Sydneykid

You have 2 obvious problems; 18" Volk Racing GTC's Tein Super Street Coilovers Too low a profile tyre to absord the torque hit plus very unsophisticated shock absorber valving and too high a spring rate. Cheers Gary

I 100% agree, I have a 650 bhp 2WD Skyline and a 450 bhp 2WD Skyline and there is absolutely no doubt that the 450 bhp one is faster on the street, no contest. My cars have the best suspension set up I can manage, with lots of sophistication in the geometry based on over 10 years of road and race Skylines. Plus I have 3 types of tyres at my disposal, a quality road set (Michelin Pilot Sport), a circuit set ("R" type in 2 compounds) and a drag set (of MT/ET Street rears) and untit I get onto a circuit or a drag strip the 450 bhp Skyline would be my choice. Cheers Gary

At what RPM? My guess is tuning, that's where I would start looking. Post up the dyno graphs with A/F ratios is a good place to start. The 282 cams are bit long in duration for an RB30, unless you are intending reving it to 10,000 rpm of course. which is not a good idea with a standard crank. The standard GTR inlet won't be the problem, most certainly not at 430 rwhp, maybe at 730 rwhp. How's the blow by? To get 3.2 litres (rounded) the smallest bore size is 88.2 mm (2.2 mm oversize) which is rather large for an RB30 block to handle, 87 mm (1.0 mm oversize) is the most I would go. So it may pay to check the leak down at 3 or 4 piston heights just in case the bores are oval. What the exhaust like? You shouldn't need anywhere near 24 psi to make 430 rwhp, maybe it's choking the tubine, pumping up the boost and killing the power. Easy to check, turn the boost down to say 19 psi, if it still makes around the same power on the dyno, then drop the exhaust for one quick power run. That'll confirm whether or not the exhaust is the restriction. Since it is running a Microtec my guess is it has had some work done on the CAS, Mictrotec's don't like the Nissan CAS signal much. You can check the trigger accuracy with a timing light, just make sure that you can see the igntion advance mapped in the Microtec actually agreeing with the timing marks. Try it at 1000 rpm increments up to say 6,000 rpm, if it's accurate then there is a good chance the trigger is OK. If the above doesn't show anything I would be surprised, the answer is there, you just have to use the right test to find it. Cheers Gary

Is that a Victoria only rule? I have never heard of a destruction certificate for a block, we have similar for whole written off cars, but not blocks. Chassis numbers are on the write off register, not engine numbers. Just in case I do have picture of an RB block with a big hole in the side, it's an RB26 out of one of the old race cars, but you can't tell from the picture, it's just an RB could be any one. The engineers seem to like that evidence. Yes it is. But stamping a "new" block isn't illegal, it's done every day. My local Mitsubishi dealer did one last week when they replaced a faulty block in my neighbour's Pajero. He was scared about resale value until I showed him the same engine number on the new block. Depends on who you tell and the old "I bought it like that" for used cars is hard to disprove. There is no doubt that it is better to do it properly, I would always advocate that, but sometimes it's just not possible. Especially when using an earlier numbered block, they can get very touchy about it and you can't undo what you have already done with Government Departments. Sometimes you have no choice but to play the game, like everyone else. Cheers Gary

PM sent Cheers Gary

The attraction of E85 is hard to fight, hence why I am using 2 x 044's and 1000 cc injectors in the RB31DET. The reality was the 1000 cc Rochester injectors didn't cost any more than the 800 cc's, so there was no reason not to go for the 1000's. The Power FC runs them easily, so no overfueling/tuning excuse. As for 2 x 044's, well one of them wouldn't quite flow enough and I have 2 sets of lines (the old HICAS ones) and a duel feed fuel rail and surge tank. So adding a second pump was logical and very simple to execute. Again, cost was relevant, and buying an extra 044 is not such a big burden. I have fuel pressure warning on the dash, so if one pump fails, I will know about it instantly. Not that I have ever had a genuine Bosch fuel pump fail without lots of warning. They always make heaps of noise before there is any effective loss of flow or pressure. In the 1 pump versus 2 pumps arguments there are good and bad points both ways. My experience has been that there are 2 route causes for fuel pump failure; Electrical, where the electric motor driving the pump fails. This is very rare in fuel pumps and results in zero flow, instantly the electric motor stops turning. I have never seen a Bosch fuel pump ever do this. In the unlikely event where there is sudden failure like this, then one pump is an advantage over 2 pumps. Mechanical, where the pump itself fails, usually do to wear and tear of the rotating components. Which is why you can hear the noise, long befiore the pump stops pumping. This is more common than electric motor failure, but that's not to say its common. There is also the damage scenario where debris sucked into the pump causes premature wear, this is usually caused by poor fuel quality and/or damage screens on the pick up. In the event of this type of gradual fuel pump failure, then 2 pumps with high redundancy are undoubtably better than one pump. If you have wear in a single pump installation then flow and pressure will suffer long before the same scenario is a problem in a 2 pump installation. And you will hear the noise in next idling phase and can take remedial action. It has been my experience that most lean out scenarios are not caused by the fuel pump/pumps themsleves, it is usually an installation problem. Either with the electronics, wiring, relays etc or the plumbing. So having one pump or two won't help you if your installation isn't up to it. Whatever fuel system you run, IMHO it is never a good idea to run any high powered car without a fuel pressure gauge/monitor. Even the R33GTST at 450 bhp runs a GReddy fuel pressure gauge with warning light, after all $200 is small price to pay to save a $10K engine. Cheers Gary

Good to see the progress that has been made, absolutely a super job Paul. I'll have to have a look at Duncan's car next time it is in the same place as I am. I have a couple of questions; What is possible for 2WD cars in regards to lat & long G? I assume track mapping is OK without GPS? Due to wheel spin I find the gearbox speed output to be next to useless. I currently use 2 wheel speed sensors, front left and front right, and the logger chooses which one is the highest value to log, hence avoiding brake lock up data problems. Would this be OK? Lap timing? Via a beacon? I came to the realisation years ago that the loggers themselves were much of a muchness, the memory, number of channels and speed of logging, pretty much determined the price. But it was the software where I found the most difference, with the basic channels logged, the big attraction was the features of the software. For example, split lap timing with adjustable points is a software feature that I use all the time when comparing laps. And I use maths channels a lot, for example in the non sequential gearboxes I obtain the gear position data by dividing the engine rpm by the wheel speed, this gives me gearchange points. Another of the useful comparisons between drivers/laps that is assisted by the lap overlay and datum lap features in the software. On a couple of the cars I have the basic set up data in the software, then I can compare the results from the data logged with the set up changes to see where/why we progressed, or not. Even the logger software itself is important, for example we display different data on the dash for qualifying as compared to the race. In the Motec equiped cars for qualifying we use predictive lap times, so the driver can avoid waisting tyres on the rest of a lap that will never be any good. When I look at what we use, there's a hell of a lot of software programming and that's probably where a lot of the selling price of a data logger is actually found. not in the hardware itself. Keeping that in mind, have you considered using one of the proprietory data analysis programs, rather than design your own from scratch? In F3 we have to use Bosch data loggers, but in the other cars before we went to Pi and Motec we used data analysis software from these guys http://www.advantagemotorsports.com/WS.htm I found this article in last April's Control Global very interesting, just in case you haven't already read it http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2009...904.html?page=3 Cheers Gary

I have an OS Giken Twin Plate in my own R32GTST, I just service the plates regularly, just like brake pads they wear out. In the race cars we only use AP Clutches, 7" in the turbos and V8's and 4.5" in the 4 cylinders and rotaries. They are not cheap, but nothing good ever is. It's the combo road and track cars that I have the most problem with clutches, the compromises seem unavoidable. Either they are snappy and heavy for daily driving or can't handle track work or they wear out real fast. Depite many years of looking I haven't as yet found one that doesn't have at least one compromise. Cheers Gary

I'm not a big fan of carbon clutches in a daily driver, their operating temperature window is too narrow. They slip like crazy until they get up to temperature. Even in a race car I have had one inexperienced guy kill one, just on and off the trailer and driving around the pits. Cheers Gary

Dave's inlet system at work there. It has fair bit of bump valving in the front shocks and we can't run high spring rates at Oran Park as it is far too bumpy since there hasn't been any track maintenance for 3 years. It could do with a little more anti dive geometry, but it has lots of front braking capacity (in excess of the rear) so I was reluctant to suggest to Stu that he reduce the front weigh transfer too much. Lest it start locking up front brakes, which is not good for an inexperienced circuit driver. Cheers Gary

No they're not, they both have 70 mm pad openings. Cheers Gary

When you buy a new block from Nissan it doesn't have an engine number. The idea is that if you bought a new block then you must be rebuilding your current engine, so you simply transfer the engine number from the "old" block to the "new" block. My "new" block is just a little bit taller than my old "block". Cheers Gary

I can still get all the Stage suspension bits, except springs, Redranger in their infinite wisdom have discontinued Whiteline springs. Cheers Gary

Let me know when you find one, I have been looking for 5 years without success. Cheers Gary

R32GTR N1's don't have ABS (or ABS sensors), but they still have ATTESA. Personally I have never seen any 4WD response from wheelspin, it's all about throttle position, plus longitudinal and lateral G forces. R32's will go zero front torque split, R33/34's always have some drive to the front. As long as you keep the oil temperature under control, the ATTESA will handle a full day in 4WD. The clutch pack is wet, so not prone to the wear that a dry clutch gets. There is an argument that says a 50/50 torque split will actually wear the clutch pack less than 5/95. The less slip there is the lower the friction wear and 50/50 has zero slip so zero wear. The only problem with 50/50 is the front diff is so much smaller than the rear one and it simply won't take the load. Yes, I have broken the front diff in the Stagea. Personally I think a RWD biased 4WD would make a much better rally car than a FWD biased 4WD, for the very same reasons it makes an ATTESA equipped circuit race car the best of the 4WD systems. Cheers Gary

Ah, it goes, finally, wooohooo. Wish I had time on Friday to get out there, so many cars that I have worked on. Nice spin, bit of gearbox oil on the rear tyres perhaps? It has very much a guess set up in it, spring shocks and bar rates . Plus the corner weight scales were at Mallala with the F3's when I needed them, so I couldn't even confirm the guesses. It's a weight bias versus CoG thing when you do such a drastic mechanical swap, I6 to V8, but with more data it will certainly get better. I wouldn't recommend touching the spring rates until the front bump steer is corrected and we have a play with the anti roll. The good thing is it goes and so everything from here on is logical development. Cheers Gary

How does it retard/cut the ignition on the gear change? Cheers Gary

Yep, you need lots of boost to push the air through those tiny ports and past the undersized valves with their limited lift. I run the offset crush tubes in the inners and outers on the upper control arms, which gives me adjustment from 2.0 to 3.5 degrees negative. With 6 degrees of caster that works at every circuit we go to, except maybe Philip Island where I might need 4 degrees. But even there I can always add some more anti roll or stick in some slightly higher spring rates which will negate the need for more camber. Philip Island has a better/smoother surface so it tolerates higher spring and anti roll rates than other tracks. Cheers Gary

Don't get me wrong, not being critical, I was simply asking if you had checked the bump steer and ackerman. I haven't ever done the R33 lower control arm swap myself, although I have considered it a few times. I was hoping that someone else might have saved me the trouble of fitting them only to find that I ended up having to fix bump steer and ackerman problems. Cheers Gary

Centeline would be my top recommendation, talk to Chris or Glen, then Traction Tyres talk to Andrew. There are lots of tricks you can use to increase the rear traction; Tyres are always #1 Then spring rates, don't go too high, 165 lbs/inch is the standard rate and there is nothing wrong with that. Height, don't run it too low, anything under 340 mm (centre of wheel to guard) is going to be a problem. Camber, don't run too much negative camber, if you are only doing straight line stuff then 0.5 degrees positive is the go. Toe, run a little toe in, around 2 mm per side is OK. Subframe alignment, add some rear squat for weight transfer, a subframe alignment kit (pineapples) is a cheap and effective upgrade. Cheers Gary

Very similar piston sizes, same pad dimensions, so the same master cylinder will work for either. Cheers Gary

Cheers Gary

With those low low rates it would always be running around on the high spring rates, the extra coils are just there to soak up space (keep the coils trapped at full droop). Cheers Gary

Cheers Gary

225 lbs /inch (4.0 kg/mm) Cheers Gary