tjandriesen

Keep in mind the other alternative to make it fun is to make it perform better overall e.g not just more speed but better handling and stopping as well. Great to go fast in a straight line but feeling what it can do through the twisties is a great rush as well.

Adam, When do you need the $$$$? and how much do you need?

The V-Spec sticker on the back on my car has dirt under the clear plastic and looks very dirty, especially on a white car. Anyone know where I can order a new one?

The wife and I will give it a go this month. Sorry we had to bail last month.

What has it been costing everyone to have the one of the recommended shop do the total install, alignment, etc?

Not true - we have plenty of races where your turn left as well....

Seriously, you need to get the car to a good mechanic and have him take a look at it. At $14K, we all may be wrong but you would expect it to have a few issues. Look around a bit and you will find several good, serious shop who know Skylines. Many of them will take a look at it for free on the understanding that you will give them business in the future. Once you know what the "real" costs will be, you should consider if you want to keep it or trade it. For 20K you can get a very nice non-GTR car which will be much lower costs to maintain. Part of the pleasure (for me at least) is modding a car how you want it. Spending $$$ on fixing broken things and maintence really diminishes your abilty to do that. Of course if you're good at working on cars, that might be a different situation. Welcome to the GTR club - it's not a cheap club to be in....

Pretty reasonable to assume the G4's are incrementally better but do you really get $2500 worth ($5,000 in the case of F & R) of increased performance over the Brembos/DBA/Endless set up? If you're building a serious track car, maybe. For street - I have to believe that that kind of money can be spend on other things that will get you a better return...

In looking at oil coolers, some talk about a thermostat from HKS Thermostat controls Oil Temperature As HKS oil cooler uses special core that is excellent for cooling purpose, this oil cooler has thermostat to prevent overcool (except for some models). This thermostat is very good at responding to temperature change and also acts as relief valve. When engine oil gets hotter than thermostat temperature setting (70C 3C), it will run into oil cooler core and be cooled down. When engine oil is cooler than above temperature, it will bypass the core and keep oil temperature in best condition. By acting thermostat as relief valve, HKS considered safety in an emergency. Is this a significant benefit over a more basic version like the one offered by Just Jap? http://www.justjap.com/parts_ncooling.htm The JJR coolers look like pretty good value

There should be a mandatory IQ test required before people are allowed to drive a Skyline. Let's push all the fwits to drive Civics where they belong. Wow - I really wouldn't want to do that to the poor Civic owners......

After getting my brakes sorted, I'm now looking at suspension components. Now I know theres a bit of a debate on coilovers versus packages like the GB by SydneyKid, but I'd like to get my head around coilover options before sorting that one out. I'm puting together a comparison table in Excel of the coilover options available. What I need from you guys is a list of all the key parameters/features that are available. So far I have: Brand Model Design (monotube?) Height Adjustable Spring Rates (F&R) Adjustable (damper, bump, rebound) prob using the wrong terms here # steps for above External Reservior Price What else is there? Once I get this done I'll be happy to post it for everyone's benefit.

I just bot a set of Project Mu SCR's for my GTR. The front rotors were just under $700 delivered from Perfect Run. Shipping rotors from Japan is not cheap. Not on yet so I can't tell you much about how well they work. A lot of people run DBA 4000's. UAS has them for a bit under $500 for a pair. I know several people who recommended them but have also run across a few who have had them crack after track use.

Apologies guy but the wifey and I can't make it. Look forward to next month.

Sorry to hear man - damm shame the police can't do a better job (don't get me started on how inept the Police are here). Not true - if they were threatening you it's not necessary to wait until they attack. Generally when you are in fear of bodily harm you have a right to defend yourself. Even if you error on the side of protection, as the saying goes " I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6".

At the risk of widening the conversation, I'm keen to get my car on the track and it is pretty much stock engine wise (Apexi intake, cat back exhaust). I'm pretty sure to begin with it is more than fast enough for my driving skills so have started putting $$$ into upgrading brakes first and looking at tires and suspension next. I'm hearing you guys talk about oils coolers, sump baffles, etc. From an engine standpoint, if I want to track my GTR, what would you invest in part wise what to make sure at the end of the day you can run hard and not toast the motor. I'm looking to building a solid, reliable car that I can crank up the power on as my driving skills improve.

and I thought the scandal would be someone trying to slip in a RB26DETT.....

try this one for a bit of touge humor

very cool

Sorry Guy - I've been flat out at work, home and school and haven't gotten much more done. I will put this together but it will probably be April/May

Not to sidetrack this thread, but what kind of stabilizer do most people run? From looking around at the part sites there seems to be 3 choices - whiteline, cusco, and nismo. I think your point above is there is more than one element to a good performing suspension and you need to have synergy among the components, so less stiff spring can be offset by stronger bars.

It is interesting to note that Nismo, who we might agree knows something about Skylines, has spring rates of 6.0(f) & 6.7® on their S-Tune (sport) suspension and 9.0(f) and 8.0® on their R-Tune (Race) suspension. 'http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nismo.co.jp%2Fproducts%2Fproductguide%2Fbcnr33%2Fpartslist.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools

So what other rotors would you guys recommend if not DBA?

In looking around both Endless and Project Mu have rotors that I considered. They were priced at a premium to DBA. At the higher end, Nismo rotors (front only) are $550 each. You will notice that most of the aftermarket parts companies make thier 2nd tier (above entry level) rotor for front only for GTRs. TO4GTR - I take it you have a bad experience with DBA's? What happened?

I'm looking at picking up a set of Toyo TR 1R tires. Recommendations on who has a good price and service?

I'm upgrading the brake on my R33 GTR presently. From what I have found, and thanks to lots of advice from many on here, there are a few things you want to look at: 1) Rotors - DBA's are used by many and if the regular track guys like them (they seem to) I consder that a strong endorsement. Prices run around $500 a pair for the 4000 slotted. You can pick up some Japanese rotors but because of weight (shipping) you'll pay up. 2) Pads - Plenty of discussion on pads. Ferodo 2500's do seem to have a lot of fans. I'm giving Nismo S Tune pads a go. Pads will cost around $250 -350 depending on which flavor 3) Braided Lines - Pretty easy upgrade performance wise and another $250-350. Look nice as well. 4) Master Cylinder Stopper - See a lot of Cusco stoppers but UAS also makes one. $100-150 or so. 5) Air channels/vents - If you are going to be on a track they add a lot in terms of cooling. Nismo just discountinued theirs. UAS is talking about offering one. Not sure what they will run price wise but the Nismo one was sub $200. Do the maths and this approach will cost $2,000-2,500. Next step up are various brake upgrade kits which I haven't looked into. They will get you 4 / 6 piston calipers along with larger discs. I'd take a look at the UAS website. Think Just Jap may also have a group buy to check out. My car has Brembos so I'm happy with those and don't feel the need for the bigger step up.