V28VX37

I agree, however this is for a replacement set for my Goodyear Eagle F1 A2's that are starting to crack again. Unfortunately the supplier don't carry Hankook.

Hi guys I've been searching for info around SAU and online on Kumho KU36 for street use and the opinions seem really mixed - If you've run these on the street how were they? Can you drive them cautiously at freeway speeds in the rain (not bucketing) without fearing for your life? I like the idea of the grip and the car is a weekender so tyre wear is less of an issue, however I do need to drive in the rain occasionally. It sounds like the KU36 might be discontinued so won't be the latest tech but I might be able to get a decent deal on a set...

Thank guys. I haven't had a license previously but just applied for L2S online and it's listed as 'active' on my CAMS member dashboard. Now just waiting for my SAU membership number to come back so I can sign up

Awesome, just put in my membership application so I can join in Good to see that Calder is a clockwise track, I've only ever done Sandown before, need to rotate tyres accordingly. Hey do I need a CAMS license too or is this run as a Come and Try day?

Some more info on the installation for those playing at home: The guys ended up retapping the 1/8NPT port on the AN10 fitting to a slightly bigger size, I'll need to check again what exactly There's a small brass spacer under the Defi temp sensor to lift it up a bit Even with this, there wasn't enough clearance inside the AN10, so they milled out a tiny little bit opposite to the port on the inside All in all, a very fiddly install. Some photos below. I still need to test how the cooler performs under full load, hopefully the thermostat is ok. I am not happy with the Mocal design for several reasons: No ports for sensors - who would run an oil cooler without a temp probe?! The oil bypass passage is very small, smaller than the oil inlet and outlet I would say. With this, I would estimate a significant proportion of oil flow is through the cooler even at <thermostat temp, perhaps even up to 50% The AN10 inlet and outlet are directly to the side so the hoses run very close to the block and need a tight radius bend unless you run elbow fittings The external nut for the thermostat sits right against the factory oil/water unit base Looking through photos of the Grex/Greddy plate the overall design appears much better: 45 degree inlet/outlet, built-in sensor ports, possibly a slightly larger bypass passage. The only real downside is the lower 75 degree thermostat compared to the 92 degrees in the Mocal. Just go the Greddy and be done with it. ... Now just when you thought the show was over - welcome to Act 3. It appears that one of the oil cooler hoses is weeping from the actual clamped fitting. I'm basically over this project now so I reckon I'll just leave it for a bit and keep an eye on it. Still, any recommendations on where to get quality AN10 braided hoses at specified length and fittings? I'll need something close to the current lengths (115cm & 135cm) but with a 45-degree elbow at one end and 90-degree one at the other. Moral of the story: Don't buy cheap or second hand, or you'll end spending the difference many times over in labour and headaches. Photos Defi oil temp sensor mounted to the AN10 fitting: Oil cooler hoses Defi oil pressure sensor at factory RB25DET Neo location:

Got the car back today, oil temp sensor is now in the AN10 fitting off the hot outlet of the Mocal sandwich plate and all the moving parts of the plate have been replaced with the service kit. Prick of a job, a lot of stuffing around to get the sensor in place, I'll do a more detailed writeup soon. Anyway on the way home in suburban traffic water temp was 80, oil was 80, ambient 20 – YAY!

So how did they actually perform on your car?

I was just testing the thermostatic wax pellet and finally got it moving in boiling water, it's the 92C unit. I then turned it upside down over the table and the pin popped out; I didn't realise it's not secured in any way. I chucked it back in, I'm guessing no harm done? You can see the pellet on the bottom left:

Now that's pretty cool. Yes it's a braided line, the one that came with my HyperGear ATR43SS2. I have no clue how the oil flows inside the block, do you reckon that'd be roughly the same temp as the oil filter outlet? Another option some have done is to drill & tap into the base/bracket that holds the factory oil/water cooler (or whatever they call it). Feels a bit drastic.

I reckon we'll try to stick the current brass I piece into the 1/8NPT on side of the AN10 fitting. Fingers crossed.

Thanks once again GTSBoy, really good advice. I like your idea of retapping the AN10 fitting. Unfortunately there's only about 2mm of material - minus thread depth - on the front and rear side of the port. You can kind of see this in the photo above. I'm afraid that's not enough to make the port any larger, so it's basically the same issue as with the adapter. ... Another option could be running an AN10 T piece with an AN10-to-1/8PT adapter (who know if one exists) but that's moving the sensor out of the direct oil flow: This is getting way complicated. I can't believe the Mocal doesn't include a port for sensor, seems like a total oversight - who would run an oil cooler without a temp gauge?

Ok this is turning out to be a nice little challenge. As plaything rightly pointed out above the AN10 fitting won't have enough clearance inside for the Defi temp probe. The inner diameter is roughly 12mm. I've included the Defi specs below, the length of the probe insert is 28mm including the threaded part, so about 18mm without. It's too long. He's sending me the McMaster-Carr 1/8PT to 1/8NPT adapter (P/N 4092K26), however we've just realised that the hole in the adapter is too small for the sensor to fit through The sensor diameter is 7mm in the thicker part and 5.5mm at the tip as per the Defi specs. I've found the McMaster-Carr drawings ( http://www.mcmaster.com/#4092k26/=10x1ec7 ), which don't specify the inner diameter but given the size of the 1/8NPT end I'd estimate the hole to be about 5mm. The adapter is made of type 316 stainless steel. Finally, the question: The material thickness in the adapter at the male 1/8NPT end is about 2mm. So if I drill the diameter to be 7mm up from 5mm, it would leave about 1mm of material. Will this weaken the adapter too much and risk an oil leak? Thanks again guys. What a puzzle. ... Defi sensor specs, temp probe is second last McMaster-Carr 1/8PT to 1/8NPT adapter AN10 fitting with sensor port

There's ways around the exhaust, for instance you could replace mid muffler with a resonator, or try a completely different system. I'm not familiar with the GT exhaust system in terms of where there cat and muffler sit but I wouldn't expect it to be massively different to the GTT's. What tyres are you running? Stock tyre on the GTT is 225/45R17. If you go wider and/or higher profile you'll start getting an error in the speedo and odometer readings because you're increasing the outer diameter of the tyre. To work out the spacer size - with your current suspension setup - put the car on a flat surface and hold a spirit level across the wheel surface so that it's fully upright when looking from the side of the car. Tuck the end under the guard and measure against it how far back the tyre is sitting from the guard. That's how far off a 'flush' fitment you currently are. Based on your photos here my guess is about 10mm off at the front and 20-25mm in the rear: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/462520-spacers-on-34/

Nope a larger wheel size won't fix the 'wheel gap'. As you know with larger wheels the tyre profile comes down so that the overall tyre diameter is maintained roughly the same. The wheel gap is a function of your ride height, suspension settings and wheel offset. For instance if you pushed out your existing wheels (or got a new set with a different offset) by say 10mm it'd make the gap look smaller from the front/rear quarter angle. To get to the kind of fitment Magick is running (which looks great btw) you will have to drop the car more. You'll most likely need to modify the exhaust to tuck it in better to avoid scraping. Also when you drop the car more you're introducing more neg. camber all around and will probably start needing adjustable camber arms to correct. Then depending on how low you go you'll need rear traction rods to correct bump steer. Anyway chasing good fitment is great fun. And expensive. Good luck.

Super tidy, well done!

Haha nope But I didn't buy the first or the second or the third car that I inspected..

Love that color, great choice!

This was the list I collected from various sources when I first started looking at Skylines. You gotta be committed to get and run one. Good luck. General View car in daylight, preferably when sunny Check the car only when it's clean Stay in control and don't buy the vehicle the first time you see it. Think about it over a couple of days. Body and rust Check car close up and from 3-5m away See if the car is level Open and close doors/boot/bonnet/windows Look for rust in areas water may sit Look for rust around the bottom of the doors and fenders, and around the boot area Inspect the welded seams for rust in the front door sills just below the plastic kick plate Inspect underneath the car for signs of corrosion Look along the bumper bars for scuff marks and broken exterior trim pieces Check all windows for cracks/chips Check for leaks around the windscreen and rear window Check for bubbles along moulding or chrome, indicates rust underneath Be on the lookout for exposed body kit holes e.g spoiler Body repairs Check for slight to moderate panel damage Look at paintwork and panel alignment Check colour matching, paintwork ripples, signs of blending (standing at an angle) Look around the car and underneath for signs of over-spray Check for serious suspension or chassis damage Check wing nuts for signs of removal and the front support bar Check the nuts along the front quarter panels and the radiator support in the engine bay Look under sills at chassis legs that run from back to front of car on both sides. Make sure the small mid-way weld has not split (repaired shunt) Inspect behind the front and rear bumpers by crawling under car Check underneath for rust and damage Check panel gaps, kinked chassis rails and for mismatched lights Check front guards and bonnet for dents Run a magnet over the car to check for bog Look at the exhaust for a buckle in the muffler or the pipe Check headlight/tail-light alignment and water or condensation Look for paint runs along the bottom of window seals, the bottom corner of the rear quarter window, the bottom of the A-pillar, etc Look for blending marks, usually along the top or bottom of the C-Pillar Look for masking marks i.e. rough lines of paint Check for paint defects, dirt on car when resprayed Boot Check for an inflated spare tire. Has it been used? There should be a jack and a lug wrench and wheel chock Check around the water galleries for rust Pull out the spare wheel and check the boot floor for rust and accident damage/repair Check under carpet in boot Check under rubber around the boot rim for rust Look in the side panels and make sure they are not full of water Feel inside the panels in the boot where the jack is for debris Watch for glass, maybe broken rear window or taillights Check the spare wheel well for water after hosing (worn out sealing) Interior Check dash for discolouration Check wear of steering wheel and seat bolsters, compare to odometer Check the condition of the seats, belts and carpeting Compare mileage on service stickers (door jam/under hood) to the odometer reading Check the windows to see if they open and close easily Check that mirrors work properly Check the brake, accelerator and clutch, all should work smoothly with no strange noises Check all exterior lights e.g. head/tail/brake/fog lights and flashers on the car Test that the air conditioning blows very cold air Check the glove box for the service manual and owner's manual Check condition of air vents Watch out for aftermarket steering wheels vs. HICAS Electronics Make sure that the engine check light comes on at start up but does NOT stay on when driving, same with the HICAS light Check for removed HICAS bulb when system is dodgy Check all electronics function correctly Check radio reception Check for a Cat 1 alarm/immobiliser VIN, engine number and plates Check BLUE Build Plate (with Japanese chassis number), GREEN Compliance Plate (with import chassis number), and VIN stamped on strut and firewall Check the Blue Nissan Build Plate at the back of engine bay. The plate shows the chassis number and fixed by two white plastic rivets. This plate should never be removed except perhaps if the car has had engine bay re-spray so the fixings ought to be original. The BLUE Nissan Build Plate should have the details PRINTED on it i.e. If you run your fingers over the details printed on it, it should be smooth. It should not be engraved. RB20 engine number is on the exhaust side the engine number is located down near the bottom of the engine. There are two plates one says RB20 and the one beside it says the engine number. RB20 engine number is stamped on the block under the driver side engine mount, and also stamped down the side of the block at the back near where the gearbox bell housing is on the passenger/exhaust side. Both are difficult to read due to the exhaust/turbo hiding one and the engine mount hiding the other. Engine and engine bay Check that cam belts has been changed every 80,000 Check metallic sticker on top of the cam belt cover for when the cam belt was changed Check for new gasket sealant and evidence of timing cover removal (timing belt) Check for signs of engine removal Get the engine compression tested and if it fails that, do a leak-down test (by mechanic) Listen for odd noises that might point to internal wear Check that the engine appears cared for and ‘looks factory’ with neat wiring and no bodged jobs Check for fluid leaks in the Power Steering, Clutch Reservoir, Brake Fluid Reservoir, ABS Unit. Check under the engine for oil leaks paying attention to area around sump plug Check fluids are clean. Pull out dipstick and remove oil filler cap to check for healthy, clean oil. Black oil suggests poor maintenance. Does the oil smell burnt? Similarly check for clean coolant. Be wary of any greyish, gluggy or gooey matter in these areas. Check that radiator coolant is clean, usually greenish (but sometimes blue or yellow) colour Check hoses and belts for wear, cracks and splits Look for crayon or chalk marks on components this may indicate they have been replaced with second-hand parts Check that turbo is of conventional steel type Check for black paint flaking off the exhaust manifold, hammered engine Check for hunting/miss on cold start (ECU) Check automatic transmission fluid, should be clear and reddish. Check the spark plugs to check for over fuelling, detonation, sulphur deposits from octane booster Get the car on a dyno Chassis, Undercarriage, Suspension, Steering Check dampers for any obvious leaks. Also look out for grease leaking from ball-joints. Suspect knocking when driven may be result of dry joints. With the front wheels off the ground, check the play in the top end max. 5 mm Check front camber rod bushes Check bushes in the front suspension's upper A-arms, listen to squeaks from the front Carefully push down on the front bumper and rear bumper and see how the shocks are Get the car up on a hoist Look for weld marks, or thick black under body tar. Welding marks are usually hidden by panel beaters with lots of under body tar. Check under the engine for leaking oil. Alternatively, if it has been wiped clean (the bottom of the engine, i.e. the sump and cross member Be very wary of clean under bodies Check for leaking transmission fluid, power steering fluid, etc. Check each and every shock absorber for leaks Look for overspray on the bottom of the car, like the tow hook or suspension parts Check for wet bushes e.g. front castor bushes Check rear sub frame bushes in front of the rear axle Suspension Does car pull or vibrate when driving on a flat, smooth road Drive quickly over a rough road and listen for any loud squeaks or rattles Does the car bounce or bang over small bumps? Brakes Check for any vibration through steering when driving and that the car doesn’t pull to one side under breaking Do the brakes grab evenly and does the car slow down in a straight line? Make sure it doesn't pull to one side under brakes Does the ABS system work? Test on gravel Brakes, wheels and tyres Check for disc wear and cracking Do a visual check on discs for warping, scoring and check the thickness of brake pads Check tyres for wear on the inside edge and make sure front and rears haven’t been swapped Check if the rear tyres are worn a lot more than the fronts Check for even wear marks, uneven wear indicates bad wheel alignment Check for rusted brake discs History and Age/kms & Servicing Is the Japanese auction sheet available Check that the numbers on the odometer are aligned properly Does it have a full service record of its life in Japan? Does it have a full service record of its life in Australia? Do the odometer readings appear consistent with any service stickers found on car? Stickers are generally located in door jams or engine bay. Is the interior wear (seats/steering wheel/gators etc) what you would expect in relation to the mileage? Ensure that the current owner has been running on super-unleaded fuel and allowing turbo to warm up/idle down The year of manufacture can be found by looking at the front seatbelts, near the floor mounting point. There is a fabric tag with the seatbelt specifications and the year of manufacture sewn onto the webbing. Road testing Listen only to the car when road testing Engine, noise, smoke Start the engine and check the warning lights and gauges. Listen out for whistling noises whilst accelerating as this can indicate turbo problems or air leaks Listen out for detonation (or pinking) under load. Detonation can be indicative of poor ignition setting, low quality fuel, excessive boost pressure or a badly maintained engine. Watch out for hesitations or misfires. Accelerate through from 3k to 5k rpm in third or fourth gear to see if the car experiences any violent hesitation, misfiring or holding back at this range. Check for blue smoke under hard acceleration and during deceleration. Can be sign of engine wear or turbo problems. Listen for noises which could indicate engine problems Put the car in neutral and rev the engine, check for smoke from rear exhaust Punch the gas pedal. Does engine respond without hesitation then return to normal? Cut off the engine. Then restart the engine, does it restart easily? At normal engine temp leave the car idling and check for;Blue smoke = can indicate a variety of turbo or breathing related problems, Black smoke = can indicate fuelling issues, White smoke = possible engine damage, head gasket or cylinder head problems. Oil pressure and temps Check for normal operating oil pressure Check that vehicle is showing a nice healthy oil pressure rising under load Watch the oil pressure when the car is hot, factory pressures on the RB20DET: 1kg/cm 2 @ 600 rpm, 3kg/cm 2 @ 2000 rpm, 4kg/cm 2 @ 6000 rpm Drive vehicle long enough that any temperature issues are revealed, check the temperature gauge to see if it shows a high reading Clutch Check for any clutch slipping or shuddering when taking off Clutch should engage and disengage smoothly without grabbing Floor it at 3000rpm in 4th gear to make sure the clutch is not slipping Drive the car on hills, highways and in stop-and-go traffic Gearbox and diff How does the gearbox feel? Smooth to shift? or notchy and graunchy to put into gear? Any gearbox whine? Any grinding on gear changes? Might mean worn out synchros. Check that shifting to all gear is easy and there are no noises Check for worn first and second gear synchromesh Check synchros on the upper gears any crunching on high rpm, quick changes Ensure that the gearbox is not whining and that there are no crunching synchros on gear changes, it is normal for the box to be stiff when cold Drive in reverse Check LSD, you should not be able to hear any strange or whining noises from the diff Dynamics and driving at different speeds Make sure that the operation of clutch, gearbox and brakes is smooth Drive at 60km/h and listen for any unusual noises Accelerate to 80km/h, does the front end shake or vibrate? Check that the steering wheel doesn't shake above 100km/h, might mean severe accident damage or need of wheel alignment Accelerate hard on an empty road, does the car respond immediately? Try it again Accelerate on an uphill, does the car respond immediately?

+1, a lot more mucking around with changing turbos, including modifying your dump/exhaust. Also, more lag, because you can't help yourself going bigger when changing turbos. Highflow + low cell cat + more boost + good tune = fun

Spewing that I can't make it - didn't get the oil cooler installation sorted in time Have a blast everyone!!!

Most dynos in Aus are rollers

Awesome replies, thanks mate! The plot thickens... Ok first of all, I have uploaded photos of the various parts here for people to have a look: https://www.flickr.com/photos/v28vx37/albums/72157661712678623 Including my original sandwich plate (non Mocal) and the Mocal service kit with the replacement 92C wax pellet etc: I was this close to ordering the Greddy GREX plate last week but Garage 7 is all out and apparently they're like hen's teeth in Oz now... ... With the temps, we have already concluded that my current temp reading is incorrect because the sensor is not in direct oil flow. Before I write off the Mocal sandwich plate I want to make sure that the sensor is as close to previous positioning as possible, to get some more reliable temp comparisons. I think a lot of the temp 'drop' I'm currently seeing is less about the cooler and more about the temp sensor positioning. This would be supported by the fact that my water temps are quite similar to before and not significantly less. I'm still running the factory oil-water unit that is meant to equalise the two temps. ... Speaking to MSCN, the local Mocal distributor, I learned a couple of things: In a lot of cases people install these sandwich plates into cars that whilst are stated street&track are in fact mostly track, and overcooling is not an issue for them. Basically what they were saying is that the thermostat operation is not as 'clear-cut' as one might hope for a street car. Also they said that the cooling circuit is never fully shut, even at <thermostat temps. This makes me think that I should get a reasonably reliable temp measurement from the outgoing (hot) line to the oil cooler, even if only a fraction of oil is going into the circuit. As mentioned I've also got a full Mocal service kit with a new 92degree thermostat to fully rule out the possibility of a faulty unit. In case anyone's looking this is about AU$50 from Speedflow UK landed in Melbourne. ... With the fittings, the Defi 1/8PT is a complete pain, they're impossible to find. Because of this I'm pretty sure what the workshop did is to use a bit of teflon 'cement' and screw the temp sensor into a 1/8NPT brass fitting. From my understanding the setup was similar in the fitting with my previous sandwich plate, so whilst it's not a 100% fit it does seem to work. When I ordered my Defi parts from RHDJapan I also ordered a SARD oil block adapter PT1/8 to M14x1.5, and a matching plug for it. I was originally planning on using it as a bung for the exhaust temp sensor. I played around with the parts just then and I can easily screw the Defi oil pressure sensor (with PT1/8 thread) into the AN10 fitting (with NPT1/8 thread). Yes it's not 'tight' but fairly close: Now what's really really strange is that I can't screw the same sensor into the SARD adapter that's meant to be the same thread?! It only goes in a mm or two: This whole PT/NPT/BSP/BSPT business is a disaster I see what you mean about the Defi oil temp sensor length too, I'll probably need to run an NPT1/8 spacer. Where did you find the PT-NPT adapter by the way, are they based in Oz? Also can anyone confirm if the OEM oil pressure sensor is 1/8PT or something else? ... In summary, here's the current plan: Refresh the Mocal sandwich plate with the service kit inc. new thermostat Move the Defi oil temp sensor to AN10 fitting (with a spacer?) running off the outlet (hot) line of the Mocal Install the Defi oil pressure sensor in the OEM location Pray that it all works?! Any other ideas are welcome!! Ps. I recently found this cool writeup on an S2K oil cooler installation in case it's of any use: https://robrobinette.com/S2000OilCooler.htm

Also couple of other things I learned: put the nuts that come with the spacers on the original wheel studs (they're the correct height). Use loctite on them.

Whatever size you get, make sure you get hub centric ones. I think the smallest hub centric ones are 10 or 15mm. Slip ons are a bad idea. I am running 20mm all around with R34 GTT stockies, photos here: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/391281-wheel-spacer-size-for-r34-gtt-stockies/ I'm happy with the way the car sits now. Rear guards have been rolled. Looking at your photos I'd say 20mm might work in the rear but it's probably too much in the front. What wheels are those? It's a bit of a trial and error, good luck.

IMHO coupe wings don't look right on the sedan but maybe that's just me. Here's a pic of a GTR one on a 4door: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/302333-r34-gtr-rear-spoiler-and-gtr-bonnet-conversion/