About a week ago I received a set of new Toyota Starlet Eyelids in the mail and handed them over to my friend Masa. He had been wanting a set for quite a long time. I actually thought that the carbon fiber eyelids would look cool, but he wanted them color matched to his car so he went with FRP.

After a few days of preparation (sanding and re-sanding) he turned them over to a shop to get them painted. A few days and about $30 later he had a set of silver eyelids. He had them on the next day. Unfortunately, the “eyelid” specified 3M tape didn’t hold up to well and he has had to remove them. I think it has a lot to do with the high humidity here. These are the pics once he reinstalled them.

He has also just finished installing a custom rx7 intercooler to replace his performance (I think ARC) intercooler. We will write more on this later, but here is a teaser picture so you can get an idea.

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.

If you have a Japanese car and are interested in performance, then the thought of swapping in a JDM engine and other JDM accessories has probably crossed you mind. JDM Engines generally outperform their US counterparts in both output and reliability. Due to a much more competitive market, there are also a number of engines that were only offered in Japan. In addition to the performance and quality, JDM Engines also generally receive much less wear because of strict pollution and driving laws. After living in Japan for over 3 years, and owning a car in Japan myself, I can definitely say that this is the case.

First of all, the average speed limit in Japan is lower than in the US. Freeway speeds are comparable, though a little less than what is driven in the US, but many roads have speeds of 20-30mph. Since the cars speed is limited, the engine is a lot less likely to be pushed to it’s limits. It is much less common to see someone zip past you because they are late for work.

Another reason that JDM engines are generally in better shape is due to the cost of owning a car in Japan. Especially in the cities, there is very little space. To even purchase a car, you must be able to show proof of a designated parking spot. parking spots in a city like Japan can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to over a thousand. Since Japan has a very efficient public transport system i(f a train arrives a few seconds after it is supposed to, it is quite rare), in many cases cars are considered as luxury items. This means that JDM motors don’t see the abuse that they would see by young drivers in the US.

Cars in Japan must also pass “shaken”, a Japanese maintenance and smog test every after three years for a new car and then every two years after that. Since the fees for this certification can run quite high, many opt to purchase a new car rather than pay the shaken. This means that there are a number of used cars available that have very low miles on them. Since the average distance traveled in Japan is much shorter  than in the US, it is easy to find JDM engines with 20,000 or 30,000 miles on them.

So if your engine is wearing down or you are looking for an upgrade, then a JDM engine is a good option. In most cases the JDM engine is better made and will outperform it’s not JDM counterpart, will have less miles, and less wear. It is important to know how to choose the right motor and the right seller and I will be covering exactly how to do that in future posts.

Other helpful links

• World Of Article – All the Info on the 2005 Nissan Maxima
• World Of Article » Used Engines for Nissan’s