totoro

my set up now is 17x8 +28 at front and 17x9 +35 at the rear. and works well with the standard guards.

you can just get lowered springs but not too extreme or the standard shocks will not be able to work properly but as long as its reasonable height (legal) then it should be ok... then you can move onto getting better shocks or go all out with a coilover... but for normal driving lowered springs should be enough... when i was younger i got extremely low springs and the car looked damn nice but the ride was terrible and pretty much killed the standard shocks and had to get newer ones... so do things in moderation then you will save money in the long run....

akeenan: well i guess depends on where you guys live as well... i am not sure about osaka as im from kantou/yokohama/tokyo area... never lived in kansai... it is a general observation from my life time... not just like a yr or two living in the country... i have lived in japan and australia and i definately feel safer in japan. not because im japanese (as i am pretty much aussie and i aint no midget asian) but it is... i havent copped any racism in australia either... streeter: by the way what has ppl been stealin from you??? i been thinkin the cheap rims we all see on yahoo auction jp are partly stolen goods.... also i didnt say all the crime was caused by foreigners, the crime rate is increasing... and by foreigners im talking about the obvious ppl like westerners but asians are increasing and is harder to distinguish between japanese and other asian race... dreamaaa: i hope all works well dude. good luck!

that is the main problem in japan as well as in australia. its hard to distinguish d!ckheads with loud exhaust who hoons/bog laps/donuts and cause ruckus as opposed to car enthusiasts because to an outsider car is a car and loud exhaust is annoying... each enthusiast needs to be extra careful not to piss the general public off to give ourselves the better image...

well i knew ppl will have their own opinions (glad to see the sensibility here) and im fine as long as others who are not familiar with japanese do not get the wrong impression without knowing the background information... also on the topic of beer i heard there are some beers that taste like beers cos the authorities are cracking down on drink driving! so keep your eyes open for those and stay away cos apparently they are crap as...

no worries dude hope you get it sorted out... if you got further questions do let me know i will do my best to help out. masahiro

mr 32 4 door: i suggest you take one of those phrase books with you so if you are in trouble you can just point to the phrase you want to say. also train maps are in english so as long as you can remember the name you are safe. also helps to be able to read at least 1-9 in kanji as some restaurants have prices in kanji. maybe consider staying in a hostel as well cos there will be other tourists like yourself who can give you a hand while travelling and give you tips or just chill out with guys on the forum. akeenan: i hope this doesnt offend you but gaijin is not a rude version but a casual one. and yes it is short for gaikokujin which is literary 'foreign country person' which is pretty much foreigner (and there is nothing wrong with calling some one a foreigner, last i checked). a lot of westerners/foreigners think its a rude short phrase (i have no idea why?) but its just a shortened version (just like Dori Kin=Dorifuto King), japanese ppl are the masters of shortening words and phrases. just as anyone who speaks english will shorten japanese to jap which i hate very much but has not stopped the rest of the world to shorten it because they are too lazy to say japanese or even spell it (even in this forum). so if you hate gaijin because you think it is rude or a racist slur then you are sadly mistaken. if you hate it for other reasons than that then its not for me to comment. personally i hate being called jap.

hahahaha... i like your little ryhme on the end... but seriously i dont mean to disrespect any foreigners in japan but there is a reason for not letting foreigners into some venues... it is because foreigners (especially americans) are known to cause problems you see the people in japan are more law abiding, (i dont mean drifting in the street kind of law abiding... i mean they respect things) where as a lot of foreigners who come into japan (especially those who say things like 'how easy is it to get with japanese chicks, etc), get drunk and run a muck as if the laws/rules dont apply to them in a foreign country (or cos they are foreigners). this is why some places NEED to do it not because they want to be racists. if the foreigners behaved themselves and didnt get drunk and rowdy then there will be no need for this type of solution. there are not many police officers in japan because there are not much crime in japan. having said that recently with more legal and illegal immigrants in japan the crime rate is rising. im sorry for those on this forum who i stereo typed as foreigners in japan but i am sure you will not be offended as if you love the japanese culture then you will have already acted accordingly and caused no harm. i am more pissed off at US sailers who rape girls or so called english teachers who just want to get laid cos they couldnt in their own country. dreamaaa: it was unfortunate you couldnt get in a club but i am 99.9% sure its not racism rather it was out of necessity. i have seen way too many so called english teachers in asia causing problems and disrespecting the country they are living in (this case japan). sorry for my random rant but it needed to be said. if you got a problem please pm me.

well i assume your exh system is after market so can you borrow a standard system of mates or something? or other wise if you dont mind banging it in then hit it with a hammer 5mm! heard of ppl doin it...

or go to akihabara, its an electonic heaven... but any big franchise should be pretty competitive with price... and my understanding of the carprivate import is owning the car in japan for 1 year continuously... but ask rezz i think he is actually bringing his ride back...

top row (upside down) speaker VOL. option connector LOW HI [1] [2] [3] center [1| body earth (black) |2| positive power (red) ] [3| horn power in (grey) |4| cartessi (?) in 2 (OP) ] [5| horn power out (blue) |6| cartessi in (yellow) ] [7| option5 (out) |8| door unlock (purple) ] [9| 12V out wire (brown) |10| door lock (green) ] [11| option 4-1 |12| option 4-2 ] [13| speaker out (white) |14| speaker out (? orange) ] [15| door position (pink) |16| bottom row 16P connector 10P connector (antenna unit connector) right side (side ways) car system switch at normal time - 1 at wiring time - 2 vibration/shock sensor VOL Low Hi hope this helps... masahiro

very nice example indeed.

depending on the wear of the semi slicks will make a difference as well and if it is old or not... theres no point in getting tyres that are just way too old i think cos they loose the grip and just wear away on track real fast... depends on the price as well though... dont be cheap on tyres cos thats the only contact you have with the ground....

im not sure if this is the solution but i found that i was having a problem locking my car using the lock/knob thingy near the door BUT i realised my car has auto lock thing near the power window/mirror section on the driver side door... so instead of pressing the lock on the door i just use the auto lock and it locks all 4 doors smoothly... so try looking for it.... if not im not sure hey....

well first you need that chinpira (street thug) appeal with the squatting.... give up standing and squat all day long and they may notice you... and wasnt it michael douglas in black rain? oh yeah for those interested in nanko check out crazy max... www.crazy-max.com and i think i know which mexican you are talkin bout.... happy squatting!

damn i better sell my skyline! now i know the problem.... hahahaha

theres also Super Autobacs in Yokohama which is close to the Minato mirai station... if you wanna know let me know... if you are in Yokohama go to China town cos its the biggest in Japan...

its funny you mention the car sex pics... as my friend send me a link and it was just that.... kinda weird cos you see ppl with their face all shocked... it's not as exciting as it sounds....

do you have an adjustable coilover suspension? i know its obvious but try putting it on the softest settings... i got JIC coilovers as well but cos it came with the car and its got no model number on it i just turned the knob max to one side and the other and tried to feel the difference... either way coilovers are generally uncomfortable on normal roads so if you do lot of travelling maybe you should look at getting normal suspension for everyday driving...

save up and buy lowered springs so if you want to raise the car again you can.... also if you chop your current springs and if you get a defect sticker you will end up buying standard springs and with that total cost you could of had standard springs and new lowered springs....

i was only kidding... im sure you will be fine.... also try www.gaijinpot.com for some odd jobs, etc its got lots of stuff and info.... hope you find something...

this may be a long shot but i heard of foreigners doing modelling and some extra work in tv adverts and what not... so might be worth a look if you are gonna be there for a while but the entertainment business can be a little shady i dunno... or try private tutoring if you look old enough but with your english on the forum im not sure! hahahaha just kidding...

yeah tonkotsu is not bad but i prefer miso or the good old char siew variety... arrrrrrrrhhh i miss them so much... might have to fly back to eat them!

ok lang ramen is a word like spaghetti... as there is meatball, cream, etc flavours in spaghetti the flavours of ramen is literary endless (as fresh ramen is made in different parts of japan with its distinct flavours and ingredients...) normally instant ones are like soya sauce, pork, seafood, chicken, curry, etc. very generic flavours... if you want to make fresh you probably can but is easier looking for it in your local japanese restaurant. it is propably not too hard if you look into your local bookshops for some japanese recipe books or online. you probably want to taste ones in restaurants first so at least you know what its supposed to taste like and look like.... dopefish: i didnt realise there was a frozen ramen... do you mean udon? as udon is the thick noodle as opposed to ramen being more like thinner noodle. all this ramen talk is making me hungry! and i miss the ramen sooo much damn it....

well the instant noodles/ramen is pretty standard i must say.... but the real stuff is fantastic! anyways ramen is just the japanese flavouring, unlike other asian flavours and ramen is only soup noodle and not dry noodles.... the nissin cup noodle is probably the most famous instant ramen... try them... you can find them at your local japanese, chinese, korean store...