Shipping preparations

The car's been raised up today in preparation for shipping. The additional 2.5cms all around should help it go on and off a boat ramp quite easily. Ryo from SEEKER did a swift job adjusting the suspension in a 35degree heat of japanese summer and teaching me how to undo it once the car arrives in Perth.

The guys also rolled the fenders in front to accomodate those A050s recently purchased. I must say I am going to miss watching those guys work on my car as it's always been very educational for an amature mechanic like myself.

Other than that, I splashed out on something I'd been thinking about for quite sometime, a SPOON baffled oil pan ! Unfortunately due to time constraints, it won't be fitted until this coming friday but better done in Japan than Perth !

In other news, I took it upon myself to disconnect and remove all electronics however that didn't go without a headache. After disconnecting my HKS lap timer I started getting a Check Engine Light warning and the error was that of a faulty Vehicle Speed Sensor in the transmission. It turns out that disconnecting HKS lap timer without closing the loop on the circuit cuts off the signal from the VSS sensor. Anyway this is not a big deal and i'll ship the car with the CEL on and reset it once it arrives in Perth.

So, probably one (maybe 2) more posts on this japanese blog (I think that would make it 100 in total !) before the car is shipped next week !

Got the import approval !

After 2 months of gathering documents, providing translations and chasing up various evidences I was finally granted an import approval to ship my car to Australia ! (I will write up a whole article dedicated to this interesting process once all the dust settles and the car is safely registered and on the road in Australia)

The car leaves my hands July 29th and hopefully will arrive in Western Australia in the first week of September !

Project Mu HC-CS pads !

Available only in Japan and released a few months back are these new Project Mu pads HC-CS. CS stands for Circuit Spec and promises a higher level of controllability (meaning less lock-up), lower initial friction (meaning the initial bite is gradual and therefore less obrupt) and a better pedal response. The downside is a little more aggressive wear of rotors.

I bought these pads and haven't tried them yet but i've been seeing very positive feedback from other drivers and it looks very promising.

Available from 24,150yen ~ / 22,050yen (front/back)

さようなら 日本 (Goodbye Japan) ！

After about 5 years in Japan I'm moving back to Australia and resuming a much more relaxed lifestyle. Starting August this blog will no longer be updated and in its place a new blog shall be born !

Yes, you can follow my adventures and my car's (it is coming back to Australia with me !) on http://racingInAustralia.blogspot.com

I am moving back to Perth in Western Australia so if you're around Barbagallo Raceway and you see a championship white Honda Integra make sure to say hi ! For those of you who want advice on parts or Honda tuning continue sending your emails and as always i'll try to answer them as best as I can !

I will also continue my close association with my friends from SEEKER whose advice and help I found invaluable ! Thanks Ryo & Ko !

So, without further ado, here is my last ever japanese circuit video before I depart ! It was taken at Fuji Speedway on a very, very wet day on July 7th ! Watch it in its entirety especially towards the end when I spin out ! Enjoy !

Time Attack Battle 2010 - Barbagallo October 29th
The car will be there, I will be there, it will be at night, it will be my 1st in Perth, can't wait so stay tuned !

- Rod

ADVAN A050s !

These babies arrived earlier today !