Getting The Stag Into The 13's

[Sydneykid]

Sorry to butt in - SK where can I get a 3.25" exhuast with hi flow cat for $500 ???????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bought a used Jap no name brand 3.25" exhaust for $350, spent $50 on extra pipe for the longer Stagea and a standard R33GTR cat for $50. Total $500.

cheers

[Abo Bob]

Just noticing the plug that into the 1/4 mile calculator comment.

Do you (SK) or anyone else, have a spreadsheet or something to plug these sorts of things into.

I'm presuming you enter your weight, 2wd or 4wd and ask how much power you need for the time you request.

[CSV Imports]

Thanks SK. Sorry to keep doing this but, what is the cheapest way to get me into the mid to late 13's?

[mcnamg]

i think that all the bits that sk has mentioned are more than enough to get you into the time bracket i think that the main thing that i would be worried about would not be how cheap an affair its going to be but more how reliable its going to be and how much is it going to cost me in the long run.

also it is important to remember that the stagea is one heavy mofo and therefore if you are considering any sort of power upgrades over and above what they come with stock then braking and suspension and handling also need to be considered at the same time if not before you start hunting for power, after all whats the point of a fast car if you cant stop or turn??

my 2c

[StageZilla]

ok the diff is pretty useless in the rear and resembles a ca18 s13 style diff and axles, its bloody shit

search for more info on comparision to gtr diff and axles

the brakes are bloody underdone also, and i have gone r32 gtr calipers and rotors in the rear because ive installed the full gtr rear end, gtr rear hubs (330mm compared to stageas 280mm) wont fit on the rear of a stagea with standard axles as the gtr ones are different splines and alot thicker.

and i got some r34 v spec brembo front calipers and dba 330mm alloy rotors for the front end

i cant wait to see what mine will do once its built

sent the block and head off for machining today and they said about 2 weeks or so, and hopefully the whole build is fully done in about 2 months

cya

Brad

[AlexCim]

When i was a bit younger, about 1 year ago, i was always looking at the guys who put only brandname stuff on their car and thinking to myself "why the hell for, you can get cheaper same stuff"

what i have learnt is that if your doing to do something, DO IT PROPERLY.

Get a good quality, jap exhaust

Get a good quality cooler

Do the turbo right from the start

Get decent tyres

Do handling mods

For this reasons, i have spent (yes, kill me dammit) ~2100 just on my exhaust from turbo back...

Just thought i would make a point that when trying to improve a car, cheapest isnt always the best. Often cheapest will also top out and need replacing (such as maybe an intercooler)

Good luck with your plans.

[mcnamg]

there is always the old adage of you get what you pay for and as with most expensive or better quality parts they are usually more expensive for a reason this is because these tuning houses that make them have a thorough engineering and testing program to ensure that these parts last and work better than the stock parts and deliver the most power

[CSV Imports]

Thanks for your help guys. I'll let you know how I get on

[Sydneykid]

When i was a bit younger, about 1 year ago, i was always looking at the guys who put only brandname stuff on their car and thinking to myself "why the hell for, you can get cheaper same stuff"

what i have learnt is that if your doing to do something, DO IT PROPERLY.

Get a good quality, jap exhaust

Get a good quality cooler

Do the turbo right from the start

Get decent tyres

Do handling mods

For this reasons, i have spent (yes, kill me dammit) ~2100 just on my exhaust from turbo back...

Just thought i would make a point that when trying to improve a car, cheapest isnt always the best. Often cheapest will also top out and need replacing (such as maybe an intercooler)

Good luck with your plans.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If I was aiming to squeeze every last kw out of it, maybe I might be able to justify spending excess on "brand names" But for 200 4wkw I just don't see the need. Some examples;

A good quality Jap Brand name 3" exhaust would be OK for 200 4rwkw and cost $1500+. But I used a "no name" R32GTST 3.25" exhaust, that owes me $450 (inc extrension for the longer Stagea chassis). The extra 0.25" covers up any deficiencies in flow compared to the 3" "brand name" exhaust.

A shiny new HKS GTRS turbo would be nice for $2600, but the GCG ball bearing high flow will do the job for 200 4wkw nicely.

A sidemount Trust intercooler 250X150X192 would be nice for $800, but the standard R34GTT cost less than 1/4 of that. It should do the 200 4wkw, just.

If you want maximum power out of each upgrade, then buying Jap "brand names" is easier. But if you want maximum power for each $ spent, then there are better ways. As long as you are pepared to do some leg work and find out what it is that you need to achieve your power target.

Horses for courses

cheers

[AlexCim]

I agree completely.

The reason i said what i said is because i dont really have a power target. I mean, i want ~200 as well, but i know that i will get there and .. well want more, so i am just warning that if you are like me, dont restrict yourself from the start.

[GoldZilla]

I think all of the above four statements (from mcnamg, SK and AlexCim x2) hold jusitification - the main thing to remember is that:

cheap does not necessarily equal good value!

As SK points out: Stock-standard, factory issue goodies are almost always good items, as long as you take into account that they are built for the mass-market and therefore they consider a balance between performance of intended function and durability - usually favouring durability, of course! We are lucky in the sense that Nissan (and to probably an equal extent Toyota) products have a high degree of cross-platform compatibility - what works on an S-13/4/5 is usually applicable on an R-32/3/4, and vice versa.

As mcnamg points out: Brand-name parts are usually more expensive because they carry the cost of development and fine-tuning to get the maximum advantage over the factory-developed parts, but obviously because they are more specific in what is trying to be gained. These parts are built to earn a gain in performance, but the compromises are sometimes things like greater turbo lag, more noise, higher fuel consumption, reduced day-to-day driveability, etc. Not to mention the Butterfly/Ripple effect - when you change one thing, it brings up weaknesses in other areas of the associated systems - change to a bigger turbo and you risk getting greater lag, pump up the boost and you create more heat requiring a bigger/more efficient intercooler, fit bigger injectors and your fuel pump has trouble keeping up, blah blah blah...

But by the same token, sometimes we can get away with doing our spending in the middle ground, because one company can learn from the research of another company, and in turn modify its products to suit a slightly different market, or offer them alternative materials which may reduce the costs or compromises involved in the use of the products...

And then AlexCim states: "DO IT ONCE AND DO IT PROPERLY!" There's no use in scrimping on parts if they turn out to be s#1thouse, and end up doing more harm than good.

I love that we have these forums, because we get to share the knowledge that we each have for the benefit of others. With the standards set by others, we can (and should) learn to:

a - put a lot of time into doing research before making a decision and purchase;

b - document the gains for all to see, with before-and-after results and photos, etc. to back up our findings where-ever possible;

c - share the knowledge so we can all gain from it, or learn what NOT to do...

I'm hoping that I can contribute even HALF of what some of you guys do here in the future.

Nick T.

Edited August 23, 2005 by GoldZilla

[68charger]

Just noticing the plug that into the 1/4 mile calculator comment.

Do you (SK) or anyone else, have a spreadsheet or something to plug these sorts of things into.

I'm presuming you enter your weight, 2wd or 4wd and ask how much power you need for the time you request.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are quite a few 1/4 mile calculators on the net http://www.race-cars.net/calculators/et_calculator.html all the ones i've found are american so they are in pounds and hp. If anyone has a link to a metric one post it up, that would make it easier.

I will be buying an r34sedan and i want it to run mid 13's so I put in 3300lbs (1500kg) and 270rwhp (200rwkw) it came up with 13.4 at 101.5mph, that sounds about right.

[Abo Bob]

Thanks for that. The website is down but I got it from google cache.

It seems to be reasonably accurate although I often wonder about the difference in power delivery and torque between engines, particularly as the calculator was probably set up with mainly v8 data.

[Tangles]

My 2cents worth - Ive spent $1300 on parts and around a 20% power gain on my Stagea of 141.3kw at the 4wheels, at 10psi boost. All products bought off ebay.

Ive spent 8k on my Fireblade CBR900RR, and got around a 33% power gain, all parts are 'name brand' parts, but EVERYTHING was off ebay. Saved me thousands, maybe around 5k!.

Grab a brand name, off ebay, but do your research so you know you wont be burnt by the seller or the end product. Its a great way to shop but yet to keep costs down.

Brendan