Sydneykid

PM sent cheers

Hi Lee, I get 30 to 40 PM's a day, no space to keep my responses either, the PM box fills up too quick. Sorry, but I don't remember every PM. If you have not yet received a reply, then please try resending the PM. Cheers

Radius rod bushes = Front Castor Kit Front upper control arm bushes = Front Camber Kit Rear upper control arm bushes = Rear Camber Kit Rear Sub Frame Alignment Kit = Pineapples Stabiliser Bar = anti roll bar = sway bar The recommended suspension workshops are on page one of this thread. You need a 10 tonnes press to remove the old, worn out, standard, fixed bushes and to replace them with the new, polyurethane, adjustable buhes. Except the Rear Sub Frame Alignment Kit and the Stabiliser Bars, they are DIY with normal home garage tools. Cheers

Ride height is around 30 mm lower than standard. You can get another 15 mm with the low profile front strut top. Then use the extra circlip grooves on the rear Bilsteins to lower the rear a similar amount. That's about as low as you want to go for good handling and ride comfort. cheers

Hi Albert, the rear strut braces are pretty inneffectual as the rear upper control arms and traction rods attach to the subframe, not to the chassis. Front strut braces are a good idea as the front upper control arms attach to the chassis, hence a strut brace heps to retain the wheel alignment settings. I have only included items in the kit that I consider necessary. You can fit a rear strut brace once you have done everything else, but it's not good value for money. cheers

Hi Jason, you have some time yet to save up. Will be able to accept credit card payment from 1st May if that's any help. Cheers

Order received and PM reply sent. cheers

Plenty of stock of R33GTST Bilsteins at the moment. Will be able to accept credit card payment from 1st May. cheers

PM reply sent, sorry for the delay, lots of PM's over the last couple of days, took me a while to catch up. cheers

The spring doesn't rotate, it's not a MacPherson strut, Skylines (R32/33/34) are double wishbone front and rear. Maybe worn radius rod bushes or upper control arm bushes. Stabiliser bars are the best value for money handling upgrade you can do, road or track. Cheers

The R32GTST has had 3 engines, the RB20DET at 225 rwkw, the RB30DET at 350 rwkw and it is now getting an RB31DET and the target is 420 rwkw. I could drive Oran Park with the RB20DET at around 70% of the time at full throttle, the RB30DET was around 60%. So I figured, for the RB31DET, I had better up the stakes in the handling department. So it now has a 6 point roll cage, replacement rear subframe bushes and the rear subframe alignment kit is now set at "maximum traction" (previously "all round" setting). I have also moved a bit more weight towards the rear, battery, power steering reservoir and cooler, surge tank, external pump etc. To compensate for the extra weight of the RB31DET and its larger intercooler (600 x 300 x 100), heavier turbo and pipework, I have replaced the gauges with a Pi Dash and data logger, used carbon fibre wherever I can (inc mirrors) and replaced the stainless exhaust with titanium. Traction is only a problem when accelerating from a lower speed. To compensate for the extra power, I have increased the cornering speed (I hope) therebye reducing the propensity for wheelspin. Reducing the weight to accelerate also helps. Lastly, I have specifically built the engine and selected the compontents (particularly the turbo) to have a progressive power curve. So it doesn't suddenly jump on the boost and make throttle control difficult. Then its matter of tuning it accordingly. Maximum power is no indication of driveability, I fully expect the 420 rwkw RB31DET to have far superior throttle control than the 350 rwkw RB30DET. cheers

This order delivered by me yesterday. cheers

PM sent. For other readers, all ordering details are on Page 1 of this thread. Cheers

I use Shell V Power Racing 100 ron in all 3 turbo cars, have been for over 2 years. I use my 4 cents + 2 cents Shell dockets, plus the 20 cents ones when they are around. When the 20 cents is on, I buy the max 150 litres and drum it. That satisfies my thrifty urges. cheers

There are quite a few servos in Sydney with Shell V Power Racing 100 ron, they are listed on the Shell Web Site. We use the two on the Princes H'way, one at Carlton, near StGeorge Leagues Club or the one at Gymea, city side of the High School. In a Shoot Out dyno graph, I would be concerned with the inlet air temp being 60 degrees with an ambient of 27. I am not sure why he insisted on doing it in 3rd gear. The constant threat of kick down prevents proper tuning at those rpms. We always tune autos in 2nd gear, much less chance of kickdown. Or better still lock it in 3rd. For the Stagea we use 2nd gear and select the snow setting, that locks out 1st gear anyway. cheers

If one kit doesn't fix it, then chances are your car is too low for good handling and ride comfort. What are the centre of wheel to guard measuremtns at all 4 wheels. cheers

Roy, you are not looking at them analytically enough; They have similar, if not more power than a V8 Supercar They are 4wd, not 2wd They have similar, if not superior brakes to a V8 Supercar A superior suspension layout (IRS, not live axle) A superior differential action (not locked) With similar weight Having spent as much as a used V8 Supercar costs The question you should be asking is, why aren't they doing V8 Supercar lap times? A word of warning, don't get myopic about Sandown, it's two drag strips joined by wiggles. It's all about horsepower and brakes. Not a lot of handling required. We have plenty of Improved Production cars in the race team, so I figured it was time to turn the R32GTST into a "track day" car and take on the guys who run without any regulations to limit them. It will still be basically IP legal, except no restrictor to limit the power. Onto the shock absorber question. Whoever gave you the advice about adjustable shocks is absolutely spot on. At the beginning of each circuit race season I do training courses for the new guys (drivers and mechanics) in the various race teams that I consult for. I spend a whole day just going through the range of shock adjustments, teaching the drivers to feel for what the shock adjustments do. Teaching the mechanics to understand what the driver is telling them and then translating that into shock adjustments. That's mostly on Proflex or Ohlins double adjustable shocks, one bump adjuster (on the canister) and one rebound adjuster (on the shock top). Each car has a dedicated suspension mechanic, solely devoted to work with the same driver and car for the season. There is also a data engineer, a driveline mechanic, the engine tuner and 2 general mechanics. That's 6 technicians and 1 driver per car. I wouldn’t even consider doing race weekend tuning like that on the F3 car, which has Dynamic dampers with 5 adjusters, 2 rebound and 3 bump. That is set up in the workshop the week before we go to the circuit. The only changes we make during a race weekend are aerodynamic, usually rear wing settings as a result of wind direction etc. That's why having been to a circuit before is so important, you hear race drivers and teams talk about it all the time, why? Because the history of set up data is all important, even in a 2 car, 20 technician team. At a track day you are trying to do the job of those 7 people, do you really think that you can adjust shocks on the fly? That you have the time to concentrate on driving and do shock adjustments, let alone choose the right adjustments? I know I sure as hell don’t, even with 2 of us, we don’t adjust anything at track days, lap dashes and SuperSprints. We just get in and drive. If I am real lucky I might have enough time to change one stabiliser bar setting. Even that is a stretch. I know it is boring, but the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) approach is the most appropriate. So a set of shock absorbers with a wide window (properly tuned damper curve) is the best answer. Last bit, hooray did I hear you say? Your “mid price range” shock comparison. The PSS9 Bilstein kit for the R33/34 GTR was made at the specific request of the Japanese Bilstein agent. They believed that they were loosing sales simply because their Jap brand competition was offering damper adjustment. Not because the Bilstein B46 range was deficient in application, but simply because their opposition was successfully spinning the “adjustability” line. Based on my experience in an R33GTR and on the shock dyno, the PSS9 dampers are slightly more consistent in their adjustment than the Japanese brands. But, as with the Japanese brands, the adjustment is purely linear. So the advantage over the B46 range is not significant. This is reflected in the pricing, start with a B46, then add an Eibach coil spring, a strut top and a coil over conversion kit and you end up at almost the same cost as a PSS9. We have had this discussion a number of times, but for other readers’ edification, I will repeat the advice. You will have to spend at least three times as much to get anything better than a B46 series Bilstein. Spend twice as much and you will end up with something worse. The first real step up in that price range is Proflex or the larger diameter DMS. They have a slight price advantage over the competition, plus they are available in the right configuration (ie; they bolt on) and, best of all, they are Australian and hence locally serviceable. Next step up is Ohlins, Penske or Dynamic which are more expensive and require fabrication to fit. You are not going to be able to buy any of those brands from your local suspension shop. They are not that style of product. Go direct to the manufacture in the case of Proflex or DMS and the local agents in the case of Ohlins, Penske and Dynamic. Enough from me. cheers

Despite what some people believe, I am not the only person in the world who can read a shock dyno graph, tune the suspension on a car and figure out what actually works and what is just marketing spin. cheers

Improved Production runs on a control tyre, Yokohama A048R, not even the best of the "R" type tyres, some would argue the worst, especially in the medium/hard compound which we are required to run. I can go though the full CAMS regulations if you like, but the salient points are; No lightweight panels, all have to be standard 8" wide wheels 2 x 27 mm turbo restrictors No aftermarket suspension arms, all have to be standard, can swap rubber bushes for polyurethane That’s the problem with looking at lap times for CAMS regulated cars and comparing them with “unlimited” cars that run at track days. My R32GTST was originally built to the same regulations (ie; Improved Production). I don’t know the specifications of Giants car, but I my guess is that it has wider than 8” wheels, has more than 400 bhp, uses much better tyres and has aftermarket suspension arms. How close am I? cheers

Try conecting one of the gauges to the compressor outlet and comparing the readings with another gauge connected to the plenum. You should see a slight loss across the intercooler and the pipework, a couple of psi only. cheers

He has been working on that for some time, good to see it coming along. I like this phrase, although I have heard it before when refering to adjusting shocks during an event; "It's like having a blind man adjust the focus on your camera" cheers

Hi Dominic, refer above, Eibach springs and the Bilstein coil over conversion. That way we can choose the spring rates to suite. Let me know (via PM) the car specification and the tyres you are using and we can go from there. cheers

Lot's of PM's the last 2 days, took a while to respond to them all, the inbox is now clear. PM reply sent Cheers

Hi Andrew, you may want to consider the Eibach springs and Bilstein coil over conversion, cost is around $900 more. With that option I can choose the spring rates specifically for you, Eibach have coils in 25lbs/inch increments. Best to take this to PM from here. Like this; cheers

This going to sound rough, I just know it. But it has to be said, otherwise the myths will continue. So I apologise in advance, it isn’t my intention to preach, simply educate. What do you mean by "more flexibility"? Because they have some simplistic spring preload adjuster, you think that makes them more flexible? The truth is, it probably shows up how inflexible they really are ie, they need the adjuster to cover up for their unsophisticated valving. Adjustable shocks are only worthwhile if you know what you are doing with the adjustments. Just whacking them on full hard for a track day is almost guaranteed to be the wrong answer. The question you have to ask, does the driver have enough knowledge to use the adjustment? Will he get it right? So that leads to the heart of the discussion, “not what he wants”? What does he want? A brand name to brag to his mates, tick. A nice shiny shock/spring unit for the bling, tick. Or does he want his car to handle great, ride comfortably and do fast lap times? cheers