Jdm Vs. Ldm

[phalerider]

Ok, I dont want to get of on a rant here.

I've been back at this for two years now and one word I keep hearing is "JDM" or Japanese domestic market, parts from japan. I've been a mechanic for 20+ years and in some cases i can see buying parts from other countries certain materials and manufacturing standards are different in other countries. For the life of me I cant understand the Mania about JDM.

For instance ebay lists a used Tein shock set in japan with mild rust. The same Tein set you can get online or from a friend across town.

Or a set of what would be the stock S14 brake rotors in japan. but when shipped to the US they are now JDM excitement.

Back in Harlem we called that the "Brick Switch". Change the box and sell it like its something else.

But like I said some stuff is well worth the extra step but it seems more of a bragging point than an actual technical advantage. not to mention when it breaks your f*&ked. No usable warranty.

Then again I could be wrong.

[JonnySlick]

^ we always want what we can't have.

now i realize your argument .. and believe me i've been on my soapbox a number of times for the same thing. you have to realize too that 90% of the kids buying parts off of ebay are just "fanboys" and really are uneducated on the market. they are the same people that buy that $90 HKS "style" BOV, or the $250 "Bride" seats, and the $50 Apexi "style" muffler not knowing any better.

but, in general, i think that most of the JDM/EDM parts that are really coveted are the ones we have no replacement for here in the states and that are quite different from what you would see in your local town and therefore ultra rare, often even in their "homeland"....

for instance:

*S13/S15 headlights and conversion (which are actually more common at this point than i think flip-ups are haha)
*Factory Emblems and Badging (especially the hard to find ones)
*Limited Produced JDM performance items
*Chassis released ONLY in Japan/Europe/etc.
*Wheels/Body Kits that aren't available in the states
*Marker Lights/Tail Lights/Corner Lights (typically different color/style from USDM)
*Shift Knobs/Interior Accessories/etc.

now for me ... i really *can't* justify some of those parts. if i found them cheap enough here, or from a friend, or from ebay sure i might pick them up. but just to work for months to spend 10x what a parts worth just to be "different" IMO is not worth it. but to some people it is.

however, there are certain performance oriented parts from japan that i would (and have) wait months for just b/c there is nothing of that quality in the states (which has greatly improved in parts in the past 5 years).

when i got my WRX new back in '02 (it was an '03 model) i waited forever for the exhaust to come simply b/c at that time the market was scarce ... now there's TONS of stuff for it.

a guy in Vegas i knew took the time to convert a LHD 240 hatch to RHD after he purchased a front clip. his car was down like 4 months longer than it should have been and it added no performance. his car was FAR from a show car (daily driver/drifter) ... so basically it was just what he thought was a "cool" factor. a lot of people really loved it, others found it amusing, a some hated it. i wouldn't have took the time for that ... but he was happy with it and honestly since him and his friends did the work it really didn't cost him any more since he had purchased the front clip and it came with the dash oddly enough.

i guess the point i'm making is that sure if we have something of equal quality and perfomance here in the states then get that ... if it's something you can't get here, the of course you have to look elsewhere.

[Slapshotnerd]

Yup.

Why buy the exhaust that says "trust" on the can instead of the Greddy unit? Because those 'in the know' will 'give you props' for going out of your way to bring the unit over from Japan.

Some items, like headlights, tail lights, some navigation units, etc aren't available at all here in the US. The STI has been out in Japan for 20+ years, but less than 10 years in the states. Why buy STI parts for a GDB Imprezza? Because there was no GDB STI here.

The US market is known to get watered-down versions of cars, to meet higher safety regulations and crash testing (and also to appeal to American consumers who want the lowest price possible). Some automotive enthusiasts aren't happy with these lower-featured cars, and go out of their way to purchase parts which are technically illegal for road use, but many see them as being better quality.

[phalerider]

thank you

thank you very much. I've been out since the mid 90's and I still have a lot to learn/re-learn so I appreciate the info. also I'm old but I haven't forgotten the cool factor. I plan on a mostly unnessary carbon wing and a i-robot audi door mod. both completely unnessasary for drift. I am starting to see the dividing line in driver types and generally if someone uses "street racer" more than 50 times in a 5 minuet conversation, I walk away. unless she has a great rack

[phalerider]

btw

also, I'm not arguing/debating common sense. I COMPLETELY understand jumping through the flaming hoop to get the right part. I was just floored by the jdm thing is all.

[phalerider]

skill

ADM, JDM or EDM only cover so much anyway. It useually comes down to skill either way. my god I wish I listened when those old men where talkin shop back in the 80's I'd be twice the driver I am today.

[JonnySlick]

WTF is the "i-robot audi door mod" ???

[JonnySlick]

wait ... you mean doors that open like that ^


yeah ... don't be "that guy"

[phalerider]

yup, thats the one

wait ... you mean doors that open like that ^


yeah ... don't be "that guy"

yup, thats the one

[phalerider]

completely impractical and a pain in the a@@ if sombody parks to close. but i have to have em, like a bug to a bug light

[JonnySlick]

i could justify those on say a NSX destined for the show circuit ... or a super modded FD that's gunning for the cover of SuperStreet ... or on a 1978 Chevy Donk that's going in Birdman's next video ...

but come on ... anything less = the fail

especially if it's going on a drift car ... wow

[phalerider]

irony

some of the true irony is that I still have some friends in japan from my lowriding days. They can't get left hand drive 64 inpalas and mustangs fast enough. japan loves our culture as much as we love thiers