A Preview of Matt Powers Formula D 2011 Rebuild

[dj_hype]

I may be confused but I was always under the impression drifting was about style in the first place?

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by Karlitos

I was confused seeing that you started the roll center thread, i thought you wouldve liked this, but you edited.



As stated in the read, yeah sr's rb's etc make enough for the enthusiast who goes drifting but for competition no way is it enough in terms of powerband and reliability.

But as Dori said, at least its LS7. Things a best and a lot better than LS1 and LS2. Pretty much only the charged LS9 and LSA are better.

I dont get why people get butthurt over the fact the the sport is improving for everyone. Including grassroots drivers. The hellaflush shouldnt be associated with the drifting scene since its not functional. People need to realize that if they had a better set up they can be better aswell. Like time attack cars, they dont do stance because it'd hurt their times, in drifting it hurts the predictability of the car. People need to try out road racing or autocrossing just to see that functionality does matter.

Anyways its great to see a good driver that will be able to be competitive now. Good Luck to matt this season.

See where you have it wrong is about the sport improving. It's just getting more expensive. Drifting is about style and having fun, not "functionality". I'm all about maximum performance and have a passion for proper suspension geometry, but if you're building a drift car, it should be cool above all else.

I'm hoping that with the Driftworks knuckles, Matt will be able to pull off a cool looking car.

I also hate that Formula D is now basically a spec series, where all cars must have super-huge Domestic V8's and quick change rear diffs. It's really getting ridiculous.

Remember when Dai was rocking his SR-powered S13 or S15? He killed it. And you knew he had his foot to the floor and he was using every bit of skill he had to make that car do what it did.
Remember when Tanner Foust won the series with his twin-turbo 350Z and awesome 4-wheel lock entries?

Now it's just about putting your foot down and making a smoke cloud. 100 points from the judges!

The British are doing it better than us.

Don't get me wrong, Matt seemed like a cool guy when I was at ASB. I wish him luck in his competitive career. Sorry for the threadjack.

[K_style]

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

Ross and Frank would never touch a LS1!!!!

... they're using a LS3

Lack of info.. haha but you get the idea !!!

[Om1kron]

competitive drifting is about video games, and energy drinks. Obviously you can win at grassroots drifting and look cool doing it but the accomplishment of such is like fucking all the hot girls you ever wanted while getting 0 recognition for it.

While doing something people will actually go and pay to see everyone remembers you and knows who you are. I don't believe professional competitive drifting is about being stylish or looking cool.

Competition is about winning, however you have to do it.

Vaughn Gitten Jr. Blew a motor EVERY round of FD last year, must be nice to have that large of a budget while people like Chris Liccup just have to worry about being able to afford tires.

If you don't have big money behind you there is no point entering competitive drifting unless you want to pat yourself on the back and say you did it.

[icedsole]

lol when your 6/700 hp sr isnt enough to compete, idk what the wolrd is coming too.

[FantasticVoyages]

Originally Posted by SnapS13

blah blah blah blah blah proper suspension geometry...blah blah blah

Read this and instantly stopped caring.

Nerds got ahold of that man...he's just another formula D driver now.

[Z33dori]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

See where you have it wrong is about the sport improving. It's just getting more expensive. Drifting is about style and having fun, not "functionality". I'm all about maximum performance and have a passion for proper suspension geometry, but if you're building a drift car, it should be cool above all else.

I'm hoping that with the Driftworks knuckles, Matt will be able to pull off a cool looking car.

I also hate that Formula D is now basically a spec series, where all cars must have super-huge Domestic V8's and quick change rear diffs. It's really getting ridiculous.

Remember when Dai was rocking his SR-powered S13 or S15? He killed it. And you knew he had his foot to the floor and he was using every bit of skill he had to make that car do what it did.
Remember when Tanner Foust won the series with his twin-turbo 350Z and awesome 4-wheel lock entries?

Now it's just about putting your foot down and making a smoke cloud. 100 points from the judges!

The British are doing it better than us.

Don't get me wrong, Matt seemed like a cool guy when I was at ASB. I wish him luck in his competitive career. Sorry for the threadjack.

yep

yep
yep

BDC is taking the cake on this.....along with D1NZ

[Om1kron]

Originally Posted by icedsole

lol when your 6/700 hp sr isnt enough to compete, idk what the wolrd is coming too.

The motor kept blowing head gaskets, once they finally got some headbolts that would stop the separation the lower end of the motor stretched to relieve pressure and to blow said headgasket.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by Z33dori

yep

yep
yep

BDC is taking the cake on this.....along with D1NZ

Agreed good sir.

[2_Liter_Turbo]

[Future_gohan]

i hate it, matts car when i first seen it on speedhunters years ago it was an inspiration, now i honestly can't stand to look at it, just like the rest of the fd cars, competitive or not pro drifting isn't as fun to watch as lets say clubloose or anything else, and drifting is suppose to be fun to watch.

[Future_gohan]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

See where you have it wrong is about the sport improving. It's just getting more expensive. Drifting is about style and having fun, not "functionality". I'm all about maximum performance and have a passion for proper suspension geometry, but if you're building a drift car, it should be cool above all else.

I'm hoping that with the Driftworks knuckles, Matt will be able to pull off a cool looking car.

I also hate that Formula D is now basically a spec series, where all cars must have super-huge Domestic V8's and quick change rear diffs. It's really getting ridiculous.

Remember when Dai was rocking his SR-powered S13 or S15? He killed it. And you knew he had his foot to the floor and he was using every bit of skill he had to make that car do what it did.
Remember when Tanner Foust won the series with his twin-turbo 350Z and awesome 4-wheel lock entries?

Now it's just about putting your foot down and making a smoke cloud. 100 points from the judges!

The British are doing it better than us.

Don't get me wrong, Matt seemed like a cool guy when I was at ASB. I wish him luck in his competitive career. Sorry for the threadjack.

I 100% agree, i honestly hate fd

[ms!3]

lmao why is this dude so special? He puts on his pants just like everybody else.

[hitman]

i take my pants off more than anyone else though.

thanks for the support. build is coming along. should be a much better setup. the ls7 is cool because of how big the powerband will be. with the ka i had to run a 4.9 final drive to make the car faster, which sucks for wheel speed and makes you have less angle and smoke and grip too.
been working on the car every day, dyno session is next wednesday then tuning after that. there should be another update before then.
im not trying to appeal to car dorks. im not a car dork. if i didnt drift, i would drive a stock wagon or something. drifting is cool, cars are not. deal with it.

[huntington19]

bummer...matt powers was the only one without a v8....thanks formula d for welcoming nascar fans with open arms. are you all forgetting where drifting originated from? .....not v8's

[ms!3]

Lol who gives a fuck? v8s are rad. All in all its just a hunk of metal. Doesn't really matter if one has 4 more cylinders than the other.

[Future_gohan]

I don't care about the whole v8 thing really, you've always said you wern't a car fan, but your car always has a nice appeal to it, it looked good. now it doesn't, nothing against you matt, I've always loved how you drive, just not a fan of were your car is heading.

[ericcastro]

Originally Posted by hitman

......... drifting is cool, cars are not..........

lol, Matt, thats about the last thing people on this forum are gonna understand.


I hope the new heart helps you get where you want to be.
And keeps your pants coming off.

[Shadowhunter]

Originally Posted by simmode1

I get where you're coming from. But as a person who prefers GRIP racing to drifting, I wanna see one of these V8 swapped 240's on a roadcourse. I'm sure Matt and Daijiro's cars would do well with Mike Kojima supporting them, but I'm not so sure about most of the others...

Have you checked out any of the Monster Miata Conversions running 5.0's? Still great handling, tons more power, they just basically need a RX7 brake upgrade to keep the rotors and pads from melting off. Otherwise those cars are pretty competitive. I'd love to build one for redline time attack and just see how it does, but I'm currently limited on funds working on my S14.

[murderrsirenss]

Originally Posted by Xplat

What's upsetting is that he had so many shallow fans who only cared about the way his car looked.

this.

is all.

[Future_gohan]

Originally Posted by murderrsirenss

this.

is all.

Part of drifting is how you car looks.

[Z33dori]

he does what he wants, and doesn't give a fuck what you fools think lol


like i said hate it or love it...... as long as ppl drive hard, and the cars sound cool. ill watch

[chaos240sx]

Pro drifting is like a small biz going corporate. The people that shell out the top dollers are in the biz of making money and to make money you have to win and appeal to the masses. Most of what the people who go to FD want to see is loud ass cars throwing up tons of smoke and crazy angle. When most of the crowd goes out and looks at the cars at the car show they dont car about the stance. Its just the way things have become and its kind of sad.

[dRift_g0ddess]

YouTube - Amazing Japanese Drift (JZX100 vs B324R vs AE86)
^super sick drifting at its purest. Pushing the limits of a 4 banger while keeping complete control.. pureee skill.

Leave it to America to ruin something so great.. pretty soon everyone will be drifting v8's so I suppose at least then it will be fair competition...but it will still just be "America's version" of drifting.
I'm a little embarrassed I feel that drifting here in America is getting farther and farther from what it truly is. The last FD event I went to I was seated behind this middle aged couple who boo'd every import car & cheered every mustang and viper. It was confusing and extremely frustrating :/
Respect the sport. V8's are amazing.. when appropriate. There's no skill in smashing down the gas pedal and creating tons of smoke-even though unfortunately that's what America wants :c

[Hobbit]

Originally Posted by dRift_g0ddess

YouTube - Amazing Japanese Drift (JZX100 vs B324R vs AE86)
^super sick drifting at its purest. Pushing the limits of a 4 banger while keeping complete control.. pureee skill.

Don't forget that only one of those cars is actually a 4 cyl. Also, don't forget that Keiichi is able to do what he does because of his skill and the way his whole car is set up, including the suspension. His car is not "hellaflush", its hella functional.

Matt is going in the right direction he needs to go in to be competitive and everyone should understand that. He's not selling out, hes buying in. I hung out in his tent for a few minutes when he was working on his car in Monroe last year. Plain and simple one of the most down to earth people who's ever gained the recognition of anyone.

Shame on any one of you fair-weather fanboi's who's giving him a load of shit
for changing his car to be more functional and, quite frankly, better. He's doing it so he can stay competitive so YOU can watch him drive more. I'm sure that there's a healthy balance between what he does for himself and what he does for his fans, but he hasn't forgotten you. You kids just need to stop being so closed minded.

If all you super sick JDM kiddies need a new bandwagon to hop on because Matt switched to a V8, go jawls all over Ken Gushi's Scion, he's still running a 4 banger.

TL;DR: Lose the hate, grow up, learn about professional sports (driving or otherwise).

[Zero-Offset]

Originally Posted by dj_hype

I may be confused but I was always under the impression drifting was about style in the first place?

someone get this man a well deserved cookie.

[D.Adams]

I don't blame Matt at all for going with the v8 the Ka was holding him back.

For someone to have worked really hard for what they have and become then get the support to build a really awesome car that will compete with all the other cars you would be dumb not to take advantage of that. Its going to be a good season this year and I hope Matt - Pat - Luke - Aasbo - Ross do well this year. Its time for people to step there game up so they can win and Matt is doing that. I give him a big High Five and a slap on the ass for building his car the way he is.


Keep it up man cant wait for the next update and to see this car at long beach.

[az_240]

Originally Posted by simmode1

I really don't care much about maximum steering angle for drifting, but I can only imagine that these are much lighter than stock S-Chassis uprights and maybe even the Z32 uprights while requiring less work to install.

I have the driftworks knuckles (have yet to install)... they are almost the exact same weight as stock knuckles.

The LS7 is a great engine choice.... IMO times have changed. At a pro level you need every advantage you can get... either keep up or get left in the dust.

[articdragon192]

Originally Posted by dRift_g0ddess

YouTube - Amazing Japanese Drift (JZX100 vs B324R vs AE86)
^super sick drifting at its purest. Pushing the limits of a 4 banger while keeping complete control.. pureee skill.

Leave it to America to ruin something so great.. pretty soon everyone will be drifting v8's so I suppose at least then it will be fair competition...but it will still just be "America's version" of drifting.
I'm a little embarrassed I feel that drifting here in America is getting farther and farther from what it truly is. The last FD event I went to I was seated behind this middle aged couple who boo'd every import car & cheered every mustang and viper. It was confusing and extremely frustrating :/
Respect the sport. V8's are amazing.. when appropriate. There's no skill in smashing down the gas pedal and creating tons of smoke-even though unfortunately that's what America wants :c

You realize HP wars having been going on in Japan for a few years now right? The big turbo NOS fed 2JZs are the V8s of Japan. Why do you think the great Kumakubo is no longer even qualifying with his old Evo and building his insane 1000hp Laurel? Just to be competitive.

Props for Matt for doing what he thinks needs to be done to stay in the game and not get left behind.

Pro drifting should not be compared to grassroots, just like how pro drag racing and pro road racing shouldn't be compared to grassroots. Budgets and just the amount of exposure the pros get make everything totally different from grassroots events.

[Karlitos]

To the people saying there is no more 4 cyl engines, yo do realize jeff abbott drifted his miata, gushi a 4cyl tc, matt fields in an s13(now going v8) and theres rookies coming in w/ sr's such as chris licup and more. I know a guy that came back from japan last friday from the navy, right before the earthquake struck and he was telling me that v8 are being imported to japan. Thats right, like we buy sr's from the JDM market(redundant) they buy V8. And previous to this it was the crazy rb/jz making tons of power vs the little 4ag that had no chance of keeping up. Pro is just what anyone would do if you had the budget. When you go pro, your still paying for track days and stuff but you have sponsors to give you help, which you would take if placed in that situation. The reason drifting isnt popular in automotive communities is because its seen as a joke since it has no function behind it. If there was more people doing things right, wed have bigger name companies r&d stuff that we could actually make use of. But since everyone is stuck on crappy valving megans the market doesnt go anywhere. I think form follows function, and something that performs well will look cool.

oh and also pro guys do have fun by going out to events like asb where they take theyre "cool" cars and drive them, like jtp's fc before it got stolen. the reason thats not in FD is because its not competitive. A mustang leaving an fc behind, big deal. v8 rx7 drifting next to a mustang makes it more interesting.


Anyways this is way off topic and all that matters is that a good driver will become more competitive in the professional field because of better performing parts.