Z-monster

Evening guys and gals,

I was given the pleasure of a tour round the Aston Martin factory the other week and I got a chance to look at their Le Mans and GT4 cars. Really beautiful, sound the business too.

One particular thing caught my eye were the temperature indicator strips on the calipers. Fascinating stuff. At Wilton I asked a customer team how they kept an eye on temperature and they just used a heat gun - so perhaps its a race type specific thing... anyway...

Found some strips - just need to know the wet and dry boiling points of standard Nissan brake jalopy and I can be a proper geek!

Cheers!

use first gear more 3.5kRPM, and then change into 2nd later? (that would be about 2.5k(RPM) I've got a similar problem but its only if I come off the throttle in 1st or low down in 2nd. Chances are the car isn't getting enough momentum behind it to sustain a 2nd gear pull-away. If mechanicals are sound, and computer reads out are clear, (I hate to say it) but perhaps it's down to driving style? I'll be interested to see any further developments.

Welcome and happy driving!

Bonjour all,

Was walking back to the car last night and noticed that the Drivers sider rear wheel seemed to stick out at the bottom - much like it was trying to trip me up as I walked round to the boot. The wheel isn't flush with the bodywork when looking vertically over the arch. This wasn't the case on the other side of the car - totally flush with the body work, doesn't look off. I'll take some pictures later.

I had a wheel alignment on a Hunter about 2 months ago - they said all the alignments were wrong and even had to use a breaker bar on one of the adjusters. Seems previous owners just hadn't looked after it properly or were happy with a kwik-job.

anyway - Alignment two months ago said everything was back to within tolerances. But I have done a couple of thousand miles since then and two track days. Car is OEM.

Can wheel alignment undo itself?

Banana joints and bushes need doing, too (I'll be calling Abbey later) whats the verdict on Poly Brushes over OEM? I'm concerned for noisey/harsh ride from polys. I had a friend who replaced all of them on his classic beetle and said the noise was unbearable!

Otherwise the car is a DREAM. Might be a lifer.

All help gratefully received.

Hello!

That piece of steel is the "low level" warning strip - essntially makes your brakes squeal when your pad is low.

Clicky axel is a common problem and if you do a quick search for it you'll find all the info.

 

No track action just normal all year round drving with the odd blast here and there. After reasonable wear and low noise etc.

 

Roughly on costs then you would need to get 10k out of 453 / VUS tyres and 14k out of MPSS (mileage figures are only for ease of comparison and are just made up to show the percentage) to return same cost per mile. I'm not convinced you will get that 40% extra life from the MPSS to make them worth it in that sense...

You will, easily. The VUS aren't that tough really, which is why they provide outstanding feel. The MPSS give nigh-on equal feel, but last a shed load longer.

 

Really, unless you are stone broke and cannot afford the extra £200 to even chuck on a credit card for a couple of months, there is no reason not to fit the MPSS these days. They are the best tyre available in all departments, full stop.

If you're not going on track it doesn't honestly matter what tyre you have as long as they can handle the wet and they're in a set all round. I feel that chucking on MPSS (yes, they're an excellent tyre) might be overkill if its purely for going to and from work, going to see family and friends and maybe a short stint of twistys and the excess cost could be used on fuel or service.

Just my 2p - I'm sure I'll be shouted down!

No love for Kuhmo KU39s?

Got them all round, same tread pattern as Contis. Brilliant on track, road and wet. Low noise and decent costs. (Fuel economy has definitely gone up on long runs)

Someone's gonna pick up a lead balloon!

http://www.stratstone.com/VehicleSearch/Used/nissan-used-car-DX59AOS.html?qs=False&type=1

Is this an example of Dealers going by registration dates and not by model?

Would you rather buy a later registered car for the same cost as a higher mileage, more powerful HR car?

Smooth driving, look ahead. (both in your mind and physically) prepare yourself and the car for the next two to three turns ahead and think how can I draw the straightest/smoothest lines between the two. If you're feeling the Zed is unstable and wallowing or rocking like a boat you're being too vicious and not allowing the car to pitch into the next turn or settle. Also, try slowing down and getting the lines right - because that will allow you be drive smoothly and build speed.

I think being strapped down so you can feel if you're being smooth in your drive might help.

If you're concerned its medical, see a doctor.

ps no offence to anyone, but is just me or are some of the custom elise, caterham style car drivers nuts??!

Yes. Also really competitive, but great banterous people outside the car.

What I was told they do was get up, really close on the corners and try to sit in your mirrors so yo can see them - tiny little thin gs anyway - i spent my life looking for them on the track as the Zed has a horrid 1/4 panel/door blind spot that a Caterham sits perfectly in. Anyway...probably misjudged your braking ability and ended up in the wrong place?

But yes - they're nuts!

Looks like you had some fun! Bedford is a great track to learn your car on!

Clutch fluid change will cure your "sticky" clutch. Had mine done by Nissan with the standard stuff and that totally cured the problem (£49 all in) - seems to be common with the HR engines - clutch fluid changes are a life saver. I'm about to break 70K miles and its still on its original clutch. Done two track days in it and drive "spiritedly" most of the time - no issues since fluid change in October.

I'm running the Yellow Stuff on OEM Front discs and the change is very noticable. Otherwise I'm OEM with everything else (all fluids and hoses & rear brakes). Couldn't tell you if braided hoses will make a massive difference, but I'll do maybe 3 tracks a year so an upgrade like that is probably not too necessary....but that being said...Heat coming off the wheels last week was INCREDIBLE. Could have cooked an egg on the spokes! Brake fade for me was almost non-existent, however, or wasn't massively noticeable, again standard OEM fluids, but driving like I stole it.

Camera wise - Suction cup on the gopro is fine for me, if in the Caterham I'll use the roll bar mount. A lot of other drives seem to use the number plate block and front grille as the forward mounting point - otherwise I'd use the 1/4 panel windows or the rear wheel arches. Rear bumper is an excellent place to mount, too - get the exhaust note and not much wind noise.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun (amongst the frustration!) I look forward to seeing your results - but I hope the above helps in come way.

if you hypermile I was seeing 37.6 MPG at an average speed of 50 (50 to 70mph on a clear motorway, some use of slipstreams, light throttle, looking way ahead, no more than half a tank of fuel onboard)

Just returned from a long road trip: Cardiff to Derby, to Gaydon to Bicester to Gloucester to Cardiff: 380miles on the clock, 27.6mpg, fuel light came on as I entered Cardiff with 34 miles remaining. full tank = £80 +/-£5 (4.75p per mile)

I think tyres make a massive difference, just changed to Kumho KU39 all round - probably seen a decent 10% increase in economy. Not sure if Nitrogen in tyres helps, but seems to be less noisey. Flush the fuel system with some Shell V-Power from time to time (Massive debate on that but seems to make a difference to me)

Z monster,interesting theory on reselling,been trying to sell mine for a couple of weeks now,BUT,not really sure if thats the right thing to do. What to replace it with,has to be rear wheel drive,decent power and so on. Points to an M3 really but as the track test proved the Z to have better handling/generally nicer car to drive [yes I drive M3s on a regular basis] not too sure fuel would be so nicely used as my time in the BMW is on-track so couldn't really comment! Major plus point as well is the comparative rarity compared to the BMW.Now starting to think that maybe I should keep it.

The only reason I didnt sell mine is because I cant think of any other car I would have! I do like the M3 but I'm not sure if I would want to be looped into that stereotype (sorry!) I do however look the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, but I hear they break easily + they're expensive. Only other options would be a 911 or Caterham or Honda S2000.

but for now, the Zed has it!

I was pondering this the other day - should I trade in my 313 for the cheaper road tax version, maybe even get a cabriolet...

I came to the conclusion that if I did swap out to the older car I'd have a slightly less powerful engine, more miles on it (OK, not necessarily) and I'd be buying a car which I would not know the history of, may have been driven harder than mine (which is ex dealership agreement with fixed mileage and servicing with two previous owners).

I came to the conclusion that although it's double the road tax its better a devil you know (albeit with more power) then going for a different option purely because of road fund and not necessarily knowing what you're getting into. But also, from a selling perspective, the 313 model, and the GT4 model are probably the most sought after longer term, therefore making a slightly better residual value.

Just my 2p - very "man-maths" but I just LOVE my car to bits and if money isn't much of a problem then it's totally worth it.

Welcome! Good news about the new Circuit!

Agree with the comments on tyres- I found exactly the same issue when I changed mine.

 

I had run non matching front/ rear for some time with no issue, then replaced only the rears and had insanely active traction control- even at low speeds in the dry as you mention, changed the fronts to the same brand and new, and it went away immediately. Also make sure you have your alignment done. I end up doing mine every 6 months or so (Use HUNTER laser alignment systems- they're highly rated among enthusiasts, don't believe "oh, our system is just as good" from garages). This also makes the car handle as it should and keeps the TC acting correctly.

 

The car is much better with it turned off though, we're not talking mad driving here, it simply allows you more grip with no detectable slip at points where with it turned on, the TC would interfere. As these cars (uk at least) have an LSD, this is essentially acting as mechanical traction control allowing the car to be controlled perfectly well past the limits of normal diffs where one wheel would spin (eg E46 BMW).

 

Enjoy!

Hunter is definitely the right option. My tyre guy put it up on that and we had about 4 people around the screen puzzled as to how Kwik Rape had got the geometry so wrong. Putting fronts on tomorrow afternoon, going to scrub them in at track day on Friday.

Thanks for all the advice, and TC off while the weather keeps, and driving in non crazy situations sounds like a plan. (Noticed TC agressiveness in a lift-off understeer sort moments (at low speed))

Bonjour! Welcome to the mad-house!

Apparently...

One Diesel Zed is kicking about

http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/nissan_350z#!engine

Derp

After the thing is built it can't do much else other then be a drawer for income and development. It'll be good to see what else comes of the development given its got R&D centre, a campsite and hotels. (24hrs of CoW, anyone?)

Circuit of Wales comes up before the planning committee tomorrow!

It'll be nice to have a nearby track that's new if Circuit of the Americas is anything to go by!

Thoughts?

Tres bon!

Thanks for the advice

http://i.imgur.com/jdKJw1T.gif

 

TC saved me too, once in my 330i at knockhill at exit of turn 3, unfortunately the Ultima following closely behind me saw me slide and kick up some dust beyond the rumble strip, he must have lifted off suddenly (or worse braked) and spun off. I felt bad, but at least he didn't sustain any damage and continued on with the day.

Turn 3 - is that the blind up-hill Ess? Knockhill is a fun track! I remember seeing a Scoobie miss the braking point on turn on and sliding into the gravel, and then came back across the track in front of us - I could see the dude's eye colour!

You're spot on with Harris - tells it how it is - interesting what he said about the 370Z

Doing my second trackday this Friday. Big fan of Harris, too (have you seen the most recent one with the F-Type, V8 Vantage and 911 around Castle Combe? LOVE IT)

Results from my first one: bakes are good, but as mentioned its a heavy car, pads need to be checked - ended up replacing mine. Heat builds up quickly in the wheels - pressures are a must to keep an eye on - if you can get full nitro inflation, all the better in my opinion.

I have an "American Handbrake" (2x half bricks) which I chock the wheels with. Oil seemed OK, TC wasn't too aggressive on track but did save me from a couple of spins in the wet.

You'll have fun - Bedford is great - did that in a Caterham. I've done Abingdon and I'm about to do Hullavington - both Airfields with plenty of run off. Looking forward to seeing the videos!

Update: Pads were bugger to get out, I think they were caked in with dust and debris - worst were the inner ones, but the pads were really badly in need of a change.

Pistons went in easily enough, brake bite nicely, too. No squeeking, was fun to bed them in - love the smell, notice the difference too!

Getting Nissan (Wessex Garages in Cardiff) to change the brake fluid and bleed everything off. But otherwise an easy enough job to replace pads - might invest in a one-man pressured bleed kit if I end up doing this again soon:

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/sealey-power-bleeder-brake-bleeding-system/109708/?Referrer=googleproductlisting&gclid=CIvqk7XPn7gCFfMctAodaUcATg

Thanks for the advice!

Sorry to steer the topic - Alloy material used on the Rays - it's not magnesium is it?

I have the matching fronts sitting in my bog waiting to go on... Might put them on before the track day this week (any point?) - I think the ideas of different compounds, patterns et al all make sense. Best not to wear roller blades on one foot and ice skates on the other...if you catch my drift.