scathing

I'm on a couple of Silvia-oriented forums, and I've never heard of any amateur racer cracking an SR block while sprint racing due to heat issues. I know that some of the GT-P guys had issues with their engines, but then they run them pretty damned hard for quite a length of time. If he's only after a time attack (which isn't exactly endurance) then the lighter engine and car would still be a better choice. Mind you he might also be able to get a second hand PRB for that kind of money, which will defecate all over a S15 or R34 on the track.

You can get LSDs on FWD cars. The 80's Pulsar SSS's (post ET Turbo, pre N14) used to have viscous LSDs in the front. They're even less common in FWD cars, since they tend to be econo runabouts that people don't buy for sporting pretensions, but they're out there. All the Honda Type-R's run LSDs. A lot of the journos lament that the new Type-S has lost the LSD, which means they can't punch out of corners with as much traction as they used to. The FTO runs an LSD. The RalliArt Magna actually uses it in its application, which at least lets you know the FTO LSD will handle a major increase in torque.

The Australian market is moving away from big cars because they're moving away from big fuel consumption, not because they're moving away from too much rear space. The Chaser will still be too gas guzzling and too large for the demographic.

Just ran a quick search - looks like the GTO's 3.0L motor never came out with the MIVEC head.

Yeah, the Mirage Cyborg-Rs were a decent hot hatch. They were set up to be a Civic Type-R competitor, back in the day....

I get the feeling it was someone else. What time was it? I've only been up and down the north shore today, and only 3 people know the keypad combination to start the car. But yeah, sounds like my plates. Can you edit your posts? I don't want them on the 'net.

Which GT-R runs an RB25DET?

Haven't heard a peep from the cardigan carmaker about this thing for ages. But 180kW and only 6's for 0-100km/hr? That's no HSV / FPV competitor. And Aussie car buyers have proved time and time again that they want their big sports sedans to push, not pull.

Strange. I haven't been anywhere near Pennant Hills Rd since the SAU cruise. Definitely not tonight... I'd better go see if my car's still in the carpark, and if its still wearing its plates. There can't be that many silver Z's with almost the same plates as me.

Depends on how far you want to go. If you're willing to strip out the interior then its quite cheap to drop weight. It costs nothing aside from time. But you can also do that to a S15, and drop the weight of that too. As for making power, you can get an S15 from 125rwkW to 180rwkW with your standard bolt-ons (exhaust, FMIC, ECU and boost control). If you start going invasive and start doing internals, its always cheaper to modify a 4 pot than a 6 pot. Don't forget that the non-R Skyline coupes are also set up from the factory as more of a GT car. GT's are cars that are sporty, but still have a modicum of comfort and luxury rather than being an out-and-out sports racer. That niche is filled by the Silvia, after all. A much cheaper but a lot more direct and focused sports car. As such, I'd bet on a Silvia's handling for track work over a Skyline GT's. For track work, all else being equal (suspension setup, power / weight etc), you'd always take the lighter car. It should accelerate about the same, given the similar power to weight, and unless one car has a much better suspension setup the lower weight means it'll handle better as well as tax your brakes and tyres a lot less.

Are you sure we're talking about the same WRX? Any non-'05 STi model has a, by peer standards, retarded 4WD system. "Symmetric AWD" is a marketingspeak euphamism for "we don't have the know-how to build a car with active torque splits like the Evolution or GT-R". I find it so laughable that Subaru has made "symmetric AWD" a cornerstone of their marketing push for its performance and safety.....until their new top-of-the-line sports car's best handling modification is its asymmetric, adaptive, AWD setup. Notice how they don't have it as a slogan this year? Anyway, WRX's run open diffs in the front, and the older ones run open rear diffs too (the STi's of old do run front and rear LSDs), so it also tends to spin the inside front wheel under power. Not particularly smart. As for skills, it just requires a different technique to drive a 4WD quickly. They are easier to drive than a FR car, but that doesn't mean it makes it easy. If you've got no skill you'll still have no pace. I've cleaned up plenty of badly driven modified WRXs in my NA Z, and one of my friends has run down R32 GT-Rs in the wet in his Elantra. Some driving craft is portable between drivetrain configurations, but others aren't. For example, 4WDers have a mantra: "when in doubt, power out" which works great if the nose pulls as well as the tail pushing...but try that in a RWD car and you'll spin. WRX's are not geared for high speed, but you'll have to make mad power to hit redline in top gear on most Australian racetracks. Oh, and if you're after the "ultimate" drivetrain for learning racing skills, then go grab a MR car. Preferably NA. The MR car's weight distribution and balance tends to be the best, and having instant throttle response and a linear power delivery is much better for learning than the variable ramp-up rates for a FI car when trying to balance on the throttle, that also lets you use excess power to hide your deficiencies in handling your car.

A 3.0L MIVEC engine would only have come out of a GTO.

The guy's a new P plater (or otherwise he'd apparently have a GTSt with a "big blower" ) so he's not allowed to modify it. If he didn't care about remaining legal, he would have just lived his life-long dream of owning a car that makes offensive noises for the sake of making noise.

It won't damage the car as long as you take the appropriate precautions. Obviously if you're running a filthy batch of 91RON unleaded in 30 degree ambient heat, your ECU is going to have picked that up and pulled back the performance to protect the engine. You get rid of its knowledge that its dealing with less than ideal fuel and air, and then just hop straight in and thrash it.....the ECU will eventually re-learn and pull back the performance again. But, until that happens........... But if you've loaded up a tank of known-good fuel and its nice cold weather, if the car's feeling a little sluggish its definitely worth giving an ECU reset a try. It shouldn't affect your EBC settings. Unless your ECU and EBC have weird interconnects (perhaps you're running an E-Manage with your Profec? I don't know...I'm not that familiar with GReddy's products) the two units are standalone.

Considering the fact that you're not allowed to modify your engine performance in any way, there aren't any methods that are legal for you. A better, and legal, way to reduce the time it takes you to get from A to B is to learn how to f**king drive first. Walk before you run, dude.

The Ferrari E-Diff is an active diff, like the M's Variable M Differential Lock. Both trumpet them like they're the next coming, but all I can say is "Welcome to 10 Years ago". The Prelude VTiR ATTS had an active LSD well before these two. The Ferrari and BMW one might be more advanced, but Honda released theirs in 1997 in a $50K car. I'm pretty sure the EVO Lancers have had active diffs since the VI as well. Now I wonder how much traction a 4WD car with an active has in comparison with a 2WD car....

Pretty much what everyone else says. Your ECU retains several parameters, and the algorithm uses them as variables when determining its actions. So if the engine's knock sensors pick up stuff, it'll pull the engine back further and further to avoid breaking something. That's how the ECU adjusts to varying quality fuels. It also has sensors to pick up various temps (inlet, EGT, etc) to adjust its settings to pro-actively avoid engine-damaging states of tune. So the hotter the weather, it knows to run less advance immediately, rather than waiting until your engine knocks to pull it back. It might also determine from your driving style (i.e. steady state cruising on the highway) that you're not using power, and lean the motor right out to conserve fuel. Or run a more aggressive map if you're thrashing it. Resetting the ECU clears all those parameters, so the ECU starts from a clean slate. So if you've been running bodgy fuel or babying the car and you've just topped up with some nice 98RON to hit the track, it'll be faster to switch to an aggressive mode than thrashing it and having the ECU notice. If some of those parameters refuse to update, you might have to clear them forcibly by resetting.

As everyone else has said, you'd be insane to use it. A generic part that fiddles with your ECU's sensors is just asking to break something. There's a reason why signal interceptors (piggyback ECUs, SAFCs, etc) need to be tuned for specific vehicles. Everyone's car is a little different, so they respond differently. This guy's just selling a resistor that he reckons will work on anything. Its either got to be ultra-conservative, or taking ultra-risks with your engine. I mean, how does the guy know if the ECU is going to advance ignition for this "denser" air, or go the other way and richen out the mixture to avoid what it thinks will be a lean-out? Its not like different manufacturers react the same way when it comes to the safety / max power compromise they need to make as organisations that offer warranty against potential user stupidity. If it does run the mixture richer to keep the same ratio regardless of air density, all this thing is going to do is rob power and waste petrol. Its not like its designed and tested specifically for your make and model of engine. I'd treat the numbers they're giving you with the same skepticism that you'd have when some random person on IRC tells you they're 18 years old, blonde and female and wants to send you a pic of them in their underwear that, for whatever reason, they only have in .exe format.

Yeah mate, that was me. I saw you there, looking at me. I should have stepped out and at least said hi...but I'm shy. Next time Gadget, next time!

I should try posting some pics of Skylines too...

Wheel goodness.

Go the revival. Canon Digital Ixus 400.

oxymoron n : conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence') There's a reason why moron is a part of that word.

Yes. You can even have 2. Or 3. Or 12, if your installer can fit them all. Will they do anything? No.

As everyone else has said, S15. Less weight, easy to extract power from, and a wealth of aftermarket parts. But if you could score a Series 6 RX-7 in that price range, take the rotor. Otherwise, there's always WRX's. You can set up the handling for tarmac and remove the stock understeer. They do a great job at the club level supersprints I marshall at.