scathing

Yeah, the thing is f**ked. Send me an email, from the email address you want to use, to 350z-tech-mod @ au-z.org (sans spaces, of course) with your desired user name.

No. Swaybars should have no effect on launch. Only cornering. If standing start is your primary concern, shift weight to the rear and soften the rear suspension out. FM platform cars aren't fantastic for launching thanks to the weight distribution and rear geometry. Do you find yourself axle tramping when you launch? Making use of what power you've got might work out better than chasing more power. Outright power only really matters once you're rolling. Another option (if you can find it for a reasonably cheap price) is to get a VLSD, and/or a 3.7:1 or 3.9:1 final drive ratio. I'm not sure what diff you have, but I found my VLSD to work reasonably well. I rarely ever did "single tyre fryers" with mine, anyway. I've got a 3.9:1 final drive in my current diff (compared to the 3.5:1 in the stock setup), and my in-gear acceleration is a lot stronger. There is a sacrifice in top speed, cruising RPM, and fuel economy though.

If you're after modifying the note, I'd say do the catback. It is the primary job of the mufflers to modify the exhaust noise, after all. HFC tend to lead to raspiness but since few people do the cats and leave the exhaust stock it's very difficult to knowledgably say what it'd do if the rest of the pipework is factory. I found that, when I fitted HFCs, the pitch of the exhaust note went up. When I did the catback (which was first) the note at low RPM didn't change much, but in the upper half of the rev range the tone got more gravelly and aggressive. In terms of sound only, I much preferred having just stock headers/stock cats/HiTech catback. But then, I don't like rasp.

Neither will fit unless you stretch a narrow tyre. For TE37s +22 offset in those widths is the accepted limit for stock guards and camber. Roll the gear guards and get camber arms on the front, and those things will fit just fine with a reasonabe-size tyre.

Instead of adding more power, why not clean up the handling? Sway bars are great bang-for buck mods. Or give it a mild drop with some decent springs.

All the flash tuning software isn't cheap either. If they've got a Technosquare or Osiris or whatever and got the dealer package, it would have set them back a fair wedge. I've had my ECU reflashed with a Technosquare. All they had to do was plug the connector into the OBDII port, and fiddle around with the laptop to get the map onto the car. Modern ECUs don't need any work on the hardware to update the firmware. Must be a downhill dyno, or they're talking about flywheel gains.

They must have changed it since I got them a few years back, since mine were DOT and E4 approved. Control tyre actually means "cheap". It doesn't necessarily mean "good". I didn't like the A048s I've driven on. They are cheaper than RE55S, which is a plus, but if I was chasing dollars I'd have to see how they price up against R888s. The A050s are meant to be better, but the only comments I've seen on them have been marketing fluff from Yokohama.

As long as they have the appropriate markings (DOT and/or E4) and they're above minimum tread depth they're street legal. When it's wet and cold they can also be f**king scary. R888s, RE55S and D03Gs are in a different league to RT615s and RE-11s. The latter are more aggressive street tyres than a proper motorsport tyre.

http://www.supply1.com.au/

Those are primarily Version 1.0 problems with electronic butterflies. I know a lot of people complain about drive-by-wire systems, but I've never had a problem with it on the VQ powering my Z33, nor with the MZR engine in the NC MX-5. I comfortably swap out of my cable operated Swift GTI into either car without feeling like its laggier. I think, these days, pretty much all new cars are drive-by-wire since it somehow helps with emissions. I know the VQ's ECU likes to keep the throttle open for a split second after you lift for a gearchange, to keep the revs up, but from what I've read that's by design (it's some emissions thing) rather than a technical deficiency. Lightening my flywheel mitigated a lot of the effect. What I don't like is the fact that the VQ's throttle butterfly starts closing itself at high RPM regardless of pedal position, to preserve the engine, but once again that's a design fault (that some ECU reflashes can remove) rather than an inherent shortcoming of the system. Complaining that drive-by-wire is like complaining that turbocharged cars are really laggy. It might have been true when they were first productionised, but these days its pretty much been fixed and any current issues are a failure by the manufacturer, not the technology.

Damn. Does anyone know if a turbo VQ25 is still being used by Nissan? Still, the VQ block itself is still meeting modern emissions requirements. I can't imagine it would be impossible to get a FI one to pass.

Your out lap onto a circuit should be enough to get them up to temp. If not, by the first 2-3 corners on your first flying lap you should be right. The R888s will last longer before overheating and going greasy during a circuit session. The RS-Rs will cover more kilometres before needing replacement. R888s then. I'll also assume they're only driven on in the dry, which rules out the RS-Rs superior wet weather performance. I'm referring to stuff like motorkhanas and hillclimbs (or 1 lap dashes from a cold start) when I'm talking about "sprint". With those events, each individual run is done and dusted in < 1 min and you need maximum grip from the moment you take off. The R888s will provide you with more outright grip as well, so your lap times should be lower on the circuit. If you can afford Bridgestone RE55S, they are a better bang-for-buck tyre in my opinion (I've circuited on both). However, if you're just getting into circuit work then the R888s are cheaper. You can learn on a cheaper R-Comp before spending up on grippier rubber once you know what driving on them is like. R-Comps behave a little differently than street radials on the track, especially at the limit, so there is a slight learning curve.

R888s make better sustained motorsport tyres, where you've got time to heat them up and you'll be hammering them for a while. RS-Rs make better street/sprint motorsport tyres, where you don't get an opportunity to really get some heat into them and you're not going flat stick for a long time.

Ignore driver skill, since we're comparing the cars as models (not two specific cars owned by two specific people). The rest I'd agree with, though. Also, suspension design and weight distribution. Being able to get the car cleanly off the line can make up for minor power differences. As an example, all else being equal (e.g. power, torque, weight, tyres) a FI MR2 will run better 60' times than a FI Silvia and should therefore beat it to the trap. NA, it might go the other way since a 2.0L would just bog in the MR car where the FR car would be able to get a little slip and keep the revs up.

What RPM are you doing at 110km/hr? Compare it with someone that has an open diff, and it'll tell you approximately what your FD ratio is.

It'd make sense. A lot of companies, even those traditionally supportive of NA (Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ferrari) are considering going to a smaller displacement FI engine in the future. With a VQ25DET already in production in the M35 Stagea (which shares the FM platform the V series uses), the R&D costs to get it to meet drivability/reliability/packaging/emissions requirements has already been paid for.

I'm counting exterior only, as interiors seem to date a lot quicker. Mazda FD RX-7 Toyota SW20 MR2 McLaren F1 Ferrari 360 Spyder Mercedes Benz R230 SL series Mercedes W203 C-Class BMW E85 Z4 (roadster) Datsun S30 240Z Ford Mustang (first gen) Lotus Elise Volvo P1800 AC Cobra Peugeot 406 coupe Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Lancia Stratos Austin Mini

I'm counting exterior only, as interiors seem to date a lot quicker. Mazda FD RX-7 Toyota SW20 MR2 McLaren F1 Ferrari 360 Spyder Mercedes Benz R230 SL series Mercedes W203 C-Class BMW E85 Z4 (roadster) Datsun S30 240Z Ford Mustang (first gen) Lotus Elise Volvo P1800 AC Cobra Peugeot 406 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Karman Ghia

What? Toss you off it?

I can't guarantee he'll do it, but try Dumhedz, aka The Engine Whisperer.

Only people paddling in the shallow end of the gene pool would consider it deep. ns.com is full of pimply faced noisemakers who've watched too much Initial D and F&F. The few people there with mechanical knowledge and experience are drowned out by the flood of shit pumped out by the vast majority of members on there. First page of the Silvia technical section on ns.com, right now: trying to inflate stretched tyres ive been told that if i use a can on flamable liquid, spray the whole can into the tyre and light it, the tyre will pop onto the beeds. however i tried this and all that happened was the rim caught on fire.

Just realised I can't make this. I have a family thing on.

Here's an internet rule of thumb for you: The fewer the number of people on ns.com agreeing with you, the more likely you are to be right.

Where is Olympic Park exactly?

If he thinks a lack of backpressure in an exhaust is a problem rather than a good thing, then his knowledge is minimal. TVR Tuscan / Sagaris will shit all over a NA Supra, and is technically P plate legal since they're not on the list, and don't have FI/8+ cylniders. A V35 350GT should run mid 14s quarters even with an average driver. If we're not talking P plate legal (since you were quick to point out the OP never mentioned it) and we're "not too worried about the $$$", you can feel free to throw in: 350Z / 370Z M3 NSX Porsche 911 (of which the GT3 would be the "king of the NA 6's") Lotus Evora All of which will easily clean up a NA Supra, stock for stock or with similar bolt-ons.