CDR_UK

What about passing via the ardenne region of belgium - stopping off for a day at francorchamps... then heading over to the eiffel mountains in germany - spending some time at the nurburgring, and then heading south through switzerland into italy, back into france and then back to the UK?

I was at Spa and nurburgring last weekend with the UK MLR register and GTROC - great time was had by all - despite the wet weather!

I never bothered to ask about the ECU used, I have complete faith in the installation doing what they advertise(after all it is homologated for Switzerland and Germany). One of the novidem guys at the Swiss national Z day told me that the GT450 has different pistons/rods and cylinder head work. Basically they have to make it bulletproof. However it is too noisy for day to day use IMHO. The 380 is already very capable and represents better value for money, plus with their valved exhaust it sounds amazing and passes EU noise regs.

Personally I'm waiting for the end of 2007 / beginning of 2008 before changing my car - at that time I will either consider another a new Z (possibly with a Novidem S/C from new), an M3, a new Supra, or an Evo X. I think the GTR won't be around before 2009, and looking at the evolution of the 350Z I would be afraid to buy a GTR in 2009 only for a better version with lots of fixes made to come out in 2010.

might as well go for the GT500 since you are there... where can you get the full specs of what they do for that tuning package and what parts they use?

They are not marketing the GT500 at the moment (although a guy in Bahrain has one ). If you click on the PDF files on this page: http://www.novidem.ch/inhalt.php?bereich=nissanz350 You will see some different info (however it's all in German) about specs etc. Also you can see what other options they offer in the GT380 package here: http://www.novidem.ch/inhalt.php?bereich=gt380

yeah but it's not like an overnight installation though, is it now?

no, I was told it's 2 nights, but it depends on what you ordered... the GT450 has a lot of engine internals changed - that's why it doubles the price of the basic install.

so that completely cuts us off their market though, unless we drive there

Or unless Nissan GB pull their finger out and offer the S/C over there. In any case it's a nice drive to come over, stop by the ring on the way, and on the way back (note the difference in performance ) I guess it would be a bit cheaper too, since you wond't need them to take care of registering the mods with the Swiss equivalent of the DVLA.

CDR has been a round a long time, I remember his nick from the old forum

 

I hope he meant that Vortech at al don't do testing @ the Ring, not that they aren't a serious Company

 

PS how can it come with a warranty? do they do all instalallations? that would be the only way they could warrant a product, i'd say

Yeah - I've been around and back again so to speak! I have no doubt that vortech is a serious company (pro charger I'm not so sure about), however they don't make a S/C kit specifically for the european Z. I also wonder what kind of testing they do on cars fitted with their kit. Testing at the ring is very revealing as to the peformance and reliability of any car / tuning. Novidem do complete tuning packages for the Z, which go way beyond superchargers.

Yes - it comes with a warranty because they do ALL installations (it's part of the price). That is the only way to get the mod done legally over here.

The front bumper is very functional too.

 

because of that hole that supposedly helps airflow?

Yes (especially when you have an intercooler blocking the normal route of air flow ), but mainly due to the brake cooling from the brake ducts.

Why did they pick this kit/SC out of all the good stuff out there? I think it looks horrible, maybe the specs of the engine are ok.....

I'm curious how much they spend on the tuning so we can compare with other products available for the Z.

This SC is produced in Switzerland by Novidem (http://www.novidem.ch), and had been available in Switzerland and Germany since the beginning of 2004 (you can get it via the Nissan dealer ). It costs 15,000 Swiss francs (6,500 quid) fitted and with a gaurantee. The reason it's expensive is that is homolagated - which is essential for legal tuning in Switzerland and Germany. The kit is very reliable, switchable (so that you can turn it off when running around town). It is the only S/C kit in the world that is designed for the european Z and therefore fits without needing to do things like getting rid of washer bottles etc. It works on all Z's including those with the rev-up motor.

Novidem also offer GT450 and GT500 packages (the numbers indicating the power). They are a very serious tuner, and do loads of testing at the nurburgring - same cannot be said of people like vortech or pro charger.

I've been a passenger in the GT380, and GT450, they are amazing! I just can't convince the other half that I need to upgrade my Z

The kit looks better in the flesh The front bumper is very functional too.

I took the rear bumper off - it's the only way to do it properly. It's easy to take off - 30 mins tops(35 if you have mud gaurds). My car also had the polestyrene between the bumper and cross member - it didn't make any difference to mine.

 

How does your experience compare with the US my350Z thread posted above - any differences would be helpful if you could point them out

It was the same steps for me, except I just unclipped the indicator/reverse light wires rather than taking them out. Step 3 is the most tricky - again because I din't have a decent 8mm box end spanner. That is a good write up though - especially the pictures showing you where everything is. If you take your time, this will not take more than 30 mins. If you had no mud gaurds/bodykit, I could get the bumper off now in 10 mins tops... there really is nothing to it. Getting it back on will take a little bit longer to make sure everything lines up, but it's not difficult.

I installed an EPS-WBD on my Z from these guys: http://www.proxel.com/

Works a treat!

 

It doesn't seem possile to order from that site. Any idea how much this unit costs?

I bought mine from a shop in Hong Kong, and bargained to get it for about 60 notes - it was a new release at the time with the WBD display. I think if you email them, they will tell you how to order, or where you can get it from.

I took the rear bumper off - it's the only way to do it properly. It's easy to take off - 30 mins tops(35 if you have mud gaurds). My car also had the polestyrene between the bumper and cross member - it didn't make any difference to mine.

I installed it just below the level of the rear indicators. As far as I remember, this was over the cross member, but it was not too close to affect operation. The only time I get false readings is when reversing over a manhole cover or drain, but I can put up with that, rather than having 4 ugly lumps on the bumper.

I would guess from memory (I installed it about a year ago), that it is where the green line is on this picture:

I installed an EPS-WBD on my Z from these guys: http://www.proxel.com/

Works a treat!

I got a fitted stillen cover from ultimatez a while ago. The quality is very good, it arrived after 2 weeks but the shipping was very cheap! http://www.ultimatez.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=178.

It's very important that it fits good if you use it outside - otherwise on a windy day the paintwork may get damaged due to chaffing.

The RSR is exactly the same as the Invidia N1 (Invidia in US = RSR in Japan). You can probably find an Invidia N1 for much cheaper than an RSR.

I fitted this exhaust on my friends Z - it's a good fit, noticeably lighter than stock, and very loud! If you go to any track day's with it you will probably need to fit the inner silencers to meet the noise restrictions.

Can't say I like this exhaust - fujistubo or HKS or Nismo seem like much better options (in terms of quality and/or noise and/or look). Buy amuse R1 Titan if you've got the moulah!

I've got BF Goodrich G-Force Pofilers fitted - they are better than Toyo T1-R and Falkens IMO. Although Toyo's and Falkens are grippy -they both have rather soft sidewalls (like Eagle F1's) which means the handling on the limit is less predictable. I found the sidewalls on the BFG's are roughly the same hardness as the Bridgestones.

I kept the original size on the rear (245/45-18) and went for a wider tyre on the front:

245/40-18

The result is that the car is much less prone to understeer in the dry, and the feeling is much more neutral between front and rear. I based my decision to go for the same width front and rear on the fact that this is what many japanese tuners are doing with the Z (Amuse, Mines, Boss, Sunline Auto etc.).

Before anybody says different - 245/40-18 from BF Goodrich (which is in fact Michelin) is the same diameter as the original 225/45-18's on an 8" wide rim. This means the stagger between front and rear is unchanged, and their are no problems with ESP.

I've tried this setup out on a few tracks and it's very good My friend has also tried the Falkens on track, and complains all the time about the soft sidewalls.

CDR,

Welcopme to the site. Hope all is well out in France.

Is there a way you can invert the signal (correct it). I know you can get some camera's that do this inside the camera itself.

Thanks for the welcome - all is well on the continent - but I do miss blighty sometimes - especially the car scene/rule regarding mods etc.

The camera is already reversing the image - so what I see on the screen is what I would see if I looked in a rear view mirror.

Thanks for the welcome - Just found out about this forum a few days ago by accident! It looks great, and seems to have a nice atmosphere

I can't fit the lense in the dot on the plate for legal reasons, and to be honest it's more discrete where it is, plus the angle means you can always see the white lines / curbs at the back of parking spaces right upto where the exhaust is about 2 inches away. Nobody has ever noticed that I have it fitted in the 12 months it's been there!

You can see how I fitted mine - it's pretty stealthy:

The pictures don't do it justice though - I'd just washed the car, and there were still drops of water on the lens...