JimX

Starter motors are expensive. The only issue I've had with a starter motor in the past was sometimes it would crunch/grind instead of kick over (this was on a Mini). Eventually started doing it more and more until I couldn't get it to kick over at all. When I pulled it out, it was full of scungy grease. I cleaned it all out and it put it back in and it was then fine. Might want to just pull it out and give it a clean, see if that helps. I'm not sure if your symptoms are the same as mine though.

Because Magnatec is a mineral oil and breaks down a lot easier than synthetics in turbo engines. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. All of its virtues of "sticking" to upper engine parts are also apparent in any other good quality oil. "Magnatec" is pure marketing!

My Bilsteins didn't come with an adjustable platform.

Where's he located?

Thanks, I'll see if I can track him down

Does Quicktrak interface ok with your existing alarm or do you have to buy one of theirs? I know they work well with Brant alarms/immobilisers and you can even buy them in a package. But I was just thinking if you have an alarm already it would be good if you could save a few bucks and keep using it. Even if it's a relatively crappy alarm/immobiliser, the tracking system should give you peace of mind.

Anyone know who does a good wheel repair in Sydney? I need to take a few gutter scratches out, plus strip back all the paint so I can powdercoat them (at another place I already have lined up). Balancing them would also be good. I had one guy look at my wheels when my car was getting repaired, but he refused to do them because they are 2 piece wheels and he said he wouldn't be able to get the paint into the deep grooves where the spokes meet the rim. But I spoke with my powdercoating guy and he said deep grooves are not a problem for the powdercoating. I just need someone who can strip back the old paint.

Make sure you get a wheel alignment after you lower it, because your toe angle will be out. I neglected to do an alignment on mine after lowering it, and my front 2 tyres wore down to the steel belts on the inner edges, but the middle to outer edges still had nearly full tread! It only took about 6 months to get like that.

I don't know of any insurance company that would void your insurance for handing over your keys at gunpoint.

I already have them, and shorter than that. Sorry if your car is done like that and I offended you, I didn't mean to. It's just my opinion, and probably a lot of others or I'm sure we'd see more of it around. Ok it's not fugly, just seems a bit "untidy" to me. But each to my own, I'm not going to bag it out! I was kidding earlier. There are much fuglier engine bays than that one

V8's have most of their grunt down low. If they can't beat you off the line then you should be able to pull away as the revs climb. I've done it with a Commodore in the street and the GTR's and Sierras did it to the Commodores at Bathurst on Conrod straight.

Probably because it's so fugly

Rough tracking price guide: Around $2000 install and first year's fee, plus around $350 per year thereafter.

Get a cat from Batmbl in the for sale forums, but you will probably need a custom dump/front pipe. $250 for remove/replace of turbo seems ok I guess, but get a few different quotes from different workshops to be sure.

Weird. When I took my S-AFC off the car got better at not stalling. This is compared to whether I had the Dec.Air settings on or off on the S-AFC. Very very odd!

I've parked at Macquarie plenty of times too without any problems, but that doesn't mean that it's safe. I've seen more posts in forums of cars (not just Skylines) going missing from Macquarie than anywhere else. At least 3, and one where he was only in the centre for half an hour. I've had the badge off my Commodore stolen from there, which doesn't mean that they would have stolen the car if possible, but it does give you an indication of the type of people that hang around there. Think about it - Macquarie is in the middle of nowhere, no secure parking, and the carpark is huge. If there are any car parks that are more prone to thefts than others, Macquarie would be up there. Macquarie Uni may be different, I don't know. I've never parked in there but I suspect they may have better security patrols. I wouldn't say Mac Uni is bad just because the shopping centre is.

In theory, you won't ever use any more fuel with an S-AFC installed as it generally leans out the fuel map all over the place, so you get more power for the same amount of throttle used. But with more power on tap, there can be more tendency to floor it more often It's all dependant on the driver really. Some parts of my S-AFC map increased the fuel flow, mostly in the mid range. But it wasn't in many at all and I still managed to generally save fuel when I had it running.

If you did it yourself, nothing I would hope! Seriously though, it depends on how much is the same and how many mods need to be done. If it's a straight bolt-up including water and oil lines, then I would say it would be done in under 2 hours. Plus a coolant flush I guess. But I'm guessing that some exhaust work may be needed. Add in $200-300 for a custom dump pipe plus fitting.

The 7250i generally gets sold on Ebay for around $600 unopened. Dick Smith sell the 7250i for $730 and they aren't the cheapest around. I think $375 for a used 7250 is a reasonable price. No one would pay $750 for a 7250.

An S-AFC will reduce your fuel consumption and increase your power, but don't go looking for a quantum leap in either. You might get +20 to 30 rwkw depending on what other mods you have, and fuel consumption might drop from high 13's to low or mid 13's per 100km depending on how you drive it. I think 13.8L/100km isn't too bad at all. Edit: If you like flooring it a lot, your fuel consumption will probably go up with an S-AFC.

I don't think there is a single Westfield in Sydney I know of where a Skyline hasn't been stolen from. I think Macquarie is still the worst though. Every other one I go to I always park as close as possible to an entrance, and on go the alarm and steering lock and off comes the stereo face. And I'm outta there within an hour everytime to help minimise risk.

Most car jackers do have guns. I was suprised to hear that this bunch didn't (maybe they are just clueless). I know personally of 1 person that has been carjacked with a pistol (and his car joyridden briefly and written off) and know third hand of 1 or 2 others.

My intake piping near the throttle body/engine/radiator was a shitload hotter in the factory location, when compared to the new piping in the front-facing location which doesn't really go near any of those aforementioned things. I've been told by a few people that the air moves too quickly for heat soak to be an issue, but i dunno, the old piping method is so long that it has to have at least some measurable effect. Edit: my old intercooler was still front mount, so the piping near the radiator (under) wasn't "factory" as such, but the rest of it was fairly stock standard.

I think the ST115's are softer than the ZE326's, which would mean that the higher the number, the softer it is? My girlfriend's Nankang EX601's have a treadwear of 320, and they last a pretty long time. I can't imagine the ST115's lasting any longer than that.

Well, I can agree with the sentiment I guess. But you have to look at the overall picture, especially if you want to mod the car. For example, mildly modded WRX's and Pulsar GTiR's blow gearboxes all over the place, but the only turbo Skylines that blow boxes are cranking out over 600-700hp. That's GTR or GTS-t. I don't think the Silvia's box is that tough (but I'm not sure). I would just say that all the cars you mentioned are close enough in performance for it to be not a deciding factor in what you want. Look at other things such as styling, practicality (rear seat and boot space), how much you want to stand out from the crowd (or like me, how much you want to blend in), etc. Also keep in mind the gearbox, because it is often the case that buying a stronger box may cost more than an engine rebuild.