wht510

Which ecu did you use to mod for Nistune? Cedric?

Scotty, Got a link to the US for the gearbox adapter? What sort of coin for something like that? I assume the V35 and 350Z also have the CAN system like the Stagea?

I Just have to dig up this 'old' thread (well nearly 1 year old), but I'm keen on seeing some progress and/or some initial photos of progress up to the above photo of fitting the R34 box. How easy is the R34 GTR box to fit upto a VQ series motor. Aside from the cut and shut bell housing? Without having one in front of me, can't you use the 6 speed from the V35/350Z and attach the transfer case to it for less (or perhaps more?) fabrication but AWD action? It sounds like Aftermarket Engine Management on these cars is a pain in the ar$e. There was mention about the ECU controlling the dash/heater/elec windows/abs/etc. via the ECU CAN system. I'm pretty sure MoTeC make a CAN based system for control. Could this be adapted to replace the Nissan ECU? It's bloody expensive (I think $2k just for the module and then there is the wiring costs on top of that)

Yeah, not sure what was going on. Think I need to play around more with tyre pressures. I was getting some neutral 4 wheel drift going into the corners, but wasn't game enough to push harder, because it was squealing at all four. Just wouldn't corner for some reason.

Had a lot of trouble getting tyres up to temperature on this track. Really struggled with grip

Thanks!

Entered. Anyone have the list of entrants on the WRX website?

Sounds like past experience to me

Scott, Don't you have to update a few other things if you "High Flow" the turbo?

Buy a cheap dato + Mod it for rally (+$$$) = expensive old car... Easier to buy something already modded and save yourself the coin. OR buy a jap import and race that. Base price for a dato 1600 in reasonable condition is around $6k! and then mod costs on top of that? You can buy a rally spec Magna for that!

I had something similar happen in my car. The car felt slower and slower and just wouldn't rev up top. No fault codes. I inpsected everything in the intake, and nothing was wrong. Turned out the rear muffler had collapsed (mild steel inner!) and the exhaust was leaking out of a hole in the centre muffler and that's where the vacuum sounding noise was coming from! Ripped the old muffler out, and ripped all the guts out. put it back on, and presto, nasty (as in sounding awesome) idle, and it was loud under full noise, but overall back to normal. Ordered my fujitsubo the next day and fitted it, and now she's quiet! How many K's have you done with your car? Have you checked the oil level?

The M35 Stagea has the same feature. Looks like it locks the clutches for AWD action plus all of the above...

Out of curiosity, what is the retail on such a kit and who sells them???

Love the work mate. Looks like a tidy OEM style installation. Shame Nissan didn't bring the S15 out with a VQ30

Bloody good question! GTR Brembo's into a GTST would be a very easy conversion to get engineered. You would have to use the GTR Master Cylinder too. As you are changing the dynamics of the car (even if it's OEM) you will still need to speak to an engineer and potentially get a certificate for this change. As it's a safety system (and a damn important one at that), the chances you need a cert. for something like this is very high. The amount of work required though for an OEM style change such as the GTR brembo is minimal because you can use a very simple justification to state the weight of a GTR is slightly heavier than a GTST, the brake performance is better, therefore fitment onto a GTST using the correct Master Cylinder etc. should be just as good if not better than the factory GTST OEM system. Ends up being a fairly cheap certificate and potentially not even requiring the brake test (depending on the engineer!!!) IF a GTST came from factory WITH Brembo's then you can fit them without a certificate..... It's a fine line. I think you could potentially get away with it, but.... The fitment of D2 style or Alcons or any other non OEM style disk and caliper will require more calculation/testing/proof to make sure the brake system functions correctly such as: 1. Correct fluid amount if there is a leak in the front/rear, and how big the MC reservoir is to compensate. 2. Swept area of pads and pistons compared to the rears, to achieve correct bias. If you go with OEM ratios, you are pretty safe. The weight of the car is a factor with this. If you are changing the weight dramatically with your modifications you need to change the bias accordingly. 3. Master Cylinder size to achieve emergency stopping G force and provide suitable pressures without locking fronts or rears. 4. Performance under repeated emergency stops. I can't remember what the requirement is, i'd have to look it up, but basically you do a few cycles of 100 to 60 on a 'closed road' and then do one emergency stop of 100 to zero. The G force must be over 0.8 and pedal pressure must be within range, which leads into the next requirement. 5. Pedal pressure. Suitable testing is carried out for an emergency stop with a pedal force gauge. There is a specific requirement for an emergency stop to be a specific force (I can't remember what it is off the top of my head..) The car must achieve a G force of over 0.8 from a specific speed with a pedal force of the requirement to pass the test. 6. Pedal travel must be a certain requirement. You don't want an on/off pedal, and you don't want a pedal that takes a heap of travel to do nothing and not even have capability of providing the correct locking pressure. 7. All the stuff I have forgot goes here. 8. And here too... This does take time for the Engineer and costs accordingly. One option when I was looking at calipers for my 1600 was Wilwood. They make a model that bolts straight onto the R31 strut ears. Unfortunately they weren't street legal because they didn't have an extra dust seal on the piston which is a requirement for ADR compliance. The Engineers know all of this! I ended up using R33 GTST calipers and R31 rears as the pad and piston areas are similar to a car with the same engine (200SX) and the master cylinder I used was S14 Silvia. The weight bias of the car was similar to S14, so away you go from there.

Gents, the best thing to do is speak to your local roll cage manufacturer. The rules are constantly changing and as I said "I think" which means i am unsure, but at the time (about 5 months ago) it was illegal to run any cage. If anyone has more up to date information, please add it here!

I should add that most VASS engineers are receptive to those who have done their homework. If you say "I have this car and I would like to do these mods and can you quote for a certificate" they will usually be able to provide a fairly accurate figure depending on what you want done. You have to be careful though, as these guys have to make a living and some of them wont provide advice unless they are charging by the hour. It's better to say a list and ask for a quote. If they say you can't do it, ask for any way that you can (testing etc.) to make it legal, and go from there. Fees largely depend on what you want done and the appropriate paperwork/ calculations or testing required. Plus being a VASS approved engineer is expensive. They have to pay some crazy amounts for insurance purposes....

MrSheepMoose, Glad we made sure you were from Vic, as everyone said, some people from NSW/WA etc. do post here. Because you don't say from what area you are from I would have to assume you are from VIC and then all hell breaks loose.... Oh and thanks for asking clear questions, it sounds like you know what you want/need, which makes answering them easier. Fixed back seats in a coupe can't be done for the reason stated previously. Ash has hit the nail on the head for that. Rear seated passengers need to exit the car in a hurry, they can't get out. I have heard you can have one fixed back and one recliner, but you would have to confirm this. You have to do as Ash recommends, and remove the rear seats. This also opens you up to running harnesses if you want, but again, the mounts need to be ADR approved (engineered) and the harnesses themselves need to conform to the Australian Standards (AS for seatbelts). Fixed back seats in a four door depend on the vintage of the car and the style of the seat. Most OEM seats these days are padded from behind (HAhahha) so you don't crack your scull open when you are sitting in the back and you rear end someone (HAhahah again..). Due to this, most race seats wont pass the new standard for someone hitting them in a passenger seat behind them.... Hence it's usually easier to remove the rear seats! To do this, it's fairly easy to register the vehicle with Vicroads as a two seater. In a 4 door this would be funny, but in a coupe it kind of makes sense You need to make sure the seats you fit to your car have been tested to the Australian Standard (ADR) They don't actually become ADR'd until they have been approved by an engineer for fitment. I'm not sure if BRIDE seats have had this done, but there are some companies that import them who may have actually completed the AS testing. FIA approved seats, even though the tests are more stringent and higher in capacity for loading are slightly different than the ADR tests, and wont be allowed by the engineer unless they have completed the AS testing. I do know the Sparco Pro 2000's for example have been approved as passing the AS testing, and when fitted to a car with approved steel rails, can conform to engineers requirements. Based on what I have heard, the current laws on roll cages state that no cage is legal. Bolt in or weld in, you can't run one. If you already have one fitted, then you are lucky... You can argue you can't remove it easily and it has already been approved. The reason for this is mainly due to the crumple zone design of modern cars, and the potential for the roll cage to affect the performance of crash absorption. I still don't understand why we can't run roll cages in older cars which did not have such crumple zones. They need to specify a date I think, and I think Brown Davis and other cage manufacturers are promoting this idea to the appropriate authorities. Typically when you make changes to the way a car handles (such as fitting bigger brakes or coil overs or any other driveline modification), you will require an emergency stop test, and I think there is now a swerve avoidance test. When fitting bigger brakes, you must speak to an engineer to get approval, as you are changing the dynamics of a previously tested car. The OEM company fitment have gone to a heap of trouble to make sure the car conforms to the requirements of stopping with (or without) ABS at a range of speeds and conditions. The same applies for coil overs or the OEM system. As Ash said, Mod smartly, or go to the trouble and do it all in one hit and have the piece of mind that you can say to Mr Police Officer that it's 100% legal... EDIT: Removable steering wheel/boss etc. will need to be OK'd by the engineer. Most likely it wont be approved due to the potential of affecting the AirBag (if you have one?) If you don't have an airbag (that is the car is pre-airbag), then you need to have a cushioned centre. Again, it comes down to hitting your head on the wheel if you rear end someone or something... There are ways of getting around this, but you/the engineer have to dig a little bit and it's usually easier in cars that are pre ADR requirements that may not have had cushioned steering wheels in them. I'm talking 1970's here for example!

What state are you in? Some of the questions you answer can differ based on this alone.

Not 100% sure that is correct. The S13 SR20 has a factory catch can. Is that illegal now? It recirculates back into the inlet manifold as per EPA requirements!

How else do you think the government makes any money? considering they have sold all of our utilities to private companies now. The government doesn't have any assets! So what do they do? Charge us more! Anyway, perhaps we need to go back on topic?

Firstly good on you for actually going to the effort and checking the Vicroads information and giving them a call. it's refreshing to see this being done! The last time I checked, the test is done with the car having the driver and a passenger and 30kg of luggage. Perhaps this will change your readings and provide you with what the RWC place got?

So back on topic...

Agree. Doesn't stop you though. Admittedly my Datto 1600 (pre 1974 ADR emissions) I'm allowed to run pretty much anything as long as it's signed off and below the carbon monoxide emissions for a car of that era. Brakes have been uprated etc. etc. 100% legal. As Ash said though, for modern stuff you have to go through the ADR EPA test (pre 1974 you don't) and it's just not worth it.

That's it!