totoro

let me know how you guys go cos i was getting worried about my cold starts as well....

yeah i agree and probably you will find that the condensation from cold weather is also contributing to the squeeking and slipping the belts so it is normal to have this sound in cold weather... but doesnt hurt to check the tension i guess...

oh yeah dont get me wrong the grammer is not there but for hearing practice it will be good but for beginner level even just hearing it will be good... and it is best to talk to actual japanese ppl once you get the basic done...

for your info if you want cheap accomodation have a look at hostels in yoyoji/harajuku or shijuku area cos it seems reasonable to sleep... just google it and there are many choices or otherwise business hotels are not too bad either... or for the adventurous go to "managa kissa" a 24 hr manga/dvd/internet library! maaaan i wish i can go with you guys as well....

well im not sure about sydney but in perth you can go to universities or TAFE(college) for course as short as 1month to full degrees, so the best bet will be checking with your local educational facilities. also im sure there are a lot of japanese communities in sydney so may wanna do some cultural exchange so you learn more about culture as well as language... also pick up those free publications for japanese community they can be a good help too... also on a side note watch some manga/movies, listen to music, etc or find a japanese student who wants to learn english and ask them to teach you phrases, etc... getting to know what you like and getting into it from it will be much easier and enjoyable... if you got questions feel free to mail me.... will do my best to help ya.... good luck dude! masahiro

no worries mate... good luck!

hahahaha thnx rezz.... i try to use my powers for good not evil! (^_^)/

hey dude, i got 17x8 +28 on the front and 17x9 +35 on the rear and they just sit nicely but gurads will need to be rolled for extreme low suspension... mine can fit like 2 fingers now.... so i recommend this set up... hope this helped.... masahiro

hey dude, below is the translation: boost up analyser can be connected to dual-SBC, dual-SBC specSR, SBC i-D(II, III included), and sbc-dc in order to control boost from total of 10 varients of programming settings which are vehicle speed, engine revs, voltage (throttle position sensor or air/fuel ratio sensor[?]) which are 2 dimensional maps, or vehicle speed & engine revs, engine revs & voltage, and voltage & vehicle speed which are 3 dimensional maps and 9 map+overtake. It is possible to achieve the desired boost level by controlling boost. The 10 varients of programming can be changed with one switch which can be switched according to different stages. For example: MAP1: vehicle speed 2 dimensional vehicle speed 0km/h~ 50km/h~ 100km/h~ boost level setting 0.8kg/F 1.2kg/F 1.5kg/F At the start of 0-400m to prevent wheelspin the boost level is 0.8kg/F until 50km/h then 1.2kg/F for 50km/h~ and 1.5kg/F for 100km/h~, this setting may bring out the optimum performance. MAP9: vehicle speed & voltage (from throttle position sensor) 3 dimensional acceleratorvehicle speed 0km/h~ 50km/h~ 150km/h~ 200km/h~ 0~50% 0.8kg/F 0.8kg/F 0.8kg/F 0.8kg/F 50~90% 1.0kg/F 1.2kg/F 1.5kg/F 1.2kg/F 90~100% 1.0kg/F 1.5kg/F 1.8kg/F 1.5kg/F When the accelerator is 0~50%, it is for fuel economy driving so at any speed the boost level remains the same but in a battle when the accelerator is maxed at 150km/h~over then the boost is able to be set at 1.8kg/F keeping in mind full acceleration. MAP chart MAP1 vehicle speed A MAP2 vehicle speed B MAP3 vehicle speed & engine revs MAP4 engine revs A MAP5 engine revs B MAP6 engine revs & voltage MAP7 voltage A MAP8 voltage B MAP9 voltage & vehicle speed MAP0 overtake there maybe few bits where the translation is a bit iffy... like voltage? im not sure if it is the right english term but hope this helps... and if anyone can correct few bits here and there it should be all good.... cheers masahiro

hahahahaha.... kool stuff i saw this guy on tv several times.... he can gravitate and stuff as well and his card/coin tricks are pretty awsome! he is good at close up magic and with live audience.... but havent seen him in person so dont know how legit it really is... but he is damn good magician to say the least!

Great pics! keep'em comin...

great vids!

nice pics...

i got 215s on 9inch rears and they look just nice... and went through the pits ok so that says something? and have 215s on 8inch at front... one thing i noticed though is that the walls are stretched thus the rim gaurd bit of the tyre pretty much doesnt exist and i keep scraping the outer dish on curbs and islands!!! now my nice dish is full of scrapes.... thats the only concern i have with stretched tyres... bit off topic but practicality side of things....

no worries... send me an e mail anytime...

i hope im not the only one but japanese ppl dont do weird stuff to cars do they??? or by that do you just mean mods which are not common in OZ? www.ziptied.com - american dudes, got pics and movies so have a look around... www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/crazy-max/1000-3.htm - Crazy Max (osaka) click on the gold bits and you will go into their photo archives... go top to bottom, top is newest... not track but you might like it.... raw japanese stuff www.gripvideo.com - american video magazine, got pics and movies... zip tied is affiliated with these guys and so is drift society.... www.nekopunch.com - another american dudes... got loads of pics.... hope this is enough to keep you amused for hours... oh yeah btw i think americans are weird too... hahahahaha or they stayed in japan too long....

well there are millions of opportunities... but you need to earn it like everywhere... i know 2 ppl personally (australians from perth) who did get jobs in japan (tokyo/osaka) other than teaching... but their japanese/english is perfect to say the least... even i feel ashamed sometime of their japanese/english knowledge... and yes i am japanese.... what i am trying to say is if you have skills and knowledge (other than conversational english/japanese) there are heaps of opportunities... and yes obviously in foreign companies (gaishi kei)... if you're an exec then there is opportunity as well.... most of you dont know this but Nissan in japan is run by a non japanese (spanish if im not wrong???).... that may be an extreme example but it shows anything is possible.... if you go half hearted you get half hearted results... if you are serious about getting results in japan (tokyo) then do an exchange in a japanese university for example... or enroll in one as some of ppl i know have done... getting a job in japan (tokyo) is just like anywhere in the world... they will pick the best (ok they may be a little more biased to their own in japan but what country isnt!?) but they will give you a go... but expect to work like a dog and live the salaryman lifestyle i learned to hate.... put it this way if you are going for a job in New York or London or any english speaking big cities, the competition is real tough and you gotta be able to stand out from the rest... there are plenty of japanese ppl speaking perfect english and there are vice versa.... i know personally there are many koreans in japan who can speak english, japanese and korean! just to let you know what you are up against... like rezz said its not all rosey and rainbow... more like the survival of the fittest! in the business world oops another long one.... but i hope this opened up eyes for ppl who wanna do more than teach english... i got links you can go to, to look for japanese jobs... mail me if you are keen.... cheers masahiro [email protected]

have you tried www.rinkya.com worth a go i think but yeah transporting in japan is a bit costly....

my personal favourite is reading car magazine at a convenience store anytime of the day/night and cigarette vending machines galore!

well i hope all works well for your justin.... i am japanese and i still think its a good place for fun but not work.... and teaching english can be a "ground hog day" experience.... hope we can catch up once you are back in perth as im curious to meet with you and see your car as well... hahaha masahiro

andrew: wow how exciting... the wait is a killer but its worth the wait.... justin: no worries mate... i will do what i can do...