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I welcome all to HardcoreEP. This is my fourth website and it keeps getting better. HardcoreEP was designed on the bigger, badder, better theory. As starlet lovers know getting information on these cars is very difficult. In this respect I assume the role of facilitator, and not some self appointed expert. This is the aim of HardcoreEP. Right now I'm limited by server space to have further sections, but once things are running smooth then the transition to larger quarters will be done.
The site sections are all shockwave so make sure you have the latest version installed. It might be annoying if you don't have a fast connection, but I've made sure the wait is worth it. Once loaded there will be no further loading. To leave the movie click the browser's back button. That will return to here. For convinience you can simply download the movie and play it in your browser from your hard disk at any point in time. Don't be afraid to click around as the main reason I used shockwave to have better control over the site design and make it a more interactive experience. As far as updates go this site will be updated every week if not with Starlet information, I will have a feature car from my home country of Jamaica which might not necessarily be a EP, but interesting just the same.
As for my car it been a rough ride, but once the ball got rolling all systems are go. Power is rather an easy thing from an EP, but its handling has been one of the most critized areas. While many may not find it interesting my aim so far has been to tame the beast. I'm well on the way to this task and once completed the juicy power stuff will follow. I'm quite sure in retrospect the suspension information will be invaluable. Your opinions, questions, comments, rants, are important so please send them to glanzav@yahoo.com. SEND PHOTOS PLEASE THEY WILL BE PUT UP -make 'em big-.
11/14/2002: 2E or not 2E, that is the question...
Week two and what's new here. A slight revision for some extra stuff. First off my editorials will be archived so that new users won't get lost in the discussion. Just click the archive link and BAM, the previous editorial. Next is the media review. I have a huge collection of motorsports video and I know how hard it is to buy one of these videos and find out they suck! I'll fix that for you. Again just check back every Wednesday for updates.
Our first Gallery ride is here so enjoy. Recently I've been caught in a slight controversy. This one is in relation to the first generation EP engine. I've known this engine to be the 2E-T, but someone pointed out that there is no such engine and the EP71 actually has a 2T-L. It sounded correct and I checked back into my library only to find that an Australian magazine had labled the engine as such. I found that strange as the 2T is an old 1600cc engine from the first Corolla. It can also be found in the old Carinas. My EP manual, which is the Japanese factory bible lists the EP71's engine as 2E-T. Somebody that still has an EP71 take a look on the chassis plate and holla back. Issue, solutions people.
To be an EP army we must unite. Linking is fully appreciated and will be returned.
12/5/2002 RE-ORGANIZATION
Our last mystery was solved with a quick phone call. There is definately a 2E-TE. It says that on the EP71 engine plate. So there. Now to more important matters...
Firstly the site will be updated every wednesday on a bi-monthly manner. This is to allow the new information to gain hold rather than a rapid switch every week, also to make the work a bit easier on me. You might have noticed the new areas on the site. Up top is the EDITORIAL ARCHIVE which holds previous editorials like the one you're reading now. LINKS is self explanitory and all those that link will have the favor returned, starlet site or not, as long as its performance themed. MEDIA REVIEW is a review of the latest and greatest in motorsports/high performance videos. GALLERY is for the cars for which I have just photos for, and you all can help with your submissions. This is different from FEATURE CARS which will have cars with story and details. A feature car may also not necessarily be a starlet. EP OWNERS is to be the registry. Basically, I need NAME -EMAIL-COUNTRY -TYPE OF EP -A COMMENT -A PHOTO(please). No one has given me any info yet so...
Below will just be the normal upgrades/info stuff. I've got a lot of stuff in the pipeline so stay tuned. On the local scene here in Jamaica there has been the rumblings of a EP Club, but like most things in Jamaica its only talk. As I stated this site was to be the first step in that direction. The truth is if we all want a Starlet Club then we're gonna have to work for it. I've started what about the rest of you...
NEW STUFF: Our first Media Review of Option Video #31
12/18/2002 WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
Thanks to those have taken the time to email me. I know I haven't added any modification stuff yet, but I decided to hold it until the new year. So, a Merry Xmas and good New Year when it comes.
For 2K3 HardcoreEP kicks into high gear. Those that visit will be treated to some serious EP tuning knowledge in the new year. My handling upgrades will be complete starting in January, and it has been seriously documented. From there I will move into engine mods. What Turbo to get? How much boost to run? Stock vs. tuned. All these and more will be answered.
Since I'm a research junkie I managed to dig up some stuff. One of the big issues here in Jamaica is the EP82/91 vs. Honda vs. Suzuki GTi. While performance data is available for these cars, other than two other sources and myself there is none for the EPs. I myself have posted my GTECHed data. Two Australian magazines have posted their data, but few believe. Until now. I have managed to get my hands on some Japanese videos which have test data of the Starlet. Three of the them to be specific. One tests the old EP82, the other tests a TRD tuned EP82, while the final puts the new EP91 up against the EP82. I may not understand japanese, but the data is in english for all to see. This will ensure that stock performance data comes from the horses mouths themselves. Further down the year I will move to a paying service which will allow me to expand the site with bigger stuff and video. Yes video. I have tons of it, so stay tuned for the EP channel.
If you haven't heard of Initial D, then you will as I present the only episode guide online. It took me months to watch all the shows.
NEW STUFF: Another media review, this time of the excellent Rally Cars book. Until next year.
1/2/2003 GET IN, SHUT UP, HANG ON, HERE WE GO
My frustration with the local (Jamaican) tuning scene has reached an all time high. I've spent too much time struggling to get stuff done than actually getting anything done. However, this is partly my fault. Despite what many may think I'm an optimist and I always try to have faith regardless of what my logic is dictating. I've had run-ins with every major tuner locally and I'm amazed. I guess its a case of getting the job done despite yourself. Maybe most of us are willing to be treated like hungry dogs begging for performance bones and taking the little speed scraps these people claim to provide. Not me I work hard for my money and I see no reason why I should beg to pay them. From the start I've know the truth, the bad workmanship, the intollerance, the disregard for customers' time, the ignorance and arrogance these people display. Its no wonder they fall so easy to professionalism.
The entire point of all I've done was to show the EP community the wider scope of all that is available. While the EP is a japanese domestic car it enjoys a large tuning market with speed products from every major Japanese Tuner and then some. I make no claim on genius and those that know me understand that I research everthing down to the last. If I don't know I find someone that does and I'm not afraid to be corrected or say I'm wrong. HardcoreEP is to allow the free exchange of EP information.
For 2003 I will no longer be a slave to the local scene. With my suspension done my EP91 will move forward with the best of BOLT-ON Japanese parts. This is a facility I have and will now use it to up the power of my EP. Again I ask you to please bear with me for the progression. There are many questions that need answering and they will be with each stage. See you in two Wednesdays.
NEW STUFF: The search for the perfect EP suspension continues. Check the newest entry in the suspension department. There were a few minor corrections to missing links and images.
1/15/2003 FULL BOOST AHEAD
It was a sign from God I should say. Returning my Glanza V to health began when my clutch went recently. Driving through the worst Kingston traffic I've seen in a while I put the car into gear at which point it refused to come back out. Fearing I'd damaged the gearbox I got to work. Later that night in the parking lot I located a friend and we pulled out the gearbox. Since I had been planning on replacing the old clutch there was a new factory clutch and pressure plate sitting around at by a friend who works for a local auto parts dealer. I had ordered the stuff and was just waiting for a break to install them.
I got my break alright. After pulling the gearbox and the flywheel we realized that it was a different size. I thought I had purchased the wrong set, but my friend who also has a Glanza V had just replaced his clutch and pressure plate with TRD items. He offered to give me his used items until I could reorder. We then drove to his house and got them only to realize that I had the right parts. It was the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel on my car that were non-standard. Memory took me back to last October when the car was having its engine rebuilt. My then mechanic had noticed that the previous mechanic had screwed up my flywheel which had scarred these drivetrain items. They were replaced, but not with the orginal specifications.
My options were to either find a clutch and pressure plate that fit the present flywheel or get the correct flywheel for which I had the correct parts. I got a new 4E flywheel, which took several tries. I feel lucky that nothing else was changed or I still wouldn't have my car.
Now why all this? This illustrates a few of the problems I face. First, everyone does something different than I ask and then doesn't necessarily tell me making it hard for any general fixing. Everybody just rigs up something to make it work. This means you're trapped in a cycle of having to only that person deal with your car because he's the only one that knows whats going on, even if you want to do something simple. Secondly, who ever said stock sucks never drove a Toyota before. I've never had any problems with my stock clutch before. It lasted 2 years of constant abuse. Since then I've used 2 ACTs, and a Broward clutch and they suck. Not only didn't they last, 3 months at most and I shattered one ACT, but their feel is horrible. Driving a turbocharged car is tough enough. Having to deal with a on/off clutch is even worse.
Anyway, as I write I await my parts. Despite the fact that I have a month old TD04-16G Greddy Turbocharger sitting at home my new CT9b Turbocharger and Blitz downpipe are on their way. An interesting thing about the CT9's. One would believe that they're easy to get, but conversations explain that they're rare at best and the CT9b, the unofficial Glanza V turbine, is even harder to get. Why? because most Japanese EP owners don't switch turbos for more power. Doing what they're doing they can net 170 wheel hp @ 15psi with the stock turbo so there is no need for a swap. And if they do swap they don't head for a CT12 they go for the CT9b as an upgrade. They generally go for the bigger turbine after either failure or if they're involved in some sort of competitive arena.
My Japanese friend constanly laughs when I tell them that everbody here in Jamaica swaps turbochargers. Go figure. I'm gonna call him a tell him I'm getting a TD05-25G for fun. Until next time.
NEW STUFF: a review of High Performance II in the media gallery. I got a new email address specifically for the site so please make note.
1/29/2003 CLEANING UP OUR ACT
Was looking at this EP82 sometime ago. The thing was fast, but one look under the bonnet I was shocked. Not at the gear, but at the horrible quality of the job. Now a understand the concept of working with what you have, but basic pride in workmanship should have produced a better looking engine bay. You want a description. Welds that looked like leprosy had broken out, pipes cut with jagges that would make a low quality jpeg squirm, bends and twists in pipes and hoses. The downpipe looked like spagetti gone bad. Still, nuff man a yard would say it nuh mattah It fas same way. Unfortunately, that's the perception, that show equals no go.
For me I've been a stickler for order and my experience tells me otherwise. Have you ever seen a Japanese car. The interior might, be low rent, but the engine bay is generally well put together. I've seen it too many times. A car comes from Japan with a high level of preparation then some guy believes he knows more than the guy that put it together or just doesn't understand why things are where they are.
Then boom.
The car is no more as they've gone and messed things up. The truth is that workmanship is severly lacking. Does it really take that much more to make things a bit neater. Apparently it does after speaking with a few of the local experts. They indicate cost, inept workmen and various other factors why most of the cars on they work on look like their engine bay just fell out of the crusher. The real problem is this, no planning.
More specifically no standardization. To a Jamaican mechanic every performance car is a custom job. Why? because there is no attempt to meet the needs of the local performance user. Need a downpipe...it'll take a couple days because the flanges have to be made and pipe has to be cut. They then have to use your car to complete the job. If that person ever stopped and said, "Hey maybe I should make a few more of these and then sell them. That way I just bolt it on and go." Think about it guys. If you live in Japan obviously this doesn't apply to you.
The plan is slowly moving ahead. Whether someone sees what I'm doing isn't important. What is, is that the information is out there for all to see. I can also say in confidence that I have the most active EP site. The suspension continues.
NEW STUFF: Two new links. Don't forget the new email address. More suspension talk in the modification section. A new car in the gallery. Fixed the problem with the Option 32 media review.
2/12/2003 FINE TUNING
This is my third personal website, but this is my first, shall we say interactive site. All my previous sites used the common HTML, but for HardcoreEP I decided to delve inte the world of Macromedia's Director. My first experience with shocwave was an alternative music site in South Florida called the womb. It was cool, too a while to load, but worth it. More importantly the outlay of this site reflected a genuine creativeness that HTML just couldn't provide.
With HardcoreEP, a better effort was needed thus my purchase of the ultimate interactive package. Director allows a better asthetic as far as design is concerned. It also allows a modular approach. I've tried to make each section as web friendly as possible, but not everyone has a high speed connection making my large beautiful photos an annoyance rather than a blessing when the site used HTML. Those with slower connections may want to save the shockwave file to their desktop. Once on your computer you may browse the section as you wish and at your convenience.
However even director isn't foolproof. It has issues with processor speed, activity, and the version of shockwave available on your computer. Older versions won't work and it has this nasty habit of auto updating. Small price to pay for a better quality experience, I hope.
We continue to push forward. More suspension in two weeks.
NEW STUFF: One more EP for the gallery. For the rally fans the media gallery asks the question which is the greatest rally car ever and the EP tape covers further the previews. Fixed a few broken links.
2/26/2003 MAKING LEMONADE WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS
A fine welcome to all. With some reservations I handed my EP over to another local expert to do his thing. We'll see if he's succesful in a few weeks. His work will have to do until all my parts get here. They have been purchased, but I'm at the mercy of a devaluing Jamaican dollar, iffy local shipping, and an impending war on both sides of the world. God willing by summer my project will be complete and trust me it should be wild. I'll be adding a parts listing next week. Like a good chef I'll be giving a peek at the ingredients for my project.
Went to the first drag meet of the season. While it didn't amaze me as usual I was impressed by the performances of many of the EPs present. As I've been observing over the past few months, the EP still remains a performance bargin and have been falling into the right hands so to speak. Of course, everyone has their own theories as to why their car is fast, but the bottom line is that whatever they're doing it seems to be working. Now, If we could only get them to look as good as they are fast. Trust me, some of those bonnets were rather 'ghetto'. Anyway, there is a quick photo feature of the event in the features section. I have some wicked feature EP coming up so stay tuned.
NEW STUFF: More suspension talk. Drag race EP feature. Corrected some grammar.
3/12/2003 UNITY...CAN WE REALLY EVER HAVE IT
No, thats not Jamaica. I came across this photo in one of the Starlet chat groups I frequent. Its from Barbados and their Starlet club. Cool huh! My hats off to them for the unity they seem to display. This was actually a moment as my Honda friend commented on seeing the picture that 'it would be scary to see all these EPs on the road at once.' How funny, that Starlet unity would be a threat to Honda supremacy. However, the discord that plagues our local scene is quite frankly a part of a larger social issue.
At the last local drag meet the Starlets performed quite well, but it was obvious that the battle lines were drawn. There seems to be four main starlet groups whose lines are drawn according to the philosophy of their respective tuners. That's right 'is di man whey fix my car mi support' issue. I think its quite funny that the personality of your mechanic determines who you associate with as I'm quite sure that a Honda built or using parts from Jackson Racing isn't afraid to hang with a Greddy tuned equivalent.
One of the few personality quirks I have is one of impartiality. I have the uncanny ability to not choose sides. Disagreeing with someone doesn't make him my enemy nor does it mean we can't hang. If that were so I would be an extreme recluse. Having crossed paths with most of these gentlemen I would easily admit there are personal issues between all of them, but does that mean it should impact upon our ability to hang as Starlet owners. I'll let you all decide that for yourselves.
Oh yeah, the Bajan hang out at gas stations too.
NEW STUFF: More suspension talk and aother hot ride added to the gallery. See you in two.
3/26/2003 PEN TO PAPER
Not much to say this week as I'm busy. Information is power, but one of the problems of information is where does it come from. Like any form of human commincation the written word can be wrong, but is this minor flaw a reason to disreguard it. I recently wsa dismayed by an issue put to the black community which I believe applies very much to Jamaica, the issue of black and books. There's an old joke here in Jamaica about a successful Chineseman. When asked how he managed to stay in business in a predominantly black part of town he simply said books. "Black people don't read so I never kept the money in a safe. I would just put the days money between the pages of the books in my library."
There is a lot of information out there. The internet has made the world a lot smaller, but more importantly apart from the many opnions in chat rooms/message boards out there actual proper documentation can be found. We just need to look a bit harder. Maybe that's the problem.
There's a war on let's all stay safe.
NEW STUFF: Had to redo the fourth gallery due to its size. I'll have way more stuff then. See you in two.
4/9/2003 WILL THE REAL INFORMATION STAND UP
Spent a few hours with the Jamaican customs department several days a go to clear some stuff I had ordered from Japan. Mingled amongst the parts were the first of my starlet video tapes. They are Best MOTORing titles as explained in the ep tapes link in gallery. If you have never heard of Best MOTORing then I'll explain. These guys are the video automotive equivalent of a motoring magazine. They are the inspiration for the Grand Turismo series with balls out tests of various car models at Tsukuba circuit. Where as most magazines have traditional journalists who are automotively inclinded doing their reviews Best MOTORing uses famous Japanese race car drivers such a the drift King himself Keichii Tsucihya. They don't play.
That's why I was glad when my Japanese contact indicated that they had reviewed the Starlets. I got two of the tapes so far, the rest will follow. These people drive, and I mean drive, these cars. They generally don't do 0-100kph test but do quarter-mile (400km) times and a lot of class comparison.
Considering I almost had nothing talk about the tapes were a Godsend. To the meat, we'll talk about tape one Best MOTORing September '94. This was a test of two EPs, a '94 EP82 and a TRD version EP82. The TRD car is a gymkhana spec meaning no engine mods, just suspension. Coil-overs, LSD, a seat, common stuff. Again stock engine. The EPs (135ps) were up against a EG6 SiR (170ps), a Mirage RX w/MIVEC (175ps) this is the sedan not the hatch, and a Nissan Silvia K's (220ps) and finally a Miata B-spec (144ps).
The first test was a 400m battle. Here the winner stays on. The stock EP dispatched the Miata no problem, it then accelerated away from the EG6, but was caught when VTECH kicked in to claw back a win by a rather small margin. From the little Japanese I know it was obvious the EP was suffereing from traction problems and the testers made their notes. The EG6 was then up against the TRD EP82. With an LSD it ran away from the EG. The Mirage was a forgone conclusion for the EP, but it was no match for the might of the Silva.
First tests over. So what did I learn. Well the EP did a best of 15.9 seconds, the EG did a best of 15.7, but the TRD car did 15.5. Of course one could say the winning EP was modified, but the bigger picture is this. From 0-100kph the EP is faster than the EG and with and extra 35hp on tap I expected the EG to have more top end. While a win is a win with only .2 between them the information can bet handled in two ways. Maybe the EP's not as slow as many would imagine. One might complain about the modified time put down by the TRD car, but remember, the EG6 SiR from factory has a LSD.
Anyway next week more on the EP/EG Best MOTORing battle. The picture above is from the March '96 EP82/91 comparison. If you happen to know Japanese maybe you can translate it for me. And remember HardcoreEP strives to provide the EP comminuty with the data to make life a bit easier. Not to boast, but my content is different and I try not to be the same as everyone. I'm probably the only english person in the western hemisphere with these tapes. Thank you to those that spend the few minutes of their day to visit my site. I will NOT disappoint.
My parts from Japan are rolling in so once I'm through with the tape discussion I'll start going through the parts list. I've also got Oliver Townsend's wicked EP lined up for the gallery. Its not what everyone thinks it is.
NEW STUFF: More on suspension, rear sway bars. See you in two.
5/21/2003 CHOICES
It's been more than two weeks I know. Been real busy, but my commitment to the EP cause never wavers. I had actually made an error and all the text was invisible on the editorial. Since it couldn't be read I left it up a bit longer to allow those interested to see it.
A few days ago I put my EP91 up for sale, but fate stepped in as it usually does. I've had HyperREV#44 for years now. I got it as gift from my Japanese friend a month after it came out. He mailed it to me and I got it for my birthday in March 2000. Like the tapes, I was the first in the country to have it. Where am I going with this? Well after flipping through the JAM Racing car and the psycho HRF EP I saw what I wanted my ride to be. Nestled in the tuner gallery there was a plain white EP with these ugly green rims. It didn't look as flashy as the other rides; actually there wasn't any horsepower figures.
The pictures showed a stock engine, but the shot of gearknob showed the true potential. After a rapid translation session I saw the beauty in the simplicity of this EP. Jap Tuner DSK gave the EP what it lacked, some more refinement. While other tuners try to change the nature of the car, like me DSK saw that the EP really just needed some more torque. Props to the 4E, but the 5E is the future. More importantly like a lot of modern Toyotas better gear ratios were a must and DSK answered with the C160 gearbox, to those that don't own a new AE111, that is the factory code for the six speed gearbox.
So my dream ride wasn't some uncontrollable horsepower hog waiting to blow up, unable to deal with the stress of my driving schedule, or unable to take even the slightest corner. One 5E + six speed gearbox = Rory's EP91. I'm well on my way to this. Unfortunately a Japanese holiday has messed up my delivery times, but I will start with the parts listing from the ones I have now.
Right now my car survived someone's interpretation of what an EP should be. I'm different, always have been always will be. I don't straight-line, to quote Tsucihya 'real men tackle the turns.' My car will never be the fastest in a straight line and I don't need it to be. There is the perception that the EP is simply a drag car, most people will never know how wrong they are. In Japan the little EP is a gymkhana favorite, a sport only Type-R Honda versions dare to tread.
My car drove well from the factory. It just needed a little fine-tuning, not a complete make over. It is easy to make a car fast, its harder to make a car fast under specifications. That is what separates the men from the boys. A lot of boys do tuning in Jamaica.
Just in case people who just got the HyperREV, believe they're hype they can scope the new J's tuning magazine. Got to stay ahead of the pack.
NEW: Oliver Townsend proves he's a tuning man with his sprint EP82. A full feature of this wicked ride, below.
6/18/2003 THE TALE OF THE TAPE
BestMOTORing March 1996 offers some insight into the EP91. This was their first test of the EP91 as it had just debuted in Japan. It was put up against the old model EP82.
This really wasn't a direct numbers comparison for which I was hoping, but it still proved a good watch. It is amazing to see your vehicle in the hands of a professional. The Starlet GlanzaV (EP91) vs. the Starlet GT Turbo is a straight lap battle. They waste no time pushing both cars onto the circuit, though not Tsukuba, for a three-lap battle. Both cars looked to be matched but by the second lap its obvious which car has the better chassis.
The EP91 corners and brakes with impunity choosing its lines at will verses the old EP. Straight-line speed becomes a non-issue as the EP91 goes deeper into the corners and brakes later due to better balance. The EP now has the dynamics suited to its power. Unfortunately Nakaya gives his review of the car in Japanese, what else. So until I get what he said translated I really won't know his opinions, but it looks good. We've got a few more tapes to discuss and they are wild, trust me. My words don't do this stuff justice.
The suspension stuff will come to a close soon, but then we'll move into the information that most want, power. As I said before the car was fine when I got it, it just became a case of 'too many cooks spoiling the broth.' The main parts are here and once I clear customs things are going to be rather interesting this summer. So hold on here at HardcoreEP…content, not hype dudes.
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