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seraphyn_r33

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Posts posted by seraphyn_r33

  1. I get your frustration, but what youve got to understand, theres more than 1 offset that fits your car. If your saying that the wheels poke too much and rub the guards, then you are obviously running lowered springs/coilovers. This alters what offsets would be suitable further. You also have to accomodate what brakes you have on the car. Then on top of how you would like the wheels to sit and look visually. It becomes a “how long is a piece of string” scenario.

    The onus is on you to do your due diligence to ensure that fitment will be correct. Koya supply wheels to countless makes of cars, so you would have to forgive them for not being solely skyline specialists, because this isn’t skyline specific. This issue can happen with any car.

    Because of this, I dont understand why anyone wouldnt take offset measurements when deciding on wheels.

    I do hope you get the correct wheels and Koya look after you, and take it as a lesson learned

  2. Hey guys,

    Ive got a kit id like to install on my 33. I have a genuine GTR spoiler and Skirts, with a GTR rep front bar but with genuine Gtr front indicators.

    The skirts and spoiler are easy enough to install, but because ive got genuine parts, Im going to need someone who is familiar enough with these to preferably wire up the middle brake light for the spoiler, and correctly wire up the front indicators to my S2 Gtst indicator connectors.

    So ideally for the sake of ease id like one place who would be able to not only fit all the items but wire them up correctly as well. Does anyone have any recommendations in Melbourne? Preferably western suburbs/Geelong area.. Or if anyone is super familiar with this stuff, id be more than happy to shout a couple of slabs/bottles/whatever your poison is for the time.

    Or if its super simple a few pointers to get the job done


    Thanks guys!

  3. Hey guys,

     

    After a set of aftermarket seats and rails to replace the tired old stockies in my 33. Dont have to be in immaculate condition, as long as they are decent. 

    Have cash ready to go as id like to get them in the car asap.

    Best to contact me on 0457725577


    Michael

  4. Hey everyone,

    Looking to get back into a skyline after quite a long hiatus. Currently very little of interest that is available on carsales or gumtree.

    Located in Melbourne, so would prefer local, but will travel for the right car.

    At this stage open to anything. Prefer modified. Looking for a street registered track car, so the closer to that the better.

    Looking to purchase in the next 1-2 months for an honest price. Im not going to pay $65k for your r32 GTR.

    Feel free to also contact me on my mobile, 0457725577 if you would like to discuss further.

     

     

    Thanks everyone!

    Michael
     

  5. Hey guys,

    Havent posted in a while, but unfortunately its not under the best circumstances. On Friday night (22/7) - early Saturday morning (23-7) Id say between around 2am-4am, my car was stolen from out the front of my house in Laura St, Moonee Ponds. From police info, it looks like they had broken into at least one other car during that night. 

    Car is a 2000 BH5 Subaru Legacy GT-B E-Tune wagon. Quite rare in Australia.

    Did get a possible report it may have been sighted around the hillside area (Watergardens/Sydenham/Taylors lakes) but not from a reliable source. When canceling my citylink it had not been used on any toll roads, so very possibly could be out west somewhere, not that its anything concrete to go on.

    For all intents and purposes, looks like a normal Liberty but here is a list of both factory items and modifications ive done that will make it stand out:
     

    Factory items:

    Jap subaru badge and etune badge on the grille

    Bronze wrx wheels with rays lock nuts 

    GT and bilstein badges on the rear hatch.

    Factory HID headlights

     

    Mods:

    Thule Roof racks

    Plates obviously, although they no doubt have been ripped off 

    Turbosmart boost gauge mounted on dash

    3 inch exhaust (custom made for car)

    Zerosports hard intake pipe

    Deutschwerks in tank fuel pump, though I doubt they would have been looking for it or even know where to.

    There was a replacement factory ecu in the car as well that was due to be reflashed.




    Will offer a reward for any info on the car following recovery. Please contact me with any info on 0457725577

     

    Thanks everyone,

     

    Michael

     

     

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  6. Hey everyone,

    Looking to get back into a Nissan, and a Stagea has got the green light from the boss! Only requirement for her is that its Auto. Looking for:

    - Auto

    - ~150 000 km or less

    - Preferably a few sneaky mods (for my own enjoyment!)

    - Looking for something under $10k preferably
    - Preferably C34, AWD and turbo. However will entertain ALL options

    Finances ready to go, just looking for the right car to come along! Located in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne.



    Thanks again everyone.

    Michael

    0457725577

  7. I figured quite a few of you who visit the Japan forum here would have had at least a fleeting thought about hiring some kind of sports car and driving in Japan during their trip. Despite the difficulties that CAN arise, it’s not too hard unless you’re a total idiot. Here’s an idiots guide to cover necessary points for the absolute beginner so you don’t go in completely unprepared.

    Preparation steps:
    (Before you leave for Japan)

    International Drivers License!
    For us Aussies, it’s as simple as going into your RACV/NRMA with your passport and drivers license, have your photo taken, handover about $25 bucks and you walk out with your international license. Without this and your passport, you won’t be able to hire a car full stop. Plus, if you get one, stop off at the Toyota Megaweb in Daiba and drive an 86 or something else in their roster around their facility.

    LICENSE TUNE UP OK!

    Book a car!
    The fun part! I’m assuming you want to hire a GTR right? No problem! Here’s the two main sites I see people using to hire a car. I have used Omoshiro as I wanted an R34 GTR.
    http://www.premium-rent.com/en/ - A lot of modern and high end cars including the R35. For the man of many yen.
    http://en.omoren.com/ - Mostly the 90’s classics. Use this if you want a Supra, R34, RX7 etc.

    Important notes: You will need a credit card to not only book, but to pay when you arrive to collect your car. Visa and Mastercard are your safest bets.
    ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pay the extra for insurance. Common sense really. Its not a lot either.
    ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pay the extra to hire a GPS. (more on this later.)
    CAR LEVEL UP OK!

    Ok, so now we are in Japan. Ideally you’ve been in Tokyo for at least a few days and have familiarised yourself with the trains, the environment, and what Japan is like. You’ve either caught a train/trains or taken a taxi (moneybags!) to wherever you have decided to hire a car from.

    Before you get to jump into the car you’ve picked, you will be required to fill out paperwork, give the car an inspection for any damage, and pay the sum on your credit card. We’re almost ready to go, but not just yet! First:

    GPS!
    I cannot explain how CRUCIAL a GPS is. Tokyo is immense, and you’re a foreigner with no experience on their roads. Whether you use a Japanese GPS provided by the hire car firm, or are using roaming data on your mobile, this is a necessity!
    If you are using something other than your phone, make sure the HOME location on the GPS is the rental location. This is your failsafe if you get yourself hopelessly lost, or when you need to head back to drop it back off. As your GPS will 99% be completely in Japanese, ask to get shown how to access the HOME location. Also ask someone to please enter in your destination to the GPS as well (if applicable.)
    As far as I know there are very few English GPS systems available of Japan. I haven’t looked much, but if you can find one, Id highly recommend buying one before you go.

    GPS LEVEL UP COOL!

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    Oh yes I see know, how silly of me to not understand this! *extreme sarcasm*

    Japanese Roads!

    The local roads are similar to what you’re used to in Australia. Speed limits are clearly marked, usually either 40, 60 or 80kmh. Cars are RHD, you drive on the left and traffic lights behave the same way. Generally their roads are marked very clearly. Street signs are fairly universal, so just be observant.
    The expressways of Tokyo form a spider-web of roads both above and underneath Tokyo. You will be merging on to and turning off of routes every 5-10kms. Despite the chaotic look of their roads at first glance, underneath they use a common sense approach to markings. Most road signs are written using Kanji, and then with roman lettering underneath. All the routes on their expressways are also numbered and lettered. Want to follow the Bayshore route? Just look for and take whatever entries and exits are labelled “B” (in actuality they sign it as "Bayshore route" but you get the idea)
    Knowing how they code their roads is where it helps if you have a GPS completely in Japanese. If it’s a decent unit, it’ll list the code of your route. Is each exit or entry your taking numbered K6? Then look for and take the arrows pointing towards K6. Pretty simple huh? *refer disclaimer at bottom

    Speed limits vary. On your expressways, most people sit at around 80kmh in the left hand lane, and depending on the road, either 100kmh, or 110-120kmh in the right hand lane.
    ROAD STAT INCREASE UP OK!

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    Two examples of street signs you will see, now with these cheat codes its easy isn't it! As you can see, the letter and number codes are easy to read if you know what youre looking for!

    TOLLS!
    Now this is super important. Tolls are EXPENSIVE in Japan. For example if you want to drive from Tokyo to Mt Fuji, which is only 100-150kms away, expect to pay around $50 EACH WAY in total in tolls on your journey.

    Japan still uses manual Toll gates which can be a bottleneck. If you have an ETC http://www.go-etc.jp/english/ You just drive through the gates labelled ‘ETC” on a LED screen above the gate. The sensor reads the device, and off you go! Don’t even have to stop! Think of it like a Japanese Citylink account. If you want to go this route, organise it before you leave for Japan.
    However if you do not, you have to drive through the gates with the led screen above coloured in Green and labelled only in Kanji. These are manual gates. There are 2 types. Entry/Exit gates will have you driving up, hitting a button and collecting a ticket. The next gate you get to after this, will be where you pay that ticket you collected. The gates can be anywhere from 5kms to 30kms apart. The further apart, the more expensive. Pay it, and off you go again! The other type will have you driving up and paying the toll in one go, collecting your receipt and then off you drive again! Pretty easy! Some gates will also do both in the one gate, and their led screen will be half black and half green. Makes sense doesn’t it!

    TOLL SKILLSET UP YES!

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    Typical toll gate, makes sense now huh? Dont go through the ETC gates unless youve got a sensor, lest you feel the wrath of 1000 annoying car horns from people behind you

    Service Stations!
    We can’t forget if you’re driving a rental, not only do you need to fill up on your exciting journey, but also you will need to fill before you take it back.
    They still have full service, service stations. Drive in, hand a bit of cold hard over to an attendant, they fill ‘er up, wash your windscreen, empty your ashtray and even more. This is all free. They then even direct you back into traffic. Say “Mantan genkin de” which means fill tank paying with cash. Make sure you tell them what octane you want as well.

    At night expect to use only vending machines at a lot of service stations. Ahhhh how the Japanese love a good vending machine! Drive in, and put some cash into the machine next to the pump. Then fill your car. The machine will then print you a receipt. Take that receipt to another machine that will be near the office, insert it, and then it will hand you your change (if any) and a receipt. Off you go!

    SERVICE STATION RP UP!

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    Sorry bro, my Micra only takes E85 made from Unicorn tears, you got any?

    Parking L

    Is very expensive. Like any first world country. The better the area or more convenient, the more expensive. Expect to pay around 600 yen (~$7) an hour. All days can easily be up to and over 6500 yen (~$70 AUD) a day. There are a lot of tiny little 2-5 berth carparks dotted all over Tokyo. They are unmanned usually and vending machine operated. If you plan on keeping your car overnight then you MUST make sure your accommodation has parking. I say this as a lot of hotels dont have parking. You have to remember how dense Tokyo is. Shopping centres have car parks, and there are multi storeys around. A lot of parking is only in Kanji, so expect to be confused. Rule of thumb, the further away you get from the city centre, the *easier* and more prevalent parking will be (including free parking)

    PARKING LEVEL UP OK!

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    Told you parking was hard to find! but what a bargain, its only costing me 1 000 000 yen per 30 minutes!


    Now that I’ve covered a few things you will come across and need, here’s some hard truths:

    - If you aren’t 100% confident in your driving and navigation abilities, I don’t recommend renting a car in Japan, or any foreign country for that matter.

    - If you don’t have any kind of navigation equipment, don’t even bother trying to drive.

    - If you don’t handle pressure or stress, same as above

    - As the expressways go over and under Tokyo, and through mountains in the country, expect to go through some very very long tunnels. Expect to lose GPS signal and have to drive blind. This is where your abilities in driving navigation will have to shine so you don’t get lost. This WILL happen, so be prepared.

    - Research the easiest way to get to where you are going, as you will changing routes very often. Even a relatively straight line will have you merging and exiting regularly. Refer to points above.

    - I do not recommend driving in the actual city of Tokyo. Remember that Tokyo/Yokohama is home to like 30 million people, with an average of 6000 people per square km! The roads are congested, parking is scarce, expensive and hard to figure out. I would ONLY recommend renting a car if you are using it to go for a day trip or few nights trip out of the city into the country. Or doing some Wangan midnight style 2am runs on Daikoku Futo or the Shuto Expressway. (I don't condone it) Trust me, the novelty of driving a GTR in stop-start traffic for hours on roads you don’t know and signs you can’t read, getting charged an extra $50 per hour you’re late back to the rental yard loses its appeal real quick. It’ll make you dream of being back on a train, care free and fancy free.

    - Don’t drive during peak times! 8am on a Monday? It’s going to be BUSY, 6pm on a Friday, SAME THING! Driving back from Mt Fuji on the Tomei expressway back into Tokyo on a Sunday afternoon? Expect to sit in traffic for 6 hours. (this is no joke, I know this from experience) Believe it or not, Japanese people are just like us. They go to work during the week, they like to go away for a weekend, and they like to go away as a family during school holidays when the kids are free. Unless you’re a fan of traffic jam simulators, avoid any peak times to maximise your driving pleasure.

    - Driving is EXPENSIVE. Double the cost of your rental car. This will cover the costs of driving your car for a day or two. Tolls are expensive, Fuel is expensive, parking is expensive.

    - This is based around renting a car in Tokyo. These rules apply to any other city in Japan, but each have their own identities. For example Kyoto is set out in a grid pattern, meaning navigation is a little easier (relative terms here people!) Universal truth though – congestion is REAL in Japan. Save your daily city travel to public transport, bicycle or your 2 plates of meat ONLY.

    - Even though a lot of things operate under common sense, these are still foreign roads, with foreign rules in a foreign language. Expect to be confused, a little lost and sometimes frustrated.

    - Japan is a cash society. Always have cash with you in the car. Pay for fuel, parking and tolls with the cold hard. Make sure you have enough to cover yourself and them some whilst in the car.

    As I said this is just a very basic idiots guide for people who are going in completely green. Hopefully this helps a few people out! If you have any questions myself or others will try our best to help you out!

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    Why is the world sideways? I wouldnt be like this if i'd just read this guide first!
    • Like 2
  8. Thanks a lot for all the info guys! its really helping alot!

    At the end of the day, if i find the right car privately, i will go private, which is what im leaning towards anyway since as we all know you can get a far better price. But if the right car comes up in a yard, ill go there. In terms of dealer warranty it just comes down to the yard itself and how hard you push them, and how much they want to get rid of the car.

    Thanks for the suggestions Lucid, although they are all Sydney dealers, im Looking for local melbourne dealers so i can take a few for a spin and see what they are like.

    Your definitely right stu, its one of the main reasons why im leaning towards a stag instead of legnum is because of the availabilty and price of replacement/spare/modified parts. Thanks for the info on luxury and performance vehicles too, ill ring them today/tomorrow and tee up a test drive of 1 or 2. Ill also give SSV a call, see if they have any in stock. Correct me if im wrong, but Kamikaze dont keep any stags in the yard unless its a customers order??? ill give them a buzz anyway

  9. Thanks for the heads up on the auto tranny Kidafa. Shift kit will most likely be on the cards anyway, especially for the price. Im under the assumption that because the series 2 stags are tiptronic and have the neo rb, that they would be using the same or very similar auto gearbox as r34s? is that at all true?

    Most likely ill be going down the stagea road just based on the fact they are lot easier to source parts/repair compare to a legnum.

    Not fussed on too many mods though for the car, will be used for a lot of long treks, so dont need something running on a knife edge. Simple bolt ons will be as much as i will need - exhaust, FMIC, SAFC etc, basic things along those lines - give it a bit of extra power to haul a car full of people and gear.

    Your definitely right though Kidafa, far cheaper to purchase privately, although ill see if any car yards will do a decent deal since i wouldnt mind getting a dealer warranty, especially since to get this wagon ill be getting rid of my other car which still has a few years left on its factory warranty.

    Thanks for the info Infiltrator, will give them a call. Anyone know of any other dealers around Melbourne that have a few stageas in stock?

  10. Thats one of the main reasons im leaning towards the stagea is the fact there is such a massive australian support for r33's so i can interchange a lot of parts with a stagea. Especially if anything went wrong motor wise.

    So the legnum v6 not so reliable??? i cant say ive heard much about legnums, good or bad so im in a bit blind with them.

    Yeah very true mate! my r33 didnt miss a beat even as modified as it was. nearly 20 years old, pushing double the stock power and it was more reliable than the 2007 off-the-showroom-floor proton i have now.

  11. Hey guys!

    I didnt think that my return to these forums would be in the mystical and strange stagea sub section of SAU, but lo and behold here i am!

    Im currently in the market for a wagon. After "growing up" and "becoming mature" I got sold my r33 last year, but due to a few changes in life, i am in need of a wagon (no its not kids THANK GOD)

    Anyway i have a few questions people in the know might be able to enlighten me on:

    What im looking at is RS Fours and RS Four V's - since i want turbo and AWD.

    1. The car is going to have to be auto, since the warden is going to have to be able to drive it. Im therefore looking at series 2 stags since i would like the tiptronic box (I think the series 1's werent tiptronic?) What is the auto box like? bear in mind im a manual man, and the only auto experience ive had is with terrible auto trannys like commodores etc. Im hoping it is somewhat intelligent and has decent shift times?

    2. How do these cars stand the test of time? eg. im talking about general wear on the car like bushes, bearings etc. is there anything that circles the drain more commonly across each vehicle? ive read the sticky on this, and its pretty limited to just the parts of the car on the outside that are susceptible to rust. Im assuming that with a car thats 10 years old, there is going to be things that rattle, creak and deteroriate, but i dont want a car thats going to fall to pieces in 15 years.

    3. How do Stags compare to Legnums? as thats what im also looking at. Id much prefer to stick with Nissan since im an RB man, but i want to make sure im spending my money for the right car.

    4. Finally - does anyone know any import yards around melbourne that usually have some stags in stock? looking to take a few for a drive this weekend.

    Sorry that some of the questions are a little noobish, i definitely searched haha as i know that can really annoy people, but couldnt really find the info im looking for, so I thought i would just get some reliable info from people in the know! SAU has been a huge resource for me and my 33 when i had it.

    Cheers Guys!

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