What Have You Done To Your Stagea Lately?

[Daleo]

Daleo, what are your hub to guard height measurements ?

Due to my awesome measuring skillz I'm sure I measured 360mm the other day...

Pics for reference.

350mm front;

345mm rear;

Overall;

This gives around 15mm of rake to the rear, and the lower edge of my front lip is 150mm off the deck.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Daleo

[Jetwreck]

IMO your car is to damned reflective!

[ironpaw]

damn if that's 350/345 mine is probably 340/330

[slippylotion]

Due to my awesome measuring skillz I'm sure I measured 360mm the other day...

Pics for reference.

350mm front;

345mm rear;

Overall;

This gives around 15mm of rake to the rear, and the lower edge of my front lip is 150mm off the deck.

So the same as mine. My aero front bar is 130-135mm off the deck. I wouldn't mind it 10mm lower but the front arms already have a slight upward angle on them, not really keen to increase that as steering and handling start to suffer a too much.

[impul535w]

So the same as mine. My aero front bar is 130-135mm off the deck. I wouldn't mind it 10mm lower but the front arms already have a slight upward angle on them, not really keen to increase that as steering and handling start to suffer a too much.

Pics yet?

[scotty nm35]

We test fitted the Fcon today and got the car running, had a few issues with tps signal and idle so we may be running the cable throttle again. I'm not sure yet, so I reverted back to the emanage tune for now.

It was interesting having a standalone running as a p1ggyback with an emanage p1ggybacked also, being tuned/logged simultaneously. lol.

[andy65b]

We test fitted the Fcon today and got the car running, had a few issues with tps signal and idle so we may be running the cable throttle again. I'm not sure yet, so I reverted back to the emanage tune for now.

It was interesting having a standalone running as a p1ggyback with an emanage p1ggybacked also, being tuned/logged simultaneously. lol.

lol.... Not the start I wanted you to have with the F-Con..

[ironpaw]

We test fitted the Fcon today and got the car running, had a few issues with tps signal and idle so we may be running the cable throttle again. I'm not sure yet, so I reverted back to the emanage tune for now.

It was interesting having a standalone running as a p1ggyback with an emanage p1ggybacked also, being tuned/logged simultaneously. lol.

LOL @ emanage running over the FCON...

[Mr_RS4]

Well some of you may have read in another thread about my trying to figure out a combo that would work for my sub frame swap in my C34. Well turned out to be a much easier exercise that I thought and now its all done. Spent all day Friday and all day yesterday (till 11pm last night) getting all this done but its great to finally have it back on the road.

So here is the list:

-Replaced front drive shafts (got mine reconditioned, got sick of having workshops putting shitty universal boots on and splitting a few months later)

-Replaced innner and outer lower control arm ball joints on the front

-Replaced the front upper control arm inner bushes and outer bushes (both ofset camber adjustable, better than just the outer)

-Put in all new rubber pieces in my struts (SK's group buy kit, still use factory parts) the parts that sit between the bumpstop and the top hat, and the ones that sit on top of the top hat

-Replaced all the inner and outer bushes in all the arms and knuckles in the rear with ofset adjustables (except for the lower control arms, just regular poly bushes in them).

-Swapped the sub frames over. And I didn't replace the sub frame bushes as I just didn't have the time, they were still in great nick and I decided to use solid sub frame locking bushes instead but I'll get back to that.

And the rest of the time was spent changing ride heights and trying to dummy up a ghetto wheel alignment till I can get it in next week to be done.

For the sub frame swap all I used was an S15 sub frame and S15 drive shafts (I have the 3x2 bolt pattern on my diff flanges) so these bolted straight on. And thats all I needed, it was a really easy job (way easier than I was expecting). Everything else is my stock stagea parts. There are other combos that will work too, you could still use a GTR diff and 6x1 bolt drive shafts (strength) and just replace the Stagea rear hubs with GTR ones bolted into the Stagea rear knuckles so you don't need to change to fork shocks, or use gtst shafts if you have a 5 bolt diff already (which I didn't). And it definatley does reduce the rear track, the 18" 9.5+22 work genomes that I've fitted were hanging out about 3 or more cm before, now they JUST sit inside the guards. But I've actually got a little +ve camber on the rear atm till I get an alignment (unusual for a lowered Nissan )so they will probably sit in a little more when its done.

As for the solid cradle bushes (the type that sit over the factory ones, not the completely solid bushes) I really don't know why everyone whinges about them. They haven't increased NVH at all and the rear feels some much better than with the pineapples I had in there. Could just be me but noise and comfort wise they haven't made a difference.

So all in all basically every bush, rubber, ball joint, c.v etc etc under the car is all new now, just waiting for my sway bay alloy locks, links and some steering rack bushes to arrive then thats it! Although it still needs a wheel alignment and the rear guards lipped (a very light scrubbing on the passenger rear, but that might change once aligned) it rides really well, better than it ever has. NVH is probably better than before, its very firm and responsive but not uncomfortable at all. Can't wait to take it for a descent drive to see how good it really is, babying it because of the scrubbing at the moment!

Oh and one thing that was a very nice surprise, I always thought that most S1 stagea's were stuck with a crappy open wheeler pos R200 but had heard somewhere on here a long time ago that there was a factory option for a vlsd R200. Well I guess someone checked that box back in 1997 I have never really bothered checking it out before now, just assumed I would have been stuck with the open diff.

Chucked up some crappy mobile phone pics, will take some with a better camera once its aligned and everything.

[iamhe77]

lol.... Not the start I wanted you to have with the F-Con..

Agreed, but it is just a matter of time

LOL @ emanage running over the FCON...

lol... so quick to nay-say.

You weren't around to see the difficulties he had with the eManage.... and this is a tuner that specialises with the eManage.

Also remember, this is a new ECU/software combo for him, so maybe give him a little leeway, yes?

[ironpaw]

Dude don't get so defensive. I was merely amused at the fact of a piggyback running over a piggyback...

[iamhe77]

Yeah, I'd be interested to see if there was the same issue without the eManage in there... or if cutting the wire has made an impact on this

I wish I had mine to test it out

[Jetwreck]

Dude don't get so defensive. I was merely amused at the fact of a piggyback running over a piggyback...

I laughed at the same thing....just didn't post!

[slippylotion]

Fitted a 17mm plenum spacer today that I bought from Ryan. Nice and easy to fit although missing 1 of the long bolts and didnt have any washers for the replacement bolts, quick trip to coventry fastners fixed that. It needed washers as the bolts bottomed out before they made contact with manifold. Tried to keep the engine cover but no luck. I could fit all 4 bolts on the cover but when you close the bonnet it just touches the felt and leaves an indent. I then gently pushed on the outside of the bonnet while closed and can feel it's sitting hard up on the cover. This means the felt will wear holes in it and if the engine moved enough possibly put a small bulge in the bonnet.

Otherwise feels like a nice little increase in torque down low so very happy with the result.

[jasevr4]

Is this the same deal with all of the plenum spacers?

[Dunc]

Is this the same deal with all of the plenum spacers?

In terms of results (torque)? Yep

Fitment? Well mine came with all the necessary bits but as for bonnet popping etc, it t may depend on the height of the spacer & if you have an NM35 bonnet or PNM35 bonnet.. but I obviously dont run the engine cover any more either.

[slippylotion]

The other spacers are 19mm so even less chance of fitting. If they are 15mm it might fit the cover but then might not give the same torque gain.

[jasevr4]

Ahh righto, so most people don't run the engine cover?

[Daleo]

Ahh righto, so most people don't run the engine cover?

Nah; expose that VQ for full effect.

It's better for heat management without it on anyway.

[Jetwreck]

Nah; expose that VQ for full effect.

It's better for heat management without it on anyway.

even better....dip your bonnet in the front and raze it 4mm in the back and cut out the plastic in the middle of the rear firewall plastic up the top.....hardly noticeable in looks but good for sucking the air in and keeping the bay cool.....only really works while moving though.