Rezz

Thats a Honda Prelude... dude. I don't care if Americans can't get Skylines, that kind of Skyline disrespect should be made illegal. "...WOAH look at his Hahn-duh!!!"

They were about $220 for the pair. No work had to be done to them, I fitted them myself (and my friend help with the drivers side one). I got them in Japan and fitted them there before the car was shipped over. If by work you mean positioning and fiting, well there was none, just whacked em on first try. See, thats the problem with cheap and nasty kits made and sold in Australia... they are substandard, it's like fiberglassing is in the dark ages still. My guards on my Silvia are the biggest pieces of shit I've ever laid my eyes on (from the so-called 'Best bodykit maker in Perth') and he still charged $550 for them. When I asked what he thought of the R32 aero guards he said 'well they're original Japanese guards and you probably paid a bomb for them..' No... I paid a bomb for your shitty ones. I'll post up pcs of the Silvia tomorrow - she's all painted and I'll show you the guards up close... it's embarrassing. PM me if you want to know who the supplier was

export: If you read this (you won't but I can try) and you are a Japanese citizen why don't you find other ways of offering services to SAU memebers instead of the shonky Yahoo auctions way? Why not offer some cheap accomodation? Or a tour guide service that has motorsport as a priority? Or why don't you come down to Australia and show us your ninja drifting skills? Whats that? You're a semi-retired 58 year old ojisan who wants to make a quick buck so you can get on down to the nearest Pachinko parlour? ...aaaaaaaand locked.

Yep, the relatively cheap large RWD sedan with plenty of power is what Australia makes best... even Toyota's Crown Majesta (4.3L V8 FR sedan) is more a Mercedes E-class competitor. The concept of a cheap V8 RWD sedan is foreign to the rest of the world bar the USA, and I'm not suprised the Top Gear crew loved the Monaro. If the VE Commodore V8 had quad cams (higher rev limit and peak torque higher in the rev range), sub 1600kg kerb weight and better build quality, I would get one... I think I just described a BMW 540i...

Smiddy I've got some wheels you might be interested in. PM me if you want more details. I'm in Victoria Park.

I personally was posting about my experience with a late model Commodore SS. The fact that I had just gotten out of an S13 beforehand doesn't mean I was comparing the two. I've driven many many *sportscars* and the FD RX-7 was the standout *Sportscar* in my opinion. That was my idea of a sportscar. Now one of the other members said "just cause there not imported,doesnt mean that cant handle like a sports car." I replied basically that the bar is set so high these days for *sportscars* that the Commodore shouldn't even be put in the same sentence, and it's all relative to what you've driven before. It's a GT sedan and theres nothing wrong with that - if you're happy with the build quality A GT sedan/coupe. I think you mean Aus delivered? I totally agree with you there. This is why I hope the VE is a great car and the locals will finally get a car that they KNOW is good from top to bottom (with proper brakes and sub-1650kg... wishful thinking) What the Japanese makers offer in Australia is only half the story. Pit the Commodore up against the Toyota Mark X (JDM only) and you know what would happen? The local car rags would say the Toyota is a great car... but the Commodore is best for Aussie roads. With such one eyed support for the 'Can-do-no-wrong' Holden Commodore, I'm not suprised all the Japanese makers offer are FWD refrigerators in the large car class. And vice versa in Japan. Their car magazines are very one eyed and give 100% support their local brands too... OS car makers in Japan have such a hard time, all except Mercedes and BMW - who incidently make better cars...Commodores up until now have had so much local support even with all it's quality flaws etc, but now it's time to see the car for what it really is. Can it stand up to the OS makes with decreasing import tariffs? Once again, I hope so.

That would put it about 1968 then suckah... I thought you were talking about FWD Celicas. The early '81 - '86 MA61 Celica XX (Supra in AU) was the last time a Celica could be called a proper GT car.

Celica is a GT car? Since when? FWD sports cars exist because from the late '70s FWD was the prefered driveline that was cheap to develop, safer (to a degree), and offered more cabin space for small cars. The Sports versions are just marketing, but Toyota, Honda, Renault etc developed the concept to the point were alot of the shortcomings of FWD drivelines were almost done away with (especially with the Honda Integra Type R). So you could say that some people actually prefered to drive these 'proper' FWD sports cars. Well that and the distinct lack of RWD sports cars from big makers like Nissan in recent years Just look at the BMW 1 Series. It's a 'FWD type' body in dimensions, but the driveline is RWD, which harks back to the '70s when the majority of smaller cars were still RWD. The 1 Series (especially the 3.0 model) is the best small car around... because it's RWD. But the same amount of people that think it's good because it's RWD will say it's bad because it's so cramped in the rear seats...

Yeah sorry no response. I didn't know how long to wait? But 2 weeks should just about do it. Ages ago I had a photo of an R31 Autech Version with that kit on (probably a copy) so I think they did exist. I think I actually posted it up at R31 Skylines club... but oddly enough most people bagged it out? It was a few years ago now.

Japans registration laws are the way they are primarily for pollution - or so it would seem. The spiralling registration costs after a car hits 3 years old are just as much to do with keeping the car factories afloat (and the economy) as they are keeping a young, less polluting car fleet on the roads. This 'throwaway' mentality is pretty much the same for consumer electronics too... just so happens to be the other big industry in Japan. Maybe that transport minister just got his new Holden Caprices ass handed to it by a humble Starlet GT?

^^^ Yes. They are ANCIENT cars, so rebuilding/replacing stuff is fairly cheap. I had a hiflowed T25 (watercooled lol) on my old N12 ET, and it saw 2 bar on more than one occasion... They're great fun for a little while, but the torque steer and zero street cred get on your nerves pretty quickly.

That all hinges on the base cars abilities. If the handling 'bar' is set so low to begin with (eg: Commodore SS V8), theres no reason why you can't add a Whiteline suspension package and then say the SS Commie had "sports car like" handling. The modified car would be light years ahead of the base car. That said, go jump into a stock FD3S Mazda RX-7 then tell me which you'd prefer to drive hard. Yes I'm basically saying the Falcons and Commodores can't handle compared to various other (older) FR cars that have performance underpinnings. One day I got straight out of my modified S13 Silvia and into a basically stock VY SS V8. I couldn't have been more disappointed. After all the *great* things I'd heard about the Gen III and the SS package as a whole, after a hard drive I couldn't wait to get out of it. The driving position, the numb steering, then wallowy ride and direction change and the brakes! Don't get me started on those poor excuses for brakes... even after giving the Gen III a good thrashing I was left wondering what all the hype was... then I figured it out: Compared to previous models, the VT-VZ was a step ahead. And I'll agree with that. What I don't agree with is that Holden/Ford contiually pitch their large FR cars as great allrounders that can mix it with the best on a track. In a straight line maybe? So long as you've got the top Gen IV under the hood? I think the Monaro advertisement in Wheels magazine a few years back summed it up nicely - a Monaro three car lengths ahead of a PORSCHE 911 crossing the line first. Arrogant? If they'd replaced the 911 with a Falcon I would've thought nothing of it. If you read Wheels or Motor magazine you'd be forgiven that the Commodore Clubsport R8 was a poor mans BMW M5... and it can be... if you never, ever get into a BMW M5. This kind of 'veil of secrecy' that hides the VT-VZs true abilities works best with the 'Holden men' (and likewise 'Ford men') who spend their lives buying and trading in Commodore after Commodore, and telling their offspring about 'Jap Crap' having never even driven one... but having been thrashed by many. The chances of these guys being exposed to a proper handling car is almost nil, and thats great for Holden as they can continue to get away with whatever they fancy. It's a mute point, people can choose whatever they want for a car, and they can like it and call it a V8 Supercar for all I care. I truely hope the VE Commodore succeeds at what it is best at being, a true Australian family car.

It's just usual caution/warning sticker... - To avoid accidents be aware of the following; - Always use the trailer safety chain (Captain Obvious c 2006) - Don't overload the trailer or use it in a use other than specified Maximum trailer load E: 2000kg C: 750kg A: 500kg (aggregate?) Maximum 'hitch ball' load @ 90 degrees E: 200kg C: 75kg A: 75kg - Check that the hitch ball and trailer chain bolts and nuts aren't loose before using the trailer (this is fun... ) - Put grease on the trailer coupler and the hitch ball to avoid 'chafing'... hehehe I'm trying to make this amusing... just use grease so there won't be any problems is what it says basically. - Get in contact with the place where you bought the trailer if you have any questions. - We can't guarantee anything if you don't follow the rules properly. Was there any hidden voodoo ninja info in there that the sticker ( being written in Japanese) made out? Please tell me you gained great knowledge from my 20 minutes of work and go on to become the best trailer hitching dude in Australia.

You can send individually boxed larger items by ship but the best way (economically) is to go 1 m3. The minimum area has to be 1 meter cubed. Anything less and you're paying for empty space. The rate if you exceed 1 m3 is then charged by weight or area, whichever costs more. Obviously getting some friends together to buy multiple items is the go. But... unless you've got people here and in Japan that are in the import/export industry on good terms, you *will* get ripped to some extent for rates and customs broker fees... I found out the hard way.

Just have a look at the 'matching' list on the Rays site http://www.rayswheels.co.jp/cgi-bin/cgi2/m...i?modelName=GT4 Rays recommend exactly what you posted: 17x8.5 +30 and 17x9.5 +38 (make sure you get 225/45 and 255/40 tyres). These won't scrub at all if your ride height isn't too low. They're not too much bigger than the standard wheels at the front anyway are they?

We didn't... I thought there may have been a few 'special D-Jetros' floating around for the RB25 but theres none. Just ended up running the Z32 air flow. Anyway, the Skyline ended up running 277.7hp @ 9psi. This is on Hyperdrive's dyno which "reads lower than everyone else, we don't know why" according to them. It's good I think because we won't get any nasty suprises if we do a run somewhere else. The T300 (non BB) is far from it's sweet spot but it makes peak power at rev limit with a very linear power curve (well it isn't a curve, it's more like a 45 degree angle straight upwards). We were pretty disappointed because the Trust wastegate we bought was supposed to have a 1.0 bar spring in it... but we got this 9psi thing instead. So in a few weeks the car will be back on the dyno again getting tuned. Roughly we should get around 320 - 330hp. Here are some pics of the Skyline: Theres alot more stuff to come for this car.

Vaccinations? No. Well... on the other hand you *could* call the Japanese government and let them know you're coming (another foreigner!!!) so they can fumigate the place before your disease-ridden arrival *remembers the mini panic in the days before the World Cup 2002 of all the foreigners coming with god knows what diseases.

Yeah thats what I meant. I didn't mean search Google... Wishbone I'm not being hostile, this exact same subject has been covered each month, every month for going on 3 years now. I'm sure you can find useful info on here with the search feature without having to get Japan members to type out everything again. On the other hand, if you have more specific questions then by all means fire away

Seriously Wishbone, do a search with 'Japan Hotel sightseeing' (or something like that) and just scroll through the threads that come up... there must be at least 50 or so of the first 1000 that come up that have good info.

You'd think that with their speedy lifestyle and huge concrete jungles everywhere that they'd be right into it, but if you really knew what Japanese were like then you'd know that only VERY few of them have that 'geezer' mentality... and most don't get into the faster beats. They'd much rather stand around and listen to minimalist subbass-and-finger-clicking barebones gangsta rap. Enough OT, is any older people going? C'mon, support the old farts crew.

Shuddup! Ok 30+ ya baaaahstard If you can remember the old 'Gravity' days then you're in the same boat That was before Roni Size went stupid jazzy style and Grooverider was the biggest selectah (lol) around. 'Hooooooooooooooooooooold up yah lightah!' If there are other older guys going then I'll go.

www.excite.co.jp/world/english is much better, it's powered by 'BizLingo' which is a Japan only translator but you can use it on excite.co.jp if you can figure out the buttons. Give that one a try instead of Dribblefish.

I post up pics of the Skyline all tuned up and on the street either tomorrow or Tuesday Glenn. The Silvia is still in the paint shop but I've been told I can come pick her up on the 15th. I've just bought some new Racing Hart CP-S10 wheels in 18x9 +21 and 18x10 +19 (yes they will stick out of the bodywork... just what I want with 3.5 - 4.0 degrees neg camber) for the Silvia and should be here just in time to put them on as it rolls out of the paint shop. F*ck the Starcorp Impuls... too heavy, and they stand out too much. I've had more than one shady character take a second look at them in the carpark at the local mall. The R32 will get similar Wed's Sport wheels in 18x10 all round. My little bro keeps freaking *himself* out by thinking that he's gonna crash the Skyline without appropriate tyre width. I must say it's awesome modding two cars at once. Theres always something happening and having the two ready in time for Autosalon Perth at our TKO/K's Garage stall will be the final goal.

I *would* go, but I guess not many original junglists ('94 - '98 crew) still do? I don't wanna feel out of place... I'm not feeling the Pendulum 'massive drop' style anthems anymore either. Good for big parties, but not so good for those (still!) into the older darkside stuff. 25+ year old ppl will know what I'm talking about I haven't been to a gig for at least 6 years in Perth. Went to a few in Japan, but they just don't get the jungle/DnB vibes the way others do. Good to see Perth is still the place to be for DnB though P.S. I hope Skibba is being more selective about mic use these days too... last time I saw him I just about wanted to stick that mic down his throat so we could at least hear the set!