Wednesday 25 September 2019

Joe's Silvia S15 Update September 2019


Hey Okishima fans!

It's Joe from Drifted here, and I wanted to share with you the latest updates to my street S15.


So, since I last updated back in January, there have been quite a few changes, mostly under the hood.

New to S15's? Then this S15 guide was written just for you.

The mostly stock engine has been upgraded with a selection of bolt-ons, including a 3" turbo elbow to complete the full 3" turbo-back exhaust system, uprated Walbro fuel pump, GReddy electronic boost controller and a Nistune ECU.


I then took the car to well regarded SR20DET tuner Martin Battye. The boost has been increased from the stock 0.65 bar to 0.9 bar and it has made a substantial difference in shove and noise. The big surprise was the MPG has significantly increased as a side effect.. nice!


The first serious outing for the car this summer was the July D-Warning Wales driving tour. This tour is run by a group of old friends and is one of my annual driving highlights.


The S15 was joined by a selection of tasty metal on the challenging Welsh mountain roads.


Highlights included a Honda S2000, Honda Civic Type R (FN2), Porsche Boxster among many others.


The S2000, Civic and S15 were closely matched on the tight and twisty roads. The S15 seemed to pickup quicker with its turbo grunt, however, once the Honda's VTEC systems were on song there really wasn't much in it. I didn't get to drive it but talking with the owner the FN2's predictable FWD handling allowed him to push harder in the corners where I was not quite as committed with my Silvia. There was very little in it between the S2000 and S15.


The views were really special.


After the tour was concluded, engines cooled and beers poured, I was honoured to have the S15 voted "Car Of The Tour" by the attendees. Thanks, guys!


Can't wait till next year...

So, what's next for the car?

Right now it is under surgery for a custom front mounted intercooler upgrade, and then it is back for mapping to > 1bar. I am hoping to break the 300bhp barrier but the temptation to swap out the turbo for something tasty is real...


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