scathing

Basically, yeah. The guys I know basically drive a gear higher than they did when they were NA and use the torque curve. A FI setup is generally more efficient than a NA setup to make the same amount of power, especially when the FI setup in question is just a NA engine with a pair of blowers strapped on.

For sure. Hence the higher budget caveat. I think they're well priced for what they are, though. You're not going to find another reasonably new luxury GT coupe anywhere near the price. Certainly not Japanese.

That's entirely up to you. :-P Around town with "sensible" driving, when you don't care about speed, a turbo kit on a stock VQ35DE is more fuel efficient. The guys I know who've done it on their Z's get around 15% better fuel economy around town (anecdotally, they're not doing some rigorous CSIRO-type test but at the same time they didn't put down a bucketload of cash on a turbo kit to not enjoy it). If you want to stomp on the gas and you don't care about how much fuel you use, the VQ35DE+T(T) is more powerful. If you can afford it, its the best of both worlds.

Take a photo. It'd make it a hell of lot easier for people to understand than the solid block of text you just wrote.

You mean this? http://www.modyourcar.com.au/greddy-profec...ng-system-p4798 http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Sw...Ii-t209903.html

Does the current ECU setup still work for things like cold start and the like? Or is everything FUBAR? If so, what you could do is add another piggyback that has the option of a full ECU cutout (like the Haltech or UTEC). When warming up the car leave the factory/Impul setup, but as soon as you're warmed up flick the switch and remove the OEM/Impul setup from having control.

It does. At a supersprint I was required to remove my space saver, and I found my car a lot more taily as a result. Not in a fun way either. At Wakefield I tried running with it off on a damp track, but after several big spins I put it back in. When I remove my spare and fit the tyre weld / pump, I'll need to think of some other ballast to add to the back.

You get better low end drivability and fuel economy by adding turbos, two important attributes for cruising around town. The VQ35DE is more than good enough around town in terms of drivability, but you can always make it better.

In a higher budget, I'd personally look at doing up an auto V35 coupe. In the powertrain I'd run a HKS single turbo kit and a suitable exhaust. The intercooler is only half width, so it won't affect your cooling systems quite as much. The only thing I'd add would be some bolt-on VQ engine mods (plenum spacer, bigger injectors as the HKS ST uses the stockers) and probably an oil cooler to sit in the other half of the front grille. Appearance-wise you can find some tasty subtle lip kits. I'd consider replacing the Nissan badges with Infiniti logos, but probably shave most of the brightwork. I'd have the insides of the headlights painted black (to match the bodywork) and tint the tail lights. The car would be lowered with big camber to get a proper VIP stance. I'm not sure how wide I could go with the rims, but a 19x10.5 / 20x11.5" with an offset in the mid teens wouldn't be out of the question. Work Meisters in a gold gold spoke / polished silver lip in that size would look pretty damned hot. Suspension I'd go for something soft with an electronic controller so I can firm it up a little if necessary. Stereo would be upgraded of course. I'm not sure what I can do but I don't want a massive, f**k-off system. It should be subtle, but I haven't done much research into the V35's stock setup. I don't think I'd do much else to the interior. Maybe some Defi gauges with a Link Display. The car will sound mean, have a fair amount of poke with good response (you're looking at around 230rwkW at 4psi and around 260rwkW at 8psi) for drivability while not stressing out the components. I'm not sure if the slusho will take even low boost without toughening, but the rest of the powertrain will cope just fine. The interior in the V35 is pretty plush, and a pretty comfortable place to spend your time. I like the way the V35 looks, and lowered in black it has a definite toughness about it.

A couple of things Ferrari had already licensed a game house to use their marque, and the exclusive clause would have prohibited Polyphony from getting access. It's also why no Porsche appears in any Gran Turismo game; Polyphony did an end-run around Porsche by licensing RUF (who do their own VIN plates) instead. Gran Turismo has no car damage, which is at the request of manufacturers who didn't want to see their cars appear broken in the game and then have the realism-addicted designers put a comparative price on repairing their cars. Secondly, Ferrari is in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and should appear in the full game when it's released.

Aristos and Chasers would be the two most common. I'd love to have a Chaser with an auto 2JZ-GTE in it, in a "lower" budget. As for Mazda, if you want old-school charm with their signature engine a mate of mine has a Luce (aka 929) with a 13B in it. It's for sale, I believe.

It's a very narrow and technical track. It's not a race track in the classic sense. Its a driver training loop.

Is your girlfriend allowed to drive turbo cars?

My girlfriend hasn't seen Climb Dance yet. I need to rectify that.

It seems you're not the only one complaining about Maxxis tyres' wet weather performance. http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Sh...py-t251877.html I would suggest going to a decent tyre / suspension shop, detailing the issues you're having, and checking the alignment to make sure it's set up properly. Does the car understeer a lot when turning in, before oversteering with the application of the throttle. If both ends lack grip then I'd be more inclined to suspect a tyre issue, unless your alignment happens to be f**ked on both ends.

Kick the clutch.

The Japanese word for "strawberry" sounds pretty much like the word "fifteen", hence cars with S15 nosecones conversions being called "strawberry faces". It's not a generic term for a front end change.

VQ40DEs came in Pathfinders, which should make them easier to find. I know of one guy in Qld building up a tough Z who has a backup engine, but I'm not sure what he's doing with it.

Hooray!

You're looking at 30-40 mins. There are 2 main routes you can take. 1 is to follow Homebush Bay drive onto Devlin St onto Lane Cove Rd all the way to the Pacific Highway. Turn north until you hit the F3. The other is to turn off Devlin St onto Blaxland Rd. Connect up with Epping Rd which turns into Beecroft Rd and then right onto Pennant Hills Rd. That eventually puts you onto the F3 as well. After Pac there's only 1 real way to The Haven, so everyone should be going the same way. All the way through Gosford, basically. Getting dressed now.

The law states that the wheels cannot be more than 26mm (1") wider, and the track can only be 25mm wider as well. Any more requires an engineering cert. No regulation on the diameter of the wheel, but the tyre wrapped around it cannot be more than 25mm wider than stock and within 15mm on either side of the stock diameter. True the cops don't always know the rules, so feel free to print out and carry the RTA's Vehicle Standards Index 09: Guidelines for alternative wheels and tyres

Which state are you in? The law is slightly different for each state.

Yeah, I've heard similar complaints from overseas testers. I know that, being an aftermarket brake company employee introduces a fair amount of bias, but this is an interesting read on the OE Brembos.

Yeah, I'm the same. In a luxo barge, or even a daily, I don't ever want the outside world to intrude. Hell, even the sound of the engine is undesirable. But, in a sports car, I want the one with the biggest NVH values. I really want to build/drive a PRB.

Its not available (legally) out of the cinema yet, but Love The Beast looks like it could be a good watch.