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BigSmoke
Posts: 844
Location: Indonesia Occupation: Following Those Damn Trains Age: V$: Broke |
#153251 2019-01-25 19:59 |
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Testing the Water
As you've read from the previous update, the Silver Queen has received it's pièce de résistance.
The question is, with the huge jump of power as the result, how well I could live with them? Of course to find out the only aswer is get on the road and drive as far as possible  And oh, I've also planned the very, very final upgrades for the Silver Queen........ Let's find out by jumping into the update!  [20 Jan 2019, later that day] As you can see at AJ(RocketBunnyS13)'s RP, his S14 has been smashed in the rear at dawn of that day, and currently is out of action. Poor AJ, just when his S15 finally running again and healthy, he accidentally wrecked his S14. This also didn't went well for Muza(Niatross) as he used to own that very car. We planned to restore it soon, but first the S14 would undergo body straightening process since the rear end was basically busted. Follow his RP to see the progress!
Now, moving on to the brighter side of the day. Some days after Muza was accepted into Nismo, the legendary fabricator and shop owner Mackay has moved to Tokyo and opened a new shop here! The one in Osaka is of course still runs. Man I swear I'm a fan of his works, especially over R34s, be it a GT-T or GT-R. His works are truly magical, savage and has a lot of uniqueness that distinguish it from others. If you own R34s (but of course he'll accept other cars as well) and based in Japan, he's the man to go to. Basically Dr. Dre of Nissans in general. Alright enough promoting, I wasn't paid to promote anyway lol (but hey, everybody likes free promotions!). Mackay was video-calling Muza to notify about his new shop and his new crib around southside Tokyo (or at least that's what I recall). I overheard them for a while and got excited.....perhaps too much since Muza and Mackay can hear me giggling like a fangirl  So Muza invited me to say hello to Mackay. I also used the chance to consult some stuff about the final upgrades to him. Thankfully he's glad to help me out, and with that sorted, I thanked him. I'm sure they talked a lot of things afterwards.I spent the rest of the day to help Marc(Macaron_moon) upgrading his Evo. Damn, it's been months since the last time his Evo X runs! I'm more than excited to help him though. I mean, our Evos are separated by ages, so it'll be interesting to see just how many things would separate them apart. This would keep my working skills warm as well, and I guess this is the first time I'm working on a modern car.  [21 Jan 2019] Paycheck time! I've got a raise of V$750/week now after all those hard work of translating documents. This should help a lot over tuning my car. And oh, since the Silver Queen only has a bit of upgrades to go, perhaps I should start saving for another car
Speaking of which, I already have a plan on it, just need to save some more so I can confidently grab it.But I'm considering to get a steady job as well to support my finances in general (yeah, not just for building cars, I'm a normal human being after all lol). You might know some guys here that has steady jobs as well, e.g. AJ is a lawyer, Muza now works at Nismo, Mackay opens two shops, Ziga(Lagano) and Ben(Phonexius) opens a wheel and accessories shop as well (go get some stuff from them, top quality guaranteed!), Dominik(Nightrunner) decorates houses, etc etc etc. I'm thinking of applying to be a teacher, a tech admin just like Rantaro does, a tech support guy or simply a chauffeur/driver for hire. I did have done a chauffeur job once (see it here if you want to), and the reaction was great. So I'm confident enough to get some more, though the pay isn't so steady compared to other aformentioned jobs. Besides, it's also involves driving, so your work environtment still consist of cars! I spent the rest of the day to helping Marc again. The 4B11T inside his Evo felt familiar yet also quite different from my 4G63T inside my Evo. I mean, it's basically a thoroughly redesigned and revamped 4G after all, but the works done by Mitsubishi to the 4B felt fresh and unique to me. It's just a bid saddening to me that the 4B didn't see a long production life as the 4G did with the death of Lancer Evo. Had Mistu could throw it in somewhere else, it'll be amazing (I'm not sure what engine does the Mirage R5 uses but I doubt it's a 4B. Still a mesmerizing thing though, shame somehow it doesn't have WRC international license/homologation).  [24 Jan 2019] At this point, all parts that I've listed from the previous update has been sold for a grand total of V$3770. Well, a bit less than usual, but the good thing is they sold like hot cakes here in Tokyo. AJ's continuing to improve his S15 after he cooked the clutch and I suggested him to get new one.....I'm sure it'll run like a rowdy, raging beast when all of the upgrades has been done. Meanwhile, I and Marc continued to work on his Evo. I also constantly trolled Marc in between the work session by mentioning how the Silver Queen now has more power than his Evo
. Surprisingy this also seem to affect AJ as well!  I'd like to top it off by doing the Fortnite default dance but since I can't do it anyway, I skipped it.Just by looking at the bodywork I can see Mitsu has also improved the rigidity on Evo X by having a rather bulky design compared to previous Evos. Top it with the savage looking front end and you'll end up with possibly one of the finest modern Japanese car ever made. Though sadly this bulky proportion is also what bars it and it's arch nemesis, the Impreza GRB to compete in top end of WRC and had to rely on N4 spec sales post-2008. But if I remember correctly this was also caused by global economy crisis happened that time. Mitsu was also gave up on their WRC campaign earlier, and instead focused on their rally raid campaign with their Pajero. Not that I complain actually, the Pajero is also awesome and I used to root for Mitsu back when they're still a strong Dakar contender. Also they're the last pure Dakar winner, the last time when it still runs across the dangerous terrains of Africa. "Oh hey Smoke, did you drive your car over the week?" Of course I do. The only problem is I can't get so much mileage from a simple commuter around the town, and I still can't get used to the power surge at the lower gears. At this point some might argue that 394 BHP is overkill for a daily, but in the age where hot hatches can punch over 300+ BHP (even one has break 400!) and supersedans sits in the league of 600 BHP, you know I had to do it to my Evo in order to keep it fit and able to fight the modern gen of performance cars. As for myself, I might need some exercising as well to be able to hold myself against the surge. One of the methods? Well I've sorted it out......... [25 Jan 2019] ......and this is how I sort it: Get up early, do some stretches, drive as far as possible and try to get all kinds of roads in your hands to try on. True car reviewer style don't you think? Except that since this is my own car rather than one being lent by a manufacturer, I have more time and freedom to explore the potential and limits of the Silver Queen. After checking out maps in my phone to make a solid driving route and a quick body stretching, I left the garage at 8am in the cold morning. Come to think of it, since it's nearing the end of winter, Tokyo is a bit less cold now than when I came here.
First stop is the suburban area. Before I tested the car's capability on city streets, I decided to refuel the Evo to avoid fuel crisis midway into the trip. Ah y'know, better safe than sorry as everyone except a-ha's vocalist would say in this situation. Please have a refreshing beverage, my Silver Queen~  Refuelling done, I hit the road again. I guess I really need to train my right foot to not be so greedy on the gas, but other than that cruising around town is nice and easy. Put the car in 2nd on low revs and it'll sip fuel calmly, or put it in 1st and it'll pull itself off junctions and traffic lights rapidly with no interruptions (other than from your own). I can also see people turning heads over the Silver Queen as well, be it while cruising or at traffic lights. It's like seeing a silver-clothed queen having a calm, nice walk around her kingdom to see her people living their daily lives. Truly a majestic sight.
 After 15 minutes of city cruising, I decided to head for the highway. Now I'm not sure which highway is this, but it's located at the outer area of Tokyo Expressway. I headed towards the highway and the sun as it continues to rise. And of course here's an obligatory music!
 When you bring it under the speed limit on high gear and low revs, it's a nice fuel-sipping cruiser. It felt stable too, thanks to all the suspension upgrades I bought for it. Well might not be magic carpet levels of stable, but still very livable to at least see your phone and reply chats when rolling on the highway (as a passenger of course. Not only texting and driving is dangerous, I can't do it and I'm obviously against it). The sound though, is another thing. Road noise is still acceptable but now the 4G engine echoes a bit louder than before. Not that I'm complaining, even it'll be an audio heaven if I can find some tunnel here. Sadly, there was none during the trip
  A good thing to point out is somehow there are some spots that isn't monitored by speed cameras. It's quite a blessing to be honest, this way I can let myself loose and turn on the taps of the engine. The body heaves with barely a sweat, retaining solid grip while weavering through traffic and tunring on the highway in general. Top speed? With WRC-spec gearing admittably it barely reaches 275 kmh, but I think you'll know that's because rallying relies more on acceleration side instead of top speed. Still impressive nonetheless to me, given that nowadays most modern cars are electronically limited to 250 kmh, if they can reach it at all. Yup, I guess this includes the GB-special Evo FQ series which last iteration, the FQ-440, produces 440 BHP.
 With the city and highway testing done, I set off to the final part of the testing. And I think this is the part that you've been waiting for. Time for the touge test!
The place that I selected is a small part of Otarumi Touge, some kilometers away from Tokyo. It connects all the way to Kanagawa, but thsi time I'm only taking the Tokyo part so I can use the entire day for testing and not getting lost while in Kanagawa. This touge predates the Hakone turnpike road by many, many ages, but now the road isn't widely used anymore as more and more highways are being built. Otarumi is twistier in general as well compared to Hakone, making this a perfect proving grounds to simulate both Tsukuba Fruit Line touge and asphalt rally stages in general, which is the home of rally-bred cars like my Evo. I approached the touge with grip driving in mind, so I won't bin it easily. This is my only car so far, y'know, I don't want to walk far away from home  Not even next two corners and the road starts to tighten and snakes around. I tried to give it the beans while maintaining grip around the chicanes. 
 Overall impression is, I can say it gladly, great. Torque keeps filling up whenever I call for it, and response is reasonably well, but can be improved still. Power is obviiously monstrous here, driving the Silver Queen here feels like you jumped into a fast-forwarded clip of a rollercoaster ride. Not so comfy at first, but once you get used to it, it's worth it and you can feel like you're faster than even Tommi Makkinen
 Some time later I found a huge road shoulder where I can turn around. I turned around and went to the opposite direction for one final run before going back into the garage.
The touge itself is quite challenging and has beautiful views. It's actually safer too than Tsukuba Fruits Line touge, with armcos and steel fances galore at both sides. I'd like to recommend this touge for mass touge run with the WestKyo boys, I'm sure they're gonna love the road quality and width :thumbsup: 
 With the touge ended, all test has been complete. I returned back to the suburbs while reflecting on what happened along the week and of course, the final upgrade for the Silver Qqueen. It's been a very, very long journey filled with near-bankruptcy to bring it to this state, and at this point I'm actually very grateful that all my efforts has been paid off handsomely.
 When I returned to the suburbs the sun has almost completely set. I thought I'd refresh myself by taking the scenic route around the center parts of the city.  To be honest, I rarely go to this area, so to discover there are a lot of trees here felt refreshing. Perhaps I should visit this district more on weekends.  But then, I found something else that I also rarely see near the city's park. What's a Buick Century doing here? I know that imported US cars a thing in Japan recently, but of all cars, why a Buick? And why a Century? On a lighter note, the lowrider styling is something unusual as well for a Buick, but it brings an air of creativity and fine craftsmanship to me. It's executed very well! I hope I can meet the owner someday.
 As night fell and the Buick steers away from my view, I approached a bridge. Given how tired I was, it felt heavenly and beautiful. At least lots of lights mean I could still stay awake behind the wheel.....but just look at it. It looks like a neon-lit red carpet for the Silver Queen.
 And just some minutes before I arrived at the garage, I spotted another lowrider. This time, a proper and popular one in the form of a neon-lit Chevy Impala. It looks like it came off straight from a gangsta rap video clip or any Grand Theft Auto game, and indeed felt like a huge yacht on wheels. I really want to know how these cars made it to this vry soil, so I might have to investigate it in my spare time. Who knows, I can meet it again.
 I went straight to sleep after a very long day of driving. I guess I'll need some massage too, my back hurt a bit [26 Jan 2019] I should've orderd the final upgrades after the drive, but damn I'm so tired I didn't do it. Well at least I can wake early wih enough sleep time, which already become a myth for some these days. Anyway, let's have a breakdown on what I bought for the Evo for (probably) the last time.
First off, I think the intake manifold has already showing it's age and might not be able to supply better airflow for the engine after all the upgrades. So it's time to help it breathe freely by having a new intake mainfold from Hypertune. They have 77mm and 90mm variant, but I think the 90mm is overkill despite having the same cost, so I deduce that the 77mm one is enough for daily without causing too much power jump or even worse, imbalance air intake ratio. They costs at V$1280. Quite expensive, I know, especially with the fact that I can purchase a 80mm one on eBay back then. But uh, that one looked like it's made of plastic, whereas this one is race-proven metal stuff. Now, speaking about air, there's on emore component that needs to be replaced and sucks air ino the car. Yep, the turbo. I know what are you thinking: "Ay Smoke are you mad? You've been producing a lot of horses for stroker kit why you have a turbo as well? It's too much!" Yeah yeah I know, but I want to improve the response a bit. Besides, the stock IHI turbo has shown its age and if I get a new one, might as well go for slightly higher boost since it's safer. Mackay recommended me to get something from HKS in his video call, and Marc agreed when I aksed him about this. So I got myself a huge assembly of turbos........
The grand total for the HKS GTII-8262 turbo assembly above is V$3489. Welp, this is definitely going to rip my wallet off  But I'm sure, I'm really sure they're worth it. Finally done my update! My body wasn't feeling well when I write this so it might be a bit bad. Anyway let's see if I actually survived the wallet slaughter: That's all my updates for now, thank you for stopping by and see you soon!
(either here or one of the WestKyo boys RPs)
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