The Best of 2010: Scoop! Dai Yoshihara’s new Formula D ride for 2010
By Mike Kojima
We did not want to spill the beans but since the car has had its first public viewing at the Formula D annual tech day yesterday, we figure that we can show you a brief insiders look at Dai Yoshihara’s Falken/Discount TireFormula D ride for 2010. We know that the photography is not up to our usual standards but these are basically snapshots taken while working on the car.
There is nothing like a shiny new race car to take pictures for posterity of and we did to record the car’s first few moments of running. It is 95% done and will be shaken down in the few weeks leading up to Formula D’s round one in Long Beach. Metal master Scott Dodgion of SPD Metalworks overhauled and updated the Team Falken 8 day wonder Chevy LS powered S13 that we featured last year. The overhaul is so complete that basically it is a whole new car. Scott stripped the 8 day wonder to a bare shell, media blasted it, cut it apart and rebuilt it into its new form.
What we like about Dai’s new car is that although is it super trick and well thought out, it uses many off the shelf components that anyone has access to. This car can actually be built by a determined privateer!
Lets take a look inside!
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The New Discount Tire livery is quite awesome looking and more eye catching over last year’s graphics. The lower ride height over last season is also apparent in the photo.
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The body is mostly lightweight fiberglass with the only steel being the roof skin. This aids repairabilty in case the car gets into a fender bender, the fiberglass panels can be quickly changed. They are also responsible for the cars light weight in the 2600 lb range. This is some expensive coolio JDM aero kit which is cool but since we are not aero kit connoisseurs OR JDM fanbois we forget what brand it is.
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The fiberglass hood has a huge scoop to clear the big plenum FAST LSX intake manifold. The scoop is functional to help get rid of heat, keeping the intake manifold cooler. Can you see Dai’s name hidden in the graphics? The lightweight lexan windows are by Percy’s speedglass.
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The center piece of the car is the Chevy LS2 swap. Unlike the nearly stock engine Dai ran last year, this year’s motor is heavily fortified. The high tech Chevy is bored and stroked to 400 plus cubic inches. Although still in a fairly mild state of tune, Dai will be packing nearly 100 more hp than he had last year! If need be the motor still has room for much more power. People contemplating expensive turbo builds should consider the LS. The LS is not your Dad’s small block Chevy. It is a lightweight high tech version of it. Tons of low stressed reliable power with nearly the same weight and weight distribution as the stock KA24. It also fits into your S13/S14/S15 like it was made for it with plenty of room. It can also be made CARB smog legal with GM’s new E-Rod package! |
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Drift cars have to be rock solid reliable under stressful conditions. In one more time sudden death situations or if a team calls for a 5 minute hold, the car may have to idle for 6-8 minutes heatsoaking after an all out rev limiter punching run. It may have to do this many times in 120 degree heat without flinching. The Discount Tire S13 has a huge Griffin aluminum radiator and big Setrab heat exchangers for the engine oil and power steering.
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This tank is called a swirl pot, its job is to eliminate bubbles in the cooling system by trapping them and by providing a super high bleed point. It makes a big difference in cooling and we recommend them for all race cars.
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This device is called an Accusump made by Canton. It holds 3-4 quarts of pressurized oil and injects it into the engine’s oil galley when the sump pick up gulps air. It ensures that the engine always has a supply of oil even under violent cornering conditions. It is essential for engine life in a fast Pro drift car.
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Remote pick up routes oil to the cooler, filter and Accusump.
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The remote oil filter uses K&N elements. The K&N filter has a tough blow off resistant shell, important under racing conditions.
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Much of the unibody has been cut away in the front of the car and the parts are hung from this tubular sub frame. This makes field repair of the car simpler in a crash and reduces weight while increasing chassis stiffness.
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Stainless long tube headers feed a big single 4″ exhaust. You can also see the SPD solid steering rack bushings.
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| A huge single 4″ stainless exhaust leads to a stainless Magnaflow perforated core muffler. The single exhaust is lighter and simpler than a dual. |
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| The fuel cell is well located for maximum protection and minimal affect on the car’s chassis balance. |
