From their roots as family cars or econoboxes, sport compacts at inception were not performance oriented, at least not in the U.S. However, their increasing popularity led OEMs to offer versions more to the enthusiast's liking and the aftermarket responded in kind.
The term "sport compact" has evolved to become "compact performance." Custom trim items, such as Z3-inspired fiberglass fenders and neon lighting, once were de rigueur on the show circuit, but did little to improve performance and largely were forgotten. For this article, we go to the sources to learn where the market is headed today:
Ryan Takashima, co-founder, Fujita Air, Murrieta, California.Eugene Inose, president, Pro-Motion Distributing, City of Industry, California.Noah Marques, GTSPEC, Deer Park, New York.George Ciordas, marketing manager, KW automotive North America, Sanger, California.Chris Douglas, director of marketing, COMP Performance Group, Memphis, Tennessee.Kirk Swensen, president, Nukabe Automotive Parts Sales, Mattoon, Illinois.Bill L. Tichenor, director of marketing, Holley Performance, Bowling Green, Kentucky.Mark Sprague, marketing manager, NGK Spark Plugs, Wixom, Michigan.Patrick Thompson, president, Innovate Technology, Irvine, California.
Styling & Performance (S&P): When was your company founded and when did you get involved in the sport-compact segment?Chris Douglas (CD): COMP Cams was founded in 1976 and has been at the forefront of valve train technology for sport compacts before it became a market niche.Ryan Takashima (RT): Fujita Air was founded in October 2005; however, I became involved in the market in 1991.George Ciordas (GC): It was 10 years of manufacturing coilovers for KW in September 2006 when the company celebrated its anniversary.Noah Marques (NM): GTSPEC was founded in 2002 by enthusiasts seeking the ultimate in performance. A popular modification for race cars is to seam-weld the chassis at its flex points and, although the benefits are second to none, it is time consuming and expensive. GTSPEC took the benefits of chassis strengthening and designed a bracing system that provides the same benefits in an easy-to-install, cost-effective manner.Kirk Swenson (KS): CUSCO has been in the market since 1977, focusing on suspension performance. NUKABE became the master distributor for CUSCO in 2003. Our goal was to provide customer service by stocking, selling, and servicing products in the U.S., and our focus has been closely aligned with CUSCO in this segment.Bill Tichenor (BT): NOS, founded in 1978, was the company that put nitrous on sport compacts from the niche's inception. Earl's is an iconic brand in Japan that began here in 1955 and has been used in the sport-compact scene since early on.Eugene Inose (EI): Pro-Motion was one of the pioneers of the sport-compact industry when we started back in 1989.Mike Sprague (MS): NGK Spark Plug was founded in 1936 in Japan. We've been involved in sport compacts before there was a segment. We've promoted our products to compact-performance enthusiasts since the late '70s, and in the past 10 years, stepped up our involvement with racing sponsorships and participation in lifestyle events.Patrick Thompson (PT): Founded in 1998 as an engineering company, Innovate did digital signal processing for the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). In 2003, we invented a method for controlling oxygen sensors, which led to the LM-1—the first fully digital air/fuel ratio (lambda) meter. The first to pick up on it was the sport-compact segment, and the rest is history.S&P: Did you foresee the current trend toward performance over appearance? Have you seen a business increase as a result?EI: There's always been a natural ebb and flow between show and go. This is nothing new—in three to four years, they'll say the market has shifted and is now focusing on appearance. In reality, the two need one another as they feed off each other. We address both segments, so we're well situated whether show or go is in vogue. Some years, we hit a home run when both are strong and vibrant.KS: We've always focused on the performance end instead of the appearance side and we haven't noticed a shift in our business. In four years, we've had phenomenal sales growth by focusing on the U.S. market. We still have strong upward growth and have seen more emphasis on true performance-oriented parts.BT: We saw the trend toward performance, but that's all we ever offered. We knew the growth in this segment couldn't keep up the pace and hard-core enthusiasts would sustain it for the long haul. Nitrous hasn't seen huge growth since it's been a mainstay throughout sport-compact history, but Earl's is gaining momentum.RT: Performance will always carry on, but trends change. Aluminum wings, body kits, spinners—all fads that have come and gone.MS: As a company that manufactures OEM and aftermarket parts, we concentrate on the performance side. We've seen a rise in performance parts and have promoted our products to this segment so consumers know exactly what they are getting when looking for performance ignition parts. In promoting our products to the sport-compact segment, our sales of performance plugs and wires have risen dramatically.PT: We've never been involved in appearance products. We have seen strong growth every year since 2003, driven by the trend toward performance in general, and tuning in particular.CD: With our hard-core performance products, there really has been no change; all of our products are purchased by serious enthusiasts. The bolt-on guys never really impact our bottom line. This segment remains small, but steady.NM: We believed that performance would become the focus. With drifting, time attack, and road racing becoming more popular, we expanded our market and we've grown from producing suspension bracing to a performance-parts manufacturer with a wide array of parts. We offer performance products for many models of Subaru, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, Ford, and Mazda, and we add lines as new cars are released.GC: Performance has always been the backbone of our company because it stems from racing.
S&P: If retailers could recommend one item you manufacture or distribute to increase vehicle performance, what would it be?RT: Intakes all the way!PT: To release hidden horsepower or tune power adders, one essential is to have a good wide band (air/fuel meter). It should include full-featured software and be expandable. For less than $300, you can get a wide band, like our G3 gauge, and expand as your needs grow.GC: KW stainless steel coilovers.MS: Our Iridium IX spark plugs are an affordable product that show considerable gains for the money.BT: Our 05130NOS universal wet nitrous kit can be used on a number of vehicles and we offer new "Drive By Wire" versions for them. From Earl's, as performance increases, fluid temperatures go up and they need our Temp-A-Cure oil coolers, which cool the same as a tube and fin cooler, but at half the size for cars with space constraints.NM: GTSPEC's exhaust manifolds provide substantial gains through the entire RPM range, replacing restrictive OEM cast parts with a free-flowing, larger-diameter, stainless-steel manifold. Exhaust gases escape more quickly for faster spooling of the turbo. Testing our designs on time-attack cars, we created a shift in the power band to increase usable power. Our manifolds are a definite performance upgrade, crafted from 14-gauge SUS-304 stainless steel with TIG welds for a perfect fit and to lessen installation time.CD: The cams are the brains of any engine. Without a properly engineered performance camshaft, all the other parts would deliver only limited performance. I would recommend an upgraded camshaft and related valve train accessories.
KS: A set of CUSCO coilovers can have an immediate impact on several aspects of the car's performance. It gives the driver flexibility the stock suspension can't offer. Ride height, spring stiffness, dampening adjustment, camber settings—all of these make a huge difference in performance on the street and at the track. If I could do just one thing, I'd start here. A limited slip differential can shave seconds off your track time. Another simple mod is upgraded sway bars that increase the driver's feel and the car's ability to be more predictable on track. I'd start with handling before I went for power.S&P: From your perspective, has racing improved the breed? Can you see where there's a correlation between what's happening on the track that's providing an impetus for the sale of your performance products?EI: When it comes to the sponsors who provide entertainment for the fans in the form of drifting/drag/time attack, it drives sales to our stores as the end users become more exposed to how this market has grown and evolved. Ten years ago, there wasn't the level of participation by major sponsors as there is today in drag or drift.BT: Racing improves the breed no matter what type of car it is. It's an addiction that captures enthusiasts for a long, long time and inspires innovation.RT: Drag racing has declined; I went to more than 10 events last year and the stands were bare. Drifting is huge, but it doesn't sell—it's great for branding, but not to sell parts. Average Joes can't afford to drift their vehicle with a chance of hitting the wall. Time attack isn't a spectator sport. It's great for the driver on track, but not for spectators to watch. Overall, I feel drifting has helped the industry and focused attention on compact performance.CD: I'm not sure it has improved the breed—the guys left standing in this market are serious performance enthusiasts. If they weren't building and running sport-compact cars, they would be running V-8s or something else. These guys are no different than their domestic brethren—they live this stuff; it's their passion.NM: The adage "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" speaks of the advantages that come from participating in racing. GTSPEC sponsors Relentless Autosports' Time Attack 350Z. This helped us develop parts that withstood the rigors of time-attack events and helped them win the Street RWD class at California Speedway and place second in the Unlimited class at Buttonwillow. Feedback is essential to our new product development; all the parts they race with are available for end users. Having our products race-proven provides the assurance customers are buying quality products.GC: KW's performance in motorsports has been the mainstay of our brand and image. As skill and demand for a higher-performance product increases, customers, racers, or enthusiasts reach the conclusion KW is what they require. KW is able to provide a great value and performance to these individuals. When they need a product to meet their demand for a technologically advanced suspension system, KW is there to provide it.PT: Absolutely racing has improved the breed. First, it's feedback from racers we use to improve our products. After this, of course, street users buy Innovate after they see racers dominate with our products.MS: Racing improved the knowledge level of all consumers. Consumers who want to add performance spend a lot of time researching on the Internet and seeking feedback from those they deem as credible sources. Sport-compact enthusiasts have more than just the local racers to ask for advice. With the Internet adding a wealth of resources, it's important for industry leaders to use both the track and the net to promote themselves.KS: I believe racing has helped performance-parts sales. When you show up with a stock vehicle that's had suspension work done and it can compete at a respectable level, customers pay attention as they look for the biggest bang for the buck—a competitive advantage. There are direct relationships between performance on the race track and end-user purchasing habits. If a customer adds a part and they have good results, they tell their friends and it grows from there.GLOSSARY OF TERMSDRAG RACING is usually two cars accelerating from a standing start, side-by-side, down a paved drag strip that can be 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile long. Time and top speed are measured, but the winner is determined by who crosses the finish line first. Provides excellent spectator viewing with instant easy-to-see results.
Terms associated with drag racing:
ET: Elapsed time, or the time it takes to accelerate from a standing start to cover the 1/8- or 1/4-mile distance.
Christmas tree: Refers to the starting lights (usually yellow, yellow, and finally green).
Reaction time: Time from the green light to when the vehicle actually starts to move.
Staging: Two yellow lights on the Christmas tree that inform the driver when the front tires are at the starting line. Pre-stage is the first yellow light; full-stage is the second yellow light. Once both vehicles are staged (indicated by the two small, illuminated yellow lights in both lanes), the yellow, yellow, green start sequence can begin.
Red light: Indicates a driver left the starting line before the green light came on. This happens when drivers "anticipate" the light, trying to get the best start and reaction time. A driver who "red lights" is automatically disqualified.
Trap speed: Measurement taken before and after the finish line that determines the top speed of the vehicle at the finish of the race.
Water box: An area (usually located just in front of the starting line) where drivers can clean and heat their tires by doing a burnout through the starting-line area.
Hole shot: A situation in which one racer gets a better start than another racer.
DRIFTING is essentially a mechanical ballet in which drivers burn rubber and slide their vehicles though a measured course. Driver times are measured, but they are also judged on extreme angles, car control, amount of tire smoke, and the crowd's reaction. Drivers can gain points by passing the lead car during the session, but both cars must be in drift mode. A pass during a non-drift situation results in disqualification for the passing car. Popular drift vehicles tend to be modern all-wheel-drive imports, modern U.S. muscle cars, or older rear-wheel-drive imports. Front-wheel-drive vehicles can be drifted, but the technique is more difficult.Terms associated with drifting events:
Angle: How far the rear end hangs out. The angle is measured from an imaginary line running down the center of the vehicle.
Drift box: Device mounted in the vehicle to measure angles, speed, and g-force.
Show factor: Subjective evaluation of the driver's ability to control the car and excite the crowd.
Tansou: Japanese term for a speed run (used for qualifying).
Tsuiso: Japanese term for chase attack. Two vehicles competing on the same course at the same time.
TIME ATTACK is a modern term for what is also known as time trials or Solo 1 and consists of one vehicle on a race track running against the clock. There may be wheel-to-wheel running during practice, but only one vehicle is on the track for the official timed runs. The car with the fastest lap wins.Terms associated with time-attack events:
Apex: The center of the corner.
Early apex: Driver turns into the corner early.
Late apex: Driver turns into the corner later (preferred).
Turn in: Point at the beginning of the turn where the driver is committed to the corner.
Line: Theoretical line around the race track that results in completing the smoothest, fastest lap.
Trail braking: Driving technique in which the driver holds his or her foot on the brake longer than usual to rotate the car in a corner.
Sanctioning Bodies:Drag RacingNational Hot Rod Association (NHRA)(626) 914-4761www.nhra.comInternational Hot Rod Association
(419) 663-6666
www.ihra.com
Formula Drift Holdings, LLC
(562) 901-2600
www.formulad.com
U.S. Drift
(804) 545-2822
www.usdrift.com
National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Time Trials
(510) 232-6272
www.nasaproracing.com
About the Author
Jason Sakurai
Jason Sakurai, in addition to contributing stories and photos to Styling & Performance, is Managing Director of Roadhouse Marketing, an integrated marketing firm that creates consumer, brand and trade marketing campaigns. He has refocused NHRA's Championship Drag Racing series on broadcast and cable TV.
Prior to forming Roadhouse Marketing, Sakurai was a district manager for the Pontiac Division of General Motors. Later, he joined Nissan Motor Corporation in USA where he co-authored the first extended service contract program for imported cars.
Sakurai holds a degree in Psychology and an MBA from Arizona State University. Sakurai has been active in Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) activities and is the immediate past president of SEMA's Sport Compact Council (SCC).
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