benro2

Hey guys, I've been thinking about getting rid of my two cars (R33 GTS-T auto and Supra 6-sp TT) and sort of "combining" them both into a newer, more practical car. I'm after something that can seat up to 4 people (doesn't matter about only having 2 doors though), is nice and quiet inside, has plenty of luxury features, has decent handling, and is turbocharged (I'm addicted!). Practicality wise, I need a car that can at least lie down the rear seats so I can fit long objects through the boot (such as a musical keyboard), as well as large bulky items (like a large guitar amp). I was initially thinking of an M35 Stagea but I think I'd miss having a coupe, most likely because of the lower seating position. So I've been thinking about V35 Skylines, most likely in auto form, but turbocharged! It would be used as an every day car, possibly to/from work (70km/day, mostly highway), hence the leaning towards auto again... For the Stagea, I'm only interested in the AXIS Stagea and maybe the RX Four - I'd prefer the sportier look of the AXIS though. Don't like the interior of the RS Four. Yes, I know you cannot buy a factory turbocharged V35 Skyline, however I've seen one available at prestigemotorsport that has a decent looking twin turbo kit on it as well as a few other goodies. I won't be able to buy this car as I need to get rid of both of mine first, but was wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of the Stagea vs Skyline. Can you convince me either way? I also have a few questions about both cars: M35 STAGEA: 1. How common is cruise control in the AXIS version? Has anyone *ever* seen one of these with cruise control? And has anyone ever used it? I like the adaptive idea but am wondering how well it actually works! 2. What's the fuel consumption like with city/highway driving? 3. Is the car decently fast? Any times available, maybe with and without a few mods like exhaust, intercoler, etc.? 4. What are the brakes like in terms of power/feel? V35 SKYLINE: 1. Do the rear seats fold down, and how big is the boot? Say compared to your average large family sedan? 2. I've only just started looking out for these and have only come across one that has had an aftermarket turbo kit fitted to it. Has anyone seen any others, and how much money would it cost to remove and replace all the turbo gear? As you know, compliancing requires this 3. The car I was just looking at has an HKS F-Con V Pro, which I understand is really hard to get a license to tune with and almost no one in Australia has one... so would buying a car with one of these be a bad idea? 4. How common are the Nismo LSD's and exhausts and are these parts still available as second hand online, or as new from Nismo? Any ideas on pricing? 5. What are the non-Brembo brakes like in terms of power/feel? What about the Brembos? If the car I buy doesn't come with these, are they available as spare parts, or would they cost an absolute bomb and would I be better off looking at other aftermarket brakes? 6. What are the limitations of the manual and auto gearboxes? Surely I'd need an aftermarket clutch but are there some easy to use non-twin plates available that could handle the huge torque of a turbocharged 3.5L V6!? I'm also a bit worried about the auto box blowing up.... any kits available to help toughen it up a bit? Anyway, sorry for the pile of questions but it's quite hard to find this stuff out, especially with the Stageas being as rare as they are! Thanks in advance for the help.

I know this thread is old, again just in case someone trying to decide is reading... I think it really depends on what you want the car for. Is it your daily driver to/from work and will you be sitting in start/stop traffic? Then I would seriously consider an auto in this case. If it's a weekend car, then go manual for sure. I myself have an auto R33 GTS-T and I love it. I bought it nearly 3 years ago, the reasoning behind it being that I'd never driven manual and that I wanted my mum to be able to drive it (she never does!). There definitely were times where it became frustrating not having that bit of extra control over what gear you're in, or where it decided to change down going around a corner, in the wet, or where I just wished I was driving manual. But even with all that, I'd still pick an auto again if I were looking. I then decided to purchase a 6-sp TT Supra, with the bitchiest twin-plate racing clutch (with lightened flywheel to boot) you could buy I had no idea clutches could be this savage and I had no end of trouble learning to drive it (AND this was my first manual car I'd EVER driven... and I've been off my P's for hmmm... at least 8 years now?) for at least a month. But now, I love the clutch. It would be awesome on a race track. But unless you're on a race track, it can be a pain - it requires a lot of concentration and you need to match revs on both down and upshifts. It rattles like hell, so much so that people think there is something seriously wrong with the car. The point of all this is that again, it depends on what the car is to be used for. Of course you could just buy a stock manual and if you're in light traffic, easily use it as a daily driver. I'd do the same. But with heavy traffic, or something to just sit back, relax, and have a cruise in (I even fitted cruise control to the thing!), the auto is definitely the way to go. It shifts quickly and (usually) smoothly, downshifts a lot faster than the best manual drivers could (I'm talking about when you are caught unawares, not in a planned race), and I don't think uses any more fuel than the manual. For instance, on a cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, my best tank fuel consumption was 9.3L/100km. City driving is about 12.7L/100km which equals a bit over 400km out of 50L (typically where the fuel light starts to show). BIG downside: I can't sell the damn thing. Glad I can't though, I love it too much to sell it! I'm now going to keep it for a while... Oh and one more thing... to all those people saying that manual makes you feel like you're "driving" and "in control"... I don't really agree. You can have just as much (ok, close to as much) fun in an auto as a manual. Sometimes in the Supra I just feel like driving's a chore. Yes, it's awesome fun most of the time, but sometimes I just want to sit back and not have to worry about gearchanging. And I'm a keen driver, too. I'll use any excuse to drive anywhere. I drive interstate instead of catching a plane, so it's not just me I also have a friend who used to own a manual Skyline that he loved to bits, and refused to look at anything else but manual when he was looking for another car. I mentioned a Legnum to him, and eventually he test drove an auto one. And do you know what he bought? The auto, and he loves it

Interesting! Mine only started having similar problems about a week ago, although possibly I can shed some light on the source of the problem: With mine, the temperature is mostly held correctly, except sometimes it just decides to go haywire and start pumping hot air, until you set it to 18C and it goes very cold. Leave it there for a few seconds, then turn the temp back up and hopefully it will go back to the correct temp. Sounds very similar to the trouble you guys are having, except maybe not as bad (yet). However, if you listen very carefully, there is a weird sound coming from under/behind the steering wheel. My car has done this for the past 3 years or so and I've never had a problem until now, but I'm positive it's to do with the climate control, because the noise stops as soon as I set the temp to 18C. The sound is sort of like a small squeaking sound, like a motor going back and forth erratically - not knowing where it should be. As soon as I set it to 18C, I hear the squeaking sound for about a second (as though it is opening some sort of valve all the way) and I get cold air. Set it back to 22C and if it's not working properly, the weird erratic sound comes back. If it decides to work properly on 22C, it's quiet again. Sounds to me like there's a valve or something back there controlled by an electric motor, and either the input sensor has come unplugged or there is something wrong with the motor itself. Hopefully it's not too hard/expensive to fix! Try listening carefully for that sound I mentioned and hopefully someone knows exactly what it is You could also try switching quickly between 18C and 30C and you may hear the motor adjusting the valve (if there is one!) all the way between its two maximums...?

Just dropped the price by *another* $2000... this is now one of the cheapest series 2 GTS-T's around! Don't forget you have some nice extra's like: Cruise control - professionally fitted, converted to "electronic" type so won't become uncalibrated Top of the line Rhino 3-point immobiliser and alarm with backup battery, comes with 2 keypads and keyless entry Sunroof Full set of genuine Skyline mats Genuine K&N panel filter Rear strut brace (looks to be factory) Electronic boost gauge mounted in A pod pillar Turbo Timer This car is absolutely beautiful to drive, caused me NO troubles whatsoever, always well maintained, allowed to warm up and cool down properly. DOES NOT attract cops!! Don't forget, I'm willing to negotiate - I need to get rid of this thing! Come on guys!

Dropped the price by $1000! Don't forget, that's my starting price - feel free to haggle! Come on guys, surely someone wants a nice stock, clean, reliable Skyline?

Price drop to $11,900 - this is negotiable! Make me an offer! Well, the time has come to part with my first car. I'll be sad to see her go, as she's looked after me well. But I barely even need one car now, let alone two, so I've got to let her go I've always driven this car sensibly, and it's never given me any trouble. Everyone who sees it comments on the overall excellent condition. I recently took it on a cruise to Melbourne and back and had the cruise control fitted specially for the trip. (See here for my trip comments.) Loved every minute of the drive, got excellent fuel economy, and would love to do another trip, but I've got to resist the urge to keep it and just sell it! Make/Model: '96 Nissan Skyline GTS-T Series II, automatic Mileage: 94,500 km's (genuine) Colour: Charcoal Location: Penrith, NSW Currently registered? Expired 28th Feb 2008 Price: Asking $11,900, but all serious offers considered! Contact: Ben, on 0406 002 658 or [email protected] Comments / Modifications: Mostly stock, very clean, in excellent condition, have original inspection report to prove this. Never raced or dragged. Tyres have ~50% tread on front, brand new on rear, all are 225/50R16's "Charcoal" colour (basically metallic black/dark grey, looks slightly purple in some lights) Cruise control (aftermarket, professionally fitted) Rear strut brace (factory option) Electric sunroof (factory option) Top of the line Rhino alarm with backup battery and 3 point immobiliser, keyless entry w/ central locking Chrome door sills and door edges Original floor mats Tinted windows (only rear and rear side windows) Aftermarket Eclipse (Fujitsu Ten?) double-DIN head unit with CD, radio and MiniDisc player Rego until 28 Feb 2008 Professionally serviced every 10,000 km's Reason for selling: Bought a Supra! Mods: Boost gauge mounted in pod in A-pillar Apexi pod air filter Turbo timer Please note: test drives are welcome, but only to serious buyers (insurance company is anal!) Inspections also welcome. Will ship interstate at buyer's expense. No time wasters please. Images: Feel free to request any more specific pictures!

Thanks mate. Got the Supra's clutch adjusted at Penrith Brake and Clutch (excellent guys, didn't charge me anything and took about 2 minutes!) and now it's *slightly* easier to drive since the clutch no longer pumps itself up the end of the pedal travel. I'm down to stalling it maybe once or twice a day now! Note to self: *don't* drive the Supra much until you've gotten a full PowerFC tune... as the latest 21.9L/100km fuel economy is less than desirable...

Hehe I know it was a long post, I was actually intending it to be sort of more like a review type thing but it didn't come across that way...oh well I've been meaning to start a proper thread, review comparo style between the Skyline and Supra, so may as well do it here! Any problems with the Skyline? Nope! Still just as good as when I first bought it 2 years ago! Touchwood... Anyway, the change from the Skyline to the TT Supra? It'll be sad to see the Skyline go, that's for sure I *just* managed to get the Supra registered today so that means I'll be putting the Skyline up for sale very soon. Here's my opinion on the differences between the two cars: 1. Engine. Both have excellent engines, although I've found the Supra's to be slightly smoother and quieter. I have a Top Secret fibreglass bonnet on the Supra with a heap of vents in it and I can't hear any ticking noises or anything coming from it - it's very quiet. The previous owner put the engine in "TTC" mode (ie: non-sequential TT), meaning that I don't get any boost pretty much until 3,000 rpm, with full boost on by maybe 3500-4000 (very sudden, but I like it like that). However, the 0.5L capacity increase is more than enough to get it up most steep hills, even in the reasonably tall top gear, on no boost to maybe 1-2 psi at most. It weighs about 100kg more but the 0.5L extra size more than compensates for that. 2. Power difference. The GTS-T is supposed to make about 120rwkw stock, and on the last (crappy) tune my Supra made around 235rwkw @ 16psi, so having close to double the power at the wheels is obviously noticeable! I'm going to wind it out to 18psi (stock turbos!) and get a full retune - I've been told that a good 250rwkw shouldn't be out of the question. I think I'll maybe even get a bit more than that due to the other mods I've already got. 3. Handling. My GTS-T had stock suspension and the Supra RZ has stock Bilsteins and Apexi (or HKS?) springs. The ride is quite good in both, but the Supra will out-handle the Skyline easily. I'd say the ride is actually better in the Supra, and I'm quite impressed with it. Smaller bumps seem to be soaked up a bit better, and big dips in the road feel more controlled, but big sudden bumps like road joins, etc. seem to crash through more, probably because I'm running 255/35ZR18s and 285/30ZR18s - the Skyline is running the factory optional 225/50R16's f + r so their profile is quite a bit higher. Really, it's a bit of an unfair comparison because I'm comparing stock to modified. If you are trying to decide which model Supra to get, try and get an RZ as they have stock Bilsteins that are *very* hard to better for anything under a few grand. I'm not sure if my sway bars have been modded or not - it certainly feels like it anyway because the car feels like it's being "sucked" around corners, whereas I think the Skyline leans a bit too much for my liking. Still, it's mostly a lot better than the average cars around today! 4. Driveability. Not too good for the Supra, for me at least. It came with the most hardcore, racing-oriented combo of HKS twin-plate clutch and lightened flywheel, and I'd never driven a manual (ever!) before, so as you can imagine, it's taken me a month or two to be able to drive it half decently. I've still got a way to go, but that's partially due to the fact that the clutch isn't adjusted properly. I did have a very short drive of another Supra forum member's car that still had the seqential setup, with aftermarket twin-plate but less hardcore clutch, and I think that would probably suit everyday driving a lot more, although the clutch pedal was a lot heavier. My clutch pedal is incredibly light and I only have to push it in maybe 5cm to change gears, and the takeup length from fully disengaged to engaged is probably about 1cm, so maybe now you'll have an idea of why I don't like it too much! It's also incredibly *loud*, especially on hotter days with the A/C on, when idling - much louder than the car itself - but this can mostly be fixed by increasing the idling speed to around 1100rpm. Also under load, under 2000 rpm it rattles much louder than the car too, so be aware of aftermarket clutches when choosing a new car. It's unlikely to need one of these if you're just going for a "mildly modified" one though. Oh yeah, I'd also keep the sequential mode for everyday driving too, as it's much more like the Skyline in terms of the torque curve, actually probably even more beefy under 2000 rpm. Bottom line: I really like the Skyline's stock turbo setup - it's a nice grunty engine and is easy to live with every day. The Supra is the same, but once you start going much over stock boost it's recommended to go to TTC mode (to save the 2nd turbo from damage as it's hit with a lot of boost very suddenly), which means you have almost no boost until 3000 rpm and then it comes on *hard* (or as hard as you want it to with a good EBC), which some people actually prefer as it makes the car feel faster. 5. Interior comfort. Tricky one here. Another point to note is that I drove my dad to and from the airport today in his VZ Calais, about a 2hr round trip, so that gave me a chance to compare it to my recent Skyline trip. I can honestly say that the Skyline's seats *are* better for long trips! I had sore thighs and feet after about an hour of driving the Calais, but that may have been because I've spent less time getting the right pedal/seat/wheel setup than I have in the Skyline. The Supra's seats are very good too. The RZ got Recaro's from 96 onwards, which I have tried, and IMHO they are a bit too tight for my liking, especially for longer trips. They'll be very good for track work, but that's not something I'll be doing any time soon. I really like the RZ's seats in the pre-96 models (mine's a 95) - much the same as the GTS-T's actually, but with maybe a bit more support. I have to spend more time adjusting the seat but I can see that it will be as good as the Skyline's on a long trip. Oh, and road noise: the Skyline seems to have less sound deadening than the Supra. I can hear the Skyline's exhaust quite prominently (remember mine's stock) with all the windows up, whereas the Supra is a lot louder outside that the Skyline (it's running a 3.75" Apexi cat-back with a 3" dump and stock mid-pipe!) but when you wind up the windows a lot of the sound disappears. It has more road noise, but I think that's probably due to the width of the tyres 6. Practicality. I didn't realise just how impractical Supras are until I actually had one! Even compared to a GTS-T, they are a *very* impractical car if you ever want to take more than one passenger or carry a decent amount of luggage. The hatch depth is maybe half a foot, meaning that any decent sub box will either take up half the floor area (and I doubt a decent sub would be less than half a foot deep anyway!), or you'll have to take out the spare wheel, etc. Back seats? Don't even bother. They should have just made it a two seater and used the back seat space for something better. I did have 3 people in the Supra a couple of times but they were pretty uncomfortable, whereas I've carried 5 reasonably sized people in the Skyline before and they weren't complaining. You really do need a second car if you need to carry passengers or luggage with a Supra. 7. Brakes. If you're going for a pre-96/97 model RZ, don't expect much from the brakes. They are only 2-pot fronts and the feel is a bit spongy. For road use they're fine but you can forget about track use. I think the GTS-T's have better feel and feel like they're more up to the task for (light) track use. However, apparently the post 97 RZ's brakes were 4-pot fronts, 2-pot rears and have better feel and don't fade nearly as much on the track. I did drive one with these brakes but it was only for a couple of minutes so I didn't really get much of an idea. The Skyline's brakes are definitely better here. I'm going to have to get some performance pads for the Supra to try and improve the pedal feel, but it's not *that* urgent - but it's something I'd like to get done at some point. 8. Looks. The Supra is pretty easy on the eyes, even after all these years. I think it's one of those "classic" shapes that will last forever. The Skyline is nearly the same, but it just doesn't look as intimidating in your rear view mirrors as a tastily-modded Supra does. Actually, you might be able to access the For Sale thread of my actual car, have a look for yourself: http://www.supraforums.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=31734 Again, I'm comparing a stock car to a modded car, but IMHO, the Supra stands out more. I like both shapes, though. 9. Fuel consumption. Don't ask about the Supra. The first tank of fuel I went through on the Supra averaged over 20L/100km! Admittedly, the entire tank was used by me going up to the uni to practise stop/start driving and a few WOT runs. The 2nd tank was a bit better, I think in the 16L/100km range. And that's all I've got to go on, never filled it more than twice! Although also, for both those tanks, it was running an extremely rich, extremely dodgy tune (not my tune!) and it should be considerably better than that now. As I mentioned before, my overall average for the Skyline is about 12.7L/100km but that's mostly city driving. As you could see, mid-9's is pretty good for a highway cruise, and people have reported similar (even lower) figures on the Supra forums for their TT 6-speeds. I'd say they'd be pretty much the same - obviously the biggest determining factor is how hard you drive it! OK, hope that gave you some idea of what to expect from your Supra! Basically, I'd have to describe it as more of a performance car that's less practical for everyday driving, but is capable of crazy engine outputs if that's your thing. If you buy one that still runs TTC mode and maybe 15 psi of boost, you'll have a car that will beat just about anything else on the road, will be very driveable and won't use too much fuel (if you're easy with your right foot ). Which would I choose if I hadn't owned either but knew this info beforehand? That's a hard question. Probably the Skyline, as it better suits my everyday needs. I would have liked to try an R33 GTR but it was too close to what I already had and I wanted a change. Plus I just *had* to own a Supra once in my life! I think it's worth trying a Supra for a while. Obviously don't bother with the non-turbo model, or the auto's. Get a nice, clean RZ (not RZ-S or GZ) that's got a few tasteful mods (avoid those dodgy looking bodykits!), such as suspension, EBC, wheels, exhaust, intercooler, etc. and you can't go wrong Oh, and a word of advice - *do not* buy a modified car interstate! It's just too much stuffing around to get it registered! Or at least buy one with mods that are easily removable...I'm talking from experience

About a month ago I decided to give my auto R33 GTS-T SII a nice long cruise, just to see how it handled it, and before I sold it. I still haven't sold it, but it will be up for sale soon as I've recently bought a Supra (95 RZ 6-sp TT) and it's getting a bit tight supporting 2 cars when I pretty much don't even need one Anyway, I bought the car in Aug 2005 from Japlink Motorsports with 49000 km's on the clock. Since then it's been independently checked out twice and both places said the km's seem genuine. It had about 90000 on it at the start of the trip to Melbourne and now has about 93500. I'm actually quite impressed with Japlink, as it was my first car and the first place I visited. I had, however, done a lot of research on the forums and looked for hours on the net to find what I wanted, and I was more than pleased with my purchase. I haven't had any troubles with the car whatsoever (touch wood!) so far and after seeing the inside of a Supra, it makes the Skyline look a whole lot more practical! I tried to source a genuine cruise control but had no luck there, so I went for a cheapo aftermarket AP60 Command dealie (~$180), fitted professionally. I'd heard that the mechanical type CC's were a bit dodgy in that they can get a bit out of whack after a while because the magnets on the driveshaft move, but I figured that I was selling it very soon, so it didn't matter. However, the guy who fitted it (went to JK Car Air in Penrith, also another excellent trustworthy guy) dumped the magnets and hooked it up to the speedo anyway, and I think that pretty much is the only difference between it and a full-on "electronic" type (which are $200-odd more)... unless someone can correct me on this? I got the CC fitted specially for the trip, basically because my right heel/foot can get pretty sore even after half an hour of driving due to me not being able to find the perfect compromise with the driving position, so I only touched the accelerator for maybe 20 minutes during the whole 9 hr 15 min (with 4-5 stops) trip! The two things I really wanted to emphasise with the Skyline were these: comfort and fuel economy. Two things you'd never expect to hear in the same sentence as "Skyline"! I was more than pleased with both of these aspects and can only describe them as excellent, way above my expectations. Although I've had the car for over 2 years, I've never really been able to test out the comfort of the seats over a journey longer than say 1.5 hrs. I did tend to make a stop every 1.5-2 hrs (did a 2.5-3 hr stint right at the end! Not recommended though...) and didn't really get sore anywhere during any leg of the trip. Those seats are so comfortable - commendations Nissan for making a hard-wearing, supportive seat that also manages to be comfortable at the same time! Fuel economy - I've always put Vortex 98 in my car and have found it to be great. Haven't really filled up with anything else so can't compare it with anything. Still, I planned a fuel stop about halfway at a station that had Vortex 98 so it wasn't a problem to find. I've always gotten in the vicinity of 11.5 - 13.5 L/100km depending on the type of driving I'm doing, with my average being around 12.7L/100 km (mostly city-style driving in Penrith I think). So I was quite surprised to see a best full tank fuel consumption figure of 9.3L/100km and an overall for the trip of 9.8 (included city driving in Melbourne)! That's excellent for an 11 year old car with as much power as a Holden of a few years ago that would drink more like 15L/100km! I just wish I had a 5th gear so the revs would drop to just over 2,000 rpm @ 110km/h which would probably take it down to mid-8's and maybe reduce the engine noise slightly (my exhaust is stock). The engine's certainly got the torque to get up hills at those revs - I never once went out of top gear, even up the steepest and longest hills. BTW, those fuel economy figures include a few lengthy "floorings" to get past multiple cars in one go too Well, that's about it from me. I'll be sad to see my car go, but I'm afraid it has to as I can't support both for much longer. I'm hoping to keep the Supra for about 2 years as well and hopefully move back to a Skyline, but this time in the form of an R34 GTR I'll advertise the car in these forums when the time comes (waiting to get everything "just right" with the Supra before I do), as I'd prefer it to go to someone who will take car of it like it deserves. The car's looked after me well so I think it deserves the same back! Oh, I forgot to mention that I absolutely *loved* the drive there and back, so if anyone's thinking about doing it, DO IT!!! My friend recently moved to Melbourne (that's why I was visiting) and he drove a nice luxurious Toyota Celsior (top of the range type C-F) and he was bloody complaining! So if you're not into "driving" (so why would you be on these forums or driving a Skyline??? ) then don't bother, but if you are, it's well worth it. I'm planning on going on a slightly longer trip soon, maybe to QLD - about 11 hrs I think? Can't wait for that! Although I think I'll be doing it in the Supra...

Hehe well not really actually, my dad has a Holden Calais and we don't have Fords around - I just like the XR6T engine! I'm more like what you'd call a fence-sitter - I'd buy whatever the best product was that was out. And if I have a Ford fan around I'll start talking up the Holdens just to piss em off... and vice versa

Hehe that was me Yep, they certainly would, but still, it would be excellent to see it done! I wonder what everyone would think about putting the XR6 Turbo engine in a GTR? A comparatively cheap way of getting a huge stroker engine... bugger the OS Giken multi-thousand dollar kits for "only" what, 3.1L is it? Go the 4.0L!!!!

Hmm... that's exactly what I originally thought was happening. But then I started thinking about the "inside wheel acting as a pivot" concept and it started to make sense. I mean, thinking about the initial corner, I wasn't really applying all that much throttle, so was it really possible for the other wheel to become overpowered? That's the bit I was getting confused with. I would understand if I were applying WOT or I was in a low gear, but I wasn't. I was literally just trying to maintain a constant speed, albeit on a relatively steep hill and turning a (gentle) corner. With "V-LSD", are you referring to a viscous-type LSD? Because I was under the impression that these were an option on the GTS-T, and are quite rare? They are apparently the same type of diff as used in the GTR. So that would mean that I should have the more common, and theoretically, more secure, clutch-type LSD? Anyway, is there any way to check to see if my diff is stuffed? I mean, a proper, controlled test, not just one where I go to the nearest corner, stomp on the accelerator and see if I still have drive? Well, the answer to that last part is "yes", I can still feel drive going to the tyre with the lesser grip, but whether the amount of torque being transferred is how much it's supposed to be, I don't know. This is what I want to find out. And if my LSD is stuffed, how much am I looking at to get it fixed or replaced?

True, but once you put a big arse single or bigger twins you're gonna lose bottom end grunt.

Are those manual or auto times? They look suspiciously like the manual times! Yeah, the car does feel a lot quicker than 15.5 but I'm sure it was something like that officially. Sometimes car manufacturers post slow times for their official figures for some reason. Also, some people believe that the auto is actually faster than the manual up to about 140 km/h because you can stall it off the line. After that I guess it's down to gearing, etc.

Hehe if you're after something original that no one would ever consider doing, how about the Ford I6 from the XR6 Turbo? Nizpro managed to get 1000hp (or more?) and 8000rpm out of it a while ago, and there are plenty of relatively cheap, off-the-shelf power-up kits for it. Would have more torque than the 2JZ and from what I've seen, is quite a tough little bugger. Probably not as tough as a 2JZ stock for stock, but who wants stock?

I was having a discussion with a friend today about LSD's, and it made me think up a few questions. I know that when a tyre spins, it makes the car want to pivot around that axis (the tyre), so wouldn't that mean that a car *without* an LSD would tend to lose the rear end (ie: fishtail) *more* than a car with an LSD (ie: it is more dangerous in the wet than with a car with an LSD)? So, with my original situation where I was going around a LH turn at a constant 50 km/h up a hill, the inside (LH) rear tyre would be the most likely to spin since it has the least weight on it and it has drive torque passing through it. I was under the impression that once the LSD senses that tyre spinning, it would lockup the diff to a certain percentage, thereby allowing some drive torque through to the RH rear tyre. That should stop the LHR tyre spinning, thereby correcting the slide (well, this should all happen before the car starts sliding, but anyway...). So, the only reason that I would be sliding is because the drive torque passing through the RHR tyre has overpowered the amount of grip available, and now *both* rear tyres are spinning, thereby causing the car to lose rear end grip and thus oversteer? Basically, what I'm asking is, did my car start to slide because only the LHR tyre was spinning (the first paragraph), or because *both* rear tyres were spinning? If it's the former, then would that make my LSD stuffed? If it's the latter, I presume my LSD is working, but wouldn't that mean that cars equipped with LSD's are actually more dangerous to drive in the wet than with cars that have open diffs? I'm all confused now... And finally, what about when you see two tyre marks left on the road as a result of a burnout? That means that the tyre with the least grip has lost grip, which has sent torque to the other rear tyre, which was then overpowered by that torque? But why do both tyre marks look about the same "darkness"? Shouldn't one be much darker because that tyre is spinning faster than the other (ie: the wheel that initially lost grip)?

Hmmm... I'm not quite sure what you mean. I guess I'll have to try it next time it rains! What did you mean by Skylines having better balance, therefore equalling more wheelspin? Do you mean front/rear weight distribution, or having more "neutral" handling characteristics, ie: not as understeer-biased as the Calais? Funnily enough, the Calais actually has pretty damn good handling considering its size and weight. It's the model with the "FE 1.5" suspension, ie: in between the standard setup and the FE2 sports suspension found on the S and SS. There is a corner just off the M4 on my turnoff that I can take fairly easily at 60km/h in the Calais. That's probably 10 or 20 km/h faster than a normal driver, but the Calais doesn't lean much at all and generally doesn't feel "strained". In other words, I can look down at the speedo and expect to see 50 km/h, not 60 km/h. In the same corner in my Skyline, 60 km/h actually feels like 60 km/h. I'm not saying that it wouldn't out-corner the Calais, but you certainly know you're cornering fast and are very aware of it, whereas in the Calais it can be deceptively fast. Yep, he offered me an "excellent price". I had no idea of their going price, but I was planning to buy some performance Bridgestones (can't remember which but I think they'd just placed highly in a Wheels or Motor tyre test) and these Nexens were close to half price. He told me stories of how previous customers had also come in wanting to buy expensive tyres but had supposedly taken his advice and bought the Nexens, even with a money-back guarantee, and he'd only heard good feedback from them. I wasn't overly keen on spending $1000+ on tyres at the time, so I went with the ~$550 Nexens. Guess I'll know what to say next time eh? I presume the snow button will only appear in an auto car. Can anyone verify this? This is because AFAIK all it does is make the car start off in 2nd gear from a standstill. It is located down near the drink holder and is a 3-way rocker switch. It should read Snow > Normal > Power (I think). It normally isn't lit up, but when Snow is selected it will have a green light on, and when on Power it will have a orange/red light. Power just holds lower gears for longer and may make upshifts slightly faster.

Yep, I was beginning to think that! When they were brand new they weren't bad, but I was comparing them to nearly bald (but brand name) tyres. In the dry they seem pretty good, very quiet, don't screech much around corners, but in the wet.... they leave a lot to be desired! I had nothing really to compare them to so I was blaming the car. However, what's with the Calais? How come, even with more than 40,000 km's on the tyres, it grips a whole lot better in the wet? I think it has Bridgestones on it, but I can't remember the exact model number, but they are 225's. Could it be that the car weighs probably over 250kg more? Or could it be that it's not turbocharged, so the power delivery is more linear? Or, maybe it's because 1st gear is a lot higher than the Skyline's, so coming out of steep, wet driveways is less of a problem? I dunno, but comparing that to the Skyline, didn't give the Skyline a very good name in the wet! Surely brand name tyres with 50% grip on them can't be better in the wet than Nexen's with 80-100% grip?

Bastards! I would have thought they'd make higher margins on the more expensive tyres? Oh well, I probably saved about $500 so I spose that's kinda good... No, I haven't actually tried the snow button in the wet, but AFAIK all that does is start in 2nd gear, instead of 1st? When you say it "detects" wheelspin, do you mean it's some sort of traction control system? I'm pretty sure these things don't have any form of traction control My problem was actually in 3rd gear with very little throttle, but I suspect it was because the wastegate was fully shut and the boost was building very gradually over a few seconds, even though my foot was held in a constant position, so I may have been accelerating harder than I thought. Still, like I said, a 1.3L Barina was keeping up with me fine. I'm not sure if he was giving it all it had, though. These IEBC's (and I suspect any type of EBC) do weird stuff with the auto's - the auto will tend to hold a higher gear as you have more boost and thus more torque available, which can be a bit annoying at times when you need a burst of power, but luckily it can usually be fixed by quickly flexing your foot and making it kickdown. But, doing this in the wet would obviously be bad...very bad! In fact, I was just thinking what would happen if it kicked down just before I got wheelspin for the second time. I thought I'd be fine in 3rd, and then what happens? I get wheelspin in 3rd at a quarter throttle! No wonder why people say a turbocharged RWD car is a recipe for trouble in the wet! I never used to believe them, until I had a few little experiences like the one above. I don't think it's so much to do with the amount of outright power you have, it's more how the boost builds deceptively, or quickly, depending on how you're driving, which can cause a break of traction quite suddenly. Anyway, I would like to know how to find out if my LSD has had it. Anyone know? And is there a cheap way to fix it?

Well, like I said, it was no more than 1/4 throttle, maybe even 1/5. It's the EBC that's causing that much boost at that throttle opening. I've gotta get the high/low boost switch working so I can make it more like stock for the wet. As for accelerating too fast, well I had a shitty 1.3L old Barina behind me and he was keeping up just fine! And no, I wasn't trying to out-accelerate him! I'm not sure how my diff is. Is there a way to test it? And what do you mean by VLSD? I assume you mean the active LSD that was an option on GTS-T's, the viscous one that was the same as the GTR's? Well I'm almost certain I don't have that one. Well, if I can jab the accelerator pedal and make the back end slide out, does that mean my LSD is working properly? I would have thought a non-LSD equipped car, or one with a stuffed LSD, wouldn't do that? It would just spin the inside wheel but stay on the intended line of travel? Yeah, well I went in to the tyre place ages ago with the full intention of buying a really good set of Bridgestones but the guy actually talked me out of those and insisted I try the Nexens! They were a whole lot better than the last set initially, but maybe until around 70-80% tread wear. They're like 50-60% now.

I think the official figure was 7.0 secs for 0-100 km/h and 15.5 secs for the quarter mile. I believe someone on these forums did a 15.0 sec dead with a totally stock car, including tyres. I suspect the car is a bit faster than Nissan claims, though. I would also guess mid to high 6 secs for 0-100, as Wink did.

Hey guys, Today, as you may know, it was raining pretty hard in the Penrith / Blue Mountains area. I was heading up Old Bathurst Road and the rain had pretty much stopped, but the roads were still soaked. As I was turning up a gradual LH curve in the road, just before the hairpins, but where the hill is quite steep, I noticed the back end starting to drift a little. I was doing about 50 km/h and wasn't doing anything "stupid". Just trying to maintain a constant speed and drive smoothly. Then, after the final hairpin, the hill is still quite steep, and I was using maybe 1/5 to 1/4 throttle. I was doing around 40-50km/h in 3rd gear, with about 5 psi boost at around 2000 rpm, and again the back end started to drift as I had wheelspin for a few metres. I should probably mention at this point that my car is an auto R33 Series II GTS-T, but I have installed a half-working Jaycar IEBC (electronic boost controller), so it builds boost *very* quickly. That is why I was making 5 psi with less than 1/4 throttle at such low rpm. (I will be getting the low/high boost switch working soon so that I don't have excessive boost buildup in the wet!) Anyway, what I wanted to ask is, is it just my car, or does everyone's R33 have bad power down, especially in the wet? My car is stock, including suspension, exhaust, etc., except for the aforementioned EBC and an Apexi pod air filter. My tyres are Nexen N2000's @ 225/50R16 and have about 50-60% tread left. They supposedly have the highest grip rating, but they aren't Silica compound tyres. I have had other situations where I couldn't help but get wheelspin in the wet, like out out steep driveways, for instance. I don't think it would have been possible for me to use any less throttle than I was - I was literally *just* touching the pedal and the wheels would spin. I also drive a VZ Calais which has 225/55R17's and it has excellent grip, even in the wet. The power and torque figures are quite similar to the Skyline's, yet I have never had any problems with wheelspin in the wet (the traction control light would light up and tell me anyway). So, any ideas? Although it may be fun sometimes, it can be quite disturbing to feel the back of the car drift away when you're not intending it to, especially when trying to maintain a sensible, constant speed on a relatively straight road!

Thanks for the info Sydneykid. I've just thought of another couple of questions: does the torque converter lockup affect rwkW measurements? When I put the gearlever in 2nd (ie: "normal" mode) and give it full throttle, the torque converter locks up at about 4,000 rpm. I presume this will appear on the dyno readout as a slight increase in power. But does this affect the tune? Also, does anyone know if the torque converter will lockup at some point when the brown fuse is removed (as Tangles mentioned above), or does it stay unlocked? Would it be better to avoid lockup or not, and what sort of rwkW loss is involved without lockup?

Would I need to do this for a stock (other than Apexi pod air filter) GTS-T auto @ 10 psi? Or will the standard DFA suffice? Also, would it be likely that I would need a new fuel pump for the sort of power I can expect? Just out of interest, what sort of rwkW can I expect out of my setup, after the DFA has been tuned on the dyno? I was hoping for 160 rwkW, assuming the stockies put out ~120 rwkW, or an increase of ~40 rwkW. Does that mean my flywheel kW will be around 225?

I have no idea what gap the plugs are. They are just what was on the car when I bought it. When you say the misfiring will stop, do you mean after I've bought new plugs, or after a while without going into R&R they will clean themselves? I'm pretty sure I've got the vent/restrictor (same thing?) in the correct place. I've attached a pic (sorry about the quality, don't have a digital camera). The T-piece is connected up slightly differently to what I've seen before, but it should still do the same thing (?). The turbo inlet pipe is the one with the small plastic connection coming off it, which is underneath the bigger pipe with the top small tube connected between it and the top solenoid connection?