,
Aeromotive fuel pumps and regulators are used to keep the big 410 fed. The demanding conditions of pro drifting are really hard on components. The upper pump is a back up pump in case the primary pump fails. The team has not had to use this yet with the Aeromotives but several other fuel pumps have failed in the past, some at inopportune moments. A failing fuel pump might have cost Dai Yoshihara the 2010 championship in Las Vegas.
The big Patterson dry sump tank is protected within the frame structure. You can see the remote reservoir for the KW 3-Way Motorsports shocks below where the adjuster knobs are quite visible.
A Fuel Safe fuel cell and Earl's Plumbing keep things safe. Some Formula D cars have circle track fuel cells without a rubber puncture resistant bladder and foam. These are little more than gas tanks. We think the rules should specify real crash rated fuel cells for safety. You can see the Aeromotive fuel filters and the bottom of the jacking point here.
You can see the Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator and the breather catch cans for the transmission and differential mounted on the rear bulkhead. Grass roots car builders, take note of the proper use of bulkhead fittings and pass throughs for the plumbing and wire harness. These details are very important for reliability. More than 80% of all race car failures are due to plumbing and wiring problems. The car's wiring is a mix of Raychem trick teflon insulated wires and Deutsch connectors with some OEM connectors retained for less critical parts of the car's electrical system. All wires are properly wrapped and secured.
The rear suspension is pretty straight forward and off the shelf. Battle version upper links are used with an SPL lower control arm, all equipped with spherical bearings. A KW 3-Way adjustable Motorsports shock lives under the dust cover. The dust cover prevents contamination from debris that are constantly thrown up by a drift car. Some of the links have been relocated to improve the suspension geometry within the parameters of Formula D rules. You can see that the stock soft rubber subframe bushings have been replaced with solid aluminum parts. These parts allow the subframe to be slightly adjusted for tilt which has a small effect on grip. More on this later.
An off the shelf Progress Group rear swaybar is used for most tracks. For higher speed tracks, a custom larger diameter Progress Group swaybar is available for additional roll stiffness. For slower more technical tracks a smaller softer custom bar is also available to the team. Most of the time the car runs on the standard off the shelf part.
