Excessive power is just enough, right? If you abide by that rule of thumb, perhaps you’d be interested in RDP Motorsport’s latest offering, which trumps the Challenger’s SRT8’s 6.1L Hemi and its 425 horsepower with a stroked version displacing a classic 440 cubic inches. That block is topped with a duo of superchargers that offer an astounding 1,000 horsepower. Oh yeah, it’s also boosted with two nitrous kits. That’s enough grunt to catapult the portly Challenger down the 1/4 mile in the nines, and if that’s not fast enough for you, we suggest therapy.

This outrageous pony car was recently unveiled at the PRI Show in Florida and is definitely a bit overkill for most people’s needs. So, while the Australian company will be happy to replicate this powertrain combination for you for a price, it’s good to know that RDP will work with you to design pretty much whatever you need on a custom basis.

Source: RDP Motorsport

As a part of Chrysler’s restructuring plan it has announced that Mopar will cease its sponsorship of the NuFormz Racing team and driver Samuel Hübinette.

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time now as Chrysler has been seeking every area where it can cut costs. Additionally, a strong sign was when Hübinette took to the track during the first round of the Formula D series in Long Beach in a Dodge Viper – and not the Challenger (pictured above) that Mopar debuted at the 2008 SEMA Show.

As a part of Chrysler’s comprehensive restructuring plan to revitalize our business and succeed as a stronger car company, we’re rigorously reviewing all expenditures and making tough business decisions, said Mike Accavitti, Director of Brand Marketing and Strategy at Chrysler. The decision to end Team Mopar’s sponsorship of NuFormz Racing was difficult because of our long-term relationship with the ream and all of the success we’ve enjoyed competing in Formula Drift.

Driving for Mopar, Hübinette won the first ever Formula D contest and holds the title of the most outright victories. He won the championship in 2004 and 2006 and was a runner up in ‘05 and ‘08.

I had a great eight-year run as a member of the Team Mopar family and want to thank the company for all the great memories I’m taking away, said NuFormz Racing team owner Shaun Carlson. It’s a tough decision, but given the current economic environment inside and outside of racing, I certainly understand it.

The sponsorship contract will be terminated after the next event in New Jersey on June 5/6.

More: Mopar Drops Drifting Sponsorship on AutoGuide.com

After seeing the Dodge Magnum on the road, there was this little gut feeling saying go to the nearest Dodge dealership. Well after that test drive, there was a little smirk that wouldn’t go away. Within a few hours,made my way home and started looking on what type of modifications could be done to this car.

Not even having the car for a month, the mod bug had bitten and boy did it bite hard. Looking online what could be done, the first thing was going to be some new 22” wheels. The choice took a while and ended up selecting TIS 07 with that nice chrome look to it. More and more hours on the computer and then this site LXforums pops up. After taking a look at that site there were more and more things that could be done to the car. Next thing that was done were some color matched headlights and some tinted tail lights with the outsides matched in the color of the Dodge Magnum. A few weeks went by and my 22” wheels finally made their way to Hawaii. There was something about the car and how high it was after putting my new wheels on that wasn’t like. What could that have been you are asking? Maybe that 3 ½ inch gap had to do with it. So after looking more on lxforums.com there was a company out in Germany that were producing some coilovers (KW version 2 with adjustable dampening), another modification that was a must to give it that aggressive look to her.

Wondering what could be done performance wise and make some more HP, only thing that was appealing to my knowledge was a Cold Air Intake made my Mopar. What a good looking intake and a better sound it gave the car. Few days later and there was this full cat back exhaust that just had my attention, ZOOMERS and boy what a nice beefy sound did that have. Another two weeks of waiting and it makes its way to Hawaii. Thinking on how to install the exhaust and how much it would cost is where the passion to learn about installs led me to. So a few hours later getting the jack stands needed to raise the car up, I found myself under the car cutting the old ones off and replacing with the new. Boy did the exhaust sounds just ring to my ears? Match made in heaven!!!

Well after those modifications had been done, there was a flier for a local car show. Ahh what the heck might as well and go, enter the car for grins. Ended up picking up my first trophy and seeing what others were doing to their car just set another fire under me. Wow few months go by and thing to myself what else needs to be done?

After doing the coil over modification I loved it but living in Hawaii, those big speed bumps and parking garages just started to get on my nerves. Found a company called Universal Air Suspension out of California. Purchased a setup for the Dodge Magnum and within a few days of it coming in the car was back up on jack stands. Now when driving the ride could be as low as she could go without cutting the tires on the fenders or back to stock height.

Well looking online at www.lxforums.com I run across a supporting vendor HHPracing.com High Horse Performance out of Delaware. Spent some time browsing their selection for the Dodge Magnum, could help to want the lambo style doors. Well I give Josh the owner a call and place the order a few weeks before my 1st big car show (Hot Import Nights Hawaii). A few days goes by and they are here. Now role in is in 3 days and here comes the fun stuff, putting them on all by yourself. 10 hours later and they are done, wow that was an attention grabbing modification right there.

Well few months go by and feeling guilty for doing anything to the Magnum. Seen on lxforums.com where some people were changing their Dodge Magnum to the front end of a Chrysler 300C. Ok that was just pure sex. Started doing research on what was needed and later on that day started buying fenders, headlights support bar, fog lights, new hood, and a new front bumper. For my car to stand out with those that have done this conversion there were a few other options that helped me out with making the purchase. Again called Josh at HHPracing.com and asked to see if he could get a Xenon front bumper for the Chrysler 300C, he had the ability to make it happen, while talking to him there was an RK Sport Rise hood that I just had to have. A few weeks go by and the parts start coming in. After about three weeks my appointment is here to get her painted. Few days goes by and it seems like forever, you remember when you were a kid and waiting for like what seemed forever on Christmas Eve to open your presents… Well car was done and wow just speechless. The attention that this car received on a daily basis was just unreal.

After those modifications, the car was just too busy being driven and entered in car shows. Within a year there have been 7 trophies won out of 9 shows. Those to shows I didn’t place were due to them not having a category for me.

After getting tired of our stronger brother the SRT-8 with a powerful V-8 that puts out a good 425 HP, that phone call was once made again to HHPracing.com. After seeing what High Horse Performance aftermarket cam, ported heads, long tube headers and a good full cat back exhaust was producing that was the next major modification that needed to be done. Prior to the modifications, took the car to the dyno just to see what she was putting down at the wheel. After 3 runs the best was 284 rear wheel horse power, not bad with my V-8, Mopar Cold Air Intake and the Zoomers cat back exhaust. A good month passes and the parts start to roll in. Really not wanting to spend a few thousand dollars for that install, the decision was made to do it alone. After the vast knowledge and support on lxforums.com I built up the courage to take the engine apart and start the engine modifications. Three days pass, get the car put back together, go to start the car and ohhh my goodness that car just sounded like a beast let out of hell. Just being careful with the car making sure not to get her any good wide open throttles before she gets a better tune was hard to do. Go back to the place where they did my prior dyno. Get her all hooked up let her cool down and we are off. Do numerous runs, 1st run started off with 380 rear wheel hp, getting the air fuel ration dialed after like 10 runs and she is putting down an impressive 401 rear wheel horsepower!

So where does it stop with this car and the modifications? With the modifications that have been done engine wise, see what others have done and how much Horse Power they are putting down. The mind has been made up to get the bottom end get forged and stroked, as of now looking to build the bottom end for a supercharger got to have a low compression, and along with those modifications there well be new 1000HP half shafts… Where does it stop? You can be the judge?

* Braking drift – This drift is performed by trail braking into a corner so that the car can “set” or shift weight to cause the rear wheels to lose traction, then controlling the drift with proper steering and gas inputs. Having brake bias can be beneficial to the drift depending on the driving style. Usually having bias on rear brakes helps to brake drift.

* Power Over Drift – This drift performed when entering a corner at full throttle to produce heavy oversteer through the turn. It is the most typical drifting technique for AWD cars (predominantly RWD). Keiichi Tsuchiya has been regarded as saying he used this technique when he was too scared to drift at certain corners when he was younger. However the chance of this technique leading to a burn-out instead of a drift is possible if executed at a bad angle.

* Inertia (Feint) Drift – This is done by rocking the car towards the outside of a turn and then using the inertia of the car to swing it back to the desired drifting line. By going away from the corner, and turning back in hard, you are coming from a much sharper angle. Somtimes the brake will be applied while rocking the car towards the outside to give a better weight transfer; hence creating an even sharper turn. It has been said by many pro-drifters that this is one of the hardest techniques to master as has a high spin-out factor.

* Lift Off – At very high speeds, by letting your foot off of the accelerator while cornering, certain cars with very neutral handling, such as the MX-5 or S14, will begin to slide, simply from the drop in torque and engine braking. The drift is controlled afterwards by steering inputs from the driver and light pedal work.

* Handbrake/ebrake Drift – This technique is pretty straightforward; pull the handbrake to induce rear traction loss and balance drift through steering and throttle play. Some people debate the fact that if using the handbrake creates an actual drift, or just a power slide, but ultimately, using the e-brake is no different than any other technique for starting drifts. This is generally the main technique to perform a controlled drift in a FWD vehicle. This is one the first techniques beginners will use as their cars are not powerful enough to lose traction using other techniques. Also this technique is used heavily in drift competitions to drift big corners.

* Dirt Drop Drift – This is done by dropping the rear tires off the road into the dirt to maintain or gain drift angle without losing power or speed and to set up for the next turn. Only permissible on roads without barriers and lined with dirt or other materials which to lose traction. This is commonly done in WRC rallying.

* Clutch Kick – This is done by “kicking” the clutch (pushing in, then out, usually more than one time in a drift for adjustment in a very fast manner) to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car’s balance. It causes the rear wheels to slip and enables the driver to induce oversteer.

* Choku Dori – This is used while drifting on straightaways. The driver of the car sways the car side to side while the car is in a drift, which looks impressive. It can be initiated through all the above techniques.

* Changing Side Swing – This technique is used extensively in the Japanese D1 competition and is very similar to inertia (Feint) drift. It is often done on the first entry drift corner, which is often a long double apex turn just before a very fast straight-way. If the straight-way before that double apex is of a downhill orientation, the driver keeps driving on side of the track that is close test to the corner. Then with correct timing in mind, the driver abruptly changes the car onto the other side. This movement has the car momentum to be altered causing the rear wheels to lose traction. The car is in a drift motion right now. Then the drift is carried over into the corner and through it.

* Dynamic Drift – This technique is similar to the Choku Dori. It employs all forms of the above techniques – and not restricted to only one – in combinations to accomplish the desired drift movement.

Drifting

Drifting is a driving style distinguished by oversteering into and completely through the corners. This is usually done with FR layout vehicles, as the power and weight distibution characteristics on these cars are ideal for the maneuver. Drifting may be done informally for fun, in a formal setting where the goal is a mix of fun and building skills for improved car control, or in competitive motorsports. Competitive drifting is a motorsport rated on style, rather than speed around a track or position in a group of cars. Overall performance is judged on four factors: cornering angle, line, speed and excitement/style (tire smoke is one way of judging style).

Drifting is not the fastest way around a racetrack. Drifting is useful in rallying because it is a quick way to point the car in the direction it will be facing at the end of the corner, but in circuit racing is slower than conventional techniques. The only time drifting is faster in non-rally settings is in a situation often found in gymkhana. This is where the corners are so tight, it is actually faster to slide around them than drive conventionally.

History

Many attribute the return of drifting as a competitive sport to mountain-road racers of rural Japan. Informal challenges on back mountain roads (called Touge pronounced “Toh-gey”) eventually evolved into a heavily funded and advertised competitive events, sanctioned by organizations and held on private tracks. Drifting began in the United States in 1996 with an event at Willow Springs racetrack in California hosted by the magazine Option, but it did not become popular until around 2002, and has since exploded into a massively popular form of motorsport. Japanese drifters are still considered to be at the cutting edge of technique and car development, but their American counterparts are quickly catching up.

As rumor has it, Keiichi Tsuchiya was in a car race, and was dead last. He decided to swing the car around the corners, shocking and amazing the crowd. When accessed later for comment, Tsuchiya called it “drifting.” While this is not the origin, it is probably where it obtained its name and introduction. In 1977 Keiichi began his racing career driving many different cars in amateur racing series events. Racing these underpowered cars was difficult but again a great learning experience. Later Keiichi was picked up to drive the ADVAN sponsored Toyota AE86/Sprinter Trueno (JDM Corolla GT-S). During many races on a downhill corner he would drift the car and carry a better corner speed than his competitors. This technique is what made him the Drift King, not, as most believe, that he was first in the drift scene.

Many of the techniques used today in drifting were developed by rally drivers competing on dirt, gravel and snow. On such surfaces, the fastest way to take a corner is generally by sliding.

Today

Nowadays, drifting has evolved into a competitive sport where drivers compete in rear-wheel drive cars to keep their cars sideways as long as possible. At the top levels of competition, especially the D1 Grand Prix in Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, drivers are able to keep their cars sliding for extended periods of time, often through several turns. Drifting competitions are judged based not on the time it takes to complete a course, but on line, angle, speed, and show factor. Line involves taking the correct line, which is usually announced by judges. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift, the more the better. Speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the speed exiting the turn; faster is better. The show factor is based on multiple things, such as the amount of smoke, how close the car is from the wall, and falling aero. It’s based on how “cool” everything looks. Final rounds of competition often include tandem drift runs nicknamed “tsuiso” (chase-run) in Japanese, where one car follows another through the course, attempting to keep up with or even pass the car in front. In the tsuiso rounds, it doesn’t matter if the racing line is wrong; it matters who has the most exciting drift. Normally, the leading car usually produces a max-angle, but still close off the inside a little to prevent passing. The chasing car usually drifts with less angle, but very close to the lead car. But a car does not even have to keep up, and in fact in some cases a car that was left behind on the straight produces a beautiful drift, winning him that round. A spin, understeer, or collision results in a disqualification of the offending party.

To make judging less ambiguous, the DriftBox has been introduced, which uses GPS to measure the angle, speed and g-force during a run. This takes out the guessing element when it comes to judging the angle and speed of the drift.

Cars

Any rear-wheel-drive car can be drifted (with those having a limited-slip differential preferred), and some all-wheel-drive cars can also drift, often with less angle, but higher speed. Popular competition cars in the US include the Nissan 240SX (the U.S. and Canada version of the Japanese Nissan Silvia/180SX), Nissan 350Z, Toyota Corolla GT-S, Mazda RX-7 and Honda S2000. Recently domestic favorites have also been thrown into the mix, such as the Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO and Dodge Viper. In Japan, the top drift machines are the S13, S14, and S15 generations of the Nissan Silvia/180SX, Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin, Nissan Skyline (RWD versions, the ER34 4-door sedan and the previous generation of HCR32), Mazda RX-7 FC and FD, Toyota Altezza, Toyota Aristo, Nissan Z33, Fairlady Z(350Z), Nissan Cefiro, Nissan Laurel, Toyota Soarer, and the aforementioned vehicles.

There is some debate over whether or not front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicles can drift. By the technical definition (rear wheels slipping at a greater angle than front wheels), they are indeed able to drift. However, many consider FWD vehicles a poor choice for drifting, as the frequent use of the emergency brake (necessary to drift FWD cars) slows them down and makes them harder to control. Also since they use their front tires for both steering and power, the car loses control after a single slide, while RWD cars can drift through consecutive corners. In this way, the definition of drifting is frequently challenged to say that FWD cars cannot drift, only powerslide. However, some drifters such as Kyle Arai or Keisuke Haketeyama use EF Civics to drift, and succeed in doing so, sometimes besting out their RWD opponents.

AWD vehicles, such as the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution drift at a much different angle and are usually induced by power-over. As the front wheels are also driven on an AWD vehicle there is a noticeable lack of counter steer. D1 and other professional competitions do not allow AWD vehicles. However vehicles like the Impreza and the Lancer are being converted to only use the rear wheels so as to become a RWD car that can compete in drift competitions that prohibit AWD cars.

Sport

Many parts are available from aftermarket manufacturers that are specifically designed to modify a car for drifting. Almost all competitors take advantage of these products to enhance the suspension, driveline, chassis and body of their cars.

The most important drifting competition in the world is the Autobacs D1 Grand Prix, which originated in the Japan Ebisu South Circuit. Once confined to Japan, the D1 Grand Prix now holds one points match and one Japan vs USA exhibition match at Irwindale Speedway in California, and an exhibition event at Silverstone Circuit, and plans to enter other markets including other parts of Asia. The magazine Option and its video department V-Option decided to create the D1 Grand Prix to catch and expand the drifting craze. Led by CEO Daijiro Inada (稲田大二郎), they strive for performance. In 2006, the D1 Corporation will bring out a national series in the United Kingdom, with the chance to bring out the top five drivers to compete in either the United States or Japan.

In the United States, the best known league is Formula D.

The top drifting drivers include (first name, last name, nickname, Japanese name, team & car):

nb, for a list D1 Grand Prix and Formula D drivers and championship winners, see separate entry Keiichi Tsuchiya, a legend in the drifting world, is considered the father of drifting. Known popularly as the “Drift King” (Dorikin), he is the official chief judge in the D1 Grand Prix Series. Manabu Suzuki “Mana P” (鈴木 学) assists in announcing. Suzuki is well known for working with Option and in car design, even working on the paint scheme and decals for Monkichi’s RS-R Supra.

Red LED Photos:

Damian d’Andre (skippytrailer on LXforums) is located in Mesa, Arizona. He provides custom Airbrushing for any automotive application.

dandredesigns@yahoo.com

skippytrailer@yahoo.com
480-234-4508

Portfolio:

Photography by rwalshphoto (www.rwalshphoto.com)

Photography by rwalshphoto (www.rwalshphoto.com)

AAC (Advanced Automotive Concepts) HID 6000k 35w kit & 50w XE kit

Review:

We recently received the Advanced Automotive Concepts 35w and 50w XE 6000k High Intensity Discharge headlight kits. Retail price: $299 for each kit. Available at http://www.automotivelightstore.com. From the very moment you open the box, this is a pleasurable product! Packaging and presentation is some of the best I have seen in the industry. Attention to detail and product quality is second to none. Whether you spend your time at the track or at the shows, this lighting will give your car a presence while provide clean focused light for the utmost safety and vision while driving. Each kit includes 2 digital ballasts and 2 bulbs along with everything necessary to add a relay. I performed the installation without using the relay and have had no problems with flickering what so ever. The installation is painless and I’d rate it at a 4 on a scale from 1-10. Headlight removal is not necessary for this mod, but I highly recommend it if you wish to hide the ballasts.

Verdict: Great Product!

HOW TO: Install AAC HID low-beam and high-beam with Relay; without removing fascia.

*Start by removing the plastic radiator covers and the black plastic safety rivets in the front of the fascia: (Once the plastic push-rivets are out the front of the fascia should allow for plenty of room to remove headlight)

*Remove top right bolt in headlight assembly and the bolt on the bottom side near the middle (8mm bolt). Note: To remove bottom bolt use a long extension and put a dab of silicone or glue to keep bolt from falling into the belly pan (I used Permatex blue gasket stuff).

*Pull headlight out gently. Pull from the outside edge first and lift up and over the lip of the fascia.

*Unplug or remove lightbulbs from the headlight to completely remove headlight. To remove light bulbs, turn bulb counter clockwise.

*Install AAC bulbs in headlight assembly. (wear rubber gloves to prevent oil contamination of bulb). Insert bulb, turn clock wise until it locks into place and will not turn further. If you do not plan to use relay, cut off excess connectors (blue/black wires). The only wires necessary the the male/female connections directly to the light. Use the 35w kit for the low beams, and 50w kit for high beams.

*Push rubber grommet up against bulb.

NOTE: If bulb doesnt fit or will not lock into place, remove the rubber o ring and replace it with the one from the factory halogen bulb.

*notice difference in sizes:

*Mount the ballasts to the location of choice. I used the supplied nylon tie wraps and mounted it to the subframe shown:

*Connect all the wires to their correct bulbs and test:

(for comparison purposes, here is the factory halogen high beam next to the 35w AAC HID)

FINALLY, assuming everything works as tested…

*Clean up wiring, position headlight back into the vehicle, make sure no wires are pinched or caught below headlight.

*Fasten bottom bolts to mount the headlights (similar process as removal…recommend putting a dab of silicone on bolt head).

*Fasten top bolts.

*Push the plastic rivets into the top of the fascia, reinstall radiator cover.

Photography by rwalshphoto (www.rwalshphoto.com)