Changes to High Performance JDM Engines

Posted: 28th August 2010 by Nick in JDM Engines, JDM Parts
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I originally started this website after I quit working for a JDM parts company near Tokyo. The plan was to start my own online parts company selling JDM parts. Unfortunately, rent had to be paid, and I ended up with another job. High Performance JDM never got started.

Over the last year or so I have done a few posts on JDM engines and JDM cars, but for the most part this website has been on the back burner.

However, this has somewhat changed in the last few months. I have purchased  a new car (you can read about my Mazda Miata here) that has got me back into the tuning world. One of my best friends is also a tuner and a big DIY guy. Currently he is replacing a performance intercooler with an older RX7 he has customized to fit on his Toyota Starlet Glanza. I will have some pics soon. He also knows  the Japanese car market very well.

We can get you JDM Parts!

In addition, we have also started selling JDM parts. It was more by accident then by plan, but it is actually pretty easy for us to get a hold of JDM parts. So, if there is something you need, please feel free to contact us. I will be updating the site shortly to make contacting us regarding parts easier.

Changes to High Performance JDM Engines

In addition to JDM news, the site will become a place for both myself and my friend Masa to post info about our cars as well as the modifications we do to them. This will include both what we are doing and Instructions for those interested. We are not pros (he is pretty amazing with custom fabrication and DIY), but we both love cars.

The other big change to the site will be in adding a contact form/area for those looking to get a hold of JDM parts.  If there is a part you have been looking for, or a part you haven’t been able to get a hold of, let us know and we will try to find it for you.

My New Roadster (JDM Mazda Miata)

Posted: 24th August 2010 by Nick in JDM Engines, Mazda Miata, Mazda Roadster
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I have been living in Japan now for a few years. The few I lived in Tokyo, I didn’t have a car. I know, Tokyo Drift shows Tokyo as this cool, fun place to drive. Well, their portrayal of Tokyo was about as accurate as someone who has never even heard of the place.

In reality, Tokyo is a nightmare to drive in. The traffic is heavy, the cops are strict, and it’s easy to get lost. Not to mention the cost. You have to pay to drive on the freeway, you have to pay to park, and shaken (2 year checkup) is expensive. Having a parking spot, which is required to purchase a car, can cost as much as your rent (Yes, I am serious). Now, I am not saying there aren’t cool cars in Tokyo. Just that the sacrifice to own one is quite high. My job forced me to take the train.

About two years ago I moved down to a small island of Okinawa (picture Hawaii, but cheaper) and finally had the need for a car. Since I wasn’t sure how long I would be staying, the goal was to purchase a car for as cheap as possible. I ended up with a 1993 Honda Today. For those who don’t now, the Today was a small 3 cylinder “kei” car sold in Japan and Europe. Not exactly a sports car, but it served the purpose. Like most Hondas the engine is still running strong, though the body is rusting away (side effects of living on an island).

With with the cost of Shaken coming up on the Honda Today (and assuming it wouldn’t pass), I decided to get something a little more fun. I looked for several weeks and looked at a lot of different cars, but finally decided on an 1998 Evolution Orange Mazda Roadster (Mazda Miata for those outside of Japan).

The car has about 60,000 miles on it and is in pretty good shape. For all intensive purposes, there isn’t much difference between the US model and the JDM model. The JDM engine does however, rev to 7,500 rpms rather than 7,000 rpms.  I purchased the car without ever seeing it in person, and picked it up from the docks about two weeks ago tomorrow.

The car was even better than I thought it would be and runs great. It even had a few performance goodies I wasn’t aware of when I purchased it. I will be covering some of these in a future post along with more pictures. Stay Tuned!

Now that I am back in “tuning mode” I will be posting much more often. I have also been taking requests from people looking for JDM parts (yes I can get them!). So if there is something you are looking for please feel free to contact me!

Real JDM Engines

Posted: 10th June 2010 by Nick in Featured Articles, JDM Engines
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It has been a while sine I have written on High Performance JDM Engines, but that is about to end. Since I actually live here in Japan, I will be posting about various tuned cars I find. When possible, I will be interviewing the driver/tuner and giving all the details of each car.

The first post will be of a Toyota Starlet Glanza. For those who don’t know, the Starlet was a car that was popular for it’s small size and turbo charged engine. I should mention this isn’t actually his car here. This one is pretty much stock.

We are in rainy season here in Japan, so I need to wait for a sunny day to take some good pictures.

Audi Hill Climb

Posted: 3rd December 2009 by Nick in Racing
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No need for words here. The video says it all.

Honda to Redesign and “Shrink” the Civic

Posted: 27th October 2009 by Nick in JDM Motors
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civic type r

Remember the days when the Honda civic was a small, inexpensive hatchback. I know it has been a while. Well, luckily Honda does. According to Autoblog, Honda is redesigning the civic to make it smaller, lighter, and more fuel efficient.

The new civic will most likely be released to the Japanese market first. Japan, didn’t didn’t update to the last model line containing the “si” and instead is still selling the “Type R” from the previous model line.

JDM AE86- Intitial D’s Toyota Sprinter Trueno?

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Nick in Featured Articles, JDM Engines, JDM Motors
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When I lived in Tokyo I used to see amazing cars all the time. Everything from exotics (Lamborghinis, Ferraris, etc) and of course a huge number of JDM cars (Supras, GTRs, RX7s, Civic Type Rs). I even had an AE86 that was parked just down the street from where I lived. Not to mention the guy who owned the business next door owned an Mitsubishi Evo X (though he said he preferred the 8 and 9). However, now that I live in a more remote part of Japan, Seeing tuned cars is much more rare. So when I came across this Toyota AE86 and happened to have my camera, I took some pictures.

It looks like the owner was going for the same color pattern as Initial D’s 86 with the black hood. The car was gone when I came back out of the store, so I didn’t get to find out what type of work he had done to it or what it sounded like. Anyways, here are the pics. Let me know what you think.

Toyota AE86 Front Angle

Toyota AE86 Front

Toyota AE86

Amazing Subaru WRX Video

Posted: 6th March 2009 by Nick in JDM Engines, Racing
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JDM Engine, well kind of. It is after all a Subaru and that means that it comes from Japan. Though not actually in Japan. Anyways, I thought the video was so good I just had to post it. A tear it up video of Ken Block destroying a track with a Subaru Impreza.


Subaru Fun – Awesome video clips here

The Future Of JDM Engines: The Honda FCX Clarity

Posted: 16th January 2009 by Nick in hybrids, JDM Engines
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Those of us who love cars have been having the feeling that the whole tuning thing my becoming to an end. With ever shrinking gas supplies and ever increasing pollution, manufactuers are looking away from cars powered by combustions and looking at alternative means. The cars that are being produced are focused more heavily on clean emissions and good gas mileage than performance. Necessary, but by no means every tuners dream. But I think that there may actually be a benefit to this senario. It will be the clean cars on the road that allow tuners to keep driving their sports cars. Kind of simlar to the way someone drives their Honda Accord most of the time, but tke out their classic car during the weekends with good weather.

Up until now however, there hasn’t really been much promise in the way of clean car technology. Gas Hybrids, no matter how great, are still running on gas and so are only a temporary option. Not to mention there are a number of reports out saying that manufacturing a car like a Toyota Prius may actually do more damage than good. Electric cars don’t need any gas, but need large amounts of batteries, have limited range and a long charge time. Hydrogen cars seem to be a step in the direction, but are quite complex. Que, the Honda FCX Clarity.

The Honda FCX Clarity is also a hybrid, but not in the traditional sense. The Clarity uses an on-board hydrogen generator to power an electric engine. The Clarity has 136hp and 198 pounds of torque and can travel up to 280 miles before needing to be refueled. The car is already being offered to residents in Southern California.

What this means is that we may have a way to get out of the gas crunch soon while putting cleaner cars on the road. This will leave more for your JDM Engines and may even slightly reduce the restrictions (though I wouldn’t count on it). With their first model being at 136hp, they may even make good tuning cars.

You can see the the top gear video here:

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