Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

I have always resisted the urge to go silly.

8" wide wheels and street friendly spring rates? Check.

(Let's not talk about the steadily increasing spread of spherical joints across my suspension!!)

Stock turbo, run at 12 psi? Check. Lasted for~?10 years before it died. Highflow put on rather than seizing the opportunity to go G45.

You don't need 300 rwkW, let alone the more massive numbers that seem to be essential these days, to have a car that is already way too powerful and fast for a streeter. ~250rwkW is fine. I've never exceeded 200, although I will sneak up above it if and when I manage to get my finger out and do what needs to be done to use the highflow's capacity.

You don't need $10k worth of CF bits glued onto the outside. You don't need razor sharp ankle cutting front splitters. You don't need the car to be 2" off the ground. You don't need flawless paint, mirror finished wheels, brand new indicator lenses, etc etc. All these things just make the car impractical and will cause you pain when they get damaged, which is inevitable for a street car.

A few nice additions are good. Good seats are good. A nice stereo is good. A/C is good! (46° on the road yesterday and my A/C is degassed again. Was moderately traumatic driving home!)

The main reason I stick with a mildly modified old Skyline is that I have had it for >25 years, the mods are the rolling result of 25 years of things dying and being upgraded opportunistically, coupled with a few "just 'coz" ones. And I hate almost all modern cars. If I was a young buck starting out now.... I wouldn't bother. Cars have a few years left where there is any possibility of interest or fun. Thereafter there will be no such thing allowed or possible. Any time, money and effort spent now on a project would just be a waste.

  • Like 1
On 13/2/2025 at 10:44 AM, GTSBoy said:

I have always resisted the urge to go silly.

8" wide wheels and street friendly spring rates? Check.

(Let's not talk about the steadily increasing spread of spherical joints across my suspension!!)

Stock turbo, run at 12 psi? Check. Lasted for~?10 years before it died. Highflow put on rather than seizing the opportunity to go G45.

You don't need 300 rwkW, let alone the more massive numbers that seem to be essential these days, to have a car that is already way too powerful and fast for a streeter. ~250rwkW is fine. I've never exceeded 200, although I will sneak up above it if and when I manage to get my finger out and do what needs to be done to use the highflow's capacity.

You don't need $10k worth of CF bits glued onto the outside. You don't need razor sharp ankle cutting front splitters. You don't need the car to be 2" off the ground. You don't need flawless paint, mirror finished wheels, brand new indicator lenses, etc etc. All these things just make the car impractical and will cause you pain when they get damaged, which is inevitable for a street car.

A few nice additions are good. Good seats are good. A nice stereo is good. A/C is good! (46° on the road yesterday and my A/C is degassed again. Was moderately traumatic driving home!)

The main reason I stick with a mildly modified old Skyline is that I have had it for >25 years, the mods are the rolling result of 25 years of things dying and being upgraded opportunistically, coupled with a few "just 'coz" ones. And I hate almost all modern cars. If I was a young buck starting out now.... I wouldn't bother. Cars have a few years left where there is any possibility of interest or fun. Thereafter there will be no such thing allowed or possible. Any time, money and effort spent now on a project would just be a waste.

I genuinely bought this car because I never got to enjoy it when I got my first GTT in 2015. 
I’m a simple man, give me a skyline that goes reliably from A to B and I will be happy. I mainly like driving it when the roads are quiet so you can relax. 
Nothing wrong with a few mods here and there but it wouldn’t be instagram worthy 😂

Edited by DraftySquash
  • Like 2
On 12/2/2025 at 10:07 PM, Milkmun said:

Big list. Get security asap I reckon.

Currently when the car is parked at home, I have the added security of a galah sleeping next to it 😂😂

that bird is louuuuuud

 

But yeah, I want the viper system soon and saving up for it. Probably the next one after nistune 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
On 13/02/2025 at 10:05 PM, DraftySquash said:

Currently when the car is parked at home, I have the added security of a galah sleeping next to it 😂😂

that bird is louuuuuud

 

But yeah, I want the viper system soon and saving up for it. Probably the next one after nistune 

The west where I live is swarming with birds, not wrong they are bloody loud.

In the meantime, do a DIY killswitch - $5 worth of things from jaycar, easy as too. The west is copping it with car theft lately, especially the big shopping centres.

Let's be honest here @GTSBoy 250kW in a GTS-t would easily get walked by my a family SUV these days.

300kW is the sweet spot, fast enough to keep up with the modern German cars (not from a stand still), fun enough and the motor still can be stock/unopened.

Realistically, 400kW is a good number. It's enough to give you cold sweats, still be very street able in terms of the power band (provided you're not an idiot and go single scroll and delete VCT) and only needs a very basic rebuild (or stock if you have a NEO motor).

Anything more, it starts to be stupid.

@Dose Pipe Sutututu

I would argue that >300rwkW inevitably comes only with a raised boost threshold that makes it more likely to get beaten by the family SUV with a 95 speed auto transmission and TD torque.

Ditto the traction problems when it finally does come on boost.

I used to love my stock turbo. A little flex of the ankle and it made a sweet little whistle and you had torque immediately. It wasn't fast fast, but it was more likely to win the "squirt to make the gap" type races that actually matter for a street car.

I think >300 rwkW requires more capacity than an RB25 can offer (again, for street driving). I have enough experience with driving 2JZs in that space to know that they are much easier to pedal around in than a 25.

I keep thinking Greg did the right thing putting a V8 is his car. I can't see myself not having a turbo - but I'd really like a big engine torque curve.

  • Like 2
11 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

@Dose Pipe Sutututu

I would argue that >300rwkW inevitably comes only with a raised boost threshold that makes it more likely to get beaten by the family SUV with a 95 speed auto transmission and TD torque.

Ditto the traction problems when it finally does come on boost.

I used to love my stock turbo. A little flex of the ankle and it made a sweet little whistle and you had torque immediately. It wasn't fast fast, but it was more likely to win the "squirt to make the gap" type races that actually matter for a street car.

I think >300 rwkW requires more capacity than an RB25 can offer (again, for street driving). I have enough experience with driving 2JZs in that space to know that they are much easier to pedal around in than a 25.

I keep thinking Greg did the right thing putting a V8 is his car. I can't see myself not having a turbo - but I'd really like a big engine torque curve.

This is where what you want is a Barra 4L.

I had the FG XR6T for a few years. It made bulk power, and so stupidly effortlessly.

But if you want true amazing power that's incredible in traffic light GPs or getting into a gap in traffic, you can't beat an EV...

16 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

But if you want true amazing power that's incredible in traffic light GPs or getting into a gap in traffic, you can't beat an EV...

While that's true, that is the only thing that those cars can do.

Whereas a car like ours can also weigh 500kg less, and take a corner properly without risk of punching a hole in the concrete barrier when it lets go. Oh, and sound good. Oh, and not just be a mobile iPad.

  • Haha 1
1 hour ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Let's be honest here @GTSBoy 250kW in a GTS-t would easily get walked by my a family SUV these days.

300kW is the sweet spot, fast enough to keep up with the modern German cars (not from a stand still), fun enough and the motor still can be stock/unopened.

Realistically, 400kW is a good number. It's enough to give you cold sweats, still be very street able in terms of the power band (provided you're not an idiot and go single scroll and delete VCT) and only needs a very basic rebuild (or stock if you have a NEO motor).

Anything more, it starts to be stupid.

No, lets be honest here.

I went to Winton and did a track day, for all the mods and V8 power and craziness I posted up a time that a K24 stock motor Honda Accord can do on the same tyres (narrower, too)

250kw and learning how to drive the f**kin thing is the sweet spot.

56 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

While that's true, that is the only thing that those cars can do.

Whereas a car like ours can also weigh 500kg less, and take a corner properly without risk of punching a hole in the concrete barrier when it lets go. Oh, and sound good. Oh, and not just be a mobile iPad.

Here's the funny thing, my EV isn't that much heavier than its petrol variant. (1773 vs 1510). An R32 GTR is 1430...

AND it puts all of the weight in the lowest location. So that's taking some higher up weight, and getting it lower, and all added weight lower. That gives a really nice low CG, and means it doesn't body roll that bad too...

The one I'm driving is a Kona, and for a soccer mum SUV on cheapo tyres (not my choice), she'll hold the road surprisingly well.

The only part that you've got to be aware of for cornering, is that at 80kmh it will still break into wheel spin, and if you lift off, regen breaking hits in hard. Hence in sports mode, I have regen breaking dialled back to its lightest setting without being off, other wise it's really jerky to drive if you want to roll out of the power a little.

59 minutes ago, Kinkstaah said:

No, lets be honest here.

I went to Winton and did a track day, for all the mods and V8 power and craziness I posted up a time that a K24 stock motor Honda Accord can do on the same tyres (narrower, too)

250kw and learning how to drive the f**kin thing is the sweet spot.

Stock R33 except for suspension, tyres, brakes, and seats is a great ride. Get that power up around the 200mark, and it's great and reliable.

20 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

Here's the funny thing, my EV isn't that much heavier than its petrol variant. (1773 vs 1510). An R32 GTR is 1430...

My R32 is about 1300kg. There's your 500kg right there.

I've stated before that I hate all modern cars. The fact that something the size of a Corolla is typically 1.5 ton these days is sickening. Should be 900kg like in the old days. What the f**k are modern materials for?

44 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

My R32 is about 1300kg. There's your 500kg right there.

I've stated before that I hate all modern cars. The fact that something the size of a Corolla is typically 1.5 ton these days is sickening. Should be 900kg like in the old days. What the f**k are modern materials for?

It's all the sound deadening, and extra shit piled into them, plus all the extra (even though it's thinner) material for crumple zones.

I can't fathom in modern cars why they need canbus to the headlights, and why the headlights must be vin coded on some cars to the ECU, BCM, and security module!

Especially when they claim it's for security, yet, the canbus at the headlights let's thieves steal the car in minutes, so even more cars are being stolen!

The Mercedes Sprinter 907 vans. They're a huge van, but a "basic" van. Yet they have that many canbus networks, plus two Lin networks, AND an Ethernet network. Logging a single network alone of 8 byte data frames, and they will generate a 20mb log file in 5 minutes. That's one network, and I can't remember the exact amount, but there's over 10 full CAN2.0B networks in them.

I'm not a fan of modern cars, oddly, more and more I hate DBW, and all the bullshittery the cars try and interfere with. But all that bullshittery adds weight, plus crazy regulations on crumple zones, plus, ever picked a modern seat up, half of them have like 4 electric motors in them and will weigh 30+kg each. Then all the motors for things like adjustable steering columns blah blah blah.

And did I mention the sound deadening so you can even hear an ambulance right behind you even if you 7.2surround sound is off?

3 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

I would argue that >300rwkW inevitably comes only with a raised boost threshold that makes it more likely to get beaten by the family SUV with a 95 speed auto transmission and TD torque.

There's a post from a member (can't recall who), went down the path of a twin scroll G30-660 and it's doing over 300kW+ AND comes on about the same as a high flow RB25DET turbo.

Have your cake and eat it too in this case.

TBH, if I had a 2nd chance of building my car again (i.e. someone gave me what I wanted for my shit box, but the deal was I had to re-build another R33 and keep the change) I would just pop in a stock NEO motor (with new seals, rod bearings, ARP studs, head gasket, sump, Nitto pump), get a smaller twin scroll turbo, modify the stock low mount (keep the divider in place), and make a solid 300kW on 98RON and call it a day. 

image.png.6164b6df7e362ff178d28133beb73811.png

  • Like 1
1 hour ago, MBS206 said:

It's all the sound deadening, and extra shit piled into them, plus all the extra (even though it's thinner) material for crumple zones.

I can't fathom in modern cars why they need canbus to the headlights, and why the headlights must be vin coded on some cars to the ECU, BCM, and security module!

Especially when they claim it's for security, yet, the canbus at the headlights let's thieves steal the car in minutes, so even more cars are being stolen!

The Mercedes Sprinter 907 vans. They're a huge van, but a "basic" van. Yet they have that many canbus networks, plus two Lin networks, AND an Ethernet network. Logging a single network alone of 8 byte data frames, and they will generate a 20mb log file in 5 minutes. That's one network, and I can't remember the exact amount, but there's over 10 full CAN2.0B networks in them.

I'm not a fan of modern cars, oddly, more and more I hate DBW, and all the bullshittery the cars try and interfere with. But all that bullshittery adds weight, plus crazy regulations on crumple zones, plus, ever picked a modern seat up, half of them have like 4 electric motors in them and will weigh 30+kg each. Then all the motors for things like adjustable steering columns blah blah blah.

And did I mention the sound deadening so you can even hear an ambulance right behind you even if you 7.2surround sound is off?

Yeah, the advent of canbus was supposed to cut down on wiring weight, then some bright marketing wonk says "oh, look at all these wonderful tech gadgets we can cram in here now that we have this wonderous technology" and some arsehole safety legislator says "oh, look at all the wonderful surveillance and tracking gadgets we can cram in here now that we have this wonderous technology" and some dipshit young engineer who has grown up thinking that an extra 500000 lines of code is not a problem because storage is cheap these days says "oh look at all this wonderful shit I can do to one up those dipshit arsholes over at VW" and the Karens of the world all go "oh look at all these fancy things I can do on my screen (so long as I am not driving on a bumpy road wherein touch screens immediately become the single most stupid shit idea ever shoveled into a car) and my 19 zone airconditioning keeps my sweaty fat folds a bit less damp and the windows close themselves because I'm too fat and lazy to wind them up for myself and these reversing sensors would have been great if I'd paid attention to them instead of smashing them on the bollard while I was reversing and staring fixedly forward that day I went to pick up little Charlize from ballet" and the sweaty mongoloids who say "oh this wonderful collision avoidance technology with these 45 excellent radar antennae scattered across the front of my car mean I can tailgate like a methed up tradie at full speed with no fear because the car and the 35 airbags will protect me if it all goes wrong" ......

</shallistopranting?>

  • Thanks 1
16 hours ago, DraftySquash said:

Currently when the car is parked at home, I have the added security of a galah sleeping next to it 😂😂

that bird is louuuuuud

 

But yeah, I want the viper system soon and saving up for it. Probably the next one after nistune 

Save yourself the headache of an alarm. Immobilizer on the signal side of the main EFI relays so it won't start is good enough. DIY killswitch is the same thing except instead of a nice passive system you need to remember to switch it on and off.

  • Like 2
3 hours ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

TBH, if I had a 2nd chance of building my car again (i.e. someone gave me what I wanted for my shit box, but the deal was I had to re-build another R33 and keep the change) I would just pop in a stock NEO motor (with new seals, rod bearings, ARP studs, head gasket, sump, Nitto pump), get a smaller twin scroll turbo, modify the stock low mount (keep the divider in place), and make a solid 300kW on 98RON and call it a day. 

image.png.6164b6df7e362ff178d28133beb73811.png

You have the option to do this.
Nobody but me ever did this (go slower, I mean)

Everyone seems to fall victim to "This would be a great setup for you, but for me, I need a little more power..."

2 hours ago, Kinkstaah said:

You have the option to do this.
Nobody but me ever did this (go slower, I mean)

Everyone seems to fall victim to "This would be a great setup for you, but for me, I need a little more power..."

I went from stupid 600+HP setup, to an NA Barra in mine...

  • Like 2
59 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

I went from stupid 600+HP setup, to an NA Barra in mine...

I dream of a day someone buys my R33 shit box and I never see it again.

I will then buy a German shit box and post how it constantly uses tyres, fuel and how much more economical it is to operate.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • I know why it happened and I’m embarrassed to say but I was testing the polarity of one of the led bulb to see which side was positive with a 12v battery and that’s when it decided to fry hoping I didn’t damage anything else
    • I came here to note that is a zener diode too base on the info there. Based on that, I'd also be suspicious that replacing it, and it's likely to do the same. A lot of use cases will see it used as either voltage protection, or to create a cheap but relatively stable fixed voltage supply. That would mean it has seen more voltage than it should, and has gone into voltage melt down. If there is something else in the circuit dumping out higher than it should voltages, that needs to be found too. It's quite likely they're trying to use the Zener to limit the voltage that is hitting through to the transistor beside it, so what ever goes to the zener is likely a signal, and they're using the transistor in that circuit to amplify it. Especially as it seems they've also got a capacitor across the zener. Looks like there is meant to be something "noisy" to that zener, and what ever it was, had a melt down. Looking at that picture, it also looks like there's some solder joints that really need redoing, and it might be worth having the whole board properly inspected.  Unfortunately, without being able to stick a multimeter on it, and start tracing it all out, I'm pretty much at a loss now to help. I don't even believe I have a climate control board from an R33 around here to pull apart and see if any of the circuit appears similar to give some ideas.
    • Nah - but you won't find anything on dismantling the seats in any such thing anyway.
    • Could be. Could also be that they sit around broken more. To be fair, you almost never see one driving around. I see more R chassis GTRs than the Renault ones.
    • Yeah. Nah. This is why I said My bold for my double emphasis. We're not talking about cars tuned to the edge of det here. We're talking about normal cars. Flame propagation speed and the amount of energy required to ignite the fuel are not significant factors when running at 1500-4000 rpm, and medium to light loads, like nearly every car on the road (except twin cab utes which are driven at 6k and 100% load all the time). There is no shortage of ignition energy available in any petrol engine. If there was, we'd all be in deep shit. The calorific value, on a volume basis, is significantly different, between 98 and 91, and that turns up immediately in consumption numbers. You can see the signal easily if you control for the other variables well enough, and/or collect enough stats. As to not seeing any benefit - we had a couple of EF and EL Falcons in the company fleet back in the late 90s and early 2000s. The EEC IV ECU in those things was particularly good at adding in timing as soon as knock headroom improved, which typically came from putting in some 95 or 98. The responsiveness and power improved noticeably, and the fuel consumption dropped considerably, just from going to 95. Less delta from there to 98 - almost not noticeable, compared to the big differences seen between 91 and 95. Way back in the day, when supermarkets first started selling fuel from their own stations, I did thousands of km in FNQ in a small Toyota. I can't remember if it was a Starlet or an early Yaris. Anyway - the supermarket servos were bringing in cheap fuel from Indonesia, and the other servos were still using locally refined gear. The fuel consumption was typically at least 5%, often as much as 8% worse on the Indo shit, presumably because they had a lot more oxygenated component in the brew, and were probably barely meeting the octane spec. Around the same time or maybe a bit later (like 25 years ago), I could tell the difference between Shell 98 and BP 98, and typically preferred to only use Shell then because the Skyline ran so much better on it. Years later I found the realtionship between them had swapped, as a consequence of yet more refinery closures. So I've only used BP 98 since. Although, I must say that I could not fault the odd tank of United 98 that I've run. It's probably the same stuff. It is also very important to remember that these findings are often dependent on region. With most of the refineries in Oz now dead, there's less variability in local stuff, and he majority of our fuels are not even refined here any more anyway. It probably depends more on which SE Asian refinery is currently cheapest to operate.
×
×
  • Create New...