DaveB

The convertor is more expensive than the shift kit 'cause they only have to drop the pan & valve body I think for the shift kit; whereas for the torque convertor will need the transmission out (somewhere around $600+ in labour I believe) and then a day or two's wait while the torque convertor is sent off to be rebuilt. Definitely ask about getting it done all together because maybe you can save some labour there. Let us know how it goes... if you have an auto you need a shift kit makes a big difference ...just don't get one if your favorite thing about the stagea is how smooooth and quiet it is, 'cause from here that starts to diminish... shift kit will make shifts harsher. But the transmission bands should last longer (now the transmission *mounts* I'm not sure of...)

true - probably at least 5 or 6 in just my suburb

lol I had a shift kit, yes "stage 1", got it installed a while ago. big difference. no. HUGE difference. I would go so far as to say that if you are upgrading your power in any way, you *need* this. My transmission was flaring a little sometimes even with stock power (130rwkw). Mind you the shift solenoid rack and pressure regulator (all get replaced together) later went faulty so that may always have been on the way out. It made it past 120,000K's though so this was probably the usual RE401B troubles. This service they told me about some development work they'd done for the stagea; an aluminium servo in place of whatever the stock one is which controls the bands, or something like that (I know even less about it than I do the valve body upgrade/shift kit, which I had them install). They said that it would make the shifts more consistent and help with the longevity of the transmission. I had been noticing that the changes weren't always as firm from 1st-2nd, ie. the 'crispness' of the shifts would vary a little across the rev' band, and I knew how expensive an excercise it was to have one of these gearboxes removed (regardless of whether you can get a 2nd-hand one for $400, you still have to disconnect the ATTESA line etc.). So I went for the servo upgrade and I have definitely noticed that the shifts are always 'crisp' and fast now. I think it felt almost as different as when I had the shift kit installed. I highly recommend both

Yeah posted that before GoldZilla's post... but it's cool if they have the same cams, just means my auto must be eating lots of power... OT... That's an amazing tune, exactly the sort of tune I have been after, and I was only looking for 200rwkw... and you've got 225 at all 4 on a sidemount? series 1? look forward to details!

Sounds like good advice Stinky'... did just what you have suggested, and got a hi-stall convertor. Couldn't believe the poxy 1,800rpm stall on the stock one! Still guess that's good for fuel economy. Edit: yes Ben, you're right there... on all accounts I figure at least I haven't got a huge turbo, FMIC and 1,000cc injectors... but yeah I like to take the car places and the 'wagon-ness' is handy... oh, and I don't want to come across like some traffic-light-drag-crazed nut who stomps on both pedals at once at every opportunity!! It was just an experiment, when I got the car and it was on the road and running well, to try a stall launch - after hearing about how good attesa was at keeping the wheels from spinning and how good a 'real' 4wd launch was - and I was so impressed, I was kinda hoping that the turbo upgrade (sort-of necessary since the turbo was whining so loud that passengers were complaining!) wouldn't kill that. But it has a little... still, it's an awesomely fun car to drive, and I have taken it as far as northern vicland a couple times... still plan to 'use it' for the forseable future.

Thanks for all the info and tips guys... especially advice on checking boost at stall - hadn't even thought of that (I haven't had a boost guage very long and it's mounted a bit low lol). Since the turbo upgrade it still launches *hard*, but it's not *violent* like it used to be stock... when the passenger struggles to keep hold of the stopwatch at launch. RBPOWA-(TJ) - I have in fact investigated high stall convertors... we are lucky enough to have one of the nation's most awesome transmission shops here in sleepy old adelaide and I spoke to them a while ago now. I had them fit a 'heavy-duty high-stall convertor' just this week, picked the stag up yesterday in fact. Apparrently stock stall is only around 1,800 (!!!!?!?!) and it has now been upped to around 2,800. I'll have to see how the fuel goes yet lol... but basically it feels quicker everywhere at the moment. Just a stall launch still not like stock I dunno if new torque convertors need running in... So going easy on it for the moment... only done about 50 k's. However, just did a brief 'check boost at stall' test and noticed boost reads 0psi (no boooost!!). At ~3,500-4,000 I get about 18psi so I think a boost controller is in order (I have *no* boost controller atm)... what do you guys think?

HAHA oops don't know which ones I was thinking of! I was comparing them to the stag wheels... my bad! PS Enkei also make the GTC01's in R35 GTR size... not sure but I reckon that would be over 2,000 per wheel pretty easy... looks pretty awesome though

pffft you single-5-spoker guys are all so boring although the rims in your avatar look pretty awesome Mike. just a little too 'extreme' for me I suppose... and I dunno... but I kinda like the style of the stock stagea / atmo R34 I think? rims. I'd be happy with the same, but bigger/wider!

Hi all, I'm looking for advice on 'stall launches'. I've read the DIY question on 'getting it off the line', but this seems to have been written for S1's, and I have a S2. What's the deal with the brakes "creeping" - ie. the car "driving through the brakes"? Mine doesn't do that, no matter how much throttle I give it. And since upgrading my turbo by getting it hi-flowed by GCG and getting the full 3-inch exhaust/hi-flow cat/dump, 500hp in-tank walbro etc. and Nistune and tune, my stall launches are much **less** impressive... what's going on? How many rev's do you need to stall it to? Or doesn't it matter - full throttle will do? 'Cause in the R34 service manual it describes a 'stall test' of the transmission where the accelerator is held at full throttle for 5 seconds to determine stall speed. I don't know what's going on when you guys say it drives through the brakes... mine just doesn't. Maybe this is a series 2 thing.

My dream rims are these Enkeis: Not sure if they come in your offset, but IMO they look awesome and simple - 5 double-spokes - and they're available in a finish called 'hyper black' - kinda a speckled gunmetal grey. They're light too apparrently they're race rims. Not light on the budget though at nearly $700 a rim last time I checked, but that's still cheaper than a lot of sets.

Nice wheels and nice wheels... but yes second the noise reduction working overtime... only trouble with sunset is there's not a lot of light! Need a big lens and a big pickup... But that actually makes the M35 look nice, which (IMO) is difficult to achieve in a photo... I'll concede it's a bit easier in real-life though Hey just noticed... no roof-racks!?

I'm interested to know what you find out, beRwick_GTRage, 'cause as you have probably noticed no-one seems to know for sure what the go is with cam's in the series 2. But the idea of Poncams (ok, expensive) and a full port-and-polish (MEGA expensive - head off!) is very appealing...

I think we do still struggle to make the same power But maybe it is the trans eating it all up... Look at what Tangles has had to do for his ~240kw... a turbo specialist told me that all I had to do was get my turbo rebuilt with a GT30 core and bingo I'd make 240+ kw everything standard. He was talking about R33's and R34's so a different camshaft is certainly a *convenient* theory... although I think even those cars would struggle to make that power so easily.

Sheesh, don't Stags just swallow wheels. Looks absolutely mental Dan. 9.5... you beat me by half an inch (got r33 gtr rims)

That sounds awesome. I reckon gunmetal grey with fleck (powder coat in this colour might be close to 'precious metal pearl' in the Dulux range), and a nice thick clear top coat.

A few of us skeptics believe that the stock cams in the Stagea engines (S1 & S2) are 'milder' (a 'leaner grind') than R34; but they're the same engine, so just ask your tuner's advice on which cam to order - it will be the same as for the R34, and should unlock the power

Yeah second that... it's the upshifts which are the real killer (by which I mean 4th->3rd->2nd etc) - it takes about half a second or more! Also when accelerating, you've gotta select the next gear ahead of time (don't know how - just practice) and this is difficult around redline, where the RB gains revs so fast.

Count me in. edit: you might want to PM adam (chef_stagea)

I would also be interested depending on price. Stagea getting tuned next Monday

/\ Yes that's pretty much what I was told too; if upgrading the radiator you have to run a complete bypass setup (big transmission cooler I think). This was not desirable to the expert I spoke to because it takes much longer to bring the transmission up to temperature without the radiator loop which is a heat exchanger that works between the transmission fluid and the radiator coolant. There was no mention of excess wear however; the transmission has a 'warmup' mode where it is privy to the coolant temperature, cold-run etc. and will change the shift mappings/lock out the lock-up solenoid (lol)/lock out the overdrive solenoid etc until it reaches operating temperature (about 60 degrees). This is what you normally notice at startup and for about 5 minutes of driving on a cold morning. Without the heat exchanger in the radiator this may last say 15 minutes or thereabouts. So no 4th gear or overdrive and a sluggish transmission for 15 minutes every start.

Interesting, this line on an ebay page advertising a Koyo aluminium radiator for R33 GTR: "Koyo aluminum racing radiators are made for manual transmission applications only, automatic transmissions will require an external transmission oil cooler" So I wonder if the water exchanger is really necessary? I'll have a chance to ask an expert tomorrow, so I will do just that

ah ok didn't realise there were no auto ones, but figures i guess.

$990 OUCH. However, working by that logic a R33 auto radiator will fit??? That means there are lots more options; and there are group buys open on SAU from time to time as well.

Looks like a bloody nice tune you've got there Tangles. The beast just keeps on getting stronger!

Nice work Tangles! That cleaned up pretty nicely after the gaping hole I saw in the bottom of your front bar at a cruise once, and the intake pipes held in with cableties! That's a very nice looking Stag. PS Where did you get that lower-lower-lip-spoiler?? That's awesome