RWD Subaru drift build aka Driftaru 9 questions with owner/driver DJ

Do you have what takes to Join the Crew?

Here are Brewed Motorsports we don't have customers, we have an extend automotive family AKA a "Crew". We pride ourselves in getting to personally know each and every driver we work with as well as their projects.

DJ aka djelly84 (on the forums) is not your ordinary enthusiast, going above and beyond what most only dream of, DJ simply couldn't be held within the confines for what most would consider a "socially acceptable drift car". Over the past few years the Driftaru has developed into a fully built competion level machine. From the early days of a stock EJ20 tuned on the factory ECU RWD conversion and 3 passengers sliding on West track at Fire Bird International race way to the cover of Super Street.

A brief list of "THE BUILD GOODS"
GTX3076R twin scroll turbo
ID 2000cc injector dynamics
Custom EJ22 JE pistons, Manley rods
AEM Engine Management System

The Wish List
Anti Lag system secondary air injection valve

When did your passion for cars begin?

When I was around 14-15. The first car I fell in love with was the 70's Corvette Stingrays . Looking back I don't know why but I remember I was obsessed with them! First car was a 1993 BMW 325is. Black on black. So rad. Bought myself thanks to a weird turn of events with a senior citizen wrecking the family Mitsubishi wagon. I slept in the bimmer in the garage for basically the first week when I got it.

What is your favorite type of motorsport to participate in?

Drifting

Tell me about your current project or projects?

It is a 2004 Subaru WRX. I bought it pretty stock back in 2008. Working with my good friend Eric Franz-Larson of Brewed Motorsports, I began modifying it shortly after I got it. Initially it was my daily driver and I had plans to make it a fun street car and possibly do some time attack & auto cross events in it. After riding along with Eric in the Brewed 240sx at drift events, I quickly became obsessed with drifting. I thought it would be awesome, and unique, to make the WRX into a drift car and decided to follow that dream. I'm sure others who have got the car bug can relate to my experience. Initially I thought I would be satisfied after doing suspension, turbo and supporting modifications, but it seemed each modification just fueled a fire to go bigger and better. Where I stand now, almost every part on the car has been changed (at least once). It is a fully XDC/FD legal dedicated track car (but still street legal and registered until 2013 wooh!).

What are your end goals for your project cars/builds?

To obtain driving skills worthy of such a car and have the same chassis in ten years :)

What are a few of the major inspirations for your builds?

There are primarily two cars that inspired my build. The first was the Brewed 240sx. That was what initiated the build. Eric was the one that actually recommended a WRX and introduced me to drifting…a deadly combination! The brewed 240 made me realize the most beautiful aspect of a car is under the hood. It also made me realize that creativity, not money, is what determines a great build. The second is my close friend Dustin's BMW E36 truck. This is definitely the most intensive build I've ever witnessed, probably will ever witness, and I was basically second behind the owner in terms of involvement. I guess your environment shapes you, and watching a cheap stock 318is get turned into an insanely elaborate 1 of a kind machine, solely by a self-taught, ex-pro skater/bike mechanic/yoga teacher, using only an angle grinder, MIG, and household tools in his garage, definitely pushed my build to a level I never dreamed of.

Besides cars what do you do for fun?

Snowboarding, skating, fishing. Basically anything outdoors or anything that gets my adrenaline flowing.

Do you have many close friends or family that share your passion for motorsports?

My uncle was a test driver for Ford Australia during the 70's and 80's. My dad loved cars and owned a Toyota dealership. I'm sure this has something to do with my passion. But in terms of friends, I've met so many new friends from motorsports just in the last few years. I feel all I see on Facebook is related to cars it's crazy. My wife is a car model. I just haven't met her yet.



Where would you like to be in the world of internal combustion engines/motorsports in 3 years? Any personal goals set? 

In the next 3 years I would like to improve my driving ability and become competitive in grassroots drifting. I would like to be influential in drifting in my lifetime. The sport is young and the possibilities of where it can go are endless.



What is your dream car, project or build?

My car is basically my dream and I want to just focus on getting more seat time. However…I must admit I almost subconsciously still search for a 2-door Subaru Impreza on craigslist on almost a daily basis. Maybe someday…a drift spec GC8 impreza. Or another BMW E36.

Turbo Anti Lag system aka ALS

Anti lag has become a great option for eliminating turbo lag on any turbocharged car in all forms of motorsports. We here at Brewed Motorsports uses ALS in every last one of our  turbocharged engines. Drag racer applications use anti lag to make power when they launch the car, rally cars use another form of anti lag to keep the turbo spooled while lifting off the throttle and now even drift cars are using a “rally style” anti lag option.  Most aftermarket ECU’s as well as factory ECU tuning options are now available with a simple drag style anti lag.

Anti lag systems work by creating heat and pressure in the exhaust system pre turbo. This can be accomplished in few different ways but is most commonly do to air and fuel igniting in the exhaust manifold. The resulting combustion causes the a burst of heat and pressure which in turn rapidly increases the shaft speed of the turbo.

Diagram of the OEM Mitsubishi EVO ALS

Drag style anti lag systems are one of the simplest ALS , mostly commonly used to build boost on the line just before the race begins. By setting up a 2 step rev limiter to hold the desired RPM for launching the car (2 step rev limiter is usually activated by either the clutch switch and or a desired speed)  While a 2 step rev limiter may build a small amount of boost this is not a true anti lag system however it is VERY close. The simplest and one of the most effective drag style anti lag systems is simply a 2 step rev limiter that retards the ignition timing and adjusts the fuel just before it reaches it set rev limit.  This results in the combustion cycle happening while the exhaust valves are open causing a sudden increase in egt’s as well as pressure in the exhaust manifold pre turbo, effectively spinning the turbo much faster and creating the desired boost level. The down side to this is all the extra heat and pressure puts extra stress on everything in its path, (exhaust valves, exhaust manifold, turbo, even the exhaust system post turbo) With proper tuning  the ALS can however be very reliable.

Some testing and tuning of the ALS on the Brewed S13

Rally style ALS are slightly more complicated, there are also a few different techniques used to get the desired results. I will only be touching on the secondary injection style anti lag as this has proven to work VERY well for our Brewed projects as well as 90% of WRC cars (Toyota, Subaru and Mitsubishi just to name a few). By introducing oxygen and fuel (in the proper mixture) directly into the exhaust manifold pre turbo you can produce combustion similar to the drag style ALS without moving the oxygen through the engine (the throttle plate can be closed or at a very low angle such as lifting off the throttle while cornering)  This is the perfect way to lower the amount of stress on the engine/exhaust valves when compared to the drag style ALS as well as provide instant response when reapplying the throttle after lifting. Thanks to the WRC regulations many OEM cars actually came factory with this style of ALS however they were “tuned” off from the factory for the public. Cars such as the Evolution and all all trac celica  could simply re map the ECU or use a standalone EMS and activate the OEM ALS!

WRC engine bay, always a treat!

Good visual and sound of an ALS

Please feel free to ask questions any time! We are happy to give input and advice for any project, of course if you want your car to shoot a bit of fire from time to time and keep that turbo spooled we have covered.

tuning@brewedmotorsports.com 

Post by Brewed Motorsports Thailand.

9 Questions with Chad Lampano, Customer and Driver

Here are Brewed Motorsports we love to hear from our customers. We pride ourselves in getting to personally know each and every driver as well as their projects.

Chad Lampano AKA (cxlumpy) on the forums is a fellow sliding enthusiast we were lucky enough to meet AND drive with down in Phoenix AZ at the “monthly” Drift and Drag events held at Fire bird international race way. We recently caught up with him to ask a few questions about what keeps him involved in the automotive scene we all love.

When did your passion for cars begin?

I guess my true passion for cars began when I was just a kid. I always played with hot wheels and would look outside the window of my school bus trying to identify cars and what made them so unique. Of course I had my eye set on exotic cars such as; Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsche, ect. I got into the building process when I got my first r/c car and realized that I liked to get the car sideways instead of keeping it straight.

What is your favorite type of motorsport to participate in?

Well to be honest the only motorsport I do is drifting so it has to be it. I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle or something cool like that.

Tell me about your current project or projects?

Well my current project, (not yet completely wrapped up) is my 89’ Nissan 240sx. It was the first car that I owned. I drove my car hard for almost 4 years of owning it, taking it to track events in AZ with a rebuilt SOHC KA. It did what I needed the car to do but could of always used more. I set up the suspension on my own it is pretty much fully adjustable arms with the exception of rear traction rods. As of right now I’m going through a build if you would call it that. I cut the stock front tubs out and welded some nice BIG tubs in. Changed suspension parts and shortened/relocated fuse boxes blah blah blah. My engine is going to be a redtop SR20DET with slight internal modifications. The bottom end is going to be basically stock and the head is pretty much Brian crower valvetrain. Turbo set up is a gt2871 .63ar, silkroad manifold and I’m going to make my own exhaust from the downpipe back. As for engine tuning I decided to go with AEM, picked up the AEM EMS V2 from Eric from Brewed Motorsports with all the needed goodies to go along with it.

What are your end goals for your project cars/builds?

My goal for my car is to be somewhat close to 400 WHP and torque. I want to compete but mainly just built to have fun.

What are a few of the major inspirations for your builds?

I think my main inspiration for my build is just seeing what I can do. I can honestly say nothing beats the feeling of seeing/driving what you have built from the ground up.

Besides cars what do you do for fun?

You could say I’m an avid fisherman. When I’m not working on my car you could probably find me at a lake, river, or the ocean. I like to hang out with friends and be outside.

Do you have many close friends or family that share your passion for motorsports?

I have quite a few close friends all over the west coast who I share my passion of drifting with. Mainly they are back in Arizona where I found my true passion for drifting. Recently my brother got interested in drifting but has yet to try it out for his own liking. I have friends back here in Washington who are into drifting but I can say there are a select few who that I can call my close friends. The thing with motorsports/drifting I will always make friends through this sport and will continue to be friends with them regardless if they drop the sport.

What is your dream car, project or build?

To be honest I couldn’t tell you. There are so many cars I would love to get my hands on that I couldn’t just pick one!

Where would you like to be in the world of internal combustion engines/motorsports in 3 years? Any personal goals set? 

Well if I don’t join the military I would like to be somewhere on the podium at a grassroots event series or even at formula d. My main goal everyday or at every event is to just have fun and at the end of the day go home safe and find room for improvement.

Formula D Long Beach 2012

The streets of Long Beach has been the first location for the season opener for Formula D since its inception, and the location couldn't be better to showcase the new cars and talent for 2012. The ocean air mixed with unmistakable smell of burnt rubber will never grow old and always gets the blood pumping. But enough chitchat, all we really care about is the awesomess that took place there. Enjoy!

A lil badass thats for sure!

Ross Petty's immaculately painted and very political S15. The details on this car were amazing, all of the rasta camo is actually painted on the car!

The 1200hp 2JZ swapped SC430 beast driven by Daigo Saito

Nothing too fancy, just everything needed to get the job done!

A pile of parts from D-Mac who unfortunately took himself out. The walls of Long Beach can be very destructive when a car gets sucked into one!

One clean original RHD bluebird 510

All car events wouldn't be complete without an overload of beautiful women

Another unfortunate victim of the walls:(

Just a well put together SR20 setup. Gotta give props to the guys sticking to the roots of where drifting came from. Small displacement motors with the help of a little boost!

A very clean Y34 Cima

EVO 3

Pure classic

The sticker says it all

This S13 was decked out with a ton of different sharpie drawings. The little drawing of the two lovers on the valve cover is similar to how we feel about that nice little snail sitting right next to it:)

I appreciate the attention to detail that goes into building these VIP cars. Nothing but clean lines and immaculate paint, of course dropped on the ground on bags!

George Marstanovic is going to be a force to be reckoned with this season. He qualified 15th in his first FD appearance. Unfortunately Formula D would not let him run with his wing, supposedly it was 1" to tall... He got taken out in the top 32 by Daigo Saito but put up one hell of a fight. Keep in mind that this guy is basically a privateer and built this car in his garage. 

The guy in the white is inches away from these cars as they slide by the clipping point and the wall. He doesn't flinch

All of the drivers put on one hell of a show and drove as hard as they could. There were some well fought battles but in the end Justin Pawlek and his Falken Tires Ford Mustang took the win. That's two years in a row he has won at the Streets of Long Beach. Here is what the podium looked like.

1st - Justin Pawlek

2nd - Dai Yoshihara

3rd - Daigo Saito

2000 miles in a drift car! KA24E-T, AEM EMS, Enkei RPF01

Well the summer in Montana has come and is quickly on its way out. Although we will be back to enjoy the winter it was time to get the Nissan 240sx KA24-T drift car down to a suitable environment in order to keep doing what it was built to do. The trip south began the beginning of September. The goal was to make it to Seattle, WA and then drive down the coast on Hwy 101, enjoying the sights and some spirited driving on all of the twisty roads. There isn't much to say besides the fact that I had a perma-smile on my face the whole time and I'm sure put a smile on those faces whom I passed! Be advised that driving a car 2000 miles  Below are some of the highlight pictures from the trek.

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Space Needle, Seattle, WA

 

Cannon Beach, OR

Camping along the way on the Oregon coast.

Enkei RPF1 sale

Sand Dunes, Oregon Coast

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

 

and the final destination Hollywood, CA

EFR turbo special offers