Tere

thanks Tere, so having 355 or 360mm front disks with 6 or 4 pistons at the front with the standard disks at the back 2 pistons but uprated brake pads should be okay According to the tests, a stock Z is slightly front biased. With the StopTech 4-piston front and 355mm rotors, and stock rear, it becomes a little more front biased, but nothing the ABS can't handle (still passes the J turn test on the skidpad). I wouldn't track your Z until you upgrade the brakes all around -- the stock rear rotors are tiny and will overheat quickly, shifting the bias extremely far forward. For the street though, the unbalance is workable. What I like about StopTech is that they thoroughly test caliper/rotor combinations, so you get perfectly balanced brakes at all four corners. Originally, I was thinking 6-piston front and 4-piston rear, but as I got into the reasearch, I found the difference to be nil with my 4-piston front and 2-piston rear setup. What I found was the 6/4 setup was more show with no significant functionality (the master cylinder is the limitation). My setup will stop the Z 60-0mph in a little over 90 feet which is almost 20 feet shorter than stock (good pads AND tires are also keys). My setup is also better than the Z models with Brembos in balance, stopping ability, and track performance. The StopTech kit originally came with Axxis Ultimate pads which were absolutely horrible (poor modulation, noisy, and very dirty). They went bye-bye in two weeks in favor of Hawk HPS which I consider the ultimate street pad (not for track).

You can do it in stages. In the interim, your brake balance will be a bit off but nothing that's significant. Zeckhausen did some good 350Z testing on different stock and StopTech brake combinations. Here's a link (good write-up): http://www.zeckhausen.com/Testing_Brakes.htm I'm running StopTech 4-piston front (14" rotors) and 2-piston rear (13" rotors). This set-up is optimum for tracking the 350. Surprisingly there's not much difference between 6 and 4 piston on the front. These babies stop on a dime, run cool, and don't really fade much on the track (not so you'd really notice anyway). By the way, I highly recommend Hawk HPS pads for street use. Great grab, good modulation, and virtually no dust!

As for me I gotta have a short shifter! My '03 is slightly more than 2" throw gear to gear. It's very smooth (like butter) and less effort than stock (shift with one finger if you want). It glides precisely into each gate. My '91 also has a short shifter with only slightly more throw than the '03 and 100% improvement over stock. The 350 factory set-up is a relatively stiff, moderate force one. I prefer a significantly lighter force shifter where I can feel each gate. It also gives me much faster, more precise gear changes. Generally, if you find yourself missing shifts, you've got too heavy a shifter, forcing you to use too much muscle (when you ham-fist the shifter, it's harder to feel the gates). My bet about those who complain about a heavier (more effort) shift is that it was improperly installed. I can install any shifter such that King Kong couldn't shift gears. The trick is to tune the shift feel to the driver -- you can give it about any shift force you want. Additionally, during the install, you have to make sure that everything is all properly aligned so it glides into each gate without hanging up. When I help other folks out with a short shifter install, I have them shift through all the gears while I'm under the car making small adjustments until they have the exact feel that suits them. Try to find a garage who will do that for you. The shifter in the '03 is titanium and in the '91, stainless steel. Go to this link for my install write-up (steps 15-19 are the keys): http://zchickz.com/qshift1.htm

The R-34 turbo (V-Spec) engine will make gobs of horses very easily. There are quite a few running around with over 1,000 HP. I think the most HP is a little over 1,400 on the RB26DETT. So if you want to go all out and still keep your 350 "Nissan true" then RB26DETT (V-Spec) is what you want. So here you go, the RB26DETT in a 350 -- this 350 is also AWD using the entire Skyline ATTESA drive train. Can you find the radiator?

Supras were my nemisis at the dragstrip (lower boost days). But now I'm running the VQ35 side by side with them. In fact the Supras I run with will post about the same quarter times as the new GT-R. Generally mid 11s. While my '03 isn't running just short of 1,200 HP like the one Supra vid, it does sound very similar in a flyby -- definitely an F-1 type of sound. At 25-30 mph folks will swear I'm doing 50 or 60 because it simply sounds to them like the car is going that fast. Gotta love that good old compressor whine.

The Z has 4 O2 sensors; two on each side, one in front of the cat (sensor 1), the other after (sensor 2). Not sure what the cost is for a stock sensor. A wideband sensor is about $200, so the stock has to be a little cheaper -- I've got an extra O2 sensor on my Z.

Agree that PE is probably the safest route for longevity with a bone stock engine. It's a nice kit and comes with everything you need. Redo the engine? Well, I did just the engine for about $9,000 US. Balanced and polished crank, ceramic main bearings, ARP rod bolts/main/head studs, Pauter forged rods, CP forged ceramic coated 8.5:1 .002 overbore pistons, cylinders trued with a torque plate, ported and polished head, 5-angle valve job, JWT cams and springs. Then you increase oil capacity and cooling. Oversized radiator (Koyo) and water pump. Then you add new injectors (I used 550cc), fuel pump, rails, and pressure regulator. And add some engine management electronics (I used GReddy e-Manage). Top it off with a new intake manifold (Kinetix SSV) and all the other gauges and bells and whistles. Then open up the exhaust and add a new racing clutch and flywheel to handle all the HP. When you finish all that, you're now up to about $20,000 (including the supercharger). Oh, don't forget to add in labor costs (I did 75-80% of the work myself). Add other amenities like wheels, tires, suspension and brakes to round out the package. So, I'm now up to around $30,000 -- the cost of your average Z (could have bought a GT-R for what I've got in the '03). At this point, you don't really have a daily driver. You have a very wicked beast that is not easy to drive in stop-and-go traffic. You also have to be willing to replace parts that were not designed to do what you're asking them to do. So, it comes down to a choice. You can get 100 extra ponies fairly inexpensively, or you can get 250-300 extra ponies for a very significant expense. With the 100 extra, you can kill most all the Porsches except the 911 Turbo. When you go 250-300 more, you're now running neck to neck with the new GT-R (except around corners) -- about the same quarter mile times. Would I do it over again? Yep, but then I like driving the monster FLYIN Z.

Your Goodrich distributor should be able to give you a price based on the size you want. Do y'all have a place in the UK like Discount Tire in the US? They can pick up about any tire you want below MSRP. Check these folks out -- they say they can supply you with Goodrich tyres and they have several stores scattered around. http://www.dattyres.co.uk/

You should be able to special order them in the size you need. I always have to special order mine since no one really stocks them.

You're 100% right Bronzee! I should think the photo post in the thread proves beyond any doublt that the folks here are lovably loony.

You win the UK geography quiz! On the money - RAF Mildenhall it is!

Slight digression off topic, but for you UK super sleuths this is where I spent most of my time in East Anglia - SW of Norwich; NW of Ipswich; NE of Cambridge. Now name that place!

Best I can do is with the sun going down near sunset...

Right, as I look out the window right now and see nothing but gloom... But then again this afternoon the sun will probably pop out from wherever it's hiding.

LOL... I loved England when I was there on a regular and frequent basis -- mostly East Anglia. I was younger and much more foolish then.

Look and see if Michelin came up with something very similar. Since Michelin bought Goodrich, there may be some shared technology going on that Michelin "borrowed" from Goodrich. Pilot Cups may be close, but don't have the aggressive tread design of KDW NTs. http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/overview ... dw/22.html The only high performance tire Goodrich sells in the UK is the g-Force Profiler, but it's quite a different tire. Still available with Y rating though (Autobahn high-speed tire). http://www.bfgoodrich.co.uk/bfguk/front ... L1〈=EN

January '07 - 2-day ice storm and hardly anything was moving except me and my '03 350. All the way to and from work with nary a slip or slide (VDC on as well). But then I know how to drive on ice. I grew up in the frozen northland, and drove for years in all sorts of foul weather.

Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW NT Exceptional wet, dry, and even on ice. Corners in excess of 1 lateral G and will run all day at 185 mph. They will make both a 350Z and a 300ZX completely new cars if you like to go fast around corners. I've driven on all the other high performance tires and haven't found any in the same league as the KDWs.

Three hours for an install is about right -- did it right in my driveway. I also did brakes and rotors (StopTech) at the same time. The install is not difficult at all. The most challenging part is routing the wires for the EDFC. I dropped her about an inch all around. No problem with fender/wheel well clearances, even with much wider tires (245 front and 285 rear) and a fairly significant offset on the rear. I drove for about a week to settle everything and then remeasured and fine tuned my height settings.

Pretty wicked little speed boat. And the new GT-R is 5 seconds faster lapping the Ring. Hehehehe... $70,000 for a GT-R is a real steal deal in bang for the buck when you compare it to the class of cars it runs with. I think I'm in love with the poor person's supercar even more after seeing that Veyron video!

In the US, that car is branded as an Infiniti G35C. Your basic 350 with a back seat. They're all sold normally aspirated here in the States. For the current model year, they bumped the VQ up to 3.7L (330hp at the crank). The car is bigger than a 350 -- a little longer and a little higher, but I think it's over 60% commonality with the 350. For sure, it's not a GT-R; although, I've known folks who have badged up the G35 (sedan) and G35C (coupe) with GT-R badges. Basic posers This is a real GT-R V-Spec II...

Strange... Seems to be part of the whimsical nature of the Z. No apparent commonality at the heart of the issue. UK, JDM, US, or year model -- some do, some don't.

I've never had an issue with my '03 Z. No lights with Random Technology high flows, and no lights when I gutted the high flows -- essentially they're now test pipes. Could it possibly be an issue in just the newer models?

Most definitely immobilizer -- strange behaviors of security light in the dash always means immobilizer, and most commonly the Body Control Module (BCM) in some way, shape, or form is the culprit. For instance, if you turn the ignition on and the security light comes on, the BCM has locked ignition and sends a no start signal to the ECM -- you can crank the engine all day and it won't start until you unlock the BCM: ingnition on for 5 seconds then off for 5 seconds and repeat sequence two more times (then run around your Z clockwise three times chanting "start you mother" incantations) and crank her up.