Ben-88

I think I found it... It was a little black sensor that was no longer connected to anything. Looks like this is where it has snapped off from at least. I have plugged it for the moment as I saw in a post somewhere that it can be disconnected to remove the factory boost limit. It look like I would have to buy a new sensor of I want to reconnect it. Is it worth the hassle if finding a replacement? Or is it fine to just keep going with this disconnected and plugged.

I have just picked up a R34 GTT sedan with manual conversion done. I have noticed an extra vac hose coming off the engine thats not connected to anything. I have done some searching for photos of the engine to see where it goes but none of them showed it very well with most photos being taken from the front. I searched the engine bay for where it could go with the length of hose that is there and theres nothing that was obvious. The hose itself has a small black plastic tube broke off inside the end so its possible where ever it was connected it as been snapped off but again im unsure. I have also had a look at the work shop manual for the vac diagrams but didnt have much luck working it out. Can anyone tell me what this hose is for and where it should be connected at the other end. The hose in question outlined in red

easily found the adjustment bolt at the top of the pedal... a couple turns and it was tight enough. I didnt bother doing the adjustment from behind the rear wheel as i got enough out of the one near the pedal. Was even easier than a normal hand break cause i didnt have to even remove any interior panels, was seriousley a 2min job... and that includes getting the tools out.

As i get closer to needing to get the service done, im deciding between hyperdrive and autoworkshop. I have holidays comming up so im going to go check out a few places and see what the workshop looks like and have a chat with them to see who i want to go with, but at this point it looks like it will be hyperdrive because they seem to offer everything i want, have a decent rep and are the closest to where i live out of all the "good" workshops.

cool, thanks for the link. I'll have a look tomorrow and see if i can find the adjuster near the pedal. Will definately be nice to have a hand(foot)brake that actually works.

Well i know normally when you have the handbreak in the centre it can be adjusted at the base of where the handle is to reduce the distance the lever travels till its at full lock. The issue i have is when i push the floor-hand brake on my auto to a normal sort of level if youre on an incline it doesnt do much, so its relying on the park gear to stop it rolling away. If however i push it overly firm and its virtually inline with the foot rest at this point then it is enough to stop it rolling. So i was wondering if anyone knows where the adjustment is located so that it doesnt need to be pressed in as far to engage fully? If anyone has seen a DIY on how to get to the adjustment point then a link would be much appreciated.

Well thats a good point, a bit risky cutting into the can line.. all these new bus type setups are awfully complicated to work with when there arent plug and play electronics available. Not sure where you would have it installed, or rather who you would trust to have it installed. It seems the pivot unit at least has been confirmed as not working for speed limit removal in this DIY article http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/364333-pivot-speed-meter-v-diy/ but the speedo does work for anyone that wants an alternative to the nismo guages. Fortunately for us though, as mentioned there are many tuning companies where you can just buy an already flashed ecu with speed cut removed and other features. They fill up like a whole page in hyper REV.

Well the HKS kit for example is a ready to go bolt on kit with no other requirements if it is run as provided. They only run relatively low boost so they will be fine with stock internals and compression. Obviousley once you start increasing boost you will need to upgrade the rest of the engine to cope better with it. It might be a good idea, at the very least though, to check the tune and A/F ratios etc on a dyno once the install has been done if you buy the complete kit or possibly even get it re-tuned. Its probably tuned for local conditions so things may vary with our fuel, temps etc. over here as well as any other mods you may have so better safe than sorry. Also might be worth a re-tune which should give a bit more power because being a bolt on kit, just like OEM engine management, it will have been tuned with some margin for error since each engine is never identical.

the laws suck pretty hard, have heard plenty of stories about people in stock cars getting defected. Like evo's with factory recaro's getting defected for "aftermarket seats" or people getting done for exhaust volume on a brand new stock car. Like said, if they have nothing official to fine you for but want to give you a fine then they can just pull the suspicion of mods thing and you have to pay to have the sticker removed. These things really are getting out of hand when you can be defected for stock or approved mods. It would at least be a bit more fair if you only had to pay if it turned out you had a defectable item, if it passes the pits then you shouldnt have to pay. It would stop issues like this and stop it from being abused so much.

Sure theres just not something else wrong with the engine if this is something that has only occured recently... ie. get it checked out by a mechanic. Poor fuel milage and slow response could be the engine dumping alot of fuel for some reason which could also be related to the ticking.

Id go for the HKS supercharger kit as below http://www.nengun.co...gt-supercharger or the greddy japan twin turbo kit ( im not 100% but i think greddy USA also makes one which isnt exactly the same? ) The main point with the japanese kits is that firstly.. there wont be fitment issues from these brands, it will be like OEM. Secondly there wont be reliability issues from these ones.. they will again be like OEM. Sure the USA kits always give more power, but they dont offer the same reliability and fitment that the jap kits can. Especially in regards to fitment issues due to difference between left and right hand drive models. Price wise the supercharger will be alot cheaper in regards to initial install as you arent paying for new exhaust components etc. and i would imagine require less work to get them fitted. The complete kit with engine management can be had for around $6500 which leaves you with $1500 for install. Probs better off with the pro kit though which is $1000 cheaper as it doesnt include extra injector ( which is fine but not great ) or ECU which your better off getting something that local tuners use.

As mentioned before, the speedo guage stopping at 180 can be solved with the nismo guage set which runs upto 280 kmph. The actual speed limit can be fixed with various speed limit removers. Most jap tuners that make electronics make them. The pivot one is probably the most reasonably priced at only about $150 delivered. They have digital speed display upto 350kmph and they remove the speedcut. Here is the link on nengun http://www.nengun.co...t/speed-meter-v Even if you have the nismo gauges already so dont need the digital speed too, these units are still cheaper than all the other speed limit removers. Cant confirm compatibility as i havent looked into them too much. HKS and other brands also make speed limit removers but are more expensive, the HKS ones are around $350 but i think they are model specific. If youre having issues with speedo being out, your probably better off picking up a guage like scanguage or something that reads speed off the ODB port and allows for adjustments. I know the scanguage does allow adjustments in the speed as i think they are originally designed for 4wd's which often run larger wheels and have speedo issues. You can pretty much just put in a % correction for what it displays on the screen. This could be worked out with a tire size calcualtor to see the % speed difference and confirmed as correct with a GPS.

Yeah while they werent big for japanese tuners there is still plenty of good parts from the land of JDM. Engine stuff is pretty well covered since it shares an engine with the 350z and theres suspension components. Not much in the way of chassis bracing but these items are available from usa if you want them. If you like japanese stuff, you can get the greddy twin turbo kit or the HKS supercharger. If you like high compression NA then nismo makes a nice NA head which looses you some capacity but allows very high compression. Then theres the piles of USA brand turbo kits if you want to go that way. If you want to stay NA well they are typical NA cars and you will see decent gains from bolt ons but need to spend money to achieve anything amazing. Plenty of people boost them with good gains though if you want something crazy, 500hp seems quite easily achievable and keeping it still fairly reliable with any of the jap forced induction kits. Its a little longer and heavier than the 350z due to the back seats so acceleration and cornering will be very slightly lower however the skyine has a lower drag coeficient than the 350z so should have a higher potential top speed.

Im not a fan of the k&n anymore, i have never had an issue but heard too many stories of oiled up AFM to want to run one again. Id look at a dry type like the greddy. Can get the nismo, mines etc etc. but they are pretty much identical to the greddy in construction but 3 times the price. Greddy seems to be pretty good price wise these days. I have seen them on nengun for around $40+ shipping. So it would end up more around $60 direct from japan, with current exchange rates. Obviousley price will vary with exchange rate etc.

Im really not a fan of either of those kits... not because people say its ricer style or anythin but just because i dont like the way the section under the headlights flows. The middle looks ok, but i recon the way it looks below the headlights ruins the shape of the car and the aston martin kit has the same issue, but like was said, its all personal opinion and you should get what you think looks good. There are plenty of other bodykits out there that have a much better flow with the lines of the car like the greddy or top secret non-wide body etc etc. ... just have a look through hyper rev, theres lots of better choices. If you are worried about paint matching you could always go for one of the carbon fibre body kits

Well the sock ones are typical oem style and dont look that great performance wise. Im sure some well designed extractors should give a nice little gain, at the least should make it more responsive. I recon install them, you already have the part so may as well chuck them in and see how it goes.

Have you looked at any of the japanese options, dont know if i'd trust HKS USA. The Kakimoto Cat back Twin Exhaust is around $1300-1400 shipped to aus. Most of the single systems are around the $900 mark shipped. I like the look of the GP Sports Exas Evo Tune twin cat back, but im still waiting on a price for that one.... could always get one of the amuse titanium exhausts if you want to spend like $5000 haha.

You just mean a cat back exhaust yeah? ... what sort of price were you quoted for the HKS one you were looking at?

I have recently picked up a V35. In the past i have just gone to dealers for servicing as my cars were new and still under warranty so it was just easier and most of my mods i installed myself as they were just the basic bolt ons. I know of the big names like xspeed and c-red etc. and have heard good and bad from alot of workshops over time so id like to know the latest on whos good in perth. Im specifically looking for somewhere that i can go to for everything on a long term basis. I just think its better to try go back to the same place so they know you and your car etc. and try build up some trust. I want a workshop that is happy to do general servicing as well as future mods and tuning, preferably one with a dyno. At the moment i want a very good check up done prior to my 3month dealer warranty thing expiring, so preferably a workshop who is very familiar with the car so they know exactly what to look for on this model. Im wanting to see if theres anything thats not so obvious that needs fixing so i can get it sorted before i start modifying. I have been thinking C-Red but thats mostly because they offer all these things and are a name i know, but as to how good they are i have no clue so is there anywhere people recommend and have had good long term experiences with? I dont mind paying more for quality work but at the same time i dont want to get ripped for a half assed job so any info would be appreciated.

Yeah that was the landed price for the cusco's, but you are right, i believe they are hollow ( not confirmed ) and arent adjustable like the whiteline ones. They only offer about 30% improved stiffness i believe. But i guess it depends on how stiff you want them to be. I wasnt saying it was too expensive, i dont think i worded it right, more so comparing the price of the cusco to the whiteline... i just looked up the cusco as a comparison to those prices and was kinda surprised they were about the same cost.

I didnt realise whiteline prices were that high... you can get a pair of cusco sway bars straight from japan for around $450. Although in saying that they are the non adjustable type.

best to declare everything generally... firstly to make sure its covered when an incident occurs and secondly and more importantly to make sure they cant use it as an escuse to not pay up. Most insurance companies will want to know everything, some may not need to know. But i guess thats where a phone call to your particular insurance company will answer that question. Depending on who your with though.. once you get to a certain level of mods they may not want to insure you anymore... or at least not for a reasonable price any longer, this is where somewhere like just car is helpful.

i have been wondering too... do these come with a plug and play harness? or do they need to be spliced in or something?