Not all side skirts are created equal - FAQ / guide

[drift freaq]

Ok since there is a lot of confusion going on these days about side skirts I decide to post some clarification. I will start with S13's

S13's in the 180sx form came in three distinct bodywork series
Zenki= first, Chuki or Chouki (depending on who is spelling it)= middle and Kouki=last.

Now Zenki S13 180's did come with lips but as far as knowledge goes they did not have side skirts. These lips came on the Canadian (only in 90) and American(89-90) 240sx Fastbacks.

Chuki's on the other hand came with a factory optional oem side skirt(urethane) in Japan and quite possibly Europe. They flare out at the bottom at the front and rear wheels and are a very complimentary skirt for our cars. IMHO

Canadian cars also came with a seperate Chuki side skirt and rear valence that were a touch different than the Japanese Chuki skirt. These were stock on 91 Fastback Canadian cars (according to pik420 a Canadian member) and optional on 92-93 Fastbacks.

There was also a non descript rubber Chuki lip that came on most SE Chukis in the U.S. and Super Hicas cars in Canada and Japan.
On a side not a Super Hicas model Chuki 180sx was actually a Chuki Type x! Yes Chuki type X's did exist in Japan. In Canada this car with the KA came with the Chuki skirts ,rear valances and lip.

S13 Silvias came with a different side skirt flatter across the bottom. Again this was a oem factory urethane skirt and was only available in Japan. I.E. not on U.S. or Canada coupes or verts.
People often call these Zenki side skirts but technically that is wrong.

Last but not least in the s13 lineup was the Kouki 180sx skirts. These came on 180sx's in Japan and not only on the type X model though they are quite commonly called kouki type X side skirts. Though they were available on type S, G, R and X 180sx. These also came with the Kouki optional lip and the Kouki rear valences.

Honorable mention goes to Nismo for their side skirt for the 180sx that looked like a chuki but had a small vent at the rear.

On to S14's Zenki and Kouki. Now in the Aero department of S14's only Japanese Zenki s14's came with optional factory aero (urethane)skirts,lip and valence. Canadian S14's had lip only. U.S. S14's were just hosed.
Though with the Kouki S14 the factory urethane aero side skirts and lip were available in the U.S. and Canada as well.

Below is post pics I have culled from my Thai friends Seng's for sale posts and a few other places on the net to show examples of the different skirts.
All OEM factory skirts are urethane and considered desirable by a lot of people due to the durability of Urethane.

Most every other side skirt out there is usually straight fiberglass or FRP. Not as flexable as urethane and prone to cracking.

first pic is Chuki 180sx side skirts http://www.dfreaq.com/images/DSC03709.jpg
Canadian Chuki side skirt and rear valence [
http://www.dfreaq.com/images/3piecebodykit4.jpg


second pic is S13 Silvia side skirts http://www.dfreaq.com/images/DSC03685.jpg,

Kouki 180sx side skirts http://www.dfreaq.com/images/typeX.jpg

S14 Zenki Japanese oem side skirts
http://www.dfreaq.com/images/z51968339.jpg

S14 kouki pic and Nismo S13 pics to come

I hope this clarifies things so people know exactly what they are addressing side skirt wise :D
thanks to Matt89 and errr for showing the Canadian side skirts and differences and to Pik420 aka Bryce for giving me Canadian dates.

[TheTimanator]

I was under the impression that the canadian sideskirts are flatter like the Silvia skirts.

[GSXRJJordan]

great post ~ good to know what the hell people are talking about when they're addressing OEM skirts.

[eerrrrr]

canaidan side skirts r different from jdm side skirts. ive had both. candian skirts look like this:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/eerrrrr/sides.jpg

very similar to the s13 ones, but not exactly, and very different from the chuki 180sx

[drift freaq]

canaidan side skirts r different from jdm side skirts. ive had both. candian skirts look like this:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/eerrrrr/sides.jpg

very similar to the s13 ones, but not exactly, and very different from the chuki 180sx
are those urethane? Are you 100% sure they are Canadian? I have friends that had Canadian cars here in the states and the skirts were exactly like my chuki skirts, or so I thought hahaha. I could be wrong but as soon as Halo drops by we will have a definitive answer to it. If your are right I will edit the post to reflect it.

[eerrrrr]

these r not oem candians, but they r replicas. from what ive seen, they look exactly like the ones i posted. theres a couple of ppl from canada that has these on (that white one with the cdm side and rear and bings front lip, and that red one with cdm sides and rear). come confirm please. maybe theres 2 types???

[Ninjabread]

Canadian sideskirts are urethane and they look like this:

(this pic is a replica in fiberglass)

http://pdm-racing.com/products/imag/3piecebodykit4.jpg

That rear lip is also oem canadian, I have both on my car.

[eerrrrr]

those r exactly like mine candians. my were polyurethane replicas.

[drift freaq]

thank you Matt and I will edit the info to reflect. Do you mind if I use the pic of your car for the Canadian side skirt info.

[Ninjabread]

Not at all. It's actually the PDM racing car, which is where i took that picture from. If you feel you should switch it out, here is the best picture of my car for the sideskirts:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/Mathieu1989/1.jpg

Dont mind the 4x4 lift, and the fact that it looks orange :D

[drift freaq]

hahaha now that I look at it again I realized thats Don's car. I don't think he would mind though. If you could get a straight on side shot of your car Matt to show them that would be dope.

[atom]

For S14's you could get the "Zenki" side skirts on the Kouki from the factory. The navan wing too. Someone posted a scan of the brochure a while back.

[Phlip]

Good info, Dave, I will whisk this away to the FAQ section now.