pixel8r

Please dont take my word as gospel but most nissan gearboxes are very well built and very solid. There are variations between different models but as far as I know the skyline auto (and manual) gearboxes are all fantastic. Very few people have problems with them, going by the threads on this forum, and they can handle quite a bit of power. The stagea auto box for example (series 1 is same as r33, series 2 is same as r34) can handle 200awkw without any trouble. Obviously it will depend how its driven and I'm not suggesting it will last as long this way as if the car was stock... On the other hand, I have experienced a s13 silvia auto box (non-turbo too, so not much strain on the gearbox) go kaput and the 2nd hand replacement one that I had fitted also died within a month. Its luck of the draw really. Later I owned a turbo auto silvia and it never had a problem even though it had many more km's on it than the n/a one. I'd recommend getting a full transmission service (not just an oil change - take it to an auto transmission specialist). They'll let you know what condition its in. 9 times out of 10 you should have no probs, but it just pays to be sure I guess.

Hmm thats all looking a tad expensive. I was thinking I could get away with it for say $300-400 for the kit and a couple hundred for piping & joins/hoses etc. Any more info on these water spray thingy's. Chances are I could probably get away with just maximizing the efficiency of the stock one. Whilst searching I came across the old R34 GTT SMIC upgrade thread (for series 1's) and SK mentioned that the only about 30% of the air travelling into the front duct will hit the intercooler (or something like that). Also there was a mention that the intercooler will get a fair bit of oil buildup inside it (not sure if this will reduce its effectiveness). Wondering if I should just look into a water spray setup and/or more efficient redirecting of air - as I reckon this could bring some good results. Getting more power isn't really my aim right now, as I'd need to upgrade my fuel system (pump, injectors/fpr) to handle any more than I have anyway. I just notice that the car performs great and very responsive when it first warms up and after a while feels like its struggling to make power. Last summer on 30+ deg days the car would feel very sluggish. Is a FMIC even that effective in summer?

Hi guys, I know there's been plenty of FMIC posts on here, but I'm looking for an intercooler that has the return outlet on the same side as the intake so that I can connect it up to the standard piping. I know its been done before, I just dont know what products do this, and where to get them from and how much. If anyone could help out here that'd be great. The problem I see with most of the ones on here is that it involves cutting away at the chassis etc. and making the car not only illegal (irrepairably) but also unsafe. I dont want to do any cutting, I just want something that will give me more cooling than the standard S2 smic and can support say up to 200awkw with efficient cooling. If I cant get one with the return on the same side, is it possible to run piping either behind or under (not sure if this is legal either)? The reason I want it legal (or as close to legal as possible) is because FMIC's are very visible from the outside and I'd rather not hafta worry about stuff like that The s2 smic will do well, but even at 160awkw I feel that it gets too hot too quickly and the car has much less responsiveness after about 20 mins of driving. I'm putting it down to intake temps getting too high. Any thoughts on what FMIC to buy? I'm hoping for a really easy installation (part of the reason I want to use the standard piping). And also hoping to get one installed for under $600 - is this possible? cheers

hmm can we call it a S1.5 stagea? (joking). I'm assuming it does still have the NEO engine? but no transmission oil cooler? (guessing). I cant imagine resale value of these models being any higher than a standard S1. Just my opinion though.

for the record, mitsubishi and subaru dont come anywhere near close to matching the electronic AWD system. They use mechanical full-time AWD systems that dont use a computer at all, rather just a centre diff that works much like a regular diff but transfers torque between front and rear during slippage. Its basically a system that allows for 2 different torque splits, not infinitely variable torque split like ATTESA. but yes the article is a bit more marketing hype than actual facts. There was a few facts in there, concerning the skyline's dominance of the racing scene but to say that other cars like porsche and bmw are only now catching up to the skyline is a bit over the top. even the R34 GTR's technology is getting a bit dated now, but the new one should start a whole new era for the GTR

yes. yes it will.

spotted a stagea OWNER yesterday Good to chat to ya tangles!!

Here's a couple pics I took. Only got a 7x optical zoom so its not brilliant but does give you the idea... The photo was taken using a tripod and 8 second exposure. focus set to infinity. Turned out better than I thought it would

I can almost guarantee its NOT on the inside. All skyline lights are made of the same plastic and unfortunately it gets stuff on it and goes all cloudy. I'm not 100% sure what it is, but you'll notice older ford falcons have the same problem. They fixed it from the AU and onwards and I have a brother with an AU wagon which has the clearest headlights I've seen and he's never cleaned or polished them. Here's a tip to try - i've tried it on my headlights (which are both cloudy evenly) it wont cost you much, and you can buy it in every supermarket. and its called.... TOOTHPASTE. yep, its been covered on this forum before. I've tried it on one of my headlights, as my bro polished the other one with mcquire's polish (available from auto shops like sprints/supercheap etc). Whilst you could tell the difference, it was surprising how effective the toothpaste was. Obviously avoid getting any on the paint because toothpaste is abrasive. But on the plastic it works fine and will polish up quite good with a bit of work. If you want a really good polish I'd recommend mcguires. Its good stuff - just go easy when applying polish to metallic paint, some polishes will destroy it (read the label and also try it on a small section thats not very visible first). Either way, they will get cloudy again in time. So re-apply whatever works for you as its needed.

If you look at the nissan logo, its in english. I reckon half (if not all) the people who run the company probably speak english as a 2nd language. I think its something to do with manufacturing cars that may (possibly) be sold worldwide. Also, if you see any pictures of tokyo for example there are english signs and numbers everywhere. I think it is now fairly accepted to have english names on japanese cars. It'd probably annoy us aussies if it was the other way round (not being racist) so I wonder how they really feel about it. Maybe its a case of what you're used to? Another example, the nissan stagea was only ever made for the local japanese market, yet the badges are all in english and I have a XANAVI tv/satnav system that also only supports japanese maps and NTSC signal, yet the climate control and CD player controls which are accessed via this unit are all in english. So english speaking people cant read the tv and satnav controls and japanese people cant read the climate control and cd player controls. Go figure?!

If you're servicing every 5000kms and the oil looks the same when it comes out as when it went in, then you're probably over-servicing. Most late model cars now only require servicing every 10,000kms. Personally I use fully synthetic oils and I wont be changing the oil any more often than every 10,000kms. My car is a 99 model with low kms though so with a 10-15 yo car it might pay to service it a little more often. Its your call. A lot of people are just paranoid that if they drive a km over 5000 km their engine is gonna blow up. Servicing every 5000km is going to make buying synthetic oil very expensive. Personally I'd rather change the oil every 10,000kms with fully synthetic oil than every 5000 with mineral oil. Just my opinion...

All of the "which is better/faster" questions aside, I'd be interested to find out some of the other points in the original topic of this thread. 1. Are there any major differences between AWD and RWD models? (ie. different suspension etc). 2. What is the fuel economy difference between AWD and RWD? (very hard to answer this one accurately since our fuel economy figures vary quite a lot anyway). Here's my list: 1) Weight difference due to front diff/ATTESA goodies, Traction Control in the RWD, and thats all I know about. 2) Average fuel economy for AWD ranges from 11.5 and 15L/100km around town and say, ~2L/100km less on the highway. I'd be interested in hearing fuel economy figures from those with RWD model stageas.

you've done well - it looks damn nice!! good luck with the sale, and with the new car Does it feel any different to drive? It looks like it has modified (lowered) suspension so I guess you cant really do a fair s1 to s2 comparison.

I'm wondering if you know why... I'm guessing you have a rwd stagea....what a surprise. Nothing wrong with either, but to state one is categorically better than the other is just giving misinformation to someone who may base their purchasing decision on whats mentioned in this thread (hopefully not!). I'm guessing more people will find more advantage from awd, but there are reasons you might prefer rwd. For me its a case of performance vs traction, and the fact that its the same as the AWD system in the GTR. You can still get enough performance from the awd after a few mods and then you have the best of both (my) criteria. Of course your decision might be based on entirely different factors.

The biggest difference is the weight. I think the AWD is about 150-200kg heavier due to the front diff and other AWD gear.

Mine has the hole as well. I previously had a JRD sport one from ebay (they look very similar) but I've gotta say the turbotech one is so much better its unbelievable. I had the old one set at 12psi but with the turbotech at 10psi I thought it was running over 14psi because it felt so much quicker. I've now put it up to 12psi and it had a few issues with pinging - since it holds 12 psi right through the rev range now whereas the old one faded off to 9psi by 6000rpm. So I've fiddled with the SAFC settings slightly and it seems to be ok now, not optimally tuned but good enough for daily driving. I dont boost it much. And when I do it still handles it fine, just that I know it could do better...and I'm tempted just to put it back to 10psi until I get more stuff done. Good luck with the extra boost I found that a 1/4 turn = about 2-3 psi on mine...

I've had 2 exhausts (on 2 separate turbo nissans) installed at AAA exhausts down at richmond and am pretty happy with their work. I'm no expert though, I just know they're priced reasonably and my exhaust sounds nice. (3" stainless, hi-flow cat, 2 mufflers)

You can get VQ25DET stageas manufactured prior to 2003 as far as I know. Would this mean that these stageas would also not be available for compliance? Or does the year play a part as well (ie. if ADR laws changed in '03 does this mean cars before '03 dont have to meet these laws?). There has been talk of getting the ADR's more inline with european specs and specs from other parts of the world. Apparently our emissions laws etc. make it pretty tough even for car manufacturers to get cars over here, and thats when they HAVE the option to do what they like to the car... lets hope this changes in the not-too-distant future or we'll all eventually be forced to drive falcodores or something [shudders] (ok, exaggerating a little).

For those interested, the difference between awkw and rwkw (with the front shaft removed) is ~20kw. This was on 2 different dynos so give or take 5kw or something... It helps to know when comparing power/weight ratios with other rwd cars. Also in the stagea's favour is the excellent 1st gear ratio (even in the auto) and 4.3 diff ratio, = great acceleration off the line, at the cost of fuel economy. Of course you cant compare cars perfectly this way but it is a (very) rough estimation... And for what its worth, its also been proven that the Stagea will be quicker in AWD mode than in RWD with the front shaft removed, despite the higher kw reading for RWD. So I'm guessing a RWD-mode stagea (assuming same weight, which RWD-only stageas aren't...) with 200rwkw would be a close match for an AWD stagea with 175-180awkw. Not taking the driver into account - this is just purely about comparing power outputs of similar cars. None of the above can be used as a strict conversion, but it is a fairly close estimate IMO.

mmm s2 eyelids in the rare case they're not to your liking I'd be happy to buy them off you Hopefully you'll be able to pick up a new centre console part somewhere without too much trouble. I know a couple of wreckers here in SA have had stageas in stock before (ie. half-cuts etc for parts).

I could be wrong here but I believe there is one big reason to go 2 exhausts at the back. With two pipes out the back (split after the cat), you get the same amount of airflow but with smaller pipes therefore less noise. It makes sense for those who want power without exhaust drone. I'm not 100% sure how much quieter 2 pipes are than 1 though...

The AWD system is a lot more advanced than something that just drives the front wheels when the rears slip. Thats more like how mechanical full-time AWD vehicles work, through a mechanical centre diff that drives the front when there's slippage in the rear, which basically gives you 2 different torque splits, one for normal and another for when there's slippage. Not all that technical. But ATTESA is different. It has a 16-bit processor that reads various different inputs from the car, including the ABS sensors from all 4 wheels to measure slippage, as well as longitudinal and latitudinal g-force sensors, that can help it to re-act to weight transfer front-back or sideways. The computer can respond to traction loss (or even when it anticipates there *might* be traction loss) in 1/100th of a second, which is why you cant feel it slipping. Also, because it works by sharing torque between the front and rear wheels, and is computer controlled, it can vary the torque split from ~95% rear to 50:50 or anywhere in between - as it sees fit. It knows if any wheel is slipping, or if the car is cornering quickly, or if the car is accelerating quickly - and it will transfer torque accordingly. Even on a dry road, if you put your foot to the floor it will likely end up transferring 50% of the torque to the front. It wouldn't slip anyway, but the system is just making sure you get Total Traction (which is what the two 'T's in ATTESA-ETS stand for = "Advanced Total Traction Electronic System for All - Electronic Torque Split"). The benefit of ATTESA over a traditional full-time AWD system is that you get the advantages of RWD (smaller turning circle, better fuel economy) for daily driving and the confidence and traction of AWD when you need it. For those who aren't aware, its the same AWD system that's in the skyline GTR, and I believe its also used in the newer nissan SUV's/4WD's as well although most likely with different computer logic as suited to the purpose of the vehicle.

The s1 has a "power" mode and separate "overdrive" switch but the S2 has neither. Well, I believe it DOES have a 'power' mode of sorts, just that it is automatic and not activated by a button, much like it will automatically go into power mode if you put your foot to the floor in a s1. The s2 is tiptronic, and you also have the 2,3, and Drive as well as the tiptronic mode. No real need for a gear to hold it in first, since leaving it in tiptronic will do this. But to turn overdrive off in a s2 you could just leave the gearstick in the "3" position which would essentially change gears as normal but not go into 4th/overdrive. The button in the centre console labelled "snow" will put the auto in "snow mode" if lit up, which basically just lets you start off in 2nd instead of 1st to improve traction in slippery areas...maybe good for towing. Most of us wont need to use it since it doesn't snow in very many places in australia. The button on the dash activates 50/50 torque split which may be useful if driving on a slippery surface but note that it only keeps 50/50 torque split up to a certain speed or revs (not sure exactly where the point is) and then it will revert to normal operation, transferring torque between the front and rear wheels as it sees the need. The ATTESA system can vary the torque split from 50/50 to full rear or anywhere in between. To oversimplify it, if any one wheel loses traction, it directs torque away from that wheel and to the wheels that still have traction. Its not a good idea to leave the 50/50 mode on all the time for daily driving as the system wasn't designed to work as a constant awd setup and this will likely end up with your clutch packs getting burned out = very expensive to fix. You'll find it pretty hard to lose traction even with the 50/50 button turned off anyway. Those who want more from the A/T should look into a shift kit from MV Automatics here in SA. Very good value for money and way better shift quality and speed. Most of the above info is on the forum and can be found by using the search button

I gotta say I dont mind the look of it. Is that a veilside kit? I'd lose the badge and maybe stick an original one back on or just leave it open... With a few mods it will easily be as quick as the ss commo. They're not that quick (mid 14s 1/4 mile - correct me if i'm wrong). The skyline would be a lot more involving to drive, although this could just be my opinion (shared by many on here no doubt). Once you get to rating 1 your insurance (and as you get older) should drop below $1000. I own a stagea which is insured by just car for just over $1000 a year and I'm 25. It depends if you want a semi-unique sports car or "just another commodore". I'd suggest the skyline will be able to match the performance of the ss whilst being easier on the fuel if properly tuned. Most people I know with ss commodores or v8 monaros average 15L/100km or more. Weigh it all up, because there are more differences between the two choices than just the cars - it will affect how people view you as well to an extent. Hope that helps. Good luck with the decision. I went from a vl commo to a nissan silvia and never looked back. Since then I have owned a second silvia (turbo) and now a stagea. Nothing wrong with any of them, just needed something faster and then something faster & bigger Then again, why not buy a stagea? you'll get loads of attention (none from cops) and they're very unique and have 4 doors, boot space, and plenty of performance potential. awd is nice too

It will run ok without one of these. Mine's hitting 160awkw just fine and there's still room to move to increase that, within the limits of the fuel pump/injectors. But I agree that the SITC will offer a big improvement in tuning capabilities and also in fuel consumption AND quicker boost buildup!! Yet as you mentioned, they are so rare that very few people have one...