BensonHsu.com

previously the sileightymania.com journal.

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I went to a Speedtrial event last weekend… there was a car control group reserved for us “car controllers”. The day was amazing. I couldn’t believe how akward it was for me that day… even though I’ve been out on that track many times, this time it felt like new. I think it was due to all of the learning that I’ve gained since the last time I was there. It forced me to look at the track in a different way… more possibilities, new entry speeds, new drifting lines, new techniques.

It was so strange being so unfamiliar with such a familiar track. I had a horrible time finding the correct lines and braking points and entry speeds of each turn… I was inconsistent throughout the whole day. But I am happy because this was the first time in a while that I was doing things to really challenge myself. It’s almost like when I first started learning and I had the hardest time trying to reach for something that was only a little beyond my reach.

In the end, I did a whole lot of learning… I noticed a lot of new things. I did 3rd gear braking drift at the bowl (and now I am getting much more comfortable with braking drift), I realized the importance of a few hundred rpms while entering a drift, I successfully feinted the skidpad 5 times, almost topping out 2nd gear at entry of the feint. I also learned that no matter what I’m concentrating on, I have to keep an open mind, because there is sometimes something I don’t see. I learned that from watching Hiro. Some things I brushed up on were smooth drifting exits, more precise steering, smoother drifting angles, and braking in the middle of a drift to change angle and speed.

So when’s the next event? Drift Day 4 held by Club4AG! Go sign up, I’m sure there will be plenty of learning and sharpening of skills that day. See ya there!

Pre drift event: I had problems with Discount Tire Center in El Monte… long story short – they ripped the bead on my new Potenza S-03 and wouldn’t admit it. I almost damaged my wheels and had to go back a total of 4 times to get the whole matter resolved. Anyway, hopefully it will be resolved if he holds up his end of the deal. After all that I had to rewire my MAF… it was messing up my car big time… since then, my car is idling a little higher, and boost is a lot smoother… on top of that, I think my gas mileage is better!

Post drift event: The event was GREAT. Thanks again to Moto for putting together yet another great event. I’m glad to see that a lot of people are getting better. So… Saturday was Nadine’s first drift event! I was so excited to teach her. First we went onto the skidpad where we learned how to negotiate the weird airport tarmac (it was almost like driving in wet conditions except it was dry). Even though she won’t admit it, she learned a lot that day and I’m really proud of her. She learned how to induce oversteer (and understeer), weight transfer, countersteer, and entry speeds. Kyle, Marc, and Johnny also did a GREAT job that day… they always amaze me on how quickly they learn and how much potential they have. As for me, I learned how great my LSD is… my KAAZ diff compared to a vlsd is like comparing night to day… like a KA to an SR (times 10). Also, I learned to stop trying to be so fast… I need to learn to master the slow and technical before I can REALLY be good at the high speeds. This is the same lesson I taught myself at the skidpad at the Buttonwillow event with Hiroshi and Shinji. Anyway, everybody did a great deal of learning… good job you guys. See you at the next event!

Well… my new wheels FINALLY came in!! Remember, how I used to have all these wheels… I had a fetish. And then suddenly they all disappeared and it seemed as if my fetish was gone? Well… it’s not gone! I’ve got a WHOLE NEW kind of fetish now. And if you’re lucky enough, you might see my car with them on! Hahaha! Anyways, Dec. 9, there’s a drift group at Willow Springs… I’ll be sure to make it! Also, there’s a private event coming up, and Nadine is gonna be learning how to drift!! I can’t wait… Also, I cannot wait to get some engine mounts put in. Hahah. Damnit.

So… I thought I would surprise people by converting to 5-bolt. Well, not so much to surprise people, but so that I can change the look of my car… and so that I can choose from a wider variety of wheel sizes. I was tired of the 15s, since I couldn’t get anything wider than 7″! So I had some dumb problems with doing the 5-bolt swap, mainly because I tried to drill my rotors without a drill press. If you’re gonna swap… buy the right new rotors. So the nice guys at Cartune let me borrow their r33 gt-r wheels. Hmm… I don’t think the wheels look very bad at all. However, they are extremely heavy. So the National 240sx convention was a GREAT success… we had a great turnout (170 registered 240sxs) and I had a great time watching all the 240sx owners driving their cars out on the track. MY car, decided that it would frustrate me… 3rd lap into my run group, my brakes were fading so badly… I said forget it. The reasons: I was braking more agressively than usual, I’m using raybestos brake pads, and my rotors are not drilled or slotted. So I had fun anyways by driving in other people’s cars! Hahaha! I sat in with Nadine as she learned the course and honed in on her driving line, and accel/braking points. She got better with each lap, and rivaled a lot of the guys in her run group! Hmm… so since then, I’ve changed my clutch… and I’m going to upgrade my brakes to z32 (so they don’t fade anymore). There’s a drift event this saturday at Irwindale Speedway, and another next Saturday at Willowsprings Raceway. Woo-hoo! I hope my crappy engine doesn’t die!

Oh man, I’ve been so busy lately I’ve been neglecting my site. Well, here’s a recap of the past few months: I got a new radiator – a Koyo aluminum 3 row sponsored by my great friends at CarTune! I’ve got my fan shroud on there, and sitting inside there are 2 Spal fans, one 800cfm and one smaller 400cfm. I’m running a new coolant mixture too… It’s regular water mixed with this pink additive… Nadine loves it hahaha. So with that, I went to club4ag’s drift day 3 at Willowsprings Raceway (streets of willow). The event went great – Moto held another great event. The new radiator setup held up GREAT against the 100+ degree weather out there. The only time I overheated was out on the skidpad… because the car is never driving straight for the air to pass through the radiator.

Well, I had a great birthday get-together yesterday… all my friends came over and we hung out for a little bit and went for some sight seeing afterwards. And even though I was sick as hell and lost my voice, I still had a good time. Thanks baby for organizing everything. Anyway what’s new with my car… I jacked Nadine for her spin turn knob from her front clip! Hahah. I jacked her fog lamp switch also… No more cheapo pep-boys switches for me. I’m doing some experimentation with engine oil… I’m doing some bodywork on my new bumper… in search of some aero parts… other than that, nothing is really new. Stay tuned though, I have a lot of changes coming in the near future!