Nestled within the city of Yokosuka, Japan, lies the most strategically important U.S. Naval installation in the western Pacific. Made up of the largest fleet the Navy has to offer, the limitless number of military personnel create power in numbers. But just 15 minutes from base camp resides the true powerhouses of the Yokosuka district and goes by the name of MINE’S, one of Japans most recognizable and respected automotive tuner shops since the mid ’80s. Founded in 1985 by CEO and chief engineer Michizo Niikura, MINE’S gained notoriety in 1988 by being the first aftermarket tuner to sell and reprogram a factory ECU with successful results. The company name MINE’S was interestingly enough named after a word that doesn’t exist in the dictionary. Mine with the letter “S” was envisioned by owner Niikura-san as a rather unique term that’s hardly ever used. “I wanted to implement the word and its uniqueness to what we personify within our company. A unique, or otherwise rare tuning shop that stands out from our competitors.”

While MINE’S has elevated its presence in the performance world by modifying and perfecting the art of ROM tuning, its first endeavors began by dabbling in the market of selling mufflers and suspension components. As time progressed MINE’S was recognized as the true pioneers attempting to crack the codes of factory ECUs to reprogram its mapping system-a feat that was unheard of at the time. Regarded as the “black box” in Japan, the factory ECU was mystifying to aftermarket tuners as many stuck with the hands-off approach and refused to tamper with its internals. Niikura-san was warned by friends and colleagues not to mess with the engines main computer or face the repercussions. Niikura-san, not the type of man who listened to reason, was determined to prove skeptics wrong as he worked his way into the unknown world of ECU tuning and developed a VX-ROM (CP Tuned) for the Skyline R31 in the summer of 1988. Equipped with the newly introduced VX-ROM, the MINE’S R31 demo car was put to the test as it blasted the Yatabe High Speed Circuit at a spellbinding speed of 244.9 km/h thus proving the validity of the MINE’S ROM tune. Two years later, MINE’S once again disproved many of the same skeptics who said a ROM tune couldn’t be done by dishing out a top speed of 294.66 km/h in a lightly tuned BNR32 Skyline GT-R while recording an impressive 0-400m (quarter-mile) of 11.64 seconds.

It’s been 20 years since Niikura-san took his first steps on modifying the factory ECU, and today, MINE’S has software upgrades for nearly hundreds of sports cars. “With technology evolving at a growing pace and automobiles using more complex computer systems than ever before, we at MINE’S are determined to continue our research and product development well into the future as the debut of the new Z and GT-R are just over the horizon. I truly believe that a good computer specialist has the ability to expand their tuning abilities not only with one specific platform like the Skyline GT-R but with all types of vehicles.”

Since the early ’90s, MINE’S and Niikura-san have created a nitch market for themselves as the premiere tuners of Skyline GT-Rs. We asked Niikura-san to shed some light as to why his ROM tuning has become such a successful commodity among aftermarket tuners around the world. “ECUs straight from the factory, such as the BNR32 Skyline, are tuned mildly for safety margins. And while kids don’t drive vehicles like this for obvious reasons, we find older adults who own and drive these cars very hard and for that specific reason they are tuned and built by Nissan to withstand abuse without breaking or encountering a high rate of failures. To put it in simplest terms I like to compare the ECU to a cup of water. If the cup is full of water (horsepower maxed out) then it tends to break easily but if it’s half full, like how the vehicle is tuned by the factory, then it’s possible to keep adding more water (power) little by little and extract more power with proper tuning.” Niikura-san explains the key component when building any vehicle is to properly tune the engine and ECU management to create a vehicle that’s super responsive off the throttle, reliable yet blazing fast. “A motto we have always followed since day one is when it comes to building a car, it’s not just about building plenty of horsepower, but also having a vehicle that displays excellent response and drivability that feels good whether it’s driving on the circuit or cruising the town.”

If you ever come across a MINE’S demo car you might notice only subtle changes to the exterior of the vehicle. Niikura-san’s reason behind the lack of fancy sticker schemes and monstrous over fenders is a company that maintains their focus on the performance aspects of the vehicle and is not caught up in the bling factor. But don’t get it twisted, MINE’S has done extensive testing on aerodynamic products to improve the vehicle’s handling and performance for track usage. “I think it’s all a personal preference as to how the vehicle should look or perform. For us at MINE’S, we like to encompass all aspects of the vehicle from engine response to suspension handling and finally braking capability. These are three important factors. Our motto since day one has always focused on creating a vehicle that portrays the total package in all aspects of performance,” Niikura-san says.

“Sometimes an individual is so caught up on building horsepower they fail to address other parts of the vehicle. So in reality, if you build a car for 1,000 hp and neglect upgrading the suspension, that could lead to some serious problems with handling which can turn into a dangerous scenario for any driver. Things to consider such as lowering the vehicle too much causes irregularities within the stroke and piston shaft travel of the suspension. Sure, it might look cool and I admit people do that even in Japan, but trading off drivability for looks while slapping on a set of big wheels and tires is dangerous in my mind. A well-balanced car should have the ability to be driven on the streets as well as on the track with minimal modifications.” With all the talk and instructional know-how on what not to do to a vehicle does MINE’S practice what they preach you ask? In 1995, the MINE’S R32 Skyline GT-R recorded a lap time of 59.1 seconds at Tsukuba circuit. An amazing feat considering the accomplishments made for that time era in a true street driven machine. In 2003, the MINE’S BNR34 Skyline GT-R demo car placed first in its street class competition with another sub 1-minute lap time of 58.8 seconds, while managing to retain the vehicle factory air conditioning, power steering and catalytic converters for street driven purposes. MINE’S returned to the Tsukuba circuit in 2005 as the First Place recipients in the “Tuner Battle” sponsored by Hot Version Japan. The R34 GT-R scorched the Tsukuba lap timers with a mark of 57.9 seconds. For a comparison, the Japan road race championship series motorcycle Suzuki GSX R1000 raced on the same course clocks in at 56.140 a lap.

And what are Niikura-san’s thoughts on the VQ35DE powerplant found in the Nissan 350Z? “Well, the newly revised engine that’s making its debut in one month here in Japan, the HR35 power plant has characteristics of a sharp and crisp throttle response all the way to its redline of 7,500 rpm. The engine is very responsive and has the feel of what you would expect in a turbocharged vehicle. So in essence this engine is continually improving over the years. With the debut of the new GT-R turbo we look forward to continuing to build upon the Nissan name and offer products to cover all aspects of performance tuning. There’s an unsettling trend starting to take place in Japan where the younger youth are buying or owning minivans and K cars as a main mode of transportation. But regardless what the future holds for us, we at MINE’S will continue to make parts and showcase the latest in high-performance technology with the debut of the new Z and GT-R. Until then, tanoshimi ni matte kudasai (please look forward to it)!”

Photo Gallery: Mine’s Motor Sports - Import Tuner Magazine

Nestled within the city of Yokosuka, Japan, lies the most strategically important U.S. Naval installation in the western Pacific. Made up of the largest fleet the Navy has to offer, the limitless number of military personnel create power in numbers. But just 15 minutes from base camp resides the true powerhouses of the Yokosuka district and goes by the name of MINE'S, one of Japans most recognizable and respected automotive tuner shops since the mid '80s. Founded in 1985 by CEO and chief engineer Michizo Niikura, MINE'S gained notoriety in 1988 by being the first aftermarket tuner to sell and reprogram a factory ECU with successful results. The company name MINE'S was interestingly enough named after a word that doesn't exist in the dictionary. Mine with the letter "S" was envisioned by owner Niikura-san as a rather unique term that's hardly ever used. "I wanted to implement the word and its uniqueness to what we personify within our company. A unique, or otherwise rare tuning shop that stands out from our competitors."

While MINE'S has elevated its presence in the performance world by modifying and perfecting the art of ROM tuning, its first endeavors began by dabbling in the market of selling mufflers and suspension components. As time progressed MINE'S was recognized as the true pioneers attempting to crack the codes of factory ECUs to reprogram its mapping system-a feat that was unheard of at the time. Regarded as the "black box" in Japan, the factory ECU was mystifying to aftermarket tuners as many stuck with the hands-off approach and refused to tamper with its internals. Niikura-san was warned by friends and colleagues not to mess with the engines main computer or face the repercussions. Niikura-san, not the type of man who listened to reason, was determined to prove skeptics wrong as he worked his way into the unknown world of ECU tuning and developed a VX-ROM (CP Tuned) for the Skyline R31 in the summer of 1988. Equipped with the newly introduced VX-ROM, the MINE'S R31 demo car was put to the test as it blasted the Yatabe High Speed Circuit at a spellbinding speed of 244.9 km/h thus proving the validity of the MINE'S ROM tune. Two years later, MINE'S once again disproved many of the same skeptics who said a ROM tune couldn't be done by dishing out a top speed of 294.66 km/h in a lightly tuned BNR32 Skyline GT-R while recording an impressive 0-400m (quarter-mile) of 11.64 seconds.

It's been 20 years since Niikura-san took his first steps on modifying the factory ECU, and today, MINE'S has software upgrades for nearly hundreds of sports cars. "With technology evolving at a growing pace and automobiles using more complex computer systems than ever before, we at MINE'S are determined to continue our research and product development well into the future as the debut of the new Z and GT-R are just over the horizon. I truly believe that a good computer specialist has the ability to expand their tuning abilities not only with one specific platform like the Skyline GT-R but with all types of vehicles."

Since the early '90s, MINE'S and Niikura-san have created a nitch market for themselves as the premiere tuners of Skyline GT-Rs. We asked Niikura-san to shed some light as to why his ROM tuning has become such a successful commodity among aftermarket tuners around the world. "ECUs straight from the factory, such as the BNR32 Skyline, are tuned mildly for safety margins. And while kids don't drive vehicles like this for obvious reasons, we find older adults who own and drive these cars very hard and for that specific reason they are tuned and built by Nissan to withstand abuse without breaking or encountering a high rate of failures. To put it in simplest terms I like to compare the ECU to a cup of water. If the cup is full of water (horsepower maxed out) then it tends to break easily but if it's half full, like how the vehicle is tuned by the factory, then it's possible to keep adding more water (power) little by little and extract more power with proper tuning." Niikura-san explains the key component when building any vehicle is to properly tune the engine and ECU management to create a vehicle that's super responsive off the throttle, reliable yet blazing fast. "A motto we have always followed since day one is when it comes to building a car, it's not just about building plenty of horsepower, but also having a vehicle that displays excellent response and drivability that feels good whether it's driving on the circuit or cruising the town."

If you ever come across a MINE'S demo car you might notice only subtle changes to the exterior of the vehicle. Niikura-san's reason behind the lack of fancy sticker schemes and monstrous over fenders is a company that maintains their focus on the performance aspects of the vehicle and is not caught up in the bling factor. But don't get it twisted, MINE'S has done extensive testing on aerodynamic products to improve the vehicle's handling and performance for track usage. "I think it's all a personal preference as to how the vehicle should look or perform. For us at MINE'S, we like to encompass all aspects of the vehicle from engine response to suspension handling and finally braking capability. These are three important factors. Our motto since day one has always focused on creating a vehicle that portrays the total package in all aspects of performance," Niikura-san says.

"Sometimes an individual is so caught up on building horsepower they fail to address other parts of the vehicle. So in reality, if you build a car for 1,000 hp and neglect upgrading the suspension, that could lead to some serious problems with handling which can turn into a dangerous scenario for any driver. Things to consider such as lowering the vehicle too much causes irregularities within the stroke and piston shaft travel of the suspension. Sure, it might look cool and I admit people do that even in Japan, but trading off drivability for looks while slapping on a set of big wheels and tires is dangerous in my mind. A well-balanced car should have the ability to be driven on the streets as well as on the track with minimal modifications." With all the talk and instructional know-how on what not to do to a vehicle does MINE'S practice what they preach you ask? In 1995, the MINE'S R32 Skyline GT-R recorded a lap time of 59.1 seconds at Tsukuba circuit. An amazing feat considering the accomplishments made for that time era in a true street driven machine. In 2003, the MINE'S BNR34 Skyline GT-R demo car placed first in its street class competition with another sub 1-minute lap time of 58.8 seconds, while managing to retain the vehicle factory air conditioning, power steering and catalytic converters for street driven purposes. MINE'S returned to the Tsukuba circuit in 2005 as the First Place recipients in the "Tuner Battle" sponsored by Hot Version Japan. The R34 GT-R scorched the Tsukuba lap timers with a mark of 57.9 seconds. For a comparison, the Japan road race championship series motorcycle Suzuki GSX R1000 raced on the same course clocks in at 56.140 a lap.

And what are Niikura-san's thoughts on the VQ35DE powerplant found in the Nissan 350Z? "Well, the newly revised engine that's making its debut in one month here in Japan, the HR35 power plant has characteristics of a sharp and crisp throttle response all the way to its redline of 7,500 rpm. The engine is very responsive and has the feel of what you would expect in a turbocharged vehicle. So in essence this engine is continually improving over the years. With the debut of the new GT-R turbo we look forward to continuing to build upon the Nissan name and offer products to cover all aspects of performance tuning. There's an unsettling trend starting to take place in Japan where the younger youth are buying or owning minivans and K cars as a main mode of transportation. But regardless what the future holds for us, we at MINE'S will continue to make parts and showcase the latest in high-performance technology with the debut of the new Z and GT-R. Until then, tanoshimi ni matte kudasai (please look forward to it)!"