| Oni-kyan (Demon camber), Shakotan (car with | | | | Shakotan means 'Lowered Car' or literally 'Short |
| lowered body) and Hippari Tire (pulled or | | | | Height Car'. Just like any other country Japan also |
| stretched tires) are some of the more extreme | | | | has its car enthusiasts who want to reduce a cars |
| wheel and suspension modifications that can be | | | | height to increase its cornering performance or |
| seen on many cars at car shows and parking lots | | | | just to look good. So the name Shakotan can be |
| in Japan. Although not restricted to 'low rider style' | | | | applied to any car that has had its ride height |
| vehicles such as older (Haiso Car) and | | | | reduced... not only for American style 'Lowriders' |
| performance cars, it's probably these that are | | | | or cars which mimic those in the 1980s manga |
| most associated with the tuning technique. | | | | 'Shakotan Boogie'. The more extreme 'Kaidou |
| Current model vans and VIP cars also get the | | | | Racers' which have huge and almost cartoon like |
| treatment and are becoming more popular, even | | | | over fenders, body kits and wings aren't classed |
| showing up at small local shows like the Sunshine | | | | as Shakotan even though they use similar |
| Kobe Super Auto Collection. The aim of these | | | | modifications and cars as a base to work from; |
| types of modifications are not only to get the car | | | | older 1970s era Shakotan (to an extent) keep the |
| as low as can possibly be with the most negative | | | | original lines of the cars clean, often with much |
| camber and widest wheels, but to alter the overall | | | | more subtle over fenders and wings like race cars |
| look of an everyday car to get it looking how the | | | | of the 1960s and 70s (Gurachan), whereas Kaidou |
| car manufacturer should've made it in the first | | | | Racers take this general style to the extreme |
| place... real tough! | | | | with a lot of original modifications as well. |
| Oni-kyan | | | | Lowering techniques go from big dollar airbag |
| Oni-kyan literally means 'Demon Camber'. It's been | | | | suspension set ups right down to the cheapest |
| used for many types of car modification whether | | | | method... using a hacksaw to cut the springs to |
| it be a drift car, a WSìüµü | | | | the desired height. There's even a term 'No-sas' |
| ('Kaidou' or Highway Racer), or even RC cars but | | | | used in Japan which is a shortened form of the |
| these days it's mostly found on VIP cars or | | | | English term 'No suspension', which is exactly that, |
| modified vans. For a while Demon Camber was | | | | cars running without springs at all to get the |
| popular with drifters but has since fallen out of | | | | lowest height possible. An overhaul of vehicle |
| favor as the negatives like increased wear and | | | | registration laws in Japan in 1995 resulted in |
| loss of overall stability outweighed the positives of | | | | passenger cars being limited to a ride height no |
| having more front end grip... so Oni-kyan has | | | | lower than 90mm. |
| become a visual style more than anything. The | | | | Hippari Tire |
| wildest Oni-kyan fitments are usually in the realm | | | | One thing that goes hand in hand with the above |
| of VIP cars, often they run 12 inch or wider alloy | | | | mentioned modifications is Hippari Tire. It literally |
| wheels that necessitate a lot of negative camber | | | | means 'pulled' (or stretched) tires where a tire is |
| in order to fit these wider wheels underneath the | | | | mounted onto a wheel that is too wide for its |
| standard wheel arches while keeping the car as | | | | usual fitment, for example: a 195/60/15 tire |
| low as possible. | | | | mounted on a 10 inch wide rim. |
| To get the best effect the offset of the wheels | | | | The most extreme examples can often be seen |
| are carefully chosen to get the top outer edge of | | | | on older cars where a much wider but relatively |
| the rim exactly in line with the body work with | | | | small diameter rim with minus offset is used with |
| the bottom outer edge sticking way outside the | | | | a high profile tire and aggressive lowering. This |
| body of the car, sometimes at angles of 10 or | | | | necessitates the use of Hippari tires so the side |
| even 15 degrees! Depending on the owners | | | | wall of the tire misses the inside of the wheel |
| budget, airbag or coil over suspension is used to | | | | arch and allows a lower ride height, often right |
| get the car low while front and rear upper arms | | | | down to the outer lip of the rim. There are a few |
| about 10mm or more shorter than standard are | | | | reasons why drifters use Hippari tires on their |
| used to get Demon Camber angles. Front wheel | | | | cars, one of them being that the side wall gets |
| drive vans (even Kei vans) with beam rear | | | | stiffer as the tire is stretched which reduces flex. |
| suspension use 'camber axels' to get up to 8 | | | | The performance aspect has been debated over |
| degrees negative camber at the rear. | | | | time and again though and it seems Hippari tires - |
| Needless to say excessive tire wear and | | | | just like the modifications described above - have |
| increased wheel bearing stress make this type of | | | | more to do with style than they do with any |
| tuning only for those who favor looks over | | | | performance advantage... the thousands of Kei |
| drivability and low maintenance. | | | | cars and vans in Japan running Hippari tires are |
| Shakotan | | | | testimony to that. |