Couple Of Small Issues Re. C34

[gts_koop]

Hey guys, so It's been a week since I've owned my stage and overall I'm loving it. Feels solid, handles unreal for its size and weight, and that neo is just sooooo smooth. Really happy I took the stagea road.

A few things I'd just like to run past for those that know them really well.

First, when coming to a stop, there is a really faint sound coming from the rear I can only describe as a rudder type sound that stops about 1 second after the car has come to a complete stationary position. Any ideas?

Second, my rims which are 18x9.5 +30 scrape on the inside if I'm on full lock going up a driveway or similar. Should I worry or just be more careful on my full lock angles? I've got stock suspension and hoping to go a set of coil overs soon.....will this bring me more trouble?

Third, my 4th gear synchro is a bit crap. I understand this is pretty common on gtr boxes, and only really happens at high revs. I've heard there is a 'rebedding' process you can do on the road, but unsure exactly how it works? Also would a gearbox flush/top up of the factory oil or something like redline shockproof help?

Cheers for any feedback in advance!

Edited April 18, 2013 by gts_koop

[stealth-ish]

I'm not too sure I can help you with everything but what varient of c34 have you got?

I had major issues with 18x9.5 +27 on my manual with coilovers. I've had to put 15mm spacers on the back to just get it moving, it scraps on the inside when the attesa kicks in or when the weight shifts onto one of the back corners heavily.

If it's noisey after the vehicle has stopped I'd once again look at the attesa, there is also a fluid reservoir in the back behind one of the removable panels that i'd check levels of

[coparts41]

with the synchro the only way to fix it is to replace it , the tiny vanes in the synchro get a flat spot on them(normal wear and tear ) and won`t retain the oil which is used to slow the gear hence a crunch.

I only have 18x8 with a 25mm spacers and tein coilovers ,no issues, they tell me with standard shocks that you will have trouble with such big wheels.

[gts_koop]

Thanks stealth-ish, I ended up diagnosing the scraping issue and yep like you, it was scraping the shock absorber when weight moves onto the back corner, but was also hitting the camber arm on the front in the same sceario. I was assured on here that 9.5 +30 is no sweat....but I guess is need some adjustments in my suspension to cater for the width.

And I'll be checking the attesa fluid resi asap!

And coparts41, thanks man....the synchro is all good aside from very high revs so It's something I can live with for now. And yep....standard sus plus wide rims seems to be a no go

[Trex]

I've got 9.5" +17 it's about a finger gap away from the shock. It's touched a few times from me not being careful while going up/down steep driveways way too fast. but yours are +30 i thought you would be well and truly fine, how's the 15mm poke? Any pictures?

Wouldn't adjustable coilovers make the problem worse as they're thicker?

[gts_koop]

I've got 9.5" +17 it's about a finger gap away from the shock. It's touched a few times from me not being careful while going up/down steep driveways way too fast. but yours are +30 i thought you would be well and truly fine, how's the 15mm poke? Any pictures?

Yeah that's what I was told, that +30 would be a breeze under a manual c34....

Only thing I can think of is that it was a factory auto and has been converted to manual, leaving me with the auto's lower clearance. It was a credit card thickness away from the shock on even ground, so you can imagine on an uneven surface with the rim compressing up into the guard.

I have video of the clearance....I'll upload to YouTube and link it.

Anyway I'm back on the 17x7 (wicked stance lol) stockies until I get the sus sorted.

Wouldn't adjustable coilovers make the problem worse as they're thicker?

[Trex]

some pictures and video would help a lot, put them up when you've got a chance.

This is from adams thread, it may help you out.

Have you ever looked at your Automatic Stagea and wondered why the rear wheels sit closer to the guard than the fronts? Well on the automatic versions the rear subframe is wider than the manual model Stagea.

This can complicate things when trying to fit aftermarket wheels, and will force you to run spacers up front if you want to have similar fitment all round.



There is a lot of information floating around on how wide the automatic subframe is compared to a manual version. So I was curious to know what it actually is.

Above is the length of the Stagea rear subframe, and below is the new subframe length.



The new subframe is 40mm shorter in total, which means it’s 20mm shorter each side. This evens out the track perfectly.

Another thing that got me thinking was, what happens to the shock clearance when the shorter subframe has been installed?

As you can see in the first image, shock clearance from the back of a OEM S14/R33 wheel (16×6.5 +40) is roughly 50mm.



It’s safe to say that the shorter subframe has effected inner clearance in the same way, roughly 20mm has been lost from shock to rear wheel clearance. Although this was measured straight after the subframe swap, so I am unsure if there has been a change in camber.

For those wondering what the limit on inner clearance is before your wheels make love to the shocks, I’d say 25-30mm is the lowest you could have.

My old setup (18×10 +21) used to touch the shock on things like driveways. I then added a 5mm spacer and all was well.



The subframe I used was out of an S14 Silvia, which is identical to the subframe found in a factory manual Stagea. If your Stagea has HICAS you could use an R33 Skyline rear subframe (or if you wanted to be clever, you could eliminate HICAS by using an S14 subframe, instead of running a lock bar).

While I was at it, I made my subframe completely solid and installed some diff mounts I’ve had for a while (I did subframe risers while this subframe was in the Skyline).

It would be a good idea to swap out the OEM bushes for something new if you do plan to do such a swap, how often do you pull apart a rear end of the car?

Oh and if you’re worried about the half shafts or sway bar being too long to fit the shorter subframe, don’t be. All my OEM items fitted up fine.

If the track difference on your Auto Stagea annoys you as much as it did me, this is the perfect way to rectify it.

[Run-It-Hard]

Thought I'd chime in.

I'm guessing your Stagea is a RS4S? the manual subframe allows to run wider wheels, but that also means you need to run a lower offset. You may be able to get away with a 5mm slip on spacer.

Another way which is fairly easy, is to make a spacer for the coilover. I run one in conjuction with my S14 subframe to give me as much inner clearance as possible.

IIRC, the specs are 21MM ID, 27MM OD and 5mm wide. it slides between the knuckle and the coilover (where it mounts). Effectively spacing it out 5mm towards the chassis.

As for the gearbox, you can try some Redline lightweight shockproof gear oil (smurfs blood). I had a gearbox out of my old MX5 that was a complete dog to get into 5th, would crunch and carry on and all sorts of shit. Anyway after putting in the smurfs blood I was able to get into 5th with ease.

[gts_koop]

Thanks for all the comprehensive info guys!

A lot to take in.

Would slip on hubcentric spacers, say 15mm, be an easier option to move the rim away from the inner scraping issues.....or will I create other problem with widening the track even more? Am I right in saying this will move my offset from +30 to +15 effectively?

From my limited knowledge, I think this would work....but I'm pretty hopeless with the complexities of hubs and the like, and although I want the rims back on, I want a safe ride more than anything!

Links to clearance vids. Keeping in mind, I was on a driveway to demonstrate the rubbing, on a flat surface obviously there is clearance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lpi0fd0zuQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

FRONT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R01hZVm7rlw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Edited April 24, 2013 by gts_koop

[Run-It-Hard]

15mm spacers will work, but they will probably hit the guards unless they've been rolled.

[gogglez-10]

Longer wheel studs wouldn't go astray if your putting a spacer that big on

[gts_koop]

Ok so hubcentric spacers in 10-15mm and a light guard roll if necessary 'should' do the trick Run-It-Hard? Can you see any problems arising with that combination?

And googlez-10, with generic spacers I'd agree, but going hubcentric, longer studs shouldn't be necessary true?

[Trex]

get a tape measure, it's the easiest way to measure fitment.

Put the tape measure on the outside lip of the rim and measure the distance horizontally. You will want 15mm as a minimum as the shock is so close. Then see if you need to lip your guards or use a thinner tyre.

I'm not sure a shock spacer would work for koop, if his shocks are stock the bolt is already flush with the nut.

[gts_koop]

Yeah OS8ON is isn't any more than 5mm clearance on the rear, the front a touch more. I think with a further 15mm of clearance, I should think I'd be avoiding all scraping on the rear shock and front camber arm, except maybe in the most extreme circumstances (full car, full lock, very steep driveway....not common at all for me luckily).

Now i see why most feel the perfect fitment for a c34 Stagea is 9" with a +12 or +15 offset....makes perfect sense.

I'll be on the hunt for some lower offset Meisters in a 9 or 9.5" when the $$ are there!

[Loomin]

Hey Guys,

Im a new Stagea owner. Iv'e owned many Subarus in the past but i thought I'd get myself a different car. Iv'e always wanted a skyline GT-R but i need the utility of a wagon. So i got a Stagea. Its a 1998 rs260. ive been reading through the forums and i came across this thread. Im assuming the RS260, being a factory 5mt car, has the manual rear sub frame/crossmember right? Iv'e heard that because nissan didn't build the RS260 (autech did) they were retrofitted RS4s cars or something along those lines. they would have likely used R33 GT-R rear sub frames then?

What do you think the most agressive wheel setup i could run would be? i havent decided if im going to run coilovers yet but i likely will. id like 18"

Thanks for the help