Driving Line VOLUME V ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2019 | Page 15

PERFORMANCE UPGRADES
Under Doherty’s tutelage, Steven’s track times
improved. “As I got faster, so did the car, but I stayed away
from major power improvements, because the car was
already plenty fast. I only upgraded to the RD Engineering
turbos because I had problems with the factory units.”
He did, however, have the internals of the transmission
rebuilt with HKS parts to handle the additional power and
an EcuTek engine-management system.
Other performance improvements included upgraded
E85 injectors, a higher-capacity fuel pump and a custom
exhaust. “Last year, I talked with some of the specialists
at Verus Engineering [who manufacture the splitter on the
car] about how I could improve the aerodynamics. They
suggested that I move the exhaust much higher than the
stock location, well above the diffuser.”
Steven took those ideas to Pit Garage, where the
team there performed a number of modifications to the
car in addition to the exhaust system. “The guys at Pit are
great—they fabbed my rollcage, custom splitter mounts,
customized power-steering cooler, all the air ducts for front
bumper and the custom, titanium, single-outlet exhaust.”
While he wasn’t into doing a ton of engine performance
upgrades, he was not afraid of aero. The aforementioned
diffuser was made by Verus Engineering, while the 6-inch
honeycomb splitter and GT1000 dual-element wing were
made by APR.
FASTER ON THE BRAKES
Everybody has their own method for driving. “With
the high power I have in the GT-R, I’m able to reach top
speed faster than most, but I’m on the brakes faster,
too,” Steven said. This required some upgrades in the
deceleration department. He installed a couple pairs of
four-piston Brembo calipers clamping down on TPM rotors
with PMU H21 extreme-temperature-capability pads for
more stopping control.
Steven knew it didn’t make sense to upgrade brakes
without upgrading the tires. Without deliberation, he picked
a set of Nitto NT01 350/30R20s for their consistency and
excellent traction. That Nitto rubber surrounds a pair
of 20x11-inch Yokohama RZ-DF wheels in the rear and
20x11-inch Ray’s G25 wheels in the front.
Early tuning of Steven’s car produced 780 hp and
620 lb-ft of torque. Chan interpreted those numbers as,
TO SEE HOW THE CARS DID
AGAINST EACH OTHER
WATCH THE RACE ON THE DRIVING LINE
YOUTUBE CHANNEL UNDER
“Driver Battles: R35 GT-R vs. 240SX (S13).”
“Just crazy fast on the track.” While it seems that Chan
has plenty to be cocky about, the reality is that he’s very
friendly and approachable and very fast—just like his
instructor.
SEE THE SHOWDOWN GO DOWN
AT YOUTUBE.COM/DRIVINGLINE
DRIVINGLINE.COM
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