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.

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.

http://brewedmotorsports.com/site/store.html

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

Brewed Twin Scroll Full Race EVO turbo Galant VR4 AEM V2 ems

Mitsubishi has been a heavy hitter in the WRC (WRC, D1, time attack video, pictures and updates)for over 2 decades, with the 4g63 engine stretching almost the entire 20 year period it has proven to be one of the best performing and reliable engines of the series.  The 4g63 also has a huge fallowing with the public enthusiast, whether it be found in an Eclipse, Talon, Galant, or any of the Evolution model lancers (besides the EVO X of course) the 4g63 has been making and braking records sense it first appeared on the market in the late 80s.

Here at Brewed we were lucky enough to find a our 4g63 making its home in a Galant VR4 chassis # 891/2000. With the Galant being AWD, 4 doors and sporting a roof rack a car full of friends and roof full of either boards or bikes is simply a must, this is a perfect DD. Being that the engine/chassis was already 19 years old we decided a Brewed style restoration was needed to bring the VR4 up to our standards. Here are a few teaser pics of the engine bay, new specially Brewed Race gas comingVERY soon.

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