sl33py

I was right: 260 a corner. Fark... Now I *really* wanna know what ppl think! Keen to add some nice rubber to match my brake upgrades.

OK. but didn't really answer the question... Michelin Preceda or Toyo T1-R will cost me a bit over 400 a corner and lots of ppl have been talking about them so immediately they are ahead compared to any $500 tyre. 1600 i can *kinda* justify, but definitely not 2 grand. Then again, this site with the Wheels test: http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/printthread.php?t=23777 says there is less than 5% difference between all the tyres in the test (5% in what I wonder.. too vague). Anyway, I have just seen the Maxxis Victra MA-V1 in 235/45 R18 for only 209 each @ Bob Janes.. so the Maxxis Victra MA-Z1 couldn't be a whole lot more (even if it was 100 more, that's still only 300 a corner). I would expect about 250-260 each. Has anyone had experience with these tyres that are supposed to provide comparable performance to several 350-400 buck tyres? Apparently my Falken 326's cost about 200 each.. I find it kinda hard to believe the Maxxis could do so well for so cheap, so I really wanna hear from anyone who has them (and has owned enough tyres to compare fairly).

Just bought a GTS-T which has the usual Falken 326's that were slapped on to sell it. They are on 18" (crap) rims with the chrome coming off at random places (and not from me riding up kerbs! .. e.g. inside edge of the lip where fake "bolts" are. It's shocking. "Euro Concept Design" they are called.. Dunno what model. But they suck in quality too. After reading about the tyres (and from recent experience driving in the wet), I've found the tyres SUCK. I've decided to get some really good tyres. The rims can stay for a while, as I don't would rather spend my set budget on tyres than on rims. I might change the rims later. The tyres are: 235/40ZR18 and I'm in the ACT. I think we get charged more for everything here in Canberra, so I'm open to the idea of buying the tyres in one place and having a local place fit them but only If I'm gonna save upwards of 50/corner, cos (for example) it'll cost about 80 to ship tyres here from Sydney. Otherwise it's more worth my while having local service and getting their discounted rotations etc. What the tyres will see: 90% generally spirited city driving, 10% coastal highway driving (this is where I really worry about the Falkens... I swear I'd die going to the coast with those things on). About 50/50 wet dry, so they need to kick ass in the wet. So generally they won't get a "hard" life, but I DO want them to bite on the coastal roads and in the wet. Anyway, I am looking at a a few models from a coupla places: * Michelin Pilot Precedas (at 410/corner), @ Quickfit with 50 buck alignments, rotations and balance etc every 5/10/20 thou kms. * Toyo Proxes TR-1 (at 420/corner), @ Discount Tyre Service, with 40 bucks alignments, rotations and balance every 6 months for 40 bucks. The tread on these looks positively evil hahaha * Goodyear Revspec (RS-02 I believe) ( 350/corner), @ Discount Tyre service, same after sales service as the previous. Looks like a lot of contact area on this one! I was also told about (but was pointed out they are a lower level than the others): * Toyo TPG for 295/corner. * Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, can't remember price but I think it was 300-350/corner. * Some "Marshall" tyres that I forgot to write down the model.. apparently they are made by Kumho. 260 a corner.. useless without the model tho. oh well. Anyone even heard of this brand? I hadn't til now. What tyres should I choose out of this lot, and has anyone seen better prices, whether they're local or Sydney/wherever etc? Personally, I like the look of the Toyos, one of two of the sellers poo poo'ed Goodyear. I found this interesting in researching: http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/printthread.php?t=23777 And one more question: In the past 1.5 months, I've had to refill my front right tyre more often than the others... it's often a good 5psi less than the others (meant to be 40)! What could cause this? Could it be the rim? Cos in that case, I've got a problem If it's tyre then I don't care since replacing.

FFS! Now I have an oil leak (I think the sump plug is slightly loose after the oil change, GRRRRR) and I also have something dripping from the plastic pipe directly below the ABS unit which comes out of the firewall! Water? Some kinda coolanr used in the A/C system?? Far out.. Oh well, another thing to add to the "to do" list for Mr Mechanic. I've already hand-tightened the new oil filter just in case it was loose (was out at the time, no tools) and will see how much oil forms under the sump plug to check if that is the oil leak. Hopefully there's not much and I can tell it's the definite cause, otherwise it'll be another thing to find. Man, I can't wait til I'm looking at my car for fun, instead of troubleshooting things (however little each one may be, they're adding up!). Anyone got one of those fumoto oil sump releases? www.fumoto.com.au i think they look rather nifty. And this is the second (out of 3) professional car services I've had that resulted in an oil sump plug leak!

When people say the Michelin Pilots are great or bad, are they talking about the Michelin Pilots Sports, or Michelin Pilot Preceda? And has anyone has experience with the Avon brand of tyres? I see on www.tirerack.com that the Avon Tech M550 A/S "beat" every other brand of tire (ultra performance, all seasons category). I have Ziex 326 and wanna upgrade to much better ($300-450/corner) tyres, as I'm sick of spinning the wheels in 1st, then 2nd and even third from the lights without even trying! Not even modified either, just exhaust Wear isn't so much an issue as I only do about 15K kms a year and it's mostly city driving with the ocassional coast trip (which is all highway anyway, no off road).

HAHAHAH yeah sigsputnik.. oh well... learning curve I suppose. If nothing was wrong with it, I don't imagine I'd have even popped the hood I'm just glad we have (most likely) found the bugger. I ordereda 2nd hand replacement TPS from Justjap this morning for $110 delivered. Should be here Mon/Tues and fitted later that week. Will let u all know! At least this way I'm finding out other things while the car's at the mechanics: like how one front rotor has small cracks and they recommended I replace both fronts (most likely with DBA slotted ones) and also new pads to suit (thinking Bendix Ultimates as every thread says Race Brakes RB74 are very noisy and my (whatever they are) brakes are already squealing like a b*tch). How dodgy is it when ur brakes are so noisy that u hesitate to brake for pedestrians! (jk, but nearly not..) I just wish the workshops that backup the warranty I (stupidly) paid for didn't have reputations so bad that it deters me from making use of it!!

FOUND! Had it into the mechanics today. He said that when he adjusted the throttle position sensor, it idled 15 minutes without a single miss (and sounded much better too), but as soon as he went for a drive in it, it started again. If I understood what he told me correctly: He attached an oscilliscope to it (and a lot of other things too) and said when he gave the throttle position sensor a tap it sent the signal absolutely spac and it misfired like crazy and then when he left it, it misifred at the intervals I've been seeing. So I'm ordering one tomorrw (he recommended JustJap, any other suggestions where I should check?) and he said he'd install it for free since he's got all his money for just diagnosing it. I've looked on eBay and even a Porsche TPS is only 40AU, which makes me hopeful that I'll get away with a secondhand one for maybe 30-50 at worst. I'll post again when it's replaced and I'm 100% it's solved. So everyone check ur TPS!

I'm missing (1x) the little black "plug" that sits inside the door handle and hides/covers the bolt which attaches that part of the trim to the actual door frame. The car is a skyline R33 series 2, 2 door. PM me if you can sell me one or if you know where I can get one.

In my R33 GTST S2: If I change into 5th from 3rd or 4th when the engine speed is 5k rpm or higher, I sometimes get grindies. I haven't had the car very long (1 month). Scared the crap outta me cos I haven't had the car long. After that initial "wtf!" I try to change again and it goes in, either because the engine speed has dropped, or for whatever reason. Now I first thought I wasn't clutching properly or that I was on the gas again too quickly, but I've since repeated it several times and I'm now sure that neither of those is the problem. After a bit more of a play around, I've found that I need to be fairly... "deliberate"... more so when changing into 5th than I need to be going between the other gears. The car's about to go to a mechanic so I'll ask if he can tell anything weird with the gearbox and maybe have the oil changed anyway (cos I don't know when it was done last since I just bought it). So anyone else get this kinda thing?

Booked in with Ed!

A mate of mine (Commodore) and my bro (Corolla) might also come (other cars = ok I assume).

I'll hopefully be there!!

O2 sensor didn't change anything with respect to the misfire at idle, but the car seems a bit more responsive now. The new sensor gave the measurements expected when it was hooked up. During the first 3 minutes of idling after hookup, there was no misfire, but then after a quick hoon, it presented itself again *sigh*

Software engineer here... *yawn*

88 bucks for a run by urself at Dynatune sux. Where have dyno days been held in Canberra in the past? Who would go if there was one happening again? etc. Soon as I get mine sorted out I wanna know what its got (even though its basically stock).

Ah ok. I'm picking one up from Ed at Integ tomorrow morning. 110 bucks *shrug* Good enough. It's a generic one and will need hacking up like mentioned above. But this post did bring up the "special tool" side of it that I didn't realise, so I'll make sure my mate helping me change it has one or knows some tricks... Yeah I'm hoping this solves my misfiring @ idle (worse when AC is on full tilt and/or I've been pushing the car a bit) and maybe give me some more kms per tank too... 260kms on $52 of BP ultimate last fill! And that wasn't really fangin' it either.

Disconnected the oxygen sensor from my car and it runs the same as with it connected. We hooked up a volt/ohm-meter and sure enough, it's giving crap readings ( 0 Volts on the line that's supposed to sit at around 0.5V according to my friend). Mate was really surprised that the engine didn't start running badly and / or searching for a comfortable idle engine speed when we disconnected it. Long story short, we're gonna swap it out for a new one. Where in Canberra is a good place to buy an oxygen sensor? I asked at Autobarn and they needed to take my details to go and figure out what they can sell me. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence that they'll get the right model. Also, how much should it be? Bare in mind I want a new one, I'm trying to eliminate the cause of a problem outright, so not after 2nd hand prices or "I've got one u can have..." I don't mind if it's a non-performance brand eg Bosch or whatever, but I don't wanan pay through the nose just to have the word "Denso" on the side of something i'll never see. Anyway, hope to swap it over this weekend if I've got the part in time. Thanks in advance for any help.

Oh and we also checked the sparkplugs. The dealer did replace them as stated.

OK So we checked out the coilpacks: they look fine. They are the original stock ones, but there are no signs whatsoever of the arcing, e.g. strange burn marks or whatever on the sides of the packs, or scorch marks on the internal of the engine. So then we pulled off the O2 sensor and found that the car runs exactly the same with it connected and disconnected!! The reading on the sensor was a permanent ZILCH. My mate said that most jap O2 sensors operate between 0.4 and 0.6 volts, and that 0.5V is the reading that it is ultimately trying to maintain. He reckons the car is running real rich and may be in what he called "limp home" mode .. or something like that. We're gonna swap out the sensor for a new one and see what happens. From the sounds of things its a good thing to fix/replace anyway, even if it's not the solution for my misfiring. I'll post my findings.

Checked out the coilpacks, they look fine. Original stock ones, but no signs whatsoever of the arcing. We actually tested the O2 sensor and found that the car runs exactly the same with it connected and disconnected!! And he got crap readings from it too. He reckons the cars running real rich and may be in what he called "limp home" mode .. or something like that. We're gonna swap it out for a new one and see what happens. And yeah... I'm gonna fix the 5hit myself than take it to the places i heard were dodgy!

I got new plugs last month when I bought it I'll probaby give Ed a call. I don't think the warranty ppl will notice replaced plugs/coilpacks/whatever if they never saw the originals anyway.

I want to take my 'line to a local mechanic who is known for being great because i get misfiring while idling at the lights. the problem is: the car is under warranty, but the "approved" repairers of my vehicle are companies that i trust as far as i can throw them (not at all). Any work done on the car either unapproved or by an unapproved repairer will void my warranty. I suspect I need new coilpacks. If i took the car to get "serviced" (can have that done anywhere) and they find out i DO need new coilpacks (or something else relatively trivial), I would be tempted to get them to fix it and just neglect to mention it to the warranty providers. Reason being, someone who knows what they are doing will do the work. IF later on I need to get a real warranty repair done, surely they aren't gonna open her up go "WTF is that... !! non standard coilpacks! no soup for u!" and tell me my warranty is void.. would they? I wouldn't be getting crazy performance fluro purple coilpacks (or whatever the faulty part is), just replacements. For all the warranty company knows, the car could have had them when I bought it, cos of course its second hand. What do u guys think? I want to have the work done by someone i trust and don't mind paying for parts and repair myself if it means a really dodgy local company doesn't get it's mitts on my car. And if ur gonna say "well ur stuffed if u really DO need a costly repair!" then yeah... i'll come to that bridge if i need to! so forget about that for now. Reckon a small bit of work like this could cause issues for the warranty? It's such a small thing...

My '96 Skyline (R33 GTS-T) has a misfiring problem. After spirited driving, the engine misfires while idling. It's bad enough that gf and I go "WTF!" when we both cop what feels like a boot in the ass while waiting at the lights. I'm not sure why it does it, but after reading on here, I suspect a split in the coilpacks that might be causing the spark to arc out and hence miss. Now here's what I consider the "real" problem: I bought the car about a month ago, and this misfire is the only thing that really bugs me about it. I rang up the warranty company and they said all work on the car must be done with their approval and by a mechanic they nominate, after being inspected by one of those mechanics to confirm there is a problem. The companies they listed are Fast and Furious, Evo Motorsports and some guys called "Layton Automotive". Now, when I was shopping for the car in the first place, I got a less than great impression of FnF, and after reading the "where to get ur skyline serviced" thread, I am VERY hesitant to take it to EVO for even an inspection, never mind any work done. They also didn't impress me too much during shopping, same as FnF. So I rang Laytons, who basically said "you're much better ringing up Evo... they have much better resources for working on ur car than we do." After all the horror stories I've read and heard about Evo, I'm not sure I want to take the car there at all... this isn't a HUGE problem.. but it does bug me.. but if i take it to Evo and they screw up the car even more then I'll be kicking myself because it was only a small annoyance in the first place.. I don't want them to work on it and leave other stuff broken or whatever, and increase my troubles. What do u guys think I should do? The thought of just getting the coilpacks swapped out by someone like Ed@Integra Automotive or another third party has crossed my mind.. and to just not say anything to the warranty place at all.. I mean, can anyone imagine in the future some major 5h1t happens with the car and needs a few grand work and they look inside the bay and go "Woah there buddy, hang on. Those aren't the stock coilpacks!" (or whatever they determine is the cause of my problems). I mean, the car is secondhand anyway! They wouldn't have a clue what was in the car on the day I bought it.. There's no big changes like aftermarket turbo etc.. just exhaust and wheels and slight lowering. Anyway, tell me what you think, as I really do want to get rid of this minor niggle, and would rather pay someone I think is trustworthy (i.e. anyone that's been recommended in the previously mentioned thread) to just fix the problem and not mention it to the warranty place. Think I'll go ring Ed or someone now and see what they think.

Hi, the front bushes are brand new, they were replaced as part of the conditions of me buying the car cos the NRMA report said they were shot Yeah the tramlining isn't tooo bad. It's more the shaking I was worried about, and then the fact that ppl said the 326's are rubbish and maybe i'll spin out when i could have better tyres and more grip.

Problems solved. Use this thread as a reference if you have shaky a steering wheel! Hi. just got my skyline gtst 2 weeks ago. After getting to know the car better now, I've found that my steering wheel wonders a little bit now and then (esp at slow speeds on pokey roads around Canberra). I've also noticed that the steering wheel shakes noticeably when doing about 100kph and or stopping really quickly (ie stomping on the brakes). I have Ziex 326's on 18" rims. I read in some tyre threads that the Ziex are really bad and could be the cause of my problems. The suspension is completely stock, stock engine (cept the exhaust). Are the tyres a likely culprit? I thought there had to be something seriously wrong (and there WAS, read on) with the suspension for the steering wheel to shake like that...