Tyler Garlatz started his journey into the automotive world thanks to a go-kart he purchased off a friend when he was just 13 years old. With his dad’s help, the father-son duo cleaned it up and rebuilt the go-kart, and he spent several hours in the following year cruising around in it. Later on in life, Garlatz would attend a Formula Drift event in Long Beach. He was hooked. From the moment he felt the rumble and saw the style of the drift cars, he knew he wanted to be in that driver’s seat.
In 2012, he purchased his first drift car, another 240sx - separate from the one you see here. A few years later, he sold that car to purchase his current chassis as a beat up roller. By this time, Garlatz and some friends work running a performance shop by the name of Misfits Motorsports. They all jumped into the project to get it ready for some competition drifting. A 5.3L Chevy V8, some angle mods, and Fortune Auto coilovers were among the first mods, and he went on to pilot that car to 1st place in East10drift’s 2018 Pro-Am season.
Over the last three years, even though Misfits Motorsports is long gone, Garlatz has done everything in his power to take his car to the next level of competition. The V8 has been supercharged to make a respectable 522 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, and the style has been consistently levelled up over time to match the performance it puts out. “Every time I look at the car my mind is flooded with incredible memories of my first experiences with drifting and all of the sleepless nights I've had while building it,” he says. And that’s what this whole thing is all about, isn’t it?
As seen in PASMAG #164. Click Here for an issue preview.
Photography by Alan Stelzenmuller (@ras_3_photography)
ESSENTIALS
Driver: Tyler Garlatz
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Vehicle: 1992 Nissan 240SX
Engine: Chevrolet L33 5.3L V8
Horsepower: 522 whp
Torque: 457 lb-ft
SOCIAL
Facebook: /tyler.garlatz
Instagram: @tgarlatz
ENGINE
- Chevrolet L33 engine swap
- Texas Speed (228/600 camshaft, ported cylinder heads)
- FAST 92mm intake
- 92mm throttle body
- Deatschwerks (1200cc injectors, 5.5L SST surge tank, 350IL lift pump, dual DW400 fuel pumps, fuel pressure regulator)
- Torqstorm centrifugal supercharger
- Mishimoto intercooler
- Odyssey battery
- Throttle Junkie Tuning dyno tun
- ISR Performance LS swap engine mounts
- Holley HP EFI standalone ECU and harness
EXHAUST
- ISR Performance (HGC stainless steel exhaust system, Series II EP single-exit axle-back)
DRIVETRAIN
- SPEC (stage 3 clutch, lightweight flywheel)
- Samsonas 4-speed H-pattern transmission
- OSGiken 4.08 LSD
- Driveshaft Shop stage 5 axles
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
- Kansei Roku wheels - 18x9.5 +22 (f/r)
- Valino Pergea 08r tires - 255/35/18 (f/r)
- ISR Performance (5 lug conversion hubs, extended wheel studs)
- EBC (USR brake rotors, Bluestuff brake pads)
- Z32 rear calipers
- R33 Skyline front calipers
- Maverick Motorsports dual caliper brackets
- Parts Shop Max hydraulic handbrake
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
- ISR Performance (suspension arms, tie rods, rear mounted radiator, radiator fans, solid subframe bushings)
- Fortune Auto Dreadnought Pro 2-way coilovers
EXTERIOR
- Rocket Bunny V1 body kit
- Origin Labo +55mm rear overfenders
- Seibon carbon fiber hood
- GKtech mirrors
- Avery Dennsion SW900 Gloss Dark Green Pearl vinyl wrap
- Circuit Sports tail lights
- Custom Silvia headlights
- Hikari LED headlight bulbs
INTERIOR
- SPARCO (Circuit II QRT driver seat, Evo III passenger seat, Champion steering wheel)
- Circuit Sports quick-release steering hub
- CUSCO racing harnesses
- Top Garage FD legal roll cage
- SPA fire suppression system
- Holley 7.5-inch digital dash display
- ARC 8000 switch panel
SPONSORS
- ISR Performance
- EBC Brakes
- Deatschwerks
- Torqstorm Superchargers
- Odyssey Battery
- Fortune Auto Suspension
- Throttle Junkie Tuning
- SPEC Clutch
- SPARCO
- Kansei Wheels
- Samsonas
PHOTO GALLERY
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