams in a better way.

Paixão

O que é o conceito de paixão para mim?

Para mim é justamente fazer algo que me agrada em 100% de plenitude. Sem concessões, sem limitações.

Quando fiz uma postagem no Reddit perguntando "o fato de você comprar um carro esportivo, realmente te leva a dirigi-lo de forma esportiva?", naturalmente obtive respostas variáveis. Eu percebi que houve uma pequena aceitação da premissa, mas certamente eu sei que a maioria dos garotos não teria coragem de usar o próprio carro em todo o seu potencial.

A conclusão não poderia ser outra; eles não tem paixão o suficiente. Exceto por um ou outro piloto amador, escondido no canto daquele website, a maioria só quer um carro para desfilar por aí. Provocam no tacômetro e no escapamento da Amanco, mas é uma provocação que não vai chegar a ser uma coleção de arranhados nos parachoque na estrada da montanha.

Mas, pensem comigo: não seria mais barato e mais saudável se, para este grupo, bastassem apenas os carros mais baratos e comuns do mercado? Porquê então, cegamente, enfiam rios de dinheiro em esportivos que nunca terão uma altíssima rodagem ou jamais atingirão as altas velocidades para as quais foram projetados?

Deixemos eles serem os verdadeiros idiotas bobos-alegres com suas despesas pessoais ferradas. Nem mesmo os "encontros" não tem a tal variedade de carros ou competitividade que eu busco. Sobretudo aqui no ocidente, seja América, África ou Europa.

Você provavelmente encararia meu carro como se fosse um completo lixo. Mas, cada arranhado conta uma história e um desafio superado. O bobo-alegre não tem a paixão que eu tenho. Felizmente.

China just proved the world ICE is safe. And other things as well.

And with an engine claiming some +40% of thermo-chemical efficiency, they really have told the world they managed to put themselves among major and centuries-old car makers. Yes, at this point they literally shocked the world by simply producing an efficient engine. Like all of them do. Its curiosu because they have also mastered the technology behind electricity on their cars and took the brazilian market as an important step into the occidental world. I'm here to see them, just as I dreamed if JDM arrived in our country in 1980. The japanese were quite more conservative and took measures only in the 1990s, but the chinese are just a player that came in another time. But they did what the japanese should've done in the 1980s here. Instead, they focused on USA and the rest is a kind of sad history.

And so... what that +40% really means? It simply means that internal combustion engines are safe. But the wave of news is kinda interesting if we tie them together to read the air. I've read a little article on The Drive that the USA government probably demands cars to have some basic analogic radios as options. Not exactly a smart expression, but after reading another news in the Japanese Nostalgic Car blog reporting that driving a manual car can keep dementia in check, I really don't have any doubts that we can have the basic functional things back in our cars. As much as Ed's Auto Reviews video about the 1980s Tech Wars on vehicles point out, technology is good but only if it actually helps. Technology was usually a motto to sell performance, but convenience is a world apart from it.

(Here, from the japanese website bestcar, about ageing and driving a manual for keeping the brain healthy: https://bestcarweb.jp/news/entame/1552917)

Some of you probably know about my little boxes that I usually post to characterize why I really enjoy modern cars, and that's strictly based on performance. It took me a little time to find out what were the main components or technologies that I really appreciate on performance. And that's why I still enjoy sports cars. I really don't need a chauffeur in my daily life and I still respect people who need them. See? Just like any japanese, chinese and korean, I got even the efficiency in my mindset to keep the two things alive. When I read about Sony promising to kill completely the physical medial of Playstation, I simply cannot believe that some japanese are kinda occidentally dumb to that point. I really hate the idea of "owning nothing and still being happy". That's only a crap leftists would say even back in the USSR. But, sincerely, that's just another reason to not fall for the FOMO trap.

The ICE, the manual gearbox, the physical CD, the radio and entire dashboard with physical buttons, the performance technology... and many of these things are probably better in staying together than anything stored on a microchip that can run out of battery or fry its internal memory. Even memory cards and old videogame cartridges still can have their batteries changed or improved. Tendency always says things can flip around if things are just too much. So much that even the chinese had to calm down everyone by developing a very efficient combustion engine just to prove they won't die soon or later or in any sort of way. EVs can be good, but only if properly understood and used accordingly. Hybrids are best of both worlds in terms of technology. Prelude, NSX-NC, Insight and Ballade CRZ proved that so many times.

Even fuckin Mazda came back with a WANKEL engine. The MX-30 sold only in Japan. Only in Japan, but the real rennaissance of the little "turbine" piston. Me, as a brazilian, grown and born into the crap of occidental mindset, got rid of the occident a long time ago. I'm not even pleased by those old screams of Greta Thunberg claiming that "someone stole my dreams and my future". She's swedish and I'd really enjoy being born as a swedish and enjoying the large economy of Europe. She's lucky, very very very very lucky to live in one of the countries with a stable human development and social mobility index in the planet. No, Sweden isn't perfect, but its way better than Brazil in all terms. No, holding down pollution is not to be discarded, but not even the priority in very poor african countries.

Oh, but the occidental philosophies are just crap to me nowadays. I'd rather let some fools live by them anyway. Reality will claim the treasures they couldn't enjoy properly. And that includes a very efficient petrol engine. And other things as well.

Camaro "wedge" (1982-1992)

Parte 1 acima, parte 2 abaixo. Mas nem mesmo minha família horrenda e chata me impede de gostar desse touring jet aqui:

Avaliação de aerodinâmica pelo Grant to canal Premier Aerodynamics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jeivZvJ2dg

Livreto - Lotus Esprit (2000)

Apesar de ser considerado um carro "defasado" pelos idos dos 2000s, quem comandava a Lotus foi hábil o suficiente para manter o Esprit um concorrente ferrenho dos esportivos de exótico layout MR de preço superior. Sim, um carro inglês que ao menos conseguia brigar na mesma linha dos Honda NSX da época. Tanto em preço, quanto em confiabilidade, economia de combustível, conforto e esportividade. E, diferente das pressões populares, Lotus (e também Chevrolet com o seu Corvette C5) mantiveram o Esprit com pop-ups até o fim da produção em 2005. Eu considero imperdoável os NSX terem recebido facelift para faróis expostos em 2002, mesmo ano em que o Savanna FD3S também foi encerrado com seus pop-ups.