shoebox

Okay now that we've got the intercoolers out of the way, how about suspensions? What kind of settings and suspensions do you use?

No worries, we're all trying to learn here. But wow. That's really something interesting!

Yea, i'll go for the copper ones then. Thanks, wolverine and rev210! rev210: NGK BCPR6ES are 6's, right? My current ones are 5.. which is why i want to replace them. SITC... hmm. Are there any other companies which still manufacture them? It looks like a pretty neat tuning tool.

I'm stuck. 1) Apparently, Apex'i doesn't manufacture SITCs anymore... Anyone knows of a good SITC? 2) I've heard various responses regarding the upgrading of coil packs... how much difference is there between the stock coilpacks and an aftermarket one (like spitfire)? 3) If i were to only perform these mods, is upgrading the R33 stock intercooler to an R34 GT-T one necessary? I'm concerned about the blazing hot summers here...

Yea, i'm planning to go for the exhaust first. I don't think i'll go 180 often, but i don't like the idea of having a cap there... maybe its psychological. Even my friend's maxima could go up to 220... Now i'm trying to decide between spending around $200 or to just cut a wire.

Thanks rev210 and Munna1! Munna1, i've came across your site, and that's where i got the idea of replacing the intercooler with the R34 GT-T's! Great site! There's a shift kit!?! I'll die to fit one on my car! *drools* 5) Yea, i was thinking of doing that. But... i'll be damaging the car, won't i? 6) I'm pretty new to this.. what do you mean by pineapples..? 7) Really? They cost a bomb too. Maybe i'll just throw them out from the list... 11) I got a quote of $260 for some platinium spark plugs... should i go platinium or stick with copper? 12) Why is everyone on SAU promoting safc2 when the afc neo's out? Is there something wrong with the newer model? By the way, both are compatible with autos too, right?

Ah, okay. Then i'll have fun seeing it go round ^_^ I'm planning to fit in the hks speed limit defender to remove the 180 cap. Auto's sweet! But i hate the way it wastes fuel and the strong engine brake, so maybe i'll put in a 5-gear auto transmission if i'm feeling rich enough, which is probably never Just too bad that there aren't any aftermarket "plug-and-play" ecus for autos around... was reading how some guys try to fit an ecu to suit an auto car, and it looks seriously complicated. Will I be breaking any QLD or VIC regulations (which includes making the car not roadworthy) if i fit in any of the listed mods? For quick reference, they are: 1) Upgrading of intake: Apex'i Power Intake Kit. 2) Manual Boost controller. 3) HKS Speed Limit Defencer. 4) Replacing the intercooler with one from a R34 GT-T. 5) Changing the suspensions. 6) Spitfire coil packs. 7) Full turbo back x-force kit. 8) Changing of spark plugs. 9) Apex'i AFC Neo and SITC. I'm pretty sure #5 and #11 are safe, but how about the rest? Anyone from QLD or VIC with the knowledge? I can't seem to find any guidelines or regulations regarding mods...

I'm planning to get the exhaust done in the next couple of days (or weeks), and probably fit in the safc2 and sitc. Probably going to leave the suspensions alone for now... would any of the stuff i listed make the car not road-worthy? Edit: Another quick question: What happens if I go above 180km/h on the stock speedometer? Would it break?

Nice! Thanks! Okay, i'll be going for the 3.5". Should i be looking at anything else which i missed out on the list? The stock brakes seem to be pretty strong, and it's not like i'm changing the turbo or something, so i'll probably stick to them for the moment. How about the safc2 and sitc? Are they worth the money if i'm not planning to do big mods? They're quite costly... At the rate this is going, I'll be giving Apex'i a fair bit of money.. and i initially wanted to go with HKS for their reputation!

Thanks Waz and mad082! Yea, it sounds like a great idea, and $800 is pretty cheap for a turboback! A stock R33 is really like a kitten.. so tame. Edit: Quick question. I'm trying to learn the ropes here, but what's the difference between the 3" and 3.5" turboback systems? They cost the same...

thanks! my spark plugs are currently 5, according to the mechanic who inspected the car... =_= safc2 and sitc... that's an idea. i'm not planning to go over 180 often but the road from brisbane to gold coast is really sweet at night! wings are illegal!?! what the...! there goes my dream of having a drift wing on my car... An example of what i'm looking for is something like this: Ebay Link. Is this legal? Where can i read up upon all these legal stuff anyway? I can't seem to find them anywhere! You know, you probably have just cut down on my shopping list by a lot

Thanks Warren! Yea, what you said is so true. I have to admit, I got an auto but it's really quite a good car from what I've seen so far. Only dissapointment is that i can't drift... (which is good because i don't wanna blow money on tyres!) I done some reading on the forums, which led me to this list of mods, so i'm like looking to see if anyone has tips and such... initially i wanted to fit a BOV as well, but i've changed my mind. Even if i wanna do all the mods at one time, i just don't have the capital So it's kind of like a long-term plan for my car which could jolly well stretch for a year.

Yea. I hate clutch control, and the roads in Australia are horrible; they're so steep! I'll love to change to a 5-gear auto transmission to cut fuel costs and for a smoother ride, but it'll probably cost a bomb. Any recommendations on which brands I should go for stuff like boost controllers, coil packs (are they even any good?) and turboback exhaust systems? For suspensions i'm torn between D2 and the bilstein/whiteline suspension kits (thanks hanyou for pointing out the sale!). Anyone using any of these suspensions? What's the difference between them and the stock suspensions other than being able to adjust the height? My stock ones are kinda hard, and the roads here aren't exactly smooth so i feel every small bump and sewer cover. =_=

omg boost controllers are illegal!?! then why is everyone getting one fitted? aftermarket computer as in a new ECU? i can't do that because most (if not all) ecus are not compatible with autos... I might be moving to VIC in the near future, so i'll need to comply with QLD's and VIC's regulations.

I just bought a automatic stock R33 GTS-T Series 2 yesterday, and I'm thinking of modifying it. Any comments, recommendations or advice is greatly appreciated as this is my first car. Here's what I have in mind: 2) Greddy profec B-spec II electronic boost controller 4) HKS Speed Limit Defencer. 5) Replacing the intercooler with one from a R34 GT-T. 6) bilstein/whiteline suspensions 8) Full turbo back x-force kit. 11) NGK BCPR6ES spark plugs. 12) Apex'i AFC Neo and SITC. 13) Shift kit. As of now, I'm only thinking of making these light modifications. Nothing fancy, as I'm on a budget and i hope this thread will help anyone who is planning to improve his/her R33 without spending a bomb. Any advice on what to get, what not to get, where to buy these parts from, etc? Thanks! Edit: Refined the mod list, removed the apexi intake kits, spitfire coilpacks, speedo upgrade, change of spoilers and headlight kits. Blowing a few hundred just to change the speedo and headlights is just... =_=

Going by that argument, Ford, Mercedes, Holden and Toyota would win hands down. Search for cars manufactured more than 20 years ago, with an odometer reading of more than 150,000km. http://www.carpoint.com.au/DesktopDefault....Date_DateTime|1 But peace, man. Each to his own. I got a friend who swears by his EG6 even though it's getting pretty old, and I have to admit, it's pretty darn fast and light.

Trust me, we didn't know Honda cars were so prone to failure until it was too late too. Drivetrain, transmission and engine issues were the more common ones.. you have no idea how much we spent to fix those darn gearboxes! Soon after that, we changed the fleet to Toyota Corollas and Crowns with a few Nissan Cedrics, and stuck with Toyota ever since. And yea, 10 years old is ancient ^_^ Most R33s are already that age though... *sighhh*

My relative runs a taxi company, and from our experience, Honda cars are high maintenance and prone to mechanical failure as compared to Toyota. We're not talking about performance here, but realiability issues. Most cars are designed to have a lifespan of 10 years, but Honda ones tend to go down pretty quick after 7 years. I don't know why... cost efficient engineering?

Here's a tip: Seriously, why settle for something less? Get some banged up family car from the 80s or something to tide you over the law. Once you're of age, re-sell that car, and use your money to buy one with a turbo. Sure, it may not be the coolest car in town, but you'll be the only person with a turbo car among all your friends after the time is up. You'll probably even be able to get your R32 GTS-T at a lower price after the depreciation (which means you can take that money saved and mod your R32!) No offence, but I've also seen many near-misses by P platers when they try to go fast without the experience to handle the power. So, this is also a good time to earn some free brownie points from your parents by pretending to be a good driver ^_^ However, if you really can't wait, I seriously don't recommend Honda for their realiability issues. Have you considered the Toyota Celica or the Nissan Silvia S13? Edit: The S13 is a drift car, by the way. If you ever want to learn how to drift, a non-turbo S13 is probably the starting point as it's easier to handle and more predictable than most drift cars (like the RX7 or S15). I'll seriously suggest that you go for lessons and not pick up drifting by yourself, having said that.

Something like that happened to my colleague's car once, and it was the ECU. Doesn't sound very serious to me, as it's probably just an electrical thing. Good luck though ^_^ What car is it anyway?

I've seen an R33 S2 GTS-T with the 320km/h nismo speedo, so that's possible. As for the tacho, it should be possible too... but they're about a few hundred dollars if I'm not wrong?

Hahaha! Now I know the true reason why autos are so popular! But you can do that with a manual too, if you're on the expressway~

^_^ thanks! I couldn't find the snow and power thing anywhere though, so I thought I was the only person to actually start wondering. Getting an auto because I hate clutch control in a traffic jam, and I simply cannot imagine myself reversing the car and trying to parallel park upslope. The roads here are crazy sometimes!

I'm really new to the Skyline world, but I'm trying my best to learn as fast as I can, so forgive me if I do ask some obvious questions now and then. ^_^" I'm right on the verge of purchasing an R33 GTS-T. However, I'm a bit confused about some of the things the car has to offer. Such as: 1) What does the snow and power option do? I heard that snow gives the car more traction and power gives it more power for racing purposes, but how does it actually help? 2) Does the R33 only take premium unleaded petrol? What happens if someone feeds it normal unleaded? 3) I noticed that quite a fair number of R33 headlights are kinda "foggy" or "yellowish". Is there any way of cleaning them? Anyhow, Is there a car manual available online which I can reference from, or tips as to how I can take good care of the car? Thanks a million!

Thanks ob1!