StageaTypeS

Emanage Ultimate is your best bet, as it retains your std computer whilst giving you full tunability equivalent to that of a Power FC. My car with an emanage Ultimate and basic mods e.g. exhaust, intercooler, ebc is putting down 203awkw. Speak to Trent at Status tuning he knows his stuff and did my tune.

I have a set of Standard wheels from my Stagea Type S they are 17 x 7 +30 offset. with 215 50 17 tyres The tyres still have most of there tread although they are cheapy nexans put on by the dealer for compliance purposes. These would probably fit, if your interested then send me a message. I have included a pic so you can see what they look like.

Hmmm I reckon thats a bit too blue Darrin, the Stagea being such a big car I reckon it needs a subtle shade. I really like dark colours e.g. dark Purple / Plum or Black. Also I have seen some really nice BMW colous lately that I reckon would suit the Stagea Silver Gray Metallic and Sparkling Graphite Metallic the second one looks awesome in the flesh kind of changes colour slightly in the light.

Wow some of those graphics are pretty insane. That Lamborghini with the graffiti is pretty cool never seen that before. I hate to think what some of those paint jobs cost though. Probably more than the cars in some cases.

Unless you specifically want an auto go Manual. I reckon your best bet would buy an R32 or R33 GTR front cut and drop the motor and gearbox straight in then sell your motor and gearbox to recoup some cash. (You might even get some nice brembos for the front also)

For those who haven't seen it check out this NZ Stagea "Pure Methamphetamachine". I miss living in NZ jap cars were so cheap and we had so much freedom to do whatever we liked to them. Oh well OZ weather is better http://www.skylinesdownunder.com/forums/sh...5206&page=3

I have found Trutrack suspension very good to deal with in the past they may be able to help you. They stock Bilstein, Eibach and Whiteline stuff and should be able to sort you out with anything you need. They are in the city. There website is www.trutrack.com.au

Hi Ryan, Yeah no worries mate happy to take you for a spin, I'm out in Newport not too far from you.

Yeah sounds like your shocks and springs are shot, and looking at the pics I wouldn't be surprised if the rear of your stag is almost sitting on the bumpstops. Although I am certainly no expert on the subject I would have thought a good set of coilovers with some reasonable weight springs in the rear would be the way to go. Get coilovers with lower adjustable spring seats in the rear this way you can adjust the preload in the rear to compensate for the added weight. I believe the std stagea spring rates are around 3-3.5kg FYI I run 8kg front and 6.8 kg rear eibach springs in my Stagea and it is still pretty comfortable for every day use. Also when you get rear springs ensure you get ones with linear coils as progressively wound coils will sag straight away as soon as you put the trailer on.

Nah imo the spring rates are too soft and that is alot of money for essentially a non adjustable setup that will only lower the car around 20mm. You would be far better off going and buying some good dampers e.g. Bilstein / Koni and a set of matched Eibach, Whiteline or Lovells springs. I don't know why everyone is so nervous about suspension don't be scared to go and match your own setup to get the ride you want. Any good suspension shop can advise a reasonable setup depending on your requirements. I recommend the following. If your not getting a matched set of coilovers get the best name brand dampers you can afford. Then buy a set of off the shelf springs and specify your rates. Good spring manufactures offer almost an endless variety of weights / diameters depending on your requirements. The main thing is you just have to know what you are going to use your car for and match the rates accordingly. 3-4kg springs are only slightly firmer than std good for street driving imo I run 6.8kg rear and 8kg front but my car is manual and I plan on running it in a few track days so I wanted a firmer setup, still reasonably comfortable for street use though. (My rates are based on the nismo setup for the RS260) I have heard of people running up to 10 and 12 kg springs in a stagea. This would be bloody hard though and not what I would recommend.

Tricky question. I have a C34 Type S which I love but I also like M35's, if I was going out tomorrow to buy one I am not sure I could easily decide either. I could see why your missus might like the M35 they are certainly nice looking, a bit softer and less sports orientated more luxury cruiser in my opinion. One thing I would check is the availablity of spares, even with S2 C34's people have trouble finding some Stagea specific parts especially brake pads and replacement brake disks. Typically the only option available is oem which is bloody expensive. (If you get a C34 you can swap R33 GTST brakes onto it, they are better anyway then you have no issues with parts, also any suspension or engine parts are common with skylines.) On the M35 I think everything is unique to that model so I dare say if anything went wrong mechanically it wouldn't be cheap to fix. Being so new I doubt there are many parts to come by at wreckers and stuff either. But on the flip side its a newer car so it is possible you won't have any problems. That said the gearbox in my fathers SL Mercedes went after 2 years for no reason. It was under warranty but I hate to think what it would have cost to repair if it was out of warranty. Even new cars can have problems sometimes its just luck if the draw.

Yeah I had the exact same spotlights fitted and the same switch. Only my switch was located to the right of the steering wheel in one of the switch blank spots. I have since removed my spots as I cut out my front bumper for my intercoller but the switch is still there.

Cool, all sounds pretty good. Count me in for any group buy. The NZ site JDMPerformance has the Strut bars listed at $275 NZD that works out to be $215 AUD. Maybe we should order bars from them and get them shipped over to OZ. Even with the cost of local postage once it gets to OZ which I can't imagine would be that much I reckon the total price would come in well under $300. Just one thing I am not sure are they quoting the same bar or is this a different Greddy bar hence why it is cheaper.

mmmm Greddy. I am keen

The newer stageas M35 only come in auto / Tiptronic. There are 2 configurations as far as I know a VQ25det engine option and also a VQ25DE engine option. Apparently there is also a VQ35DE model (non turbo) this is apparently the top model Stagea I think this may have a manual option but it is bloody rare and I am not even sure if this model is available for import into Australia. If you are looking for an M35 model the pick of the bunch would be an Autech Axis Stagea. On the other hand the older C34 models have alot more options and tuning parts available. There is a couple in Manual also either the RS260 or Type S, virtually the same but only has an RB25DET as opposed to the RB26dett that the RS260 has. I have a C34 Type S and I love it. C34 S1 ran from 1996 to 1998 C34 S2 ran from 1998 to 2001 M35 till 2007 although only models earlier than 2003 are eligible to be imported into Australia as after this time the engine doesn't meet emissions or something like that. Either model of Stagea is awesome but in summary if you are wanting something to do up and modify then go C34 as there are more available parts and manual is an option. If you just want a nice fast cruiser an just want to put some rims and maybe some suspension into it then maybe go M35 but it will cost a bit more to buy. Cheers

Get a set of R33 GTR coilovers, spec the spring rates so that the rears rate matches the front or is only slightly lighter. The rear strut tops for the Stagea are about an inch smaller than the GTR's. Its a simple mod for any machine shop, just take out the rear shocks and you'll see exactly what is required. Also before getting the rear strut tops machined I had a couple of people suggest just modifying the standard stagea strut tops and useing these. (DO NOT GET CONNED INTO DOING THIS) I won't waste your time explaining all of the reasons why but trust me there is a good reason that when you pay for expensive coilovers they come with Billet Strut tops. FYI I am running Greddy Typs S coilovers. 8 kg front (Std Greddy coils) and 6.8kg rears (Eibach). The standard Greddy rear coils were 6kg but progressive and too soft for the weight of a wagon in the rear. Make sure you get linear coils for the rear. Anyways I love the way my car handles now (some may find it firm but I like it) the guys that setup my suspension do a few track GTRs and they reckoned it was a nice ride so I am happy based on that feedback. Also the whiteline subframe alignment kit is also a good mod for making the rear end feel a bit more sorted but you do feel alot more small bumps and such through the rear end as it eliminates any give in the subframe. I have attached a couple of pics the first one is of the standard Greddy Coilovers before they went into the car. The second is of the rear strut top after it was modified, you can see where one of the original bolt holes its the half circle cut out in the middle of the strut top. Hope that helps you mate.

I would certainly be interested in one if a Group Buy goes ahead. QWK32 you should setup an EOI so that you can get a feel for the numbers, I am sure if we can get at least 10 people then any trader would be happy to give us a discount of sorts maybe 10% . Imo I think the OS strut brace would be the way to go, if your gonna do it might as well do it right and the arse end of the stagea needs quite alot of strengthening across the middle. Strapping a good looking pipecleaner across might look good but I would be dubious about how much additional briacing it would provide.

I think the only crisis I'll be having will be if the missus thinks I want to spend anymore money on cars. I have been promising her I will stop for a while now (have to sneakily get mods done that she can't see when the cars in for a service) Oh the joy of fitting a boost controller and Emanage ultimate he he he. Evomitchy I hate you also, (How do you give a guy shit who has two awesome evos and a cool stagea???)

Hmmm so it sounds to me as long as I don't modify anything that looks remotely like a skyline I should be able to fly under the radar and do what I like? At the moment I have a little bit of extra cash and I am seriously considering taking on my first big project. I currently own a Nissan Stagea (Manual Type S) and I am considering buying a RB26 totally rebuilding it (Properly) and dropping it in, also redoing all of the suspension components and probably tidy up the body and some of the interior at the same time. I already have done a reasonable amount of work to the car but to get it where I want I estimate it is probably going to be in the region of another $30,000. The big thing I am fearful of is that I will spend all my money on my pride and joy and I will be left with a car that I can't take on the road which would be an absolute waste. The alternative is something that has tempted me for a long time, buy an old 240z and transplant a newer engine and drivetrain into it. I think they have some of the nicest lines of any car ever made and I would love to have a classic car like this but with all the advantages of a modern car. Would I be better off spending my hard earned on this? I have attached a pic of what I mean, I hate to think how much this example cost all up but you certainly get the idea of what I am after. Does anyone know of someone who has attempted a project like this?

Thanks for the info guys, I must admit i have tried reading all the various legislation around what is allowed and what isn't and I am still confused. I think there is certainly a bit of a bias towards harrassing us import owners as opposed to some of the muscle car owners. I mean really what is the likelihood of an old charger with a blown LS2 with 1000hp actually meeting emissions, now the engine is pretty recent and came out well after ADR's were established shouldn't it therefore comply and some of the examples I have seen have had alot more than the 1 intake mod that is supposedly allowed. How is this for an idea, would I be able to get an old Torana rip the body off and transplant it onto a R32 GTR Chassis? Would that then mean I could modify the car as much as I want because the shell predates alot of the new legislation? That would certainly be an interesting project and I am sure would give a few of the V8 boys the shits at full noise.

What are the rules regarding modifying a car and how far can you take it whilst keeping it legal? The reason I ask is I know of the usual headaches e.g. only 1 intake modification, the cutting of the chassis for installing front mount intercoolers, tyres supposedly only allowed to be 1 inch wider than standard and so on. My question is this, if we are unable to do these modifications to our cars how do people build hot rods or older V8's and legally drive them on the road. In alot of cases they fit different engines e.g. Chevy V8's in some cases blown, they often modify the chassis, fit hugely wide rear tyres, so many mods that the car is barely recognisable from the standard car? How do these cars comply with the ADR and emissions laws and how can they be driven on the road legally am I missing something. I would like to know this because I want to know how far I can modify my car whilst still keeping it road legal, at the moment from everything I have read and the people I have asked it appears I can do bugger all so how do the hot rodders get away with it? Any help or info would be really appreciated

I am glad they don't make a R35 GTR wagon cos if they did the house would be for sale tomorrow. I would happily live out of one of those babies its F***ing awesome. (Missus would be pissed as though, maybe I could trade her on a GTR coupe ) No no no bad bad thoughts....... I shall love my wife, the car does not come first.

That would be my recommendation (I believe even the Sydney Kid kits used R33GTST rear shocks with spring rates specific to the Stagea.) There are quite a few posts in the suspension area regarding the coilovers and i have posted my setup there but basicly in summary after quite a bit of research I came up with the following formula. Depending on the spring rate of the coilovers you select I would suggest getting the same rate or slightly lower in the rear. When I was researching suspension for my car the Nismo Stagea kits for the RS260 were around Front 6.0 Rear 6.4 and most other kits I found were between 6 - 10 kg often with the back been a slightly lower rate than the front. My rule of thumb was to go somewhere around the middle, I currently run 8kg front and 6.8kg rear springs. I really like the ride and it is spot on for my needs, I do live in melbourne and do alot of freeway driving though. If you lived in a rural area and travelled on rough or gravel roads you may find that softer springs are a bit more comfortable. Hope that helps

I love my Stagea, there is something special about them and I am sure everyone who owns one knows exactly what I mean. I can't say I will own it forever but if I have the cash I would eventually like to retire it from everyday use and build a one of a kind grand tourer. What better car to travel around OZ in. Also (I don't want to offend anyone else here) I have come to the conclusion that alot of people who drive some of the 'Other' performance cars out there are tossers especially the Evo and WRX drivers (I have a few mates that fall into this category ha ha ha) They all reckon they are the worlds best drivers (Nothing to do with the car) and trying to drag anything that looks remotely fast off at every other set of traffic lights. What point does this have other than increasing your chances of losing your licence?????? I dunno. Most Stagea owners in my view are typically a bit more educated and don't have a point to prove on the roads. I mean unless you are in the know who would go out with the intention of buying a Stagea? I have met a couple of Stagea drivers on the road and a couteous wave or a thumbs up is all that is required not a drag at the lights. Funnily enough though I did have one instance recently (Makes me smile even now thinking back) where I was travelling up the Nepean highway it was the middle of the day and I was heading to the city. A WRX Clubspec with exhaust and boost gauge (You know the ones) on the dash pulls up beside me and the spotty faced driver with the baseball cap winds down his window. "Hey Mate what sort of car is that?" A Nissan Stagea I reply. "Is it any good? wanna have a race?" driver says. At the same time his 2 mates in the car are like "Come on man, bet its slow its a wagon and such." Now I am not really a racer I value my licence too much and also I have nothing to prove, but on this occasion I thought what the heck the roads were quiet and I had recently had my car tuned and the boost wound up and wanted to see what it would do. (203awkw in a manual type s) So anyway here we are at the lights and this guy in the Subie starts revving the crap out of it, I give it a bit of gas maybe 4000 but I wasn't about to break my car to prove a point. The lights change and the subie is all noise doesn't go very far though, he is about half a car in front of me in first. Then change to 2nd and see you later, whilst he is changing to 3rd I blow past him to 90k then into 3rd up to about 130 before backing off, he is a good 2 car lengths at least behind me at this stage. That was the last I saw of them as they turned off the highway not far after this. I would have loved to see their faces it still cracks me up even now. That is why if nothing else the Stagea is a keeper what other car can bring these evo and wrx drivers down to earth whilst at the same time helping you move house or towing the caravan to take the family away for a long weekend.

Good luck with your car shopping, I reckon you'd be happy with either of those examples. If you are planning on keeping the car for a while e.g. the next 5 years then I would probably go the M35 personally i reckon they are on par and in some cases better than some of the euro offerings for half the price. But if you just want a reliable comfortable wagon with reasonable performance get a c34 (With the extra cash put some nice rims on it and get a good stereo installed, one with a dvd in the back and everyones happy)