djr81

Well, as it happens, yes. It just worries me that the questions you are asking betray a lack of a firm understanding on your behalf as to what you need to do to achieve well, you haven't really stated that clearly. Changng the length of the links in the suspension is dead easy (It is common practice to change all the upper link lengths as well as the caster rods). Relocating pick up points, be they on the chassis or on the hubs is a completely different kettle of fish. Only when you have developed (ie drawn) all the geometry, calculated the roll centres and plotted the centre of gravity relative to the roll centres can you be in any position to make a first pass estimate of any changes you may require I never did say it was pointless, but it is difficult & not the sort of thing to play around with on a whim. Anyway, as has been said previously, it's nice to be nice. So all the best with your mods.

Will the trust sump extension kit with baffle and pick up reduce my blow by? NO. I have seen this happen to a few cars now. Mostly it is related to having too much oil in the head of the motor & it overwhelming your catch can. Sometimes it is dependent on whether a circuit is clockwise or anticlockwise - people can have problems if their catch can is on the passenger side & the circuit is anticlockwise. Have you plumbed the can back into the sump?

I dunno either. The only things that come to mind are: Check the sidewall deflection on the 17's. This may be tyre pressures, or it may be due to the height of the side walls. Dunno what the psi boys on 18's were running, but mine were only 35# on account of needing to generate some temps on a cold day. My shit box (White car on 17's) was still understeering too much. Must work harder....

If you want to compare 17's with 18's have a look at page 17 of the series of photos from the 22nd of July (Last week) at Wanneroo. They are on www.circlework.com.au at the bottom of the page. Two of the GT-R's are on 18's & one on 17's. have a look and make of it what you will...

David, The R compounds will help you most on tracks where lateral grip is important (eg Phillip Island liek you say) like you say. You will find most tyre shops can actually source R compounds. You have to get past two things: 1: Most people don't know what the hell you are talking about (Eg "there is no such thing as an R compound tyre" as stated by my local Bridgestone shop proprietor.) 2: Unless you know the people running the joint they will probably pineapple you for the price. If you know someone who owns/works/runs a shop try there first.

No it shouldn't.

Hose just about every link, cable or whatever in WD40. This will free everything up & stop your problems. Afterwards you may want to slop some white grease about.

The Whiteline bushes (the yellow ones) are actually quite a bit softer than the (red) nolathane type.

That is they joy of Group A racing. Or any productions based racing, really. Road car components getting pushed well beyond their design limits. For all their complexities, the GT-R's were much more reliable than, for example, the Sierra's. Even the BMW M3's had their problems. I think it was 1993 that the CAMS rev limiter fried all the ECU & grenaded the BMW's motors. Tony Longhurst went ballistic.

Yeah, clearly everything is the fault of the US. Aside from the fact that they stopped supplying the Iranians with anything much close on thirty years ago. About the time the Iranians kidnapped a heap of US citizens & kept them locked up for some 400 odd days. Iraq has been more recent. I seem to remember a small war in about 1990. So not much has gone their way since then. Hezbollah are being supplied money, rockets & much else besides from Iran & Syria. Even George Bush has figured that much out. As for the North Koreans. Well they still have the shits because of the atrocities the Japanese committed there during the second world war. A relatively fresh grievance in the overall scheme of things...

That's nice. It's nice to be nice, isn't it.

Q1: To install the kits you need a hydraulic press. Best left to the experts. Q2: Yes.

Merlin, I think you mean the upper arm. Actually I am curious to discover what brand of arm Strich9 has. For my 10 cents - if you take your Skyline anywhere within 100 miles of a circuit you need camber adjustment to get the thing to work at all well. The front tends to suffer from a lack of camber adjustment in roll with the unhappy consequence of bulk understeer. If you lower a GT-R the camber effect on the rear is more pronounced than on the front. You get loads of negative camber on the rear that you don't want or need. The rear kits actually dial out negative camber. You don't get sufficient negative camber on the front unless you go silly with the ride height. So the front kits usually get used to increase the negative camber. Some people, however, just want a lowered road car & go the other way on the front. Oh and camber plates are only for MacPherson struts. Wishbone suspended cars would never need such a horrible device.

Actually, what is being said is that there is any amount of aftermarket bonnets, spoilers, guards that offer more cooling, less weight and, combined with a cheaper price, mean a GTS-T doesn't have to look like a GT-R Wanna be. Yep, the seat are better than GTS-T seats. Bride seats are better again. An Aluminium GT-R bonnet is lighter than a steel GTS-T bonnet - but not as light as a carbon fibre item. Yeah the plastic bolt ons cut lift (Not sure they actually produce downforce, but anyway) - so do the aftermarket items. There are also people who like sh!t stirring. Hell, my GT-R doesn't even have a GT-R badge.

Um, you have mostly answered your own question. You need a front camber adjustment kit. Try Whiteline, they have bucketloads of the things. By the way, what rear arms did you get?

Simply, any non performance related part that is put there to make your GTS-T look more like a GT-R confers on the car the status of a wanna be. To be clear, this includes panels, body kits & wheels. Also if you have paid more for a GT-R part than its improved equivalent => wanna be. Bit like the GT-R badge I once saw on a DR-30.

So, does it shit you when the post is worthless? As an aside there is an interesting series of articles in the present edition of RACETECH magazine about locating roll centres and about how to work out the maths that go along with it. Current issue has a Renault F1 on the cover. Has anyone measured up the lengths of the links? I will get around to doing this oneday, just not today as my car is in the shop...

To what?

Well, just so people know. The Royal Navy will be helping evacuate some Australians shortly. That is in addition to the three bus loads that arrived in Syria last night. Whilst people are bitching and complaining about, well everything really it may pay to spare a thought for the consulate personnel who are helping to try & organise this. Everyone wants out immediately, but how would YOU like to be the person who decides who leaves on what bus/plane/ship/whatever given the amount of violence occuring.

It is amazing how quickly people seek to blame the government/the prime minister/individual ministers for "failing to act quickly enough". Unfortunately we don't have an aircraft carrier parked off Beirut (hell, we don't even have an aircraft carrier), no bases, nor any military people close by. The ports are closed & the airports are being bombed. There are some 4000 Australians registered with the embassy. So, yeah Downer only has to click his fingers & everything will be sweet.

Lower. Sorry. LOWER.

From memory the gear has 48 teeth or there abouts. Which gives you 7.5 degrees change in timing. Which is too much for a good result. If you are handy with the tools, you can make up something like the attached. Works & is cheap. Just not pretty.

Yeah, well here is hoping Kimi can get a result. Always liked McLaren, even when Senna was arguing with Prost. You have to admire their integrity.

Dunno about that. Will see after this weekend. Maybe Pedro can drag some speed out of it in France. Reckon Renault will be back to its winning ways....

Gees, you lot are a harsh bunch of critics. Ambrose races in the lower of the three NASCAR series, ie the trucks (utes). Last weekend he put the thing on pole & the week before he scored his first podium. There is from all account ALOT to learn & he is doing so remarkably well. He will get there, sure as shit. But look at it from the seppo's point of view - they are unlikely to have heard of Australia, let alone care about someone driving in the local touring car series. He did well to get the deal he has got. As for the Mercedes engines - well they have been good ever since Ilmor starting making them & put the first one in the Lleyton House (march) F1 car in about 1992. Having said that, they have never been quite the same since they lost their co founder (Paul Morgan) was tragically killed in an aeroplane crash (His Hawker Sea Fury overturned on landing). Mercedes eventually bought them out, although Ilmor still lives building NASCAR engines amongst other things. Unfortunately this years McLaren has been awful.