Drift-Office: Defining The Angle Of Attack Since 2003
/ Story By
Evan Griffey
Tipping point, maximum steering angle, full-throttle tuning maps are all daily points of contention at Auburn, Washington’s Drift-Office. One of western Washington’s leading tuning facilities, Drift-Office, as the name would indicate, cut its teeth with cars that prefer to run sideways with tires smoking…. super-heated and on the verge of spontaneous combustion. (Right) Bob Wan originally opened Drift-Office to get access to performance parts for his flotilla of Corolla GT-S'. (Left) Jeff Bush's drag DSM pumped out 961 awhp at a Drift-Office Dyno Day in 2009. The quarter-mile beast was built and tuned by English Racing. Chief proprietor, Bob Wan, is the real deal, living the life. At one point Bob owned 19 AE86s, all running and “a couple of shells on the side” when he opened the shop in 2003. He still has a fleet today, but of the AE-addiction he says, “It’s a mean habit for sure, but they all have their own character. Either suspension set-up or engine set-up.” Known as the Prince Of The AE86, Bob is quick to point out that a prince in one circle is just a goofball as seen from another circle. (Left) One of Bob's long-term...i.e. long stagnant...AE86 builds. (Right) The plan calls for a boosted Honda S2000 swap. The AE86 has entered collector status and Bob says he is unwilling to afford collector prices so he is on hiatus until “price equalization” occurs. He warns that because of their age we are experiencing the “bolt-snapping era of the Corolla GTS” which makes working on them more frustrating… he also says expensive parts from Toyota keep getting incrementally more expensive. So the FR-S stole the spotlight and has become a cornerstone of Drift-Office’s business. (Left) The iPad can operate the dyno and display readouts for power but also provides access to deeper datalogging info. Pretty soon the iPad will be able to run the car too! (Right) Drift-Office's Billy Lee uses an iPad with a $1.99 Splashtop Streamer app to run the shop's Dynojet, saving time and $2,000 for a plasma display. Drift-Office has always been about technology integration. Beyond tuning stand-alone ECU’s the manner in which they run their dyno oozes high-tech. From a steering wheel mounted iPad, Drift-Office accesses its Dynojet chassis dyno using an app called Splashtop Streamer, which mirrors the dyno computer desktop. This allows one person to run the entire dyno run show from the seat of the test vehicle, without having to get out of the vehicle or maneuver a bulky laptop. The shop does not need a big screen TV and Bob and lead technician Billy Lee can scroll info from inside the car and at the desktop. Billy says, “It’s like having a split screen and getting another set of eyeballs on the data, which speeds the tuning process. We can check all kinds of datalogging channels super quick.” The shop is known for selling, installing, and tuning aftermarket ECU’s as well as drift suspension set-ups, and maintenance. (Right) Billy Lee has been with Drift-Office since 2006. (Left) Things heat up quick at a Drift-Office Mitsubishi Dyno Day, just ask Alec P.'s Evo VIII. The shop also opens its door periodically for marque specific dyno days; the most popular are Subaru and Mitsubishi. The events, some run in conjunction with Vancouver, Washington's English Racing, are word of mouth (i.e. local forums) but the dyno dance card fills up quick. Last report Bob owns nine AE86s… but is been a week and half since I’ve talked to him, so who knows? Grab more information at www.driftoffice.com. Who's your favorite tuning shop?
