Our experience at TOUKE

The opinions you are about to read are those of the individual writing the current article. They in no way represent the views of the company as a whole. We are not profession writers. We're sales guys. Please bare with us as you read this. Soooo, yeah, here it goes;

TOUKE 8/23/08 Drift/Grip Day

Right off the bat, I'd like to thanks the organizers of TOUKE for allowing us to participate in such a great event. We were witnesses to outstanding interaction between drivers and staff members that left us astounded. Friends and families of the drivers all cheering as the vehicles flew by screaming. Let me say there were a few that far surpassed the legal DB level causing excitement amongst the attending children...

(JIC product placement- check out our exhausts)

Everywhere I looked I saw tools that were being shared and help being given without it being asked for in the pit area. I’d like everyone that attended to think for a moment about the contributions they made to the Touke event and realize that those actions were that of true sportsman. Even when a bit of controversy arose, the attendees quickly found a resolution in a mature and timely fashion. What more can a participant ask for? The Touke organizers did an exceptional job and came to the event with the attitude of enthusiasts instead of employees resembling airport staff just pointing a finger in the direction you should go . They allowed drivers to get out on the field and enjoy the course from the very beginning until the final moments giving us only enough time to pack up before we get kicked out. It really gives the driver a reason to not sleep in and attend the morning meeting knowing that it was about to be on like Donky Kong.

Touke organizers- YOU ROCK
Attendees- GREAT JOB.

Out on the Track

We at JIC, being enthusiasts of the car lifestyle ourselves, really wanted to get out there and play. Our small attending staff enrolled an employees personal SR powered 95 240sx for some time on the drift track with a dabble in the grip event. The course itself was clean leaving us confident that we were going to have some fun. The morning portion consisted of a divided skid pad for a driver on each side to whip out the rear ends of their cars around a cone or two. A great J-turn was also formed further back to help people get the adrenaline out of their system and refresh themselves with the characteristics of their vehicles. There were even instructors for beginners to take advantage of if the participant was a first timer. A special thanks goes out to them for putting aside some of their driving time to help teach others, well done guys. After some time had passed, the course was transformed into a mid to top of 3rd gear straight, turn, feint, ebrake, wait for the transition, downshift 2nd into doughnut while clutch kicking ALOT type bonanza. Then again, you might have used the top of 2nd all the way which would give drivers a tighter line at a lower speed. I guess it just depended on the driver and the vehicle.

Lesson of the day- OFFSETS!!!

Our lightly modified, SR powered Zenki first ran 18x9 +18 in the front and a 17x9 +35 budget buy set in the rear. Why, you ask. I'll tell you why. Because the sales people in the industry don't get paid as much as most would think. We're right there next to most other enthusiast as far as how many dollars are in our pocket.

"Can I order a number one please?"

"Would you like that super sized?"

"Let me check my bank account real quick"

I digress... So like i was saying, we took along a couple sets of wheel and tire combos for the rear. One set was to be used for the grip event and the other for drifting. It was no big deal. Everyone rocks mismatched rims and tires front to back. We're just here to have some fun anyways not win a car show. That's on another day. In the beginning runs, the vehicle just wouldn't maintain the angle we wanted to achieve. Not only that, but trying to transition, too, became a challenge that frustrated us. That’s what we get for forgetting the wheel spacers in the other car. We pulled out our back up pair of J Force 05’s in 17x9 +15 for the rear that originally was intended for use in the grip portions of the day and slapped those puppies on.

The difference was felt immediately. The car was wonderful after that thanks to the measurements of the wheel we had changed to. The cars responded to every command giving our driver more confidence which then lead him to a great display around the doughnut before ending the day.


GRIP.

JIC, who pride themselves in being time attach specialists, love track events that allow us to explore the limitations of grip. We were actually very lucky to run two cars for a while. Our fearless leader here at JIC, Jon, brought out his beautiful lightly tuned 997 Turbo Porsche sporting our CROSS Suspension Project coilovers, CROSS Stella Marvelous 05’s, and CROSS full Titanium exhaust.



The course chosen by Touke was a very complex one with many elevation changes testing our control, braking and response with every steep downhill straights only to lead us into tight left hand hairpins. The Porsche, being built for a bit more high speed challenges, was still fully capable of barreling though with much grace on a track that seemed to favor the sport compact grid. The Porsche Caymans, FD's, and inspiring AW11's (That's an school MR2 people) that joined the event were probably a bit more in their element in this Touge-esk inspired layout. Our S14, as well, felt at home on this simulated canyon course. Being out there really was just so much fun. We express thanks to the grip drivers that fully displayed professionalism when on and off the track. It really helped the event move smoothly when it came to entering and exiting the course The Touke grip staff extended such a warm welcome to us that we hope to attend future events they plan to hold.

Thanks so much again to everyone. We had a great time. When ever you see us out there, feel free to get our attention and ask us any questions you might have. Whether it is 9am-6pm PST or weekend events; our staff will always be willing to discuss under-car solutions that may best suite your style of build. If the staff member is wearing a JIC/CROSS logo; they are ready and willing to provide you with our product knowledge.

WE ARE JIC