Sydneykid

The Stagea basically understeered quite a bit, much like a GTR, but with more roll. As you would expect, considering the higher centre of gravity. So I decided on a smaller upgrade in the front anti roll rate and a large increase in the rear anti roll rate. It has worked pretty much as I expected, a great improvement in the tyre contact patch and a much better balance in the handling. Depsite the big rear bar upgrade it is not neverous in the rear at all. Despite the under rated shocks that are also well past their use by date. Highly recommended upgrade:cheers: PS; Whiteline made my bars (they weren't in stock) in 3 days.

As you can see from the pictures of the box it was BNF27Z, and I measured it and it was 24 mm. When I ordered it, I ordered "BNF27Z, 24 mm front adjustable stabiliser bar for 1997 Nssan Stagea". So I got what I ordered. I will check with Whiteline next time I am talking to them about the catalogue, maybe it should be 24 mm or maybe they should have labelles mine "BNF27XZ". Either way be specific in what you order (part number and description) and you won't have any problems:cheers:

I would ask; What are the exact issues with "block/girdle prep"? What are "the little things" that you have to get "right on a road car"? From my experience there are just as many "little things to get right" on an RB26. In fact there are more, because to get the same power you have to rev the RB26 to 20% higher rpm. That means 9,600 rpm instead of 8,000 rpm. If it's an RB28 that means 11% more rpm. These are not insignificant increases. Have you considered their effect on transmission ratios? You really should shorten the final drive ratio, that means the 2 diff ratios need changing. The speedo will need recalibrating. The clutch needs to be capable of handling the 20% higher launch rpm. You will need heavier valve springs, that will mean more camshaft lobe wear, valve seat pounding etc When I did the first RB30 in a GTR 4+ years ago, I looked at ALL of the issues and made the decision accordingly.

I use the Whiteline supplied grease, which these days is a white lightweight. The only times I have ever had continual squeeks is when there is metal to metal. I find where that is and eliminate it. Polyurethane to metal sometimes squeeks but that is easy to fix, I just rough up the surface of the polyurethane with a bit of course emery, a bastard file or even a few light knife crosses to hold the lubricant. The easy way to find th exact source is to jack it up, disconnect the shocks/spring (at the upright usually) and stabiliser bar. Then move the upright up and down. You can quickly find the source with your head stuffed up under the guard. On Skylines with more than standard caster, is it usually the outer upper joint that squeeks. This is because the poly bush distorts and exposes the metal crush tube to the metal upright or upper control arm. The solution is to lightly file the crush tube to allow for the extra caster. No more metal to metal contact and no more squeek. Sounds complicated, but it isn't really:cheers:

Centreline (Chris) or Traction Tyres (Andrew) are the two suspension specialists in Melbourne I would recommend. Any one with a decent sized lathe can cut the extra circlip grooves, it's not tricky. Front dampers are the same as R33 GTR. Rear dampers are the same as R33 GTST. I use 70 ftlbs for wheel nut torque. Sounds like a warped disc to me. But, just in case, have you checked the out of round of the tyres? Plus worn radius rod bushes can cause it as well, have you checked them? Hope that helps:cheers:

We have built 4 race RB30/26's for use in GTR's/GTS4's and personally I have done 2. One, in a road R32 GTR, has done over 70,000 k's. Nizpro and RIPS in NZ, for example, have done many more than that. I don't understand what you mean by "a lot of questions unanswered". Ask the questions that concern you, there are plenty of people who can answer them. There are a huge number of people that have been building big horsepower RB30 bottom ends in Australia (and NZ) for more than 15 years. There are no secrets there anymore. The availability of RB26 top ends is definitely the icing on the cake. The "huge number of posts on the RB30 thread" is because it is SUCH a good idea SO many people want to get into it. Cost is the winner, I bought all the parts necessary for a 900 bhp capable RB31 (3.1 litre) bottom end (including the RB30 block and crank) for less than half what the 2.8 litre kit costs. The machining, assembly, bearings, seals and gaskets would cost the same. In fact, such is the commonality of the RB30, the gasket and seal kits are much cheaper than RB26 kits. RIPS sell an off the shelf 4wd sump adaptor for RB30 blocks, our race team fabricator made ours in one day. Plus I had an RB26 bottom end to sell (I used the top end of course). I am not picking on the retail/imported parts outlets, but you should keep in mind that they have stuff to sell. Why wouldn't they tell you a 2.8 litre kit is a better idea? There is nothing in it for them if you go RB30, they know full well that you can get great quality local stuff much cheaper for RB30's. Hope that is of some help:cheers:

Hi guys, decent spherical bearings come with grease nipples (or provision for nipples to be screwed in). This is so you can lubricate them from the inside out. This achieves 2 things, firstly it obviously lubricates the joint. But more importantly, it pushes out any contaminents (dust, dirt, worn bearing metal etc) from inside the bearing itself. Think of how a main bearing works in an engine, it is lubricated from the inside out for exactly the same reasons. Decent sphericals also come with covers and/or seals that stop the dirt, dust etc from getting in there in the first place. Personally I would NEVER buy sphericals that don't have grease nipples and dust covers/seals and that's for a race car. I don't believe in using sphericals on road cars, they knock something fierce and wear out very quickly Hope that helps:cheers:

The old different cams question pops up again. I have generally found that when a subject keeps popping up, it is usually because there is no one RIGHT answer. I have tried angines with the same duration on inlet and exhaust and I have tried angines with different duration on inlet and exhaust. I can't say that one is better than the other every time. It depends on compression ratio, fuel, tuning, intercooler efficiency, exhaust design, turbo selection etc etc. There simply are too many variables to come up with a definitive answer. With the hydraulic followers in RB20/25's I would be very careful with choosing a duration over 256/260. Particularly if you are not intending to change the valve springs. This becomes even more apparent when the boost exceeds 1.1 bar. The inlet valves tend not to follow the lobes on closing because the boost holds them open. This causes problems in the compression/combustion process (lowers the effective compression ratio). If you increase the duration, it just makes this problem worse. My 20 cents worth:cheers:

Similar stroke to OS Giken 3 litre and they rev to 10,000 rpm.

You have to save the changes, have a look at the Commander Manual it shows you the steps.

The standard RB25DET AFM will handle 200 rwkw easily.

RB30 is cheaper, 200 cc's bigger and has a much better rod/stroke ratio.

On the Stagea I am using an SAFC first, if I find problems with ignition timing I will find an old SITC and use that as well. There is always a balance between bending the AFM signals for fuel (to lean it out) and ignition (it advances) at the same time. It's a compromise tune every time. But I will be happy with doubling the standard power output at the wheels, so I am not looking for huge power. GCG Ball Bearing Hi Flow Std R32 GTR Intercooler Split dump Hi flow cat GTR fuel pump Autospeed boost controller SAFC Pipercross panel filter Ambient air feed to the std snorkel If the std injectors don't quite make it, then a Nismo adj fuel pressure regulator should stretch them far enough. If not a set of S15 SR20DET injectors will do the job. At 1.1 bar, I reckon 200 4wkw should get the Stagea moving along. I have seen quite a few R33 GTST autos handle a bit more than 200 rwkw, so the Stagea with a big tranmission cooler should do it OK. But I will test it thoroughly before I lock it in.

I have yet to find ANY ecu that works with a Skyline auto. This is a psot I made earlier in another thread, most of it is relevant to you.... Hi guys, I am very interested in this thread as it is relevant to the Stagea. I have down loaded the code from an auto ecu and compared it to a manual ecu and I can tell you there is 3 times as much code in the auto ecu. These are not maps for fuel or ignition or boost, it is code to enable the engine ecu to control power (torque) on gearchanges. There is code for going uphill, down hill, flat, accelerating, decelerating, cruising, powering, turning with power steering, 4wd, abs, aircon, electrical load etc etc. All of these things affect the gearchanges and therefore have to be programmed for. This is not tuning the fuel and ignition timing and building a boost correction table. I don't know anyone, outside of the auto manufacturers, who can do this. Plus I have yet to see an aftermarket ECU that has the capacity to handle this sort of code. This is why Apexi haven't made a Power FC for auto Skylines, they most likely don't have the expertise and would have to charge way too much for the auto PFC to make it worthwhile. So my 20 cents worth, use a piggy back to tune the fuel and maybe one for the ignition but it has to be a "simplistic" style that doesn't totally override the standard ECU timing, just moves it a few degrees. That combination works welll up to around 260 rwkw and I have yet to see a chipped standard ECU do any better. That also happens to be around my rule of thumb limit for the standard RB25 internals. There are limits to what you can map in a standard (chipped) ecu, the maps don't extend far enough, they are not calibratable, there is no ability to change correction factors (water temp, air temp, boost etc), not all maps are stand alone, they are linked and when you change one you can easily get an unwanted effect in another. They have a limit, and I have yet to see that limit exceed what can be achieved from a pair of piggy backs. So I would never count on a chipped ecu to deliver much better results If you are doing an upgrade on the internals for power in excess of that, then I strongly suggest a non electronic auto is the go. We have used Hugo's boxes in the past and they handle double that power easily. Either that or do a manual conversion, either way will be cheap compared to what you spend on the engine anyway.

My experiences; *The "solid type" crack at the welds if used on Australian (rough) roads for any period of time. *The triangulated strut braces are better, but you should see the firewall damage if you have a front end accident. *Moving "in the same direction" is not the issue, the idea is to retain the set alignment by linking the top suspension arm mounting points. If you think about it, maintaing the set negative camber on the outside wheel is a good thing, but it wouldn't hurt to loose a bit of negative camber on the inside wheel. Hope I covered all of your questions:cheers:

Hi ADM, I have a Stagea and an R32 GTST with Whiteline bushes (caster, camber and stabiliser bar) both front and rear, that's over 30 bushes and none of them squeek. Is it one side or both? The inner or the outer bush? What alignment settings do you have one it?

Hi guys, I am very interested in this thread as it is relevant to the Stagea. I have down loaded the code from an auto ecu and compared it to a manual ecu and I can tell you there is 3 times as much code in the auto ecu. These are not maps for fuel or ignition or boost, it is code to enable the engine ecu to control power (torque) on gearchanges. There is code for going uphill, down hill, flat, accelerating, decelerating, cruising, powering, turning with power steering, 4wd, abs, aircon, electrical load etc etc. All of these things affect the gearchanges and therefore have to be programmed for. This is not tuning the fuel and ignition timing and building a boost correction table. I don't know anyone, outside of the auto manufacturers, who can do this. Plus I have yet to see an aftermarket ECU that has the capacity to handle this sort of code. This is why Apexi haven't made a Power FC for auto Skylines, they most likely don't have the expertise and would have to charge way too much for the auto PFC to make it worthwhile. So my 20 cents worth, use a piggy back to tune the fuel and maybe one for the ignition but it has to be a "simplistic" style that doesn't totally override the standard ECU timing, just moves it a few degrees. That combination works welll up to around 260 rwkw and I have yet to see a chipped standard ECU do any better. That also happens to be around my rule of thumb limit for the standard RB25 internals. There are limits to what you can map in a standard (chipped) ecu, the maps don't extend far enough, they are not calibratable, there is no ability to change correction factors (water temp, air temp, boost etc), not all maps are stand alone, they are linked and when you change one you can easily get an unwanted effect in another. They have a limit, and I have yet to see that limit exceed what can be achieved from a pair of piggy backs. So I would never count on a chipped ecu to deliver much better results If you are doing an upgrade on the internals for power in excess of that, then I strongly suggest a non electronic auto is the go. We have used Hugo's boxes in the past and they handle double that power easily. Either that or do a manual conversion, either way will be cheap compared to what you spend on the engine anyway.

Not CLUTCH problems Roy, clutch PEDAL problems. It broke the 3 spot welds where the pedal pivot is welded to the plate that bolts to the firewall. Nothing that 10 or so cable ties couldn't fix. Finding the problem in the first place took some time though, it looked like a hydraulic leak at first glance. The clutch pedal went up and down, but the pivot fork didn't go in and out. So I only got 2 runs on Saturday SoSK only got 3 runs, would have been much faster with 6 runs like the rest of the field. Plus I had no time to tune the set up, what it came off the trailer with was it. Great weekend though, needed those Jacks on Saturday night to releave the back pain from lying upside down under the dash fixing the clutch pedal. That's motor racing:cheers:

Mine came with service manuals so I could check the K's and the dates. I also checked the cam belt change date and K's and calculated if the K's were realistic from that. The steering wheel and drivers seat wear rates were also consistent. Most of all I used someone I could trust to source it in Japan.

I have seen a Power FC equiped R33 GTR run 8's with a Power FC, it makes a little over 1,000 bhp using 2 X Q45 AFM's. It's called V Max if you want to check it out, so don't underestimate the Power FC.

Shoot about 10 years ago using an RB20 cylinder head on RB30's was common. It is a prick of a job, welding, redrilling machining etc. But the result was better than a SOHC cylinder head. Wouldn't even think of doing it now with RB25 cylinder head's being so common and RB26 top ends being almost affordable.

You got 20 plus replies from guys with real world experience, most recommendations for the Power FC and some for the Wolf and you chose HALTEC, which no one recommended. For $2,700 you buy a new Power FC with Commander, get it fitted (it takes less than 1 minute) and tuned 5 times. There is nothing wrong with Haltec on many cars, but for Skylines there are better and less expensive options:cheers:

Hi guys, this subject has a large number of possible arguments. Personanly I think the killer for the GTR's is weight, for example our R32 GTST weighs 1245kgs and the R32 GTR 1558 kgs. The 25% extra weight in a GTR means that in order to go around a corner at the same speed it has to have ~25% more grip, in order to stop as well it has to have ~25% better brakes and in order to accelerate as well it has to have ~25% more power. So if I have a GTST that has the SAME power, SAME suspension, SAME tyres and SAME brakes it will be faster than a GTR over one lap, maybe even for 2 or 3 laps. But over say 20 laps, and the higher the power output, the more the rear tyres on the GTST start to go away. That's why the GTR was, and always will be, Godzilla of the Touring Cars.

Hi Ken, I have NEVER seen a standard RB25DET turbo with anything other than a ceramic turbine. Some have a plastic impeller (late R33 and all R34), but still have ceramic turbines.

Nope, too much work to do on the race cars. I haven't been able to get the bends quite right to clear the under bonnet bump. So I have made a couple of changes to the design, that I will finish during the week. But I hope to have it on this weekend:cheers: