APC Drifting.

[spock]

Well said. Too bad they're going to make another one of those stupid movies. Is nothing sacred any more?

[Nightwalker]

this whole argument is retarded.

But heres what I think:
I don't see APC gaining any kind of momentum in the scene. There are many American companies producing nice parts for the 240s and AE86s already. I just bought some, and they are about the same if not even better quality than the JDM parts. Auto-X, and true drift fanatics are not stupid people, nor are they easilly swayed. The movement right now is to support your local drift guy (Battle Version, Techno Toy Tuning, Project Nissan) These guys are out right beside the rest of us practicing and learning. These are the guys that will get the support. Kei Office, Ms Sport, and other companies like them make nice parts, but why would you pay for that when you can get if for soo much less, and available to you here in the good 'ol USof A? Sure Uras Upper Camber arms are nice, but I will not pay close to 400 dollars for a set of arms that can be had for half the price.

But, who knows. None of us can predict what may/can/will happen. Ten years ago when I started in the import scene, the white guys use to use names such as "Rice Rocket" "Nip Tips" "Jap Crap", and what is everyone into now? None of this really matters, and I'll continue to do what I like to do.

I'll think what I want to think, and you'll think what you want to think.

But I still say Fuk APC!

[SilverGhost]

Originally posted by Nightwalker
this whole argument is retarded.

But heres what I think:
I don't see APC gaining any kind of momentum in the scene. There are many American companies producing nice parts for the 240s and AE86s already. I just bought some, and they are about the same if not even better quality than the JDM parts. Auto-X, and true drift fanatics are not stupid people, nor are they easilly swayed. The movement right now is to support your local drift guy (Battle Version, Techno Toy Tuning, Project Nissan) These guys are out right beside the rest of us practicing and learning. These are the guys that will get the support. Kei Office, Ms Sport, and other companies like them make nice parts, but why would you pay for that when you can get if for soo much less, and available to you here in the good 'ol USof A? Sure Uras Upper Camber arms are nice, but I will not pay close to 400 dollars for a set of arms that can be had for half the price.

what companies/where are they available in the US? im on a tight budget and i am in need of quality parts for as cheap as possible...

[nightracer]

Projectnissan.com makes nice parts for decent prices. Thats the only place I where I know the owner and I don't know if I could get a discount. The guy really tries to protect the integrity of his products - not trying to let it get whored out.

[SlideRiceFC]

The below post is pure ridiculous. Who cares about the fanboys? I don't have APC to thank for learning about anything. I've known about these guys for years. Anyone who was into drift prior to the D1GP in the US almost certainly knows who these people are. The notion that I should thank APC for introducing them to many more people that just didn't feel like doing the research before is just too far out there. Oh, thank you APC! Thanks for spoon feeding the masses! yeah...

Originally posted by Brian
how bout this smart asses.

without APC, none of your fanboys would even know tanaka, asamoto, kumakubo, or even izumida. you would not know team orange, you would never hear of k style, you would never see the cars. nothing.
you sure as hell wouldnt get to sit at home looking at pictures from the latest drift event with japan pros because there would be no pros to come over. teams and cars dont just magically fly over from japan to california. it takes money to do this.
even though i am not a fan of APC at all, i do thank them for bringing over team orange and drift x treme. i hope you guys get a better direction with your product lines. i am pretty sure you will with the help of Kumamubo and company.


anyways, one last thing. somebody mentioned the APC rotor disk things. guess what, URAS ( our beloved JDM company) makes these also. they have flames on them too. how cool is that?!

[SlideRiceFC]

I know about business. I've had a shop since 98. I also know about APC. Some crappy parts for Hondas are just the tip of the iceberg. Let's see, first they started pissing people in the business off by requiring an insane buy-in to sell their products forcing most shops to go through one if not several middlemen before they could get them. Then they start taking up whole aisles in the major parts stores who have suddenly become competitors in the same market seemingly overnight. But guess what, no way can I touch their prices. Half the time it was cheaper for me to go to Pep Boys and pick up things like short shifters and hood pins than it was for me to order it through a distributor. So you either have to start selling cheap taiwan crap for nickel profits to the customers or risk looking like a rip-off shop. Did they care that they were killing local markets? Nah. Have you ever held an APC catalog in your hands? They are the wal-mart of the industry. They make something for everything...truck running boards included. Their gameplan is just to flood the market with crap and collect the profits from all of the little market niches they've flooded. Sure in a dog eat dog world they are the epitomy of the good business. I prefer to have a little integrity. My parents raised me better than to be the type to spend my life playing cut throat.

As for selling what people want...heh. Don't you see that they create the market? Using crap movies like FnF they make it seem as if neon lights and flaming exhausts are what's cool. Then the sheep run out and buy the products. This is another facet of business and it's common knowledge most people don't know what they want until you convince them that what you have to offer is in fact what they want.

As for thanking the ricers for filling APC pockets in the hopes to get cheap quality parts from APC in the future. Nope. I imagine that as the Japanese companies make their move to get a chunk of the American pie competition will result in more competitive pricing anyway. And let's face it, even a crappy Japanese manufacturer will get more face than APC in the drift market.

If they had any balls they would've at least sponsored American drifters. Who knows, maybe they tried and everyone told them get bent.

Originally posted by DriftGirl
driftxtreem: defend your sponsors. they are providing you an opportunity to 'get it done' Most people are to shallow to see past the 'alteeza' lights or other stuff APC has made.

Guys ever stop to think that they sell 'what people want' or else they wouldnt be as big as they are?

Now they are in a position to create quality parts along side of the lower end parts to those who want/can afford them.

We all do what we have to do to get to where we want to be in life.......same goes for buisiness.

If they start coming out with high end, quality parts that you like,then you own the little ricers at your local HIN a 'thank you' for buying the rice stuff so that you can get the good stuff.

If you want to be a factor in the scene it Helps to understand the 'buisiness' side before taking shots at a company.

[SlideRiceFC]

I remember that...still have the Option vid somewhere. It was pathetic. If I was Tsuchiya I'd have been sorry I bothered. The footage of Nomuken drifting through L.A. was funny though. Oh, and sadly the FF drifters in that time period made it look cleaner than several of the FR drifters. Man, the scene was young back then...more innocent too.

As for Initial D, what do you have against it? Surely it's not because it was a mainstream release that had many negative impacts on the drift scene in Japan? Well, I better not be a smartass and put words in your mouth. I'd honestly like to hear how you feel.

As for Kei Office not being manufactured in Japan that's no surprise. I'm in the process of having my own products made...some in Taiwan, some in Japan. One of the Taiwanese manufacturers I chose also makes products for Blitz...one of the most pricey Japanese companies we have stateside. Anyone thinking that because they have a Kei Office suspension means that Keichi himself was laboring over it himself in Japan has their head in the sand.

Anyway, welcome back driftxtreem...I honestly didn't think that "stupid fuks" post was one of your better days. I'm glad to see your constructive posting has not gone away. Well, except for the Baghdad comment. Haha...what the hell was that?

Originally posted by driftxtreem
Yea does any one even remember when Tsuchia did the first drift performance in the states. And the Initial D crew WTF its still on the tube here what a waste of prime time telivision.

[MrodDrft]

APC is hot shat

[SilverGhost]

Originally posted by SlideRiceFC
As for selling what people want...heh. Don't you see that they create the market? Using crap movies like FnF they make it seem as if neon lights and flaming exhausts are what's cool. Then the sheep run out and buy the products. This is another facet of business and it's common knowledge most people don't know what they want until you convince them that what you have to offer is in fact what they want.

back when i worked as a sales representative for MCI (yes, a telemarketer) we made sales to people not because we had the best prices or the best products, we made sales because we were good at convincing people that we were the best. it was all in how you positioned the call....you never called somone that was like "wow, MCI! ive been waiting for you guys to call, so sign me up now!!" it was most of the time "hey, why dont you put your sh!t in your bosses a$$ leave me the fukc alone!!" we had tp convince people that they wanted our product, thats how we got business done. its no suprise that APC does the same, but i still dont like them and dont buy anything from them.

[ae86shinchu]

driftxtreem, you said something about tailights for the 180sx, s13,14, and 15. funny thing about that is, when i was at drift day 5 with my 240sx, i was approached by a man asking me about my 240. "what do you have done to it?" i told him. "what parts would you like to see on the market?" he explained he had just purchased his own 240 and was building it up and wanted to know what is out there and what isnt. then, for some reason he came clean and told me he was some head honcho for marketing at APC and they were going to start making parts for drifting. i started laughing on the spot. he asked why i was laughing. i said well, do you see anything from APC on any cars here? what makes you think they will buy anything if you make drift parts? and i gurantee you, and im just being honest here, that if you make euro-tails or altezzas or whatever you guys call them these days for a 240sx or ae86... all these people here? (i pointed to the entire east lot at irwindale) they will be absolutely PI55ED. he answered "oh no, no we are trying to shake that image of being a rice company." yeah i bet.

then they put srobes and sh!t on ueo's ae86. and just about every other car that night at D1 USA. im real convinced this guy was lying his a55 off well, shinchu is not convinced. like crazyhawaiian said, other companies can surely make stuff happen like signal did. so did falken. apc is not THE authoritve figure for drifting in USA. i will definately support gabriel tyler and the rest of his staff at techno toy tuning and other companies like them (battleversion is another). i think APC helped get drifting poular in the US, but maybe in the wrong way. quite simply, drifting is to APC what whores are to pimps.

and i swear if i find that buisness card Mr. APC Marketing guy gave me, i would like to call him and remind him not to make any stupid tailights for the ae86 or any s chassis nissans. or anything else besides hondas for that matter. im sure some FC owners would get sick to thier stomachs to see apc tailights on thier cars. alright im going to quit b!tching. i think drifting is going to end up like the muscle car crowd. some like mustangs, some like chevy, and some like mopar. may god have mercy on the souls of those who like mopar and apc. (lol) and weapon x was reading my mind when he made his last post.

[Chas]

What the hell are you guys talking about. Euro-lights have been out in japan for ever.

Jake, post the one of the blue s15

[Feint]

Its a little hard to talk about this subject,lots of controversy.I trry to look at it from a business point of view.They provide money,and DriftXtreme provides a name for them.That's business,you need money to play,survive,and continue.But at the same time the products soild are questionable.But its not like they are pushing these products.Obviously neon and cheap mufflers are hot *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored*,no questions asked.Same with all the other crap they push.Every cars sub-culture has parts to reflect it,APC definitly reflects the show part.But one part they aren't showing is performance,they really don't have a hand in here.And if/when they do,you don't know what these products will be like.Its not like DriftXtreme has control over what they push,its just business.They hand money,they give a name.I really don't have much t say on the matter.

[ae86shinchu]

jake, you post those and i'll vommit hawaiian style pizza all over this keyboard. save the keyboard, jake. save it.

seeing them on NOB's s15 was bad enough. i wanna smack that APC marketing guy... LIES!!

[MrodDrft]

Nob's altezzas are uber leet jdm dorifto ! lmao

[MrodDrft]

mmM twins, funny though that his US car did not have altezzas... maybe he wasnt APC approved hehe