Jason Ruby’s 1990 Nissan S13 Silvia – Drag Challenge profile

Having run a PB of 8.20@166mph in the lead-up to Drag Challenge 2019 and won no prep events like Tunnel Vision’s King Of The Streets against big-inch turbo V8s, Jason Ruby’s Nissan S13 Silvia had plenty of nervous street machiners keen to see what it could do in the Turbosmart Outlaw Blown class

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Photographers: Luke Hunter, Chris Thorogood, Shaun Tanner


THE grey-import coupe was never available as a six-pot, but Jason’s RB30 engine originally came out of his R31 Nissan Skyline. Built by Matt Sims Performance, it features a Nitto 3.2-litre stroker crank in the RB30 block, topped by a twin-cam cylinder head from an RB25DET turbo six that has been converted from hydraulic lash adjustment to solid. With a Haltech ECU and 40psi worth of honey from the high-mounted Precision turbo, Jason has seen 1150rwhp at the hubs.

However, the Nissan’s real party trick is the adjustable all-wheel-drive system Jason engineered for it, mating to a two-speed Powerglide auto. With a rotary dial in his centre console, Jason can send power to the rear wheels for the burnout, before launching with an adjustable amount of all-paw grip, delivered by a pair of Nissan GT-R 4.11 diffs.

“I went all-wheel-drive because I did a no-prep event at Cootamundra and GT-Rs were king,” Jason said. “They were too expensive to buy, so I made my own.”

Initially struggling for grip, Jason managed to send his Silvia down the Calder blacktop twice on Day One, handing in an 8.33@165mph.

“It is mint on the road, so I had no dramas getting to Mildura,” he said. “People think I won’t have any issues getting off the line with the all-wheel-drive, but that is just not true. I don’t have any advantage over anyone else.”

On the eighth-miles at Mildura and Portland, the Silvia’s brutal top-end charge wasn’t able to be stretched, but Jason still ran respectable times of 5.40@134mph (Day Two), 5.38@132mph (Day Three), and 5.65@129mph (Day Four) while cruising effortlessly on the road legs. “It drives great and there are no issues with temperatures or the like,” he said.

Jason finished the week as the Quickest Six-Cylinder and third in Turbosmart Outlaw Blown, rounding out Day Five with a solid 8.43@163mph.

“Some of the V8 guys hate it, but plenty like it,” Jason laughed. “It’s been a good time. My goal for the week was just to finish, so that has been great.”

TROPHIES:
QUICKEST SIX

1990 NISSAN S13 SILVIA
Class: Turbosmart Outlaw Blown

SPECS
Engine: Nissan RB30/25 3.2L
Turbo: Garrett GTX5020R
Transmission: Powerglide
Converter: TCE
Diff: GT-R IRS, 4.11:1 gears
Power: 1150rwhp
Previous PB: 8.20@166mph
Best DC 2019 Pass: 8.33@165mph

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