The latest poop from Eric Cheney before we went to press centered around fixing the troublesome blower belt situation. The good news is, by converting the blower belt to an RCD cog drive, belt throwing was eliminated. This made the Falken Mustang much more reliable, allowing JR to strut his stuff in style. High-qualifying spots and podium finishes were gained immediately, and now it looks as if Mr. Gittin is poised for a high finish in the Formula Drift championship.
Eric also announced his XMP company will be offering all the parts on the Falken car for aspiring enthusiasts. Like many in drifting, Eric is big on its possibilities, and sees potential for many more domestic cars and drivers in the sport-thus the dedication to offer even the tough, custom-made gear should you want this level of performance.
And it's serious performance; Eric quotes the latest tuning at 770-plus rear-wheel horsepower. That'll smoke a tire.
In the unlikely event JR ever tires of listening to his Four-Valve scream, he can fall back on a Rockford Fosgate sound system-all four of Falken's drift cars are so equipped.
| 5.0 Tech specs |
| ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN | Ignition |
| Block | MSD wired through DFI |
| Stock '96-'98 Cobra, high altitude, | Gauges |
| Prothane near-solid mounts | Auto Meter, Nexus series |
| Displacement | |
| 283 ci | SUSPENSION AND CHASSIS |
| Cylinder Heads | Front Suspension |
| FRPP High-Flow | K-member |
| Camshafts | Stock |
| Custom SHM, extreme high-rpm grind | A-arms |
| Intake Manifold | Prothane L-Arm bushings |
| Custom sheetmetal by XMP | Springs |
| Throttle Body | Tein coilovers |
| Accufab 90mm | Struts |
| Power Adder | Tein EDC in-cabin adjustable |
| Novi 2000 Renegade (Extrude Hone | Wheels |
| volute and cyro'd internals); Griffin | Boyd Coddington 18x9-in |
| Intercooler | Tires |
| Exhaust | Falken RT615, 255/40R18 |
| JBA long-tubes, Magnaflow custom 3-in | Brakes |
| X-pipe, 3-in Magnapack mufflers | Project Mu six-piston billet calipers, |
| Fuel System | 14-in slotted and cyro'd rotors |
| XMP custom w/-10 feed, -8 return lines; | Rear Suspension |
| Fuel Safe 8-gallon cell; CPR rails, pumps, | Springs |
| filters, regulators; 72-lb/hr injectors | Tein |
| Transmission | Shocks |
| Custom G-Force T56, Exedy custom twin- | Tein |
| disc clutch, McLeod/XMP custom | Control Arms |
| hydraulic TO bearing | Battle Version, Progress sway bar |
| Rearend | Wheels |
| 8.8-in live axle; FRPP 4.10 gears; | Boyd Coddington 18x10.5-in |
| Auburn electronic locking diff; welded | Tires |
| axle tubes, prototype Superior custom | Falken RT615, 275/35R18 |
| axles | Brakes |
| | Slotted rotors, custom pads |
| ELECTRONICS | Chassis Stiffening |
| Engine Management | XMP seam-welded unibody, 1 1/2-in |
| ACCEL Gen 7 DFI | 4130 rollcage |