Laurence

Well at least in Japan it is the only place in the world where you get treated better than everyone else because of racism... but I jest. I recently got dicked by my Japanese girlfriend's parents (now ex) for being "not rich enough" so that was kind of annoying, but at least they didn't use the gaijin excuse! I will have to indulge in rampant hedonism to compensate. I am going to go home (feels strange to say that about Australia) soon but last time I just remember it feeling dead and boring, but I also remember having room, good food and just feeling a lot healthier, but in Australia I can't do my hobby (driving) because I am "not rich enough" so it has to be Japan for me unfortunately. But if I leave I will miss doing all this sort of stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybcIFVbWI50

Holy crap... I have been here over a year and still haven't done half that stuff. The main thing you see at drift spots lately is black and white Toyota Crowns with flashing red lights.

With the number of Hummers I see pimping around lately and the size of a Fuga I reckon the sumo will be okay for the forseable future.

Japanese people like their tunes the way they like their sumo wrestlers!!! Fat! Lots of ignition, lots of fuel, not an Aussie spec drag/dyno/safe tune It's all about the response baby!

I would rather get good 255/40's (which will fit easily on 10J) than crappy Korean 275s... There is huge variation in between the width of tyre models of the same specification anyway. I have put lots of different 215/45R17s on my 9J wheels and the difference in actual width is striking. But regardless of how wide they look, the "good" tyres always handle better, when I stick some el cheapo Korean tyres on my car I always think something is broken in the suspension (even when it isn't). The difference in construction of the tyres is very obvious when you are mounting the tyre and amazingly obvious when you are driving it. Anyway, if I had some 10 inch wide wheels I would be putting 235/40s on them because I am one of "them" now. But until I get a new diff from tonight's efforts I won't be changing any tyres very soon But the question you need to ask is how was the car on the current tyre/wheel package you are running? I am guessing either 245/45R17 or 255/40R17... If the car was not a deathtrap running those "narrow" tyres it will be fine with the same width tyre in a lower profile and if the tyres cost twice as much for wider ones just buy softer tyres that grip better and last half as long.

I would recommend Pimsleur as the way the lessons are done you have to pay attention. The other tapes I have tried were really good if I had insomnia.

Well I am running Dunlop Z1 tyres (top pic) they aren't what I call normal road rubber they are not D01Js but they are not Korean Tempe tyre specials either. What you find with tyres is that they seem to mould to the wheels, I was recently trying to put some 225/45 onto a 9" wheel after having spend god knows how long on a 7.5" wheel and it was just not happening. But when I took my Z1 tyres off the wheel I destroyed (they retained pressure after the incident) they had changed shape to suit the 9" wheel... Mounting a second time required no special techniques whatsoever. The only real problem you will have is that nobody will either know how to or be willing to put them on for you. I would be really interested to know the circumstances of anyone having sealing problems, the only person I know who has runs second hand Commodore tyres 235 which have spent ages on an 8-inch rim then sticks them on his 10.5 (IIRC) which is a larger stretch the 215/45 on 9-inch. Interesting how everone is an expert on the consequences of something that nobody ever does

Well my 215/45s have not popped off after grip track days, smashing the wheel on a gutter or light easterly breezes, so I think you will have no problems, but no, nobody makes a 225/40R17 R-tyre I have looked p.s. I have lowered my car since this pic so don't worry... p.p.s Does anybody search at all? 235/45 on 17x9 215/45 on 17x9

17x9 on my S14 needs to be +20 at the front to clear the coilovers. On the rear 245/40R18x9+22 fit without any spacers This is what an S14 (not mine) looks like with +30 offset, 25mm spacers all round. = +5 offset. Only a fender roll is required to fit this. Tyres are 215/40 front, 215/45 rear. Wheels are stock R33 GT-R wheels which are 17x9, the narrow tyres allow the nicer fitment

The car is looking great... I hope I can see you before I leave for a wedding in Oz in early November. Will I come back? This is a good question... I don't know Personally as far as imports go, I am fully sold on the Toyota sedans, Type-X, Crown Athlete, etc...

Well seeing as you are so keen to hear opinions it is my opinion that you are wrong... I have done grip track days and even destroyed a wheel on a gutter with 215/45 semi slicks on 9" wheels and never had any problems with leaks. In fact the only problem you get from stretched tyres is stupid old guys coming up and telling my I should be jamming 275s on a wheel that wide... The absolute fact of the matter is that the tyre being too small for the rim has NOTHING to do with damaging the bead or making it harder to get off! So basically the tyre shop just looked for the first excuse they could find and that was it.

Yes, you are right, as someone with an intellect I require more of my friends than smiling, bowing and "doing things". But if that is enough for you I envy you... High level communication is an important part of a proper friendship... My Japanese is very poor so I am unable to express my thoughts and feelings accurately in it. Even if I actually speak properly sifting through the superlatives to find someone's true opinion is another problem for me and most westerners but if your JDM ESP is up to native level then again, I envy you. That said, I do have one friend that I feel could offer me that, if I could speak Japanese properly and you are quite correct that you need to look outside the English speaking world to get that. Japan's cultural differences are what make it a wonderful and awful place to be, it teaches you a huge amount about people and gives you a great perspective on the problems with western culture. But I am and always will be a gaijin and the distance that creates will always be a problem for me. I hope you are right and I am wrong, but I don't think I will ever have a Japanese "best friend" no matter how well I learn to speak the language. Maybe it simply gets down to different interpretations of what the word "friend" really means... Not to mention the slightly glib wording of my original post

Maybe head down to the Ferrari dealer and see what they put on the back of a 575. That is a 500hp road car with road tyres, then just buy a set of whatever it uses. I could only find the size which is 295/35ZR18 so hopefully they can fit.

All you need is a 16" bicycle tyre tube to fill the gap between the bead and about 10 seconds and they will go on like a champ! They look great and work well, stretch for the win! Bulge for the lose! p.s. I have lowered my car since this pic so don't worry...

235/45 on 17x9 215/45 on 17x9 If I ran a tyre shop I would put 235s on 9" because they bead easily and they come off sort of easily. Personally I run 215 because they look better and allow me to have the wheels sticking out where I like them, a matter of taste more than anything. But you can't get the wheels sitting nicely with some tyres "correctly" bulging over the sides. Not my car, but what I consider "nice"... Spot on, I run 215 on 9" and they usually come off easily! I suspect they will have torn the bead from the tyre slipping over the damaged section of wheel when they were unmounting it. Tyre machines are horrible things! Levers, old skool is the way to go! http://www.fulllock.com/Laurence/mount_tyre.wmv This was the first time I have done it with levers so don't be too hard on my technique!

AACE is full of the kind of people that are Nova lifers, it is a good experience to prepare you. Nova is currently busy fscking up my visa I have sent the forms for thrice! If I don't get my visa I will stab people... actually even if I do I will. Japanese people are not good friends but they make good pets and silicon fixes the breast thing.

There are lots of Nigerians in Japan

Yes or no, depending on what you mean. But the numbers I quoted are for the rear which has nothing to do with the steering per se It does change the way the car steers though...　 Anyway just some numbers that may be of use to someone.

Just FYI some info on D1 rear suspension settings from a recent Drift Tengoku magazine Name - Car - camber - toe in Youichi Imamura 350Z -1.5deg 1mm Kazuhiro Tanaka WRX -2.0deg 2mm Atsushi Kuroi S13 -0.5deg 2mm Tsuyoshi Tezuka R32 -1.0deg 4mm Masao Suenaga RX7 -1.5deg 2.6mm Takahiro Ueno Soarer -2.0mm -5mm The only guy running toe OUT was Tatsuya Sakuma S15 -1.5deg 2.6mm OUT and last, but most importantly Yasuyuki Kazama -2deg 0mm

Well it says surottoru sensaa which according to my katakana debutchering means Throttle Sensor

本当にごめんな！おわりました。

Just an update on the car, I changed the hoseclamp today... just thought I would put up a pic of the old one.

There is http://www.gooparts.com/ which has things but Yahoo is the best IMHO In fact I bought an intercooler on Yahoo last night to replace my bent hoseclamp. Because I can't write/read/speak Japanese I get Streeter to do all the stuff after I bid if you want to contact him just email [email protected] but I am sure lots of other people are doing it on this forum to...

I will never ever have the means to make a decision this wrong so I guess the point is moot but I would just get a couple of Enzos and thrash them into the ground. Anyway I think this guy must have liked 312P Coupes as a kid, I think this car is inspired by one

I went up there the other saturday night, but the cops were there!!! It is fun, but I have enough trouble in Nankou, I would kill myself there p.s. Google earth is cool, but they changed the pics! Now it has shadows