Gradenko

KILLER-T, its unfortunate that the avcr didn't "learn" itself back to the preset boost pressure. I'd say running 1.5bar (for how everlong) would have had a big part to play. adam (r32 adam), please name names. I'm sure none of us here want to be caught out by shady tuning places. But yeah, reliability is important. Even after the simplest of mods (cat back), i was off to the local dyno place, not so much for the power reading, but to check AF ratios. I knew beforehand that these cars run very, very rich but I needed to be sure the fuel pump wasn't on its way out or that the injectors weren't clogged. So yeah, keeping an eye on AF ratios is a good start. But perhaps replacing the head gasket, early on, with something stronger would be a good precaution too. Came across Ben Ellis's starlet gt while doing a bit of light reading today (HPI no17). The car put out a fair bit of power (fmic, turbo) and ran great, until it died. Turns out the standard head gasket was getting a bit old and leaked coolant into the engine. Coolant was eventually used up and the engine over heated, lots of damage done - block was un-useable. So on engines that take as much stress as ours do, it doesn't look like we can stand around waiting for the head gasket to go. Not saying everyone should go out and buy metal gaskets, probably only those with engines that are starting to get a fair bit different from factory trim.

On a R33, its best to bypass the boost solenoid altogether. So tap the bleeder into a line going from intake piping (compressed side) to wastegate. Also, for us non-fuel computer guys, it might be a good idea to recirculate air thats being bled off. That way, the ecu isn't fueling for air that isn't there and the engine doesn't run rich(er).

I'm a bit concerned about the number of RB's doing in pistons. KILLER-T, was there anything wrong with the tuning of the engine which led to the blown piston ring land? Or was it a case of a slightly worn motor being pushed to its limits with high compression? I always thought that the rb25 was strong enough to handle a new turbo with a bit of boost, as long as fueling was looked after and boost was kept sensible. But it looks like we should be using precautions to make sure engine internals don't get damaged. At the 300hp point (or killer-t's level), what should we be doing to protect the engine? Lowering compression seems bit excessive when running moderate boost with no pinging, so when does a thicker head gasket become a nessacity?

I don't know about others, but my definition of drift is sliding completley through a corner - from entry to exit. Thats also the same definition that the japs use, if the anime Initial D is anything to go by. Given that, I've never drifted in my life but I sure do powerslide out of corners a lot 8)

NIZ180, I'm not sure if your teins (shocks or coilovers?) have camber adjustment, but a stock R33 has no front camber adjustment and limited rear adjustment. Whiteline have replacement polyurethane bushes for front and rear control arms that allow for camber adjustment. http://www.whiteline.com.au Pricing of the bushes is reasonable, although labour costs for a full set of rear bushes (inner and outer control arm) could be excessive. A fair bit of time is needed as the wheel hub has to be removed and taken to a hydraulic press to remove the outer bushes. Don't let this deter you tho, replacing just the rear inner bushes maybe enough to sort out the camber problems.