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GReddy e-Manage is also a piggyback option. I use a TechnoSquare custom ECM flash (designed for my modifications, but slightly on the rich side), then I fine tune it with e-Manage. I like e-Manage because I can have a million maps stored on my laptop and upload a new map in less than two minutes. I have a dedicated laptop that travels with me (I keep it in the '03 350) and is also good for data logging of both the ECM and e-Manage simultaneously. You can also run e-Manage real-time and it shows you exactly where you're at on each map -- in other words you can fine tune on-the-fly. The advantage of so many maps is that you can have a map for every occasion and every condition (i.e., varying temperatures and pressure conditions).

Must have missed this one... Dump valve (AKA BOV) on a supercharged Z -- one loud BOV, and this was just running around the block -- it's even louder under heavy acceleration when dumping boost at high rpms. http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9326

Want to know how many throttle bodies I've torn up on the '03 350? I just installed number 8 last Saturday -- number 9 is sitting on a shelf in my garage waiting for its inevitable call to duty. I've also torn up two EVAP control valves, and one ignition coil pack. New thermostat is on order since the current one is starting to stick closed every so often. Then there's belts -- shredded the serpentine once and I always keep spare supercharger belts in my spare parts inventory. I also toasted the stock clutch on the dragstrip -- too many ponies in the herd for it. I even have a laptop strictly dedicated for diagnostics and tuning. The 300ZX and 350Z service manuals are loaded on all three of my laptops along with the 300ZX parts catalog.

LOL... What you don't see is the 240SX in the garage and the Altima 3.5 in the street, and now Whizzy (the 350ZR) has joined the crowd. Yep, it's a regular Nissan used car lot. It's kinda like deciding what to wear -- what vehicle am I going to drive today...

Hehehehehe... The only reason I know how to fix 'em is because I always break 'em. I think I've discovered about every easily breakable part on a Z. But at least I've never gone off-roading though a mud swamp in my Zs -- the Titan is for that.

Excuse me while I

I'm not sure that's the new 350. I think it's a test mule for their new lower end sports coupe. If you look carefully the body was chopped in half and covers a shortened wheelbase chassis (you can see the chop down the doors and across the roofline -- also notice the rear hatch doesn't fit quite right). It has about the right wheel base for this one (2.5L turbo): http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/concep ... ndex.shtml This one is also a possible (the Urge): http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/co ... ept_01.jpg And another short wheel base possible (the Azeal): http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/co ... _azeal.jpg Personally, I think the next generation Z will have a normally aspirated version of the GT-R engine -- 3.8L (although it's possible to do it with the turbos, I don't think it's probable). For sure they can get 350 hp out of it, and it's easier to do that than upgrade the VQ beyond the 3.7L version.

Real fine... Do you have difficulty hitting the gate too?

We did a little write-up on the Schuitemaker 350 on Z Chickz in January '04, recapping the '03 Grand Am Cup series -- http://zchickz.com/month8.htm There's a link at the bottom of the page to go to '03 season race photos featuring #35.

The Schuitemaker 350 (#35) was the first 350 to race in the US Grand Am Cup series in 2003. http://www.schuitemakermotorsports.com/ Jim Goughary ran his 350 to SCCA Grand National Champion in GT2 class in the first season (2003 again). The final race at Mid-Ohio was spectacular with the 350 becoming completely airborne when a Porsche crowded him a little too closely. http://www.cnwzcommerce.com/mm5/merchan ... y_Code=PAK

Hehehe... Reminds me of the time I ran a Russian "trawler" in a Boeing 707, throwing up 4 big rooster tails as I blew by him from bow on at wavetop height at 300+ knots just a few feet from him. Then I came back at him from the stern and ran up the other side. The boys on deck woke up in a hurry and got a little salt water spray. They ticked me off because they were trying to jam my electronics -- payback is hell. It could have been worse, I could have dropped the boom and "peed" a little JP-7 on him.

It's actually a compliment because the good military pilots are quite commonly a little "off-center." When was the last time you went "roof stomping" on someone's roof a 3 a.m.? It's a demand for immediate breakfast and more beer - woe be unto you if you don't deliver. It's also a penalty for not being at the party in the first place. I always had the best times with Brit and Aussie pilots.

The bottom one is called Interlagos Fire. It's similar to Brickyard but slightly lighter. Both colors were offered on US 350s. There's a guy on http://350zfrenzy.com who has a roadster (wide-body) painted in what he calls "anti-freeze green." It's Jeremy's Z that Bronzee mentioned.

What a hoot! Having been marshalled thousands of times, I've never seen anything like it. Leave it to the Brits to be insanely creative in something totally mundane. And I can tell you for a fact Brit pilots are just as crazy (and Aussies are completely off the charts)!

Good point, there's also the mass of the car variable that combines with the efficiency of the brakes and the inefficiency of the tires, along with the velocity when the brake pedal is jammed to the floor. So given the right combination of variables, you probably could completely lock the wheels up.

In a panic stop on dry pavement it's virtually impossible to actually lock the wheel with standard braking systems (including non-ABS) -- the decelerative force simply exceeds the tire's grip capacity. You may think the wheel is completely locked but it's actually still rotating. You lose a lot of rubber, but it's lost somewhat evenly around the whole tire. When the tire is hydroplaning though it's quite easy to completely lock the wheel and it will remain locked (particularly if there's some level of rubber reversion going on -- melting or melted rubber) when the car exits the plane, thus almost instant pop.

Go for broke, shave the door handles, remove all badging and give her the complete stealth look!. Wicked stealth fighter! She looks good, and I'm sure when you finish, it's gonna be awesome!

Nice work! She looks great! There's a secret easier way to take out the swirlies, even bad ones. It's called Z-5. Put it on, let it dry, and wipe it off (use microfiber). For really bad swirlies, 2-3 coats usually does it. After that, a couple coats of Z-2 and you've got incredible depth and luster. You can use a random orbital to buff out both Z-5 and Z-2 Z = Zaino, and Zaino is for Z cars.

It would be a pure guess. In an aircraft at around 150 knots with the wheels locked, it takes about a couple hundred feet of planing before the rubber becomes significantly reverted. So in a car at 80 mph (about half the speed), the distance would be exponentially longer. I think in a car, it's more theoretical than practical. The bigger problem is exiting the water with brakes locked (they won't unlock unless you release the pedal) because it will grind through the tread in a few seconds, blowing the tire. In the Z with ABS/TCS/VDC on it's not much of a worry unless the driver gets extraordinarily dumb. In the pilot training business, we used to keep a blown reverted rubber tire around for show-and-tell with the students. They tend not to forget it -- little beads of rubber surrounding a complete flat spot on an otherwise pristine tire where you can count all 12 plys and stick your pinky into the hole.

Gonna be taking the '03 to the first track day of '08 on 1/12. My oldest son is going with me so the Z is going to get a real workout running double 6-7 lap sessions. So we'll be putting around 190 race miles in one day on the Z. Thought you might be interested in the new pads I'll be running. Hawk recently came out with a completely new track pad that seems like it might be one up on the older HT-14 comp (still a good race pad). Hawk pads are used heavily by SCCA racing circuit cars (in the '03 season a 350 won the GT-2 title in it's first season -- Nissan pretty much dominates SCCA). The new comp is called dynamic torque control which is supposed to allow better control over initial bite. It also delivers extreme torque capability, good wear, and no fade running multiple road track laps. So I'll have Hawk DTC-70s on the front and Hawk DTC-60s on the rear which should be comparable to the old Hawk HT-14/10 set up. The pads will get an extreme high speed workout since I'll be braking down from 150-160 into a 40 degree sweeper followed by a second 150-160 run down into a 110 degree fairly tight corner rapidly followed by a very tight 130 degree switchback (a very challenging corner set). I'm anticipating three 150+ course legs over the 2.8 mile course, and about every straight on the course will be 100+ -- 13 turns per lap and most over 90 degrees; two 180s. Heres a link to the Hawk website for a description: http://www.hawkperformance.com/motorspo ... ons/gt.php and http://www.hawkperformance.com/motorspo ... /dtc60.php

Actually.... The formula is correct, presuming depth of water exceeding the tread depth. At that point all tires perform exactly the same because the tires can't displace enough water in time (which relates to speed) to make contact with the road. This guide is used primarily when landing jets under wheel braking on a wet runway; it presumes standing water AND no anti-skid equipment. In a half-inch of standing water (a torrential downpour), the Z will begin hydroplaning at about 60 mph regardless of your tire make. The big danger occurs when you're tooling down the road at 80 and hit a huge patch of standing water AND come on the brakes (ABS off) as humans will instictively do -- you may as well try driving on ice at that speed. Given enough hydroplaning time in the water under braking (wheels will lock up instantly), the bottom tire surface will start to melt -- it's characterized by little beads of rubber on the tire surface. The next big problem is when you come out of that big puddle with the brakes locked -- instant blown tire(s). Moral to the story is don't disable your ABS if you plan on hitting a huge patch of standing water over 60 mph AND slamming on your brakes. Second moral to the story is don't turn the wheels radically because when you come out of the water puddle you'll suddenly go wherever the wheels are pointing which may not be the direction you really want to go. When water depth does not exceed tread depth, then tires and a thousand other variables come into play, and the hydroplaning formula goes out the window. Automotive technology has taken out a lot of the real hydroplaning dangers, BUT it can't protect a loose nut behind the wheel entirely. By the way, a hydroplaning skid mark under braking is light colored instead of black -- the road gets a little steam cleaning. You'll see 'em occasionally on the road if you look.

The pads that fit the StopTech ST-40 and ST-22 calipers are common sizes for a number of Porsches and Ferraris which gives an idea about the class of brake you're getting. You've also got 6 colors to choose from, which I think is the widest color choice range available. By the way, I use ATE Super Blue brake fluid which is a moderately high temp fluid. It seems to work pretty well for both street and track. It's very similar to Motul RBF 600 fluid which is a racing fluid. Evasive Motorsports does ship internationally. Best bet is to call (or e-mail) them for payment and shipping details. I found them to be a good supplier and no "retail BS" -- they'll give straight, honest answers to any questions you have. You might ask if they'll swap out the Axxis Ultimate pads for Hawk HPS pads -- I'll bet they'll do it. By the way, AP Racing also makes pretty good brakes -- they're made in the UK and US NASCAR uses them heavily. They would be another good choice I think. But NASCAR goes around in circles mostly. The big winning Grand Am Cup car is a BMW M3 E46 equipped with StopTechs and out brakes the 996/997 (332 / 4-piston). Check it out -- http://www.stoptech.com/proven_technolo ... cess.shtml (be sure to scroll to the very bottom to see how well they work on a 350 in Grand Am Cup -- note the comments on the Aerorotors).

You may also find some value in the disk and caliper info on AP Racing website, although it doesn't get heavily into the science of it all. Discs: http://www.apracing.com/car/brakedisc/dataselect.asp Calipers: http://www.apracing.com/car/caliper/index.htm Note that for the US Grand Am Cup cars (GT road course track), the only selection is 4 piston. My philosophy is use what the pro racecars use, and it's tough to go wrong. If you look at the AP calipers, you'll immediately see that they don't have the strengthening bridge that the StopTechs have until you get into the very high end racing calipers. As a side note, neither Brembo nor Rotora websites offer any significant performance data. In fact, some of the tidbits (few in number) are almost laughable on the Brembo site (why they don't provide stopping distance data is a real joke).

The gold will wear off almost immediately (during pad bed-in) in the pad contact area. The zinc coating protects the rest of the rotor area from rust (a plus if you show your car). Rotor thickness as well as diameter helps with heat dissipation. The thicker rotors simply have wider dissipation vanes between the two sides so you get more air flow. As you get wider though you have a tradeoff with calipers (presuming a wider caliper as well) -- they have to get beefier or they start to flex and you lose clamping force (particularly at higher racing temps). I think around 32-35 mm on the 350 front works OK; 28-32 mm is probably a good range for the rear for most of the big brake calipers on the market (other folks may have different opinions of course). Why did I do 355x32 rather than 355x35? True, you get .5" wider air gap, BUT you also have a 2.75 pound heavier rotor (it's a tradeoff again). My rear selection is even more significant in weight savings. Probably a good guide is the widest rotors your calipers/pads will easily accommodate (you need to have a little free play). Just like with number of pistons, more is not necessarily better. If you read through all the StopTech test data, you'll see why I went with the rotor/caliper combination I have (narrowest ST-40 caliper on front = least caliper deflection of any caliper on the market = highest consistent clamping force across the entire performance range). Notice too the cooling vane design on StopTech rotors (I love airfoils! = around 80% better cooling capacity than stock 350 rotors). StopTech puts some heavy duty science (and testing) into all their designs. By the way, before I bought my big brakes, I did days of research into all the big brakes on the market -- I think StopTech gives you most bang for the buck (you can spend a lot more and get a lot less). With just the StopTech research, it gives you a better idea of what to look for and questions to ask when looking at the other big brakes on the market.

If you're specifically interested in more about StopTech here's a lot more info to chew on: http://www.stoptech.com/products/BBK/summary.shtml I recommend swapping pads when you go to the track since race pads usually have higher rotor wear and other characteristics not desirable for street use. Outstanding race pads are PFC 01 front and PFC 97 rear -- the stuff of championship cars -- they are expensive, but for multiple lap road track where your brakes get a real workout, you won't come to a corner and find you have no brakes. You also need high temp brake fluid. As I recall, this is the supplier I bought the StopTechs from. The gold zinc anticorrosion coating is $65 extra. I got slotted rather than cross-drilled since I had heard (not confirmed) that cross-drilled have a greater tendancy to warp at high temps (may be a myth). In the write-up, there's a little dig at too many pistons. AND I'll be darned if they're not already selling the exact same setup for the new GT-R! You'll also see what I paid for the full set. http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/merch ... 3-646-4723