Want An Indestructrible R33 Gts25t For Track Days

[Smurf]

Hi all,

I plan on doing a number of track days and Dutton West. Now I have a R33 GTS25t with minimal mods. I plan on changing the suspension and brake pads however I would like the engine to be almost indestructible.

I don't intend on winning anything at all, just wish to have fun with minimal to no break downs. At the moment I have 155rwkw's and would be happy with say 190-200.

Is it possible to create a much much stonger engine and associated parts that are capable of handling 200rwkw's? If so, what needs to be done and how much would it cost. At this point my budget would probably extend to $10k including around $2.5k on suspension.

Any help will be muchly appreciated.

Cheers

Will

[MANWHORE]

For 200 rwkw, I wouldn't really do anything to the engine. I'd put on an oil cooler, keep it well maintained, and that's it.

it's not a lot of power. Drive it sensibly, look after it and it will treat you well.

[Smurf]

For 200 rwkw, I wouldn't really do anything to the engine. I'd put on an oil cooler, keep it well maintained, and that's it.

it's not a lot of power. Drive it sensibly, look after it and it will treat you well.

Thanks Manwhore

[swanny180]

Yeah, agree with manwhore.

Possibly concentrate on improving oil control to stop starvation of the bottom end.

And yeah, oil cooler, good maintenance, and also some gauges (boost, oil temp + pressure, water temp, perhaps EGT or wideband also) to keep a close eye on things.

Frequent fluid changes and making sure nothing overheats should keep it running pretty much indefinitely Id think

[NickR33]

just be careful and make sure you overfill the oil by at least a litre and make sure to use good quality stuff... I have about 200rwkw off the stock turbo and just spun a bearing during a track day at Sandown... I will be doing all the oil control mods when its rebuilt this time... restricting the oil supply to the head, running an external drain, N1 oil pump, oil cooler etc

see thread here http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...173225&st=0

regards to suspension I run the Bilstein works kit listed in the group buy section of this forum... is great on the road and the track, maybe a bit soft for tracks like Phillip island where you would be better off with some super hard Teins or the like... its the stock diff that I hate, doesn't allow you to put the power down out of some corners, making you use a higher gear to stop it single spinning

brakes I run Ferodo DS 2500's with RDA slotted/dimpled rotors and high temp fluid, no fade after 6-7 hot laps of Sandown

I don't have any problems with cooling, stock radiator is a good bit of gear just make sure its flushed and working 100%

that's about it, people might tell you its not much power but its enough to run some respectable times and frighten a few M3's. WRX's Evos and the like... providing you can drive;)

[Smurf]

regards to suspension I run the Bilstein works kit listed in the group buy section of this forum... is great on the road and the track, maybe a bit soft for tracks like Phillip island where you would be better off with some super hard Teins or the like... its the stock diff that I hate, doesn't allow you to put the power down out of some corners, making you use a higher gear to stop it single spinning

Thanks Nick, I was speaking to a person about it and they suggested I get a new diff. They changed the suspension first and then the diff. Their opinion was that the diff provided the same sort of traction gains as the suspension upgrade.

That leads me to my next question, what diff should I go for and how much do they cost.

Cheers

again.

[lingeringsoul]

i usually just buy the 5 litre Motul and put it all in.

[NickR33]

personally I was looking at the Nismo range in either a 1 or 1.5 way... the GT Pro would be good but its a bit expensive... you can pick a Kaaz diff up for about a grand on these forums which seems like good value for money... also Cusco and Tomei make diffs available through Nengun or Greenline... I was only leaning towards the Nismo as I know they are at the more streetable end of the market... however many of the diffs you can customise with different preloads so you have lots of options!

no point in having more power if you can't put it down... you might look cool on the street but in competition its just embarrassing lol

what tires will you be running?

[Smurf]

what tires will you be running?

I currently have a new set of Goodyear F1's. 235/45 all round. Not bad on the road, how do you think they will handle on the track?

Previously I had an extremely good set of Bridgestone Potenza's, which I believe were extremely good on the track, in fact a GTR on one of the best motoring videos had the same set and the commentary made special mention re the tyres.

Cheers and thanks for your help.

[Yawn]

The Goodyear Eagle F1's are a very good set of street tyres. I reckon you should stick to these for a couple of track days to learn the ropes of circuit driving and find the limits of these tyres.

Then, if funds permit try a set of semi slicks. You will then be able to notice the improvement and differences between both and easily shave off a couple of sec's off your lap times.

[Yawn]

Back on topic, if your car is in good nick, it should perform very reliably on the track. Main things are just oil control issues as already stated and over-revving. Especially with regards to rev-matching, I know people who drop gears way too early and rev match in the 8000s

[NickR33]

The Goodyear Eagle F1's are a very good set of street tyres. I reckon you should stick to these for a couple of track days to learn the ropes of circuit driving and find the limits of these tyres.

Then, if funds permit try a set of semi slicks. You will then be able to notice the improvement and differences between both and easily shave off a couple of sec's off your lap times.

yeah thats not a bad idea... you probably won't be finding the limits of the tires on the first time out... hopefully hehe;)

[Smurf]

The only problem I have with my car is that it has boost spikes. I haven't made any changes to my boost settings however when close to redline it will suddenly go from around say 6 psi to 10 or 11.

I realise this is something I need to fix before I hit the track. I'm obviously no expert so need your advice. Do I simply need a boost controller or that plus a new ECU or just a new ECU?

Cheers

[NickR33]

I run with a SAFC (to lean out the mix, they run really rich off the stock ecu with the boost up) and an electronic boost controller... but if you can afford it a full standalone like the power fc is a better bet as you can adjust ignition timing... even then its a good idea to run a EBC as it holds the boost steady and has a few other useful functions... don't know why your boost is running away in the top end... 10 or 11psi isn't dangerous but spikes aren't generally a good thing... I use 10.5psi on track

[Ant97GTR]

Smurf that is the extact setup I had in my gtst when I tracked it. I ended up with around the 200rwkw mark (on a safe tune for track) and it survived without issues for years when I was running on street tyres....

Engine wise....FMIC, ECU (in my case Wolf but PFC's are around the same cost these days), stage II highflowed std turbo with ported exhaust manifold, always ran castrol edge 10w60, oil cooler. Oh and a good free flowing exhaust.

Apart from that I recommend upgraded clutch (if you haven't done so already) and upgrade the diff. Also run good brake pads and fluid together with braided lines. Also at least have an oil temp, boost and oil pressure gauges so that you can keep your eye on things.

In all the years I ran this setup I never opened the block and the only issues I had with it were the coilpacks breaking down and the std exhaust manifold cracking. At the end of the day as long as you over service the car and have a good base to start with it should last.

[GTS4WD]

If you want a quick track car.. it may be best to on how to get the most out of the power you already have..

As said before..

-Oil cooler/feed etc.

-Front mount..

-Full or semi slicks..

-Coilovers..

-Front and rear strut and sway bars..

-Let the engine breath and a full mandrel bent exhaust (not just cat back) and a hi flow cat and a better flowing dump pipe and exhaust mani

-And strip th shit out of the car (or save weight ie. Carbon fiber bonnet, fiberglass front quarter pannels, Seats, exhaust as well as the usual stripping of non-essential interior parts)..

-Diff..

-Short shift kit..

-A lightened flywheel is a good idea for a track car too..

-Brake pads and perhaps new disks

All these enhance the car you have without going overboard on power.. theres no point in having power if you can't use it wisely.. so focus on using the power you already have in the best way..

and always use good fluids.. and replace frequently..

[Snowman]

Smurf - having just had a play over west the last thing you want is real stiff suspension. The quick way around barbagallo is over the curbs through those esses holding it flat from turn 1 to the sweeper and you won't do that with something too stiff. And the inside line down the back straight is bumpy as hell. And Collie and AHG aren't stiff set-up places either. So getting the set-up right seems pretty important over there. I believe there is a place over West called Wilkinsons that seem pretty switched on for set-up stuff.

[Smurf]

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate your help.