Burning $1000 - Brakes or Diff?

[colourclassic]

Burning $1000 - Brakes or Diff?

As title states, I have roughly $1000 to spend on my r33 gtst.

It's currently my daily which I've tracked a few times. Has 300kw and dialed in suspension; brakes and diff are pretty much the only things still stock.

Option A - Nismo GT Pro 1.5 Way LSD.

Good for track and will stop the singling, but possibly shit for a daily driven car.

Option B - S15 Torsen Diff and half shafts.

Good street diff but requires use of weaker 6 bolt half shafts. 

Option C - 350z Brake upgrade.

350z front calipers/rotors and upgraded rear rotors and pads. But enough of an improvement over stock?

Any of the above options should cost around the 1k mark (s15 diff may cost less), give or take.

Which of the above would be the most worthwhile/best bang for buck?

Open to opinions/suggestions.

 

Edited March 13, 2017 by colourclassic

[V28VX37]

I'd cast a strong vote for Option C, especially at 300kw. You'd want good pads and fluid too so 1k might be a stretch, but those are easy to add in later. Good DIY by Johnny here: http://www.trak-life.com/diy-350z-brembo-brakes-conversion-nissan-skyline-r33-gts-t-gts-gts-4/

Re Option A, I had a Nismo 1.5-way put in last year, it's lovely on the track but I wouldn't daily it. It's 'livable' but not fun in suburban traffic. Plus, the Pro is about 1.5k new from Japan + installation so you're looking at more like 2k+ if new and you're not installing it yourself.

[hardsteppa]

I did brakes first then diff, a cusco 1 way (then brakes again lol). But 2nd time around, would do diff first.

[KiwiRS4T]

Do diff. You can just change brake fluid and pads in the meantime.

[colourclassic]

It's got new brake fluid and QFM HPX pads at the moment. The brakes work okay I suppose but I'd like a bit more initial bite and less fade. 

The diff definitely needs to be done, but I'm weary of using a mechanical lsd on a street car. Wish there was a drop in torsen for R33's. 

[hardsteppa]

With a torsen, don't they only lock while both wheels are on the ground? So any inside wheel lift will mean no lsd? Fk that for a street car.

[admS15]

As far as brakes go, unless your doing a lot of track work, the standard setup with good fluid, pads and air guides for cooling work well. They work well on track too but the pads won't last more than 2-3 track days. If you decide on staying stock, try intima Sr next time around. They will provide better bite and fade resistance than your current pads

 

 

Edit. If you get serious about brakes, you may want to go bigger than 350z brembo, something like hardsteppa got (ATTKD brake Kit) from just jap. Although significantly more than 1k.

 

 

[colourclassic]

5 hours ago, hardsteppa said:

With a torsen, don't they only lock while both wheels are on the ground? So any inside wheel lift will mean no lsd? Fk that for a street car.

Yes, but with both wheels on the ground they offer good positive differential action without any of the clunkiness of a mechanical diff. On the street the only time the wheels would come off the ground is entering steep driveways, which the car is too low for anyway. 

[Piggaz]

Put OSG 80W-250 oil in the GT PRO and I goes from a cranky ass hat to a pussy cat.

[hardsteppa]

2 hours ago, colourclassic said:

Yes, but with both wheels on the ground they offer good positive differential action without any of the clunkiness of a mechanical diff. On the street the only time the wheels would come off the ground is entering steep driveways, which the car is too low for anyway. 

if you're using adjustable coilovers, they tend to have a lot less droop than stock suspension, so the inside wheel can lift quite frequently with any sort of hard cornering, or uneven surface. That's why I love my mechanical, locked on throttle even with one wheel right off the ground.

Sure they are clunky, but after being able to stay right on the tail of a new model Porsche 911 on the mountain circuit, I wouldn't change it out, they really are amazing. My biggest gripe is more the wear to tyres. 

[colourclassic]

tbh I don't drive so hard to lift wheels on the street.

my mates s15 had the helical/torsen diff and for all its disadvantages, it was superior to a viscous LSD in all circumstances. another mate has a 34 with a kaaz 2 way and it was hell to drive on the street, only good for track. i guess a lightly preloaded 1.5 way would be a compromise between the two.

Edited March 14, 2017 by colourclassic

[whatsisname]

On ‎14‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 11:59 AM, admS15 said:

As far as brakes go, unless your doing a lot of track work, the standard setup with good fluid, pads and air guides for cooling work well. They work well on track too but the pads won't last more than 2-3 track days. If you decide on staying stock, try intima Sr next time around. They will provide better bite and fade resistance than your current pads

 

 

Edit. If you get serious about brakes, you may want to go bigger than 350z brembo, something like hardsteppa got (ATTKD brake Kit) from just jap. Although significantly more than 1k.

 

 

I did all the usual brake improvements to the standard R33 GTS25t set-up. Slotted RDA rotors, QFM A1RMs, braided lines, Cusco master cylinder stopper, RBF660, cooling ducts etc.  I then decided to pay the $ for a K-Sport BBK (356mm F&R  / 8 and 4 piston) The difference is night and day.  Bit more than $1k though.

Do the diff first. Save for a BBK.

I have a Nismo GT Pro 1.5 in mine. It's liveable. Might change my mind if it was my daily  - it's not.     

 

[V28VX37]

On 14/03/2017 at 9:41 PM, colourclassic said:

tbh I don't drive so hard to lift wheels on the street.

my mates s15 had the helical/torsen diff and for all its disadvantages, it was superior to a viscous LSD in all circumstances. another mate has a 34 with a kaaz 2 way and it was hell to drive on the street, only good for track. i guess a lightly preloaded 1.5 way would be a compromise between the two.

Please go and drive (or at least be a passenger) a 1.5-way before deciding, especially if it's a daily driven car. Do slow speed and sharp corners too, the usual suburban stuff.

People have very different views on what's 'streetable' and 'livable', I certainly wouldn't drive my car with the 1.5-way as a daily. Yes, soft, I know.

[whatsisname]

Clunks and bangs etc. At car park manoeuvring speeds are par for the course with a GT Pro 1.5-way. Might be a bit tamer on the softest of the three settings and with certain diff' fluids   

[colourclassic]

Do the larger 6 and 8 piston BBK's work okay with the factory master cylinder and ABS? I guess with much larger front brakes the bias might be a bit more forward based?

Sounds like a mechanical diff isn't what I want for now. I might go about either shimming my VLSD or getting an S15 diff and giving that a shot. 

[whatsisname]

Still have a factory master on mine. No dramas with ABS.

[iamhe77]

Should be able to squeak in under $1k for a 370z akebono brake upgrade.
Don't fade like the 350z brembos do.

I managed a set of calipers with pads, f&r RDA slotted rotors and bbk bracket for just under $1k, so it can be done.

Sent from my HTC_0P6B using SAU Community mobile app

[onboostR33]

HFM do a big break kit for 33 gtst around $500 for front and $400 for rears have some on my r33 makes a big difference to stock alot more brake torque