Acty, the only mid-ship kei-truck

Mr. Nanasaki, who is introduced in this article, is one of those who got hooked on the charm of circuit driving with his beloved Honda Acty Truck. He started as a casual participant, but when it came time to race, his competitive nature came out and he immersed himself in tuning his car to go faster. Through his almost entirely hands-on tuning efforts, he completed a machine that exhibits powerful acceleration and sharp cornering performance that is hard to believe for a light truck.

From retiring from motorcycle racing to racing kei-trucks

Mr. “Nanasaki” is an experienced motorcycle racer, and this Honda 3rd generation “Acty Truck” was originally used as a transporter. When it comes to racing, crashes and falls are bound to happen. Although his body was strong and able to handle it when he was young, he could not hide his decline as he got older. With this in mind, he decided to retire from motorcycle racing.

However, those who have tasted the excitement of playing on the circuit want to return to it. I had given up my motorcycle, and all I had was the Acty truck I was using as a trampo at the time. Then, while browsing social networking sites, I came across information about a competition called “Light Truck World GP” being held at a mini-circuit. I thought this might be interesting ……, so I entered the race with my transporter, the Acty, and it just so happened that a friend of mine from high school was participating in the race on a Suzuki “Carry”.

Mr. “Nanasaki” is an experienced racer. If an old friend of mine was participating in the same race, he would naturally think, “I don’t want to lose to him. Unlike the Acty driven by him, who hates to lose, his friend’s Carry is very fast and well-tuned. In the beginning, I couldn’t catch up with him at all. The classes were different according to the regulations, so we couldn’t even fight on the same playing field with the almost stock Acty trucks, not to mention the time difference.

He struggled with the lack of parts, but he used his knowledge of motorcycles to get by

If that were the case, he would start tuning his own Acty truck as a circuit spec to increase its potential. However, the reality is harsh on the base Acty truck, and “Nanasaki” is at a bit of a loss.

He was about to start tuning, but it turned out that, unlike the popular Carry, there were almost no aftermarket parts for the Acty, which is a minor player in the light truck world. So, they changed their minds, and armed with the mechanical knowledge they had gained from tinkering with motorcycles, they sought a way to get by with a tune that was diverted from another vehicle model. With the stock tuning, the bike lacked power, the suspension was too loose, and the gear ratio had problems that caused the bike to stall.

Fortunately, the Acty truck is the only light truck with a midship layout, so it handles and traction well. According to publicity materials, Honda’s idea was originally not to aim for sporty maneuverability, but rather a rational design to make the cargo space wide and flat. However, as a result of this structure, the weight distribution is 49:51 front:51 rear in Nanasaki’s third-generation Acty Truck. This good balance ensures a firm load on the rear wheels even when the truck is unloaded, drawing out an excellent traction effect. The mid-ship design also created the advantage of reducing the risk of the rear wheels spinning even on slippery surfaces such as undulating road surfaces.

The advantages of midship are fully demonstrated

Naturally, weight reduction is required for circuit specifications. This makes other vehicles more front-heavy, but the mid-ship Acty truck has a good weight balance between front and rear.

Mr. Nanasaki, considering this point, decided not to give up his Acty, which has few parts and is difficult to modify, but to enhance its potential by tuning it to make the most of its stock features. However, he also said, “Well, I don’t know about this,” he said.

“Well, it would be no fun if I made the same car as my rival’s classmate,” he says.

The engine is combined from five as a circuit specification!

The little-known Acty Truck Tuning. The details were tremendous. First, let’s start with the engine. This unit consists of five pieces. First, the underbody engine block is from the “Life Dunk,” the pistons and connecting rods are from the “Vamos,” and the head is a mix of the “Beat” and “Today” engines. The head is a mix of “Beat” and “TODAY” engines, and the turbocharger for the “Life Dunk” is also used.

Although there were various layout innovations in installing the engine, the efficiency of the engine was improved to pursue more power without sacrificing the quality of the power system that was able to be compactly integrated into the vehicle. The power unit is controlled by the LINK ECU. The owner himself is said to be very impressed by the fact that he makes adjustments, including settings, according to the conditions and conditions of the day using his computer. He was self-taught.

The front suspension was modified based on the Vamos coilover kit, and the rear suspension, which has plate springs, was modified with secret items and SPLs to improve driving performance. The transmission was replaced with one for the Beat, the differential and finals were also set for the Beat, and a CUSCO RS LSD was installed to prevent power loss at low initial speeds, allowing for smooth gear shifting and a smooth transition from one-gear to the next. The fear of stalling was eliminated.

This tuning improved the potential of the Acty truck. The days of winning and losing were enjoyed by the students, who were rivals in the same class, while developing a good race. Now they have a friendly rivalry with each other and have developed a relationship to improve both their car tinkering and their skills as drivers.

He would like to port the manifold for the Beat and try a triple-throttle setup. He would also like to replace the turbocharger with a larger turbocharger. Even though he has done a lot of work on his car, he never runs out of things he wants to do, as a driver and tuning freak.