LSX-438

True not new, offset bushes arent new. However these are the first that fit the R35 (custom made) and probably the only ones that exist. I ended up with about 2.7*, it now cuts through corners like a hot knife through butter, & seems to have eliminated some oversteer.

I seen one this morning, gun metal, never thrashed at a track on Sundays

Has anyone installed a tow hook at the rear of their R35, how did you do it? (I may a rear tow hook for the upcoming National supersprint at Phillip Island) I've seen them installed various tarmac cars, but these cars have been virtually stripped with most guards/panels removed. So i'm thinking they just welded something on when it was all apart. Dunno if i want to do that though. Any pointers or ideas, greatly appreciated. thx!

I think the falling ratings were always going to happen no matter which host. The honeynoon & novelty is well and truely over. Time for some new schtick! But the nature of the TG "franchise" perhaps means they are stuck where they are. To be frank it looks like a repackaged "Hey Hey It's Saturday" pretending to be a car show (playing soccer with cars, drag racing jet planes etc etc) have they dressed up as women yet, does it have plukka duck? Even the UK show suffers from this variety show disease. Anyway i guess they need to cater to non-car people for ratings, especially in our tiny market. Car people think it's lame, non-car people quickly lose interest.

I agree TG Australia isnt the best, but surely it's better than nothing? I reckon they should deviate from the homogenized franchise formula (with the characters and sets) and do some unique stuff, make it their own. The problem is people watch the contrived/copied sets and (poorly executed) scripted joke segments, it just doesnt work. Make it more aussie!

if they made the HRT 427 i would have bought one. Ditto the Coupe 60. But they didn't, and i have a GTR in the garage now.

Has anyone swapped out their diff fluids yet, what did you use and how did it go? Do any of you get the locker style binding/chatter on low speed turns? (a lot of the USA guys seem to get it). The stocker fluid is Castrol SAF-XJ 75W-140, and a lot of the USA guys are using Motul Competition gear oil 75W-140 which is available here readily too. Thoughts?

I took the R35 out for a blat in round #5 of the NSW sprints on Sunday. Last time out i ran a 1:05.3; changes to the car since are: 1. Upper control arm modification (offset bushes) to yield an extra 1* of neg camber 2. Addition of Willall midpipe 3. Changed from 295 RE55's to a new combination (18/265/35 fronts, 18/285/30 rears) 4. Carbotech XP12 pads on the front Unfortunately i had a problem with the tyre combo. The rolling diameter must be out too much (front to back) because when you reach a certain speed the traction control cuts in (and power is lost). So this combination is no good for the track. I had nil issues with the bigger 295's all round. Also, i think the lower 30 series profile just doesnt work as well as the 35's - the 295's were definitely quicker. I had to drive the car harder to even come close to my pb of 1:05.3, anyway lesson learnt! don't try the 265/285 RE55 setup guys. The Willall y-pipe makes the car sound less like a domestic dust sucking device, you can actually hear the thing now! And apparently it adds about 14rwkw, nice. Thanks Martin. With the additional camber, the car turns into corners like a hot knife through butter, initially too sharp i thought (believe it or not) but i soon adapted. I can't wait to get a proper set of tyres back on, it's going to be a killer setup. The Carbotech XP12 front pads held up well. These probably arent as good as some but at $320US for a front set, worth trying for those going through the pads. I might try something else next. I've been told the Evo 9 front pads are exactly the same as the R35 rears, so we might try that soon. Very cost effective potentially. Anyway i managed to go backwards 0.2 of a second for a 1:05.5, 3rd outright on the day. I reckon with the 295's it will easily run a 1:04.x - maybe next time. I really think the tyres let me down. Here's a little video of my quickest lap of the day: If anyone if interested in where i get tyres, pads or the control arm bush modification, send me a PM. Cheers ps- how do you "embed" youtube videos? just use the "video" tag? didnt seem to work.

At a suspension place today, following progress of an interesting R35 suspension modification they are developing an offset suspension mount and matching bushes. This is a plug and play option which yields about an extra 1* of negative camber. This easily reversible modification involves no cutting nor body modifications. Plug and play. Not bad. Progress pics below... This will be track tested shortly, i will post up impressions soon.

Are you using the same wheels/tyres? Also are you reading the speed from the speedo or drftbox? Could the difference we've seen with GPS units vs car speedo account for the top speed variance? Doesnt explain the 0~100 thing i guess.

How did you go? Did you end up getting that pro driver to have a blat? Btw my R35 is sitting in the garage now, with about 2.8* of neg camber (after some nifty mods, offset bushes, details later!)

True the tirerack ones are about the same. However i think the shipping was insane, as it can be from some of the ebay sellers too. You really need to shop around on the shipping.

I had a TomTom satnav in the car the other day, and i noticed the car speedo read 5 to 6 km/hr higher than the GPS unit.

I dont know about avoiding Caltex 98 "at all costs" - that's a tad alarmist i reckon. I've been using it for months and never had an issue. I'm not suggesting all 98's are exactly the same, but i would think they are more likely similar vs being vastly different. With oils, your user manual lists all those "ordained" (eg. mobil 1 for engine). Are you getting the car serviced by Nissan? If so, i would hazard a guess you dont have much choice.

I cant speak for the Dunlops but i have done 5 track days using a single set of 18" RE55's - and they are shagged now. Might get another day out of them but i think the performance of them is gone (perhaps too many heat cycles). The RE55's are much faster than the 20" Bridgestones (by at least 2 seconds around Oran Park for me anyway). Price for the RE55's is about $600~$650 each. I would love to see how well the 20" Dunlops go in comparison, by all accounts they are better than the OEM Bridgestones. You can't beat the convenience of running the same wheels/tyres you rock up in. But by using dedicated track rims/tyres you at least have some "backup". I don't think the rubber is the only part of the equation when going to 18's.... You are changing gearing (by about 12%) and also reducing weight (by about 6kg at each corner). These things make a difference too. Anyway out of interest, what's the best price for the 20" Dunlops locally?

A few weeks back i needed to transport some track tyres to Wakefield Park/Goulburn in the R35, even though i used some old drop sheets, i got dust and crap throughout the car. Two tyres in the back, one in the front and one in the boot. It was a mess! So i went on a mission to find some spiffy tyre covers. But I just couldnt find what i wanted in Australia, but i found some in the USA (via ebay).... VERY VERY happy with the quality and how easy they go on. They come with various velcro fittings and a carry "handle" which makes things easy. Highly recommended. They cost about $20AU each landed. Search for "tire tote" on ebay USA if you want some. These should easily fit over most tyres (they are 285/18's in the pics).

Goodluck Mark! I've never been the QR, but it seems like you have a good mix of cars going. Do you have track tyres? If not (and the 996T does) he might hand your arse to you Tyres are the No.1 mod in my book. Make sure you get some pics and video!

Awesome. I can bring a performance box out there if you like.

Didnt someone already post the outcome (of the Top Gear Oz unrestricted GTR test)? Suffice to say VERY close to GT2 time.

why don't you just pay someone to drive the car for you? You won't even have to turn the steering wheel then? Kind of takes the fun out of though hey? And I don't agree with this don't-knock-it-until-you've-tried-it logic. What about dog shit? Wholly emotive long bow batman!

Conventional manuals do give you a very different level of "engagement" for sure. The R35 package yields impressive track results - resetting the performance benchmark (for a sub-$300k road car anyway). I dont think anyone who has coughed up for one (and driven it on the track) would then go about destroying that package.

I've just tried some Carbotech XP12 pads (for track work) and to be honest i wasnt overly impressed. Plus they squeal like there is no tomorrow (after a few days of light road use, like most track pads i guess) and it's a major PITA - so i've just put the stocker pads back on (super quiet again, thank god). Anyway has anyone priced the stocker pads? From Nissan it's probably a bloody fortune, so i am not going to bother asking. But, perhaps someone has sourced them elsewhere? They are Brembo pads right?

Would be great to get a pro to set a benchmark. I was watching a GT2 lap around there doing 42's - it looked fast.

Nulon Pro Strength, you should be able to get it at most of the bigger servos. FWIW i switch between Caltex and BP (only) & i havent really noticed a difference. I dont think you would notice knock retard events (due to detonation brought on by low octane) as you've described. It would be less dramatic, switching to a lower timing table and gradually switching back to the higher timing table as knock events disappear over a period of time. I wouldnt think you would get sudden KR like that (where the car noticably bogs or decelerates) *only* on launch and no other time. Does it happen any other time? I bet it doesnt. It really just sounds like intrusive traction control to me. Do you use 'R' mode? Could it be the surface you are on? What tyres do you have, are they shagged? And what about tyre pressures, you havent inflated them to 40+ or something? I think GTR's have 29-ish or thereabouts recommended. Anyway, some stuff to ponder.

This might help? http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?sh...amp;hl=clicking